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Search Continues for Cruise Ship Passengers; Syria Spinning Out of Control; MLK's Fight for Better Wages; Republican Field Narrows; Hackers Breach Retailer Zappos; Hollywood's Big Nigh; Debt Free In 2012
Aired January 16, 2012 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed.
Jon Huntsman's presidential campaign reached the end of the road. Last hour, Huntsman announced that he is dropping out of the race, endorsing Mitt Romney. Huntsman says it's time for Republicans to unite around the candidate who can best beat Barack Obama in November. He criticized the negative tone of the campaign so far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON HUNTSMAN, (R), FORMER UTAH GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Rather than seeking to advance that common goal by speaking directly to voters about our ideas to rebuild America, this race has degenerated into an onslaught of negative and personal attacks not worthy of the American people and not worthy of these critical times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Off the coast of Italy, the search for survivors of that cruise ship disaster, it is now back on. It was on hold a little while because it was too dangerous. Rescuers were actually afraid that the ship my sink.
Six people are confirmed dead. More than a dozen are still missing after that ship smashed into rocks along the coastline and then tipped over. It's just dramatic pictures you see there. People rescued, they say it was pretty scary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY LAFARO, SHIPWRECK SURVIVOR: Sat 30 seconds in that lifeboat slamming into the ship and being thrown away and free-fall was the scariest point. We were fortunate. We boarded the lifeboat early enough, we were taken to shore early enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: I'm going to talk to that survivor and her husband in just a couple of minutes.
After 10 months of violence, Syria now teetering on the edge of civil war. That's right. Government forces are brutally cracking down on protesters even as Arab League monitors, they're trying to get the situation under control.
Our own Nic Robertson, he is on the ground. He is watching the situation and this country unravel. He actually got a chance to speak to some of those protesters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are striking anything in the streets. They are killing people. We don't need this regime! Can you understand me? They are killing us!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: At a time when protests are heating up around the world, Romania has become the site of a dramatic social uprising. It is day four of protests against the government there. You can take a look at those pictures. Hundreds have been pouring into the capital's University Square, demanding that the president step down.
And a first of its kind, a fuel transfer that could happen today in the snowed-in Alaskan town of Nome. A Coast Guard icebreaker has actually helped the ship carrying more than a million gallons of petroleum get through nearly 300 miles of ice.
And online retailer Zappos says it was hacked. Twenty-four million customers are now at risk.
So they sent an e-mail to the customers yesterday telling them about what happened here, asked them, reset your passwords. Now, they say that the critical information like credit card information, that's safe. But other stuff like names, addresses, phone numbers, all of them might have been revealed.
Now I want to take you back to the cruise ship you saw there, the dramatic picture, that disaster off the coast of Italy. Imagine this, right? You're taking off on a luxury cruise. You end up here.
Crews are still looking for survivors. Hope, not likely. It is running out. Some passengers say it was like being aboard the Titanic when the ship went down on Friday.
Well, Nancy and Mario Lafaro, they were on board. They join us from Rome.
And it is just unbelievable, first of all, when you see those pictures and realize what has happened here. I'm so glad that both of you are safe. Tell us how this all began and when you realized there was something that was terribly wrong.
N. LAFARO: Sure.
We had finished dinner on Friday evening. We had just boarded the cruise liner, cruise ship, and after dinner we went to a show. It was a magic show. The performance began.
We were about 15 minutes into the performance, and we heard a very loud, grinding sound and felt the vibration. And the show just stopped and the performers ran off the stage.
And we sat there. No announcements were made. And we observed that there were various people in the audience starting to leave. Perhaps they were concerned about family members.
We sat there for a few minutes, and my husband commented to me that he observed that the curtains on the stage were starting to list a little bit. At this point, we decided to get up and leave. There was no panic in the theater at this point. I don't think people really knew what was going on.
MALVEAUX: Right.
N. LAFARO: When we left the theater, we went up to the deck, and we looked over the right starboard side of the ship and saw that we were right on top of or right next to land, and that's when we realized there was a really serious situation. What was disturbing, though, was that it was about 40 minutes before any announcements were made.
