boondoggles and his call for raising the rate on capital gains. they're taxes on transactions, not one on income. >> "end point" is enpoint not points. >> last need he talked about equal pay for women. most of the men in that chamber stayed seated. every wife out there for all the men in congress tell them no sex until their daughters and aunts tell them, dad, uncle, how dare you not say you do not support equal pay for women. that is shameful for men to not sit here and back women. >> i agree with you, but not your delivery. have i not mentioned yesterday that my mother watches this show? >> i'm trying to give women the -- >> okay. yeah. that's taking us down the drain. roland, i thank you. our panelists, always. let's get to kyra phillips and "starting point" wraps up. we'll see you back here in new

york tomorrow morning. kyra, save us. >> soledad, no, i was going to say have you noticed how roland starts issues every morning? every morning he causes trouble and you and i go through this. >> have you noticed? >> yes. could you do something about that please. >> yes, i have. >> have a great morning. >> i'm going to kill him right now. >> look out. we begin this hour with a daring rescue by u.s. command joes. their nighttime raid freed two hostages. you're looking at it here, jessica buchanan and poul isted. they were abducted three months ago. before his address president obama gave defense secretary leon panetta a shoutout. >> good job tonight. good job tonight. >> chris lawrence is at the pentagon for us this morning. chris, this stirs up memories of that mission that killed owe

some ma bin laden. the navy seals at it again. >> reporter: that's right, kyra. eerie similarities. even going as far as the president not really showing his hand last night as to what had happened just hours before. now we're getting new details about this daring raid that happened overnight in somolia. the u.s. military sources telling us that a special operations team, some of which were navy seals, came into that compound. they got some intelligence that they had to act on so this team came upon the compound. the seals were deposited near the compound. they came under fire before even getting inside. nine kidnappers were holding these hostages. the military says all nine of them were killed in this assault. they found the two hostages at an outdoor encampment. got them back on a helicopter and got them out of somalia.

kyra. >> now the hostage taking appears to have been driven by ransom money, not terrorism, right? >> reporter: it appears so on the surface. there is a big militant group obviously in somalia, but they don't really have a lot of control of that area where this was. u.s. military official i spoke with said the kidnappers who were on the scene there don't appear to have any links or ties to an established militant group. obviously the president and the obama administration has made that part of africa a bigger focus in the last year or two. we've seen an international strike group patrolling the waters off somalia. there have been several targeted strikes both by special operations and by drone strikes to target militants in that area. yeah, this one appears to be for ransom. >> chris lawrence. let's add a little context to that. zain verjee has been following

this for years and has spoken to ex-pirates, hostages, and those that fight piracy. zain, what message does this send to so he molly pirates? >> reporter: the u.s. is sending a strong message. we're not afraid and we're fed up and enough is enough. this was a really bold, daring raid that fortunately ended successfully. from all the reports that we're getting here, somali piracy has been a problem for years, kyra. they are a very well established, very well structured, incredibly well oiled and organized machine. many people would be surprised to know in some ways they work like a firm on wall street almost with investors, different structures and who gets paid what money. it's really down to the minutia. they've been causing a lot of problems on the high seas. this is a big blowback. >> all right. so how have the tactics changed, do you think? >> yeah. this is a really important point, you know? the somali pirates typically

would go out, hijack a vessel, take it to somalia and then negotiate money for ransom to release the vessel, cargo and hostages. typically they wouldn't harm the hostages because that's their leverage. what's been happening, you have nato being much tougher on somali pirates. a lot more onboard security on vessels. you've also got a situation with the weather. the weather's not been that great. it's been tough out there for the pirates. what they've done is moved their tactics from on sea to on shore so you see kidnapping of individuals and using them for ransom. >> zain verjee, in london. thanks so much. back here in the states president obama wants to level the playing field between the rich and the poor. and he used his state of the union address to make that case for equal access to the american dream. >> the defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. no challenge is more urgent, no

debate is more important. our country has a shrinking number of people doing well while a growing number of americans barely get by or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same set of rules. >> go to the white house and brianna keilar. brianna, we're getting specifics now on this economic blueprint that the president talked about last night. what can you break down for us? >> reporter: there were a number of policy provisions, kyra. of course, a big issue is that the president shouldn't be expecting congress to help out a whole lot on that. some of the things that he outlined that he wants. more manufacturing jobs. this is what he'll be touting today in iowa, arizona when he heads on the road this hour. that would be tax breaks for companies that bring jobs back to the u.s. getting rid of tax breaks for those who outsource as well as job training.

for instance, for out of work americans, for veterans. then you heard him focus on energy production, domestic energy production, both fossil fuels and renewable energy. it was the tax on millionaires that he talked about that was central to this idea of fairness that you mentioned, that all-americans should do their fair share of work and also pay their fair share laying out that buffet rule kind of again but in more specifics that if you make $1 million or more you should be paying 30% tax rate or more. kyra, of course, this very much draws a contrast between the president and his presumed opponent. at least mitt romney. that's how the white house sees it. they expect that he'll go up against mitt romney who sort of we learned yesterday from the tax return he released and his projection for 2011 is paying a 14% tax rate, kyra. >> once that speech wrapped up we got the rebuttal. let's take a listen. >> we need to end the notion that the two parties must be

locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction. that politics is about cling to go rigid ideologies instead of building consensus. >> no feature of the obama presidency has been sadder than its constant efforts to divide us, to curry favor with some americans by krastigating others. >> strong words there. hearing the president and hearing republican governor mish daniels of indiana. >> it was interesting, kyra even earlier in the day before the state of the union you had republicans sort of knowing what the president was going say accusing him of class warfare. you heard him address that in the state of the union saying this isn't class warfare, this is common sense. one of the things that governor daniels said that was perhaps very much to the point of what president obama has to be on the defense for in his campaign is this republican claim that the

president, yes, he did inherit a bad economy, but that he's actually made it worse. you heard daniels say that. a lot of republicans say that. big vulnerability for president obama will be that 8.5% unemployment rate. we saw that last month. it's not expected to budge. he's making his case, he will continue to in the months to come, that he is helping to turn the economy around. it may be slow going, but it's heading in the right direction and the american voters should give him more time, kyra. >> brianna keilar at the white house. president obama also revealed a plan to help homeowners get cheaper mortgages. >> i'm sending this congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage by refinancing at historically low rates. no more red tape. no more runaround from the banks. >> christine romans live out of new york breaking this down for us. what do we know about the plan, christine? >> well, we know there's been a lot of red tape and run around

from the banks for the past few years because there have been several -- actually, numerous rescue programs from washington that have helped maybe 1 in 4 of the homeowners that they were intending to. the president is saying, look, we want to make sure that homeowners can take advantage of low rates so they can lower their monthly bills. we don't have a lot of details. we know in the next few days officials are saying we should get more. it would have to go to congress. congress would have to pass it. this is a president who is campaigning against a do-nothing congress. he's saying if you could get those underwater homeowners a way to try to get -- to take advantage of low mortgage rates it would be helpful to the tune of $3,000 a year. who's underwater? one in four, kyra. you could very well be underwater, my dear, and i could be underwater, too. anybody who's bought in the last five or six years probably is. that means you owe more on the mortgage than the house is worth. if you're underwater, you can't take advantage of the super low mortgage rates because the bank says you're underwater on your loan, you don't qualify.

