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Downed U.S. Airmen Tell Their Story; Concordia Captain Leaves Jail; No Block On The Debt Hike; Obama To Say No To Keystone Pipeline ; Gingrich Says If He Wins S.C., Then He Wins; Protesting A Piracy Crackdown; Human Head Found In Hollywood; Heavy Snowfall In Seattle; Romney's Tax Rate Revelation; Stranded Dolphins

Aired January 18, 2012 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It's 1:00 and we have a very busy hour ahead.

Divers are planning to blast more holes in that capsized Italian cruise ship in the hopes of finding some two dozen people who still are unaccounted for. This, by the way, is a live picture of the ship. But time and rough seas aren't on their side.

Five days after the Costa Concordia ran aground off Italy, search teams have repeatedly had to pull back as the wreckage moved and shifted. Eleven people are known dead and what authorities alleged is a totally preventable disaster. But the captain is now out of jail, he's under house arrest and likely facing an array of criminal charges including manslaughter and abandoning ship.

The first big Congressional vote of 2012 is coming up later this afternoon. It's worth $1.2 trillion, but it doesn't amount to anything. As part of last summer's excruciating debt ceiling drama, the House gets to pass a measure opposing increase in borrowing authority which the Senate will ignore. Even if the Senate went along, the president would veto it and the debt ceiling would rise as per the earlier agreement. That deal also called for more than $2 trillion in spending cuts spread out over a decade.

We could be hearing from the White House at any moment today about their decision on the Keystone Pipeline. Despite pressure by the Republicans according to a Democratic source, the Obama administration is expected to reject fast tracking the controversial pipeline project.

The Pipeline would run from northern Alberta in Canada down to Texas' Gulf Coast. Republicans and some unions say the Pipeline would create thousands of jobs but the Obama administration is refusing to rush the project pointing to environmental reviews that are still under way.

Newt Gingrich says we may be just three days away from deciding this year's GOP presidential nomination. He says if South Carolina gives him a victory in Saturday's primary, he'll be the party's nominee. If Mitt Romney wins, Gingrich says the Republican race is over. For what it's worth, the former GOP running mate says the race shouldn't be over yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If I had to vote in South Carolina in order to keep this thing going, I'd vote for Newt, and I would want this to continue, more debates, more vetting of candidates.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Palin stopped short of endorsing Gingrich outright. On a side note, Gingrich says he paid 31 percent of his income in taxes last year in contrast to Romney who said yesterday that he paid closer to 15 percent. We'll dig into that in our Facetime segment just a few moments from now.

It is a dark day for the Internet, parts of it any way. As you may have noticed, Wikipedia and several other hugely popular Web sites have self-imposed a 24-hour blackout. They're protesting that their bills working their way through Congress that aim to curb Internet piracy. Content providers say virtual pirates are costing them actually billions but the Silicon Valley says the crackdowns being proposed would kill the Web as we know it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY WALES, WIKIPEDIA.ORG: Well, there's a lot of different versions of the act. In the worst versions of the bill, Wikipedia would be defined as a search engine and we would not be able to even link to something like the pirate bay (ph) even in our encyclopedia description of what pirate bay is. I think that's a real problem. That raises really serious first amendment issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Full disclosure, Time Warner, CNN's parent company, supports the anti-piracy legislation.

In Hollywood, a bizarre discovery. Two women found a human head while hiking under the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. Their dog sniffed out the head which was hidden in the brush and wrapped in a plastic bag. Police say the head belongs to a man possibly in his 40s. And they're searching the area for the body.

It is snowing heavily in Seattle. This is the downtown area where you can't see much, as you can kind of see there, except a big white haze. At least four to eight inches of snow is expected in the metropolitan area, along with high wind warnings along the coast. Most schools closed and officials are telling people, stay home. The city isn't used to much snowfall and if it tops seven inches, this could rank among the 10 worst storms since the early 1940s.

President Obama is going to Disney World. He'll be there to talk tourism and travel. It's part of his "We Can't Wait" agenda, the executive action to aid job growth. He's expected to discuss easier travel (INAUDIBLE) for tourists from China, India, and Brazil. Of course, there will be heavy security in the park, so if you're planning to go on Thursday as well, be prepared for long security lines.

Still ahead, he makes a whole lot more money than most Americans, but does he pay a lower tax percent sage than you?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What's the effective tax rate that I've been paying? It's probably closer to the 15 percent rate than anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: So, does Mitt Romney's tax rate revelation show that he's out of touch with Americans or could it actually help his campaign?