Finally, some announcements were made in various languages, and in English they said that there was -- everything's under control and that there was an electrical problem and a problem with the generator, but everything's under control. And we looked at each other and we said, they are full of it. The boat is starting to list. And we decided to go toward our cabin to get our life jackets.
MALVEAUX: When did the chaos break out?
N. LAFARO: Do you want to take that?
MARIO LAFARO, SHIPWRECK SURVIVOR: I would say after they finally called a distress call and people were going to the muster stations, and that's when the chaos broke out, because everyone was pushing and shoving to get into the lifeboats. And then they were also having trouble just calming people down, getting the lifeboats ready so that they could be deployed.
And at this point, the boat was leaning, it was listing so much, that they had difficulty with the deployment of the lifeboats. And I would say that's where the chaos really was, or at least started. And then there was more later on in the water, and also on land a little bit.
N. LAFARO: As we were being lowered in our lifeboat, we actually slammed into the side of the boat and turned and slammed again. And for about 30 seconds, that was the real chaos for us.
MALVEAUX: Did you ever fear that you were not going to make it out alive?
N. LAFARO: Yes. During that time in the lifeboat, when we were being thrown onto the side of the ship and being thrown back the other way, for that 30 seconds was the time for myself, at least, that I felt that this was it.
MALVEAUX: And how did you manage to get on land? I mean, you are safe. You're OK now. How did you manage to do that? M. LAFARO: Well, we finally -- the lifeboat finally got into the water, and it was disconnected. And we started to go towards land. Even though we were very close to land, it seemed to take forever to get there, at least a half-hour, 45 minutes. The boats were just circling around.
N. LAFARO: Slamming into each other.
M. LAFARO: Yes. There were some boats unloading passengers at the pier, but I believe there was still space for more. And it just took a long time for them to actually get their act together and get to land and unload, which was disturbing, because they -- some of the lifeboats really needed to get back to get more passengers because they were having problem with the deployment of the lifeboats on the ship itself.
MALVEAUX: We are so glad that both of you are safe. We appreciate your time, and glad that you were able to get through that harrowing experience.
Thank you very much for joining us. We really appreciate it.
N. LAFARO: Thank you.
M. LAFARO:
MALVEAUX: Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Today's question: Do voters care about social issues in 2012?
Carol Costello, she's joining us from Washington with more.
Carol, one of the things in covering President Bush when he was fighting for a second term, he threw out social issues, specifically same-sex marriage, as a way to get voters to come out and vote. He knew that that was a very passionate issue and critical for him.
Do we think that the same strategy is going to play out this year?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't know if it will work exactly the same way, Suzanne.
Evangelicals, though, flexed their political muscle in Texas, or they tried to. More than 100 Christian leaders and activists got off the sidelines to speak with one voice for one candidate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY PERKINS, PRESIDENT, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: This discussion was on the future and what America needs to become great again and to restore the family, to restore fiscal responsibility and a strong presence internationally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And they decided Mitt Romney was not that man. No, Rick Santorum is tops on the Evangelicals' list, even though he finished a distant fifth in New Hampshire.
I know, Santorum did great in Iowa, and Evangelicals are banking on another miracle in South Carolina because Santorum speaks their language.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If all you think we need to do to get this economy going and to get this country on the right track is to cut government and reduce taxes, you don't understand America. America is a moral enterprise, not an economic enterprise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Santorum believes the one thing undermining the American economy is the breakdown of the American family. He cites poverty rates of single-parent families as an example.
Evangelicals hope Santorum's beliefs help conservatives rally around him, around a single candidate. You see, they didn't do that in 2008. John McCain just wasn't it. And let's face it, the economy was so bad, social issues took a back seat. Evangelical leaders hope that doesn't hold true in 2012.
So, the "Talk Back" question for you today: Do voters care about social issues in 2012?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.
MALVEAUX: All right.
Thank you, Carol.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Right now, Syria spinning out of control. Thousands are dead. There's no sign that the violence is going to end anytime soon. And now the split between the government and the protesters are beginning to look more like a civil war.
The U.N. has issued a blunt warning to President Bashar al-Assad: Stop killing your people.
