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Rick Santorum Hoping for New Hampshire Surprise; President Obama Defends Controversial Appointment; Joran van der Sloot in Court; U.S. Saves 13 Iranian Captives; 200,000 More U.S. Jobs; Penn State Reportedly Picks New Coach
Aired January 06, 2012 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Three o'clock, really, right on of the nose, top of the hour.
I'm Don Lemon. Brooke is off today.
Rick Santorum hoping for a surprise in New Hampshire.
There's a disturbing number in today's positive jobs report.
And the president defends his controversial new employee.
Time to play "Reporter Roulette."
(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)
LEMON: Next on "Reporter Roulette," Jim Acosta is next in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Jim, so Rick Santorum is there, but Mitt Romney is long gone. He's already in South Carolina.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. That's right. Don, it makes perfect sense for Mitt Romney to be in South Carolina right now if you consider where he stands in the polls up here in New Hampshire. He's going to be really tough to beat.
So there's really a race for second place that is going on right now between Rick Santorum, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul, and Newt Gingrich. But all of those candidates have to be looking at this new poll that has just come out from CNN, "TIME" magazine and ORC. It's really kind of shocking when you consider how things have changed down in South Carolina, which is a critical state for all of these un-Romney candidates.
Mitt Romney way out in front. You can see the surge that Rick Santorum had in Iowa that has carried into New Hampshire is also carrying into South Carolina, but it's not strong at the moment. And we should always emphasize these polls are snapshots. At the moment he doesn't seem to be taking over Mitt Romney down in South Carolina.
All of that could change with the debate coming up this weekend, but one of the game changers, if you will, that sort of came out today were these positive job numbers, which arguably is a good thing for the White House. They're probably going to like the way all of that looks in terms of how the overall economy is shaping up.
Rick Santorum was asked about this earlier today and he didn't exactly pooh-pooh the numbers, if I could put it that way. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm very gratified to see that in spite of President Obama's numbers, that the job market is beginning to pick up a little bit. I think there might just be some optimism that maybe Republicans are going to take the White House and maybe that's spurring people to start taking some risks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The reason why I wanted to play that sound for you, Don, is because it sort of opens up a window into this difficult situation that the Republicans are going to be in if the economy keeps doing this, keeps chipping away at the unemployment rate, and knocks it down potentially below 8 percent later on this year.
What do the Republicans then do when it comes to the issue of the economy, Don? That's going to be interesting to watch.
LEMON: He was saying that in jest, I'm sure. Was that a joke?
(LAUGHTER)
ACOSTA: No, it wasn't. No.
LEMON: Come on.
ACOSTA: And I heard him say something similar at an event earlier today, which is -- and I think that's really the message from all of these candidates is that, yes, the economy is improving, but it would be so much better if we can get some of the regulations out of the way, if we can get what they call Obamacare off of our backs and so forth.
They are going to continue to make those comments and it's going to be up to voters, obviously, to make up their minds themselves whether or not this argument is going to win the day.
LEMON: Yes.
ACOSTA: But it is -- you can just sort of tell how this is sort of putting them in this box as to how to take on the economy if it's slowly but surely improving, Don.
LEMON: All right. Thank you, Jim. Appreciate it.
ACOSTA: You bet.
LEMON: Next on "Reporter Roulette," chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin with the political side of today's jobs news. Again, the jobless rate down to 8.5 percent.
Hi, Jess.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don.
Well, let's talk first about what the president said today, which was a note of cautious optimism about the direction of the economy. He emphasized the growth in private sector jobs. And the message there is both, hey, look, I'm not enemy of business and also the real engine of the economy is revving up. Listen to him for a minute and then we can talk politics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: obviously we have a lot more work to do. But it is important for the American people to recognize that we've now added 3.2 million new private sector jobs over the last 22 months -- nearly 2 million jobs last year alone. So after shedding jobs for more than a decade, our manufacturing sector is also adding jobs two years in a row now. So we're making progress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: And he went on to press Congress to pass the full-year extension of the payroll tax cut.
But, Don, I want to pick up on something -- you were sort of dismissive of what Jim Acosta was saying there, because the unemployment rate remains high when it's at 8.5 percent. But the reason it's meaningful that the rate would be there, even if it's at 8 percent, the reason that would be a plus for the Obama team is because then the Obama team could make the case during the campaign that his agenda is working, that the economy is moving in the right direction.