But first, a nurse goes above and beyond for a patient she barely knows. Clay Taber's kidneys failed and his nurse, Allison Batson, decided to give him one of hers. She says making the decision was easy because she felt connected to Taber immediately.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLISON BATSON, NURSE: My children came to meet him and they fondly refer to Clay and his family as our kidney-in-laws. So it -- just an immediate bond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Now, Taber is planning a summer wedding with his college sweetheart and plans to save a special dance for Allison. For giving your patient a gift of life, Allison Batson, you are today's Rock Star.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: In America, your tax bill depends on how much you earn, and how you earn it, and how much you can write off, and how many kids you have, and an accountant you have in some cases, but most people still expect rich people to pay more than ordinary people and that explains the backlash to this statement yesterday from GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: What's the effective rate I've been paying? It's probably closer to 15 percent rate that I think is my -- the last 10 years, I've -- my income comes overwhelmingly from investments made in the past rather than ordinary income or whether they're earned annual income. I got a little bit of income from my book, but I gave that all away. And then I get speaker fees from time to time but not very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: OK. First of all, when Romney says not very much, this is what he means, $374,327 and don't forget the 62 cents. That's how much he says he earned giving speeches in 2010 and early 2011. But now back to taxes. Newt Gingrich says everybody should pay what he calls Romney's rate and points out that his tax plan would let us. He also says he personally paid a 31 percent tax rate last year. Take that, Mitt. My next guest finds many things to criticize about candidate Romney, but his tax bill isn't one of them.

Andrew Roth is vice president of Government Affairs for Club for Growth which champions limited government, low taxes and economic freedom. Andrew, nice to see you. Make your case, if you will, for venture capitalist as Romney was, paying a lower tax rate than, say, middle class plumbers?

ANDREW ROTH, VICE PRESIDENT, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, CLUB FOR GROWTH: Well, here's the shocker is that Romney's not doing anything illegal. All American tax payers have the same opportunity to do exactly what he did, to work hard, save and invest, we'll get the capital range -- capital gains tax rate that Romney pays which is 15 percent. All of us can do it, all of us should aspire to do it, and because the capital gains tax rate is lower than the wage tax rate is for a lot of Americans, it's a good incentive to invest and to save. So, it's a great thing that we have a low tax rate and we should lower it even further.

KAYE: Let me play you a clip from a very rich guy who has an opposing view. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN BUFFETT, CHAIRMAN, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: I think we should raise taxes on the very rich and I think maybe we should cut taxes for the middle class, upper middle class, lower middle class.

POPPY HARLOW, CORRESPONDENT, CNNMONEY.COM: Cut them more than the Bush tax cuts?

BUFFETT: It could well be. I believe that in terms of the -- we're taking in about 15 and a fraction person of GDP in income in the United States. That's not enough. We're going to have to get more money from somebody. Now, the question is, do we get more money from the person that's going to serve me lunch today, or do we get it from me? I think we should get it from me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: That was Warren Buffett speaking with CNN Money's Poppy Harlow. But of course I have to ask you, Andrew, doesn't he have a point?

ROTH: No, I don't think so. I mean -- first of all, he's not talking about the economic effects of higher tax rates that will hurt the economy, especially when we're in a recession. Second is it's not going to hurt Warren Buffett a bit because he's already made his wealth.

What about a lot of people who are trying to build their wealth that could get hit by the taxes or have the incentive not to earn a lot of money because they would get hit by tax rates? And third, I mean, let's just face it, it's just not bad politics. It's -- raising taxes is not a good idea. People don't want higher taxes. It may play well to do a class warfare idea but overall it's just a bad idea.

KAYE: So, you like Mitt's tax plan for himself, Mitt Romney's plan, but generally speaking, your group isn't really a fan of his? Why is that?

ROTH: Well, Romney's tax plan is not that good. He may be the front-runner, but out of all of the candidates tax plans, he gets last place because it's very uninspiring. All he wants to do is extend the Bush tax cuts and then lower the corporate tax rate down to 25 percent.

We can do a lot better than that. We can get rid of a lot of loopholes that both Democrats and Republicans want to get rid of and we can lower rates down to 25, 20 percent, get rid of the capital gains rates so we can create wealth and build factories and create more R and D and create a lot more jobs, and he's not doing that. He's got a lot of ways to go before he can get the support of a lot of pro-growth conservatives.

KAYE: Whose plan do you like and has Club for Growth endorsed anyone?

