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Rallying to Stop Attacks on Romney; Mississippi on the Hunt for Convicted Felons; Global Outrage over Marine Video; Southern Inhospitality in South Carolina Primary; Home Depot Hiring; Possible Cause of Ohio Quakes; Tim Tebow's 3:16 Connection
Aired January 13, 2012 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM": All right, guys. Thank you so much.
And this morning President Obama is preparing to go to the east room and ask Congress for more power. He says he wants to shrink the federal government.
Let's get right to it with White House correspondent, Brianna Keilar. Brianna, what exactly does the President want to do? We just learned about this in the past hour.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Kyra, he will be requesting the authority from congress to basically merge six agencies, six commerce and trade agencies. The idea here, according to the White House, is to eliminate or -- pardon me -- according to sources that we've talked to, is to eliminate some of the redundancies that businesses have to deal with. Kind of like the jumping through hoops or the red tape that they have to deal with.
President Obama will be outlining what he wants to do at 11:20 Eastern. And really what he has to do here, though, is ask Congress for this power to squish together these agencies.
And for now at this point, Kyra, I've reached out to some Republicans on Capitol Hill. They're reserving judgment at this point.
As you know, they frequently talk about wanting smaller government, so on its face this seems like something that they could go along with but, of course, they're waiting right now to see what President Obama says. They're waiting to see if there are any catches.
But you see President Obama here doing a couple of things. He's trying to make good on some promises about having more efficient government.
PHILLIPS: OK.
KEILAR: And he's also trying to put Congress in a spot where he says, I'm proposing something that you should be on board with, and sort of trying to force Republicans to say, yes, to that. But so watch for what the president is going to say at 11:20, Kyra, and then watch to see how Republicans react. If they say, yes, this is something we can go along with or if maybe they say this is shuffling the deck chairs. PHILLIPS: OK, Brianna, and we will take the president live in 11:00 a.m. Eastern hour. Thanks so much.
Just one week and one day until South Carolina votes, the Republican primary, so now it's crunch time. Live this hour Rick Perry meeting with voters over breakfast at a diner in Hilton Head. He's one of the candidates coming under fire by some big names in the GOP. They have the same message to Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, any other presidential contender attacking Mitt Romney's time at Bain Capital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: Both Newt and Rick are good friends of mine. They are two people that I would have a kind of inclination to support. I think their positions are closer to mine than even Mitt Romney's. Same thing with Rick Santorum. But I think the attack that they are leveling against Romney is not only an unfair attack, I think it's an attack that hurts what Republicans stand for, which is a free market economy.
MICHAEL STEELE, FORMER RNC CHAIRMAN: It sounds as if you're attacking, you know, capitalism and a free-market system. And that's not what we're about. To attack that, to me, is inconsistent with who we are and what we fundamentally agree with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Even the president of the Chamber of Commerce is chiming in calling the attacks foolish.
CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser is live in D.C.
So, Paul, we're just about a week away until South Carolina votes. Are these attacks hurting Romney at this point? And what do you think, will his rivals tone it down?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, this is -- this has been going on from Sunday, the presidential debates in New Hampshire, Kyra. And hey, is it hurting him? We'll see. Some new polls in South Carolina starting today. It may be hurting him. Will his rivals tone it down? They seem to be. They seem to be getting the message.
You played some sound there from Michael Steele, the former Republican National Committee chairman, and from Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani, on CNN. Also others as well. A lot of establishment Republicans.
But, Kyra, also some very conservative people that are not establishments are saying the same thing, cut it out, guys. This is the mantra of the Republican Party. Free enterprise, free trade. And you're hurting not only Romney but the whole party. And you're giving ammunition to the Democrats.
Take a look at this. A brand new ad out this morning from Mitt Romney in South Carolina on South Carolina airwaves defending himself, defending his time at Bain Capital. That ad starting to run this morning talking about Staples and some of the other companies such as Sports Authority where Bain actually helped create jobs.
Kyra, one more thing. Take a listen to this new Web video from the Gingrich campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Massachusetts moderate Mitt Romney, he'll say anything to win. Anything. And just like John Kerry -- he speaks French, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Zing. Zing. He speaks French. Oh my lord. You know, Gingrich has been calling Mitt the moderate from Massachusetts. Here's another attempt to portray Romney as a Massachusetts liberal comparing him to Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts.
PHILLIPS: Yes, OK. We've got -- let's see -- Huntsman speaking a little Mandarin. Now we have Romney speaking a little French. I wonder if this is going to work.
