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Race Tightens In South; Gingrich Blasts Marriage Question; Colbert, Cain Join Forces; Justice Department And Other Web Sites Crippled; 26 Homes Burned; Etta James Has Died; Maya Angelou Interview; Obama Sings Al Green
Aired January 20, 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: It's 1:00 o'clock, let's get straight to the news. The four surviving GOP presidential candidates have just a few more hours to woo voters in South Carolina, and they are not wasting a minute. Mitt Romney is racing to hold on to a lead that has shrunk from the point of significance in the past four days. Newt Gingrich is racing to transform buzz and momentum into victory in the first southern primary. Rich Santorum and Ron Paul are racing to stop Romney and Gingrich and survive to compete in Florida.
I can't resist this clip from Santorum at a faith, family and freedom event in Lexington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- CNN tonight because tonight is -- Karen and the kids are actually going to be on Piers Morgan show tonight on CNN. So, I would encourage you all to take a look at that. We did the interview yesterday from Charleston, and you'll get to see how -- what -- at the end of the interview, Piers Morgan leaned over to me and said, you want my suggestion? Less Rick, more Karen. So --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Thank you for the plug, Mr. Santorum.
As for Gingrich, that buzz and momentum I mentioned with equal parts, sound and fury came in last night at the CNN-sponsored debate. Much more about that in our next segment.
Gingrich seems to be the target of a new dirty trick. E-mails are being sent to South Carolina Republican activists that say there's CNN breaking news alerts. They're not. They are actually fake. They claim Gingrich pressured his second ex-wife, Marianne, to have an abortion. Again, those e-mails are fake. CNN did not send them out. It is not clear how many people actually received them.
From dirty tricks to political mischief by a political odd couple. You're looking at pictures of comedian and political futurist Stephen Colbert who is teaming up with one-time Republican president hopeful, Herman Cain, for a rally at this hour at the college of Charleston. What a scene there. Colbert is calling the event, now stay with me here, the Rock Me Like A Herman Cain Cain-Olina primary rally. Even though he's out of the race, Cain's name is still on tomorrow ballet. Colbert has (INAUDIBLE) of entering the race himself. He says a vote for Cain tomorrow is a good way for Colbert supporters to show their support.
In what may be its most brazen attack so far, the hacking group, Anonymous, is claiming responsibility for shutting down the Web sites of the Justice Department and the FBI. It also says it crippled the Web sites of Universal Music, the Recording Industry Association of America, and the Motion Picture Association of America. The apparent attacks came after federal agents shut down the file sharing site, Megaupload, and arrested its founder and several others for online piracy charges. But this morning, all of the sites, except Universal Music, were back up.
A fast-moving wildfire near Reno, Nevada has damaged at least 26 homes. The fire has spread across at least 3,900 acres. About 10,000 people were evacuated and major highways were closed after the fire started yesterday. Vice president Biden was speaking at a high school in the area and was hastily evacuated. The governor of Nevada has declared a state of emergency. It last reports the fire was about 50 percent contained.
To Italy and dramatic scenes from the passengers from the capsized cruise liner being told to return to their cabins because everything is OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (translator): On behalf of the captain, we ask you kindly to go back to your cabins. If you wish, you can walk around the hall. We have fixed the electrical problem we had, the generator problem. Everything will be calm. If you wish to remain standing up here, that's fine, too, but I ask you kindly to go back to your rooms and to keep calm.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Soon after the ship tipped over, sending frantic passengers to lifeboats. At least 11 people were killed in that disaster last week, 21 still missing. The captain is under house arrest facing possible charges of manslaughter, abandoning ship, and shipwreck.
It was a tough climb, but General Motors is once again king of the mountain in worldwide sales. G.M. said it reached the summit last year by selling more than nine million vehicles, it's best performance since 2007 and the achievement comes two years after the government bailout and bankruptcy. Toyota was knocked off the top spot mainly because natural disasters disrupted its operations. Toyota hasn't released its figured yet but is expected to place third behind Volkswagen.
For jazz and blues lovers around the world and everybody else who appreciates great singing, some sad news to report today. Legendary singer Etta James has died, she was 73. Her manager says James died in the California hospital with complications from leukemia. Known as Miss Peaches, she blew away fans with such hits as "Something's Got A Hold On Me," "The Wall Flower" and "At Last." James won six Grammies and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Hear her in her own words later this hour.