the president saying that he has a new plan that would help people be able to be eligible for refinancing and we're going to learn more about it in the days ahead. >> i'll tell you. we need it in this country for sure. we need some type of new plan to help folks. >> haven't been able to fix the housing market. >> christine, thanks. i'll tell you what, it was a pretty tender moment as the president made his way to the podium for his speech last night. take a look at this. got to love it. the tears, the smiles, the hugs. the president gave it all to gabby giffords this. the arizona congresswoman got a 90 second standing ovation as she walked into the chamber. she's going to vote one last time today before submitting her resignation this hour. she's going to focus on recovering from that assassination attempt last january. when that happens, when the resignation letter is actually

read, we are going to dip in live and show you that moment. well, the president didn't mention mitt romney by name, but did say the rich should carry their fair share hours after romney released his tax returns. paul steinhauser live in jacksonville, florida. romney's giving his rebuttal to the state of the union in 15 minutes whampt do you think, paul, was the president taking a big dig at him? >> reporter: he may not have named him but it seemed obvious, didn't it, kyra. mitt romney 15 minutes from now in orlando, florida, he'll give a response. let's start with the taxes. you mentioned that. the president said if you're making millions, you shouldn't be paying less than 30% tax rate. well, we know all about what happened yesterday morning with mitt romney coming out releasing his tax returns for 2010 and the estimates for '11. he's paying a lot less than 30%. another thing that struck me was the president very much touting his rescue, his bailout of the auto industry which he says

saved lots of jobs up there in detroit and elsewhere around the country. romney opposed the federal intervention back in 2009 of the auto industry, the bailout. the so called bailout of detroit and big motors company. finally, what about the home foreclosure crisis. the president said we don't have to wait for the home foreclosure crisis, the housing market to bottom out to help people. of course romney has talked about that. three specific cases where he didn't mention mitt romney by name but it sure did sound like he was talking about mitt romney. kyra? >> okay. we're less than a week away until the florida primary, paul. are you ready? >> reporter: i'm ready. i'm here at the university of north florida. we've got a debate here thursday night. that's tomorrow night. wolf blitzer is going to be moderating. cnn, republican party of florida. this is the last debate before the primary next tuesday. we have brand new poll numbers out this morning in florida. look at this keer yeah. this is a survey of people likely to vote in next tuesday's primary. this was taken thursday through

monday so before and after saturday's big win by gingrich in south carolina. these are the overall numbers, dead even basically, 36%, 34%. paul and santorum farther down. go to the next one, kyra. this is interesting. we break it down. that's thursday and friday before gingrich's victory in south carolina. you saw romney up by 11. look at sunday and monday's numbers. what a difference. this poll indicating that right now at least gingrich is surging here in florida. will that last a week? stay tuned. kyra? >> stay tuned indeed. paul, thank. as paul mentioned, tomorrow night, days before the florida primary, cnn and the republican party of florida teaming up. that's tomorrow night, 8:00 eastern right here on cnn. also coming up we're going to talk more about the president's state of the union address. he talked about how we're not going back to an economy hurt by bad debt and outsourcing. sounds good, but can he deliver

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a state of the union guest list included folks like gabrielle giffords husband mark kelley, steve jobs widow, warren buffet's secretary. we know those names but a furniture guy from north carolina who did not outsource to china might best represent what the president was hoping to achieve last night when he was talking about the economy. let's go straight to john avalon. first off, john, give me your overall impression. did the president nail it when it comes to what he says he wants to reclaim the american

dream? >> it was a strong and confident speech. the president speaking as commander in chief framing essentially an economic agenda with an eye toward a military frame. our military men and women should set an example. they should be set on a mission for the country. helping restore a sense of the american dream. he is drawing a contrast with republicans, no question, explicit and implicit. 's saying continuing on from that kansas speech positioning himself as the defender of the middle class saying government has a role in strengthening the middle class going forward. it could be a very good message for those middle class folks who have been feeling squeezed and forgotten. >> all right. we've got a quote here that i pulled from the speech. he talked about how he doesn't want to go backwards to an economy, quote, weakened by outsourcing, phony financial profits, and bad debt. it sounds good, but bottom line,

did he give you any sort of solution that convinced you that he can bring work and jobs back? >> look, he did put forward some policy proposals that should on the surface bring about bipartisan support. there are things government can do to incentive advise people to bring jobs back home as opposed to creating tax code incentives for outsourcing and otherwise. these are serious, serious debates. the question confronting congress and the white house is whether they can find a will to work together on some of the issues which they actually do agree. you know, those do exist. whether you're talking merit pay for teachers, ending bailouts. that was an interesting proposal that needs a little bit more me meat on it. if they go under, the taxpayers won't be left holding the bags. the question is whether politics will overwhelm policy agreement in this political season. there's a narrow window where we can get things done. congress should feel a sense of

urgency about it. their approval rating is 11%. they need to show the american people that they can get their job done too. it's not all on the president. >> before i let you go, let me ask you about the president creating this trade enforcement unit to investigate unfair trade practices in china. do we need another unit, another czar? >> normally when someone appoints a commission it's a nice way of saying into is going to get done. that said, i think he intentionally chose the word unit to make it sound more active. there are important things that can be done. mitt romney in a debate said the president hadn't signed any free trade agreements. there were three of them, columbia, panama and south carolina south korea. enforcing them is essential to make sure that american jobs and businesses aren't the a a competitive disadvantage. while i think there's a healthy

skepticism around bureaucracies, committees, if this is targeting to folks on the real issues and partners with business, it could be beneficial to the overall-american community. >> thanks for joining us. egypt one year later. thousands of people marking the beginning of an uprising that toppled a regime, but is there really reason to celebrate? live pictures from the scene right after the break. was found, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪

let's take you to egypt now where thousands of people are marking the one year anniversary of the uprising that ousted leader hosni mubarak. a lot of people are saying,

rather -- let's just get straight to zain verjee. she's watching the international news coverage and she's monitoring these live pictures. what do you think, zain? it definitely takes you back to that moment where we saw the square fill up during that uprising. >> really unbelievable to think that it was almost one year ago that this happened. when you look at these live pictures of tahrir square, you really remember how it was a geographical symbol of unity, of all of egypt. what's happening today, kyra, are there are so many did i advice sieve forceness that country. let me show you what they're saying. the national and united arab em rate says egypt's uprising continues to be a work in progress. there is little doubt there will be trials and tribulations ahead, but a year later the egyptian revolution is real. the national post in canada, egypt marks one year after the revolution. kyra, it says the anniversary, which is both exhill ler

righting and frustrating, highlights the growing gap of public expectations of the post mm era and the revolution. the paper in turkey it says a year after the rev vee lugs egyptian turkish relations are booming. they're witnessing these rapid and unpredictable changes having been faced with so many different threats and challenges. one important thing to note that strikes me as we look at these live pictures coming to us from tahrir square in cairo, in egypt, that a lot of the people here support a group the united states has been very worried and weary about, the muslim brotherhood. the islamist group. the untested group here in egypt. so there are many questions about this, but they're holding a lot of the seats in parliament. they will be making more if they have their way. kyra? >> all right, zain. thank you so much. we'll keep our eye on that.

