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President Obama Wants To "Shrink" Government; Gingrich Opens Florida Headquarters Today; Romney Rises In New Poll; U.S. Identifies Two Marines On Tape; Winter Storm Breaks Dryspell; Brave Bystander Nabs Suspect; Fight Over Crosses At Camp Pendleton; Pres. Obama Wants to "Shrink" Government
Aired January 13, 2012 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And it is the top of the hour. Thanks so much for joining us.
We're talking about President Obama heading to the East Room of the White House next hour, asking Congress for more power. He says he wants to shrink the federal government.
Let's go straight to Brianna Keilar. She's at the White House. So what exactly does the President want to do?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Kyra, let's sort of start with an example here. Have you ever called, say, the cable company and you get passed off to someone and then you get passed off to someone else and passed off to someone else because different people are dealing with the same things?
Well, that is sort of how senior administration officials would describe what they're trying to do here which is to streamline some of the duties that different agencies have. President Obama is going to be asking Congress for the authority to merge six agencies, six Trade and Commerce agencies that are doing some of the same thing so that when businesses have an issue, say, for instance on exports, they could, in essence do one-stop shopping. Go to one place instead of getting passed around to different agencies and departments working on the same thing. But President Obama would have to ask Congress for this power to consolidate some of these agencies. That is what we're expecting for him to do at 11:20 Eastern.
For now, you know, there are only sort of these details that we've heard through superficially coming out. So Republicans are waiting to see what the president says before they sort other chime in on whether they're on board or not.
You've heard Republicans, Kyra, say that they want smaller government. This seems to play to that. This also plays to President Obama's promise of having a more efficient government.
And also, you know, politically there's a strategy here to, which is to say Republicans, if you want smaller government, this is what I'm trying to deliver for you, kind of trying to force Congress to cooperate with him -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: All right, Brianna Keilar at the White House. We will bring you President Obama's remarks live in the 11 a.m. hour that's coming up in just about 25 minutes. We'll talk more about the timing of all of this with our CNN contributor, John Avlon.
OK, we're just one week and one day until South Carolina votes in the Republican primary, and it's crunch time, many candidates making speeches, shaking hands, kissing babies, all across the state.
But they're keeping the eye on the road ahead, too, a road that leads to Florida and its January 31st primary. We got both states are covered this morning.
Let's go and start in Miami where Newt Gingrich just met with voters and our Jim Acosta had far too much Cuban coffee. Jim, you actually got a chance to speak with the speaker.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I had a chance to talk to the former speaker and I had some Cuban coffee. So my day is set. That's right. Yes, we just caught up with Newt Gingrich here at Cafe Brusi in Little Havana.
It's a frequent stop for a lot of GOP candidates when they're running for president. Obviously appealing to the Miami Cuban- American community is very important to winning the Florida primary. So it was no surprised that Newt Gingrich stopped here.
It was interesting to hear what Gingrich had to say earlier this morning about Mitt Romney. You would think that Gingrich after, you know, what has been a pretty serious line of attack this week on Governor Romney's record at Bain Capital that he might start pivoting away from that.
He went right back to that line of attack earlier this morning. There's a new Romney ad that's out right now that defends his record at Bain Capital, that private invest firm.
You'll recall that Romney in the past has said that during his time at Bain, he created 100,000 jobs, and now there's a new ad out from the Romney campaign that says that he only created thousands of jobs.
While I asked the former speaker about that here a few moments ago, he basically laughed at the new ad. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: He has a new add out today that basically says that he created thousands of jobs at Bain not $100,000. Do you think he stated the facts?
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Of course. You know he did. Now the question is --
ACOSTA: Are you saying he lied? GINGRICH: I'm saying that he misstated the facts in his language he wants to. He clearly misstated the facts. The "Washington Post" gave him three Pinocchio's for his claim.
He's now himself changing his claim. So go ask him what he's doing. The fact is he's still is not prepared to release any documents from Bain to prove anything.
So I think we have no idea what his net job creation was. We have no idea how many of those jobs were in the U.S. and how many of those jobs are outside the U.S.
So he ought to -- this is a big part of his campaign. He should give us the facts, not just keep making the claims.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Now, the former speaker also, as you heard in that quick exchange that we had with them called on Mitt Romney to release his records from Bain Capital. It's not clear whether or not the Romney campaign will ever do that.
But you also want the note there's a pro Gingrich super PAC that is running a movie right now in Florida and South Carolina. You can look at it online that basically accuses Romney and Bain Capital of looting companies for profits.
Going in, downsizing companies and making millions of it. He was asked about that earlier this morning. He's not backing away from that movie.