ROTH: Well, we think that -- we have not endorsed anybody. The Club for Growth is taking an educational role when it comes to the presidential race. We've got white papers that we've written on all of the candidates where we examine the records on all of the economic issues, taxes, spending, regulation, free trade, listen -- your viewers can see it at www.ClubForGrowth.org.

The best tax plan though, it depends. Rick Perry has a fantastic plan where he wants to lower rates down to 20, 15 percent and get rid of the capital gains tax rate. That's an excellent plan and I wish more people knew about it and would respond accordingly.

KAYE: Andrew Roth, thank you very much for your time. Appreciate that.

ROTH: Thanks for having me.

KAYE: Bad weather in Italy is spelling bad news for the rescue efforts happening now live. These pictures here that are happening on the capsized cruise ship. The hope for finding any survivors is quickly fading as search efforts are suspended.

Plus, the captain accused of causing that? Well, he's out of jail and back at home. We'll tell you why, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: There is a stunning new twist to the Italian cruise ship disaster we want to tell you about. CNN has learned that the Costa Concordia took a nearly identical route past Giglio Island last August to the one on Friday that resulted in the ship's tragedy. The satellite tracking obtained by the shipping newspaper "Lloyds List" shows the ship passed within about 250 yards of the coast. That is even closer than where the ship hit rocks and capsized.

In another controversial development, a judge has released the captain from jail and placed him under house arrest. That triggered outrage from the prosecutor who says he may appeal that decision.

And, today, more live pictures here. Bad weather forced rescuers to suspend operations as hopes faded of finding any more survivors on board. Matthew Chance joins us near Naples, where the captain lives.

Matthew, what reason did the judge give for putting the captain under house arrest and letting him go out of jail?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what the judge said is that the captain, Captain Schettino, does not represent a flight risk. That he was unlikely to obviously tamper with any evidence and would not be able to repeat the offense. And so she assessed that the best course of action was to put him under house arrest.

Now, that's caused outrage across many areas of Italy and elsewhere as well because of the seriousness of the charges which he -- which may be leveled against him, particularly in the light of those shocking conversations that were recorded between the captain and the Italian coast guard as the catastrophe unfolded when he was essentially found to have abandoned his ship when there were hundreds of passengers still on board.

There was a memorable moment in the exchange when the coast guard ordered the captain to get back on the ship and to take control of the rescue efforts, which he did not do, apparently. And so that's caused outrage. And it's because of that, and because so many people have lost their lives, that there's been outrage and the prosecutors are saying that they may appeal this judge's decision. And so he could yet still get behind -- be put behind bars, Randi.

KAYE: I'm curious what more the judge had to say about the captain in court. I mean there was some pretty harsh words there.

CHANCE: Yes, there were. There was simply harsh words from the judge. She spoke of how, obviously, grave errors were committed. There were also sort of -- of other issues that were brought up by her and -- but, obviously, it will be for the investigation, which hasn't really got underway in earnest yet and will take weeks, if not months to conclude, that we'll really know, you know, what really caused this and to what extent the captain is culpable of this.

But clearly those conversations that were recorded, particularly with him and the coast guard are very damaging for his position. So it will be interesting to hear what his defense will be.

KAYE: And we know that search operations have been hampered by both weather and the ship actually moving. Do we have any idea when those might resume, Matthew? CHANCE: Well, I think it will be dependent on the weather conditions. Certainly it seems that the search for anyone living on board the ship has come to an end. It's turned much more from a rescue effort into a recovery and a salvage effort now.

And so the big question being asked now in terms of what can be done with the ship is, how are they going to get it off these rocks that it's impaled on, on the outskirts of that island. Remember, there are tens and thousands of gallons of heavy diesel oil on board the ship. If those fuel tanks leak and the oil sinks to the bottom of the sea bed, that could pose obviously a very severe environmental hazard. And at this point, that's what the focus is on, trying to safely get that ship off the rocks.

KAYE: Is there concern that this ship could sink?

CHANCE: I think there is. There have been obviously salvage experts that have been looking at this carefully. One of the issues that's been raised is that the ship appears to be perched between two rock formations on the sea bed, on the coast, and it's in a very precarious position because there's -- it's sort of a bridge between two rocks and there's water flowing under need.

And so what salvage experts say is that it wouldn't take much in terms of a current or high winds or a change in weather conditions in some other way for that ship to be knocked off into waters which are as deep as 100 meters. And so it's possible that if the ship continues to move in the way it has been, it could sink entirely under the water and so salvage efforts are now being stepped up and there's a sense of urgency to try and get this vessel refloated and taken out of the area before there is that environmental impact.