And their whole case, is don't change horses midstream, that he has a vision that could improve the economy over time, so stick with Obama going forward. And while 8 percent wouldn't be good for Americans at that snapshot of -- in time, it could be over time given that it is showing improvement.
LEMON: Yes, it was just a matter of time before when the numbers came out we were wondering how both sides were trying -- going to take credit for it. And so now we know basically. It starts very quickly. Thank you very much, Jessica Yellin. Appreciate it.
That's today's "Reporter Roulette."
One of the men who wants President Obama's jobs suddenly under a big microscope, and critics are saying Rick Santorum is part of the problem in Washington. CNN did do some investigating and we got the facts on Santorum's time in office.
Plus: bloody clothes, surveillance video, and a confession.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Did you kill Stephany Tatiana?
JORAN VAN DER SLOOT, DEFENDANT (through translator): Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: There's Joran van der Sloot in court accused of murder. You're going to see his bizarre behavior.
Also, a new twist in the case of a young mom who asked 911 if she could shoot an intruder. We now know why the suspects wanted to break into her home.
And if you're going to steal someone's identity, well, you may want to think twice about targeting a guy in the White House. Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWS BREAK)
It is no secret there is tension between the U.S. and Iran. But we're getting word the Navy has saved more than a dozen Iranian hostages. And this involves pirates. I will show you the video.
Plus, Joran van der Sloot facing a judge in the murder of a young girl, but the alleged killer seemed annoyed to be in court, like it was an inconvenience. You have got to see more of that video.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Happening right now: an update on a story we told you about first on this newscast just a couple minutes ago.
Look at that truck. It's in Monticello, Minnesota. Remember, we told you about the Target truck that skidded off into the ice? The driver appeared to lose control and then plowed right onto that ice. It's being towed away, pulled out of the ice now as we look at it live. And these pictures are courtesy of our affiliate there, KARE Television.
But on the left side of the screen, you see that's the tape. That's how it looked at its deepest when it was submerged. Imagine that driving truck and then going -- my goodness. So they're pulling it out. And guess what? The driver did manage to escape as well. He's been released from the hospital. So, all is well. Wish those guys safety as well, because that's kind of dangerous stuff being out there on the ice.
We will move on now and talk about Iran. The U.S. Navy lends a helping hand to Iran. Take a look at this video. It shows an Iranian ship that was reportedly hijacked more than a month ago. Sailors from the USS Kidd responded to calls for help in the Arabian Sea. And they captured 15 suspected pirates, mostly Somali, and rescued a 13-member Iranian crew, this two days after Iran said the U.S. should not send any more warships into the area.
And before leaving, the Iranian Navy thanked the Navy for its help.
He's had more than a year-and-a-half in custody, and it's time -- and a lot of time to think about it, really, but today Joran van der Sloot told a Peruvian court that he wants more time, more time to reflect on a plea in his murder trial.
Van der Sloot has long been the prime suspect in the unsolved disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba. But he went on trial today for the murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores. Flores was beaten and strangled in van der Sloot's hotel room in Lima, Peru.
Our Rafael Romo joins us now. He's been following the trial.
His lawyer indicated today that he wanted to make a plea or at least plead guilty to this case. So what happened?
ROMO: Well, that's what he told me this morning. He said, what we're going to do is plead guilty and then hope for leniency
But then when Joran van der Sloot was in court and the prosecutor started listening to all of the charges and how serious they were and how graphic was the description of the prosecutor, he started nodding his head and apparently was not in agreement. And then when it came time for the judge to ask him, so, Mr. van der Sloot, how do you plead, he said, I would like to use my right to say a sincere confession, but I do not agree with everything that the prosecutor is saying, so I need time to speak with my attorney.
And after that, then the attorney asked for a continuance, and that's what happened today in court.
LEMON: All right, let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VAN DER SLOOT (through translator): I want to use my right to plead a sincere confession, but do not agree with all the aggravating factors the prosecutor is charging me with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, it's interesting, Rafael, because basically he's sort of negotiating his own -- if you're going to confess, in America, you say, hey, I'm going to confess, but I need to negotiate it, chances are, it's like, hey, buddy, you just confessed. And so there are rules.
Is this common?
ROMO: It's not an official confession because he stopped right in the middle of it. And then his attorney intervened. So he did not finish the full confession.
LEMON: Didn't finish it.
ROMO: So, right now, it's not official yet.