Now back to politics. At last night's CNN debate, Newt Gingrich fired back at the media over coverage of his ex-wife's accusations. He's pushing the blame on the press but could his move discerned (ph) around character questions hurt him in the South Carolina primary? CNN's Howard Kurtz puts an end to the spin, next.
But first, I want to introduce you to a three-year-old boy who can teach all of us a lesson in life. This is Liam Myrick. Liam has cancer, but it hasn't stopped him from doing what he loves, and that's painting. Liam has a tumor on his kidney, and had a bone marrow transplant earlier this month to help pay for the nearly $.5 million of medical bills. Liam's parents are auctioning off his artwork. Liam's mother says painting helps him forget about all of the pain. For your bravery and for all your beautiful work, Liam, you are today's Rock Star.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: In politics, one candidate's baggage is another candidates bludgeon. Sometimes they're the same candidate. Newt Gingrich, for instance, turning an unseemly allegation from his personal life into the biggest of clause (ph) line of last night's GOP debate. Maybe all the GOP debates. In case you missed it, here's our own John King with a question based on new interviews with Gingrich's second ex-wife, Marianne.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KING, HOST, "JOHN KING USA": She says you asked her, sir, to enter into an open marriage. Would you like to take some time to respond to that?
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, but I will. I think the destructive, vicious nature of much of news the 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)
KAYE: Gingrich went on to call, not the allegation which he denied, but the question despicable. And one observer thinks that was a master stroke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: And as a political matter, I think Gingrich saw a fast ball coming and in front of this office, he smacked it right out of the park. I think there's a reasonable chance, after talking to people here tonight, that he could win South Carolina based on that answer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Howard Kurtz says everything that happened after that answer was an afterthought. Howard is the bureau chief for "Newsweek" and "The Daily Beast" and host of "CNN's RELIABLE SOURCES." Nice to see you, Howard.
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "CNN'S RELIABLE SOURCES": Same here.
KAYE: I've been reading your tweets and all your blogs on this one. You agreed Gingrich did himself good last night?
KURTZ: Newt Gingrich probably won the debate in those opening moments. I must say I thought it was a misstep for John King who's a fair, and seasoned, and balanced reporter to make that the very first question of the debate, because it enabled Gingrich to just, you know, take that big swing at the bad, vicious media, in general, and CNN in particular.
And suggesting the network was more interested in reviving the allegations of personal and sexual impropriety in his past versus the serious problems facing the country. I mean, King knew that he was taking that risk. I think that everything that happened after that, even when mitt Romney stumbled about his tax returns, was indeed a afterthought, Randi.
KAYE: There's also the question, of course, of timing. What do you make of it? You have the ABC interview, "The Washington Post" interview with Marianne, coming out just two days before the primary.
KURTZ: Well, first of all, what Marianne Gingrich had to say in this ABC news interview with Brian Ross, by the way, Brian will be appearing with me this Sunday morning on "RELIABLE SOURCES " to talk about the story.
And the timing of the story was not new. She has given interviews in the past to print reporters and when she had talked about the open marriage allegation and the way in which her ex-husband told her, she wanted a divorce. But she had never said it in front of a television camera.
Now, it feels to me, and I bet it feels to a lot of Republican voters in South Carolina, like a little bit of a late hit for ABC to put her on the air on "Nightline" some 36 hours before the voting begins. That's pretty late in the game, and you're giving the platform to a woman who, you know whether she's in the right or in the wrong, obviously, harbors very bitter feelings towards her ex-husband, the former speaker of the House.
KAYE: Do you think they should have sat on it until after this crucial primary vote?
KURTZ: I think the timing does not look good for those who believe the media are biased or out to hurt Republicans. That was a point that Gingrich argued in the debate. I think either ABC should have done the story much earlier or should have done it, you know, next week. When you -- when you drop a bombshell like that, again, even the though allegations themselves are recycled, so close to the voting, it does -- I think in an unintentional way, this may create sympathy for Newt Gingrich who is already surging in the South Carolina polls. He can run against the media. He can run against an excessive focus on personal behavior. He's already obviously apologized and sought forgiveness for his messy marital history. And in a boomerang kind of way, Randi, this might actually help him.
