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GOP Presidential Debate; Police Device Sees Through Clothes; Teen Promotes Organ Donation, Feeds Homeless; Etta James Dies at 73; Authors of "The Real Romney" Discuss Book; NY Girls Hit by Mysterious Illness; Newt Gingrich Fired Up at S.C. Debate; Is Your Boss a Psychopath?
Aired January 20, 2012 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux.
Want to get you up to speed for Friday, January 20th.
It's the eve of the South Carolina primary. The Republican presidential race, it is now hotter than ever.
Newt Gingrich turned up the heat on the news media in last night's debate. It started when our John King asked about an accusation by Gingrich's ex-wife.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KING, MODERATOR: She says that you came to her in 1999, at a time when you were having an affair. She said you asked her, sir, to enter into an open marriage.
Would you like to take time to respond to that?
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, but I will.
(APPLAUSE)
GINGRICH: And I am frankly astounded that CNN would take trash like that and use it to open a presidential debate.
I am tired of the elite media protecting Barack Obama by attacking Republicans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Gingrich is back on the campaign trail in Charleston right now. As for his ex-wife's claim that he asked for an open marriage, he says the story is false.
Gingrich and three other remaining candidates, they are scrambling now for last-minute support ahead of tomorrow's South Carolina primary. While Gingrich is holding his town hall in Charleston this hour, Mitt Romney is attending a rally in Gilbert. Rick Santorum has a town hall in Lexington, and later this hour, Ron Paul has that Whistle Stop event at the Charleston airport. The Pentagon today confirming that six American troops were killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. They were all U.S. Marines. A military official also confirms that the helicopter was a CH-53 like this one. The Taliban say they shot it down yesterday, but NATO believes it was a mechanical problem.
It is now a war on the Web. The FBI just shut down Megaupload.com. That's an online store house for illegally distributed content. The hacker group Anonymous, it's fighting back, temporarily taking down several government Web sites.
We've got the latest on this cyberspace shootout in the next hour of the NEWSROOM.
One week now since the luxury cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Italy. Now relatives of the 21 missing people and the 11 confirmed dead, they were taken out to the wreckage aboard a boat today.
You are looking at live pictures there of the Costa Concordia. It shifted more today, forcing rescuers to once again suspend their search.
And meanwhile, a cook from the ship, he's speaking out. He says the captain sat down for dinner with a woman after the ship slammed into the rocks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROGELIO BARISTA, COSTA CONCORDIA COOK (through translator): I have had 12 years of experience as a cook on a cruise ship. I've even witnessed fires. So I wasn't that scared.
But I did wonder though what the captain was doing. Why was he still there?
Anyway, we gave him his drink. After that, he was also still waiting for the dessert to be served to the woman he was with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So a woman has come forward defending the captain. She says that media reports of the captain being among the first to leave the ship are not true.
This woman says she works for the cruise line, but she was on the ship as a passenger. Now, she says she had gone to the deck to help translate the captain's orders after hearing a coded announcement.
Ten thousand people in Nevada have been forced from their homes because of a fast-moving wildfire. Just listen to the roar of the flames.
The fire just south of Reno, it has killed one person, destroyed 20 buildings. Unbelievable video there. Nevada's governor has declared a state of emergency in Washoe County. Some 50 miles of a major highway have been shut down because of heavy smoke. It has reduced visibility now to zero.
Unbelievable. We're going to take a look at that.
All right. The clock is ticking, the race is tightening in South Carolina. Republican candidates, they're trying to build up their support heading into the first southern primary. That's tomorrow.
Last night's debate, you should have seen it. It was amazing. A member of the audience brought up the issue of tax records.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When will you release your tax returns specifically?
GINGRICH: An hour ago.
REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I hadn't thought it through. I don't have an intention of doing it, but for a different reason. I'd probably be embarrassed to put my financial statement up against their income.
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I do my own taxes, and they are on my computer, and I'm not home.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If I'm the nominee, I'll put these out at one time so we have one discussion of all of this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: All right. Want to bring in our political director, Mark Preston.
Mark, this was an amazing debate to watch, first of all, very entertaining, as well as informing. One of the big issues is the release of the tax returns. That has dogged Mitt Romney, as we know, and he was asked last night about releasing not just one year, but multiple years like his father had in the past. He said maybe, got some boos here.
