iowa. >> thanks. paul steinhauser. we'll see you later throughout the day. this reminder to all of you. tune in tuesday, america's choice 2012 will bring you the iowa caucuses live. it begins tuesday night, january 3rd, at 7:00 p.m. eastern. well, that's going to do it for me. the next hour of "cnn newsroom" comes to you live from studio seven at cnn center with seven at cnn center with fredricka whitfield. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com live from studio seven in atlanta i'm fredricka whitfield. let's get you up to speed for friday, december 30th. the race to the iowa caucuses heads into the home stretch. the first votes of the 2012 presidential race are just four days away now. a new poll shows that a cnn survey found earlier this week, mitt romney is in first place neck in neck with ron paul in the second spot. a re-energized rick santorum is in third.

more on the race straight ahead live. newt gingrich is starting his day in iowa meeting with moms at a coffee shop. newt gingrich has seen his support among likely caucus goers plunge. part of the reason is negative ads targeting him. analysis finds almost half of all the political ads in iowa have been attack ads against gingrich. crowds defy danger and took to the streets in syria today. opposition groups call the rallies the crawl to freedom square. they urge demonstrators to defy sniper attacks to make their way to public gathering places. the opposition says 32 people were killed by security forces today. the uprising has prompted some soldiers to defect. >> translator: we got the orders in the army that went against my oath as a soldier. i had sworn to protect

civilians, but when i saw what the government forces were doing to the people, i defected. they say there will be no change in policy despite the death of kim jong il now replaced by his son. the state-run news agency put out a statement saying north koreans are insulted south korea didn't allow more people to attend kim's funeral. it says, the tears they shed will turn into a, quote, roar of revenge. police in egypt stormed the offices of ten human rights and pro-democracy groups, some of which are u.s. funded. they took computers, other he electronics. the egyptian prosecutor's office says it's part of an illegal funding probe. the u.s. state department condemned the raids. >> we call on the egyptian government to immediately end the harassment of ngos. president obama is expected to ask for a $1.2 trillion

increase in the debt ceiling later today. remember all the drama over his last request? well, not so much this time. u.s. congress will have 15 days to refuse the president's request, but since lawmakers are in recess until january 17th, it will likely go through without much controversy. and new york police are preparing for a record crowd in times square tomorrow night. the police commissioner says he plans to deploy thousands of officers to keep the estimated 1 million people safe. >> you'll see mounted police officers, our helicopters will be up in the air checking a 200 block area around times square. everyone who enters the area will have to go through a magnatometer. there's six checkpoints. you heard about the mystery behind that winning lottery ticket that had been unzplamd well, it turns out just about two hours before it was set to expire someone did emerge. the unidentified winner sent a

representative to claim the $16.5 million jackpot. lottery officials hope to find out why it took the owner a year to come forward. we're in the home stretch of the mad dash to the finish line, however you want to describe it. the iowa caucuses now just four days away. we want to take a closer look at how the race is shaping up for the republican presidential candidates. joe johns is on the campaign trail in des moines. joe, another poll showing that mitt romney is at the top of the heap. is the romney camp feeling very confident right now? >> reporter: certainly not overconfident, fred. he has said he thinks he'll do pretty darn well, and i guess he's already doing pretty darn well in the polls. being first tied with ron paul, who is second. this is a guy who really didn't

campaign here in iowa all that much though he's here right now. he's got chris christie, the governor of new jersey campaigning for him. the campaign certainly not expressing any overconfidence but feeling as though, yeah, things are in pretty good shape certainly compared to four years ago when there was a lot of chaos and a lot of concerns stemming from the fact that governor mike huckabee was running very strong at that time, fred. >> joe, let's talk about rick santorum now. i know you're about to head to the santorum rally, one of them in ames iowa. can his campaign capitalize on the recent surge in the polls and what do they feel is actually behind it? >> reporter: i talked to rick santorum yesterday, and he's very excited obviously about this strong showing now in the polls. a lot of people question why it took him so long to get there. he is talking about what happens after iowa. he says he'd like to do well in

new hampshire and has done a little bit of outreach there, done a little bit of outreach in south carolina. let's listen to part of my interview with him. i'll come back and talk some more about him. >> i think we've done is to show that we've got the right vision for this country and that we have the trust of the people of iowa, that we're the authentic, real deal that can contrast with barak obama. we're the -- in a race similar to 1980, we're the reagan versus the more moderate candidate. we're the clear contrast. i think that's exactly what we need in this race. >> reporter: his problem though is organization and also a fund raise hg a good day once he got that pop in the polls. still far behind a guy like romney. hard to see how rick santorum sustains a battle that goes well past south carolina if you will, fred. >> then there's ron paul. he is close behind romney at the top in the latest poll. so does romney or does paul,

rather, feel like he's in position to win iowa and if he does, what happens to the race overall? >> reporter: yeah, the ron paul people are feeling very good about what they're doing right now. they've certainly got his message out, his message about libertarianism, smaller government. also i have to point out, he's not doing too bad in the polls in new hampshire as well. what happens beyond that anybody's guess, but right now it's looking pretty good for ron paul in this state. a lot of people think he can win it. the conventional wisdom, as you know, is that ron paul can't win the nomination but i think conventional wisdom has gone out the window a few times already in this race for the nomination in the caucuses in iowa, fred. >> it's been pretty non-traditional from the very start and continues to be so. joe johns, thanks so much. so this weekend is your chance to see the republican candidates for president offer their closing arguments, if you

will, uninterrupted in their own words. watch the contenders 2012 on cnn this saturday and sunday beginning at 2:00 eastern time. of course this reminder, tune in next week for the country's first vote in the presidential race. america's choice, 2012, live coverage of the iowa caucuses beginning tuesday night, january 3rd, 7:00 eastern time. it's your turn to talk back whether political, economic, personal. what are your hopes for 2012? i want to hear from you as you ring in the new year. what are your hopes for 2012? you can leave your post on my facebook page. that's facebook.com/fredricka whitfield cnn. here's a rundown of some of the stories we're covering. a group of muslim clerics boycotting breakfast with new york's mayor over alleged profiling by city police and the

cia. then police pull a man from this burning car. you won't believe what he was doing at the time joompt and verizon customers go off on twitter over a new $2 fee. also this. more protesters are killed in the streets of syria as demonstrators defy curfews. later, why 2011 was the costliest year ever for weather disasters. >> reporter: one resident called it a silent monster. the ominous wedge shaped image of disaster could be seen hitting the ground in alabama on live television. nyquil (stuffy): hey, tylenol. you know we're kinda like twins.