You know, obviously the Gingrich campaign does not coordinate with the "PAC" that's running that movie, but he's not backing away from that either so still after pretty tough line of attack coming from Newt Gingrich on Mitt Romney and this record of job creation at Bain Capital -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: It's going to get pretty nasty. Jim Acosta, thanks.
Now back in South Carolina, Rick Santorum is holding a town hall in Rock Hill this hour. He's just one of the candidates busy on the trail this morning.
Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Jon Huntsman and Newt Gingrich all have events planned over the next several hours. And CNN political editor, Paul Steinhauser is in D.C. There's some new polls out this morning. How is it looking, Paul?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Take a look at this, Kyra. You know what? Mitt Romney, we kept saying he couldn't crack 25 percent. But, you know, when you start winning, I guess people start liking you.
Check out this one, the Gallup Daily Tracking poll. Mitt Romney now at 34 percent. This is among Republicans nationwide not a staple, nationwide. But that's up from a couple days ago.
Look at Santorum and Gingrich, their numbers are dropping a little bit. Those numbers on the right that was before the New Hampshire primary. The numbers on the left, partially after the primary and partially before.
Ron Paul staying steady at 13 percent. Kyra, tells me I guess, you know, Romney eked out a victory in Iowa. He did well in New Hampshire. That's starting to resonate with a lot of Republican voters.
They like a winner and they want somebody who they think can beat President Barack Obama, but again, this thing is far from over. I have to say one thing about Jim Acosta.
Kyra, you get Jim Acosta 20, 30, 40 yards when you're a candidate. He's going to get the candidate to speak to him. He's a magic man with the microphone.
PHILLIPS: As he calls it he likes to get into the political scrum. I keep I thinking -- yes, he's a former rugby player. I know it is there in the start. Thanks so much, Paul.
All right we'll watch the results of the South Carolina primary with the best political team on television that includes, of course, our Jim Acosta and Paul Steinhauser.
Tune in to CNN next Saturday, January 21st, starting at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, and a reminder for all the latest political news, go to our website 24/7, cnnpolitics.com.
More on that disturbing and disgusting video that we talked about yesterday showing our U.S. Marines urinating on Taliban bodies. Two marines have been interviewed about the video.
Now the Corps hasn't released their names and says that the marines were not detained after the interviews. But Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has come forward.
And said the video deeply troubles. He's ordered a full investigation and we'll follow it. The video has outraged people around the world.
CNN's Max Foster has been gathering up that reaction for us. Max, it's not good.
MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, it's not. It's actually about a big debate about America, not just the incident itself anymore, which everyone has generally agreed was outrageous and offensive.
But the independent writing, this is not about bad apples, this is the horror of wars. Armies are horrible creatures. Soldiers do wicked things. When we accept that all this lies about bad apples and the exceptionalism of crime in war, we are accepting war and going along with the dishonesty of it says "The Independent."
And "The International Herald Tribune" writing under critical juncture for Afghan peace is the headline. 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 add a continuing measure of uncertainty to that.
And "The Globe and Mail" in Canada writing outrage in Afghanistan and shame in America emerges as another U.S. military has surfaced to undermine the hearts, minds and efforts to secure Afghan support. So, Kyra, it's not just about the incident, it's about America and the impact on America's image.
PHILLIPS: Yes, as the investigations unfold, Max, I'm sure there will be a lot more reaction and we'll be talking about it. Max Foster in London for us next, thanks.
Well, Oprah Winfrey opens up about her elite girls school in South Africa and the milestone she's getting ready to celebrate.
We're also going to talk to a retired Navy chaplain who's pushing for this cross to stay right where it is at Camp Pendleton. It's important to him because three Marines who helped put that cross up to honor their fallen comrades later made the ultimate sacrifice themselves.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking 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 storm of the season dumped up to eight inches of snow across the Midwest. Parts of the south and northeast are getting a lot of it, too. Hundreds of flights have now been canceled.
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 the bomb squad removed the grenades and detonated them at a remote location.
And this story out of San Jose, California. A robbery suspect nabbed by a brave bystander. Steve brown was on his way to work when he saw two men crash their car and take off running. So he went after them. He caught one made an arrest. The other suspect was caught by police.
We are closely watching what happens to a pair of crosses on a hill above Camp Pendleton, California. A chaplain in submarines put up the first cross in 2003 to honor comrades killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It was a bonding experience for these guys, dragging it up that steep hill, a memorial that doubled as an accomplishment. Well, little did these guys know that they were posing in front of a memorial to themselves.
Three of them later died fighting for their country, and now there's another battle being fought, a court battle. Is this cross a government endorsement of religion?