STEINHAUSER: Ouch.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Exactly. OK. Well, now is this going to work? Stephen Colbert exploring a run for the White House? Let's go ahead and listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE COLBERT REPORT": I am proud to announce that I am forming an exploratory committee to lay the groundwork for my possible candidacy for the president of the United States of South Carolina. I'm doing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: OK. But really this is a sarcastic civics lesson, I think. Then again, he's a South Carolina native, right?
STEINHAUSER: It is a -- yes, it's a little sarcasm here. He's trying to show the absurdity of U.S. election law. But, all right, let's take it seriously for a second. A couple of things. He missed a deadline to get on the ballot in South Carolina. That was November 1st. Guess what? He can't be a write-in candidate if he wants to do this. That's not allowed in the South Carolina primary.
You know, remember, Kyra, he tried this four years ago. Tried to run as a Democrat in South Carolina. Didn't work last time. But it'll get him ratings.
PHILLIPS: Yes, it will. It will get us talking about it, right?
STEINHAUSER: We're doing it right now.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Paul.
All right, well, definitely watch the results of the South Carolina primary with us. We've got the best political team in television. Just turn to CNN next Saturday, January 21st, starting at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. And we'll have more political news all morning. And a reminder for all the latest political stuff, just go to our Web site, CNNPolitics.com.
Well, you're going to not just be shocked about this story, but now there's a lot of concern. No one seems to know where four convicted killers are just days after they walked out of their Mississippi prison cells as free men.
So the state's attorney general is threatening a nationwide manhunt to track down these murderers even though they were pardoned by outgoing Governor Haley Barbour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM HOOD, MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY GENERAL: There's going to be a national search for some of them. We'll catch them, it's just a matter of time but --
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you know where they are?
HOOD: No.
SAVIDGE: No --
HOOD: We know where their family, we're in contact with their family, local law enforcement. There's a search going on out there for them. And we'll lay hands on them at some point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Ed Lavandera live in Dallas for us.
OK, these men are supposed to be checking in with officials, right? Do we know if they are in any way?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is where it gets a little weird, Kyra, because the order that this judge issuing this temporary injunction kind of halting these pardons and the release of some 21 other inmates, these -- there's a group of five that were released before the injunction was put into place. The injunction says that they need to check in, but as you just heard the attorney general there say they haven't found them. So they haven't gotten the paperwork or being -- they haven't been served with this notice because they're pardoned.
It's as if they don't have any kind of criminal record. They can't issue an arrest warrant for them. So they haven't been served with this paperwork. So technically they're not -- they don't have to check in because they haven't seen this paperwork. So it's this, you know, kind of the chicken or the egg situation here as to what they're going to do with these guys and try to track them down.
The attorney general says they want to track them down. And they're going to do everything they can to do so.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOOD: I worked all day yesterday trying to find a method to give the court authority to issue a warrant for their arrest so we could put out an APB on them. Unfortunately at this point we have not found any law that would support that. Because they are. They do have a legal document saying that they're free to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: And Kyra, because their records are clean, they can't issue an arrest warrant as you heard the attorney general there. So it's a situation that continues to anger and frustrate many people in Mississippi.
PHILLIPS: So, Ed, let me ask you. Is Jim Hood afraid that they are going to commit another crime? Does he think these individuals will strike again?
LAVANDERA: Well, you know, it's clear that there -- if it's not Attorney General Hood who's nervous about that, the families of these victims have made no bones about that, that they're being -- that they're worried. We've even heard from -- the prosecutors who tried the cases of these killers, that there's a sense of, you know, concern among them as well saying, you know, sometimes some of these people, you know, blame the lawyers that put them away for their predicament and their situation. So even those people.
The fear and the anxiety kind of extends throughout much -- many different people in many different ways. Attorney General Hood obviously, you know, voicing that concern as well.
PHILLIPS: All right. Ed Lavandera in Dallas. So, Ed, thanks so much.
Now we want to talk more about that video that just blew all of us away yesterday. The Marine Corps has actually interviewed two of the four Marines that were caught on that scandalous video. The one showing them urinating on enemy corpses.
Well, the Corps hasn't released their names. And he says that the Marines were not detained after the interviews. But as you know, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta came out yesterday saying he's deeply troubled by this video. And he has now ordered a full investigation.
Needles to say, that video has outraged people around the world, not just here in the United States.
And CNN's Max Foster has been following the reaction overseas.
And what did you see, Max? MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, well, Kyra, it's interesting because obviously everyone is offended by the video, but actually a lot of the international media are looking at what it means, what it says about the United States and its military.
It's actually quite profound, a lot of the coverage. The "Independent" writing, "This is not about bad apples, this is the horror of war. Armies are horrible creatures and soldiers do wicked things. But when we accept all these lies about bad apples and the exceptionalism of crime in war, we are accepting war and going along with the dishonesty of it."