KAYE: Matthew Chance reporting from Naples, Italy. Thank you, Matthew.

Another maritime tragedy is unfolding here at home. Dozens and dozens of dolphins are swimming ashore in Cape Cod, stranding themselves alive. Marine experts are baffled as they struggle to save them. Coming up next, why it's happening at Cape Cod and why the situation is so dire. I'll talk to the man leading the rescue efforts there. You do not want to miss this interview.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: We want to bring your attention to a troubling mystery that's unfolding along the shores of Cape Cod. Within just a few days, dozens of dolphins have stranded themselves along miles of beaches in unusually large numbers. We think it's a story that's been "Under Covered." Before we go any further, I have to warn you, the pictures I'm about to show you are a little bloody, but I want you to keep in mind, these are the dolphins that are still alive. And experts were able to save and release them.

Now, if you're familiar with Cape Cod, you know that stranded dolphins this time of the year aren't -- certainly isn't unusual. In fact, Cape Cod, unfortunately, is known as one of the dolphin stranding capitals of the world. But marine experts say what's happening right now is much worse than previous years. Rescuers are working frantically to save as many dolphins as they can.

Dr. Ian Robinson is in charge of that rescue effort. He leads the emergency relief program at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Dr. Robinson, thank you so much for your efforts on this. We know that this began on Thursday. How many stranded dolphins are we talking about? Can you update us on the numbers?

DR. IAN ROBINSON, INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE: Well, as of yesterday, we had around 60 dolphins. But people have been out to some rather more remote locations and found some more. And I believe the total number now is 75, of which we've released 19 successfully to the wild.

KAYE: And how is it different this year? Is it -- are there just so many more dolphins doing this?

ROBINSON: Well, the first thing is, this event has been over a very large stretch of coastline, some 25 miles of coastline. So, on Saturday, when we went out and first heard of dolphins stranded, we then heard of further dolphins found all up and down the coast, until there were about 25 miles of coastline that we were trying to cover to recovered dolphins alive. So this is a very widespread event.

The other is the number of dolphins in so few days. Just since Thursday, between Thursday and Monday, we had 60 dolphins, including some 25 actually seen alive. And as I say, of those, 19 we've managed to save and return to the wild.

KAYE: And dolphin stranding, I mean it's certainly not unique. This is sort of a routine phenomena that happens every time, what, from January to April or so. Can you explain to us why they do this?

ROBINSON: Nobody really knows exactly why dolphins strand, but it's obviously got something to do with the geography of Cape Cod. I mean Cape Cod is like a giant arm outstretched into the Atlantic Ocean. And this forms a kind of trap. And we know that dolphins are present in the bay, they're feeding in the bay. That's normal for them. But they seem to get into shallow water, into these big areas of sand flats and mud flats and creeks and literally get lost.

Also, they're very social. So we think that when one animal is in trouble, the other animals stay with them. They don't go out and see safety. They will all stay together. So when one animal gets in trouble, then you can get a lot more following or staying in and ending up stranded as the tide goes out.

And, of course, what was 20 feet of water a few hours ago, suddenly becomes dry land.

KAYE: You know, as we were talking with you, we're looking at these incredible pictures of teams trying to work with these dolphins and test them and save them. I understand there's a rescue team on call 24/7. You see these dolphins, they've been wrapped in blankets. Can you give us an idea, what happens once you find them, how you go about saving them? ROBINSON: OK. The first thing is, our volunteers -- we have volunteers on Cape Cod who are on call and we call them ask them to go down and identify that there is a dolphin there where it's been reported and let us know its status. Is it alive. Is it dead. Does it look in good or poor condition.

And then that volunteer will stay with the dolphin and observe is and give it immediate first aid until we arrive. And when I say immediate first aid, in weather conditions like we've had over this weekend with sub zero temperature, they actually chill. Sometimes in warmer weather they'll over heat when they're out of the water. And also they need to be kept upright so they're not lying on their side. And this keeps them less distressed.

KAYE: And --

ROBINSON: Then when we get there, we have vehicles and basically we will -- sorry.

KAYE: No, finish what you were saying.

ROBINSON: OK. Basically we pick the animal up in a soft stretcher and we take it into one of our vehicles where we can do an accurate health assessment. An important thing is when we're releasing the dolphins, to make sure that we're only releasing those that are healthy and strong enough to be able to survive back in the wild.