We're talking about this with Retired Navy Chaplain Scott Radetski. The cross was his idea. We'll talk about the legal issue also with Attorney Paul Callan.
But Scott, I want to start with you. You know, I look at this picture that you sent me of the Marines surrounding this cross that honors fallen comrades, now three of those Marines have died.
Three of them were internet picture. They had no idea that they would be posing by their own memorial. When you look at this picture now, Scott, what goes through your mind?
SCOTT RADETSKI, RETIRED NAVY CHAPLAIN: Kyra, it's atypical memorial. It's not something that you would see in a central park or even a faith-based community. It's something that was established by Marines.
Marines themselves it's not for the faint of heart. It's difficult to get to the top of the hill, 1,700 feet. It's sometimes an angle of 45 degrees or more to climb up there. It's -- it's very heart wrenching at times. But it's also fulfilling, knowing that they were able to leave something behind.
PHILLIPS: What does this memorial mean to you and fellow Marines?
RADETSKI: Attending a class, Dr. Kenneth Pargament wrote a book integrating spirituality in the sake of therapy and the importance of recognizing the sacred and sacred being holding that.
I guess what it means to me, whether fact or fable, you whether evoking frustration or faith. For me it evokes the faith and the hope and the love that we have for one another.
It was a bonding experience just getting it up there. I was new to the unit. I wanted to bond with them. We had two core men. We had two lance corporals, two company commanders and myself. A new chaplain assigned to the unit trying to make my way into it. Right before we deployed to Iraq.
PHILLIPS: Wow, all right, so now it's being challenged in court. How does that make you feel?
RADETSKI: You know, I don't want to draw lines in the sand or rattle sabres. If that could be set aside and looked at it in love in what it represents. That it's not a projection of a state religion or, you know, let's not battle over that. Let's remember those that carried it and what it means to those there at the camp.
PHILLIPS: Paul, let me bring you in now. There are two organizations that I found that are challenging the legalities of the cross. One of the organizations had this to say.
An unauthorized religious shrine sits on federal land. It stood for years, showing clearly that Christianity is given preference by Camp Pendleton officials. And a long life of Marine commanders and leaders who have knowingly allowed this shrine to stand and who have even used it as a focus for command sponsored prayer and Christian pilgrimage. Do they have a valid point, Paul?
PAUL CALLAN, LEGAL ANALYST, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think in a court suit they're going to lose in the end. I'm in favor of the marine memorial, as we may want to refer to it in the current configuration.
I'll tell you why. I think if there had been Muslim soldiers who died or Jewish soldiers who died and they climbed that 1,600 foothill and put symbols on the top of the hill.
That wouldn't institute the U.S. government respecting the establishment of a religion as the first amendment says. That's what the first amendment prohibits. The very location of this, it's on a military base in an obscure area.
It's very difficult to see the cross from a distance. I don't think the public is going to say, you know, the Marine Corps is endorsing Christianity here. I think it's a memorial to fallen soldiers.
And frankly, there are a lot of other things I understand at the top of the hill to get left by soldiers who climb it. Medals or a whiskey bottle, or you know, over whatever else they think they want to leave and still tribute to their fallen colleagues.
So I don't think the court will view it as a religious memorial, but rather a secular sort of memorial to the fallen.
PHILLIPS: So the argument can be made that since the cross isn't visible to the public it's not an endorsement of religion. You can't see it unless you make the effort to go see it.
CALLAN: Yes. I know, I will tell you the flip side is the atheist bringing the lawsuit argues there are training things that occurs Camp Pendleton that requires Marines to march by the memorial.
So in that sense they are forced to view this Christian symbol and a lot of non-Christians in the United States feel strongly that we shouldn't have symbols on American military bases.
There's a good faith debate about this, but traditionally, you know, it says in God we trust on our currency. The court has kind of leaned in favor of allowing some very, very limited displays of religion, as long as it's clear the government is not endorsing a religion.
So I think in the end this display would be upheld by the courts. The cross got too big. Maybe the courts would say a smaller display might be appropriate. I think in the end it won't be taken down.
PHILLIPS: We're going to follow it. Scott, Paul this is going to go away and the cross will remain. We thank you for your service to our military and all the men and women who have lost their lives. We appreciate the time with and also you, Paul, thanks, guys.
CALLAN: Thanks, Kyra. RADETSKI: Thank you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, Oprah Winfrey's elite academy in South Africa hit by scandal soon after it opened. Now it's celebrating a major milestone. Winfrey talks about that and the presidential race with us, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, she's a beloved TV personality and a powerful force in business and politics. But Oprah Winfrey's influence goes far beyond that.