KAYE: As far as debate questions go, you say that the open marriage exchange actually reminds you of another famous moment from 1988. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERNARD SHAW, CNN ANCHOR: Governor, if Kitty Dukakis was raped, would you favor a death penalty?
MICHAEL DUKAKIS (D), FORMER 1988 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, I don't, Bernard. And I think you know that I've opposed the death penalty during all of my life. I don't see any evidence that it's a deterrent and I think there are better and more effective ways to deal with violent crimes. We've done so in my own state, and it's one of the reasons why we've had the biggest drop in crime of any industrial state in America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Well, we all remember how that election turned out. But I mean, do you think that politicians have learned anything from Dukakis' emotionalless (ph) answer there?
KURTZ: It's still painful to watch that. Back in 1988, there his answer to a very INAUDIBLE question. He just said your wife was raped and murdered and gives this technocratic legalese. He lost the debate and the debate in that moment. And I think that, you know, one of the things politicians have learned, and Gingrich is very good at it, is the use of emotion to A, make the question or the issue, you didn't see Dukakis go back at Bernie Shaw over asking that question.
And one -- you know, one of the things that Newt did last night is that he shifted the focus from his own admitted misconduct with his second wife, having an affair with a woman, Calista Gingrich is now wife number three, to the audacity of the news media for drudging this up. That was a -- played very well with the crowd which cheered him. It may play well in South Carolina. And he did not commit the Dukakis mistake. Let's put it that way.
KAYE: No, certainly not. All right. Thank you very much, Howard Kurtz. And a reminder, ABC's Brian Ross will join Howard Kurtz this Sunday at 11:00 Eastern on "RELIABLE SOURCES." You can only catch that right here on CNN.
And the road to the Republican nomination for president stops next in South Carolina. Watch CNN Saturday night, 7:00 Easter with the South Carolina Primary results. And these are some live pictures of the Steven Colbert, Herman Cain rally taking place at this hour in Charleston, South Carolina. We'll keep an eye on this and if it gets interesting, we'll bring it to you.
Also coming up, an ex cop is fighting for his life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was convicted of second-degree murder with depraved indifference in 1997, and I was sentenced to 20 years to life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: He says it was self-defense and was eventually set free. But a twist of fate sent him back to prison. Is a twisted justice system to blame? A live report, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: A stunning end to a disturbing murder case that we've told you about. Just two days after pleading guilty to killing a little Georgia girl and being sentenced to life in prison, Ryan Brunn apparently killed himself in his cell. A Georgia Department of Corrections official says Brunn was found unresponsive yesterday in Jackson. Officials aren't saying how he died or if Brunn was being monitored. His death is under investigation. In court, Brunn described how he enticed, molested and killed seven-year-old Jorelys Rivera last month. The girl's father says he has mixed feelings about Brunn's death.
A New York police officer is sitting in prison even after a judge said his trial was full of holes. The officer was convicted for killing a man in 1996 who he believed was about to strike his father on the head with a baseball bat. He spent 11 years in prison. But what happened after that is bizarre. Let's bring in our Deb Feyerick.
Deborah, you've been following this case. Fill us in on the details.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, Randi, those pictures you see, that's him out just a couple of years ago. But what is so incredible is that this shooting was triggered by an argument between the police officer's father and 37-year-old Charles Campbell (ph). It started over a parking space and escalated fatally when Campbell pulled out a baseball bat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD DIGUGLIELMO, SERVING SENTENCE FOR MURDER: I was convicted of second degree murder with a praved (ph) indifference in 1997 and I was sentenced to 20 years to life.
FEYERICK (voice-over): New York City Police Officer Richard Diguglielmo served 11 years in prison before a judge tossed out his conviction and he was sent home. His friends and family celebrating his release. FEYERICK (on camera): When you walked out --
DIGUGLIELMO: It was surreal. I couldn't believe it. My ankles weren't shackled and I was like, wow, this is real.
FEYERICK (voice-over): A free man, Diguglielmo spent two years rebuilding his life. He got a job, an apartment, a wife. Then just as suddenly, in a twist of the criminal justice system, it was all taken away.