KAYE: Yes.

ROBINSON: And we do a health assessment and give some treatments.

KAYE: I do want to point out that --

ROBINSON: And the last thing we do is we move them.

KAYE: I just wanted to point out that I know -- I just want to remind our viewers as you finish that in just a second. I just want to remind them, I know we're looking at some pictures here and some video and there is some blood involved here, but these were dolphins that survived and have been rescued. And so continue what you were saying.

ROBINSON: Yes. I mean they do get superficial cuts and bruises. Often, you know, they're on mud which has got shellfish in it, which on shells and stone and this does cause superficial abrasion. So we do get a little bit of blood. But this is really nothing to worry about.

But then the main thing is, if you push the dolphins back where they came from, they still think they're in that trap. They don't know their way out of it. So what we do is we actually transport them across Cape Cod to a beach which is facing out into the Atlantic Ocean where they've got direct access to deep water.

And that really is the key to the success of our operation. If we can get them back to deep water where they know they're safe and they can directly access water where they're not going to become re-stranded, then we have great success in releasing these animals. KAYE: And what are the odds of these animals having been through -- I mean you can see it's certainly traumatic for them, that they'll be OK and they will survive this?

ROBINSON: Yes. Well, firstly, we do very careful health assessments and we do do treatments. And the other thing is, we do monitor everything we release. Everything bears some kind of a tag, even if it's only just a small plastic tag so we can identify if the dolphin washes up dead after release.

And also a number we do satellite tag. And in the recent years, we have been satellite tagging more animals. And we've been very pleased with the results we have seen. We've actually managed to prove and show that these animals do swim back out into deep waters, that they do associate with other wild dolphins and they do survive over a period of time.

KAYE: Dr. Ian Robinson, that's fascinating. I would love to talk more with you about this. And I do hope that you can do more good for the dolphins that you've already saved.

Thank you so much.

Newt Gingrich is making a bold prediction. Have you heard this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH, (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If I carry the state on Saturday, I will be the Republican nominee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: He's also predicting something else. If Mitt Romney wins South Carolina, then he will be the nominee. Is he right? Could we be in for a major game changer come Saturday? That's next in "Fair Game."

But first, a question for the "Political Junkies" watching today. We know that Speaker Gingrich once served as speaker of the House. But he was in Washington a long time before rising to the top job. How long did Newt Gingrich serve in Congress? Tweet me the right answer @randikayeCNN. First to get it right gets a big shout out from me right after the break.

(SINGING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SINGING)

KAYE: Before the break I asked you how long Newt Gingrich served in Congress. The answer? 20 years. He represented Georgia's sixth district from 1989 to 1999. Brandon from Manhattan was the first to tweet the right answer. Very nicely done. Newt Gingrich is framing the South Carolina primary as a do or die for his presidential hopes. If he wins, he says, he'll be the nominee. If he loses, he says the coast is clear for Mitt Romney all the way.

The Republican primary battles are always "Fair Game."

Let's talk it to Democratic strategist, Maria Cardona, in Washington; and Republican analyst, Lenny McAllister, in Chicago for us.

Lenny, I'm going to talk with you on this one.

Is South Carolina really Newt Gingrich's last stand, do you think?

LENNY MCALLISTER, REPUBLICAN ANALYST: Yes, this is the last stand. He's a son of the south. It's a contest where a true conservative should win the race and if he can't win in South Carolina, he's not going to have the money to compete in a large diverse state such as Florida where he's going to be the online media, traditional media, and the money to move around the state in order to compete on the 31st. This is his do or die. I think he could win, especially with the debate coming up tomorrow. I think between that and the rest of the campaign coming up in the Palmetto State, he can do it. In a big way, he better do it.

KAYE: Maria, you know that Gingrich is now suggesting that Rick Perry and Rick Santorum actually drop out, endorse him, bring the conservatives together as one united front so they can beat Mitt Romney. Here's what he said this morning. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRICH: Well, I think it depends on how rapidly we can consolidate conservatives. We're, right now, very close to getting enough conservatives to come together for a Gingrich candidacy but we will beat him (ph). That's my goal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Maria, what do you think? Wishful thinking or could this work?

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I think it's both. And that's exactly the problem. The only way Mitt Romney is going to be stopped by the conservatives and evangelicals, who absolutely hate him, is if they were able to consolidate behind one other candidate. Right now -- and this was a headline in a South Carolina paper today, Randi, is South Carolina evangelicals are frustrated but they are divided.

