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tv   CNN Newsroom  CNN  December 15, 2011 8:00am-10:00am PST

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better, even when you say there's movie night. they're never really off the trail. mark preston for us there in d.c. thank you so much. as we get close to the top of the hour time for me to hand this over. suzanne, malveaux. >> nice to see you. weekend right around the corner. >> yeah. don't remind me. no, i'm teasing. >> good to see you. live from studio 7 i'm suzanne malveaux. i want to get you up to speed for this thursday, december 15th. the war in iraq is officially over. a ceremony in baghdad today officially brought the war to a close. american troops lowered the flag of command that had flown over the iraqi capitol. it has been almost nine years since the war started. defense secretary leon panetta flew in a baghdad for the ceremony. >> we remember the nearly 4500 brave americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country as well as the more than
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30,000 wounded warriors, many of whom still struggle with serious, life-altering injuries. >> reporter: it's estimated more than 150,000 iraqis lost their lives in the war. most of them civilians. 16 days to go before the typical american worker gets hit with $1,000 a year tax increase. there are some signs now republicans, democrats, might, might break their log jam over extending the payroll tax cut. democratic source says that president obama may drop his plan for a millionaire surtax to cover the cost of extending it. republicans oppose any new taxes on the wealthy. they would like to pay for the extension primarily by freezing ped ral pay. mitt romney rolling out an aggressive new strategy to stop newt gingrich. romney, in a flurry of interviews, says gingrich and his policy ideas are zany.
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that's right. he says we don't need zany in a president. he labels gingrich an unreliable conservative. gingrich climbed to the top of national presidential polls after herman cain's campaign went into a tail spin. you remember that. he scoffed at romney's new words. >> i understand what all the consultants are doing. that's fine. they should run their campaign the way they want to. i want to run my campaign the way i want to. >> so gingrich leads romney iowa, but romney still holds the top spot in new hampshire. new measure of poverty by the census bureau shows that almost half of all-americans are struggling. that's 146 million folks. 97 million fall into the low income category. another 49 million fall below the poverty line. more than 100 people have died after drinking moonshine in eastern india. at least 100 more have been
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hospitalized. most of the victims were poor villagers who paid only 10 cents for the liquor. police say they have arrested four people they believe were involved in making the illegal brew. so before it was suspected hazing. well, now authorities are looking into financial problems at florida a&m university. law enforcement officials say they found evidence of possible fraud while investigating the death of the school's drum major. they say the financial irregularities are not directly related to robert champion's death but they do involve the school's band and other departments. a fraternity at the university of vermont is now on suspension after a survey was circulated asking members who they would like to rape. that's right. sigma phi epsilon was already on probation for alcohol violations. well, now the national organization has ordered the campus chapter to shut down all operations. both university and fraternity's
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national leadership are investigating. >> it is not something that we stand for in terms of the values that our members pledge ourselves to, that our organization pledges itself to. >> it is technically free speech and yet it is deplorable and just absolutely inappropriate and offensive. 41-year-old woman has died in a tragic and bizarre elevator accident in new york. investigators say she was getting on the elevator when it suddenly shot up and pinned her between two floors. our affiliate spoke to a witness. >> the elevator was either next to me or one over. i heard a loud boom, crash and the whole thing shook. it was pretty extreme. like a couple of the girls on my floor were like crying and really panicked. >> two people in the elevator who saw this horrific accident, they were taken to the hospital to be checked out for
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psychological trauma. the french silent era film "the artist" leads this year's golden globes. hollywood foreign press association gave five 234078 nations each this morning to "the descendents" starring george clooney. the golden globe awards will be handed out january 15th. here's your chance, talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the war in iraq. as we mark the end of the war, we want to ask you, was it worth it? we want to hear from you. put your response on my page. it is facebook.com/suzannecnn. we'll post those responses later this hour. here's what's ahead on the rundown. census figures paint a stunning picture of the growing number of americans now struggling just to get by. >> think of a homeless person, you think of some wineo out on
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the corner. it can happen to anyone at any time. >> we're going to talk about that with president obama's outgoing presidential advisor. also there are now signs of a possible compromise to extend a payroll tax break for 160 million working americans before it expires. we're talking about january 1st. plus, foreclosures dropping, but some say it is just the calm before a new storm. the iraq war officially ended today. we're going to look at what is next for those who live in iraq and for the service men and women who are coming home. finally, florida a&m university's president talks about the deadly alleged hazing incident involving the school's band. when an investment lacks discipline,
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president's righthand woman for domestic policy, melody barns is saying good-bye to the white house to consider opportunities in the private sector. she is leaving at a time when more americans are struggling to stay afloat. a new measure of poverty by the census bureau today shows that almost half, half of americans are low income or living in poverty. extraordinary figure. one of two americans low income living in poverty. so, melody, first of all, great to see you. i know you're counting down the days here. a couple weeks before you leave. as someone who is in the trenches here working on the president's domestic policy, what is your reaction to that figure? does that really seem real to you, that that many people are now suffering? >> well, first of all, suzanne, thank you so much for having me. it's a pleasure to be with you. it does. i mean, what we know is that while the effects of this recent downturn in the economy have
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been devastating for so many people, there are people who are already hurting prior to 2008, prior to what has been the great recession. that's why we started tackling these issues when we first came into the white house. if you look at the stimulus bill that the president passed, we did a lot to try and support people and actually keep several million people from descending further into poverty or into poverty at all. then we also recently put out a report, our pathways to opportunity report, that recounts some of the more innovative things we've done over the course of the administration to try and keep those in the middle class in the middle class and create a pathway for those who are struggling to get out of poverty to get into the middle class. >> what do you think is the single biggest thing that needs to happen to turn it around? is it something that president obama or the government should be doing or does it have to come from the private sector? >> well, it's really a cross-sector. this is an all hands on deck moment. the president has obviously been focused on job creation.
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that's one of the number one things you can do for people, create jobs and make sure that people are prepared for those jobs. so important job training initiatives. if you look at his american jobs act it is chalk full of ways that we can make sure people are prepared for jobs while we're also trying to create them. also education. making sure that we've got young adults and adults, whether they are shifting in transition because of jobs that may not exist anymore or coming out of college, that they are prepared and they have the tools and the skills needed. the president has a jobs council. we've been talking to those ceos of medium and large businesses about what kinds of jobs are available and how to prepare people for them. they're looking down the pike and making sure our kids are ready for the jobs of the future as well. >> let's turn the corner to iraq. officially it is the end of the war in iraq today. >> yes. >> president obama fulfilled that campaign promise. here's what he told veterans. >> our commitment doesn't end when you take off the uniform.