And the "International Herald Tribune" writing under the headline, "Critical juncture for Afghan peace." "The U.S. administration's best hope for ending the war in Afghanistan has reached a critical juncture. Events like the release of the video and the continuing measure of uncertainty."
And finally, "The Globe and Mail" in Canada, "Disgraced over YouTube." "Outrage in Afghanistan and shame in America emerged as another U.S. Military atrocity surfaced to undermine the hearts and mind effort to secure Afghan support."
It's about hearts and minds and whether or not the U.S. Military has the support in Afghanistan. So it's a -- it's a pretty big debate overseas.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Been obviously -- we'll be continuing to update everyone worldwide on the investigation that's taking place. It's just an appalling, appalling video.
Max, thanks so much.
Well, no one can ever accuse the South Carolina primary of being good, clean fun. Eight more muddy, bloody days of political Armageddon left in a state notorious for its nasty campaigns. Whatever happened to southern hospitality? We're looking into that coming up.
And usually those lines, long lines of people waiting for the latest Apple products are pretty peaceful, but not this morning in Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAN GRANT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Security are running down here now. And the mob are continuing to follow them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: That's our Stan Grant. He was right there in the middle of it all. Apple is responding. And he'll tell us what they had to say.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Let's check stories "Cross Country" now.
First up, a rare sight these days. Snow. And a lot of it. After weeks of warm, dry weather, the first big snowstorm of the season dumped up to eight inches of that stuff over much of the Midwest.
And parts of the south and northeast are also getting hit. Hundreds of flights have already been canceled.
And police in New Orleans say they found two live grenades inside a car that had been towed to police headquarters. The area was evacuated and a bomb squad removed the grenades and detonated them at a remote location.
In San Jose, California, a robbery suspect nabbed by a pretty brave bystander. Steve Brown was actually on his way to work when he saw two men crash their car and take off running. He went after them. Caught one. Made a citizen arrest. The other suspect caught by police.
Well, the South Carolina primary is eight days away. So you can probably expect at least eight more days of nasty, dirty politicking.
CNN's Tom Foreman actually showed us how it starts as soon as you wake up and start brewing the coffee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAM SPENCER, SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN VOTER: It's 8:30.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And phone is ringing.
SPENCER: And the phone is ringing.
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have a jobs and economic growth plan.
SPENCER: I don't feel like it's more than it is in '08 or in '10.
FOREMAN: Yes, but it's still not down to the wire.
SPENCER: Well, that's true, too. I hate to think what it's going to be like once we do get down to the wire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes, yeah down to the wire. You know what that means. Nasty, dirty, sleazy, vicious politics.
Andy Shain is the political reporter for "The State" and "Columbian".
Andy, you actually compiled a list of all these headlines describing the nastiness of South Carolina campaigns. I picked a couple of my favorites.
"Romney heads into the South Carolina buzz saw."
"South Carolina braces for ugly whispers."
"Republican rivals prepare for the bare knuckle fight."
That's coming from "The guardian." That's in London.
So, South Carolina has a global reputation. How did it become the nastiest of the nasty primary states?
ANDY SHAIN, POLITICAL REPORTER, THE STATE: Well, Kyra, first of all, I promise to be nice to you today.
You know, it really goes back to 1980 politically, back when South Carolina started its winning streak of nominating the eventual GOP -- or of electing the eventual GOP nominee. But, you know, I mean, we're a state that obviously -- we're the state that is ceded first from the Union. So, this really goes back.
There's a big independent streak. There's a lot of pride in the state, and there's folks who are willing to sit here and sling it out a little bit.
PHILLIPS: But, Andy, isn't it kind of ironic. I mean, Charleston had been voted most polite city in the country?
SHAIN: Well, you know, this isn't about taking a nice vacation to Charleston. This is about trying to win a race across the entire state from Greenville to Conway to Aiken down to Hilton Head. And, you know, in the end, you're trying to reach these people in small towns and be able to sit here and get your message across.
And at this point, you know, you're through Iowa, you're through New Hampshire, you're into South Carolina -- the game of musical chairs, the number of chairs are dropping. You're going to have candidates that are going to be working really, really hard to stay afloat.
PHILLIPS: OK. So, let me ask you this -- how does this primary compare to ones of years past? Has anything surprised you so far?
SHAIN: Nothing surprises us in South Carolina after years and years of this. I mean, I think in a lot of ways we've become used to it.