And as long as they divide their votes and their support among what is now what I'm calling the unholy trinity of Gingrich, Santorum, and Perry, there's no way to be able to find their own savior. And if that happens Mitt Romney is going to make it to the promised land of the nomination.

KAYE: Let's talk about Sarah Palin, Lenny. She gave what I guess would you call a half endorsement to Newt Gingrich. Listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN, (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR & FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If I had to vote in South Carolina, in order to keep this thing going, I'd vote for Newt. And I would want this to continue, more debates, more vetting of candidates.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Lenny, does Sarah Palin help or hurt Newt Gingrich?

MCALLISTER: Well, in this point in time -- I mean, in 2010, she was the queen maker when it came to Nikki Haley. So in this regard, perhaps she gave Newt Gingrich her blessing in this regard to get back to the promised land that Mitt Romney is already going to.

(LAUGHTER)

I do think it can definitely help because they understand the person at the top of the polls that comes to the anything-but-Romney candidate, it is going to be within striking distance to make it a race.

Listen, if you look at Santorum, Perry, and Gingrich, between one of them, somebody is going to come in second place and the other two are not going to have enough money to compete in Florida. Whoever that second person is, should be able to coalesce and make it a true race, especially if they can win in South Carolina, stay at the number-two spot internationally.

KAYE: Maria, do you want to weigh in on Sarah Palin?

CARDONA: Yes. I was going to say, Sarah Palin still has a lot of followers, and especially among the wing of the Republican Party that really does need to come together. So if she can move folks to go and support Newt and to go out and vote for Newt, there could be some coalescing of that group that needs to get behind one candidate. And I think if Newt Gingrich comes within a razor-thin margin, even, behind Romney, and the others are way behind, I think he lives on another day to fight on in Florida.

KAYE: Just a quickly, to both of you, a quick 20, 30 seconds here.

Lenny, talk about Romney and this whole tax mess. He says that he's in the 15 percent tax rate. Newt Gingrich has come out and said that he's at the 30 percent rate. Did Romney blow it by not releasing his taxes by now and coming out with this information?

MCALLISTER: If Romney would have stuck to what he did in December and said, listen, I'm not the guy struggling to grow up, I'm not the guy with privilege, don't hate me with it, I'm going to move forward and help America. If he would have done that now, it would have been great. Instead, he acted like the rich guy that didn't want to release his tax returns because he was embarrassed by his wealth. And at a time of a recession, that's the worst image to have. You can't look like the 1 percent when you're trying to represent 100 percent of America.

KAYE: 20 seconds, Maria?

CARDONA: He should have absolutely followed in his father's footsteps, who was a trailblazer in releasing his tax returns. Lenny is right. If he doesn't do this, if he takes longer, it's -- he's going to continue to be the guy that doesn't get the middle class and doesn't care about them.

KAYE: Lenny McAllister, Maria Cardona, as always, that was great fun. Thank you. And that is "Fair Game." Thank you.

CARDONA: Thank you, Randi.

KAYE: Tomorrow, two days before the South Carolina primary, the GOP contenders face off for what could be the final debate. Be sure to watch the Southern Republican Presidential Debate right here on CNN, tomorrow at 8:00 eastern.

Still ahead, the film George Lucas wanted to make so badly he paid for it himself. We're talking about "Red Tails," the tales of the Tuskegee airmen. Coming up next, I'll talk to the film's star and director.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATE PARKER, ACTOR: God's pill for the Gerries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: The new movie "Red Tails" is getting a lot of buzz. The film is about 1,000 African-American pilots that overcame racism and segregation in the military to become recognized fighter pilots in World War II. Another reason people are drumming up support for the film, George Lucas produced it. And despite his film cred, he said it was hard to convince Hollywood that an African-American action movie would sell.

Here's what he had to say on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE LUCAS, FILM PRODUCER: I financed it myself. And figured I could get the prints and ads paid for by the studios and that they would release it.

JON STEWART, HOST, THE DAILY SHOW: Right.

LUCAS: And I showed it to all of them and they said, no.

(LAUGHTER)

We don't know how to market a movie like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Incredible. So how did he pull it off?

Joining us from New York is the director of the movie "Red Tails," Anthony Hemingway, and one of the stars of the film, actor, Nate Parker. He plays the character Marty "Easy" Julian.

Welcome to both of you.

I saw some clips of this. I cannot wait to see the movie.

Anthony, I'd like to start with you.