The megastar is changing live in South Africa offering hope to a lot of young students in need. CNN's Robyn Curnow got a chance to sit down with Winfrey. She joins us now live from Africa -- Robin?
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there. Well, I'm standing in the center of Oprah Winfrey's leadership academy. That's what her school is called.
Four hundred girls come here and nearly a hundred of them -- are graduating tomorrow the first class who graduates. Now a remarkable thing, Oprah Winfrey is down here in South Africa because she handpicked the poorest of the poor.
Many of them coming from backgrounds involving violence, abuse. Some have lost parents to HIV and aids. She's given them a top class education.
So much so that the girls graduating tomorrow are all going to university and many of them are coming to university in the United States.
She said to me when I talked to her just a little bit earlier this you take a child who needs a chance, throw in a bit of Oprah magic, and look what you get.
PHILLIPS: And I understand that Oprah actually weighed in on President Obama's re-election campaign as well. What did she tell you, Robyn?
CURNOW: Well, of course, I had to ask her. I mean, she was such a king maker as they. You know, in 2008 -- for President Oboma -- she publicly endorsing him again this time? And this is what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY: I don't need to endorse him because I'm a 100 percent supporter of him. I've already endorsed him. Everybody asks are you going to do what you did in 2008?
What I did in 2008 I did because people didn't know -- my friends didn't know who he was at the time. Who is this guy? You think that guy is going to be president? I go, yes, I really do. So I was happy to step up and do what I felt was a public service because I so believed in him and I still do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: Her suggestion is the fact that she's not publicly endorsing Obama this time around is not a suggestion she says that in some way is disappointing, which is good to know I suppose for the Obama folks.
PHILLIPS: Yes, OK, Robyn Curnow, thank you so much live from Africa for us.
We'll talk swirling that American airlines may be bought out. Alison Kosik what do you know?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, no bids yet, but there's definitely a lot of talk here. Also the vultures are swirling around this as well.
And analysts say if there is an offer it's not going to happen for most likely for months. Now there are reports that Delta, U.S. Airways and private equity firms are interested.
Keep in mind though takeover talk is normal after a company like American Airlines goes bankrupt. So the big question here is what makes American Airlines so attractive?
Rick Zinnie of Fair Compare says almost 70 million members are in the frequent flier club. That's considered a big asset. Also American Airlines has a lot of gate space, at big hubs like Dallas and Chicago and L.A. and New York City.
But a delta deal may wind into anti-trust concerns. You have to remember Delta already merged with Northwest. And buying American would make it the number one carrier.
The government is likely to oppose something like that. Now when you look U.S. Airways that's much smaller. It wouldn't have anti-trust hurdles, but right now any deal is really far from certain -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Can Americans stay independent? Does it have the cash needed?
KOSIK: Well, you know, in the past the parent company, AMR said it's focused on staying independent and many carriers have gone on, you know, after bankruptcy. They've gone into bankruptcy and gotten out of bankruptcy and they've been successful.
But AMR has to make some big changes. It's got to slash costs. It has to reorganize because American has been losing money for years partly because it has higher labor costs. It may have to try a new business model to survive on its own -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. Alison, thanks.
And a brand New Gingrich ad mocks Mitt Romney for speaking French. Coming up, we say bonjur to our "Political Buzz" panel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: OK, "Political Buzz," your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day, three questions, 30 seconds on the clock and playing today CNN contributor, Maria Cardona, Chris Boddie, political reporter for Yahoo News and Crystal Wright, editor and blogger for conservativeblackchick.com.
I just love that title. Let's get to the first question. How about Stephen Colbert 2012, guys? He made this announcement last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: I am proud to announce that I'm forming an exploratory committee to lay the ground work for my possible candidacy for the presidency of the United States of South Carolina. I'm doing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And the numbers are no joke. Colbert is pulling ahead of Huntsman in a public policy poll? Serious contender for pres or just a civics lesson injected with a little humor, Crystal?
CRYSTAL WRIGHT, EDITOR AND BLOGGER, CONSERVATIVE BLACK CHICK.COM: I mean, Colbert is one big joke, and like you said, Kyra, you know, he might be pulling ahead of Huntsman, but he's a big joke.
He could be president of Toys "R" Us. That's what Colbert could be president of. He's bringing unwarranted mockery of what's going on in South Carolina.
I want to know why Karl Rove isn't condemning his pledge to be a write-in candidate in South Carolina. I mean, instead of attacking Newt we should be attacking Colbert. The joke is on Colbert and us.
PHILLIPS: All right, I know what Crystal is going to be writing about. Maria, what's your take.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The fact that Stephen Colbert can actually poll with bigger numbers than anybody in the GOP field basically just demonstrates what a joke the whole GOP field actually is.