Nic Robertson, he is out on the streets, and he is watching all of this unfold.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the road to Zabadani, it feels like we're entering a war. We see only army check posts, then this, civilians, the first we meet.
(on camera): What these people down here have just told us is that they're fleeing, they're running away. They haven't got any possessions with them. They don't have a car either. They're just getting out of town as fast as they can.
(voice-over): Further on, at the front line, more people fleeing. We cross to the anti-government side, follow Arab League monitors through twisting streets into the town center. Little can prepare them or us for the welcome we receive: thousands of anti-Assad protesters.
(on camera): The crowd have gone absolutely wild now. The monitors have arrived, even carrying them on their soldiers there. They're treating the monitors as if they are gods who have been sent here to save them.
(voice-over): Bitter anger against the government is everywhere.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In Zabadani every day, every morning --
ROBERTSON (on camera): Shooting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shooting.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): "Two or three people have been killed," she says, "more than 60 wounded." And now, for the last three days, she adds, "Water, electricity and phones have been cut off."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are striking anything in the streets, killing people. We don't need this regime! Can you understand me? They are killing us!
ROBERTSON: Inside the nearby mosque, Arab League monitors use the calm to take down more details. This man tells us he was shot going out to get bread, has lost a finger. His brother, he says, killed.
In this mountain town close to the border with Lebanon, military defectors now with the Free Syrian Army say they have 70 lightly-armed fighters. We don't see them, but the monitors do.
After more than an hour, as the monitors inch their vehicles through the crowds, more and more press forward. They don't want the monitors from the Arab League to go, telling them soldiers will use their tanks to fire on the town as soon as they leave.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: I want you to stay with us. We're going to have even more startling images out of this Syrian town that is under attack now from its own government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Soldiers cheer the president. Then this: an unprovoked attack on the monitors. As they drive out, they leave behind a city under siege.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: For 10 months now the Syrian government has been attacking its own people. The U.N. estimates that more than 5,000 people have been killed in these crackdowns.
And now our own Nic Robertson, he gives us an up-close look at what life is really like for a town under siege.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: In apparent desperation, the crowd turns on the monitors, beats their car, begins to throw rocks, forcing them to drive a dangerous road towards front-line troops not expecting them. Gunshots fired. Monitors stop, wave their orange jacket to show who they are.
Half a mile, 800 meters ahead, the road is blocked. It is the Syrian government front line. We are forced to stop. It is not a safe place to be.
(on camera): The monitors are trying to shout out to the soldiers on the other side of the front line there to clear the road, to clear the barricade. It's clearly a road that's not often used now. The soldiers over there seem to be very nervous.
(voice-over): They won't let the monitors cross. As we wait, soldiers bring out one of their dead, say he's just been shot.
They shout at the camera, "Film! Film! Is this the freedom you want? Is this what the world wants? Is this the Syria you are looking for?"
Around us the soldiers are edgy, occasional shouts ring out.
Finally, after an hour and a half in the danger zone, a digger is brought forward, two soldiers riding shotgun. They begin clearing the barricade.
Gunfire erupts. Not clear who is shooting. Soldiers run for cover.
The monitors race for safety, past plenty of armored vehicles and heavy machine guns. Twenty seconds later, they stop at the front-line army base. Soldiers cheer the president, then this, an unprovoked attack on the monitors.
(CHANTING)
ROBERTSON: As they drive out, they leave behind a city under siege.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Zabadani, Syria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And then there were five. Jon Huntsman just stepped out of the race. What does it mean for the rest of the White House hopefuls? We'll show you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we are working on.
Next, Jon Huntsman bows out of the race. But wait until you hear some of the reasons why.
And, then a brothel says it's pimping for Ron Paul. That's right. We're not kidding here. We're going to tell you what is behind their support.
And later, hackers breach the security of Zappos, one of the largest online retailers in the country.
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. would have turned 83 years old today had he not been killed by an assassin's bullet in Memphis back in 1968. Well, around the country, people are marking today with community service projects and they're reflecting on the man who fought for the rights not only of African-Americans, but working people of all races.