DIGUGLIELMO: I still cannot adjust being back here. It is difficult. It is difficult.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Deb, it really is a bizarre case. I mean it seems to have cast a lot of doubt, in fact, on the county, Westchester County, there in New York. So why was he sent back to prison?
FEYERICK: You know, well, what happened is, is an appeals court judge, the one who overturned his conviction, slammed prosecutors saying that they had a win at all cost mentality. The judge also said that the officer had been improperly charged. So when he let him out, he said, look, there's not going to be a trial. There can't be a second trial. But prosecutors actually appealed this decision. A higher court reinstated the guilty verdict. So not only was Richie Diguglielmo sent back, but the court made sure that the two years he'd been out rebuilding his life, that those two years were also tacked on to his sentence.
KAYE: Oh my.
FEYERICK: When we reached out to the Westchester County District Attorney and local police, they simply refused to respond to our interview requests.
KAYE: What about interview statements? Did those change or were they not introduced?
FEYERICK: And that's a big part of this. The big issue that came was whether police had actually forced witnesses to change their original stories. One witness who actually was closest to the shooting said he was repeatedly picked up by police until he changed the story. So even though at the beginning he said this was definitely self defense, no question about it, at the trial he said that while the bat was up in the air, it was not swinging.
Well, the judge who basically set Diguglielmo free basically said, look, had the jury known that this man was questioned again and again and again to change his story, then the verdict would likely have been different.
KAYE: Amazing. Deb Feyerick, thank you very much for bringing us that. And for much more on this, remember to watch "Narco Wars Twisted Justice" this Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. All right, take a look at this. It may look like an ordinary classroom, but it's not. This closet-size room was actually being used to discipline special needs kids. A look at the scream room, the backlash, and what schools officials are saying, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back, everyone.
I want you to take a second to imagine this. A little kid, likely with special needs, locked in this room for misbehaving. The room is just 10 by 6 feet. No window to the outside, just the one on the door.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The kids call it the scream room because they hear screaming.
NICOLAS CONNELLEY, STUDENT: I just seen them in the room with a girl holding the door and the girl's in there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do the kids seem sad when they have to go in that room?
CONNELLEY: Yes, they're kicking the door.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Up until a week ago, some parents and students say that so- called scream room was used all the time in this elementary school in Middleton, Connecticut. School officials and administrators say the room was just used for time-outs until the kid calmed down. It's a story that we think is "Under Covered."
Gene Nocera is the chairman of the board of education in Middleton, Connecticut. He's on the phone with us to talk to us.
Gene, there was a board of education and a PTA meeting last week all about this. The situation certainly got pretty heated. And this just gives us a glimpse at how some parents are feeling. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) it's not a problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, all he said was take the child further away so nobody else can hear him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't care.
FELICIA RAULHAC, MOTHER OF STUDENT: This was the school that they told me that he could come to because they had the resources. And they don't have the resources for my son.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: Gene, did the parents ever give consent to use these scream rooms? I mean some parents say they didn't even know that these rooms even existed.
GENE NOCERA, CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF EDUCATION, MIDDLETON, CONNECTICUT (via telephone): Well, first, thank you for inviting me to speak.
We're looking into the allegations that some parents weren't notified. We take our students' safety very seriously. We're deeply concerned by the allegations and we're doing everything we can to uncover what did and didn't happen.
It is our understanding that our special needs students, through their IEP plans, or special education plans, had consent if the time-out rooms were warranted. We're looking into allegations that perhaps some regular education students were placed in there. And parents should have been -- if that's the case, in rare situations, the parents should have been notified within 24 hours of that occurrence.
KAYE: I want to ask you, I mean, was this really the only option even for those students who parents did say that it was OK for them to being placed in there, because, you know, you hear about from some of these families there about kids banging their heads and screaming and knocking their heads on concrete. I mean is this really the best option for these students?
NOCERA: Time-out areas are common place in school. They're -- they should be designed for extreme cases where teachers or administrators want to remove the child from their regular classroom to get them in a more quiet, private area to deal with their concerns. The rooms that you use should be welcoming. They should be peaceful. They should be in a location that doesn't disrupt the rest of the school. So we're looking at the location. The rooms that you saw in the news clip are no longer in operation. We've changed the location to a better location in the school for a very small population of kids.