i'm just being told that we're going to go back and focus on that daring rescue by navy seals in somalia. the white house saying it was those commandos that freed two aid workers when it learned that the american -- actually, they were two individuals that were freed. you're seeing pictures of them. there's the american aid worker, jessica buchanan. the other danish, poul thisted. the man from denmark. we've been getting word that possibly jessica might be in failing health, but on the phone with a little clarification is don mier. he's president of valley forge christian college where jessica graduated in 2007. he's maintained his relationship with jessica. he's close with the family. don is on the phone with us now. i understand you had a chance to talk with jessica's family? >> yes.

i was in touch with them this morning. >> okay. so give us an update. how is jessica doing? is she in failing health? there's been some mixed reports about her condition. >> the word that has come to the family is that she is strong and in good health and they are anticipating being able to be reunited very soon. we don't know the time line for that, but they are very, very encouraged by the reports which they have had. >> what more can you tell us? have they actually talked with jessica? >> yes. >> okay. tell us about that conversation, don. what did jessica tell them? what was she able to describe about the situation, about the rescue, about how she's feeling? any details to kind of give us insight to how this all went and how she's feeling right now. >> okay. i don't know those details. those were private conversations. i'm not aware of them.

the priority for us who are -- who have been in roles of mentor and friends here at our college, valley forge christian college, we are just so very grateful that she has been rescued. we have had kind of a private prayer vigil really going on informally ever since she was kidnapped and so we have not talked publicly about it because of the wisdom that we've been advised by the authorities, that we be rather circumspect with the manner in which we communicate any information. and so when we got this word we just were absolutely thrilled and we are just so grateful she's well. she arrived in africa as a student teacher when she was a student here at roslin academy in nairobi. she fell in love with africa.

she could hardly talk about africa without tears in her eyes. she did such a good job they invited her to come back there and gave her a full-time contract. so she was living out her love for africa. >> did she ever express to you any reservations about being there or concerns about her safety? >> no, that never came up. when she would visit with her wife and me or as other members of the family would talk, the last we saw her she was on campus here with some family members. her brother-in-law is a current student at our college and her sister graduated from here and so the family has been very much a part of the -- our institution. and at no time, you know, she -- she was, as i mentioned, she was passionate to serve, passionate

to give and if there were anxieties, they never were even hinted at by her in any of our exchanges. >> don, any idea about when she could be back home with her family? >> i think i would probably say with the family as soon as possible, but i don't know the specifics of that. >> don meyer, sure appreciate you calling in. president of valley forge christian college where jessica graduated from in 2007. great news on the rescue of her and another aid worker by our navy seals. don, thanks so much. >> you're very welcome. thank you. particles from a solar radiation storm hit earth and nasa is calling it the strongest storm in years. we'll tell you what's being affected by this next.

don, thanks so much.

checking top stories now. a daring u.s. rescue mission in somalia. u.s. official tells cnn that navy seals freed the two

hostages during a nighttime raid on the compound. the aid workers, american jessica buchanan and pou poul thisted were kidnapped in november. the severe storm is pounding much of texas today. heavy rain, hale, fierce winds. a lot of roads are flooded. isolated tornadoes are possible too. travel delays are now expected. another emotional day for congresswoman gabby giffords. after getting a standing ovation before president obama's state of the union address, giffords will formally resign from congress today. that's going to happen after she votes on anti-drug smuggling bill. something she's been working on for a number of years. right now house leaders have stopped regular business to highlight her career. we'll check in on that in a little bit. sounds like science fiction, but it is fact. the solar eruption bombarding earth and it's the biggest solar radiation storm in more than eight years. jacqui jeras is here to tell us about this and the effects from

it. the pictures are amazing. >> hard to believe something from 93 million miles away can have an impact here on earth. check out the pictures. this was a huge solar flair and a cme. imagine it as a huge burp of gas really that comes off the surface of the sun. creates solar wind and heads towards the earth's atmosphere. it comes in at us at the weak spots. that's around the poles. yesterday this peaked. some flights were diverted away from the poles because of concerns for radiation. there were also some issues apparently with gps and satellite service, but nothing major has been reported. that's the good news. the bad news is it's not completely over and done with just yet. the solar alert remains in effect through today, but it's been downgraded. it's down to moderate. what does that mean? is there anything you need to be concerned about? passengers still in high flying aircraft could be exposed to radiation.

the farther north up you go towards the pole, that's where it's going to be. as for satellite and gps reception, it's going to be kind of isolated single incidents. basically for the most part this thing is over and done with. the biggest impact that we had from it overall? aur raur ra bore realice. it was a wonderful, spectacular display. take a look at am solve these pictures. the best places have come from places like norway and sweden. this is from an ice hotel, a snotel as they call it in sweden. you get these electrically charged particles, kyra, that come shooting into the earth's atmosphere. as they interact with our gases it creates this beautiful light show. things have been quiet with the sun as of late. things are just starting to pick up a little bit. we're expected to see increases in solar activity through 2013 when it's expected to peak. >> thanks so much. >> sure. well, actress demi moore is

hospitalized after an emergency call to 911. we'll tell you what happened next.

actress demi moore is rushed to the hospital after an urgent call to 911. "showbiz tonight" host a.j. hammer joining us from new york with the story. what happened, a.j.? >> always hate hearing stories like this, kyra. the los angeles fire department tells "showbiz tonight" that they did respond to a call from demi's address. that was at 10:41 last night. they took her to the hospital about 30 minutes later. her representative is saying this to "showbiz tonight." because of the stresses in her life right now, demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health. she looks forward to getting well and is grateful for the support of her family and friends. at least one of those stresses is inevitably her impending divorce from ashton kutcher. there are unconfirmed reports out there that she had a seizure

related either to an eating disorder or substance abuse or both. we did ask demi's rep about the reports of substance abuse. we were told there's no further info on that story, although we were told that demi is now dropping out of her current role of gloria steinam. we hope that she's getting all the health she needs and wish her nothing but the best. tough time. >> agreed. a.j., thanks so much. i know you're going to join us next hour as well with other entertainment headlines. a.j., thanks. well, a dispute involving hali barry's nanny ends up in court and that's what a.j. will be talking about next hour in showbiz. by now you might have seen how much money mitt romney and his wife gave to the mormon church. coming up we'll talk to our belief blog editor about mormons and tithing. mormon children are expected to start with their first allowance.