LEMON: Odd behavior in court. You just talked about that. I don't agree with all of it. And then he's sitting down, he's standing up, he's fidgeting, he's nodding off, he's yawning. What's up with that?
ROMO: You know, if the guy is in court facing first-degree murder charges and he faces the prospect of spending as many as 35 years in prison, I wouldn't do that. He was yawning, he was scratching his head, he -- you see him there. He seemed bored. He was not paying attention.
At one point, the judge asked him, you have got to sit up straight and you have to respect this courtroom.
LEMON: Be on your best behavior. Your life...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: ... for a long time, right?
ROMO: Exactly.
But he made it a little bit better, but still he was a little bit -- I don't know -- unfocused.
LEMON: Yes. And this is one of those stories everybody is watching. It's like, what's her name, Casey...
ROMO: Anthony.
LEMON: Everybody is watching this.
All right, thank you, Rafael.
ROMO: Thank you.
LEMON: Up next here on CNN, a stunning new poll, it suggests that Mitt Romney is up big in South Carolina, which, of course, is a big prize in the GOP race, this as Rick Santorum tries to play catchup on a wave of momentum. CNN is taking a look at his political past and discovered some interesting facts about his political spending habits.
Dana Bash standing by. Her report is up next, Dana.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back, everyone.
Let's talk more politics now. Rick Santorum certainly riding a wave right now, as New Hampshire voters take a second look at the Pennsylvania Republican.
But as his spotlight gets brighter, the scrutiny grows. That's how it works, including his history of earmarks.
We're going to talk live with CNN's Dana Bash in just a second, but first take a look at what she discovered.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANTORUM: We're in a financial crisis right now.
BASH (voice-over): Stumping in New Hampshire, Rick Santorum gives his prescription for reducing the deficit.
SANTORUM: We have to do it in the areas where the deficit has been created and that is spending.
BASH: But the former senator's opponents say he was part of the problem.
REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's very liberal.
BASH (on camera): What makes him liberal?
PAUL: He spends too much money.
BASH (voice-over): They really hit him for taking earmarks -- a dirty word in Tea Party lexicon.
ANNOUNCER: Who personally demanded more than $1 million in earmarks? Jay from Ames.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rick Santorum.
ANNOUNCER: Right.
SANTORUM: I have had a lot of earmarks. In fact, I'm very proud of all the earmarks I put in bills.
BASH: The reality is, it's hard to know if Santorum really got a billion dollars in earmarks because he was defeated in 2006, before lawmakers were required to disclose their earmarks.
But Steve Ellis with the nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense says:
STEVE ELLIS, TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE: I think it's pretty clear if you look at the anecdotal evidence that he got at least a billion dollars and probably much, much more.
BASH: In 2005 alone, Pennsylvania received $483 million in earmarks for 872 projects and during his years in Congress, Santorum issued press release after press release, bragging about bringing home the bacon. Like an expansion project for WyoTech job training center, and $50,000 for Gateway Fasteners, a career development program in Export, Pennsylvania.
And Santorum voted for the infamous bridge to nowhere in Alaska. ELLIS: To go against the bridge to nowhere was to go against one of the most powerful senators, Senator Stevens, who is a very senior appropriator.
BASH (on camera): Right. If he would have voted against the bridge to nowhere, bye-bye, money for Pennsylvania.
ELLIS: Absolutely. Bye-bye, money for Pennsylvania.
BASH (voice-over): Santorum still defends his pork barrel projects.
SANTORUM: When you go to Congress, you make sure that when taxes go from your state to Washington, D. C. , you fight to make sure you get your fair share back.
BASH: And to be sure, he was hardly alone. Until recent years, even for Republicans, spending federal funds on folks back home was a path to re-election. But now in a GOP primary, it's fodder for opponents.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I believe that earmarking is a gateway drug to corruption, and Senator Santorum supported it and engaged in it as much as he possibly could.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A gateway drug to corruption, now, that is a sound bite.
Dana Bash, there she is in Washington.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Santorum doesn't sound apologetic for taking what you said were likely more than a billion dollars in earmarks for Pennsylvania, does he?
BASH: No, he's not at all.
And, in fact, he's on the stump today again defending the fact that he took earmarks. And basically what he says is not only does he say that it was constitutional and is constitutional, which many members of Congress say. He also points out that earmarks were a very, very small percentage of the budget.