What's different, I think, is the fact that you have the PACs coming out. You have a lot more ads coming out faster than maybe before, the frequency. Also the idea, of course, the Internet -- the idea that right now you have candidates saying go to YouTube. Watch these videos, that kind of thing. And, you know, that's social media. That's the way that this is all erupting.
PHILLIPS: So, let me ask you this, final question. Has there been a candidate that you think has done a better job than the others with regard to, I guess, putting on the armor and battling the meanness?
SHAIN: You know, right now it appears to be Newt Gingrich. He's so far had the largest ad buys in South Carolina. He's put out, what, his PAC has put out a 28-minute movie.
So, it seems like he's gunning for it because he knows South Carolina is the place he can make a statement. He's in the top three polling here. He wants to show what he can do. At one point, he was leading in the state.
So, I think he sees this as a place where he needs to really, really make a stand.
PHILLIPS: Andy Shain, thanks for being nice to me this morning. I appreciate it.
SHAIN: No problem.
PHILLIPS: Well, CNN is the place for the Southern Republican presidential debate in Charleston. It's next Thursday night. Can't guarantee if it's going to be nice or not, 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN. The candidates get another chance to debate the issues, too, two days before the South Carolina primary.
Well, the holiday hiring season may be long gone, but at least one major retailers is planning a huge hiring spree. We'll take you live to the New York Stock Exchange for all the details.
And Apple probably only expected iPhones to be flying off the shelves today in China. Not eggs at their windows. We'll go inside the crowd as it turned pretty violent all over the iPhone 4S.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: We're used to seeing the long lines of devoted Apple fans waiting outside of stores for the newest iPad, iPod, or iPhone. Well, this morning in Beijing, that line turned pretty violent in a hurry when one store didn't open its doors.
Our Stan Grant was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STAN GRANT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It wasn't supposed to be like this. Eggs pelted at the Apple store. People furious.
Then tempers reaching boiling point.
Angry potential Apple customers viciously attacking security.
(on camera): Security are running down here now. The mob are continuing to follow them.
This is what happened when they didn't open the Apple Store. The crowd are getting angrier and angrier. Punches have already been thrown.
They're still following security. Brad, look over here.
(voice-over): It didn't start this way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really like Apple iPhone 4.
GRANT: Eighteen-year-old Tom was one who cued in the freezing cold overnight for the official China release of the Apple iPhone 4S. This store in a popular Beijing shopping center was supposed to be open at 7:00 a.m. as the time ticked past, the mood turned sour.
Then, an announcement.
The phone would not be sold here today. As people refused to leave, police moved in.
(on camera): So we're here in the middle of the crowd. The police have been thinning them out slowly. And as you can see here now, they're shouting on the megaphone for people to leave. If you look over here, they're trying to force people to leave right now.
(voice-over): Those who wouldn't leave peacefully were hauled away by force.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are very angry. People are pissed off, and that's for sure.
GRANT: Some people here blame Apple. Others even holding the United States to account. Anger also directed at China itself, a country they say too quick to attack its own people, too ready to use force to impose order.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is China. Not push. The police push us.
GRANT (on camera): You don't like China police?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't like China police.
GRANT (voice-over): What should have been a day of celebration has backfired for apple, its customers, even the state itself.
Stan Grant, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Apple is saying that it didn't open the store because it was concerned about safety with that large crowd and because of those concerns, the company says the iPhone 4S won't be available in stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being.
Well, here's some good news. Home Depot is planning a hiring spree. Alison Kosik, tell us more.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Seventy thousand jobs, Kyra. That's what Home Depot is going to be looking to fill. They're looking to fill for temp workers. That's actually 10,000 more than last year's target even though it ended up hiring 70,000 people last year.
Now, here's the really good news. These jobs, they may start out as temporary jobs, but they could turn into permanent ones. Home Depot's got a pretty good track record. You look at the seasonal hires. Half of the Home Depot's seasonal hires last year stayed on as permanent workers.
Now, its rivalries, Lowe's, it also plans to hire 40,000 temp workers this year. That's the same amount as last year.
See? We usually think of holiday season as the peak time for temporary hiring. But, look, for home improvement stores, peak time is spring -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We're hearing Wall Street has earnings from JPMorgan chase to consider today. How's that factoring into stocks?
KOSIK: Exactly. Shares of JPMorgan Chase right now are down 2 percent. They're actually pressuring the broader market. Its fourth quarter profit dropped more than 20 percent. It was in line with its estimate. But its revenue number came in much weaker than expected. JPMorgan is struggling with falling profits at its investment banking and asset management units. The bank's real estate portfolio, that also lost money.