In his years just before he was assassinated, King was trying to get a living wage for all Americans. I want you to listen to his son, Martin Luther King, III, who spoke before a crowd at the new King memorial in Washington on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN LUTHER KING, III, SON OF REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: On my father's last birthday they brought out a cake where they sang "Happy Birthday" to him in January of 1968. But in the basement of Ebenezer Church, after singing "Happy Birthday," they were planning for what was called the Poor People's Campaign, where he wanted to bring together poor blacks and whites and Native-Americans and Americans from all walks of life to say to our nation's policymakers that we really demand the right to decent jobs with decent pay. He did not live to see that come to fruition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Joining me now, Reverend Raphael Warnock. He is the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church where Reverend King preached for years.
Reverend, thank you so much for being here on such an important day.
REV. RAPHAEL WARNOCK, SR. PASTOR, EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH: Thank you so much. Good to be here with you, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Nice to see you.
First of all, when you look at and you think about how people live today in this country, you are talking about one in six in poverty and one in three who are low-income earners. What do you think Dr. King would think about the state of Americans today?
WARNOCK: He would say we have a great deal of work yet to be done. Dr. King's great and last push was really the Poor People's Campaign, about which his son spoke about a few moments ago. And he was very focused on this issue.
Remember, he died fighting for garbage collectors. And those early years of his ministry, he was focused on integrating public accommodations. But as he really took a deep look at what was going on in this society, he recognized our need to talk about the redistribution of wealth. And I think it was those things that really landed him in the crosshairs of the powers.
MALVEAUX: What do you think he would recommend that we do as a society to help lift people out of poverty?
WARNOCK: Well, I think that he would say, first of all, we've got to educate people, of course. But we also have to create opportunity. And one of the things that we have to avoid doing is engaging in the kinds of racialized stereotyping and scapegoating that I'm hearing too much in this current presidential season. Poverty is a very serious issue, and we need people with big ideas to think through this.
MALVEAUX: You actually took time during your -- in your preaching before your congregation in pointing out some of those comments. You have been very upset about what Newt Gingrich has said, calling President Obama a food stamp president.
What do you hope people do in this election season? Are they motivated to even come out and participate?
WARNOCK: As I talk to people in my community and people in my church, they are very energized, but they are also very disappointed with the character of our American political discourse in this moment. This notion about the food stamp president, this is the kind of racialized stereotyping and scapegoating that we've seen before.
We saw it with the Willie Horton ad several presidential seasons ago. It's the old southern strategy, and it's really not focused on solving the problem. It's focused on firing up a political base.
Why else would you be talking to an all-white crowd in New Hampshire or in Iowa about black people on welfare and food stamps? I've been up to those states. There are very few black people, relatively speaking, in Iowa and New Hampshire. This is a treacherous and tricky kind of speech, and I think we have to say no to it.
MALVEAUX: Are there any Republican candidates that you've listened to, that you've followed, and you say, hey, you know what, I think that's a good idea? They have got their finger on the pulse of what is wrong with our society and our economy?
WARNOCK: Well, listen, there are good ideas on both sides of the aisle, but unfortunately, we're so caught up in the kind of partisan politics in this country, that I think ordinary people are being just looking at people who will try to solve the problem, who would think seriously about these issues. I've been disappointed that no one has condemned this kind of speech.
We celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. today, but you cannot celebrate Dr. King on one hand and then continue to engage in this kind of racialized speech and stereotyping and engage in voter suppression. So we've got a real problem, it seems to me, in 2012. On the one hand, this kind of negative race-baiting and on the other hand, a real effort towards voter suppression across some 40 states in our country.
These voter I.D. bills right here in the state of Georgia I think are unnecessary. The cutting off of early voting, Sunday voting, why make it difficult for ordinary American citizens to practice that most basic right to vote.
MALVEAUX: We hope they come out to vote and sorry we're going to have to leave it there. It's a very significant day and obviously a time to reflect and we certainly know that there is more work to be done.
WARNOCK: Thank you so much.
MALVEAUX: All right, thank you.