It was less than 1 percent of the budget. So that is actually true, Don. And what he's also saying on the stump is that what he wants to do when it comes to cutting spending is attack the areas where there really is big, big, big spending that contribute to the deficit like entitlements.
LEMON: So, the earmarks were about bringing home the bacon for Pennsylvania, for Pennsylvanians. But when he was defeated back in 2006, he really started bringing home the bacon for himself, didn't he?
BASH: Oh, there's no question about it.
Just on a personal level, we're talking here. As you mentioned, when he was in Congress, he made $162,000. That was his salary in the United States Senate. When he left -- actually, when he was defeated by a pretty big margin back in 2006 -- he went to go make money really for the first time in his life, big money, I should say. And he made $1.3 million, according to a financial disclosure that he wrote out when he started running for president.
That was in 2010 and the beginning of 2011. And he made a lot of that money, Don, not just for working for that other news channel that we won't mention, but also from working for some of the interests that he helped back in Pennsylvania, a health care company and also an energy company.
Wasn't a lobbyist, never registered as a lobbyist, but he did the kind of work that we see a lot of former members do, don't have the L- word, lobbyist, but they definitely help these companies get political intelligence information for their companies.
LEMON: Yes. I think he worked for MSNBC or something like that.
BASH: I think it starts with an F.
LEMON: I'm just being facetious.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: But, you know, hey, making money, that is what every -- everyone wants to learn a good living. So you can't hold that against him.
BASH: Absolutely.
LEMON: Thank you, Dana. Appreciate it.
BASH: OK. Thank you.
LEMON: Now this:
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have two guns in my hand. Is it OK to shoot him if he comes in this door.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
LEMON: A young mom shoots and kills an intruder after asking 911 for permission. But here's the thing. Someone has been charged with murder, and it's not the person who pulled the trigger.
Plus, for more than 80 decades, more than 80 decades, the government has had a narrow definition of rape -- until now. Find out what has changed. Sunny Hostin on the case.
Looking forward to it, Sunny. See you after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A new twist to report to you in the story about a young Oklahoma widow who took matters into her own hands when a man broke into her home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH MCKINLEY: I have two guns in my hand. Is it OK to shoot him if he comes in this door?
UNIDENTIFIED 911 DISPATCHER: You have to do whatever you can do to protect yourself. I can't tell you that you can do that. But you do what you have to do to protect your baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So that was Sarah McKinley. She's on the phone with the 911 operator. She killed the intruder with a 12-gauge shotgun. Investigators in Blanchet, Oklahoma, say she won't face any charges. But the intruder's alleged accomplice, who ran away from the scene and turned himself in after he heard the gunshots, has been charged with first-degree murder.
All right. Sunny Hostin, I know you're on the case here. But -- how does -- how does this work? The alleged accomplice apparently wasn't armed. So how can he be charged with murder?
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION" ON TRUTV: Because he's a co-conspirator. Bottom line is, he's been charged with felony murder. What was the felony? The underlying felony, burglary in the first degree, because they devised a plan, Don, to go into that home and break in.
Apparently they were also drugged up on hydrocodone. They were -- my understanding that they were both addicted to hydrocodone and they had this planned. That plan led to the other person, the other really conspirator in this case, being shot dead. Now that means this guy, he's also responsible for felony murder. That's the way the law works. And so many people have been tweeting me and Facebooking me and saying this is justice.
LEMON: OK. So they're saying -- again, so this was allegedly because of -- because of hydrocodone. And they wanted to -- so that's why. The alleged accomplice has been released from jail on bond. Is he under any other restrictions here?
HOSTIN: He sure is. He has a $50,000 bond. But interestingly enough, he's also under house arrest, Don. Also, he has a GPS monitoring system and he has to stay 2,000 feet away from McKinley. So pretty strict restrictions on Stewart in this case. We see even less restrictions on some other types of cases that are similar. So I would say that this is a pretty significant case and the restrictions should protect McKinley.
LEMON: OK. Let's move on and talk about this, Sunny. You've spent a lot of time on air, both of us, some of it together talking about Penn State and what was rape and what wasn't and why it didn't include boys or what have you.
So the FBI is making a big change, not because of that but who knows. A big change in the way that it collects and reports rape in this country. The Justice Department is actually changing the definition of forcible rape. So what was the old definition and what will the new one be now?