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not just with my savings plan here at work. they help me with all of my financial goals. looking good, irene. thanks to fidelity, i can stay on top of my financial future, huh? good one. why, thank you. whether it's saving for retirement, college, or anything else, contact a fidelity investment professional today. mitt romney speaking right now to american douglas meadows in orlando. he will give a rebuttal. >> a quarter of all the foreclosed homes in america right here in florida. so, mr. president, things aren't going so swimmingly. in fact, things are pretty tough for americans across this country, and in my view when you got up and said on the today show three years ago that if you couldn't turn it around, you would be looking for a one-term

proposition, you're right and we're here to collect. now there's another way in which i thought he was detached from reality last night, and detached from the people of america. he laid a number of prescriptions. some of them were just, i thought, flat wrong, but some were actually not bad. he said some of the things that you looked at and said, well, that makes some sense. for instance, he said, we really ought to lower the corporate tax rates to be competitive with others in the world, ours are the highest in the world, except he's done the opposite. 's detached from his own reality what he has done. his words and actions are so different it's sometimes hard to believe. so he has raised taxes on companies as opposed to lowering them. then there was that whole riff about regulation and how regulations burden ter prices and small business. didn't he realize that under his presidency the rate of new regulation introduction has tripled and he's also laid out a

whole series of new regulations that he wants to put in place. so he says he wants to cut regulations even though he's the guy that dramatically increased them. then there was the talk about energy. could you believe that saying he was in favor of any of the above, he said. any of the above energy resources. he wants to use all these energy resources. it's like, wait a second. isn't this the guy that's been holding off offshore drilling? isn't this the guy whose epa has made it almost impossible for us to get oil out of north and south dakota, and tes as. isn't this the guy who has made it almost impossible to get natural gas out of pennsylvania. i was with a chief executive of a big chemical company. he said we just announced a $20 billion factory in saudi arabia. we would have loved to have had it in the u.s. but we can't count on getting out the gas because of government regulate

orgs. this is a president who talks about deregulation as he regulates. he talks about developing all of our energy resources even as he tries to shut them down. coal in particular. regulation after regulation making it almost impossible for coal users and for coal miners to be successful. and then, of course, there was his discussion of china. i must admit that i took some pleasure in the fact that he's talking about cracking down on china even as he has not done so. he's had the occasion to label china as a currency manipulator which would allow him to apply tariffs to chinese products where they have manipulated currency that killed american jobs or where they've hacked into our computers to steal our technology or where they've stolen our intellectual property, patents, designs, know how. and so even as he's talking about cracking down on china he's left the door wide open to them to come in and run across our countryside stealing our jobs and killing our businesses. the detachment between reality

and what he says is so extraordinary, i was just shaking my head as i watched the tv last night. i think it's time to have somebody who says what he means and means what he says, and if i'm president, that's the kind of president i'll be. now when i got up this morning ann was already awake. she turned to me. we were still in bed. she said, you know, the funny thing about listening to barack obama is that you not only have to listen to what he says, but you have to think about what he didn't say. my guess is that what he didn't say was probably even more disturbing and detached from reality than some of the things he did say. what he didn't say last night is that we're spending too much and borrowing too much and that america is on a collision course with debt and that if we don't get off this course, we could sink the american economy and go into ka lamb mitty.

a virtual titanic. the difference is with the titanic they couldn't see the ice bergs. in this case we could see it. we see it. we're headed towards it. he's saying, full speed ahead. it is inexplicable that he can speak to the american people about the state of the union and not describe the massive deficits we have, the fact that he has put in place almost as much public debt by the end of his first four years, his only four years, he will have put -- >> yeah! >> mitt romney there on the stage at american douglas meadows in or land doe giving the rebuttal to president obama's state of the union address from last night. we'll continue to follow that for you. meanwhile, we want to talk about mitt romney in a different way here. he just released his tax returns. that told us about his income, his donations. last year and the year before the romneys gave several

millioned to charity. much of it to their church. earlier this week romney actually talked about that. >> if people want to discriminate against someone based upon their commitment to tithe, i'd be very surprised. this is a country that believes in the bible. the bible speaks about providing tithes and offerings. i made a commitment to my church a long, long time ago. i would give 10% of my income to the church and i followed through on that commitment. hopefully as people look at the various individuals who are running for who made a promise, a promise to god, and kept that promise. >> we found this interesting as well, so we wrote about mormon tit tithing and i under it's gotten a tremendous amount of response. why do you think people are so interested in this? >> well, i think on the one hand it's a really familiar concept, right? there are millions of christians in this country who tithe, who give 10% of their income to the church. on the other hand, there's a real twist when it comes to

mormonism and when it comes to governor romney's experience with his church, and that is that in mormonism, tithing is basically enforced, so that unless you're giving 10% of your salary to the church, you can't gain admission to the mormon temple for important rituals like baptism or marriage. and so unlike other christians, and mormons consider themselves christians even if some other christians in this countries don't, you really have to give to be a mormon in good standing. i think that notion is curious to a lot of non-mormon americans. >> you delve into the history of tithing into the church of latter-day saints. what stood out to you? >> well, i think unless you know something about mormon history, you can't really understand why tithing is so important to mormons. and, you know, there was a recent poll done of american mormons just last week and it showed that 80% of american mormons give 10% of their salaries. this has inspired something like mormon envy among a lot of other pastors in this country who

would love to see their congregations giving 10% and that mormon envy is, like, an actual term that is out there talked about. mormon history in the 1800s when mormonism was born, there was a lot of persecution and mormons were on the run from state to state to avoid the persecution, and tithing became a way to sustain itself when it was on the run and it remains this way today so that the day-to-day church operations are funded, new temples are funded, by tithing, and it's a really important value that's very old in the church. >> wow. that was definitely an interesting read. dan, thanks so much. if you haven't had a chance to look at dan's article, it's on our belief blog at cnn.com/belief.

one year after a gunshot wound to the head, arizona congresswoman gabby giffords is casting a vote on capitol hill and then resigning her seat. she says she wants to focus on fully recovering from her brain injury. cnn's kate bolduan on the hill where law makers are honoring her right now this morning, kate? >> reporter: hey there, kyra. it will be a very emotional and probably very heartfelt send-off for congresswoman gabrielle giffords this morning, and it will all be happening in just really the next few minutes. how this is going to play out, prior to congresswoman giffords making her formal -- submitting her formal letter of resignation, the house is actually going to be voting on a bill that is one of her legislative priorities and has been one of our legislative priorities. it's a boardrder security bill t will really crack down on drug

smuggling across the u.s. using ultralight aircraft. congress will be voting on that and steny hoyer said he would not be surprised if there was unanimous support of this piece of legislation. that will happen, a legislative achievement as she heads off. and following that there will be a rare moment of bipartisanship where there will be a list of very high-profile members of congress, of the house, coming forward to speak, honoring her service. we'll be hearing from the democratic leader, nancy pelosi, the majority leader, eric cantor, steny hoyer, and congresswoman debbie wasserman shaw shultz, she will be reading the resignation letter on the house floor, and then that letter will be -- that resignation will be effective at the end of the day, so it will be quite a moment to watch this morning. that on top of this very -- that heart-stopping moment where there is barely a dry eye last night when giffords took to the

house floor for the state of the union address, kyra. >> we will definitely dip in live, kate. thanks so much. >> reporter: of course. straight ahead, big hits, big dreams. >> they're going to get hit. that was my life. >> straight ahead in our next hour. dr. sanjay gupta taking a closer look at the devastating effects of football and concussions. forrest gregg reveals his truth about taking those hits and why it has him facing a different kind of battle today. dinner? candles?