Do you think he did what he needed to do to put this aside and have them focus on his agenda, at least going into tomorrow?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You know, unfortunately, I don't think he did, Suzanne.
Clearly, not only is he getting a lot of questions from the media, but he's also getting a lot of criticism from some of his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination. You know, it was very telling last night that we saw Newt Gingrich release his tax returns just as the debate started, put them up on his Web site, and then of course challenged Governor Romney to do the same.
We also heard from Ron Paul as well. He said he's not going to release his tax returns. And then, of course, Rick Santorum very humbly said, "I have them on my computer at home," and when I get home, I'll send them.
But for Mitt Romney who really had a strong debate going up to that question, he did stumble over that a little bit. And really, it's unclear, Suzanne, how many years he plans to release and exactly when he plans to release those tax returns.
MALVEAUX: So, Mark, we know the moment of the debate out of gate, everyone's talking about it this morning here, is Newt Gingrich's tirade when asked about his ex-wife's accusation that he wanted an open marriage. He really pounded hard on John King, on CNN, and the media.
Do you think that he successfully put the issue to bed, so to speak?
PRESTON: Well, he didn't put it to bed in the sense that it will continue to be an issue in the campaign. However, I think that for him politically, he addressed it correctly in the way that only Newt Gingrich could address it.
He turned it around, he spun it on the media, said that we want to know the answers to this. But the fact of the matter is the question had to be asked.
It was the story dominating yesterday. And it had to be asked and gotten out of the way, where we could then address some of the more serious issues. And that's what we saw last night.
We should note that as much as the tirade that Mr. Gingrich put towards John King last night, he also said after the debate to Anderson Cooper that he thought John did a very good job moderating the debate.
So he will continue to be asked this question, but he was so forceful last night in doing so, he could just say, I've answered it and I do not want to be asked ever again.
MALVEAUX: Yes, it was quite startling. I suppose it would take some courage, I think, for a journalist to go ahead and ask him again that question, to address that line of thinking. But we'll see if the voters care either way.
Thank you, Mark. Good to see you.
All right. As we were mentioning, some serious fireworks at last night's debate. Newt Gingrich comes out swinging when asked about an ex-wife's accusation that he wanted an open marriage, which brings us to today's "Talk Back" question.
Our Carol Costello joining us with more from Washington.
Hey, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, let's be honest. Shall we?
Last night's South Carolina debate will be remembered for John King's very first question. You know, the one about Newt Gingrich's ex-wife accusing him of wanting an open marriage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Would you like to take some time to respond to that?
GINGRICH: No, but I will.
(APPLAUSE)
GINGRICH: I think the destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country, harder to attract decent people to run for public office. And I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: As National Public Radio put it this morning, Gingrich decided if there was going to be a villain, it would be the media, not him. Although Gingrich has talked about his infidelities in the past, most notably with the Christian Broadcast Network last year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRICH: There's no question that at times in my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and that things happened in my life that were not appropriate. I felt compelled to seek God's forgiveness. Not God's understanding, but God's forgiveness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But Gingrich's ex said her husband wanted an open marriage so he could continue his affair with his mistress, all while Gingrich publicly rebuked President Clinton for his infidelity. Herman Cain, who has had his own problems with women accusing him of improprieties, is on Gingrich's side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERMAN CAIN (R), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He basically re- established what the American people really want to hear about. They don't care about what happened 15 to 20 years ago. That's the same kind of crap that they leveled against me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But maybe voters did care. Cain was forced to drop out of the presidential race after his poll numbers tanked after a series of women came forward with those sexual harassment accusations.
So, the "Talk Back" question today: Are Gingrich's failed marriages fair game?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your -- some of your responses later this hour. MALVEAUX: Yes, Carol, quite ironic when you think about it. I covered President Clinton during the whole Monica Lewinsky scandal then. Newt Gingrich was in the middle of all of that while he was having this alleged affair, going after Clinton. So it will be interesting to see if there's a double standard here or what folks think about it, whether or not it's even relevant anymore.