HOSTIN: Well, the old definition was really just targeting women, women that were victims of sexual assault. I think we have a full screen that has that old definition and I think what is so significant now, Don, is that the old -- there it is, "The carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly against her will." That's the former definition which was established in 1927.
The new definition will encompass not only women but will encompass children, will also encompass men. And so I think that, really, the significance of this cannot be underestimated because the FBI, while most of these cases are tried under state law, the FBI compiles all these statistics and that means that resources are generally funneled according to statics.
Now many, many sexual assaults and sexual crimes did not fall under that former -- former definition so unfortunately a lot of them went unreported in terms of the statistics.
LEMON: Right.
HOSTIN: We're talking about tens of millions of dollars that could not be funneled, not only towards sex -- victims of sexual crimes but also towards the prosecution of those crimes. And so this is an extremely important moment in the fight against sexual assault and sexual crimes.
LEMON: Yes. The statistics, the numbers will no doubt go up because I'm sure that because of the definition. So it's going to be very interesting and you said the money. Wow. Good stuff.
Sunny, thank you.
HOSTIN: That's right.
LEMON: Always a pleasure seeing you.
Up next, the real skinny on today's upbeat jobs report. I caught up with our Christine Romans and she cuts through the spin, the political battles, and gives us the truth about how this affects all Americans and their wallets. You don't want to miss it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. You want to look up at your TV screen right now. Look at these pictures. Unbelievable. This is out of -- out of Indiana near Chicago area because WLS is the affiliate. That's a report -- as you can see there has been an accident with two trains, we are told. Two trains crashed. It's in in Porter, Indiana. Live pictures, as I said, from our affiliate WLS there. Porter County, Indiana.
They collided and police and firefighters are en route to the collision. We saw some emergency vehicles trying to get there just a little bit before we came back to you out of the break. The collision is located near County Road 550 East and 600 North. If you're in that area, you know where that is.
Shutting down some roads in the area, too, because it is believed that one of the trains may have been carrying some hazardous material. There are injuries reported and, again, one of the trains may be carrying hazardous material. This is Porter County, Indiana. Two trains have collided there. Injuries, CNN is watching.
Thank you, WLS, for that video. We'll stay on it.
Did you know that each year more than 3,000 Americans drown in the U.S.? As a child Cullen Jones almost did. But now Jones is the first African-American man to hold a world record for swimming.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta with "The Human Factor."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Beijing, the 2008 Olympics. Cullen Jones wins the gold medal in the 400 freestyle relay. Becoming the second African-American swimmer to take home gold and the first to hold a world record. But growing up, learning to swim was the last thing on his mind.
CULLEN JONES, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: My dad was a basketball player so I watch the NBA. And it was like -- he's like, you ought to play basketball.
GUPTA: But a trip to the water park at the age of 5 changed his life.
JONES: We went down this ride and I ended up flipping upside down because I was so light. And I almost drowned. My mom tried to come down and save me and she couldn't swim so the lifeguard has to come and get me. And my dad had to get my mom.
GUPTA: After that, learning to swim became a priority. Not easy when you're growing up in the inner city neighborhood.
JONES: I grew up in an area that wasn't, you know, the nicest area. It wasn't the friendliest person to walking around in a little brief.
GUPTA: He found challenges in simply being different.
JONES: Fifteen years old, I'm like, dad, there's no black people here. And he was like, well, stick to basketball, you know, you wouldn't have this problem. And we -- you know, we laughed about it but I mean that was a big, you know, step for me. And overcoming it was hard.
How many of you guys have ever had a swimming lesson?
GUPTA: Which is why it's so important to him to inspire other kids that are like him.
JONES: I was getting sixth and seventh place and now, you know, I've got an Olympic gold medal. So there is hope. You just have to keep -- stick with it and keep with it and that's what I tell kids.
GUPTA: Jones is sharing his story with kids who never imagined they'd be getting swimming lessons from an Olympian.
JONES: This sport is giving a lot. I really want to make sure that I give to it and make sure that I can shine in the path to another kid.
GUPTA: And he's not stopping there. He's going for gold again and he hopes to compete in the Summer Olympic Games later this year in London.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cullen Jones, winning at a time of 22:52.
JONES: If you learn anything from my story, it can happen. You know, as long as you stick with it, there are going to be rough days. I still have rough days. It's not easy. It's never easy but it's worth it when you can sit back and you're standing on the podium and you hear your national anthem, that's what I swim for.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Nice job. Nice job. And from an Olympic swimmer to football. Playoff games under way this weekend. But first, Sanjay talks with a former pro-bowl running back who is suing the NFL over health and safety issues. Don't miss at 7:30 a.m., 7:30 a.m., Saturday and Sunday mornings.