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let's take a look at some stories that we're working on for you in the next hour. 12:55 eastern in cedar rapids, iowa, president obama will deliver remarks at the conveyor engineering and manufacturing company. then beginning at 2:00 a private funeral will be held for penn state's former beloved coach joe paterno. a public memorial service will follow on thursday. and then tonight 5:06 eastern nasa will provide live coverage of the launch of an unmanned russian cargo ship that will resupply the international space resupply the international space station. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com it's the top of the hour, thanks so much for joining us, everyone, we begin it with a daring rescue by u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s, freeing two kidnapped aide workers america jessica buchanan, and just minutes ago

our brian todd actually spoke to jessica's father and he said she's doing well. somali gunman abducted them three months ago. the white house confirmed the mission this morning did happen, but president obama made a coy reference just before the state of the union address to defense secretary leon panetta. take a listen. >> good job tonight. good job tonight. >> chris lawrence at the pentagon. chris, this stirs up a lot of memories of that mission that took down osama bin laden, and i understand you learned just minutes ago of a pretty special connection here. >> that's right, kyra. the so-called s.e.a.l. team six, the very elite fighting force that the made the assault on osama bin laden's compound, some of the members of that same team were also involved in this special operations mission. not to say exactly the same men. but, again, the same team, that

s.e.a.l. team six that did the assault on osama bin laden's compound, that same team was involved in this assault as well, as part of a bigger, joint effort. just backing up a little bit. we now have new details. we know that these aid workers were kidnapped back in late october, but military sources now tell us that the sense of urgency really started to heighten this month in january. part of that, contributing to that, was jessica buchanan's deteriorating health. they got some actionable intelligence specifically who was holding her and where they were. and on monday president obama gave the authorization to go ahead with the rescue mission. on tuesday, that is when the military decided to carry it out. the team was dropped near the compound. we're told that nine kidnappers were holding the two hostages. all nine of them were killed by the assault team. and the two hostages were found

at an outdoor encampment nearby, kyra? >> and apparently the hostage-taking driven by ransom money, not terrorism, right? >> that's what we believe right now. sources say there doesn't appear to be any direct link between these -- the people who were holding them and any known jihadist group. again, you've seen a lot of this piracy out on the open seas, but there's been such a concentration with an international task force and a lot of resources designed to stop that. we've talked about a number of rescues on the high seas. that is sort of pushed some of the effort by some of the kidnappers back to land, where a lot of these aid workers are very easy targets for kidnapping. >> chris lawrence at the pentagon, chris, thanks so much. >> yes. you know, our zain verjee has been following somali pirates for years, the history, the progress. she's talked to ex-pirates,

former hostages and those who fight piracy. so, sa wrs, zain, what message think this sends to the pirates? >> this sends a pretty powerful message from the united states, basically saying we're fed up, enough is enough and we're not afraid. but what's also important is, is that kidnapping people for ransom has become a new revenue stream for the pirates out there, so they're unlikely just to give up and say, oh, okay, then, we're going to stop. what's also important to know, kyra, is that their tactics have changed a lot over the past few months because initially you would hijack a ship for ransom, take it to somalia and negotiate it for an average of $7 million. what's been happening is that you've got a lot more powerful blowback from militaries out on the indian ocean, vessels traveling have better onboard security. the weather conditions are also really bad, so pirates are finding it a little bit harder to hijack ships and bring them to somalia, so you've been seeing them go for which they think is an easier target, which

is individuals, to take them for hostage to somalia and negotiate a ransom. by the way, the groups, the different pirate groups and the criminal gangs and even militants will tend to barter according to sources the individual hostages amongst themselves so they can get the most amount of money for them. >> zanel verjee, thanks for the context, appreciate it. president obama wants to level the playing field between the rich and the poor, and he used the state of the union address to make the case for equal access to the american dream. take a listen -- >> the defining issue of our time, how to keep that promise aleve. no challenge is more urgent, no debate is more important. we can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number of americans barely get by. or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair

share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. >> get to the white house and our brianna keilar. brianna, you know, he mentioned this economic blueprint. he laid out some specifics. break it down for us. >> reporter: some pillars as the white house would call them, kyra, that there's some sort of main tenets of this and that's what he's going to be pushing out on the road. manufacturing jobs is one of them. that's what he's pushing today in iowa and arizona and christine romans will break it down for you right after me as well as job training and investment in education. job training for those out of work and for veterans, for example, and an increase in domestic energy, fossil fuels and domestic energy. of course, the big problem is, for the president anyways, is congress is divided, and so he's not expecting to get a whole lot of help, and that's really for the idea of the tax on millionaires comes in. it fits into his theme of fairness, laying down that sort of line in the sand there, kyra,

yesterdaying that those who make a million dollars or more should be taxed at least 30%. this is something that polls pretty well, and the president will have a lot of opportunity here in the coming several months before the election, both with the extension of the payroll tax cut coming next month, and then, of course, with the issue of the bush tax cuts which are set to expire at the end of the year and president obama will argue they should expire for the wealthy. so it kind of gives him a tenet that he can sort of push off of a lot going into the election, kyra. >> all right, now more from the president and the republican rebuttal -- >> to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction, that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around commonsense ideas. >> no feature of the obama presidency has been sadder than its constant efforts to divide us, to curry for some americans

while castigating others. >> tough words from mitch daniels of indiana. >> reporter: he had sort of the perch of the outside, he's outside the fray of what's going on in washington. but he's making the same point that congressional republicans have made there, kyra, calling this idea of this taxing the wealthy, calling it class warfare, really trying to divide people. the other thing that i thought was really interesting that governor daniels said and, again, trumpeting what republicans say, is this argument that, yes, president obama did inherit a bad economy, but he's made it worse. that's what republicans have said. the president trying to convince voters, and this will be key as he faces a tough re-election battle, trying to convince voters that he's done everything he can and that they should stick by him, have some patience because the trajectory for an even better economy is ahead and he has a plan for it, kyra. >> all right, brianna keilar at the white house, brianna, thanks so much. you know, another big focus

of president obama's speech, bringing jobs back to america. >> my message to business leaders is simple -- ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed. >> thought i was listening to jfk there for a moment, christine romans, joining us live out of new york. how's the president going to entice companies to get on ba board? >> it's interesting, i've been calling it the jfk moment as well. the bottom line is companies don't do things out of patriotism and out of the kindness of their heart, they do things because it pleases their shareholders and they can show a return on investment for shareholders. that's the way companies work. look, the president knows that more than anyone. he was striking a very populist tone, that he wants to bring companies back -- jobs back. he wants to reward companies that create jobs here, not abroad. he doesn't want to give tax breaks and deductions for growing somewhere else and