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go to genworth.com/promises. in new york a noted group of

muslim leaders boycotted the mayor's annual interfaith breakfast this morning. they report city police worked with the cia to spy on muslim communities following the september 11th attacks. the reports say the cia helped the nypd develop programs to profile and spy on muslims that police used informants to monitor sermons during religious services, and taxicab drivers and food cart vendors were monitored. last week they reported the internal watchdog group did not find any evidence of wrongdoing. the nypd calls the ap reports fictional. american islamic advocacy group is demanding answers. >> the mayor, when he knew about this, he should have investigated it. the leaders in the community, they communicated with his office and wrote him a letter declining respectfully the invitation because it is an opportunity to send a message

that this is wrong. >> mayor bloomberg told reporters we obey the law. authorities don't target anybody. he said police instead focus on leads. who to believe in this store ji and is any type of ethnic or religious fine warranted in the name of safeguarding lives. we're being joined from our d.c. bureau. good to see you. did nypd or the city of new york in any way cross the line? >> i think, fredricka, from a public relations standpoint they may have. from a legal stand point, probably not. all indications of what they were doing appear to have been lawful. it's the appearance of trying to profile in the community of being too aggressive in their surveillance efforts within the muslim community and not a sufficient amount of outreach to the leaders. i think that's where the problem is. this is a community whose support the police, the fbi, all law enforcement and intelligence need their support. they may have created themselves a public relations problem with

that. >> so is new york different, new york and washington, maybe in parts of pennsylvania a little bit different because there was a terror attack, a successful terror attack, and there have been other attempted attacks on new york? does the city have different parameters than, say, other cities to have this kind of cooperation with federal authorities to watch certain communities? >> well, mayor bloomberg and commissioner kelley will say that they are unique and that they are a particular target of attack and events over the last ten years have proven them right. so from that standpoint that's true. new york and washington, d.c., are the top targets. we haven't had midwestern cities or rural locations targeted by al qaeda. we've had new york city, the heart and soul of america's economy, and washington, d.c., the seat of government as the two main targets. >> so what is the working relationship between the nypd and federal agencies like the cia, fbi?

how closely are they working in this kind of cooperative, whether it be preventive law enforcement intelligence gathering? >> well, for decades there were restrictions on the amount of cooperation there could be between law enforcement and the intelligence community. a desire not to have the lines crossed between the two separate functions. but since 911 there's been outrage by what was perceived as a lack of sharing and so the efforts have been over the past ten years to increase the amount of cooperation, collaboration, and information sharing and even training in terms of the techniques of conducting surveillances and other intelligence collection methods. so there is a tremendous amount of cooperation, but in new york they believe that they need to enhance it with their own intelligence division and increase the amount of coverage that they're providing within their own communities. >> so these methods that are being alleged, even some of the

methods that you speak of, might that now be a setback for relations between mayor bloomberg and members of the muslim communities since the mayor prides himself on working very hard to develop a stronger relationship with the muslim community and now many members are feeling like they're being targeted? >> well, the fact that key leaders in the community have boycotted this breakfast and you have members of congress requesting that the justice department conduct a civil rights investigation, obviously it's a public relations almost nightmare for the city. they have to undo that. >> it's a big set back potentially for intelligence gathering? >> it's going to depend on how they handle it in the days and weeks ahead here. now mayor bloomberg achieved great cooperation when he stood up for the construction of the ground zero mosque and said that any type of bigotry like that was not going to be tolerated. now you have this situation so depending hon they handle it, depending on what happens in the

subsequent investigations now will determine really what kind of relationship they have in the community. they absolutely need the cooperation of the community. >> tom fuentes in washington. happy new year. checking stories. our affiliates are covering across the country. workers in allentown, pennsylvania, could begin exhuming graves at a historic cemetery today because of a sinkhole. a water main break caused the ground to cave as much as two feet in the graveyard. hundreds of the graves date back to the 1800s. many belong to civil war veterans. fire. jesus christ. that is the startled voice of a police office in grand rapids, michigan, who saw a man sleeping in this burning car. investigators say the man was drunk. his foot was pushing on the gas peddle causing the engine to race and eventually catch fire. >> grabbed ahold of him and i

grabbed ahold of him he came with me so i knew that he was okay. then i got him to the other side of the street where he was safe. within a couple minutes the whole car completely went up in flames. >> close call. meantime the officer ended up arresting the man but says he was happy he could actually save his life. and check out this hiker and his dog clinging to the side of a cliff? the hiker lost his footing while walking on a trail in lake view terrace, california. firefighters were able to send down a harness and actually pull both to safety. and in a year when people say they've been fed to death -- i'm sorry, they've been feed to death. a new word we're making up. a new $2 charge by verizon is riling customers. we'll take a lack at what they're so upset about. more important to do. hg he wasn't focused on his future

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all right. a new $2 convenience fee by verizon is really ang gerg some customers. there's some confusion over exactly what it is and how many verizon's 91 million customers it may actually impact. alison kosik joins me now from new york from the stock exchange there. what exactly is this fee all about. is it a one-time fee or does it keep going? >> okay. don't you first of all just love how they call it a convenience fee? >> whose convenience? >> that's just my two cents. so what does it mean? it means that every time you make a one-time payment, meaning if you make a one-time payment on your credit card, or if you call up verizon wireless on the phone and make a one-time payment, verizon wireless is going to charge you that $2.

this is of course in comparison if you set up, let's say, an automatic bill pay through your bank or you have an automatic bill pay through your card. verizon says this fee is to cover costs associated with those one-time credit card payments. the translation with, what they're doing is passing on those transaction costs that the credit card companies charge them. one thing verizon is doing, they're encouraging its customers to use its free payment options and it says it has many of those. fredricka? >> okay. so can you avoid it? >> yes, you can. let me go through all of the free payment options that verizon wireless says they have. for one you can pay with an electronic check on line or on the phone. you can enroll in auto pay like i suggested on your credit card or through your bank. you can use a verizon gift card. you can actually walk into the verizon store and pay for it that way. do it the old-fashioned way, put the old check in the mail.

just the idea, this sort of principle of having to pay the company just so you can pay your bill, it's really caused a lot of outrage, especially if you went on twitter or facebook yesterday. you saw all the outrage from consumers. you know, who knows if this backlash has any legs. you saw what happened with bank of america when it was considering charging that $5 fee on those debit card purchases. they backed down because of all of that consumer backlash. we'll see if it has any bearing this time around. >> all right. we'll see if verizon follows suit. thanks so much. they are outgunned, but they're still determined to fight. talking about syrian army defectors battling to keep a neighborhood from government control. the exclusive story straight ahead. n... nyquil: i heard him. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't.

here's a rundown of some of the stories we're working on. outnumbered and outgunned. not giving up. exclusive video shows how they're still fighting. then how a canine came to the rescue of an iraq veteran saving his life off battlefield. later, putting down your guns. why there's a call to disarm new year's eve revelers. it's a syrian neighborhood under siege, but the government is not in control. that's because of army defectors who joined the rebel force known as the free syrian army. cnn obtained this exclusive video from a foreign journalist and filmmaker who was recently in the syrian city of homs. we have agreed not to name him for his own security, and in this report he looks at how the

rebels outgunned by government forces keeps fighting. >> translator: the neighborhood of homs. fighters took me into a house with a man that was engaged in a shootout with snipers from the syrian military. this man say they are all defectors from assad forces. they call themself the free syrian army. one of the man managed to take rifle with a precision scope with him when he defected. but most of the fighters from the free syrian army are ill equipped, short on guns and ammunition, and with no weapons. still, they have managed to kick assad forces out of this city and hold the area. it's possibly the first place in syria beyond government control. checkpoints like this mark the

front line. >> translator: assad's troops are about 25 to 30 meters away from us with soldiers and tanks. we are here to prevent them from passing an killing young and old. >> the man introduced me to one of the leaders. he's one of the few willing to be identified. he was a lieutenant in assad's army before defecting. his uncle is a former syrian defense minister. >> translator: we got orders in army that went against my oath as a soldier. i had sworn to protect civilians, but when i saw what the government forces were doing to the people, i defected on june 2nd. >> people like him are here for the people of bahramo. he was cheered at an anti-government demonstration. but he is surrounded by the