You know it is the news Americans crave, more jobs. And today's government report shows there were 200,000 more of them in December. Here's the real truth. We cut to the quick of it.
CNN's Christine Romans showed me where the jobs are.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): It's the best news they've had in a long time. They had 200,000 jobs created then 100,00 in November. Overall for the whole year, 1.6 million jobs created, 1.6 million jobs over the past year. That's slow, steady improvement in the labor market.
LEMON: What does that mean for the people who are at home watching now?
ROMANS: It means if you newly lost your job, you're going to have a better chance in 2012 of getting a job.
LEMON: OK.
ROMANS: If you've been out of work for six months or longer, Don, it's the same bad labor market. I mean people have been out of work for a long time. The longtime unemployment nothing really changes for them.
LEMON: OK. Is this -- because you know we're in a political season.
ROMANS: Yes.
LEMON: Is this an economic story? Of course it is, but is it more of a political story because everyone is going to -- they're going spin it.
ROMANS: Yes. This is a political story quite frankly, because economists and people like me who follow the markets, we know that it's been slowly getting a little bit better.
LEMON: You know why I ask you that?
ROMANS: Why?
LEMON: Because I saw -- I saw Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
ROMANS: Right. Right.
LEMON: There's been -- we've had months, you know, of positive numbers for the economy and job growth and that's -- so it's become a talking point.
ROMANS: It is. But they have to be careful. Because they can't turn around and say, look how great everything is. Because I just told you, for people out of work six months or longer, nothing's changed. It's still terrible. And when I go on television and say things are slowly healing, I get all these e-mails from people saying, not for me or not for my cousin, not for my brother.
So it still feels really badly out there. And you've lost so many -- I can show you how many jobs we've lost. I mean you look at how much -- how many jobs we've lost. This is 2008, right? This is still when President Bush was in office. Look, this is hundreds of thousands of jobs lost. Month after month after month. Here's where President Obama takes office. Still, 700, 800, 600,000 jobs lost month after month after -- this is a catastrophe for the American people what happened here.
LEMON: So that's what they mean by positive growth over month?
ROMANS: So on the campaign trail you'll hear the Republicans say that they -- that they want to say the president has created this jobs crisis, this is something that is -- both presidents lived through and now this is the slow healing. Slow healing. You need to see every month, at least 150,000 created just to keep up with the number of people entering the work force.
LEMON: What's this? ROMANS: This is Census hiring and stimulus money. So that's what, you know, was reviled as, you know, spending taxpayer money, you know, deficit spending to try to boost the economy. It was a sugar rush. You can see. It was a sugar rush there. And then things drop off again here. And this has been slow -- we worried about a double-dip recession there, Don, remember, in the summer and now this is six months in a row of at least 100,000 jobs created. That hasn't happened since 2006.
LEMON: Is this an indicator when you see it like this that this is sustainable for --
ROMANS: That's what we don't know.
LEMON: OK.
ROMANS: That's a very good question. We just don't know that quite yet and we need -- I think we need three or four more months of 200,000-ish, one after the other. Now the quality of the jobs, too, and that's another reason why it's not easy for people at home. We had a lot of retail jobs, temporary jobs, we had a lot of people, FedEx, UPS. Maybe those jobs aren't going to be there in February or March, right? So we got to watch to see if, again, it's sustainable.
We saw mining, manufacturing, health care. But government jobs over the year, 280,000 government workers lost their jobs in this country. So that's the trend, right? We're trying to see if the private sector can take over because obviously budget cuts are the only game for years to come.
LEMON: Yes, you know, how it works here. Ten second, bottom line it for me if you can.
ROMANS: Slowly getting better. There you go.
LEMON: She's good. That was like -- that was five second or less.
Christine Romans, thank you.
ROMANS: You're come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Again, thank you, Christine. And just in, remember we told you just seconds ago about Porter County, Indiana, there were two trains that collided -- there are the live pictures. And apparently the emergency crews are on the scene because you can see them now. And they're trying to douse those flames. It's interesting because it is feared that one of the trains may have been carrying some hazardous material. Again, police and firefighters, many of them en route, some of them there now, and you're looking at live pictures of the scene.