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you're the finest our nation has to offer, and after years of rebuilding iraq, we want to enlist our veterans in the work of rebuilding america. that's why we're committed to doing everything we can to extend more opportunities to those who have served. >> melody, specifically what does the administration need to do right now to make sure the veterans come back and they are part of an economic recovery? >> absolutely. it's veterans and their families. so many people have made -- there are 4500 who made the ultimate sacrifice. tens of thousands who were harmed and millions who have served. there's several things we've done and put in place. first of all, if you look at the american jobs abt it includes a tax credit to make sure those who have served and are coming back, we're encouraging employers to hire them. including those who have service-related disabilities, one. two, earlier a few months ago we put in place plans to make sure
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that those who are caring for veterans who are coming home, that their caregivers have the necessary support so that they can do that and we can blunt, buffer the economic hardship to those families. then you've got the first lady and dr. biden in their joining forces effort. that's to make sure that we're looking at those families and supporting them across the board. that's consistent with what the president asked for across the administration. how their kids are doing as they have had to shift schools. how spouses are doing when they need jobs and public/private partnerships to make sure the jobs are available. >> let's talk a little bit about your tenure now that you're on your way out. you were one of the power houses in the white house, one of the few women who was in the inner circle. a lot was made at the time when you were at the white house about about whether or not there was an old boy's network, the president playing basketball with the guys. i think we have the picture, you were the first woman to get the invite to play golf with the president. so tell us, now that you're on your way out, is there kind of
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this all boys guy culture there? has it changed a little bit? what was your experience? >> one of the things that i will miss most, i said this to my colleagues just two days ago, is the comaraderie and this bond. in serving the american people who are struggling, we want to create opportunity for them, there's a fire that you go through with a group of people and it makes you stronger and the fabric of the white house stronger. i certainly feel that and will miss that. i've had wonderful colleagues, men and women. we've had vigorous and vibrant debates. that's what the president wants. that's what the president needs. i know i have felt respected in that way, and i think my female colleagues do as well. we have all benefitted and been enriched by this experience of being in the white house. >> as someone who's a close friend of the president, can you tell us anything we don't know about him? can you share? >> people often say to me, what's he really like? i'll say, what you see is what you get, which is wonderful. there is no pretense. he is steady. he has his eye on a vision for america that is one of
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opportunity for all people. he cares deeply. he walks around with those ten letters that he reads every day. he often comes to us and says how are we going to fix this? is what you're doing going to fix this person's problem. he'll chide us and say that's a policy idea a wonk would love. is this going to help in the real world. he has been a wonderful leader to follow by virtue of who he is. >> melody, can you share any of your plans about moving forward? >> first thing i'm going to do is i'm going to sleep in. i start my day with a 7:30 meeting. i end my day around 9:30 every night. my husband and i are going to have dinner before 9:45 or 10:00 every night. >> it's been a pleasure. congratulations. wish you all the best. >> thank you so much. going to hear from president obama at the top of the hour, noon eastern. he'll help unveil a plan to give federal pay protections to home health care workers. the president is also likely to comment on this battle that is
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taking place to extend the payroll tax cut. while fewer foreclosures, the numbers are out this morning. there are signs of trouble now for the new year. we'll check in with alison kosik. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of a pain free holiday. ♪ this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills. setting that goal to become a principal. but, i have to support my family, so how do i go back to school? university of phoenix made it doable. a lot of my instructors were principals in my district. i wouldn't be where i am without that degree. my name is dr. carrie buck.
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here's what's making news across the country. we start with a car crash in wisconsin. you can't tell from the dash cam video but the car is burning. the driver is trapped inside unconscious. the police officer smashed the passenger side window to pull that driver out. thortsz donauthorities don' caused this tanker truck to
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explode outside of l.a. the flames were so intense officials believe the overpass and freeway were damaged. in pennsylvania video cameras at a coffee shop catch a bold robbery. he climbs from his car through the drive through window. shop owner's wife fought back by throwing a coffee pot at his face. she tossed a pitcher of steaming hot milk at him. police are looking for him today. a bright spot in the housing market, but experts now say could be a sign of bad things to come. want to bring in alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. first of all, so how do the numbers look today? what do we make of what we're seeing here at the market? >> suzanne, you know what, if you look at the headline number, it looks pretty good. foreclosures for november are down 3%. if you compare this november to last november foreclosures are actually down 14%. guess what, we've seen this kind of thing at this time of year and we're seeing it again where lenders like fannie mae and
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freddie mac have put a moratorium out. they don't serve notices around the holidays for obvious reasons. they don't want to bring bad news during the holidays. there's the harsh reality that remains. nevada continues to lead in defaults. california and arizona are up there. people are out of work and falling behind. many have stopped making payments 5altogether. this could set up for an interesting 2012. >> following november's figures, what does it say about what we are expecting moving forward here? >> exactly. so consider this the calm before the storm because these filings are down, but it actually sets the stage for more foreclosures to come in the new year. the big reason is because the number of homes scheduled to go to bank auction actually grew significantly. these filings have been down because of paperwork issues. after that global signing scandal, now banks are cleaning up their books. they're catching up.
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that could mean that repos are likely to come roaring back in 2012. a brighter picture today for the markets even though stocks are off their best levels of the day. the dow right now is up 54 points. the nasdaq is up as well. so looking like a pretty good day for the markets thanks to some pretty positive economic reports here in the u.s. >> great. thank you. it's a historic day for the united states and iraq. after almost nine years the war in iraq is officially over. we're going to find out what this day means for the country and its people. we're also going to check in on american troops in kuwait. first, memorable images from the iraq war. "shock and awe" over baghdad as the war begins in march 2003. iraqi kids caught in the middle of the violence in their homeland. they're on the street as a car burns. former dictator saddam hussein getting a medical exam after he was captured and later executed. charred bodies of u.s.
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as the casing of the colors. from the beginning to now almost 4500 americans have lost their lives in iraq. more than 30,000 wounded and tens of thousands of iraqis have been killed, most of them civilians. cnn's barbara starr is in baghdad with more on the war's end and what it means to iraq. >> reporter: at the height of the surge more than 170,000 u.s. troops served here in iraq, but as we count down the final days and hours, just a few thousand are left, perhaps just a few hundred here in baghdad. this has been the end of mission ceremony. that's what they're calling it. putting away the flag that u.s. forces have flown here for so long. that flag never to come out again. today defense secretary panetta, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general dempsey all here to pay tribute to those who have served. of course, more than 4,000 u.s.