Jon Huntsman, he says it is time for Republican presidential candidates to stop the attacks. Last hour, Huntsman criticized what he called the toxic tone of the Republican race as he announced the end of his run for the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON HUNTSMAN (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Today, I am suspending my campaign for the presidency. I believe it is now time for our party to unite around the candidate best equipped to defeat Barack Obama. Despite our differences and the space between us on some of the issues, I believe that candidate is Governor Mitt Romney.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: All right, I want to bring in chief White House correspondent, Jessica Yellin talk about Huntsman's decision to end his bid for the presidential race.
Jessica, obviously the White House, the Obama campaign watching very closely all of this happening. Do they think it's going to make that much of a difference?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's one step closer for Mitt Romney to lock up this nomination. I mean, there's another primary yet to go in South Carolina, another in Florida.
But from the Obama campaign's perspective, they have been gearing up to run against Mitt Romney for quite some time and so Jon Huntsman dropping out is yet another sign for them that this is going to be a race between President Obama and Mitt Romney in the end -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And so how quickly do they want to see this thing wrap up here so that Romney becomes the nominee? How does that really impact the race in the general election?
YELLIN: Quickly, not at all. They would be happy if this thing dragged on to the Republican nomination. I mean, the longer Mitt Romney would have to slug it out against Republican opponents, the better it would be for the Obama campaign.
And one of the downsides for them, if Mitt Romney were to wrap this up quickly, it would be that he could then turn his attention to attacking the president and one of the things we've seen is with these new "Super PACs," which we've all talked a bit about.
All the outside spending that's going on, everybody could start doing negative ads very quickly and so the theory is a quick ending to the Republican primary process would start negative ads quickly.
So you know, we can't prejudge this, we don't know where this will go. And on the Democratic side, they are hoping it will drag on and will have some surprises between now and the end.
MALVEAUX: And a lot of Romney's rivals obviously taking a hit. They are attacking on Bain Capital, his career there. Does this help or hurt him when he goes into the general election facing President Obama having been tried and tested on this issue or does this give Barack Obama the kind of fodder for what he needs? That kind of criticism coming from the GOP.
YELLIN: Well, look, conventional wisdom is this is playing right into President Obama's hands and that this is exactly the case that the president's campaign wants to make against Mitt Romney.
These Bain attacks will be used by the Democrats against Romney in the general election should Romney become the nominee and they will be brought up over and over again for months to come.
But you know, top Republicans I talked to say that a different point of view is because Newt Gingrich has brought these attacks up and these other Republicans have brought them up, it's had the unexpected effect of uniting many of these conservative critics of Mitt Romney around him.
You've had Rush Limbaugh rushing to his defense. You've had unexpected defense from, say, you know, Lindsay Graham or other people saying, don't do this. Don't attack Mitt Romney. These are people who wouldn't naturally defend Mitt Romney to begin with.
So he's gotten some conservative support where he might not otherwise because other Republicans have gone after him on Bain. But still you're going to hear a lot about Bain from the Obama campaign if Mitt Romney should become the nominee -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right, Jessica Yellin. Thank you, Jessica.
YELLIN: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: So one of the most popular online retailers, if you get shoes or clothes or stuff like that, a major security breach hacked. What Zappos is asking customers to do next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: Online retailer Zappos is asking customers, reset your passwords. That's right. It was hit by hackers. Alison Kosik, she is joining us from New York to talk a little bit about this. How bad is this, Alison?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, chances are, if you've shopped at Zappos, Suzanne, chances are this affects you. In fact, this affects 24 million people. So Zappos is letting customers know by sending them e-mails.
And what's happened here is a crook hacked into parts of Zappos' online network. So in response, Zappos, as you said, has killed everyone's passwords and you can reset it.
And you can go ahead and reset it again if you go to Zappos' web page. There's a big green, create a new password button right on its home page. You go there. Click there and you can reset your password.
All right, here on the screen is what you see what is compromised, your name, your e-mail address, your billing and shipping addresses, phone number, the last four digits of your credit card. So there's a lot of information there. It's a tough blow for a company, Suzanne, that is known for great customer service.
MALVEAUX: Yes, and that's a ton -- 24 million people impacted by that. Is there anything else that you should do to protect yourself if this has happened to you?
KOSIK: That's a good question because the best advice is really to take an extra careful look at your credit card charges over the next few months. You know, don't even wait for the monthly statement.