COSTELLO: Yes. Well, I do know this: people are responding in droves. So, get your comment in now, Facebook.com/CarolCNN.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: So, police may soon have a gadget that can actually look through your clothes and see if you're carrying a gun. Law enforcement types, well, they love the idea. But plenty of people say it might take surveillance just a bit too far.
Mary Snow has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the movie "Total Recall," there was nothing Arnold Schwarzenegger could conceal. Now the stuff of science fiction is edging closer to reality on New York City streets.
If you were carrying a gun, it would look like this with technology the city's police force is developing with the U.S. Defense Department. The device would read the energy of a person's body.
COMM. RAY KELLY, NEW YORK CITY POLICE: Terahertz is a radiation that, in essence, comes from lots of things, but can come from the human body. What it doesn't penetrate is metal or objects similar to metal.
SNOW: And the commissioner says since the radiation can't penetrate metal, it makes the outline of a gun visible. The detector looks like this, and the plan is for it to be operated from inside a vehicle.
(on camera): Right now these devices only work from a couple of feet away, and the NYPD is hoping to stretch that to about 80 feet.
(voice-over): Just the possibility of using this technology is setting off alarms among veteran civil liberties advocate Norman Siegel.
(on camera): Your first reaction when you heard about this?
NORMAN SIEGEL, ATTORNEY: Oh, my God. It's Fantasy Land. It's Orwellian. It's "1984" coming to New York City.
And if it takes hold in New York City, it will ripple all across America. And that's not the America that I grew up in. SNOW (voice-over): But the New York Siegel grew up in has changed dramatically. Police surveillance cameras blanket the city following 9/11 and continue to expand.
SIEGEL: If this goes forward, the government will not only know where you are, who you're associating with, but also know what's in your pockets and what's in your body.
SNOW: The city's mayor sees it is differently. He's been a strong advocate for cracking down on illegal guns and defends the technology.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK: You can argue that's an invasion of privacy, but in the world we live in, that's something that we just have to live with. The alternative is intolerable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Mary Snow, she's joining us from New York.
And, first of all, Mary, the NYPD handling the legal issues, the criticism about the privacy. What are they doing?
SNOW: Well, you know, Suzanne, the NYPD has been repeatedly challenged on privacy issues. And we saw the surveillance cameras, there were eye scanners that they had been talking about a couple years ago. So this is something that is not new for the NYPD, and the commissioner is saying that the department is working with its attorneys.
But still, Norman Siegel, you saw in that piece there, says he hopes to really press the NYPD to use this in limited circumstances. But, you know, it's still unclear when these devices would hit the streets of New York City since it's still in development.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Mary.
How would you like to go to work, get a free lunch every day, or maybe even go bowling when you need to take a break? There are some companies that do that. And they made the list of the "Best Places to Work." That's coming up next.
We're also told to invest in the stock market for the long haul, but 401(k)s, we'll see if they do a little better. We're going to check that out.
And how long do you think U.S. investors actually hold on to stocks? Is it two months, 22 days, two minutes or 22 seconds?
Hold on to your stocks. We're going to tell in you a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: All right. So we asked you, how long do you think U.S. investors hold on to their stocks? The average, just 22 seconds. That's right, 22 seconds. It is actually two seconds longer than last year, according to former Wall Street economist Michael Hudson. And it is all thanks to computer trading.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
MALVEAUX: And CNN Heroes, everyday folks dedicated to changing the world by helping others, like 14-year-old Michael Carraway. He raises awareness for organ donation by feeding the homeless, and that is to honor the man who donated his liver and saved his life.
Today, he's a CNN Hero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When Michael was born, he was normal, he was active, he ran around, he played football. He was just like any other child. And one day he just got sick.
MICHAEL CARRAWAY, CNN HERO: In 2008, when I was 11 years old, I was diagnosed with liver failure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They told me straight up, if he does not get a liver transplant, he will die.
CARRAWAY: It was Halloween, and then the doctor came in, Dr. Rosenthal, a liver specialist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He walked in and he said, "I hate to sound like the Grim Reaper," he says, "but it's raining outside, and it's Halloween." He said, "I've been doing this for 30 years. Somebody's going die. Your son is going to get a liver."
CARRAWAY: So this guy right here, his name was Johnny Hernandez (ph). He was 18 years old, and he was killed on a motor cycle accident.