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forces lost their lives here. more than 30,000 wounded. this is the place where america came to know the phrase ied, improvised explosive device, the weapon that has proved to be so deadly both here in iraq and of course continues to kill and wound u.s. troops in afghanistan. we've spoken to commanders here and what they tell us is now that the mission is wrapping up here in iraq, they are looking at the broader picture for u.s. military presence here in this region. expect to see u.s. troops continue to serve in kuwait. expect to see a beefed up presence in the persian gulf. the u.s. military wants to make sure it has that continuing presence here in the region. but as far as iraq goes, it was back in may of 2003 when president george w. bush stood on that aircraft carrier next to the banner that said mission
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accomplished. today whether the mission is accomplished or not remains perhaps a debate, but for u.s. troops, the mission is over. barbara starr, cnn, baghdad. well, before heading home the last american troops pulling out of iraq, they're moving next door to kuwait. that's where cnn's martin savage is with them at camp virginia, kuwait. martin, i understand that there's somewhat of a party atmosphere going on there behind you. >> reporter: well, there is, suzanne. this is a rock performance that's happening right now. this is not a celebration, it just happens to work out coincidentally that the date that this band was scheduled to perform here falls on what is a very historic day when it comes to the withdrawal of u.s. forces coming out of iraq. you know, when you talk to many of the troops here, you begin to get into their mindset about whether it's their first deployment or whether it's their fifth or sixth, they all have the same sense that this is
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history. that being here at the end of this conflict and seeing the u.s. finally out of iraq is a major milestone in the history books. they all think about that. i had a conversation with a chaplain and he talks about seeing other soldiers returning. here's some of what he said. >> i think it's awesome, i mean, the fact that we're bringing something to the close. as the chaplain, i get to go out and we watch the guys cross the border and say, hey, welcome to kuwait. you're on your way home. it's an exciting time. you see guys jumping out of the vehicles, giving hugs. saying, hey, we made it. we did it. we're safe. for a chaplain, that's a cool thing. we also do the other side of it as well. so seeing this is important to us. >> reporter: it's interesting because i've talked to a number of soldiers, and they all express a similar kind of theme there. as they come across the border there they at first don't think it's going to be that big of a deal. when they cross from iraq into kuwait, which is, of course,
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going from the cessation of hostilities and one place that's safe, they describe a very emotional moment. they describe the fact that it really does strike them that now they're safe and also that this is the end. that their war ended the moment that border crossing was made. a lot of deep thoughts here even as they're excited to be heading home. >> sure. martin, tell us a little bit about these american troops. they're in kuwait but some of them will not be leaving kuwait for home. they'll be staying there. what is the mission there? >> reporter: well, most of the troops that have come out of iraq will be headed home. there are some units that are actually being deployed, small navy units going directly to afghanistan. then there is a major body of tens of thousands of troops that are going to stay in the region. this is part of an effort on the united states to say, look, just because we're leaving iraq does not mean we're leaving the entire region. this is strategical. very important area to the
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united states. whether it be keeping an eye on iran, iraq or elsewhere, the u.s. presence is going to be very strong in kuwait and still significant. >> martin savage, thank you. we'll want to hear from you as we mark the end of the war in iraq. here's the talk back question. was it even worth it? put your response on my facebook page. that's facebook.com/suzannecnn. it is a political brawl that's going to hit every single american worker come january, and we are talking about your paycheck. the white house and congress, they're wheeling and dealing on the payroll tax cut extension. the clock is ticking.
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for many americans, january is going to mean bigger credit card bills, perhaps a tax increase from washington's gridlock grinch. that's right. typical worker will lose about $1,000 from his or her paycheck for 2012. that is unless congress extends the payroll tax cut. both parties want the extension. what's the problem? they can't agree on a way to pay for this. kate baldwin is on capitol hill. kate, maybe we're finally seeing some sense that they're giving ground? tell us what's going on. >> reporter: what we're talking about here, there could be some giving of ground, if you will, suzanne, is that it has to do
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with the millionaire surtax. democrats and the president kind of all throughout this process had been demanding that this so-called millionaire surtax be part of any final deal to extend the payroll tax cut, and this would be the way to cover the cost of the payroll tax extension. so that's a significant give on their part, a significant concession. i'll tell you just from the looks and what we heard from the two republican and democratic leader on the senate floor this morning, suzanne, there was a noteworthy change in tone. much more upbeat and optimistic than i've really heard them throughout this whole battle. this doesn't necessarily mean they're at a deal, but we do know on the staff level talks are continuing today and they are working. >> all right. payroll tax cut extension, that's just one fight that's playing out in the days ahead. where does congress stand now on providing benefits for the unemployed? >> reporter: for the unemployment assistance, there is kind of a general understanding that as part of any final deal to extend the
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payroll tax cut, that would also include a package to extend benefits to the long-term unemployed. also some other tax extenders that expire at the end of the year as well. as a final deal, many anticipate that extending unemployment benefits will be part of that as well. there's a big dispute on just how long they would be extended between democrats and republicans. that's one element that also needs to be worked out in these final days. >> i understand again they are talking about a possible government shutdown? >> reporter: i know. it's almost a bad joke obviously. as part of this fight, it really wasn't part of this fight until about last week, there is a possible -- they're facing a possible government shutdown because the last short-term spending bill that they were fighting over previously, that runs out friday. that has nothing to do really with extending the payroll tax cut, but it's kind of gotten thrown into this end-of-year fight. approving a massive funding bill to keep the government funded through fiscal year 2012, that's
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gotten caught up in this fight over the payroll tax as well as unemployment assistance. all of that has been looped together in this big fight. something has to break the log jam. i don't want to lean too far on what i heard from the leaders this morning, but they did seem more upbeat. there was a marked shift in tone from the past couple of days. we'll have to see how things develop. >> reading the tea leaves there. >> reporter: trying. mitt romney taking off the gloves now in his attacks against newt gingrich. is it a strategy that's going to work? what's left behind? [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. removes 99% of dirt and toxins without dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. so skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] from neutrogena® naturals. [ tires screech ] [ crying ] [ applause ] [ laughs ] [ tires screech ] [ male announcer ] your life will have to flash by even faster.
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time for politics. it means joe johns live from the political desk in washington. mitt romney ramping up his attacks on newt gingrich? can you hear me? joe, you got me? >> yeah, i've got you. how's it going? having a problem. >> that's right. it's live tv, you know? >> exactly. talking about newt gingrich? >> yeah. >> this is a guy who is sort of singing the holiday blues right now. it's all thanks to mitt romney's recent barrage of negative ads. gingrich told iowa public television that the onslaught coming from romney headquarters has really jarred the holiday
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spirit. he says he thinks it's counterintuitive and gingrich has said he has an ad that's coming up over the next week where he and his wife calista are wishing people a merry christmas. he says he thinks negative advertising is running counter to the spirit of christmas. he called his stated intention, if you will, to try to remain positive is uncharted territory for presidential politics. he's not predicting whether that strategy will be successful calling it an experiment. he says political experts are advising him to go negative. that's what you do when somebody goes negative on you. speaking to voters in iowa, he says he's convinced the right way to go is to stay above the frey. >> you know, somewhere i doubt how long that's going to last. we'll see how long it's going to survive. >> exactly. he's always said he's going to
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respond in the event his record is distorted. so he's left wiggle room to come back at romney and i wouldn't be surprised if he does a few times. >> there will be a lot of back and forth. i understand that vice president joe biden is now backing mitt romney in some way? tell us a little bit about reading between the lines of this. >> right. you know how politics goes in things like that. to be clear, biden is not endorsing romney's politics. the administration's even gone after romney more than once thinking he's probably the biggest potential problem should romney end up getting the republican nomination, though in the latest issue of "esquire" vice president biden does give romney his props, if you will. he says he's angry about the way people are treating romney over his religion. biden says he himself is a practicing catholic. he says it's nobody's business how he practices religion. he thinks it's unfair that
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romney's religion even matters. as you know, we've reported as recently as yesterday, a lot of white protestant evangelicals particularly in the early caucus state of iowa have said in their view mormonism, which is romney's religion, is not christian knitty, so that's a big issue for people who are going to be voting. >> joe johns, thank you. good to see you. want to remind everybody we'll be hearing from president obama, that's happening at the top of the hour, noon eastern. he'll help unveil a plan to give federal pay protections to home health care workers. the president may also comment on this battle that we've been talking about to extend the payroll tax cut. we'll bring the comments to you live when it gets underway. also some protesters in russia thought they saw a ufo in the sky. others thought the government might be spying on them. we're going to tell you what it
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safe to say occupy and other demonstrators used to having news cameras, right, pointed at their rallies. jeanne moos tells us about the latest gadget they my see hovering above. >> reporter: up in the sky is it a ufo, is it a surveillance drone? over the heads of tens of thousands of russian protesters
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it flew. this video flew on to sites like ufosightingsdaily where they pondered this possible alien probe. you really think? many protesters figured it was their own government keeping them under surveillance with a drone, but it wasn't aliens looking down on the crowd and it wasn't the russian government spying on demonstrators. it was this. >> it's a radio controlled hexacopter. >> reporter: hexacopter meaning six. look at the beautiful pictures it took of the biggest protest moscow has seen in days. when they edited together the pan nor rammic views, they got this. they call themselves air pano, a group of people who do this for fun.