Check online now on your credit card statements. Zappos says full credit card numbers though were not compromised because the full credit card numbers, the payment information, all that stuff was stored on a separate server and that was not hacked. But I'll tell you what, it's better to be safe than sorry and keep track your bill.
If you got any other questions though, you're going to want to contact Zappos through e-mail. Funny enough, Zappos says it's not taking any calls. It's literally shut off their phone us because they know that they are not going to be inundated with calls that some people wouldn't get through.
And I don't know if you know this, Suzanne, Zappos is known for great customer service and they don't want people hanging on the phone, getting put off, getting frustrated and slamming the phone down. They want to keep that reputation as a great place to go for great customer service.
So e-mail is the way to contact them. Their phone you won't be able to get through -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And it's not going to be a problem using e-mail. They think it's all safe to do to get this information through e-mail? KOSIK: They think it is, yes. I think what they're saying is if you have any questions, if you want to know if you in particular were affected, go ahead and e-mail them. I wouldn't necessarily put all of your information in that e-mail. Just maybe give your name and ask if you've been impacted.
MALVEAUX: All right. Good advice. Thanks, Alison.
George Clooney, Meryl Streep, one big at last night's Golden Globes award show, but they weren't the only ones. Our A.J. Hammer, he was on the red carpet for the big show.
A.J., I actually stayed up late enough to watch a little bit of this, which was pretty unusual and it was so much fun. They set it up the stage for the Oscar's, right? More buzz?
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, HLN'S "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes, certainly. A lot of buzz, of course, about Meryl Streep and George Clooney, big winners last night. But the Globes haven't always been the best predictor in terms of Oscar winners, Suzanne.
It's actually kind of understandable when you think about the fact that the voters for the two different shows are very different. But, yes, it's true. A win at the Globes can definitely help an Oscar campaign along.
And when you have George Clooney taking home the best actor in a drama award for "The Descendents," he does seem to be the frontrunner for an Oscar although (inaudible) from "The Artist" could give him a run for his money. Now in the best actress category, it does look really competitive for the Oscars this year.
You have Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams both winners last night. Look at Meryl Streep. She forgot her glasses, though. She had to wing it with her speech. They were both so brilliant her and Michelle Williams in their respective roles, Suzanne.
So I've got to tell you, at this point, I don't know who I would favor in the Oscar race and I don't want to leave out Viola Davis from "The Help." She was unbelievable. Didn't get a Globe last night, but she has picked up a few trophies in the course of this award season so far.
So I think she's going to be a favorite as well. I think it's going to be a great night come Oscars although we're still basking in the Globes after Globes this moment.
MALVEAUX: Yes, basking it all. I liked Jessica Lange too. She won as well. What about Ricky Gervais? Talk a little bit about how he did this year? Did he behave himself? He seemed OK.
HAMMER: Ricky -- I think Ricky behaved himself in a big way by comparison to last year. He did still take some shots but you too day today the feeling seems to be that it's more tamed although I don't know if Kim Kardashian or NBC would agree with that analysis. They were certainly the target of a few of the sharper marks so a little bit of a letdown for people who are expecting Ricky to, you know, just let loose on the biggest names in Hollywood like he did last year.
I actually thought he was going to go in with this no-holds barred I have nothing to lose attitude and I think maybe he wanted to show perhaps that he could play nice in Hollywood at least relatively speaking. I still thought he did a terrific job. I love Ricky Gervais.
MALVEAUX: He was a lot of fun. It was a great evening. All right, thank you, A.J.
HAMMER: You got it.
MALVEAUX: Any information, you want more breaking information about the entertainment world, A.J.'s got everything this evening on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," 11:00 p.m. Eastern on HLN.
Did Mitt Romney's firm drive a toy company into bankruptcy? That's one of the political claims facing the truth-o-meter test. Find out whether it gets true, false or a pants on fire.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: The presidential race is heating up. So is the rhetoric. But do the candidates attack on one another actually pass the Truth-O- Meter test? Our Bill Adair, Washington bureau chief for "The St. Petersburg Times" and Pulitzer Prize winning editor of politifact.com joining us to take a look at some of the recent claims, whether or not they measure up against the Truth-O-Meter.