KAYE: We should --
NOCERA: We don't want you to think that we're talking about a large population of kids. Not only to be used when the child is at risk of hurting themselves, or others, and need a quiet area to decompress. So --
KAYE: Let me --
NOCERA: You know, that's the goal of any area, like a time-out room --
KAYE: Sure. Sure.
NOCERA: That's called different things at different schools. Some call it the quiet room. Some call it the time-out area. Some people call it a seclusion room.
KAYE: Yes, but at the heart of this, though, Gene, is the question that, you know, do these rooms actually help these kids in the end? And here's how school officials explained it at that PTA meeting last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Specific management techniques can be considered controversial practice. Time-out are the use of seclusion and restraint are two such examples.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Depending on the level and presenting behaviors, the staff may be in the room with the student or immediately outside the door.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Gene, just very quickly, what do you say to those parents who say that, you know, these rooms actually made the behavior worse in my child?
NOCERA: Well, I want to say that we take those comments very seriously. We want parent input, you know. It clearly -- in the special education process, they're part of the plan. And we certainly don't want to be using rooms that escalate the issue. We want children to feel safe. We want them to know there's a place that they can go that staff will help them in a quiet area that truly works. And if this wasn't working, then it shouldn't be used.
KAYE: Well, we will continue to watch it and see how this all plays out there in Connecticut.
Gene Nocera, thank you very much for speaking with us.
NOCERA: OK. Thank you for inviting me. Have a great day.
KAYE: Thank you.
Mitt Romney stumbles over the tax question again, while Newt Gingrich slams the media. Oh, and don't forget, Rick Santorum, he came out of left field throwing punches at the other candidates. It's all "Fair Game" and it's next.
But first, a quick question for our political junkies. Newt Gingrich and his wife Calista have released their tax returns for 2010. They paid close to $1 million in federal income taxes that year. Was there effective tax rate closer to 15 percent, 25 percent or 32 percent. Get that thinking cap on. Tweet me the right answer if you know it. And if you're first to tweet me, I'll give you a shout out right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Newt Gingrich paid close to $1 million in taxes in 2010. Was that closer to 15 percent, 25 percent, or 32 percent of his income? The answer? 32 percent. Congratulations to A.T. from Philadelphia. Congratulations to all of you that got the right answer because a lot of you did.
You've no doubt seen the fiery response to John King at the start of last night's debate. John asked Newt about his ex-wife's claim to remain married and also have a mistress. Gingrich denied the claim, then launched into a fierce attack on the media, and the crowd loved it.
The debate and tomorrow's primary are all "Fair Game."
Joining me to talk about it are Democratic strategist, Robert Zimmerman, in New York, and Republican analyst, Lenny McAllister, here at the CNN center.
LENNY MCALLISTER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Nice to be here.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: Nice to see you both.
Lenny, I'm going to start with you because you're closer. You're right here.
Newt Gingrich had to know this question was coming. He has been asked about it earlier in the day. He didn't get so angry earlier in the day, but do you think he was playing to the crowd knowing that he had an audience there?
MCALLISTER: He was definitely playing to the crowd. The conservative's biggest opponent, if you will, is always the liberal mainstream media. Sarah Palin made it famous by saying the lame- stream media. He had a couple hours to build up the rage at the exact same time as the debate in CNN. He played into it. He knocked a fast ball right out of the ballpark. And I believe he won the South Carolina primary with that response last night. And again, if that's the case, one for Santorum, one for Romney, one for Gingrich, game on in Florida.
KAYE: All right. We're going to get more on that.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: Go ahead, Robert.
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Let's put this in perspective. First of all, I have to give a shout out to John King by asking a very appropriate question and the only one that showed any presidential stature on that podium --
(LAUGHTER)
-- by asking a very appropriate question. But Newt Gingrich was playing to the extreme right wing that defines the Republican Party today, especially in South Carolina. After he gets done with infomercial anger management therapy, he has to answer about character. If he wants family values and character the center of his campaign, telling us who we can marry, how we can adopt, lecturing women on reproductive rights, he's got speak up and answer questions about character himself and he failed to do that last night. KAYE: Speaking of questions, Mitt Romney certainly knew the question would come up about his tax returns. He still seemed to stumble a bit in his answer. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KING, CNN DEBATE MODERATOR: When you release yours, will you follow your father's example?
MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Maybe.
(LAUGHTER)
I don't know how many years I'll release. I'll take a look at what our documents are.
(SHOUTING)
And I'll release multiple years. I don't know how many years. And -- but I'll be happy to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Lenny, why? Why doesn't he just do it at this point?
MCALLISTER: I don't know why he continues to stumble on this. Gingrich answered the question on character multiple times over multiple months. Romney had a better answer in December about these tax returns than he does now. He was born into privilege. He built upon that privilege. He did say he's not going to apologize for his success.
At the same time, he asked, at some point in time, said, listen, I am a rich guy, I am running for the highest office in the land. I'm not going to apologize for it. and here is how I still conserve you. If he doesn't give that message effectively soon enough, he's going to continue to slide back in the polls and look like the 1 percent that both sides of the grassroots does not want in the White House moving forward. And it's not going to play well for him going into Florida and into Super Tuesday.
ZIMMERMAN: You know, Lenny, this is his 17th debate. He doesn't have it right now, when's he going to get it right?
MCALLISTER: I can concur with you, Robert.
ZIMMERMAN: It's not that he couldn't give a straight answer about his taxes. He couldn't give a clear answer about how many jobs he's created at Bain, floating different numbers in different debates. He couldn't speak squarely and candidly about super PACs. There's an issue here where, not that the staff can be sued for political malpractice, but you have to wonder about the character and poise of a man who wants to be not just the leader of his party but the leader of the free world. KAYE: Is the race going to be wide open, Lenny? You hit on it a moment ago. If Gingrich wins tomorrow, we do have three different winners, as you said, for the caucus and two primaries. So what does that say for the GOP?
MCALLISTER: What it says for the GOP is this. Just like in 2008, you can tell us who you want to coordinate from an establishment perspective but the people within the party, the people within the grassroots and the people within a inner-connected technology and 21st century campaigning will decide who they want their nominee to be. Again, it was supposed to be Hillary Clinton in 2008. It ended up being some guy that we couldn't pronounce his name. In 2012, it was supposed to be Mitt Romney. We have Rick Santorum in Iowa and Mitt Romney in New Hampshire and it looks like we're going to get Newt Gingrich in South Carolina. and the grass roots is going to be able to decide this.
ZIMMERMAN: There's a real test tomorrow of political momentum versus political organization. Mitt Romney has not just the support of the governor who is popular with certain segments of the Tea Party but the Republican establishment in South Carolina. People discount Rick Santorum's impact. He could play the role Fred Thompson played four years ago. Fred Thompson got just enough votes to take it away from Mike Huckabee and give it to John McCain. Santorum could be the spoiler perhaps and give it to Romney.
KAYE: We will see.
Robert Zimmerman, Lenny McAllister.
Nice fiery discussion on this Friday.
That is "Fair Game."
ZIMMERMAN: Thank you.
KAYE: Thank you, guys.
MCALLISTER: Thank you.
ZIMMERMAN: Thank you.
KAYE: Remember to watch CNN all day Saturday for the lead up to the South Carolina primary results. We'll bring you those results live tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. eastern. Don't miss it.
What do Mary J. Blige and Congressman John Lewis have in common? They are going to team up with Maya Angelou for a special event. Dr. Angelou will join us live to explain next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Mark your calendars. We know you're busy. Get ready for something really special next month. It's also really important. We're less than two weeks away from Black History Month, and nobody can give us a better deeper perspective on this than poet, author, educator and activist, Dr. Maya Angelou, who is hosting a Black History Month special.
Dr. Angelou, what a privilege to have you back on the show today. Thank you so much.
DR. MAYA ANGELOU, POET & ACTIVIST: Thank you.
KAYE: We know you're hosting this special on public radio all through February. The special will be on the civil rights era.
ANGELOU: Yes.
KAYE: Can you tell us more about that?
ANGELOU: I'm focusing on the Civil Rights Act because it has made us a better country. And I know that if everybody feels he or she is the real American and the black people do, the white people do, the Asian and Spanish speaking. If you ask any one of us, who is an American, the person will say, I am an American. The truth, the charge for us all is to make our country a better place for all Americans. And so the Civil Rights Act, and the movement, worked to make us closer and to realize that we are more alike than we are unalike. So most black people and white people and Asian people and Spanish, all of us would really like to have a place to go to church or a neighborhood synagogue or temple on Sunday and some place to party on Saturday night. There are very few mystiques about human beings.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYE: Let me ask you about some of the people you have lined up, Congressman John Lewis, Ambassador Andrew Young, Mary J. Blige. What made you pick these individuals?