WRIGHT: He didn't pull bigger numbers than anybody.
CARDONA: Yes, he did, Jon Huntsman. Crystal, this is my time. I get five more seconds. And so it actually shows that of course he's not serious about this. But some people in the GOP Republican Party in South Carolina would rather see him as president than some of the ones who are actually running. So again, the joke is on the GOP field. It's hilarious.
PHILLIPS: Chris? CHRIS MOODY, POLITICAL REPORTER, YAHOO NEWS: You know, I'm surprised he didn't do this in New Hampshire where all it takes to get on the ballot is 1,000 bucks and you're there. There were 30 candidates on the ballot there and you know, one guy was wearing a boot on his head.
So I was surprised he didn't do it there. What he's doing is trying to show what you can do in the new campaign finance rules how far you can take it, he's hired a lot of lawyers to make sure that he's coloring in the lines here. And I think you're right, I think he is giving a civics lesson to people on how anyone could run for president or a person especially with a platform like his.
Is Stephen Colbert going to shape the 2012 Republican presidential race? No, he's not. But he's going to make it a lot more fun.
PHILLIPS: A Newt Gingrich ad takes a jab at Mitt Romney for speaking French. Actually drawing comparison to John Kerry. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Massachusetts moderate Mitt Romney. He'll say anything to win. Anything. And just like John Kerry --
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: (SPEAKING IN FRENCH)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He speaks French, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right, now Huntsman took some flak for speaking Mandarin at the last debate. Do voters think that throwing in little bilingual banter is elitist, Maria?
CARDONA: Si Kyra (SPEAKING IN SPANISH) meaning that unfortunately yes, unless it's Spanish. Especially in the eyes of Newt Gingrich who said and I quote, "Spanish is the language of the ghetto." I'm sorry. And so -- but I think what it demonstrates is that I think there is a sort of subtle thought that being -- being bilingual or using language other than English among some voters does have a feeling of being somehow less all American baseball and apple pie for some voters. And that's what this ad is getting to.
PHILLIPS: Crystal?
WRIGHT: (SPEAKING IN FRENCH). I mean, come on. Everybody is bilingual. And I think to Maria's point I'm going to say I'm going to agree with her. It's going to be a rare occasion. But you know it's trying to jab at is Romney American enough? Is he apple pie? I think it's stupid.
Gingrich needs to, you know it's one thing to focus on Bain. That's fine. You know the gloves come off. We are in a political season and a political contest for the President of the United States.
But come on, most Americans speak another language, or they should. It's ridiculous.
PHILLIPS: Chris I hope you speak another language.
MOODY: Well, I'm not going to try here on camera but look when Mitt Romney shipped off to France in the 1960s for his missionary trip, I don't think he ever expected to be attacked more than 40 years later for doing so. This is Gingrich's attempts to tie him to Massachusetts liberals like Dukakis and Kerry and they are just putting that in as one of many ways he's trying to tie to them.
But you know to be honest all this talk is making me really hungry for some freedom fries. So I can't wait to finish up and eat something.
PHILLIPS: And some baguettes.
And I'm going to give the international sign for I love you in sign language, ok.
All right, let's get to the "Buzzer Beater" guys, 20 seconds each on this.
Mitt Romney is drawing attention to his Mexican roots, now launching a new Spanish language ad in Florida and pointing out that his dad was born in Mexico but a Twitter alter ego is actually mocking him enter Mexican Mitt who tweets things like, " I am so Mexican I don't have a Super PAC. I have a Super PACO." All jokes aside can Romney woo Latino voters?
Primero, Maria.
CARDONA: Absolutely not. Here's somebody who would veto the dream act. He wants deport 11 million undocumented workers. He doesn't get close to the 40 percent threshold he needs with Latino voters to win the White House.
But think about this, his father was born in Mexico. Moved to the states to have U.S. citizen children. Doesn't that make Mitt Romney the original anchor baby.
PHILLIPS: Oh Crystal.
WRIGHT: Oh, give me a break, Maria. I mean, you're grasping the straws. But I do think that Mitt needs to start talking about his Mexican roots, he does have an immigration policy. And it's kind of like being half black. That would be like Obama not talking about his black father.
I mean Mitt, you need to start talking about your Mexican roots, be proud of them and continue to forge your way. But he's got to start talking about the Mexican heritage.
PHILLIPS: All right Chris, bring us home.
MOODY: Mitt Romney took one of the most conservative positions during the Republican debates, even more conservative than Newt Gingrich or Rick Perry. And he's going to have to own up to that. But as he gets closer to the general election against President Obama, if he's the nominee, he's going to have to put the forth an immigration policy that's more than just let's secure the border. And the pressure is on and I think he's waking up to that.