So, Bill, let's start off with the first one. This is from an ad by Winning Our Future super PAC that supports Newt Gingrich. Now it says that "Mitt Romney and Bain Capital," that's the investment firm he headed, "drove KB Toys into bankruptcy by loading it up with debt." Is that true? Is it false?
BILL ADAIR, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "ST. PETERSBURG TIMES": We rated it mostly false on our Truth-O-Meter. And the reason is that Romney was gone when Bain Capital bought KB Toys, referring to KB Toys, the mall retailer. And, in fact, KB's bankruptcy was more a function of just -- it was the wrong toy company at the wrong time. The toy industry was changing. Big retailers like Target and Wal-Mart were dominating much more of the toy business. And so it wasn't Bain that put KB out of business, it was much more competition and the way that KB was positioned. So mostly false for that one.
MALVEAUX: Mostly false. OK.
This one from Mitt Romney. It's an e-mail to "The L.A. Times." It says, "President Obama has raised taxes 19 times." True? False? What do we know?
ADAIR: We gave that one a half true. We could document 13 of the 19 tax increases that Romney claimed. And we went through them one by one. And when you look at the 13 that we found, it's -- we're talking about some very small, very narrow taxes. Many from the health care law. Some focused on very narrow things like health company CEOs. So that fits our definition of a half true. It's partially accurate but needs additional information.
MALVEAUX: All right, Bill, finally, take a look at this statement by President Obama on his campaign website. He says, "Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich all say they would cut foreign aid to Israel and every other foreign country to zero." Does it measure up? What do we think?
ADAIR: That one does not measure up. That gets a pants on fire, which is our lowest rating, I guess needless to say. That's not at all what the candidates have said. What they have said is that they would begin with what's call zero-based budgeting and look for countries such as Israel and others to justify how much they get in foreign aid. All three candidates have said that they would have some special consideration for Israel given its role as an important ally. So ridiculously false there. That's not what they said. So, pants on fire for the Obama campaign.
MALVEAUX: Bill, you're going to be hearing from them, I'm sure. The Obama campaign is going to be calling you. All right, thanks, Bill.
ADAIR: Thanks, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: We're more than two weeks into the new year. Are you still on track with your new year's resolutions? If you're not, don't feel too bad. My producer, Ed, he said he wasn't going to do, you know, take in food, but he's got a new baby, so I guess he can break it. That's all right. I understand he's already broken it so far.
One of the best resolutions, we understand, investments that you can make to get out of debt in (ph) your credit card. Christine Romans, she's host of "Your Bottom Line," she's here to show us how.
Yes, what should we be doing?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, HOST, "YOUR BOTTOM LINE": America's national debt is now about as large as the entire U.S. economy. More than $15 trillion and growing. Politicians are deadlocked over how to fix it, but only you can tackle your own personal debt. And we're going to help you do just that.
I mean you can pay down your highest interest rate credit card first. That's a lot of advice. But if you need to pay off one that's a low interest rate but it's a smaller balance just because it's going to make you feel good, you can do that, too. Whatever it takes to get you to start spending -- cutting down that debt.
Also, cut your spending. Strive to live on 70 percent of your income. If you can't afford it, put it down.
Use a debit card if you need to, or cash, to limit spending. And don't activate the overdraft protection.
But you can take advantage of your credit card protections. Keep your credit card balance below 30 percent of your overall limit.
And, finally, please, please, please, please, please, please, check your credit history at annualcreditreport.com. Clean up any mistakes right now. Don't just close your eyes. You've got to find out what that credit history looks like. It's really important, folks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: All right, we're not just going to close our eyes on this one. We'll work it out.
Today's "Talk Back" question, do voters care about social issues in 2012? Wayne says, "of course, we always care about our families and social issues, but if you're not working and you have no place to live and you're going hungry, you are certainly going to care more about economics at that point." More of your responses up ahead.
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MALVEAUX: You've been sounding off on our "Talk Back" question. Do voters care about social issues in 2012. Carol Costello is here with your responses.
So, what are folks saying, Carol?