His family gave something to me that I needed, which was a liver from their son. So I really couldn't pay them back. So I feed the homeless in honor of their son, Johnny Hernandez (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was Mikey's idea to feed the homeless and his vision.
CARRAWAY: December 25, 2008, we packed up 25 meals, put them on my mom's truck and drove around. Ever since then, we've launched Mikey's Meals, and we've fed over 4,000 people in the city of Oakland. And every time we feed, we promote donor awareness.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We sign up at least 30 people to become organ donors at each event that we have.
CARRAWAY: It's really important to help your community, because without you, there is no community.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mikey is truly a young wonder.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: If you know somebody who is making a difference in the lives of others, just go to CNNHeros.com and tell us about them. Your words just might change the life of someone working every day to help others.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
MALVEAUX: The gorgeous sound of Etta James. What a beautiful news. Sad news. The jazz legend has died today.
She is a Grammy Award-winning blues, jazz, R&B unmistakable voice, member of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.
On the presidential trail, presidential front-runner Mitt Romney has consistently struggled to connect with everyday Americans. Many see him as the face of the so-called one percent, the very wealthy. He is very wealthy, so it was interesting to see this picture that Romney painted of himself in last night's debate.
And I want you to listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: My dad, as you know, born in Mexico, poor, didn't get a college degree, became head of a car company. I could have stayed in Detroit like him and gotten pulled up in a car company.
I went off on my own. I didn't inherit money from my parents. What I have, I earned. I worked hard the American way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: All right. So we're asking the question, who is the real Romney? I want to find out from two men who wrote the book "The Real Romney," Michael Kranish and Scott Helman. They're the authors. They join us from Boston.
So, first of all, great read. You heard Mitt Romney there last night. He points to his Mexican roots, saying, you know, he had been poor, his family grew up humble means here.
Does that ring true? Is that the real Romney?
MICHAEL KRANISH, AUTHOR: Well, it's interesting that Romney would bring that up. It's not something that I've heard him talk about much. In the book we have a whole chapter where we talk about his family history. His great grandfather went to Mexico on to create a colony for Mormons who wanted to continue practicing polygamy and that's why they were in Mexico. George was born there. And at five, George had to flee Mexico due to a revolution. It's an interesting story. It's a real interesting story. I had a chance to go to Mexico, meet with Romney cousins who are still there. And it gives you a better sense of the Romney family, their drive, their determination.
Mitt Romney has not felt comfortable talking about that part of the story, so it's interesting he brought up the Mexican roots of his father, trying to make a little bit better connection to the average working class person, describing his father initially as being poor and then working his way up.
MALVEAUX: Does it seem strange to you that he -- it seems as if he feels he got no advantages from his father's life and -- his father is now a billionaire. That he was able to do it on his own. Does that seem right in the way in terms of the way he sees his life and his success?
SCOTT HELMAN, AUTHOR: I think that's probably a bit of an overstatement. Clearly, Romney has done a lot by himself. And he's right. He's responsible for much of his success. But he did grow up in a very wealthy household. His father set an example for him not only in their faith, but as a leader of a family and in business. I know George Romney and his wife gave them a little money to buy a house. So certainly, Mitt Romney is his own man in many ways, but he grew up in a comfortable supportive household for sure.
MALVEAUX: I want to talk about that relationship with his dad, because covering George W. Bush, it was always clear that he aspired to be what his father wasn't. He portrayed himself to be a Texas cowboy, not a privileged New Englander. We see some similarities here with Romney. His father, George Romney, failed to win the presidency in 1968. Do we think he's chasing his father's dream?
KRANISH: Absolutely. There's really no question that milt Romney has been trying to succeed where his father failed. Going on a similar path, both were in business, both governors of a state, both have run for president. So there doesn't seem to be much question about that.
What's interesting is the way Mitt Romney has tried to run differently than his father. His father, of course, made this infamous statement that he had been, quote, "brainwashed," unquote, by generals in Vietnam, and that one sentence pretty much exploded George's presidential campaign this 1968.