ignoring this most important market for the american people. he said, you know, give me a package of tax code changes and i'll sign them today. let's make sure that companies that want to invest in downtrodden neighborhoods can get special financing and retraining and can get special tax breaks and deductions for investing in this country. he outlined quite a few different things, but remember he's also running against a do-nothing congress, right, kyra? so the chances of congress coming back and giving him a whole package of tax reform right now is probably pretty slim. but he likes -- and he has before highlighted master lock, this milwaukee lockmaker, that has moved some companies -- some jobs back here. because, look, you get out of control of your production line sometimes when you go overseas or things don't turn out the way you wanted them to. companies are coming back, though, kyra, not because the president asked them to, but because it makes financial sense for them, the tax code changes have to come together. companies want fewer

regulations, they want streamlined government and less red tape and a lower tax rate. that's what they want. that's what they'll bring the jobs back for. >> christine romans, thanks so much. and coming up we'll talk with cnn political analyst ron brownstein, we'll talk about herman cain giving the tea party response to the speech. our first question, why herman cain? get you back on the campaign trail. newt gingrich surging in the polls in florida one day before the cnn debate there. he's neck in neck with romney and at any moment gingrich is expected to give a big policy speech focusing on latin america. we're looking at the new poll numbers and probably going to hit cafe versailles as well, what's the mood, jim? >> reporter: oh, if only we could make a stop at cafe versailles this morning, that's right, kyra. yeah, i mean, speaking of polls, there's a cnn/"time"/orc poll

out later this afternoon on the race in florida. that will be earlier to watch. earlier this morning there was a quinnipiac poll that came out. it was taken sort of before and after some of the results in south carolina and that monday debate, so it's not exactly clear, you know, whether we can draw too many parallels on that about what's happening down here in florida. but it shows gingrich gaining on romney, erasing the huge lead that mitt romney had down here in this state. but what's happening, kyra, out on the campaign trail both of the contenders are going after the latino vote which as you know, maybe over in texas where there are mexican-americans, it's the big enchilada, here in south florida it's the big empenad, and newt gingrich will talk to a crowd of cuban-americans going after the key vote. and it's interesting because both of the contenders are talking with univision, the spanish language network is talking to all of the gop candidates about where they stand on key issues like immigration reform. that's a big issue among latinos and you heard mitt romney the other night at the gop debate

talking about self-deportation, he said if you have the right policies in place, they will self-deport themselves. and newt gingrich asked about it at a univision forum, had fun with that comment. here's what he had to say. >> what do you think about romney's idea about self-deportation about the 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country? self-deportation. >> can i ask you a question? >> sure. >> i mean, you're a very sophisticated observer and the most widely watched analyst in spanish language television in the united states. how close are you to breaking up laughing out loud at this this fantasy? >> reporter: so there you go, fantasyland on newt gingrich on mitt romney's comments on self-deportation. another big issue we'll here a lot about is the dream act. kyra, i know you've done a lot of stories on that.

that's the law that a lot of hispanics would like to see passed that would help create a path of citizenship for young illegal immigrants who are of spanish heritage in this country. mitt romney has said he would veto it, that's another one of the flash points in this race for that vote down here in florida, kyra. >> jim acosta. we'll keep an eye on the event with you. thank you so much. happening right now -- our look iyou're looking at pictures of u.s. representative gabby giffords. we are following this, of course, because she is going to submit her resignation letter right here, and we're going to follow that. we're expecting some pretty emotional testimony. democratic leader nancy pelosi is going to discuss giffords' career in the house following that. probably republican leader eric cantor, possibly boehner making brief remarks about giffords and her service in the house of

representatives. and then we're expected to hear from gabby giffords' closest friend, you can see her right there by her side, representative debbie wasserman schultz. so, it is -- we're going -- we're going to watch it. we're going to dip in live once the formalities begin. and then after that, the congresswoman -- actually just prior -- is going to vote on her final piece of legislation, which is why you see the numbers up here. it's a bill that would impose tough new penalties on smugglers who use ultralight aircraft to illegally bring drugs across the u.s./mexico border. it's been a bill that has been very important to congresswoman giffords. and if you're just tuning in, once again, after five years in the house, congresswoman

gabby giffords going to the formalities, and the letter will be read, her letter of resignation. she does make it perfectly clear, though, and she promises this in her letter, that, quote, i will recover, and i will return. u.s. representative gabby giffords submitting her formal letter of resignation from the house of representatives any moment now. and we should hear -- it's probably going to take a good amount of time. a number of people are going to step up to the mike and talk about her career. and it looks like things are going to begin. boehner at the mike. let's go ahead and listen in.

>> mr. becerra? >> on this vote the yeas are 338, the nos are 70. two-thirds being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. the bill is passed. without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the house will be in order. members can take their seats. >> kate bolduan, you with me? are you there on the hill? >> reporter: i'm right here, kyra. >> okay, tell us what's

happening right now. we had a hard time hearing the volume there. oh, here we go, we think -- pelosi has just stepped up to the mike. let's go ahead and listen, kate, stick with me. >> mr. speaker, all of us come to the floor today, colleagues of congresswoman gabby giffords to salute her as the brightest star among us, the brightest star congress has ever seen. when she came to congress and in her service and leadership here, gabby giffords brought to washington and the capitol the

views of a new generation of national leader. from this floor she has spoken out courageously and led boldly at times that demanded both. since the tragic event of one year ago, congresswoman giffords has become an inspiring symbol of determination and courage to millions of americans. she has brought the word dignity to new heights by her courage. congross woman givffords civiliy is one that we should honor and

emulate. as gabby said in her video that we all watched this weekend, we can do so much more by working together. in that vein, mr. speaker, i want to thank you for courtesies extended to enable this extraordinary ceremony to take place today. thank you, mr. speaker. and with your permission, i'd like to acknowledge gabby's mother who is with us today, gloria, and her father, spencer, who is watching from tucson. gloria?

we thank you, and we thank commander mark kelly, a hero in his own right as an astronaut. a hero in his own right as an astronaut and a commander of a mission, but also our personal hero for the care and love that he has given to gabby over this past year, oh, and before that, to help make her as gloria and spencer have, the person that she is. i join -- i think all of our colleagues join us, thank you gabby for the honoring of calling you colleague and wishing you and mark much happiness and success. you will be missed in the house of representatives, but your legacy in this congress and your

leadership in our nation will certainly endure. so, thank you for being who you are, for lifting our country at a very important and sad time, and we wish you, again, much success with great gratitude, admiration and affection. we salute you, congresswoman gabby giffords. the gentleman seek recognition? it's my privilege to yield the floor to the dwiciistinguished majority leader of the house, representative cantor. >> i thank the leader.