The interesting thing is JPMorgan chase is the first major bank to report. Next week, we're also going to hear from Wells Fargo, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America. JPMorgan usually sets the tone for the other big banks, Kyra. So, may not bode very well for next week -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: That's not good. You told us good news. Now you told us bad news. That's not fair, Alison.
KOSIK: Even it out.
PHILLIPS: Yes, there we go. All right.
KOSIK: Some balance.
PHILLIPS: We need some balance. Thank you.
Well, northeastern Ohio has been rocked by an unusual series of earthquakes, 11 since last march. Now finding the cause of the quakes may hurt jobs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT HAGAN, OHIO STATE HOUSE: All officials are rushing to find out anything we can do to provide jobs for this area. We've lost 50,000 jobs in a 30-year period. People are desperate. They want to make sure that we do something. On the other hand, we have to do it in a safe, environmental way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The possible manmade cause for those earthquakes coming up.
And Tim Tebow's fans say he made two big connections in Sunday's game. One for the winning score and one for the big guy upstairs. We'll talk about that in 20 minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now.
Big boos for Penn State's president at a town hall with hundreds of alumni last night. Most of the questions were about the dismissal of Joe Paterno, the head football coach, fired in the wake of the child molestation scandal.
Joran van der Sloot will learn his fate next hour. Peruvian judges could send him to jail as much as 30 years after he pleaded guilty to killing a 21-year-old woman.
And this morning, President Obama will ask Congress for the power to shrink the federal government. First on the docket, combine commerce and trade agencies. We will bring you the president's remarks live at 11:20 Eastern Time right here on CNN.
Well, first real storm of the season is dumping up to eight inches of snow in parts of the Midwest. Jacqui Jeras take a lack at who's getting the worst of it.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, finally, Kyra. But it's been really ugly out there. Blizzard like conditions at time. The Buffalo, New York, area.
And Chicago hit pretty hard. You know, take a look at some of this video from the Chicagoland area. Only 4.7 inches of snow. Not a ton by Chicago standards. But this is the 11th latest on record that we've ever seen, two inches or more for snowfall.
So, this is really unusual for them, difficult on the roadways, 500 flights have been canceled out of Chicago O'Hare. The snow is winding down but the wind remains strong.
We'll take you to the South, parts of the South seeing snow. This is Cookeville, Tennessee, now. This is outside of the Nashville area.
It was about a half of an inch to them. But that was enough to close down some of the area schools. Dozens of accidents reported. And I-40 has been very slick all day.
Now, the storm moving out of the Midwest and focusing on the eastern Great Lakes. A lot of travel delays can be expected with this. In the Northeast, this isn't so much the snow for you. This is the winds. Fifty-mile-an-hour gusts expected today. That's enough to cause power outages and bring down some tree limbs. It's enough also to cause about 1.5 hour delays out of New York.
We're looking for more details as it kind of snowballs, so to speak, throughout the day -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Jacqui, thanks.
Well, just eight days to go until South Carolina votes in its Republican presidential primary, and it's all about brawl for votes at a time -- well, you're ticking down to next Saturday's vote. And while many candidates are shaking hands and kissing babies across South Carolina, they're also keeping an eye on the road ahead. The road that leads to Florida and its January 31st primary.
It's a big prize with big stakes too. So, Newt Gingrich is splitting off from the pack, spending his morning in Miami before opening his Florida campaign headquarters.
Jim Acosta is on the ground in Florida.
So, Jim, what's Gingrich's plan of attack in Florida?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I would tell you, Kyra, we just wrapped up an interview with the former speaker. He is going right after Mitt Romney. He is not letting up on his attacks on Romney's record at Bain Capital, that private investment firm that he ran before becoming governor of Massachusetts.
And it was quite striking. We're outside the Versailles Bakery and Cafe here in Little Havana in Miami. It's a well worn stop for many Republican candidates. They often come through here because of the Cuban-American community. It's very conservative down here.
And he just talked to a packed room inside the Versailles. It was really quite striking how he went off on Mitt Romney. He questioned Governor Romney's claim that he created 100,000 jobs when he was at Bain Capital.
You'll want to note that this morning the Romney campaign is running an ad up in South Carolina. It's a brand new ad that defends his record at Bain. But note, in that new ad, it does not include the claim that Governor Romney has made over the last several days, that he created 100,000 jobs at Bain Capital. That ad only says he created thousands of jobs.
So, a notable difference there, and Newt Gingrich sort of pounced on that. I asked him just a few moments ago this. He basically laughed at Governor Romney and accused Governor Romney of misstating the facts on his jobs record at Bain Capital. He said inside this packed crowd in this room here that just a few moments ago that Romney should release his records from when he was at Bain Capital and prove that he created 100,000 jobs.