PHILLIPS: Chris, Crystal and Maria, that was fun. Thanks guys. Let's do it again.
CARDONA: Thanks Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Democratic President trying to shrink government. We're going to talk about what's really behind President Obama's latest move. Next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, the first real storm of the season is dumping up to eight inches of snow in parts of the Midwest. And Jacqui Jeras is taking a look at who is getting the -- I guess the brunt of it, right, Jacqui?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, the brunt of it at this time Kyra is in upstate New York. Buffalo, for example, they've been dealing with blizzard conditions all morning long. So heavy snow, extreme winds and just white out. So it's been very tough for a lot of travelers.
Let show you what's been going on in Chicago which got hit first. Late last night and early this morning you had on average between four and six inches of snowfall across town. Not that much by Chicago standards. But this is your first significant storm. So of course that caused problems on the roadways at the airports. They had to cancel 500 flights. Take a look at that. Yes, poor visibility.
Now, the snow went in parts of the south, too. In Tennessee, this is in the coastal area, this is just outside of Nashville it was only an inch but that was enough to close schools and cause dozens of accidents. I-40 especially bad and a lot of black ice being reported there.
Now the storm is going to start winding down with the snow outside of the Great Lakes. But the winds are really kicking up. And by late today they're going to get even worse. It could gust up to 50 miles per hour.
They're already causing problems at LaGuardia where it's gusting to 30 right now an hour and a half arrival delays. Newark since last hour, you've been added to the list about an hour and 20 minutes. And Phoenix those delays are just due to the runway.
So look for additional delays especially in the Northeast Corridor throughout the day it's going to be ugly. And Kyra most of these are flights that are coming from other places in the country into the Northeast.
PHILLIPS: Ok Jacqui thanks. Well, actress Heather Locklear is taken to the hospital after calls to 911. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT'S" A.J. Hammer joining us now with the details. A.J., what do you know?
A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Well, at 1:47 California Time yesterday authorities responded to a 911 call from a home in California Kyra. And they discovered Heather Locklear in distress there. The Ventura County sheriff's department tells "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" an officer at the scene determined that Locklear needed to be taken to a local hospital so they sent her there. They wouldn't confirm all the reports floating around that the medical emergency was caused by Locklear mixing prescription drugs and alcohol.
We have reached out to Locklear's reps and the hospital she was taken to. Haven't heard back yet. But KNBC in Los Angeles reports that a spokesperson from the hospital is telling them Locklear was conscious. She was stable and resting comfortably. So we'll continue to follow this throughout the day, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Ok sounds good.
Let's talk about the Golden Globes, shall we? You are actually going to be there. The show is Sunday night. The host is once again Ricky Gervais. Oh boy.
HAMMER: Yes. No kidding. I love Ricky Gervais, I'm thrilled he's back. But I am thinking there are a lot of stars right now hoping they don't wind up in Ricky's crosshairs.
You know, everybody says, oh they have a sense of humor about these things but look, we all know his humor, well, it's quite biting.
He's been talking about what to expect on Twitter. In fact he recently tweeted a couple of things that caught my eye. He says, "I keep having to write new jokes as I pick my victims, I mean targets, I mean presenters to introduce." He says none of his jokes will be changed by anyone.
Here's what he tweets. No one will know what I'm going to say until I say it. That was my only stipulation to host again. Somebody asked him on Twitter if he was planning to do any adlibbing throughout the night. And Ricky said it depends on how drunk he is.
So certainly I think we can expect some shots at some industry figures. Gervais also plans on tweeting throughout the night Kyra. And since there's not going to be any restrictions on what he tweets, he is saying that could even be more over the top.
But look, the Globes knew exactly what they were getting when they brought him back this year. And this kind of edgy humor is probably going to be a great thing for the ratings. I think Kyra, last year it was just a warm-up for Ricky.
PHILLIPS: Yes. I know.
It's sort of scary to think what could happen. And we'll, of course, be watching. You're right.
A.J. thanks.
And if you want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J. has got it. Every night, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT", 11:00 p.m. on HLN.
Well, it's win or go home in the NFL play-off. Can Tom Brady top his heavenly cousin, Tim Tebow? We'll explain that connection when we break down the big game. That's next.
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PHILLIPS: A politician asking to shrink the size of the federal government. Now, I'm not talking about a Republican presidential candidate. I'm not talking a GOP power house on Capitol Hill. I'm talking about President Obama. Next hour he's expected to ask Congress to give him power to merge six federal agencies.