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two-man team operates the hexacopter. these days you don't know where your drone is going to land. no, it did not end up in iran. still, the pilot wasn't taking any chances. no point and crash landing on the crowd. the hexacopter stayed over the crowd. >> shoot the device. >> reporter: no damage done. you can buy something like this, a canadian company sells the dragonflier x 8. camera and chopper sell for between $10,000 and $50,000. cnn is using something similar for a nature special. >> a quadra copter. >> reporter: they've been used at other recent protests, for instance in war saw. occupy wall street even has an occucopter.
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the russians bought parts to build their own. they've been shooting beautiful places over the world. >> reporter: do you believe in ufos? >> yes, i do believe. >> reporter: if you're ever tempted to fly a remote controlled chopper, try not to chop up your son. >> oops, sorry. >> uh-oh. >> reporter: jeanne moos, new york. you've been sounding off on our talk back question as we mark the end of the almost nine-year war in iraq. it was worth it? brandon writes, thanks to all the men and women who have served in our armed forces and continue to serve. i would say the war in iraq was worth it because we rid the world of a ruthless dictator named saddam hussein. yes, a lot of lives were lost, but we took a stand against tir ran any and terrorism. ryan says no war is ever worth it. the u.s. did not end this war we
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were asked to leave. daniel says, we don't know. we are still paying for it. my guess would be no. at least made the best out of a bad situation. kim writes, i don't feel it was worth what the american people have had to endure. what have they resolved? these soldiers in my community can't get their arms and legs back and others don't or either can't find a job. it's a mess in my opinion. thanks to all of you for writing in. please be a part of the conversation at facebook.com/suzannecnn. famous band is now on the sidelines and a school under scrutiny. we're going to catch up with the president of florida a&m university to talk about the alleged hazing incidents, including the death of the band's drum major. sovereign of the security line. you never take an upgrade for granted. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle.
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i'm howard spielberg of fidelity investments. the equity summary score is one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. get 200 free trades today and explore your next investing idea. the president of florida a&m university talks with cnn about allegations of hazing at the school. authorities are investigating the death of drum major robert dmn champion in a suspected hazing incident. since champion's death other alleged beatings involving the band have now come to light. cnn's jason carroll caught up with the president to find out what is the school doing. >> reporter: that man in the car there is florida a&m's president. >> hello, i'm jason carroll with cnn. >> reporter: as university president, the buck, so to speak, stops with him.
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>> we've reached out to you, as you know, several times in the past but have not been successful in terms of guesting you to respond. despite numerous phone calls and e-mails, emmons had not responded to our questions about hazing, so we caught up with him on campus. do you believe though in any way, shape or form the university has done enough to stop what has happened at the school in the past? >> let me just say this. our number one priority is the health, safety and well being of our students and with this tragic situation that we have involving the death of robert champion, our hearts just go out to his family. >> reporter: as you know, before robert champion's death you had another situation with another young woman here at the university. she was hazed. as a result, three young men have now been arrested. that was before his death so the question is why wasn't something done before?
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>> we have policies, procedures, and every instance of hazing that we've had had, has gone through the investigatory process. >> but isn't it clear that the policies that you have in place aren't working and that those policies need to be changed? >> one of the things that we have found with hazing is that there is a -- there is a veil of secrecy. this is a culture, not just here at florida a&m university, it is on colleges and university campuses all across america. >> have you made any headway into making some changes here at the university, things that you can tell us? some tangible things. >> there have been people incarcerated as a result of hazing. so i mean there is a stiff law. there are legal consequences for anyone engaged in hazing.
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we have adopted policies, procedures, but what i think you -- >> but none of it seems to be working. >> well, but the other thing is that when you look at the number of cases that we have had on our campus and you look at cases on other campuses, there is not a rampant kind of behavior. >> do you believe you bear personally any responsibility for what has happened to any of these students here? >> personal responsibility? i have done everything in accordance to the law here in the state of florida. >> reporter: about three hours after that interview we received this document from the florida department of law law enforcement which says, "during the course of their investigation, they uncovered possible fraud and/or misconduct by employees here at the university. the document reads, "the
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department has initiated a separate criminal investigation to examine these matters." so to find out more about the new investigation we wanted to talk to mr. ammons again. >> just wanted to follow up with you about that possible follow-up interview with mr. ammons. >> reporter: his spokeswoman said she would get back to us. she never did. shortly after that, an interview scheduled with the chairman of the university's board of trustees, solomon badger, was canceled. students and band members we spoke to disagree on how the problem has been addressed and whether it can be solved. >> we definitely realize our faults and where we went wrong and we're just trying to move forward from there and take steps necessary to move forward. >> yesterday my friend was telling me how he was. no one's anymore afraid than they were before. >> why do you think that is? the university says they're trying to do everything they can to change the policy here. >> it is up to us. we have to make change.
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>> reporter: jason carroll, cnn, tallahassee, florida. >> so should the florida a&m band be suspended for years because of hazing? in the next hour we'll hear from a guest who says yes. author and college president walter kimbrough joins us to talk about the hazing issue. president obama's about to go around congress again and unveil a new pay protections for home health care workers. she's going to appear at the eisenhower executive office building shortly. that's a picture as we wait. the government has long classified home health care workers as companions for elderly and disabled americans. what does that mean? it means they are he excluding from federal wage and overtime rules. but, with the coming surge in the elderly population, the president wants to change that. almost 2 million people now work as home health care providers. and will be impacted by today's action. they earn an average of $17,000 to $20,000 a year putting many
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of those folks below the poverty line. i want to bring in gloria borger who is joining us from washington. gloria, obviously it is a significant announcement here but it is set against this backdrop of washington gridlock. we are talking about the payroll tax cuts, talking about a possible government shutdown here. in looking at what we are seeing play out over the next couple of weeks, do we think that anything is going to get done? >> well, they have to get something done. they have to get something done if they want to avert a shutdown of the government and they have to get something done, quite honestly,suzanne, if they want to get re-elected. i mean these members of congress understand that the public is incredibly unhappy with them. i just got a new poll this morning from the pew research center which says public discontent with congress has reached record levels and that 2 in 3 voters say that you ought
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to throw all incumbents out. that's pretty bad. the republicans are getting most of the blame for it. but the democrats had better watch out also. so they'd better figure out a way to avoid shutting down the government, to extend the payroll tax cuts and to go home. because at least at home they can't do any harm. right? >> that's one way of looking at it. how effective do you think the strategy is of the white house that's been so frustrated of not being able to see congress move forward on this very specific and critical legislation. now you've got the president issuing all these executive orders going around congress. >> right. look, it is very clear what his campaign strategy is. he's going to run against a do-nothing congress. the problem for him is that there are also democrats in congress, as well as republicans. but republicans in the house the other day really inoculated themselves on the payroll tax cut because they passed a version of the payroll tax cut. they included in it a provision
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that says you can start building that controversial keystone pipeline which the democrats don't like. the democrats in the senate yesterday gave a little and said, okay, we don't want to pay for the payroll tax cut by taxing millionaires, we're giving that up, but they still can't seem to get together and the clock is ticking. at some point american public is going to say why do we always have to stand at the edge of a cliff before we can get anything done. this is not the way to run the government and, quite honestly, it does give the president a good line to say when he's campaigning. >> gloria, i feel you, i understand and standing on the edge of the cliff is all we all seem to feel this way now. >> we keep walking up to it. >> every single time now. we'll keep an eye out. the white house, the president's going to be making a statement very shortly.