syrian military and constantly shelled by tanks and artillery. in a meeting in a safe house he insists that even though assad has not used his air force against the uprising, only a no-fly zone imposed by the international community could help the rebels. >> translator: we are in contact with soldiers who are in the army. they tell us that a no-fly zone is essential to prevent them from getting bombed if they defect. >> for now the men of the free syrian army are fighting a guerrilla war against an overpowering foe. s they smuggle fighters in and out of the area they control evading government check points. at night they search everyone entering and leaving the area to stop government death squads. the sho-called shabiha from

getting in. >> translator: the street over there is controlled by the shabia. they are known to kidnap our women and children. we try to prevent this. when strangers stop here, we stop and search them. >> the people of this part of homs are not afraid to take to the streets. they are regular nighttime dances. after months of casualties, they have long lost their faith in non-violent protests. many believe that real change in syria will only come from the barrel of a gun. >> so crowds of protesters held anti-government rallies in syria even as reports of problems against demonstrators increased. joining us to talk about it is mr. ajami. 's a senior fellow at the hoover

institute. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> can it get any more volatile than this? are we looking at another potentially -- another libya unfolding where rebels are taking on government leaders violently through gunfire? >> well, there are many syrian people who would love to hear what you said. they would look at the libyan analogy, the libyan press is he dent as an encouraging one because let's remember in the end the international community, nato, united states, britain, france went to the rescue of the libyan people. alas for the syrian people, they're really fighting alone. this heroic story of the free syrian army and the reporter who went there, it's important to look at this. it's important to understand that the syrians are fighting alone, that they lack the guns and they lack the equipment to take on the troops of the murder remembers of bashar al-assad. they'll have to come to the rescue in order to level the killing field. >> what are your greatest worries here? >> well, fredricka, i think

there are lots of things to worry about. we know that, in fact, the head of the syrian national council, the umbrella exile organization, is talking now that there may be in syria 100,000 people who have been detained, 100,000 principally young men have been detain detained, that many have been taken to barges in the mediterranean in order to hide them from the arab monitors. we have to worry about the detained. we have to worry, in fact, that the syrian regime is going for broke because it is economically in trouble. in order to make sure it will overwhelm this rebellion t will do anything. >> arab league observers are on the ground in syria. what can they do? what will they see and be able to assess? >> well, unfortunately, not very much. i think there are many arab journalists and commentators who have begun to mark this arab league mission. they call it not the arab league monitors but the arab league

spectators. when you send a mission to syria where there is this brutality against the population headed by a sudanese general, he was in the forces of ba shirks an abducted war criminal, when you send that man and he goes to homs and says he found nothing frightening in homs when we know an infant of five years old was presented, was brought to the monitors and put on the carve one of the monitors, so when this man says he saw nothing frightening in homs he must be thinking of the darfur standard. his sense of what is frightening may be very different from yours and mine. >> is it up to the syrian president, assad, can he single hand deadly stop this kind of violence? >> well, he can, but he's not going to because his regime is really invested in this kind of violence. there is his younger brother who's a killer. there is his sister and brother-in-law.

they're the intelligence barrons. his cousin is king of the economy. they're looting the country and killing the people. the city of homs, that city found the courage and the nobility and the heart to stand up to this tyranny and to stand up to this violence. >> senior fellow at stanford's hoover institute. thanks so much. >> thank you. mending the wounds of war certainly takes time. when the wounds are emotional, however, it's even more difficult. see how a canine companion became an iraq veteran's link to healing. [ sniffs ] i have a cold. [ sniffs ] i took dayquil but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ deep breath] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is.

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a soldier goes to war and returns home with severe emotional scars. in this week's human factor dr. sanjay gupta introduces us to iraq war veteran, jeff mitchell, whose road to healing came from an unlikely source. >> reporter: the story begins a long time ago, with a boy and his mother. >> you never expect to have a child and send them to war. >> reporter: the boy becomes a man and then comes 9/11 and the army is calling his name. >> i do remember crying,

pleading, begging. then it got to the point where you have to support what they want to do. >> reporter: jeff rolled through baghdad in 2003. he did two tours of duty fighting in the desert. when he comes home, there are violent outbursts. heavy drinking. a stay in rehab. finally, a diagnosis. severe post traumatic stress disorder. >> never left my room. drinking. the entire time i was awake. there wasn't a whole lot there. >> reporter: here it gets better. you see, this story has a girl. jeff gets involved with a group called paws for vets, and he meets tazzie. she had been picked up running wild in afghanistan. she was a psychological wreck. >> there's six to eight guys and probably eight dogs. the first thing that she did was find a corner and get as far

into that corner as she could. >> i could sit here and pet a dog all day long. >> reporter: as you can see, in nine months tazzie has come a long way. jeff too. it's obvious he's still on edge, but tazzie makes his life easier. >> go play. >> reporter: someone walks up behind them, she'll give jeff a numbering. when the dark thoughts begin to cascade, she can stem the flow. >> reporter: can tazzie tell? >> it will be something as simple as her coming over to me and whatever else may be going through my mind just gets knocked down a notch or two. >> reporter: it may not sound like much, but with tazzie, jeff gets out of the house. even the public events like this one with paws 4 vets. >> reporter: you think about all that modern medicine has to offer, and in jeff's case it wasn't enough it sounds like. >> right. >> reporter: but then this dog comes into his life and seems to help a lot. >> oh, more than a lot.

she has saved him. she absolutely -- >> reporter: you believe that? >> i absolutely know that she has saved him. >> are you done showing off? >> reporter: dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, brazleton, georgia. >> this weekend sanjay takes a look back at the top medical stories of 2011 that captured his attention and changed our lives. be sure to check out sanjay gupta, md, this saturday and sunday, 7:30 a.m. eastern right here on cnn. lake superior state university has come out with its annual list of words and phrases that should be banned from the english language. they asked people to nominate words that are being overused or misused. so here are some of the most nominated words. man cave. you hear that one all the time on those home improvement shows in particular. here's another one, ginormous. the phrase thank you in advance. which overused words do you think top the banned sflis

here's a hint. one cnn anchor uses it a lot. 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. [ male announcer ] it's easy to see what subaru owners care about. ♪

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aspercreme breaks the grip, with maximum-strength medicine and no embarrassing odor. break the grip of pain with aspercreme. so we told you some of the words and phrases a michigan university says should be banned because they've just simply been overused or misused.

words like ginormous, thank you in advance. so what was the most nominated word? amazing. that's amazing, isn't it? one nominator mentioned our own anderson cooper for being a frequent overuser of that word. >> amazing pictures out of north korea. >> we turn to the funeral of north korea leader kim jong il. it is just amazing. caught on tape a driver's rampage through his neighborhood. amazing video. amazing video, more than 300 million hits. amazing. okay. i hope he loves that. we still love him. so would a lake superior university give anderson a ginormous thank you in advance for not using that amazing word in the future? he's still amazing. all right. at least one presidential candidate is actually leaving iowa today just four days before the caucuses there. paul steinhauser is live from

the campaign trail in des moines. paul, who is leaving so close to the caucuses? isn't that dangerous? >> reporter: it's one of the two -- maybe, maybe not. here is the story. it's one of the front-runners out here in iowa. that's congressman ron paul. fred, that's where he's going, back to texas. they tell me he's going to spend tomorrow and sunday, new year's eve weekend with his wife and back here monday to campaign. here's my take. listen. we know ron paul supporters in iowa and nationwide very energetic, enthusiastic. they will come out on caucus night even if he's not here for a day or two. it is kind of interesting, fred. >> it certainly is. newt gingrich, let's talk about him. he is there still in iowa. he's holding an event right now, in fact. it's kind of a coffee event, right, for mostly moms in the audience? >> yeah. a lot of pictures, as you said, right here in des moines. just a couple blocks from where i am.

it's the secretaond stop this morning. he was the front-runner here in iowa just a couple of weeks ago. all those negative ads against him on the air waves have brought his numbers down. a new study just came out today that indicated half of all the ads on tv here in iowa are attack ads against gingrich. he's thinking about maybe putting up his own ad defending his ties to freddie mac. remember, the mortgage giant, he did work for them and receive a lot of money. he's been getting attacked by the other candidates over that. gingrich a couple minutes ago was talking about the negative ads. a funny thing happened. take a listen. >> i don't know what the number is, 6 million, 8 million, $9 million. all of you experienced that. you see, there's an attack right there. >> i bet ron paul is behind that. >> so it sounds like he has a good sense of humor about it.