and, mr. speaker, a little more than a year ago america witnessed a heinous attack on congresswoman gabby giffords, her staff, and the citizens of tucson. this attack took six innocent lives, including gabe zimmerman, injured 13, and shook all of us in the congressional community and, in fact, our nation to its core. this attack was a stark reminder that even in this country, where freedom of speech and public demonstration are the cornerstones of our democracy, citizens and public officials can face violence and danger. we will never forget those who lost their life on that fateful day or the brave efforts of our law enforcement, community members, and a very special intern who responded in the emergency. mr. speaker, i know i speak for

all of my colleagues when i say we are inspired, hopeful, and blessed for the incredible progress that gabby has made in her recovery. gabby's courage, her strength, and her downright fortitude are an inspiration to all of us and all americans. as gabby leaves the house today, mr. speaker, she's decided to focus her energies on recovery. but she has refused to give up her fight for the people of her beloved arizona and her country.

and as such, today, we will vote on her legislation to help secure our nation's southwestern border. gabby's bill gives law enforcement greater authority to penalize those who seek to do us harm by engaging in illegal activity along the border. i commend gabby for her commitment to work on this and her unwavering commitment to a safer, more secure america. for the past six years, congresswoman gabby giffords has served arizona's eighth district with dedication and dignity. i want to recognize her accomplishments here and thank her staff and their exceptional service, dedication and, yes, courage during these difficult times.

mr. speaker, i especially want to recognize her chief of staff, pia carrasone. i know, having met with pia personally, her having worked with our office, she has demonstrated incredible dedication to her co-workers, to you, gabby, and, mr. speaker,

she has demonstrated unparalleled leadership for the people of the eighth district of arizona. and to that i know they are and we are very grateful. on sunday, mr. speaker, i received a call from captain mark kelly, as we all know, gabby's husband, who informed me of gabby's decision. mark has been steadfast in his support of his wife and forever by her side as her best friend and partner. though gabby may be leaving washington today, i know this won't be the last we see of her or mark. we wish you, gabby, we wish mark, together, the best as they continue the process of gabby's recovery. and i will say once again, mr. speaker, congresswoman gabby giffords' strength against all

odds serves and will continue to serve as a daily inspiration to all of us. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. >> gentle lady from california. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the leader and am now pleased to yield to gabby's friend, distinguished minority whip of the house, congressman hoyer. >> i thank the leader for yielding. i thank the speaker for ensuring that we would have this opportunity to speak to our friend, gabby giffords. i thank the majority leader for his comments. none of us on this floor are

talented enough to summon the rhetoric that all of us feel in our hearts. we have young men and women, arrayed on the fields in iraq, afghanistan, and other troubled spots in the world. they are fighting for freedom and democracy. and too many of them are injured on those fields. our beloved colleague, gabrielle giffords, was injured on the field in the exercise of that democracy. and in being injured, she has become an example for us, for all americans, indeed all the world of courage, of clarity of purpose, of grace, of

responsibility, of a sense of duty which she exercises this day. i love gabby giffords. i was honored when she first ran for office before she was ele elected, to go to her district, as i have done for so many others in this country, to stand by her side, to walk down the streets of her community with her, to see and hear the beauty not only of person, many of us see the outward visage of us all. but gabby's beauty is in the heart, in the soul, in the spirit. the house of representatives of america has been made proud by

this extraordinary daughter of this house, who served so well during her tenure here, who felt so deeply about her constituents and cared so much for her country. gabby, we love you. we have missed you. mr. speaker, i don't know whether you were able to hear that response. as gabby looked with that extraordinary smile, the twinkle in her eyes, as she said to me and to all of us, "and i miss you." do any of us doubt that that is the case? pia, we are blessed in this

house to be served by extraordinary people, of which you are a perfect example. of people who love us, but love their country even more, who serve our constituents so extraordinarily well, who evidence every day care for us and care for the work that we do, which we could not do, pia, without people like yourself and all of your colleagues that we call staff. thank you.

mr. speaker, god has blessed gabrielle giffords and he has sent a blessing to all of us in the personal of gabrielle giffords. and god bless gabby as well with an extraordinary mom and dad and an extraordinary partner in life. mark, we owe you a debt of gratitude. our country owes you a debt of gratitude. i look forward to the day when you and gabby will be returning here, return to full health and full ability to serve. gabby, america thanks you. it thanks you for the example that you have given of overcoming adversity and doing so with a spirit unparalleled. god bless you. and godspeed.

>> mr. speaker, i know that every member in the house would like to associate himself or herself with the remarks of our distinguished majority leader and democratic whip, especially in regard to gabby, of course, but also pia. it is something that every day we have the chaplain or the guest chaplain come to the floor and ask a blessing on this house. as mr. hoyer said, one of those blessings to us has certainly been the leadership and the life and service that will continue for many years to come of

congresswoman gabby giffords. we focus on her. she is our friend. we look at her remarkable recovery with great pride. she also carries in her need for recovery the sorrow of so many others who lost their lives today. so, the apparent physical recovery that we see is something even more than we could ever imagine for the challenge that congresswoman giffords has faced. god gave her a very special mission. he gave it to gabby giffords because he knew she could carry that burden because he had blessed her with so many, many gifts and a very loving family to make her the person that she is. how fortunate we have all been to be part of her life until now, and hopefully for a long time to come, she will miss us. so now it is with very mixed

emotions, mr. speaker, and i yield togabby's very good and close friend. i say with mixed emotions, we want her to say with us. intellectually, no, she, gabby, has made the right decision. hopefully it will be liberating for her in many ways, but that she goes without knowing the close ties we all feel personally to her. and so, mr. speaker, it is my honor to yield the floor now to a very close friend of gabby, a leader in this house, congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz. >> the gentle lady from florida is recognized. >> if i can ask my colleagues to join me at the well.

thank you, mr. speaker, and madam leader, mr. whip and majority leader, i couldn't prepare anything this morning. because i knew that i would not be able to hold it together very long. i am so proud of my friend, and it will always be one of the great treasures of my life to have met gabby giffords and to have served with her in this body. we have all been through such a tumultuous year. the nation has been through a tumultuous year. no one more tumultuous than gabby and her family and her constituents in her beloved home city of tucson, arizona, and i know, being able to be gabby's voice today, that knowing her as well as i do, that the one thing that has not been said is that gabby wants her constituents to

know, her constituents who she loves so much in southern arizona, that it has been the greatest professional privilege of her life to represent them, that she loves them as a fifth generation tucsonian, that her public service has meant a great deal to her, and that this is only a pause in that public service and that she will return one day. to public service, to represent them, as she has so capably for the last 5 1/2 years. and let me just say a point of personal privilege that for the last year, it has been one of the honors of my life and the most important thing to remember that no matter what we argue about here on this floor or in

this country, that there is nothing more important than family and friendship, and that should be held on high above all else. and i will always carry that in my heart, and even though i know we won't see each other every day, gabby, we'll be friends for life. for life. >> thank you. >> i'm so sorry. my privilege to read this letter on behalf of gabby and her family and her constituents. january 25th, 2012, the honorable john boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. dear speaker boehner, in 2001, strongly holding the belief that there is no higher calling than serving my country, i went from selling tires in my tucson family business to being a