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we'll keep our eye on that event and bring it to you as it becomes available life. top of the hour. i'm suzanne malveaux. want to get you up to speed. first-time claim for unemployment benefits fell last week, now at their lowest level since may 2008. the labor department says 366,000 people filed for jobless benefits during the week of december 10. than is down 19,000 from the week before. stocks now on the rise. reacting together news on the jobs front right now. the dow jones is up 58 points. unless congress acts in the next 16 days, every single american worker will get hit with a tax increase in january. republicans and democrats appear to be inching forward on a payroll tax cut extension. now democratic source says that the president may give up his demand for a millionaire surtax
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to pay for that extension. want to bring in alison kosik from the new york stock exchange. allison, set the scene for us, if you will. if the extension doesn't happen, what does it mean for typical american worker? >> okay, suzanne. in this struggling economy that we're in right now you can ask just about anybody and they'll say every extra dollar counts. sure, if that texas cuts expires workers next year will wind up contributing two percentage points than more than they are this year. for dollars and cents for employees who make $35,000 a year that means they'll be paying an extra $700 a year. if you're making $50,000, it means you'll pay an extra $1,000. now it goes on and on. now if the cut is not extended, many economists say it could wind up taking a big bite out of economic growth but critics say when you look at way on how to jump-start the economy, the tax cut hasn't even proven to be the best way because it is not
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targeted to lower and middle income families who are more likely to spend that extra money than they're getting with each check whereas people who make on the high end over $100,000 are saving that money. while it is good to save, it doesn't necessarily help boost the economy. >> so when you look at this tax cut, is it going to make a huge difference when it comes to consumer spending or even the state of the economy? >> well, if you look at the what the congressional budget office says and what they are estimating is that the cuts would actually generate a significant amount of economic activity for every dollar spent by the government. so that means that 160 million americans will have more money to spend and we are seeing them starting to spend more. while we haven't seen a huge impact yet, you have to consider that consumers' moods -- it's been improving lately. holiday spending has been picking up and propping up a lot of companies. but the cbo is reiterating the idea that the tax cut could help increase production and jobs but you also have to remember that
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the effects will be spread over time. but i tell you what, it certainly doesn't hurt to get that little extra something in your check every couple weeks. >> doesn't hurt. thank you, alison. the u.s. justice department says it has found a pattern of discrimination against latinos within the maricopa county sheriff's office in arizona. that office is run by joseph arpaio, known as hard-liner on illegal immigration. last year, you may recall, arizona passed a tough law on the issue, and one of the provisions requires police during enforcement of other laws to check the immigration status of anybody they suspect of being undocumented. an appeals court rules the measure overstepped arizona's authority. the stay has now asked the u.s. supreme court to settle the issue. the war in iraq is now officially over. a ceremony in baghdad today officially brought the war to a close. american troops lowered the flag of command that had flown over the iraq capital. it has been almost nine years since the war started.
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defense secretary leon panetta flew in to bag for the ceremony. >> iraqis can take pride in knowing that through the service and sacrifice of so many brave warriors, your children will have a better future. that is the reward that we all cher riish on this historic day. this is not the end. this is truly the beginning. here's your chance to "talk back" on one of the big stories of the day -- the war in iraq. as we mark the end of the war, was it worth it? we want to hear from you. put your sporresponses on my facebook page. facebook.com/suzannecnn. that's later in the hour. we are also looking at one
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of the chilling legacy of the iraq war. >> i got blown like 20 feet from the humvee. i remember looking up saying oh god, oh god. and florida a&m university in the spotlight over hazing allegations. we'll talk to the university president. later, researchers say that they have found hints of a so-called god particle. we'll find out what it is and why it is important. and then what products are made in america? we'll travel to a proud american town. so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios.
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[ female announcer ] we never forget the nearly 12 million cancer survivors in america today... and the countless lives lost. we owe it to them to protect funding for cancer research, prevention and access to care. congress, make cancer a priority and give millions of americans what they need most.
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the alarming new numbers on poverty in america. the census bureau now says that more than half of all americans are either low-income or living in poverty. that is 146 million people. 97 million are low-income catego category, another 49 million are living in poverty. the recession and the tough job market has made these numbers even worse especially for people like this woman who we found living in a tent city in new jersey. >> it's very hard for a company to decide to use a 61-year-old trainee. i'm too young for social security. so, yeah, it's going to be a rough -- a rocky flight. it's been a rocky flight. >> joining me now is anita beatty, executive director of atlanta's task force for the homeless and via skype, professor cornel west -- is
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cornel west ready for us? we'll go to him when he's set up for us. i want to bring you in first to this discussion because you work with the homeless in the atlanta area. these numbers first of all when you hear about this, does this surprise you? does it shock you? >> it doesn't shock me because of the increase in homelessness in the united states. the report doesn't connect homelessness to these numbers but there is an intimate connection. >> how is it that so many americans are struggling? >> well, people are unemployed or underemployed. 40% of the people we serve every day are working somewhere now, part-time, labor pools, whatever they can get. but they don't earn enough to pay rent in the marketplace in atlanta or anywhere in the country. you need to make $18 an hour at least to afford fair market rent in the united states and you need to make $16 an hour minimum in georgia to afford a fair market rent two bedroom
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apartment. >> what do they need to do to help those folks who are still struggling? what is the one thing that needs to change? >> the one thing that needs to change is the emphasis on housing costs and the subsidy of -- permanent subsidy of social housing, what we call public housing in the past. we have totally eviscerated the public housing stock. housing now is a private commodity that people can't afford and there's no control on private rent for private costs. so we're watching more an more people go into rental housing and pay their rents, but because the mortgages are high and the landlords don't have the value in the property, the landlords are not paying the mortgage with the rent so the people are being evicted. >> i understand this is a problem that's even worse in the south. why are we seeing that move where there's more struggle here? >> well, we have different racial make-up in the south and the majority of people -- well,
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more than half of african-americans who live under the poverty line are at risk of homelessness because they're paying more than 50% to 70% of their income for housing. so the discrimination in the housing market, commodities people need to afford like housing and health care, they're not entightments. >> i want to bring in professor cornel west. professor, have you been traveling the country, meeting people and you see the new faces of the poor. who are we talking about now? >> well, this is precisely what brother tavis smiley and i saw. talking about precious and priceless fellow citizens who are struggling, who are suffering, who are shuttering and we see a state of national emergency. these levels of poverty constitute a threat to our national security. i want to see a sense of urgency
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and tax policy is not a substitute for massive job programs and massive investment in housing and education. >> professor west, what do you want to see? we know the president is about to speak momentarily. what do you want to hear from him? is this something that the government can do? >> no doubt about it. i want to see that sense of urgency. i want to see the passion. i want to see the deep concern about the social misery of our precious fellow citizens of all colors who are literally catching hell out here. 73% of brown children -- >> we want to go to the president right now speaking at the white house. >> -- responsibility is rewarded. it's whether this is going to be a country where working people can earn enough to raise a family and build a modest savings and own a home, secure their own retirement, look after their kids. that's the test of our time.