>> reporter: you never know what's going to happen on the campaign trail. >> you never know. you just have to roll with it, right? sometimes you're really graded on that spontaneity, how well you handle it. paul steinhauser, appreciate that in des moines. for the latest political news, you know exactly where to go, cnnpolitics.com. are you sounding off on our talk back questions? what are your hopes for 2012? julia writes, i hope i can get enough funding to stay in school. more of your responses moments away. one day i'm on top of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region

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a massachusetts man has reached a milestone in saving lives. rocco russo has been donating platelets. they decided to donation. he was first inspired by a friend's daughter who was undergoing chemotherapy at the time. 14 years later she is alive and well and was on hand to actually celebrate him. >> i just had to do something so i chose to come here. >> some people give once, some twice, but to give 300 times every other week religiously is incredibly moving. >> he is remarkable! the hospital's director estimates russo's donations have saved 600 lives.

you've been responding to our "talk back" question as we are in the waning hours of 2011. what are your hopes for 2012? here's jeff's list. optimistic about the economy getting better. hope the tone in politics changes and that president obama gets re-elected. liz writes -- a new president with the solid integrity, character and knowledge and experience to save our economy and wisdom to shore up our constitution and save our nation as the world leader -- mitt romney. he loves the backbone of our nation, the family and god and i've gotten to look him in the eye and talk with him. he is the real deal. that from liz. kyle says -- i just want to make great grades in 2012. chester writes this -- my wish this 2012 is that the whole family is complete and filled with peace around the world. happy new year. keep the conversation going. you can leave your post on my facebook page. that's

facebook.com/fredrickawhitfield cnn. we'll air more of your thoughts next hour in the "cnn newsroom." deadly tornadoes, damaging droughts, massive wildfires. chad meyers will have more of why this year's weather was so extreme and what we can expect in 2012. ng): he said nasal congestion... nyquil: i heard him. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't.

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[hissing] [ding] announcer: cook foods to the right temperature using a food thermometer. 3,000 americans will die from food poisoning this year. check your steps at foodsafety.gov. the national weather service says 2011 was one of the most disastrous years on record. violent weather killed hundreds of people and left tens of

billions of dollars in damage. chad meyers has a look back. >> reporter: one resident called it a silent monster, the ominous wedge shaped image of disaster could be seen hitting the ground in alabama and roaring toward tuscaloosa, on live television. despite that realtime coverage, at least 41 people died in a six-mile path of destruction. it was part of a super cell week of over 175 violent tornadoes that killed at least 327 people in the south. >> i would say 2011 was certainly a year for the record books. deadly, destructive and relentless are the word we're using in the national weather service. >> reporter: but 2011 was more than tornadoes. noaa says a new u.s. record was set with 12 separate billion dollar or more weather disasters. which combined caused property damage to the tune of $52 billion and killing 646 people. cropless fields in texas.

in the south and west, heat and drought conditions brought losses to crops and live stock to $10 billion. and it fueled massive wildfires like this one in austin, texas which ravaged this neighborhood. the drought was forecast to continue well into the new year. but if you look at our water it looks like we have plenty here. this is atlanta's drinking water, lake lanier. the only problem as i walk up the hill to this stick, at full pool, this water would still be way over my head. this year the trouble started early. a ground hog day blizzard in chicago paralyzed the city with two feet of snow. in the spring, midwest snow trickled south and combined with three times the normal rainfall, caused the mississippi to flood. above-average hurricane season resulted in only one storm making landfall -- that was irene. category 1 in north carolina, but it moved up the atlantic coast causing widespread flooding and 45 deaths. and then there was the unheard of halloween snow in october.

but why are we seeing these extremes? one reason -- la nina. let me explain la nina. it is when cooler than normal water is off the coast of south america. it changes our forecast pattern because it changes the jet stream just a little bit. it creates a big drought across texas, we saw that, a drought across the southeast, and a new area of wet weather that this year turned into a new tornado alley. the weather pattern allows for a new normal, say experts, with bigger, deadlier and more active weather extremes. events which now have growing cities and populations to target. >> we've moved people. we've put resources and have economic and life issues now with these. >> have we put people in danger by letting them move there? >> i think that's one of the grand things about america. we let people make their own choice. >> reporter: no iowa aa is launa

new public awareness campaign to launch coast to coast that it can happen to you. >> some service asensements we found people were desensitized to warnings. >> reporter: as 2011 ends, the new year is already beginning to define itself with conditions eerily similar to those that caused so much death, havoc and sorrow. >> chad meyers with us now. so la nina is getting a good part of the blame for all of that destruction in the u.s. are we looking at another year of la nina effect? >> the numbers are still pointing to another la nina in 2012 so that could cause the drought to kin in texas. the new tornado alley that is mississippi, alabama, tennessee, parts of georgia, could continue. we didn't really have that many tornadoes in tornado alley itself. it kind of shifted to the east. there were six f-5 tornadoes this year. that's couple hundred and a half miles an hour or better. the last one before this year was 2007.

before that, 2008. then 1999. so these don't happen very often. >> those are typically in tornado alley? >> yes. iowa, oklahoma, places like that. kansas. but six f-5s in one year is unbelievable. to kill that many people, it's the second-highest deadliest tornado season since we've been counting people's deaths. >> incredible. >> i know there are more people out there and there are more people in the way but we have better sirens. we have warnings. we have radios so the understanding that people now know that they're coming but these tornadoes were so big this year, some of them were unsurvivable. >> that's incredible. we'll keep our fingers crossed that hopefully 2012 will bring us better luck weather wise. >> we have tours come through here every day. hundreds of people come through, thousands of people, too. they're out there, we can look at them now. but people from texas yesterday came in and said, please make it rain. it is so awful living where we live right now. there are no plants living where

we live. we lost half a million trees in texas. need to shake this up. >> they've already been stressed out and that makes it even worse. happy new year. we're hoping. it is going to be a happy one. >> i'll see you next year. >> yes. 2012. a good one. top of the hour right now. hello again, everyone. i'm fredricka whitfield. let's get you up to speed. the race to the iowa caucuses heading into the homestretch. the first votes of the 2012 presidential race just four days away now. a new poll shows that a cnn survey found earlier this week mitt romney is in first place, neck and neck with ron paul in second. a re-energized rick santorum, third. more on the race straight ahead live from iowa. crowds defy danger and took to the streets in syria today. opposition groups called the rallies the crawl to freedom square. they urged demonstrators to defy sniper attacks to make their way

to public gathering places. the opposition says 32 people were killed by security forces today. the uprising in syria has prompted some soldiers to defect. >> translator: we got orders in the army that went against my oath as a soldier. i had sworn to protect civilians, but when i saw what the government forces were doing to the people, i defected. north korea says there will be no change in policy in the secretive country despite the death of kim jong-il. now replaced by his son. the state-run news agency put out a statement saying north koreans are insulted south korea didn't allow more people to attend kim's funeral. it says the tears they shed will turn into a "roar" of revenge. police in egypt stormed the offices of ten human rights and pro democracy groups taking documents, computers an other electronics. the egyptian general prosecutor's office says it is part of an illegal funding probe.