It was pretty striking stuff, I have to tell you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Jim Acosta, we'll be talking a lot.
Northeastern Ohio has been jolted 11 times since last March. We're talking about earthquakes. The biggest of which happened on New Year's Eve.
So, what's being blamed? Fracking.
Poppy Harlow explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to know what's causing the earthquakes.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (voice-over): Youngstown residents are demanding answers about why their houses shook on New Year's Eve.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never had an earthquake in my whole life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was frightening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought a jet airliner crashed on the side of my house.
HARLOW (on camera): It was the biggest of 11 earthquakes since mid-March. And get this -- scientists tell us they think they're manmade.
JOHN ARMBRUSTER, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SEISMOLOGIST: This is the New Year's Eve earthquake.
HARLOW (voice-over): Seismologist John Armbruster says the 4.0 quake was likely triggered by this disposal well which injects from fracking and oil and gas drilling at intense pressures nearly 9,200 feet underground.
ARMBRUSTER: Injecting this much waste is disrupting Mother Nature. Mother Nature in this one case is biting back.
HARLOW: The company, D&L Energy, says proximity alone does not prove causation.
Ohio called on Armbruster re to figure out what's causing all of the earthquakes -- enclosed five nearby wells indefinitely.
RICK SIMMERS, OHIO DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES: It's possible there's induced seismic activity. That's one possibility.
HARLOW (on camera): Manmade earthquakes?
SIMMERS: Correct. We don't have conclusive proof yet.
HARLOW (voice-over): There are more than 170 of these wells across Ohio.
(on camera): We wanted to understand how this process worked so we're getting a rare look at these massive waste tanks and then how it is all injected deep into the earth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trucks unload into these two tanks. Then it is gone through a filter. And then injected down hole. We're putting it exactly where the federal government says to put it.
HARLOW (voice-over): It is mostly salt water but also a small amount of chemicals from the frack fluid to break the shale.
(on camera): How much is being pumped deep into the earth here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two thousand barrels a day approximately.
MAYOR CHUCK SAMMARONE, YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO: I've lived here about 42 years. We've never had an earthquake like that.
HARLOW (voice-over): A proponent of fracking for the jobs it brings to this depressed economy, Youngstown's mayor is now worried.
SAMMARONE: When you feel unsafe in your own house, then it's a serious situation.
HARLOW: The fracking boom is causing huge demand for more disposal well permits.
(on camera): Do companies have to do any seismic tests before they drill a well?
SIMMERS: No. Nowhere in the country are seismic tests used for injection wells.
HAGAN: All officials are trying to find out anything we can do to provide jobs. We have to do it in a safe environmental way and I don't think they're doing it.
HARLOW (voice-over): State Rep. Bob Hagan is calling for a moratorium on all injecting wells in Ohio.
TOM STEWART, OHIO OIL & GAS ASSOCIATION: It would stop the development of the best economic opportunity that's ever presented itself over the last two decades for the state of Ohio.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we need the jobs. But at the same time, at the cost of people losing their homes, losing what they've worked for their entire lives?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: So, Poppy, what are regulators doing about this now?
HARLOW: It's a great question. Right now, they're trying to push through or proposing, Kyra, stricter regulations. It fascinated me when the man in charge of this said no state in this country requires oil and gas companies to test to see if there's a fault line below where they're going to drill 9,000-plus feet in some circumstances.
So, we'll see if that goes through. The technology is there. The industry experts told me we can do this, it's just expensive.
So, if you're going to see this economic boom in Ohio and you have to dispose of the waste this way, and scientists say at least one of these wells has caused these 11 earthquakes. It's got a lot of people in that state, especially Youngstown, up in arms with a lot of questions.
PHILLIPS: Yes, there's been a big debate about fracking for a long time, but this could be America's nest boom town and bring a lot of jobs in.
HARLOW: Absolutely. I would say there are just a handful of cities in this country that need it more than Youngstown. They have a very high unemployment rate.
This area's been depressed since the late 1970s since the steel mills left. One restaurant worker said folks come in here all the time and they tell me this is the next gold rush.
There's actually a study that came out that shocked us. It said in the next five years, 200,000 jobs could come to Ohio because of fracking but you've got to deal with how do you get rid of the waste? And right now, this is how the government tells you to get rid of it, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Poppy Harlow, live for us out of New York -- Poppy, thanks.
And a welcome sight in Nome, Alaska. A huge tanker with fuel supplies just offshore. Hear about the ship's grueling 10-day voyage next.