freshman representative in the arizona statehouse. and for ten years, i served in the arizona legislature, in the united states congress, and after marrying mark, as a proud military spouse. always i fought for what i thought was right, but never did i question the character of those with whom i disagreed. never did i let pass an opportunity to join hands with someone just because he or she held different ideals. in public service i found a venue for my pursuit of a stronger america. by ensuring the safety and security of all americans, by producing clean energy here at home instead of importing oil from abroad and by honoring our brave men and women in uniform with the benefits they earned, i found a way to care for others, and in the past year i have found a value that is unbreakable even by the most vicious of attacks. the tragic january 8th shooting in tucson took the lives of six

beautiful americans and wounded 13 others, me included. i'm sorry. not a day goes by that i don't feel grief for the lives lost and so many others torn apart. christina taylor green, dorothy morris, john rolle, fill liphyl schneck, and gabe stodderman served america. they committed their lives to serving their families and community and country and they d died by employing citizenship that is at the greatness of our country. they will always be remembered by their country and their congress. i don't remember much from that terrible day, but i've never forgotten my constituents or my colleagues or the hope with the millions of americans with whom i share great hopes for this fashion. to all of them, thank you for

your cards and well wishes and your support. even as i have worked to regain my speech, thank you in your faith to be your voice. the only way i ever served my district and my congress was by giving 100%. i would add it's 150. this past year that's what i have given to my recovery. thank you for your patience. from my first steps and first words after being shot to my current physical and speech therapy, i have given all of myself to being able to walk back onto the house floor this year to represent arizona's eighth congressional district. however, today i know that now is not the time. i have more work to do on my recovery before i can again serve in elected office. this past year my colleagues and staff have worked to make sure my swiconstituents were represed in congress. but if i can't return, my district deserves to elect a u.s. representative who can give 100% to the job now.

for that reason, i have submitted the attached letter of resignation to arizona governor jan brewer. amid all that was lost on january 8th, there was also hope and fate. this past year it is what i have often come to, hope that our government can represent the best of a nation, not the worst. fate that americans working together in their communities, in our congress, can succeed without qualification. hope and faith that even as we are set back by tragedy or profound disagreement, in the end we come together as americans to set a course toward greatness. ve every day i am working hard. i will recover and will return, and we will work together again, for arizona and for all americans. sincerely, gabrielle giffords, member of congress.

>> mr. speaker, in appreciation once again for your courtesy for enabling this to happen, i yield back the balance of our time. >> the gentle lady yields back the balance of her time. the chair would remind all members to be in proper business attire when you come to the floor of the house. without objection, five-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business on the vote on the motion of the gentleman from washington to

suspend the bills and pass -- >> okay. holy cow, cue the waterworks. kate bolduan, when there has been so much division between democrats and republicans, what we witnessed right there on the floor was absolutely just remarkable. talking about the dedication, the dignity, the courage, of gabby giffords. everybody really coming together, joining in one cause, and that was to lift up the congresswoman, as she handed in her letter of resignation. we see now her husband, too, and it was hard for him. i think everybody had to -- had to work hard to hold back those tears. >> reporter: yeah, right? >> what's the one thing, kate, before we go to break, that stands out to you about what we just witnessed, you know? aside from the unity and the compassion and the love, something we don't often see there among our politicians. >> reporter: well, honestly,

kyra, that's exactly what i would say is the one thing that really stands out, just the raw emotion and the absolute outpouring, genuine outpouring, of love and support for gabrielle giffords that really tugs at the heartstrings. we often maybe overuse these type of big words, but this was an extraordinary moment that we just witnessed on the house floor. these moments do not happen, especially in the environment with which the hyperpartisan environment that i cover up here day in and day out. it is a moment, it was an absolute extraordinary moment to watch, and i will tell you a moment to try to remember especially for the members of congress that are there today as they move forward and the house and senate pick back up their work. the eloquent words with which everyone spoke was really something to listen to. it was an extraordinary moment to be able to watch. >> yeah. and incredibly inspirational, kate bolduan, on the hill, thanks so much. and if you're just tuning in or if you were able to witness that remarkable 20, 25 minutes

or so there on the house floor, gabrielle giffords, congresswoman giffords, turning in her letter of resignation today. but she makes it perfectly clear she's going to recover, and she's going to return. and we'll be right back after a quick break. >> we thank you, and we thank commander mark kelly, a hero in his own right. ( whirring and crackling sounds ) man: assembly lines that fix themselves. the most innovative companies are doing things they never could before, by building on the cisco intelligent network. 8% every 10 years.age 40, we can start losing muscle -- wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor.

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all right. let's do some more we'd morning quarterbacking on the state of the union address, all right? herman cain back in the spotlight, giving the tea party movement's response. >> we need another revolution. this time it will not be about bombs and bullets. it's going to be about brains and balance at the ballot box. >> another revolution. cnn's senior political an it ron brownstein joining me for some context here, i want to ask you about herman cain, in just a second, but, ron, you and i were watching it in the past 45 minutes. your reaction to this incredible moment for gabby giffords as she turns in her letter of resignation. >> you know, as you were talking about, this is a very polarized time in washington, the level of party-line voting in congress is the highest it's been since the 1890s and, you know, we tend to think of these legislators as almost a physical embodiment of ideology and institutional interests. it takes a moment like this to

remind us that they are human beings, they are people. and the emotion you saw on the floor i think was very real. not likely to spill over and affect the legislative and ideological disputes they have, but a good moment to remind us that cover, to think about and talk about that these folks are people that are not simply embodiments of one point of view. it's good for them to remember as well. >> point well made. i think without a doubt everybody inspired by that today, ron. okay. herman cain, giving the tea party movement response. why herman cain? why not michele bachmann? she founded the house tea party caucus. >> you know, i was not consulted on the decision, but i think it's actually a very interesting choice, in that it reflects the fundamental nature of the tea party is to be sus spicial of all officeholders, republicans as well as democrats. they chose an outsider in herman cain. but, you know, it's also a reflection of why the tea party has not had as much influence in the 2012 republican race so far

as people would have expected given their track record in 2010 when they not only made a lot of noise they actually won a lot of republican primaries. there's not someone in this field who is intrinsically, organically part of this movement that they can relate to. newt gingrich has kind of morphed himself into the closest thing by giving voice to the id of the party by attacking obama and the eleets on the coast and reverting back to his 1980s days, but there isn't a perfect fit and the fact they had to go to herman cain to give their response. >> and cain talking about stephen colbert endorsing him. what was that all about? is this about the tea party or is this about herman cain? >> right. and about stephen colbert, he asked people to vote for herman cain in south carolina as a way of expressing support for stephen colbert's campaign against super pacs. did you follow that? not many people did. it's kind of a side show. herman cain is trying to make

himself into a voice in the republican party, i'm sure he will be, but there's a lot of self-promotion in modern politics, people run for president other than to be expected to be elected president, and i think, you know, you see the sinnit there. >> ron brownstein, thanks for rolling with the punches and hanging in until the end of the hour. thanks for the context. >> thank you. straight ahead, a daring rescue by u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s frees jessica buchanan and minutes ago our brian todd spoke to jessica's father. he joins us after the break. [ male announcer ] this was how my day began. a little bird told me about a band... ♪

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