the u.s. state department condemned the raids. >> we call on the egyptian government to immediately end the harassment of ngos. president barack obama is expected to ask for $1.2 trillion increase in the debt ceiling later on today. remember all the drama over his last request? well, not so much this time. congress will have 15 days to refuse the president's request, but since lawmakers are in recess until january 17th, it will likely go through without much controversy. new york police are preparing for a record crowd in times square tomorrow night. police commissioner ray kelly says he plans to deploy thousands of officers to keep the estimated $1 million safe. >> you will see mounted police officers, our helicopters will be up in the air, checking a 200-block area around times square. everyone who enters the area will have to go through a magnetometer check. those entry points are along 6th

avenue and 8th avenue. there are 16 of them. that that mystery lottery ticket in iowa has been turned in just two hours before it was set to expire. unidentified winner sent a representative to claim the $16.5 million jackpot. lottery officials hope to find out why it took the winner a year to actually come forward. now just four days to go until the first votes of the 2012 presidential race and the candidates are making a final push for support in the iowa caucuses. mitt romney and his team may be feeling more confident after a second poll showed him leading the pack. jim acosta joins us now live from des moines. so jim, romney started slow in iowa. but he is campaigning hard in the homestretch and this after not spending a whole lot of time in iowa. >> reporter: that's right. he is going all-in this iowa,

fredricka, after spending basically very little time in this state. he was only on his eighth trip this week. mitt romney is really kicking it in to high gear trying to win these iowa caucuses because two basically be a near knockout blow to the rest of the gop field if he were to win in iowa, then go on to win in new hampshire. he would be very hard to stop. as you mention, there's that new nbc news survey that just came out showing him statistically tied with ron paul but in the lead. that's basically what our cnn/"time" magazine/orc polled showed earlier this week. the rest of the field has been beating each other up while mitt romney has been able to focus on president obama. he was campaigning this morning with new jersey governor chris christie in west des moines. mitt romney went right after the president. >> the other day president obama said, you know, it could be worse. that was his line, it could be worse. can you imagine hearing that from a pessimistic president?

it could be worse. that goes down with marie antitoinette, let them eat cake. he's in hawaii right now. we're out in the cold and the rain and the wind because we care about america. he's out there, he just finished his 90th round of golf. >> reporter: now chris christie probably had the line of the day. he said to the crowd here in iowa that if they don't deliver a victory for mitt romney, he's going to come back jersey style. so it was sort of a light-hearted threat from the new jersey governor. i think the crowd took him pretty seriously. but heading into the final stretch here, the last days before the iowa caucuses, mitt romney's going to be spending a lot of time here. he's just going back briefly today for one or two stops up in new hampshire, then he's coming back to des moines, back to iowa this weekend. he's going to be here for basically the final stretch of these days before the iowa caucuses. then he's going to spend the night on caucus night in des moines before doing some tv interviews the following morning after the returns have come in. that is a sign that the former

massachusetts governor is very confident right now, fredricka. >> jim, very intriguing here. chris christie, new jersey governor who received a whole lot of pressure and encoura encouragement to run himself, then he said no. but he is on the campaign trail, instead promoting mitt romney. what does he bring to the campaign and how comfortable does he seem to be trying to push for another candidate on the presidential campaign trail? >> he is clearly one of the most popular figures inside the republican party right now. there's no doubt about it. i mean as you said just a few moments ago, there was a lot of pressure to get chris christie to jump into this race, and not just by republican activists, conservative activists. there were big donors who wanted chris christie to get into this race. chris christie campaigning with mitt romney out on the campaign trail is not going to hurt mitt romney when it comes to raising money to run in this campaign and the other thing that it does, fredricka, it gets a lot

of people talking about a mitt romney/chris christie ticket in 2012. christie was asked about this possibility in recent days. he has said, look, this is something i would actually look at. so he did not close the door on this, even though at that press conference -- you remember, earlier this year he said, wait a minute, i'm not thinking about 2012, i'm focused on being the governor of new jersey. but the other day he did leave the door open so folks are going to be talking about this, and because christie is so popular, that doesn't hurt mitt romney. >> doesn't hurt at all. thanks so much, jim acosta. we'll check back with you. this weekend, your chance to see the republican candidates for president offering their closing arguments, so to speak, uninterrupted and in their own words. watch the contenders 2012 on cnn this saturday and sunday afternoon beginning at 2:00 eastern time. this reminder -- tune in next week for the country's first vote in the presidential race. america's choice 2012. live coverage of the iowa caucuses beginning tuesday night, january 3rd, 7:00 eastern

time. right now it is your turn to "talk balk," whether political, economic or personal. what are your hopes for 2012? on a new year.f midnight we want to hear from you as you ring in the new year. what are your hopes for 2012? you can leave your post on my facebook page, facebook.com/fredrickawhitfield cnn. we'll air some of your thoughts later on in the hour. here's a rundown of some of the stories we're covering over this next hour. first, they're getting ready to drop the ball in times square. we'll take you there live. then, the tragedies behind shooting off guns on new year's eve. >> it took my only child away. >> you think people realize what they're doing? >> that person probably didn't know what he did. and the census says half of

americans are considered low-income or poor. we'll talk to some families who went from middle class to relying on food pantries. also, ron paul is making a decent showing in iowa. but if he gets the republican nomination, would any of the presidential candidates actually vote for him? and later, they're loshging and loading around the country. how an increase in gun sales is tied to theala presidential rac.

just four days away from the iowa caucuses and a rather rare moment on the campaign trail just witnessed moments ago. republican candidate newt gingrich on the campaign trail in des moines. he was actually the centerpiece of kind of a coffee talk with

moms there and he was asked about his mother kitt who died back in 2003 and it really ended up being a rather tender moment for the republican candidate. let's take a look at that moment when he started to talk about his mom and who she suffered from depression and other health matters. >> my whole emphasis on brain science comes indirectly from dealing with -- see? but dealing with the real problems of real people in my family. and so it is not a theory. it is in fact, you know, my mother. i do policy much easier than i do personal. >> and they're going to be mad at me. but if she were here today what would you tell her? >> if she were here today?