Again courtesy -- we have to thank our affiliate WLS for doing such a great job in bringing us this so we can bring it to you.
Want to get some more information to you. David James is on the phone now. He's the assistant highway supervisor for Porter County Highway Department.
So do you know what the hazardous material the train was carrying or was it a hazardous material?
DAVID JAMES, PORTER COUNTRY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT: Sir, from what we understand, it is ethanol material -- ethanol alcohol that was on -- the material on the train.
LEMON: Ethanol alcohol, and that poses for you -- what does this mean for the efforts there in trying to get this under control?
JAMES: From what we understand, being from the highway standpoint, it is a very volatile, very flammable liquid, and it's going to take multiple units of fire departments to get this doused and put out. I don't think it's an air hazard to the effect that they are evacuating within a mile radius in. And it's airborne. There is thick black smoke at one time. I think it is starting to disperse somewhat.
I am not on scene. This is what I've been told. We have blocked off all the roads and we are asking that people stay away from the scene. It was two trains involved in this accident from what we understand. And as far as injuries, I cannot comment on that. Because that hasn't come back in yet.
LEMON: All right. David James is the assistant highway supervisor at Porter County Highway Department. Thank you so much, sir.
You saw the pictures there. He said that there was ethanol alcohol, and they're very volatile, as you know, used for fuel. And man, if that explodes, it's just -- it can be catastrophic there. They're working to get it under control. Two trains colliding. One of them, as you heard from the Highway Department, they believe it's carrying ethanol alcohol.
We will keep you updated on this developing news story. We're back in moments here on CNN with more news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It's time right now for our political pop and first up, the comedy Web site Funny or Die holding a mock debate of GOP candidates played by an assortment of celebrities. Hosting duties went to Larry King. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST: Now you know how this works. We give the candidates seven seconds and whoever can mention Ronald Reagan's name the most wins the round. Go.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Time's up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ronald Reagan.
KING: And the winner of the Reagan speed round is Jon Huntsman.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, thank you. I'm going to pick out Huntsman as my VP. Whoa, whoa, whoa, who said that? Stop, stop there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, guys, look at me.
KING: Herman Cain, get out of here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What? Cain the Press, live in primetime.
KING: Herman, go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So long, suckers.
KING: Now, we will be taking some questions from twitting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Pretty funny.
It has been two days since John McCain endorsed Mitt Romney and in those two days, he's had back-to-back flubs out on the campaign trail.
Let's take you to Charleston, South Carolina just yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I am confident with the leadership and the backing of the American people, President Obama will turn this country around. We believe in America. We believe that our best days are ahead of us. President --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Romney --
MCCAIN: Excuse me, President Romney. President Romney.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And here he is today getting his names mixed up talking about earmarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint have joined with me time after time to go to the floor of the Senate to fight against the earmark, pork barrel corruption that goes on in Washington, D.C. Earmarks are a gateway to corruption and I can tell you that neither Mitt Romney nor Rick Santorum share that view.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So apparently he meant to say Newt Gingrich there instead of Mitt Romney.
"THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer coming up at the top of the hour. So Wolf joins me now with a preview.
And Wolf, your speaking with RNC chair Reince Priebus today. What did he say?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: You have to watch this show. I'm not going to tell you now. Why would you watch if I told you that right now, Don?
LEMON: All right, Blitz.
BLITZER: But I am going to tell you who else is in "THE SITUATION ROOM" coming up right at the top of the hour. The president's chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Alan Krueger. Just reporting on the jobs numbers that came out in December, 200,000 new jobs. Very impressive. We'll talk about that.
Jon Huntsman, the Republican presidential candidate, he's joining us. Also in the 5:00 p.m. Eastern hour, a live interview, it's going to be right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM," in "THE SITUATION ROOM" Herman Cain. He's coming back to talk to us about what's going on right now.
So we got a lot coming up. One other thing you should know, Don, ask me the question, what is it.
LEMON: What is it, Blitz?
BLITZER: This is the last show we're doing from this venue right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM." Next week, I'm going to be at the CNN Election Center Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but when I come back to Washington on Thursday, we've got a whole new situation room going on and we're building a whole new studio that's going to be ready later next -- later this year, but I feel sort of sad.
You see these lovely walls and all the stuff, the video. This was "THE SITUATION ROOM" that we started in August six years ago. Six and a half years we've been in this room. But it's -- you know what? Things happen. We're moving on. It's a little sad. We'll reflect, we'll reminisce, now you can see the wide shot.