Mitt Romney is a little bit more cautious. His sister is quoted in the book as saying as a result of moment with his father, that mitt is more scripted, and you can see it a lot of times where he certainly is more careful. He has a certain number of people around him. He's protective about his appearances in the public and with the press. So at the same time, that may heed him to have a little bit of disconnect with the public. So he's trying to avoid his father's mistakes, but he also is trying to get a little bit of the free-flowing nature that his father had, and he probably needs that if he's the nominee to run in the general election.
MALVEAUX: It does seem like it's quite a challenge to make that connection there.
And you mentioned, both of you, you write about how his Mormon faith was such a critical part of his life growing up. Can you give us an example of how you think this would guide his decisions as president? HELMAN: Well, I think one of the most fascinating things of his life, as you say, is his commitment to his Mormon faith, his whole family. The life of his family is inseparable from the life and the growth of Mormonism. But it's not something he talks about at all on the campaign trail. And I think him walling that off is part of the reason people don't quite get it or they describe him as this enigmatic presence.
As far as how he would bring that outlook to the White House, I think he's demonstrated a lot of leadership ability at many points in his life. Family is super important to him. So I have no doubt that he would promote strong family life, if he were president. And I think, like presidents before him, he would look to his faith to sustain him in times of difficulty.
MALVEAUX: And real quick here, I want you to listen to how he portrayed himself as a man of the people last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need to send to Washington someone who has not lived in Washington --
(APPLAUSE)
ROMNEY: -- but someone who has lived in the real streets of America, who has led a business, who has started a business.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: All right, tweets are flying because of that. One of them saying here, from jsmooth995, he tweets, "By real, he means gated." Emilyslist tweets, "Do Cayman islands count."
They're referring to the millions of dollars here. Did that ring true to you this idea that he's just an every day Joe?
HELMAN: I think that's his central problem. We've seen comment after comment the last few weeks about whether it's I like to fire people or the money he made from speaking fees, $375,000. It wasn't that much. He really needs to figure out a way to talk about himself as somebody who is wealthy and has been very successful, but knows what it means to struggle and not have a job. I don't think people expect him to be able to really relate to that so much as just to empathize with that situation and understand it and see what it's like to really live when you have economic uncertainty. I think that's his challenge, number one going ahead, assuming he's the nominee in this Republican primary.
MALVEAUX: Michael, Scott, thank you very much. It's a great read. We'll see who "The Real Romney" is as this continues.
Thanks again. Appreciate it.
There is a mystery disease that is ripping through a high school in upstate New York. Doctors are searching for answers. The six students are running out of time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELISA PHILLIPS, MOTHER OF THERA: She does not have time for I feel or guesswork or anything like that. She's deteriorating.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Elizabeth Cohen will take a look at what are the options.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: It's a mystery illness striking 12 students at a high school in Upstate New York. The experts are puzzled about what is making these kids sick.
Jason Carroll has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THERA SANCHEZ, CONTRACTS MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS: Very heartbreaking to me, to be honest. Knowing that right now I can't do what I love.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thera Sanchez was a cheerleader, an honor roll student and, as a senior in Le Roy Junior/Senior High School in Upstate New York, well on her way to planning her college future. When she woke up from her nap last October, everything changed.
SANCHEZ: I couldn't stop stuttering.
PHILLIPS: The stuttering took over. Really contorting on the left side with her mouth and neck.
CARROLL: Doctors said Thera condition was brought on by stress and she would get better. But once the stuttering ended, it soon gave way to uncontrollable twitching.
(on camera): And this goes on all day long, Thera?
SANCHEZ: Yes.
CARROLL: All day long?
SANCHEZ: All day long.
CARROLL (voice-over): This video was taken in the hospital in mid October by her mother soon after she brought her daughter in for twitching. It was on that day a nurse told her she wasn't the only one who had been brought to the hospital with the condition.
PHILLIPS: She had said, not to alarm you, you know, but somebody needs to contact somebody because you're the fourth girl in a week to come this with this. CARROLL: In all, health officials say 12 girls from the Le Roy Junior/Senior High School have exhibited similar symptoms. They were from different grades and some didn't know each other, but many did, including Thera's friend, Lydia Parker.
LYDIA PARKER, CONTRACTED MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS: The last time I was at the neurologist (ph), they said that they're not sure and that they'll keep looking into it. But besides that, they haven't told anyone anything.