>> yes. >> well, she'd be talking to all these people. >> a real tender moment there for newt gingrich talking about his mom, kitt who died back in 2003. he was kind of revealing himself there before a large crowd of moms at that coffee talk there in des moines. again just four days away from that iowa caucus. meantime, just a little over 24 hours away now from the big ball to drop in new york's times square. saying good-bye to 2011. "the new york times" is already getting ready for the annual new year's eve party where you and a million of your closest friends will be welcoming in 2012. workers there are putting final touches on the ball and making sure the lights and confetti machines are ready to go off. in fact, they took a dry run of that confetti. susan candiotti joins us now from times square in the middle of this all. and still a lot of debris of that dress rehearsal on the ground.

right? >> reporter: oh, sure. well, we're probably the ones causing the debris, fred. we've got the glasses and we have our own confetti. we got this from organizers and we saved it just for you. also, your timing is perfect. look up behind us. they just brought the ball up from the bottom to the top. obviously they're testing it out. the beautiful ball made of waterford crystals. you're getting a preview. they're slowly dropping the ball right now. that's a tradition that goes back to 1907 at that time, the ball was made of iron and wood. not so much now. looks a lot different, doesn't it? part of many preparations going on right now, fred, they've got the stage set up right here. lady gaga will be performing, justin bieber and of course, not performing, but our own anderson cooper and kathy griffin will be right up there on a corner of the stage as well broadcasting for cnn. fred? >> they'll kind of be performing. they're going to keep us all

amused. why know that's going to happen. meantime, with hundreds of thousands who will be descending upon time's square there, talk about the very serious subject of security and how the city is preparing to keep everyone safe. >> reporter: because of all the people that will be here, we're in the middle of one the pens will be. covers a ten-block span. there will be people behind barricades here as we've seen every year, a billion people watching this on television so, yes, the eyes of the world will be on us. so security is very important. and in fact, the commissioner of police here ray kelly told me just yesterday that there is no current security threat, but clearly new york is always regarded, he says, as a primary target and so they are ready. they will have more than 500 cameras trained on this area. there will be checkpoints. at 16 points up and down the entrances into times square. everyone will have to pass through a metal detector. and if you come into the barricades here, you can't go out and come back in without

going through security all over again and good luck with that, fred. >> good luck on much movement anyway, because everyone's going to be sandwiched up against one another. they know they're going to be staying put for hours. once you're there, you're there. susan candiotti, thanks so much. if you're not going to be there physically, you can be by way of television. of course you can tune in right here on cnn starting at 7:00 eastern time for anderson cooper's big celebration with all the stars and kathy griffin there from new york's times square. what goes up must come down. if that object is a bullet, the outcome, of course, can be deadly. around new year's we hear a lot about celebratory gunfire and the damage that it does. george howell shows us what one mother is doing to stop the shooting. >> i see sparks. i see the spark. >> reporter: it is a dangerous tradition that plays out across the country each year with deadly consequences.

>> we were sitting exactly over here on this right inside exactly where that bucket is. that's where both of us were sitting. next to each other. >> reporter: something natalie peters knows all too well since her son was killed two years ago inside this church at a new year's watch party. >> you can still see when you look up there, you can still see -- >> it pierced the roof. >> that's where it came down. >> yes. so i didn't really know what happened so i picked him up because he was bleeding so much. then others were saying it was a bullet. >> reporter: the victim of celebratory gunfire, a stray bullet struck this young boy in the head. his mother may never know who fired the fatal shot but the tragedy has sparked a movement. officials are asking people to take a pledge online, a promise not to fire off weapons. >> has marquel's pledge made a difference in dlekalb county whn it comes to celebrating with

gunfire? wel we >> well, we saw a 47% decline in the celebratory gunfire from one year to the next as a result of our campaign. >> reporter: police are using microphones placed in neighborhoods that can capture the sound of gunfire and pinpoint its origin. and in miami, city officials are promoting a campaign called one bullet kills the party to prevent death and injuries seen in recent years. >> when you hear the gunshots, when you see someone out there this holiday season, when you see them out there celebrating with gunfire, please, stop, pick up the phone, dial 911. >> whether people don't think about it or if they don't realize it at the time, you fire a bullet in the air, it can travel great lengths and it must come down somewhere. and in this case two years ago, it came down through the roof of this church and changed a family's life forever. >> it took my only child away. >> do you think people realize

what they're doing. >> that person probably didn't know what he did. but he probably didn't know what happened. >> heartbreaking. gor george howell with us now. talk specifically about georgia and what legislation or protections are in place so that this sort of thing doesn't get out of hand. >> right now it is a misdemeanor in georgia. you get caught, you pay a fine. you could spend some time in jail, but natalie peters, you can understand with what she went through, just not satisfied with that. she wants to see this become a felony if you're caught with more jail time attached. she is talking to lawmakers and getting some traction on the idea of making this a felony. >> because there really is this kind of common, i guess, sense or feeling in many communities that it's okay. it is just something that's acceptable. it is something that people do. and -- >> and i've seen it. >> -- there really isn't any discouragement.

>> i worked at wsb traveling around on new year's, covering stories. >> here in atlanta. >> yeah, right here in atlanta. and on this night, you would see people shooting bullets into the air, you'd hear it, rather. it's something that happens in neighborhoods across the country. so this is an effort here in georgia to at least try to stop it. >> george howell, thanks so much. we also know this these days -- the middle class is shrinking. but did you know almost half of all americans are considered low-income or poor? that's 146 million people. hear from two mothers who went from having great homes, comfortable homes and great jobs, to eating at food pantries. is it because taking a step represents hope? or triumph? at genworth, we believe in taking small steps every day to keep your promises, protect what matters, and prepare for a secure financial future. no matter where you want to go,

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the recession officially ended long ago, but tell that to the 146 million americans now considered either low-income or in poverty. the census bureau says 97 million americans are in the low-income category right now. another 49 million fall below the poverty line. poppy harlow met up with two families to hear their struggles and they are the new faces of the poor. >> it is a fight every day. >> a fight every day. >> every day. >> reporter: they're stuck in the middle. not living in poverty, but not making it either. many too ashamed to show their face. we met this young mother at a new jersey food pantry she used to o donate to. but today, she came for help. why did i meet you here today? >> five kids. one bag of chicken left in the house and it is only four pieces in there. >> reporter: a mother of three and helping take care of two other children. her job, she says, a victim of downsizing. but it wasn't always this way.

2009 for you, life was good. >> you you had. it was great. you know? three cars, house, kids. >> reporter: a similar story for this mother an her daughter. did you ever think that you would be living with your three kids in a shelter? >> no. i never thought in a million years that i would be at this point this bad. i was working. the money that i was making -- i was able to pay my bills. until goit laid off from my job. >> reporter: she was bringing in between $40,000 and $50,000 a year. here in bergen county, new jersey, the median household income is more than $77,000 a year. but the cost of living is steep. they were evicted in december. where do you sleep? >> well, we transition from church to church. >> do your friends know that you're living in a shelter? >> no. i just feel like they might look down on me or like feel pity for me. i don't want that.

>> reporter: nearly 1 in 2 americans is now living on the lower end of the income scale. for a family of four, that's less than $45,000 a year. the recession may be over, but it doesn't feel that way. >> we're seeing a tremendous increase and much of that increase has to do with people that never, ever thought that they were going to need to come to an emergency center. >> people that were middle class? >> people that were middle class, people that were donors. >> i think what we're seeing is that the middle class is going away. >> reporter: kate runs a local non-profit and is working to help get this family back on their feet. >> families that do have educations and had decent jobs are now being laid off. >> these are the families that are stuck in the middle, aren't they? >> exactly. they fall through the cracks. >> and there's a lot of them. >> there are a lot of them. but that's the frightening part.