ANGELOU: Well, because they are the best in what they do. And they are serious about what they do. I don't mean they are tiresome and boring about what they do but they have committed themselves to doing the best they can do at being the best that they are. And I like that, whether I'm talking to African-American singers or country/western singers or Italian singers, for that matter, in Italy. I ask just do the best that you can do.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: We have a clip from the special.
ANGELOU: I'm sorry.
KAYE: We have a clip from the special of John Lewis talking about what it was like for him as a little boy. Let me just play a bit of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN LEWIS, (D), GEORGIA: Growing up in rural Alabama where we were visited the town of Troy, of Montgomery, I saw signs that said white men, colored men, white women, colored women, and I didn't like it. And I would ask my mother, my father, my grandparents, why, why? They would say, that's the way it is. They would say, that's the way it is. I would go downtown with some of my brothers and sisters and you cousins and all of us black children had to go up to the balcony and all of the white children went down the stairs to the first floor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: He was sharing some of the experiences that really defined him. Do you have an experience that stands out in your mind that defines who you are today?
ANGELOU: Absolutely. Absolutely the same. I mean, I grew up in a village inn Arkansas about the size of the living room I'm sitting in right now and the black people lived on one side of town and white people on the other and it was really like the great poem and except on the conditions that the black was working for the white and the relationship was so rarely even and only equal to make friends. So it was very difficult to find a friendship between a black man and a white man. There was the relationship but not a friendship. And so what has happened because of the civil rights movement, because of the African-American men and women and the white American men and women, because they decided to work together to make it a better country, because of that, we can have friends across race lines and religious lines and even age lines and that's really something.
KAYE: Yes, it is.
Thank you for your insights as well.
ANGELOU: Thank you very much. Thank you so very much.
KAYE: For more details, go to Maya Angelou on publicradio.com.
Etta James has died. Her manager said she died in a California hospital with her husband and sons by her side. She had a long-time troubled career, including overcoming a heroin addiction. He numerous hits included "At Last" and "Something's Got to Hold on Me." She won six Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Here she is in her own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ETTA JAMES, SINGER: Everything that I say about -- I pick all my songs. And everything that I sing about is about something that I've experienced. It's never something that I don't know nothing about.
(MUSIC)
JAMES: I'm kind of like a person that comes out of the closet when I'm in front of people, I'm shy but when that light hits and that music starts, you know, ah --
(LAUGHTER)
-- I come out. (MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It is time to look at stories making headlines across the country, "Street level."
Let's start in Kansas City where some Bonnie and Clyde memorabilia is making appearance. Two guns believed to be owned by the two notorious criminals are up on the auction block. If you can't go to Kansas City, bid online at auctionbymayo.com.
Garth Brooks is expected to take the stand today in a lawsuit against a hospital. He donated money to the hospital in agreement that the hospital would name a building after his mother, but the hospital didn't follow through, and they said they never thought that the request was a binding contract. Now Brooks wants his money back.
In Charleston, Comedian Stephen Colbert just wrap-up a rally with former Republican presidential candidate, Herman Cain. It is called the Rock Me Like A Herman Cain South Cain-olina Primary Rally. Colbert says Cain is the only former candidate who truly shares my values.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, COLBERT: He is a man of ideas, a man with conviction and a man with a bus with his face on it.
(CHEERING)
COLBERT: Gandhi did not have that. I want you to vote for Herman Cain, because Herman Cain is me.
(CHEERING)
COLBERT: We both refuse to play by Washington's rules. We both flout convention when it comes to things like taxes and debt and how many Bekis there are in Yuzbeki, Beki, Beki Stan, Stan (sic). I say three, and Herman says four, and "National Geographic" is working on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: You have to laugh. The comedian said he is considering a run for the White House.
Just up the road in Columbia, the polls don't open until tomorrow, but one big vote has been cast for Stephen Colbert in the GOP primary. With paint brush in trunk, Asia the Elephant in town with the Ringling Brothers Circus, when straight to South Carolina's favorite son. This is before last night's debate. And there she goes. Nonetheless, the elephant in the room has spoken, as we like to say here.