CNN contributor John Avlon on the phone from New York. John, does the surprise move -- or does the move, rather, surprise you?
JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (via telephone): No. It's not surprising. It's following through on a concept he floated at last year's "State of the Nation". And we've got the new "State of the Union" coming up in just a week or two.
But it is a move done with the electorate in mind. It is trying to make government smaller and smarter. Trying to pick up some of those swing voters who are rightly frustrated with a broken Washington with a specific proposal.
Now, he has to get it through Congress. He needs to ask for new powers of consolidation. Powers that Ronald Reagan had and presidents before Reagan had. But it is a smart move. It could sort of reduce red tape, cut regulation. And it always makes sense to reduce sort of overlapping, you know, irresponsibilities in Washington. Waste, fraud and abuse are things that should be cut out; so are overlapping bureaucracies.
PHILLIPS: Ok. Waste, fraud and abuse -- there's going to be people listening to this saying, yes right, John Avlon, that's never going to happen. You can never get rid of those three things. Come on now.
AVLON: But you certainly can reduce them, right? And I think the big picture point is that you have a president who is associated fairly or not with big government and certainly big spending and increasing the deficit and debt. So here's a concrete proposal to make government smaller and smarter. It borrows a rift from a Republican rift we've heard traditionally.
And that usually makes for good politics. Remember one of Bill Clinton's signature moves was to take a Republican issue and to try to realign it. And that traditionally is a way that centrist presidents have been able to govern effectively. You take issues associated with the other party and you make it more possible to pass them by bringing them over to your side.
PHILLIPS: All right. John Avlon, thanks so much for calling in. Sure appreciate it. And of course we're going to bring you the President's remarks live right here on CNN 11:00 Eastern time, probably about 11:20 Eastern time. That's when we're expecting the President to step up to the podium and speak.
We will take that live. You won't want to miss it.
What's it like to be a royal? Just ask someone who has been in power for 40 years. Denmark's queen reaches that milestone this weekend. And she actually sat down with our Max Foster exclusively to talk about her reign and the pressure on today's young royals like Kate Middleton.
Max joining us from London. Max always loves talking to a queen. Tell us about the interview and tomorrow's big event, shall we?
FOSTER: Yes. You know, this is the oldest monarchy in Europe, more than a thousand years. And it's the most popular monarchy in the world. I mean there's more support for the monarchy in Denmark than there is any other country where there is a monarchy; so an idyllic little royal family could argue (ph).
And this we can to the queen, Queen Margrethe II celebrates 40 years on the throne. Big occasion in Copenhagen. A lot of celebrations taking place there.
Of course, the royal family is famous for a particular relatively new member. Mary Donaldson (ph) was an Australian advertising executive when she met the Crown Prince Frederik who one day will become king. And it was a big wedding. Shown all over the world.
The queen spoke very warmly about Princess Mary, as she calls her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUEEN MARGRETHE II, DENMARK: She's been very competent in the way she's tackled her role. She's been very easy to help along. I feel very confident in her. I think we've got a very good relationship, indeed. A warm relationship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: It's a real fairy tale, Kyra. You know, the girl next door really from Tasmania of Australia becoming a princess.
PHILLIPS: Well, you also had a chance to ask about the monarchy and how it's changed. What did she tell you?
FOSTER: Well, she talks about the added pressure of this next generation. She talked about Duchess of Cambridge, formerly Kate Middleton and also Mary the pressure that they're really under and how that it's interesting that that generation of young royals has married outside the aristocracy. And Kate Middleton is a classic example.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUEEN MARGRETHE II: One thing I would never give marks to my colleagues. She's doing it beautifully. I know the pressure in Great Britain is quite a bit worse on the whole of the royal family than it is with us. But there's more pressure on the young people of today than there was when I was a child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: So there you are. She's got a busy weekend ahead of her, Kyra, celebrating. Copenhagen will be full of flags, I'm sure.
PHILLIPS: I'm sure. Max, thanks. Well, the Green Bay Packers have had an amazing run this season. But can they keep it going into the playoffs? We'll preview the weekend's big NFL games next.
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PHILLIPS: All right. Checking stories that made news cross country.
We begin in Wisconsin where a plane lands in a tree, and apparently the pilot climbed out of the plane, came down the tree and napped in the barn. Right there. The neighbor's barn. Pretty bizarre, right?
Well, investigators say that 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 a $100,000 scholarship. Samantha Garvey is a semi-finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search. She says no matter what happens though, she's still going to Brown or Yale.