>> never thought i'd be here. don't know why i have to go through this. >> poppy with us now. so why is it that so many families are in worse shape this year? >> right. i mean we hear the recession is over and the economy is slowly supposed to be getting better. i think the stark reality, fredricka, is that it is not getting better for these people. a number of reasons, mainly because if they have a job, it is likely that their wages are stagnated or have fallen dramatically. that's what we've seen in this had country not only the last three years but for decades. and also the cost of living is going so much higher. the cost of food, the cost of energy, the cost of rent, for example, if you've lost your home and are trying to rent. that's what happened to these families and it is what happened to so many people that i spoke with on the phone, that i met in person out in the field. a lot of them just would not go on camera, would not share their stories. these families were brave enough to do that but this is not just two families. this is really this growing tale of two americas, a growing wealth gap and the fact that the

recession may technically be over but it does not feel like it for millions and millions of americans. >> i know they're hoping for better. so are we, for them, for 2012. thanks so much, poppy. well, his rivals say his views are outside the mainstr m mainstream. but ron paul has the potential to shake up the republican race. we'll talk about the paul factor next. all because so many people wanted to visit us... in louisiana. they came to see us in florida... nice try, they came to hang out with us in alabama... once folks heard mississippi had the welcome sign out, they couldn't wait to get here. this year was great but next year's gonna be even better. and anyone who knows the gulf knows that winter is primetime fun time. the sun's out and the water's beautiful. you can go deep sea fishing for amberjack, grouper and mackerel. our golf courses are open. our bed and breakfast have special rates. and migrating waterfowl from all over make this a bird watcher's paradise. so if you missed it earlier this year, come on down. if you've already been here come on back...

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for 2012. he's running high in the polls in iowa, but few of his rivals expect ron paul to be the republican presidential nominee. >> i mean i think it is very difficult to see how you would engage in dealing with ron paul as a nominee. >> i have to take a lot of antacids when i go in the voting booth and vote for him. >> dana bash joins us from washington now to talk about the ron paul factor. dana, why is a possible victory for ron paul potentially problematic and for whom? >> reporter: well, look, fredricka, some iowa voters are really focused on picking the most republican likely to beat barack obama. our poll numbers show that those voters are settling on mitt romney in iowa. but the same dynamic we saw with the gop takeover of the house is propelling ron paul in iowa. they mostly want to send a message to washington. >> what would be that message? >> the message, fredricka, is that the government is too big, that the deficit and debt are too large, that we need to rein in the government and slash

spending. to be fair, ron paul has been talking about this for years and years. way before it was cool. several republican leaders in iowa that have been talking to over the past few days tell me what's going on is the elent rat in many ways is catching up with ron paul. where paul runs into problems and is real reason virtually no one thinks he can ultimately become the republican nominee is because he takes his libertarian views to an extreme and he is an unbending isolationist when it comes to foreign policy, fred. >> talk a little bit more, zero in on some of that foreign policy or his views on that. recently he had some pretty sharp views about iran's threat. >> if tomorrow under these conditions if they closed the straits of hormuz, i would not see that as an act of war against us. it would be an act of war against those countries there. >> so why is it that some members in the party kind of bristle when they hear ron

paul's explanation like this? >> you know, ron is a great example. it is a huge issue for many of the so-called neoconservatives in the gop. so hearing ron paul say what he just said or that sanctions are an act of war, or he doesn't believe that iran has a nuclear weapon, or that he doesn't think iran is a threat to israel, it makes republicans, many of them, go berserk, fred. it is not just that. it is also how libertarian his views are and how that effects things like his position on terrorism. let me give you an example. the publisher of of the conservative newspaper the kwun "union leader" in new hampshire -- this is nothing short of nuts. what is needed to competently fight a war and al qaeda is indeed a war with us is the ability to gather information. telling the enemy that it has a right to remain silent is absurd." this editorial was really scathing. it called ron paul truly dangerous. that's the kind of thing that he is up against. one of the reasons why despite the fact that he has incredible

support and may actually win in iowa, may do pretty well in the libertarian live free or die state of new hampshire, ultimately maybe his rivals are right, that he probably will not succeed in getting the nomination. >> we shall see how galvanizing potentially a win in iowa might be for ron paul. dana bash, thanks so much. we'll talk more about iowa and why iowa. why is it so potentially important. why is this state at the center of presidential politics the way it is now? and what is a sx anyway? joining us to talk about that, carol hunter, politics editor for "the des moines register." first of all, good to see you. >> hello, good to see you, fredricka. >> carol, how is it iowa became so important or pivotal just because it's the first caucus state? >> well, it really does come down to being first. we like to say we cover a lot more than the horse race and we do. we cover issues and policy.

but everyone likes to count and everyone likes to win, so all the journalists and everyone in the political world gets hyped up about the first votes that count. so the votes cast tuesday will be among the most important because they will sort of set the race in a very important framework. >> so now break it down for us and explain, how does this caucus work. who gets to be a caucusgoer and why do they get to cast their ballot? >> well, just about anyone can become a caucusgoer. all it takes to be a registered member of that party and to show up on caucus night. in fact, there is same-day registration. so if you are not even registered to vote in iowa, as long as you are a resident here, can show a photo i.d. and proof of address, then you can register for that party and vote in the caucus. >> okay. so now those who show up, is that kind of a microcosm of the

electorate tfor all of iowa or does it tend to be a certain segment of the population? >> it does tend to be party activists. it takes more to vote in a caucus than it does in a primary. in a primary you can go all throughout the day and it only takes a few minutes. a caucus you have to be there at a specific time, 7:00 p.m. for the republicans, and it usually takes at least an hour or so. representatives speak to you about their candidate and there is a discussion among the attendees and there is an election of people who will participate in the county and district conventions as well, and even some discussion of platform resolutions if someone wants to bring one forward. >> so is iowa particularly proud that who caucusgoers select on that caucus day pick a winner? what's the track record? >> well, the track record is somewhat mixed on the republican

side, there have been six competitive caucuses since the modern era in the 1970s. and 3 out of the 6 times iowans have picked a winner. a little bit better on the democratic side, 6 of 9 times. but most political experts say iowa's job isn't necessarily to pick a winner, iowa's job is to whittle the field. iowans get to see these candidates up close over many months. they take a great deal of pride in vetting candidates, in asking tough questions, and so there's this saying about three tickets out of iowa and usually it is the top three or so that go on to make a real race of it in later primaries. >> oh, interesting. so kind of 50%-50% on that and maybe half of the contenders that are going to be on that ballot for the caucus tuesday night you think after this caucus would be whittled down to maybe three. >> that's been the historical track record. it has held true all except last

time around on the gop side. john mccain actually came in fourth. he was just nudged by fred thompson. but that was a special case. mccain was very well known of course and he had campaigned a lot early in iowa. but he ran into financial problems so he had to pull back. didn't campaign as much here through the late summer and fall. but he did come in just edged by fourth wimbledon a fourth, and then headed into new hampshire and obviously went on to win the nomination. >> all right, carol hunter, fascinating stuff of the "des moines register". thanks so much. happy new year and have fun, come tuesday. it is going to be a big day. big day for you at home. tune in next week for the country's first vote in this presidential race. america's choice 2012. live coverage of the iowa caucuses beginning tuesday night, january 3rd, 7:00 eastern time. this weekend it is your chance to see the republican candidates for president offer their closing arguments uninterrupted in their own words.

watch the contenders 2012 on cnn this saturday and sunday afternoon beginning at 2:00 eastern time. wall street traders are likely breathing a sigh of relief. the last closing bell of 20 1 just a few hours away. the dow is down about 31 points. not so bad. you'll see how the markets wrap up this volatile year. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa.