CARROLL: Hundreds of parents met with health officials who said tests showed no evidence of any environmental factors at the school. More tests ruled out infection or communicable diseases.
So what is going on? A doctor who has evaluated 11 of the 12 girls says it's conversion disorder.
DR. JENNIFER MCVIGE, NEUROLOGIST: What happens is there traditionally is some kind a stressor or multiple stressors that provoke a physical reaction within the body. This is unconscious. It is not done purposefully. And it's almost like thinking that the stress builds up and has to come out in some way, shape or form.
CARROLL: Dr. Jennifer McVige could not explain why the disorder typically affects women or why it would happen in a group.
Thera doesn't believe stress triggered her condition. And her mother worries whether time is on her side.
PHILLIPS: She does not have time for I feel or guesswork or anything like that. She's deteriorating.
SANCHEZ: I don't think this is in my head. I don't think I can wake up from a nap and this just happen.
CARROLL: Until doctors can do something, Thera says she hopes one day she'll just wake up and be herself again.
Jason Carroll.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Elizabeth Cohen is joining us to talk about this mystery illness.
Elizabeth, I find it disturbing to see this story and I wonder if we have any idea of the cause behind this disorder, if there's something that brings all of these young girls together that they might be experiencing at this school.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We've seen it at other schools. A few years ago, this happened at a high school in Virginia. And conversion disorder is a fancy way of saying a physical manifestation of stress. I'm not making comparisons, but just to put it these terms, a kid is worried about a math test and gets a stomach. It's a similar kind of thing. And what they'll try to do with these girls is see what the stresses are in their life and what they can do to treat it, whether with drugs or therapy.
I know some of these parents and clearly this young lady, they don't think that it's stress. They think it is something physical.
MALVEAUX: Is there a treatment for them, do we know?
COHEN: You would treat it the way you would stress. Therapy for some people might work well. Drugs might work well. But again, I'll be interested to see, as these parents and students move on, are they push to see maybe it is something other than stress. And I think they'll push to find that if it exists.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: Appreciate that.
Well, it was a big moment in the Republican debate last night, Newt Gingrich's response to a question about his ex-wife. It is the topic of our "Talk Back" question today: Are Gingrich's failed marriages fair game. Your responses just moments away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: You've been sounding off on our "Talk Back" question.
Carol Costello is here with your responses.
Hey, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of people have strong opinions about this one, Suzanne.
The "Talk Back" question today: Are Gingrich's failed marriages fair game?
Nicole says, "If the GOP candidates and Gingrich can tout their beliefs on gay marriage, doesn't that mean the subject of marriage is on the table? You can't say you don't believe same-sex couples should have equal marriage rights and also say you can't talk about my marriage."
This from Carol. "Good old Newt was busy throwing stones at Clinton and he was not without sin. How can any good Republican evangelical vote for Newt"?
This from Mark. "No, I don't think Candidate Gingrich's marital past is fair game. A man's past does not lend they weight to his future."
This from Brennan. "Well if we're a country of gossiping hens and water-cooler talkers then sure. Go ahead, tear another presidential candidate from running just because he had an odd marriage. You know, I think that Newt stood up at the debate and told people to forget the whispers of the tabloids and focus on the real issues that we're facing in our country. And I think we should. So go Newt."
Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/carolCNN. I'll be back with you in about a half hour. Well, actually just 20 minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: All right. Newt Gingrich was on fire last night at the CNN debate. Is it enough to Mitt Romney, the frontrunner, in South Carolina? That's all happening tomorrow.
Paul Steinhauser, live in Charleston.
Paul, it looks like it could be a two-man race. Is that the feeling where you are?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You know, the debate last night, a great debate, but did it change the race? You know, we may not know until tomorrow night, Suzanne, when we get the results in here in the primary. The last two polls that we saw, one from "Politico" that came out yesterday had Romney up by 7 points. Another one by American Research Group had Gingrich up by 1 point. Remember, those two polls taken after Monday night's debate and our explosive debate right here behind me in Charleston.
Suzanne, this morning, Mitt Romney getting an endorsement of a major southern governor, Bob McDonald, of Virginia. They are going to team up in Charleston later today. He also got the endorsement of the big newspaper.
Gingrich this morning campaigning with his wife. They toured a children's hospital. That is the lay of the land, as we speak.