And actress Heather Locklear hospitalized after calling 911. Details right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: One of the most anticipated award shows of the year just two days away. We're talking about the Golden Globes. And, of course, "Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer will be there.
A.J., what can we expect?
A.J. HAMHER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Kyra, the globes certainly may give us a hint about which films will do well on Oscar night. But what we can expect is the unexpected. I mean, that's always been the attraction of the Golden Globes.
I'm expecting surprise wardrobe choices, some silly acceptance speeches, and some shocking jokes, of course, from host Ricky Gervais certainly will invoke uncomfortable laughter from the audience.
Now, a lot of the predictions that I have been saying are suggesting that it's going to be a big night for Meryl Streep. She's nominated for "The Iron Lady". She plays Margaret Thatcher in that film.
It could also be a great night for George Clooney. He could win a best actor Globe for "The Descendents." The movie itself is up for multiple awards. And "The Ides of March," another Clooney film also nominated in multiple categories.
"Showbiz Tonight" caught up with George last night. He was at the Critic's Choice Awards in Hollywood. And he was a winner. He won best actor there.
We asked him what his favorite part of the Globes is. Here's what he told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: My favorite part is somebody will always get hammered and screw up which is good fun.
REPORTER: I think you like Hawaiian themed drinks and Mai Tais --
CLOONEY: That's a great idea, because, you know, that's not a hangover. With umbrella and straw for everybody at the table. Oh, yes. I'll do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: So Mai Tais drinks all around, Kyra, doesn't that sound like the kind of award ceremony you want to go to? It's going to be a fun night.
PHILLIPS: I don't know. Little too sweet for me. Let's stick with the dirty martini, shall we?
HAMMER: OK. Whatever you'd like.
PHILLIPS: All right. Heather Locklear taken to the hospital after calling 911. What do you know about this?
HAMMER: Well, we do know that yesterday at 1:47 p.m. Pacific Time, authorities responded to a 911 call from her home in Thousand Oaks, California. Excuse me. They discovered that Locklear in distress there.
The Ventura County sheriff's department tells "Showbiz Tonight" that she needed to go to the hospital. So, off she went.
Now, they wouldn't confirm rampart reports that went flying around that the medical emergency was caused by Locklear mixing prescription drugs and alcohol. We do have calls out to Locklear's representatives and the hospital she was taken to. We're waiting to hear back from them.
But I should point out, KNBC in Los Angeles is reporting that a spokesperson from the hospital tells them Locklear was conscious, stable, and resting comfortably, which is obviously good to hear.
PHILLIPS: A.J., thanks so much.
And much of the buzz around the Golden Globes is about the host as A.J. just mentioned. Comedian Ricky Gervais. Oh, he's ruffled feathers before. What do you think he'll say this year? A.J. will be back next hour with that and other showbiz headlines.
Also, coming up next, Tim Tebow hits the field with the Denver Broncos tomorrow night. What is it about him? Good luck or God? A new survey among fans might surprise you. We'll talk about that right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking stories making news cross-country now.
We begin in Wisconsin where a plane lands in a tree and apparently the pilot climbed out of the plane, down the tree, and napped in the barn. Bizarre, right?
Well, investigators say he had been drinking. Imagine that. He was taken to a Green Bay hospital with minor injuries.
And to Long Island a homeless teen is one step closer to $100,000 scholarship. Samantha Garvey is a semi-finalist in the Intel Science Talent search. She says no matter though, she plans to go to Brown or Yale.
Ok, he's been called "The Second Coming", "The Mile High Messiah", "Heaven's Heisman". Now even the Taiwanese are worshiping Tim Tebow's wins.
And now a new poll shows 43 percent of people here actually believe that divine intervention is responsible for Tebow's success. Eric Marripodi writes for our belief blog. He was touched so much by the Tebow spirit he wrote about it. The title "Explain it to me, John 3:16."
Ok Eric, it's hard to deny that something is going on when Tebow's trademark verse since college was John 3:16. And then he passes 316 yards in Sunday's win.
ERIC MARRAPODI, CNN BELIEF BLOG CO-EDITOR: Not only did he pass for 316 yards, his ten completions averaged 31.6 yards a catch. So -- and -- and ESPN was reporting that 31.6 million people watched that overtime pass.
So of course, everyone sort of talking about is it a connection to John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life".
Of course Kyra, that verse is quintessential to Christians. It is -- it is the summation of salvation. It is something that is so important to them. For those who want to share their faith like Mr. Tim Tebow using that verse is a pretty easy way to get to the core of what it is you believe as a Christian and get it out to other people.