George Lucas got a lot of push back, as we saw on this film. How was he able to convince Hollywood that now was the right time for an African-American action movie?

ANTHONY HEMINGWAY, FILM DIRECTOR: Hopefully, the film will dictate that. It will allow us that all of our stories need to be told. It's a story of accomplishments, excellence, told through the inspired Tuskegee airmen, and that we all need to come together. Now is the right time for us to see that.

KAYE: Nate, I saw some of the clips with you. This is, of course, one of the first all-black action films to ever be made. It's really a big part of history now. So how do you feel of being part of what not only these men accomplished but also part of this history?

PARKER: I feel very proud. It's patriotic to want to know the stories that came before us and being part of a black community and knowing the issues that we deal with today, whether it's the broken educational system or the prison-industrial complex, we need inspiration. And those inspirations are in our past. So I think to have the opportunity to be someone standing in these shoes and play this part and really try my best to exemplify what they stood for, it's an honor, a great honor.

KAYE: CNN had the honor of speaking with two of the original Tuskegee airmen about this film, about their experience and their hopes for the future. Listen to what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERBERT CARTER, FORMER TUSKEGEE AIRMAN: I simply hope that our young men and women of America will look at this experience and the story of these Tuskegee airmen and, from it, make themselves to perpetuate the legacy that these airmen have left.

WILBUR MASON, FORMER TUSKEGEE AIRMAN: Thinking we were making history or a part of history never occurred to us. And we were just doing the best we could.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Anthony, I know that you worked with these men. You introduced the crew to them. You wanted them to get to know them. What were they like?

HEMINGWAY: Amazing. I always felt like -- I grew up, never had the chance to meet my grandfather. So it felt very close and warm. And just to be able to sit and talk with them, to let them shed their wisdom, their experiences, it was beautiful to watch them to become 19, 21 years old again.

You know, as we did a lot of the training for the pilots and just to have them walk around the set and the attention to detail that was done was really amazing and it was rewarding for me to just look back and see the thumbs up and the smiles in their face. They would get really animated when they would fly in planes and how they told the pilots to fly the planes and to be with them when they saw the film, it was just really -- for me they are the true critics of the film. Just to see them light up, I was proud.

KAYE: Speaking of flying planes, Nate, didn't you and members of the cast see what they actually go up and fly and see what these guys actually felt before filming this?

PARKER: Yes, absolutely. We had the opportunity --

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: What was that like?

PARKER: It was incredible. We had an opportunity to experience bell rolls and nose-dives and all of the things that they felt physically. It gave us a better sense of even what they did. These men were the best and brightest. They were handling the most sophisticated machinery and weaponry of the day and they did it in an excellent fashion. To be able to get a sense of my imagination what it must have been like was something really close.

KAYE: Anthony, I understand that your faith is very important to you and you did bring a new scene that wasn't originally in the film to this film where the crew and the Tuskegee airmen are praying. Can you just tell me what that meant?

HEMINGWAY: It went a lot. Especially at this time in our history, all they have is their faith and support with one another. And it was a very close community. So just to have a lack of that or void of that at all just felt wrong. And it's something that we all pull together in the beginning and realize before we even started production of this film that we knew we had to be on the same page and that that was going to get us through it. So to include that in the film, it still gives me chills because it kind of transports me back to that time and I break out I in hives when I watch it.

KAYE: Yes. I did watch that clip and I'll say it did give me chills as well. It's a very moving moment.

Thank you, Anthony Hemingway and Nate Parker, for your time today and for making this wonderful movie.

Again, the movie is "Red Tails" and it hits theaters this Friday.

PARKER: Thank you. Thank you very much.

KAYE: Still ahead, a mystery illness sweeping through a New York high school. 12 teenage girls suffering from bizarre symptoms and health experts are baffled.

Plus, more than six million bats have died after contracting a fatal and mysterious fungus. And now scientists fear a potential extinction.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Time now for a look at stories making news across the country at "Street Level."

In Seattle, winter has come with full force. These are live pictures from Seattle, our affiliate KING. Possibly more force than the city has seen in many years. The metropolitan area is expected to see four to eight inches of snow. That's not a lot for many places, but for a city not used to that much snow, well, it can be pretty tough. Officials are telling people to stay home and out of the way of treacherous road conditions. Schools are closed, some flights canceled, and the city is at work de-icing bridges and overpasses and opening emergency shelters. Officials say today's snowfall may go over its annual average.