COSTELLO: A lot of interesting things.
First up from Charlotte. She says, "it's time to choose, the almighty dollar or conviction of conscience? It's an easy choice for me. Much of our economic woes were caused by greed and corruption, so just voting for money isn't going to solve our problems. When did even just trying to be a moral country become so burdensome!"
This from Robert. "Thinking it's the government's responsibility to restore the family is both scary and un-American. In this country, we believe in individual freedom. We don't believe that it's the responsibility of government to socially engineer society."
This from Roger. "America is somewhat interested in social issues, just not the ones brought up. There's nothing wrong with the family other than one or two of its members are out of work."
This from Jessica. "The reality is that our country has bigger fish to fry than these hot button social issues. Same-sex marriage and abortion should stay completely out of the political discussion and not be used to gain votes."
This from Alan. "Of course we care about social issues, but we vote with our pocketbooks."
And this from Elizabeth. "If we don't care about social issues, then we're not honoring the man who we celebrate today." Which, of course, would be Martin Luther King Jr. Keep the conversation going, facebook.com/carolcnn. And thanks, as always, for your comments.
MALVEAUX: All right, thank you, Carol.
They are prostitutes and they vote. We're going to tell you who these working women would like to see in the White House.
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MALVEAUX: All right. We promise you, this is a political story here. No other way to put it. Ron Paul popular among prostitutes. In fact, the candidate getting a lot of support from a brothel in Nevada. A political story here. CNN's senior medical contributor Elizabeth Cohen, she's got the story.
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ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ron Paul's met a lot of his supporters, but he probably hasn't met these women. And they love him.
DENNIS HOF, OWNER, "THE BUNNY RANCH" AND "THE LOVE RANCH": A client comes into The Bunny Ranch and says, I'm pimping for Paul, they're going to have a real good time, aren't they, girls?
GIRLS: Yes.
COHEN: Dennis Hof owns The Bunny Ranch. And if the presidential election were held today, there's no question who would win here. The prostitutes at this legal brothel have a "pimping for Paul" campaign because Paul supports their right to make their living this way.
RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, you have a right to do things that are very controversial.
COHEN: Prostitution is legal in 16 counties in Nevada. Prostitutes, they prefer the term working girl, says this helps protect their health. First, they have the right to reject any customers they don't like.
COHEN (on camera): So you bring a gentleman in here --
"MORGAN," PROSTITUTE AT THE LOVE RANCH: Uh-huh.
COHEN: And you do an inspection of some kind?
MORGAN: Uh-huh.
COHEN: What are you looking for?
MORGAN: We ask him to drop his pants.
COHEN (voice-over): They're looking for signs of sexually transmitted diseases. "CAMI," PROSTITUTE AT THE LOVE RANCH: And at that point, you know, hey, honey, there's a little something here that I'm concerned about. I don't know that it would be in both of our best interest to party here today. Why don't you go to a doctor and get that checked out.
COHEN: Second, every customer has to use a condom every time by law.
COHEN (on camera): So if a guy says to you, hey, couple hundred bucks if I don't have to use one of these, what do you say to him?
MORGAN: No. Sorry. I mean even if it's, you know, thousands and thousands of dollars, I still look at my health that's involved. I don't know where this guy has been.
COHEN (voice-over): And, thirdly, the working girls get checked regularly for sexually transmitted diseases.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See you in a week.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, doll.
COHEN: The Nevada Department of Epidemiology says in more than 30 years there's never been a single case of HIV among legal prostitutes in Nevada, but their jobs have come under attack from federal officials.
SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: The time has come to outlaw prostitution.
COHEN: The working girls want to keep the federal government out of their business. So they're asking customers to donate to Paul's campaign out their way out the door. In two days, they raised $587 and they are pimping for more.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: The owner of The Bunny Ranch says he tried to give them money directly to the Ron Paul campaign, but that a campaign staffer advised him instead to give it to a political action committee that supports Ron Paul. Now, we reached out to the Ron Paul campaign and we didn't get a response.
Back to you.
MALVEAUX: All right. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Deborah Feyerick, who's in for Randi Kaye.
Hey, Deb.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Suzanne, thanks so much.