people on wall street are marking the last trading day of the year. so what are traders saying about the year that was? 2011, and the year to come. alison kosik joins me now from the new york stock exchange. first of all, how do investors sum up 2011? >> i think they're going to sum up 2011 as good riddance at this point, what a year it's been. it looks like as for today, it is really going out with more of a whimper than a bang. dow is a bit lower right now, off about 30 points right now but it is on track to end the year with a modest gain of about 6%. the s&p 500, that's what we're really watching until the closing bell today. today's session is really going to determine whether or not the s&p closes the year with a gain or a loss. the s&p is a really good indicator of how your retirement fund, your other mutual fund investments fared this year. many of them track the s&p 500 and for investors, this year has kind of like been like we've been running on a treadmill, going real hard but ending up

right where we started. >> so what does that mean for 2012? >> things are looking a little bit optimistic. the outlook for next year, it's improved over the past month. a cnnen money survey of top economists are predicting that the economy will wind up growing 3.3% for this current quarter and 3.2% for all of next year. and that's about double the rate of growth this year at much closer to what's considered healthy. but of course we've still got some big worries as we head into the new year. we've got europe weighing on our shoulders. jobs. and housing. europe may actually be the biggest unknown with its debt problems still far from being resolved. we've gotten some better looking data from the jobs and housing markets recently here in the u.s. we've got the unemployment rate coming down. the economy's adding jobs. housing market is actually planting some seeds of a recovery, so at least we're seeing a little bit of optimism as ehead into 2012. >> we could all use that.

we like optimism. that should be the word of the year, right? thanks so much. happy new year to you. a pack of rescued wolf dogs are doing their part to actually help others. >> you don't usually put your face in a wolf dog's face because there's always a danger of them being startled by something. >> we'll show you how these onc once-neglected animals are happening war victims. time for the help desk where we get answers to your financial questions. gary schatsky, president of objective advice.com and gail cunningham, thank you both. michael in florida writes -- my mortgage company requires me to have property and flood insurance which cost a total of $3,600. i've got 90k left on the

mortgage. i have over $200,000 in investment. should i cash out some of my investments and pay off the mortgage to reduce or eliminate the insurance. >> well, if you borrow money people want to make sure the property's going to be there. i understand that concern. but at the end of the day you need insurance. unless you somehow find you're not in a flood stone, then there would be a value to that. real analysis is what's the interest rate on the underlying loan and do you have money that's sitting around. even if you paid it off, very few people would be well advised to get rid of their homeowners insurance or flood insurance because they are protect being the value of your home even if they are not protecting the lender's value. >> many are required -- i know i pay renter's insurance. >> many people aren't required to have renter's insurance. >> but it is good to have. >> you should absolutely have it. a couple of hundred dollars -- >> can go a long way. gail, your question comes from lenny in west virginia. is it possible to declare bankruptcy on a federal college loan? >> well, the government is very

serious about getting repaid. and as a rule, bankruptcy does not cover student loans. the government though can even garnish your paycheck so you need to treat this very seriously. i would encourage him to do thorough research. don't make bankruptcy -- or try it make it your first stop, try it make it your last. there's options -- there's a deferment that would stop the payment for a long period of time, forbearance for an even longer period of time and even loan forgiveness. >> bankruptcy sticks with you for many years. >> exactly. >> send an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com. people with a machine. what ?

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some wolf dogs have a new home in california, thanks to a rescue center near los angeles. the animals were rescued from a roadside attraction in alaska. >> you don't usually put your face in the wolf dog's face because there's always a danger of them being startled by something. but this animal has been exposed to quite a bit of human contact. >> reporter: harmony is 1 of 29 alaskan wolf dogs just

transferred to this doctor's lockwood valley animal rescue center. these hybrid animals were rescued from a roadside in alaska, a state that has severe restrictions on owning wolves. harmony was shot in the eye with a tranquilizer dart. >> we were treating her with medication. that's why she is in a small enclosure. >> reporter: shiloh tore open her paw pad. >> they all have a little bit after limp getting used to walking up and down the hillsides and all the different terrain, walking on rocks. their pads will stifb up pretty quick though. >> reporter: the wolf dogs developed soft tender paws while chained up at what animal rights agent vi activists called a pathetic attraction near anchorage -- wolf park usa. 29 wolf dogs might have been destroyed at an attraction that charged $5 to walk alongside and take pictures of the wolf dogs.

wolf's owners told cnn the animals were treated well and no laws were broken. >> once we learned there were 29 wolves, we had to take action. >> reporter: they raised money and transferred the wolf dogs to their sanction ware 100 miles north of los angeles. cynics wonder if the wolves will survive here but what they may realize, we're up 6,000 feet, it does snow here and can get bone chilling cold here in the lockwood valley. >> this is truly a great place for wolves to live and it was where they used to live. >> reporter: and this is a refuge for several war veterans employed here caring for the wolf dogs. >> good boy. >> reporter: greg hall once fired weapons at iraqi targets from a u.s. navy vessel. >> you feel really good about what you're getting to do every day knowing the situations these guys came from and that you're working with rescued animals, helping them make their lives better. >> reporter: the wolf dogs are too wild to become pets but they have each other.

bonded by a voyage from chains in alaska to sanctuary far south. cnn, lockwood valley, california. a whole lot of you are responding to our "talk back" question, what are your hopes for 2012. earl says i know this sounds cheesy but for 2012 i just want world peace and for us to stop fighting each other individually or politically. i don't think that's cheesy at all! all right. more of your responses moments away. [ sniffs ] i have a cold. [ sniffs ] i took dayquil but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really?

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you've been responding to our "talk back" question as we're in the waning hours of 2011, what are your hopes for 2012? calvin writes -- i hope there will be jobs for everyone. amy says -- i hope that we don't go to war with iran or any other country in 2012. i'm really worried about the strait of hormuz situation. julia writes -- i want to get rid of the cancer i have. that is my one hope for 2012. and george hopes that we come together as a nation to solve our domestic issues and problems such as unemployment, corruption, education and health an hopefully we could set an example for the rest of the world in 2012. that from george. katy says -- quit smoking and start a new life for my son and myself. and jay writes no partisan bickering. i would love to win the lottery.

sadly though i think the one most likely to happen is winning the lottery. dominique has a simple hope -- she says i'll be happy as long as i get a kiss at midnight. thanks to all of you for writing and hopefully you've got a happy new year straight ahead in 2012. of course, you may want to start by ringing in the new year with anderson cooper and kathy griffin. live from times square. our live coverage starts saturday night, 11:00 p.m. eastern time. of course, the presidential election is less than a year away. we'll tell you why that's triggering a boom in gun sales. 

so you may have found the latest tech gadget or hot new toy under your tree for christmas, but one of the hottest gifts this year was firearms. barbara starr explains the reason may be political. >> these are like $3,300 rifles. we sold three of these over the weekend. >> reporter: in this holiday season of peace on earth, good will to men, gun sales are on the rise. >> it was our busiest december ever. >> reporter: this maryland gun sho. owner says people are buying everything from assault rifles to handguns. >> we're totally sold out of almost all of our 9 millimeter glocks. >> reporter: it is a nationwide trend. fbi is reporting a million and a half background checks in the month of december alone.

that is an all-time record. raymond says many customers already own guns and are buying more. >> there's also the political aspect of it because we have an upcome election. people are concerned with what obama is going to do if he is re-elected so they're trying to get stuff while they can. >> reporter: criminal justice experts aren't surprises at the chatter. >> there is a set of groups out there that every time there's democrat going to be elected or democrat going to be re-elected say you should go out and get guns because they're going to ban guns. >> reporter: there's no indication of a new ban, but republicans again are making sure the photo-ops show them as pro gun ownership. >> i'm actually for gun control. use both hand. >> it is the largest month of sales we've ever seen, it is something that we have to look into as public safety officials and say why is this happening? >> reporter: some of the people we talk to out there buying guns say the reason