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in some cases building this kind of economy is going to require some action from congress and right now congress needs to make sure that 160 million working americans don't see their taxes go up on january 1st. number of workers who joined us here -- none of the workers who have joined us here today can afford a $1,000 tax increase next year and it wouldn't be good for the economy. every economist indicates it is important for us to extend the payroll tax cut and make sure that unemployment insurance is extended. so this congress cannot, and should not, leave for vacation until that -- until they have made sure that that tax increase doesn't happen. let me repeat that. congress should not, and cannot, go on vacation before they have made sure that working families aren't seeing their taxes go up
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by $1,000 and those who are out there looking for work don't see their unemployment insurance expire. there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to extend these items, the payroll tax cut, before the holidays. there's no reason the government should shut down over this and i expect all of us to do what's necessary in order to do the people's business and make sure that it is done before the end of the year. now, only congress can prevent the payroll tax from going up next year, but there are some things that we can do without congress to help make sure hard work pays off, and that's why we're here today. right behind me here is my friend pauline beck. one day back in 2007 pauline was my boss. i was in california to take part in an event called walk a day in my shoes where you spend the day working the job of someone who
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was in the service industry and i was lucky enough to be paired up with pauline and i have to tell you, it ended up being one of my favorite days of the entire campaign. pauline is a home health care worker. when we met, she was getting up every day at 5:00 a.m. to go to work taking care of an 86-year-old amputee named mr. john. each day she'd dress mr. john and help him into his wheelchair. she'd make him breakfast. she'd scrub his floors. she would clean his bathroom. she was his connection to the outside world. and when the work day was done, she would go home to take care of a grand nephew and two foster children who didn't have families of their own. heroic work and hard work. that's what pauline was all about. one of the things i remember about pauline was her patience. she was patient with me even when i didn't wring out the mop properly or didn't shake out the sheets before putting them in the laundry bin. but i also remember listening to
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her talk about the hardships in her life and she did so without any self-pity. she was glad to be working hard and she was glad to be helping someone. all she wanted in return for a hard day's work was enough to take care of those kids she was going home to, enough to save a little bit for retirement, maybe take a day off once in a while to rest her aching back. each of the folks who are here today have has a story like pauline's. they represent nearly 1.8 million home care workers across the country. hard working professionals, mostly women, who work around the clock so that folks who need help, including many of our family members, can live independently in their own home. right now home care is one of the fastest growing industries in america, partly because we're getting older as a society and as the baby boom generation heads into retirement, more and
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more americans are going to need the services of these outstanding workers. but here's the thing. as the home care business has changed over the years, the law hasn't changed to keep up. so even though workers like pauline do everything from bathing to cooking, they're still lumped in the same category as teenage baby-sitters when it comes to how much they make. that means employers are allowed to pay these workers less than minimum wage with no overtime. that's right. you can wake up at 5:00 in the morning, care for somebody every minute of the day, take the late bus home at night, and still make less than the minimum wage. and this means the many home care workers are forced to rely on things like food stamps just to make ends meet. that's just wrong. in this country, it is unexcusable. i can tell you firsthand that these men and women, they work
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their tails off and they don't complain. they deserve to be treated fairly. they deserve to be paid fairly for a service that many older americans couldn't live without. and companies who do pay fair wages to these women shouldn't be put at a disadvantage. four years ago a home care worker named evelyn koch took her case all the way up to the supreme court. evelyn was working up to 70 hours a way with no overtime pay. but the court ruled against her saying that to change the law would require action from congress or the department of labor. i'm sure many of you won't be surprised to know that congress hasn't acted on this issue so far. today, i will. today we're guaranteeing home care workers minimum wage and overtime pay protection and that's thanks to the hard work of my secretary of labor, hilda solis. we are going to make sure that over a million men and women in one of the fastest growing
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professions in the country don't slip through the cracks. we'll make sure that companies who do right by their workers aren't yunt tut undercut by como don't. evelyn koch didn't live to see this day but the truth is, americans like evelyn and pauline and the rest of the workers who are here today, they're one of the reasons that i ran for president. they work hard. they play by the rules. in exchange they just want to see that their hard work and their responsibility is rewarded. it's that simple. americans all deserve a fair shake and a fair shot. as long as i have the honor of serving as president, i'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that those very modest expectations are fulfilled. i'm going to make sure that they are treated right. i'm going to make sure that every american is treated fairly. thanks very much, everybody.
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>> want to bring in gloria borger out of washington. first of all to talk about what the president is trying to achieve here through executive order. it seems to me as if it is kind of working on the edges here, that he can get some things accomplished without congress to help low and middle class folks. does this seem like this is a convincing strategy to voters, that this is a president who's paying attention to those who are struggling in this country? >> well, the whole thesis of what they call we can't wait is that congress isn't doing its job. we can't wait for them to do their jobs and therefore, he talks about things like he just spoke about now which is minimum wage and overtime protections for home health workers. but in the larger picture of things, suzanne, the first thing he said when he came out is that we also can't wait and that congress shouldn't go home for christmas vacation until it extends the payroll tax cut and
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that's also a pretty good political move for him, wouldn't you say? >> yeah. do we think that there's much that's actually going to get done though before the new year? >> well, here's the thing. i cannot imagine -- again, i could be wrong here. i couldn't want to be pollyanna. but i cannot imagine that these members of congress, knowing their low approval ratings, will want to leave here for christmas vacation before they make sure that the government doesn't get shut down and before they agree on some way to extent the payroll tax cut. the republican party has been divided on the question of the payroll tax cut. a lot of them think it didn't work so why would you extend it. but they have a difficult political point to make because if you want to extend tax cuts for the wealthy, why would you not want to extend tax cuts for the middle class? and you have barack obama arguing for tax cuts. so they're trying to protect
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themselves here. and i think these people, above all else, are politicians. they want to get re-elected, and so they don't want to go home without at least getting this done. >> they can't go home empty handed. gloria, thank you. i want to bring back in anita beatty because we were talking before about these rather shocking numbers from the census report saying that half the folks are either low-income or poor in this country now. you work with the homeless in the atlanta area. did you hear something from president obama that signals to you that he gets it, he understands, that he's trying to help those who you work with who are struggling? >> there wasn't any connection made between low-income jobs and pay and less than low income jobs and the cost of housing. we're looking at the greatest increase in homelessness among families. 25% of the homeless are children under 18. so the numbers are growing so dramatically that we have to
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have an urgent, an emergency response from the administration into homelessness. the occupy movement all over the country is connected with homelessness. certainly is here in atlanta. connected with foreclosures on families who are working. up to 40% of the people who are homeless are working but they can't pay rent. so that to me is the canary in the mud, the tip of the iceberg that the growing poverty rate, you can just predict how many people are going to experience homelessness in a year by taking 16% of the people into poverty. they will lose their housing at some point during the year. this is the emergency. >> anita, thank you so much for joining us here in the "cnn newsroom." i really appreciate it. thank you. a college campus rocked by allegations of hazing. florida a&m university and its world famous band is now under scrutiny. we'll talk with a college president and author about how to stop hazing.