MALVEAUX: So the top two, very, very close, if you believe those polls. But Santorum last night, too, there was late breaking wind in Iowa. Could he still be a contender going forward after tomorrow?
STEINHAUSER: He had a huge, huge night last night. Any pundit analyst would say he really was aggressive going after Gingrich and going after Romney. Right now, I think we have live pictures. He's campaigning in Lexington, South Carolina. He got a late start, Dana Bash reporting, one of the convoys, his daughters were in it, got a flat tire so there were about five minutes late. But, yes, he had a very big day between our debate and the news he finally won the Iowa caucuses only two and a half weeks late -- Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: That happens, everybody gets a flat tire every once in a while.
All right, all the best to all of them.
Thanks, Paul. We'll be watching.
The road to the Republican nomination for president stops next in South Carolina for its primary election. Watch CNN Saturday night at 7:00 p.m., as the contenders and you and I wait for the final results. All right. You can overcome a lot of problems, physical, mental, simply by exercising. In today's "Human Factor," Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to a young woman who took that concept a lot further than anyone expected her to.
(HUMAN FACTOR)
MALVEAUX: So everybody's got a terrible boss. Right? That's what we all think.
(LAUGHTER)
But is yours a psychopath? It's not as uncommon as you might think. We're going to talk to a psychologist about how to spot the psychos lurking in your office.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Everybody's had a bad boss at some point in your career but is yours a psychopath?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You want, say 8:00 a.m.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: It's 18-year-old scotch.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: If you want a promotion, you've got to earn it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: All right. So we can all laugh about when it's in a movie, right, like the clip from "Horrible Bosses." But a new study suggests there are actually four times as many real-life psychopaths in senior management than the rest of the workforce. Kind of scary.
Psychologist Jeff Gardere joins us from New York.
Jeff, I can imagine how many people are thinking, is that my boss?
There's a real definition of a psychopath. Explain the difference between someone who just annoys you and you think is occasionally crazy to a psychopath.
JEFF GARDERE, PSYCHOLOGIST: Suzanne, we do know that psychopaths share three distinct traits. One, they are very ego centric and very narcissistic. Secondly, they don't have much empathy. And third, they have no conscience. In other words, they have no remorse or guilt. But we also know that they can be very cunning, very aggressive, very manipulative, very charming, and they certainly do lie.
MALVEAUX: And why are these people showing up in upper management?
GARDERE: Because they are perfect for these kinds of jobs because they are risk takers. And we know in upper management, no risk, no reward. And we don't tend to stay at these jobs for an extreme period of time. They tend to move on after two or three years. Once upper management realizes that they have a psychopath or sociopath working for them and they are no longer bringing in all of the corporate profits because they are now enriching themselves, their own pleasure principle, they tend to move on to another company.
MALVEAUX: All right. So two things here. How do you know if your boss is a psychopath? What should you be looking for? And if you are, what should you do?
GARDERE: Well, one of the ways to tell if your boss is a psychopath is they don't care what happens to you. As long as you're making money for them, as long as you're producing for them, then they will keep you within their world. However, once you stop producing or you're having some issues, they will fire you. They will get rid of you. They don't care about you. And you can actually notice them manipulating other people, breaking rules, not necessarily laws, but you will see them acting out in that way.
What do you do? First of all, don't follow their motto. That's the first and most important thing.
And if you see that they are breaking rules, begin to distance yourself, because at some point they will get in trouble, they will get fired, and you will be swept out right along with them.
MALVEAUX: And, Jeff, finally here, this study takes it further, suggesting that these psychopaths are the ones who are responsible for the global financial meltdown. Is that true?
GARDERE: I think where there is smoke there is fire. We do know that a lot of these people in the financial industry, they lie to the people who invested with them. They went from one source to another to take from them, to plunder the funds, and then would actually go on to another source, and that is a prime psychopath.
They just don't have the empathy. They just don't care who they hurt, as long as they can pull everything out of their investors, out of a company. And I think there was a company called Bain who did that, but maybe that's a topic for another day.
MALVEAUX: Whoa. OK. That is a topic for another day.
Jeff, thanks.
You can also take an online quiz to see if your boss is a psychopath. That's at CNN.com. Check it out.