All right. Let's talk some football. NFL playoffs this weekend. Tim Tebow's fans may believe God is on their side. But the Patriots have Tom Brady. Remember the recent "Saturday Night Live" skit when Jesus visits the Broncos' locker room?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who do you play next?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Patriots.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh boy, really? Wow. Ok. Did not know that. That's going to be a tough one. This doesn't leave the room, ok. But if I'm the son of God, Tom Brady has got to be the guy's nephew. All right. That guy's a miracle worker, ok.
But that Coach Belichick. Let's just say -- they're coming at you both ways.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Reed Albergotti writes about the NFL for the "Wall Street Journal" and you can watch the playoff preview in today's paper.
So Tom Brady, you can't discount Jesus' nephew, right?
REED ALBERGOTTI, REPORTER, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": No. I mean look, for being God's nephew, he's had a lot of trouble in the playoffs. He has not won a playoff game in four seasons.
So I'm not saying that, you know, Tebow can pull it off. That he can't pull it off, but you know I think it's going to be a tough game for the Patriots out there.
PHILLIPS: Well, we had Eric Marripodi who writes for our belief blog says that if the Broncos win then that means that God is definitely a Broncos fan. Do you agree with that?
ALBERGOTTI: I definitely agree with that. It's going to be a tough game to go into Foxborough and play those guys. But look, I mean Tebow looked great last Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They came at him with everything. He was able to hit those deep throws. He looked awesome.
PHILLIPS: All right. Speaking of tough, you know, it's been a really tough week for the Packers. The assistant coach there losing his son. But the game goes on, right?
And do you know anything more about the investigation into how the son was found.
ALBERGOTTI: You know, I mean so far we're hearing it was an accident, you know, but it's an ongoing investigation. We don't know exactly what Joe Philbin is going to do when they play, but it's obviously -- I mean, you think about it, it's got to be so tough. What you don't realize is these guys work such long hours and so closely with each other on NFL teams during the season. It's like a member of the family and to stay focused on a football game is going to be such a challenge.
So, I mean we'll see how that affects them in the game against the Giants.
PHILLIPS: And you know because you cover the Packers. I used to live there for a couple of years had the, I guess, the luck I should say to cover the Packers. It's a pretty amazing place to go to Lambeau Filed. But the community really is tight with the team. I mean the team goes to the local restaurants, hangs out with fans. It's a very close dynamic.
ALBERGOTTI: Absolutely. It's a magical place for football. You know, Titletown (ph) and I'm sure the whole community is feeling the effects of this loss. It's just -- you know, you wonder if they're going to be able to use this as motivation to carry on and win in the name of their offensive coordinator and his, you know, his family. Or if it's going to be a distraction and hurt their chances. I mean everyone is calling that this is the Packers' year to win another Super Bowl. So, you know, it's a tough one.
PHILLIPS: All right. I have to ask you this before we go. Give me some predictions.
ALBERGOTTI: Predictions. All right. I think -- you know what, I'm going to go with Tebow in Foxborough. I think the Denver Broncos pulled out a huge monumental upset. I know I sound crazy right now, but I'm saying it.
I think that the Green Bay Packers will beat the Giants. I think, you know, they're just too good. The Giants played them very tough last month. But I think the Packers have been one of the best receiving cores in football.
I think that the Ravens/Texans game is going to be a defensive struggle. Probably not the most exciting game of the weekend but look I think Joe Flacco, the Ravens quarterback gets his first playoff win and ekes out a close one.
The San Francisco-New Orleans Saints game. I think the Saints are playing great. Everyone wants to see the darling of the NFL this year, the San Francisco 49ers win. But I think the Saints pull that one out.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll see if -- we'll see how good you are, Reed. And then I'm sure you'll be writing about it in the "Wall Street Journal". Thanks so much for joining me on this Friday.
ALBERGOTTI: Thank you. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
We're going to take a quick break. More from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.
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PHILLIPS: Let's fast forward to some events that are happening later today.
First off, 1:00 Eastern, at the Lincoln Memorial, some Washington grade schoolers reciting Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech. It would have been MLK's 83rd birthday.
At 2:00 Eastern, a court hearing for former presidential candidate John Edwards. He faces six criminal counts, alleging he misused campaign funds to hide an extramarital affair.
Then 5:30 Eastern, the President and First Lady host members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. They'll be joined by the cast and crew of the movie "Red Tails" for a screening at the White House.
That does it for us. Hope you have a great weekend. Suzanne Malveaux is taking over from here.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Happy Friday.
PHILLIPS: Oh, thank goodness.
MALVEAUX: It's Friday the 13th though.
PHILLIPS: Why did you have to say something?
MALVEAUX: Good luck with that.
PHILLIPS: I'd trip out of here. Thanks Suzanne.