12 girls in a high school in Le Roy, New York, have a mysterious illness and parents want to know what is causing it. The girls are suffering from symptoms that include tics, repeated uncontrollable movements or involuntary vocal sounds. The New York State Department of Health has ruled out several possible causes of the illness, including drugs and environmental issues.

Biologists say millions of bats have died since 2006 and more are dying from a deadly fungal infection. They say the white-nose syndrome is killing bats in caves and mines found across North America. And it could result in an extinction of the creatures. They don't have what causes it, but they have a plan to combat the disease.

In Washington, community and university leaders across the nation launched an anti-hazing campaign. The task force was organized in response to the death of a Florida A&M University drum major last year. They're asking colleges to recognize and report hazing activities. And they're launching a series of events to try to raise awareness and prevent hazing.

As the Wisconsin governor looks at a possible recall election, two Democratic challengers have already jumped into the race. That, after Democrats say they've collected a million signatures. But Governor Scott Walker may still be in office until at least the spring. That's because Republicans want a court order that will painstakingly check the authenticity of each and every signature. They say they want to prevent fraud. Democrats allege it's an attempt to buy time. The recall did stem from the fights unions and Republicans wanting to curb their power.

The political landscape in South Carolina is looking much better. You thought the TV ads were bad? Wait until you see the mailers going out today. We'll show them to you next.

First a quick question for our "Political Junkies." There's a lot of talk today about the Republican candidates and their income taxes. So what about President Obama? What was the first family's tax rate in 2010? Do you remember? If so, tweet me the right answer at randikaye@CNN and I'll give a shout out to the first person to reach me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Before the break, I asked about the first family's income tax in 2010. The answer? 26 percent. The president and Mrs. Obama paid more than $450,000 in taxes in 2010 on income of about $1.7 million. Congratulations to Richard. He's from Texas and he was the first to tweet me the right answer. Nice job.

Let's head straight to the campaign trail in South Carolina.

CNN political reporter, Peter Hamby, standing by in Charleston, the site of tomorrow night's CNN debate. A little reminder there.

Peter, we hear all about these negative ads in this campaign, but now apparently some very tough postcards are showing up in mailboxes there. What do you see?

PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Yes, the TV ads get the most media attention, but some of the sharpest attacks in political campaigns come in phone calls and mailers that hit all of the state. They kind of fly under the radar on the media. But our sources here have been pretty good about giving us some of these mail pieces.

I want to show you a couple of them. One the Gingrich campaign sent out today harshly attacking Mitt Romney's abortion record when he was governor in Massachusetts, highlighting some of the pro-choice positions that he took as governor, such as appointing a judge to a state court. They accuse him of taxpayer-funded abortions in his Massachusetts health care law. This follows up on a TV ad the Gingrich campaign released against Romney, trying to soften his support among some of those voters in South Carolina who might care more about social positions than economic ones. We do know, though, that polls show economic concerns are the top issue here in South Carolina.

Randi, let's show you another one, a mailer that the Rick Perry campaign put out today, really drilling Gingrich and Rick Santorum, his two main rivals for that conservative anti-Romney vote in South Carolina. He's hitting Gingrich for his connection to Freddie Mac, all the money he earned for consulting for Freddie Mac. And also calling Santorum a liberal sellout for endorsing Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter back in 2004, who was a Republican who supported abortion rights.

These are pretty tough mailers, very much flying under the radar, but they're absolutely flooding mailboxes here in South Carolina -- Randi?

KAYE: Peter, quickly, is there any evidence that Rick Perry or Rick Santorum might actually drop out and endorse Newt Gingrich and bring the conservative movement together against Mitt Romney, as Gingrich is suggesting?

(LAUGHTER)

HAMBY: As much as Gingrich would like that, there is no evidence. I've been making phone calls. Rick Perry's campaign says absolutely not. He's excited about the CNN debate tomorrow night. Santorum is getting angry about these attacks, saying, hey, Speaker Gingrich, I beat in you New Hampshire, I beat you in New Hampshire, you should drop out. There is no indication this race will take on a different shape before Saturday's primary -- Randi?

KAYE: Just one, big, happy family if sounds.

Peter Hamby in Charleston, South Carolina. Peter, thank you for your reporting.

And thank you for watching today. As always, I would love to hear what you think. You can continue the conversation with me on line. Go to Facebook or twitter. You can find me at randikaye@CNN.com.

CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Brooke Baldwin.

Hi, Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Randi. I'll take it from here. Thank you so much. Have a great rest of your day.