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to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! florida a&m president promises to root out hazing on campus but he isn't saying what
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new steps the school plans to take. florida a&m has been in the spotlight since the death of its drum major in a suspected hazing incident. president james ammons says it is difficult to break this code of silence. >> one of the things that we have found with hazing is that there is a veil of secrecy. this is a culture not just here at florida a&m university, it's on college and university campuses all across america. >> in fact, the 2008 study found that 55% of students involved in clubs, teams, organizations, experienced hazing. in 95% of cases where students say they were hazed, they did not report it to campus officials. joining us to talk about hazing and how to deal with it is walter kimbrough, president of smith college in little rock,
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arkansas, also the author of "black greek 101" about the culture of african-american fraternities and sororities. we heard from the president of florida a&m. do you believe there is a veil of secrecy that exists here that makes it even harder to deal with this issue? >> yes, there is a great deal of secrecy around these groups and their hazing practices. part of the issue is that the students want to belong to these organizations and they are going to do whatever it takes to be a member. so if they have to participate in some of these, what some students might call a rooift passage, it is really just that the newest members have to prove their worth to the older members. they are willing to do those things so they can be fully accepted into these groups so they know coming in it is not allowed, it is not something you should do, it is illegal in most states, yet they have a strong affinity for these groups and they want to do whatever it takes to be a member. so there's no need for them to
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tell. they want to be in the group more than they want do anything else. so they are going to work not to tell which causes the problems. because we normally as campus administrators, you don't find out if there is a problem unless something very bad happens. most of the times they get away with it and they know that. when something bad like this happens, then it becomes the bigger problem. >> something of course we know very bad happened at florida a&m involving this drum major, robert champion, who died because of all of this. how widespread of a problem is this? >> oh, i think it is very widespread. we can chronicle hazing in the united states as early as the 1600s. it became very prominent in the 1850s but you can chronicle hazing back to the 1400s in germany and was really for the freshman, the newest on campus. they had to prove their worth. the same thing happened in the united states. freshmen had to prove themselves, but in the 1920s, colleges and universities started to outlaw this hazing of freshmen so it sort of migrated
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into different groups, fraternities, sororities, bands, athletic teams. so it is a major problem that we've dealt with for centuries. >> you were kree cerecently cal ban of the florida a&m. doesn't that really punish all the students who weren't doing anything if you suspend the band? >> we have a lot to deal with in the terms of higher education, but until you can figure out how do we operate very differently with these groups, one of the suggestions can you look at -- this is a common practice with f fraternities and sororities. if can you start over with a fresh group, you'll have some break with those negative traditions. other thing a part of all of these hazing case sthaz s is th
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have to put more on the onus of the students who are part of these organizations. that's part of the veil of secrecy the president talked about there. they don't feel like they have to say anything, just say i'll stay out of it. but everybody has something to lose when people don't speak. we've got to let students know there is a consequence for everyone who is a member of these groups if they are quiet about it. >> since the death of robert champion we've learned about other allegationed incidents of hazing at that university. three people were charged this week in the case of brea hunter who authorities say was beaten weeks before -- here's what her attorney said yesterday. >> accountability and responsibility is a critical part for any student who's a part of this. but even more so, florida a&m has to change. had perhaps florida a&m acted in an appropriate way, could it have saved robert champion's life? this happened three weeks before. >> do you agree?
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should the university -- cot university have done more? >> well, based on my knowledge of the case, not having seen all the facts for this case, but i know that there has been a program in place at that university like most universities to do some extensive training and education for students who are interested in joining the fraternities or sororities and well as the band and they have done training at florida a&m in terms of educating the students in terms of that. i think there is a lot of second-guessing what do we do. i've been having conversations with people how do we go forward, ramp up not only education, but in terms of the sanctions. i'm a proponent of maybe states need to get rid of hazing laws as whole and start treating everybody as assault, battery, manslaughter to give it a little bit more substance for people to say this is a serious crime and it is not just oh, boys being boys, horsing around that kind of thing. so maybe we need to look at the laws differently. >> i'm sorry, we've clearly run
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out of time but you also mentioned, as well, that this is -- you studied black fraternities and sororities at campuses and colleges but this is certainly not a kind of racial thing here, that this is something we see across the board with all schools, all organizations, all races. yes. >> right. exactly. we've seen a range of cases -- and we forget in the country -- it's sad but there was a 2003 high school case of the girls out of chicago that was a very brutal beating that was videotaped and we saw all over the place. so it transcends race and socioeconomic class. it's just been a problem that we've seen in higher education back to the 1400s in germany. >> walter kimbrough, thank you so much for your perspective. it is now a new day for iraq and its people after almost nine years. the war officially over. we're going to get a report from baghdad. [ nadine ] buzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz,
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you know, typical alarm clock. i am so glad to get rid of it. just to be able to wake up in the morning on your own. that's a big accomplishment to me. i don't know how much money i need. but i know that whatever i have that's what i'm going to live within. ♪ ♪ it's 4g, so you can do more faster. so, kathryn, post more youtube videos of your baby acting adorable. baby. on it. matt, ignore me and keep updating your fantasy team. huh? jeff, play a game. turbo-boosting now, sir.
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we go in-depth now to iraq. it is an historic day for that country and for the united states after almost nine years, the war is over. it officially end dad in baghdad during a ceremony known as the casing of the colors. from the beginning to now, almost 4,500 americans have lost their lives in iraq. more than 30,000 wounded and tens of thousands of iraqis have been killed, most of them civilians. cnn's arwa damon is in baghdad.
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>> reporter: it is now eerily silent where america's final military ceremony took place. the casing of the colors happening here in baghdad as the u.s. military officially ended its role here. there are still a few thousand troops in country. they will be departing by the end of the month. among those in attendance -- secretary of defense leon panetta telling those gathered here that they should remember the lessons of war and recalling, too, the american lives that were lost. but the u.s. overall painting a fairly optimistic future for iraq, though acknowledging that many challenges lie ahead. but when it comes to the sacrifices of war, perhaps no one knows them better than the iraqi population. you would be hard pressed to find a single family here that has not lost someone they know or a loved one. many iraqis incredibly disappointed, some of them bitter as well when it comes to the united states, because so many of them tell us that they had such great dreams when the u.s. invaded.