Tebow, of course, rocks John 3:16 on his eye black in the BCS national championship game when he led the Florida Gators to a national championship. So now -- now that he's racking up the wins in Denver, lots of people are saying, "I'm not saying it's a miracle" -- I can't tell you how many people have said that to me. "I'm not saying it's a miracle, but it could be. It's possible." I hear that a lot. A lot -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So let me ask you this, why do you think that college ball banned players from writing anything in eye black now? Do you think coaches got a little spooked by the higher power?
MARRAPODI: I think it's two reasons. I mean lot -- you hear a lot from Christians that religion is under attack in the public sphere and because Tebow was putting Christian verses on that was the reason.
I would guess it had much more to do with money. Advertisers, sponsors, Adidas, Underarm More, Nike, they pay big bucks to have their logos on college players' uniforms. And anything that takes away from that focus is probably more or less the reason. And it's supposed to be about the teams, schools, not about the individual players, Kyra. I think that -- I think that played into it a little bit too.
PHILLIPS: All right, bottom line, if they win on Saturday, I think all bets are off; God is officially a Broncos fan.
MARRIPODI: Officially. Officially. Tom Brady. Jesus' number two to God's son. I mean, I -- look, Tim Tebow --
PHILLIPS: He's been called -- yes Brady has been called Jesus' nephew. We can't discount that. But ok let's see --
(CROSSTALK)
MARRIPODI: You can't discount that but if they win, all bets are off, man. God is officially a Broncos fan if they win on Saturday.
PHILLIPS: Eric, thanks. You can read Eric's story and check out other pieces from our belief blog. Just head to CNN.com/belief. Eric thanks.
A Coast Guard ice breaker has finally arrived in Nome, Alaska. We've got details on the brutal 10-day voyage next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, an anxious waiting game is finally over for a town cut off from the rest of the world by a sheet of ice. A U.S. Coast Guard ice breaker and a Russian fuel tanker reached Nome, Alaska today after a brutal ten day trip.
Joining us now by phone Lt. Veronica Colbath, public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guard. So Veronica, where exactly are the ships now? About eight miles offshore, is that right?
LT. VERONICA COLBATH, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER, U.S. COAST GUARD (via telephone): That's correct. Coast Guard Cutter Healy and the tanker vessel "Renda" are approximately eight nautical miles off shore of Nome.
PHILLIPS: Ok so when exactly are they going to start uploading the supplies or unloading the supplies I should say?
COLBATH: Well, we have faced ice and weather challenges on this 300-mile journey, so we will not be rushing into the harbor of Nome until we have identified the best course of action to navigate in.
PHILLIPS: Yes and how do you that, Veronica?
COLBATH: Well, we have the commanding officers of the Coast Guard Cutter Healey and the master of the vessel Renda and an ice expert who will discuss what the best way to proceed is. And then we have some -- we have federal, state, local, tribal and academic partners as well as industry personnel preparing the area for a safe fuel transfer.
So we have people working around the clock to decide what the best way to transfer the fuel in and get the Healey in and the Renda.
PHILLIPS: And what are you hearing from folks in Nome. I mean, are they all there off the docks jumping up and down with excitement? I mean what's the feeling there as they can finally see these ships are so close?
COLBATH: This has been a long journey for everybody that's been involved. And we've had some great partnership and we know the city of Nome and the residents I'm sure are really excited to see that we're almost there, which is a good thing.
PHILLIPS: Veronica thanks.
We will follow the eventual connection once it happened.
All right. We're following lots of developments in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Let's go ahead and check in first with our Jim Acosta -- Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Kyra. It might be the strong Cuban coffee here in Miami's little Havana neighborhood. But Newt Gingrich is serving up his toughest critique today of Mitt Romney on his claims of creating jobs. I'll have a live report in a few minutes.
KOSIK: And I'm Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. The vultures are swirling around troubled carrier American Airlines for a potential buyout. Who are the potential suitors? Kyra, I'll have more on that in the next hour.
PHILLIPS: All right guys. Thanks so much.
Also next hour we're going to talk to a navy chaplain who's pushing for this cross to stay right where it is at Camp Pendleton. It's pretty important to him because three marines who helped him put it up, they lost their lives. Later made the ultimate sacrifice.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's fast forward now and look at some events that are happening later today.
1:00 Eastern at the Lincoln Memorial, some Washington grade schoolers reciting Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech. Today would have been the 83rd birthday of the civil rights icon.
And at 2:00 Eastern a court hearing for former presidential candidate John Edwards. He faces six criminal counts alleging that he misused campaign funds to hide an extramarital affair.
Then at 5:30 Eastern, the President and the First Lady hosting members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. He'll be joined by the cast and crew of the movie "Red Tails" for the screening at White House.