The South Carolina debate over, the primary just one day away. And just when we thought that we were safe from the so-called dirty tricks, along came an e-mail. Coming up, the phony message landing in Republican in-boxes across the state.
And can President Obama sing out a tune? He sang out a few notes at the Apollo Theater, and we will let you decide straight after the break.
But first, a question, "Political Junkies." The Republican candidates made a pitch to military veterans last night. What percentage of South Carolina voters in the 2008 primary had served in the military? 10 percent, 15 percent or 25 percent? Think fast and be the first to tweet the right answer to me @randikayeCNN, and I will give a shout out to the person who gets it right.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I care about the debt and the deficit and certain sexual issues.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I think that more should be done for health care and student loans and that kind of things.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Social Security for sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fiscal policy and economics.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Abortion, same-sex marriage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tuition and room and board. That is the going up every year and so to keep it down. A lot of us are in debt when we leave college and we need to find a way to go to control that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: That is a few of the concerns that young voters have heading into the South Carolina primary.
And now the answer to the "Political Junkie." I asked you about the percentage of South Carolina voters in the 2008 GOP primary who were veterans, and was it 10 percent, 15 percent or 25 percent? It is 25 percent, and congratulations again to A.T. from Philadelphia, tweeting me the right answer first. Twice for you today. That is well done.
And the president is out campaigning, too. Those who paid to see the president at the Apollo Theater in New York got a real treat. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Glad to know that Reverend Al Green was here.
(CHEERING)
(SINGING)
(CHEERING)
(SINGING)
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Woo. That was pretty good actually. I think I got chills there.
I want to bring in Peter Hamby, in Charleston, South Carolina.
What did you think of the president's singing skills there?
PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, like you, I'm impressed. That is big time. That has to be a dream come true at the Apollo and only my second favorite Al Green song, but a lot of respect to the president right there -- Randi?
KAYE: Yes. Let's talk politics here. I understand that you have been acquiring insider information from some of the internal polling stations, and what are you hearing?
HAMBY: Well, something that has happened in the past few days here is that Newt Gingrich has come up in polling, and everyone knows that. The Romney camp is nervous about that, and something they were confident about. But the internal polling showing it to be a tight one-on-one race with Gingrich and Romney. Public polling showing that as well. But people in and around the Romney campaign are really fretting that they could lose here on Saturday after a big win in New Hampshire last week when they were ahead in public polls by 10 points, and that could all go away.
The Romney campaign is aggressively trying to lower expectations now, and Romney himself today said in Gilbert, South Carolina, that South Carolina was always going to be an uphill battle. And he has been spending heavily on the TV and the mail and radio, and the Governor Nikki Haley has been campaigning with him all over the state. And it would be a blow, but the Romney campaign has an advantage in Florida, the next primary, so the race would move on if Romney slips here Saturday.
KAYE: Well, I want to get this in, a fake e-mail or fake CNN e- mail as well in South Carolina.
HAMBY: Right. There's been a lack of quote, unquote, "dirty tricks here in South Carolina." And this state is sort of known for this sort of thing. But a handful of Republican activists in the state forwarded me an e-mail, claiming to be a CNN breaking news alert saying that the source close to Marianne Gingrich says that Newt Gingrich once pressured her into having an abortion. It is a fake e- mail sent around to the Republicans here, and a doctor who is bogus e- mail, claiming to be from CNN. But it did not come from us. But it shows you the underground flame wars going on down here in South Carolina.
KAYE: Is that Secret Service doing test runs or what behind you? Wow, that was loud.
HAMBY: It is the air base.
KAYE: We got it. We got it. We got the gist. But the bottom line is that those are fake e-mails.
Thank you, Peter Hamby. Appreciate it.
Thank you, everyone, for watching. I want to hear what you think about the show. You can continue the conservation with me online. Find me on Facebook or Twitter at randikayeCNN.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with Brooke Baldwin.
Hi, Brooke.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I don't know if Peter Hamby rolls with Secret Security, Randi Kaye, but I'm glad, yes. I was kind of wondering too.
Thank you so much. Have a great rest of your day.