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they believed that america would bring them prosperity, that they would be able to thrive, that they would open up to the outside world and that they would find themselves a better future. instead iraq became embroiled in a bitter sectarian war and al qaeda took over huge swaths of the country. while security has significantly improved, since what many iraqis call the dark days, they are still not entirely sure that that kind of violence will not reemerge in the future. they say that there are incredible problems when it comes to governance. there's very little faith in the abilities of the country government to really form a government of national unity and there are great concerns about the potential security vacuum that could be left behind. arwa damon, cnn, baghdad. hollywood's foreign press association has announced the nominees for this year's golden globe awards. find out if your favorite actors and films made the cut. a.j. hammer is live with the results up next. but first, "the next list" is a new cnn program focusing on some of america's most creative minds.
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each sunday dr. sanjay gupta profiles people on the cutting edge of technology and innovation. this week, sanjay shows us what an album looks like today. ♪ >> so this is a brand-new thing. the idea is to create a complete fully immersive interactive experience that involves visuals, music and activity. you used to take an album home and you'd have to play it on a record player. think there is something kind of like reverential, almost like spiritual the way we would bond with an album. app has the potential to bring that back and the way it does it is by demanding all of your senses all at once. hey... there's mom! hey, let mom try.
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ready, go! ♪ yeah, rock on, mom! [ male announcer ] sometimes a hint is all the wrapping a gift needs. wait a minute...i... [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] the lexus december to remember sales event is here, but only for a limited time. see your lexus dealer for exclusive lease offers on the 2012 rx 350 and, as a gift from lexus, we'll make your first month's payment.
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the hollywood foreign press association announces its nominations for this year's golden globe awards. "showbiz tonight" host a.j. hammer is live with us from new york. george coonkoon cooney one of t nominees. >> he got multiple nominations,
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one for the best actor in a drama in the descendents and also his other film in the ides of march which earned him a directing. both of those clooney movies are nominated. ryan gosselin also got multiple nominations, up for best actor in "ides" and for his role in "crazy stupid love." also as we move on in that category it is up against "50-50," "bridesmaids," "midnight in paris" and "my week with marilyn." i just spoke with kenneth mara, just over the moon after learning the news of his nomination. >> to be recognized myself and michelle for this kind of thing is really -- it feels as though
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it is coming from an inside group who have a kind of understanding, appreciation of the the these things. so to get that far with a group like this is very exciting. >> branagh facing off against albert brooks for "drive." jonah hill got nominated for his "money ball" performance. jonah hill said he never could have imagined a world where his name was mentioned alongside all those great stars. we also continue to get all kinds of reaction from around hollywood. just got a statement from angelina jolie. her directing debut him "in the in the land of blood and honey" was not named in the best foreign language category. here's what she's saying this morning -- "i am grateful that the hollywood foreign press association is honoring our film. this is a true collaboration and i am forever indebted to our cast and crew who experienced their own personal tragedies in the bosnian war and gave me an
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authentic perspective into the conflict. this nomination is a tribute to the collective talent and passion of this extraordinary cast." brad pitt will be there for his personal labor of love, "money balanc ball." it is up against spectacular films. we all know that the golden globes, one of the big award show parties that truly is a party, this year a parade of a-listers there. globes being handed out on january 15th. ricky gervais back as host. we never know what to expect. >> i loved "bridesmaids." it was one of my favorites. >> i spoke with the producer and he just can't believe it and is
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kind is getting recognition. if you want more information on everything breaking in the entertainmen a.j.'s got it this evening tonight at 11 p.m. researchers say they have found hints of the so-called god particle. what is it and why is it so important. and had them read it. no, sorry, i can't help you with that. i'm not authorized to access that transaction. that's not in our policy. i will transfer you now. my supervisor is currently not available. would you like to hold ? that department is currently closed. have i helped you with everything you needed ? if your bank doesn't give you knowledgeable customer service 24/7, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. that's why i take doctor recommended colace capsules. [ male announcer ] for certain medical conditions where straining should be avoided, colace softens the stool for effective relief from occasional constipation.
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if you follow science, you might have heard of the so-called god particle. researchers have gotten some
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very interesting hints that it actually exists. i don't know what it is, i don't know why it is important. that's why we go to you, chad. >> nothing to do with god. >> okay. >> they thought when they found a particle and they thought it was -- what could we call this that would make people interested. calling it the higgs boson particle. what keeps all of those other at thom oms together? what's the blew that holds all the atoms together? the collider cern goes around 17 miles and they send these protons flying into space and they sent a bunch of them going this way, streams of these and eventually at one point they collide.
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this collision is what the big part is, what's the big thing. when you send the particles in and they collide with each other here, a bunch of things fly out. the flying out part is what we're seeing. can we find what is actually holding the protons together. holding this stream of mass together. holding you and me together. holding the world. kind of like gravity. holding us to the surface of the earth and when you drop an egg it hits the floor. we know gravity is there but we can't see it. we can prove it is there. we can prove that an apple falls from a tree and hits a guy on top of a head and all of a sudden you have gravity but can we really prove it? you can't see what's holding these atoms together either but they think as if they got these collisions going they thought they saw pieces -- not yet, this is not confirmed yet, but they think they have found pieces of what's holding it together called the higgs poson or also known as the god particle.
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>> that's cool. it holds everything together. thank you. as the war in iraq ends, we'll look at one of its tragic legacies. c start losing muscle- 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge!
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we go back now "in-depth" to iraq. the war there finally ended. one of its biggest legacies -- ieds, improvised explosive devices that have killed or
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wounded hundred of american troops. >> i got blown like 20 feet from our humvee and i remember looking up saying, oh god, oh god. >> the ied is a poor man's weapon of mass destruction. it's immediate, it's cheap, it doesn't require a large well-trained military force. it takes a very few people to build a bomb and even fewer people to hide the bomb. that's why it's become such an effective weapon. >> wow. this is what they put inside the ieds to kill us. this is what does our casualties right here.
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>> we were driving by and all of a sudden, boom. and i was hanging on the back of that truck which was basically the closest thing you can get to hell on this earth. we went into the war with one set of equipment designed for one type of warfare. by the end of the war, our tactics, our techniques, and our procedures were greatly modified because of the presence of ieds on the battlefield. >> little confusing. you don't know where they're coming from. you can just be walking down the street and, boom. people are hurt. >> they were everywhere and the ieds got more and more sophisticated as the years went on. the ieds got more sophisticated, the u.s. military armor got more sophisticated and it went on in a cycle like that. it was a battle between the ieds and the u.s. military's machine in trying to pump out protection
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for its troops against them. >> see how all the dirt is a different color over there and how it is freshly dug? it is a perfect sign there is an ied that's been planted there recently. >> it is clear that ieds in this contact during booby-traps during vietnam are going to be present in iraq for some time and in afghanistan some time no matter the technological advantages and the technological advances that we bring to this fight, they will be persistent on the battlefield and we just -- our troops need to be ready to confront them. >> i don't know. just kind of don't think about it. if you think about it, that's when it gets nerve-racking.

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