LEMON: Yes.
BLITZER: You can see -- the viewers aren't going to see that anymore after today, so if you want get pictures, do it today because starting next week, we're going to be some place else.
LEMON: Yes, you know, I love it and I think you -- I filled in for you twice and I got to be part of that historic situation room.
BLITZER: Thank you.
LEMON: I know how you feel. I remember the old set in the newsroom. I got to anchor the last newscast.
BLITZER: You did.
LEMON: And you feel , it's like, wow, this is the -- really the end of an era, right?
BLITZER: You can get a little sentimentally even though, you know, it's sort of the cynical crusty journalists like us. We get a little touched. Maybe there'll be -- if they do a tight shot of my eyes later today, you might see a little something going on in there.
LEMON: Blitz.
BLITZER: I know. I've seen you get sentimental, too. I know you're a -- you're a sentimental kind of guy.
LEMON: Of course. Of course. Modern man. It's OK.
BLITZER: Yes.
LEMON: Guys can cry. Thank you, Wolf. We'll see you top of the hour. Just a few minutes.
BLITZER: Thank you.
LEMON: Up next, it is a legendary program. One that brings in tens of millions of dollars a year. Now as reports circulate that Penn State has chosen a new coach, I'm asking how is a program under this much scrutiny even operating right now?
"Sports Illustrated's" Jon Wertheim standing by. We'll have the conversation next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: At one time, Joe Paterno's successor would have been a dream job, but after a child sex abuse scandal ended Paterno's career, Penn State's head coaching job is the hottest seat in college football, but it looks like the school has found the man to take it. ESPN is reporting that Bill O'Brien has accepted the position. O'Brien is currently the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. Reportedly he'll stay with the Patriots through the NFL playoffs.
Want to bring in Jon Wertheim. John, good to see you. Senior investigative reporter for "Sports Illustrated". Program that's under this much scrutiny after this whole scandal, could face severe penalties. Why take this job?
JON WERTHEIM, SR. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Well, it's still a prominent program and you'll notice they could not get him -- when this scandal broke, we heard Urbanmeyer was going to take this job. They were floating these candidates, it's very high-profile people. You'll notice who the man who got this job is not a high- profile coaching candidate, so it wasn't as though they were lining up outside state college for this job. But you know it's a big challenge, but it's still a head coaching job of a major program and a major conference, so it's a risk, no question.
LEMON: What Does Penn state think that O'Brien will bring to the table to help the team move past the Sandusky scandal? I mean the football program there is really sort of in shambles and in uproar. WERTHEIM: Yes. I mean what he brings is a fresh start. I mean here's a guy who has no real track record, he has no ties to Penn State. Certainly no ties to this scandal. Most people don't even have opinions about him personally. Most people couldn't identify him. So if we're talking about cleaning house, (INAUDIBLE), I mean here's a guy where he just goes in with a complete clean slate. That's probably the best they could ask for right now.
LEMON: I have to ask you this because many people are saying, hey, listen, why even -- why is this program still in operation after all of this, especially when you're talking about children and a respected -- two respected coaches, as a matter of fact. Why isn't it suspended? What's going on?
WERTHEIM: Yes, I mean, you know, you and I have talked about this. And I think in fairness, we're still -- there has not been a conviction yet. There has not been a plea. We're still at the who knew what and when phase. I mean I think there's a healthy debate to be have here. I mean given the pressures, given that there are still trials to come, maybe you just take a break and keep it low for a season, but you know at the same time, I understand there are players, there are opponents, I mean there are a lot to this infrastructure that would really be affected if you just said, you know what, we need to cancel the season. So I think we can discuss it, but I think realistically, let's see how -- let's see how this plays out.
LEMON: I only have really here about 10 seconds left. Not all of the Letterman's Club, they don't approve. He doesn't get approval from everyone there. O'Brien.
WERTHEIM: Well, that's crazy because this whole -- this whole scandal is predicated on the insularity of this program. They had to get an outsider. So that I didn't get. But no, that -- the fact that he doesn't have alumni support that's just one more challenge this poor guy is going to have to deal with.
LEMON: Jon Wertheim, thank you very much, sir. We'll continue to talk about this and I'll see you this weekend, all right?
In the meantime, I'm Don Lemon. Thanks for watching. "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Mr. Wolf Blitzer starts right now.
