speed quickly. jerry sandusky waived his right to a preliminary hearing and this will go straight to trial. we all were waiting for that preliminary hearing and that has been waived. he and his attorney decided to waive it. that's the big development in the jerry sandusky case. >> so much more news surrounding this. let's head to atlanta and kyra philips. >> what a busy morning already. we're talking about jerry sandusky in court and out again. he was expected to face his accusers but he waived his right to the preliminary hearing and here's sandusky just as he left the courthouse and he faced a pretty stunned media. >> stay the course, to fight for four quarters. we'll take the opportunity to present our side. >> we couldn't do that today. >> tell me why the preliminary hearing. >> i'll come back and answer your quefgzs. >> mr. sandusky are you looking forward? >> jason carroll was actually inside the courtroom, susan candiotti has one of the

victim's attorneys with her. jason, let's start with you, if you don't mind. let's talk about how bold of a move this was. shocking. when the announcement was made in the courtroom, kyra, there were audible gasps. people clicking on their laptops and sending out the message that this preliminary hearing was not going to happen. let me rewind for a moment so i can describe what it was like when jerry sandusky walked in. he seemed nerve, but calm. he took his seat and some of his family members seated in the first runt. some church supporters, as well. and then all of a sudden his attorney joe amendola goes to the district court judge and calls for a sidebar. right after that, the announcement was made that there would not, in fact, be a preliminary hearing. what happens next, trial date. several months up to a year from now. at this point jerry sandusky

under those previous bail conditions that were set and still under house arrest at this point and still would not be able to have any contact with any potential witnesses and, of course, no unsupervised visits with any minors. >> got it. >> we can also expect a formal arraignment coming up where he has to enter a plea. that really hasn't happened yet. >> susan, you actually have one of the victim's attorneys with you. this basically doesn't give any of these accusers a chance to speak today. >> well, this is something they have looked forward to for a very, very long time. they themselves said through their lawyers that they had prepared themselves for this and it was going to be very difficult to face jerry sandusky but that they, too, were looking forward to having an opportunity to tell their stories first hand withoutquy filter of any kind. now, joining us, as you indicated, marcie hamilton. she represents an alleged victim who was not part of the current

case. but has filed a first civil lawsuit just last week. this is someone who is 29 years old. >> yes. >> was not prepared to be here. you certainly were here on your client's behalf. what was your reaction as a lawyer? >> well, it was surprising. on the other hand, this is the kind of case that has one surprise after another. for me, the hardest part is for the survivors that are still silent. so many survivors out there of child sex abuse. this kind of a hearing could have helped them understand the system and understand other survivors standing up and also could have the courage to stand up and, sadly, they're not going to get that opportunity to see these other survivors standing up for all of them, frankly. it's good for the prosecutors. i think for the silent survivors, it's tough. >> what about whether your client will become part of this case eventually. you said that he is cooperating.

what is the status of that? >> he is currently talking to the authorities. the grand jury works on its own time and will produce its own reports and, so, we will know exactly what's going to go forward in the criminal context. probably not until the new year. >> from your perspective you said four alleged victims but also bad in some ways, as well. frustrating for them. good for prosecutors. as a lawyer, what do you think of this in terms of defense move, legal strategy? >> it's an odd legal strategy to put your client under the kind of stress he's put his client under in terms of all of bellefonte, pennsylvania, being filled with attorneys and press. that, alone, had to be difficult for his client. i don't have a whole lot of sympathy for sandusky. on the other hand, this is a bit of a circus for anyone to have to go through. >> just real quickly, marcie,

have you had a chance to tell your client about what happened? >> no, this has happened so quickly. i have to call him as soon as we're done. >> thank you very much for joining us. so, again, certainly some sense of relief in a way for some of these alleged victims. but on the other hand, many of them have been looking forward to this day. >> jason and susan, thanks so much. thanks for rolling so quickly with us as this all happened. pretty unpexected for all of us. paul callan, too, former defense attorney and prosecutor also one of our legal contributors and, paul y was listening to what you had to say when this all went down and you, in a way, understand this strategy because you said basically it would have been a day for jerry sandusky to get trashed. >> well, that is true. and, you know i do think on the side of waiving the preliminary hearing as a tactic, if you had ten victims or eight victims, however many were going to testify, telling their story in a graphic and gut wrenching kind

of way, you might have created sort of a lynch mob mentality among the public making it pretty much impossible for a prosecutor to offer any kind of a plea deal that would be acceptable to sandusky. so, i think that would be something that the defense would be considering. that the public atmosphere would just be so poisoned, plea negotiations would be impossible. on the other hand, though, kyra, if i'm going to try a case as a criminal defense attorney, this was the golden opportunity to look at the case, to see how strong the witnesses are and to probe and find out where the flaws are and, in fact, if there's no case, it would be readily apparent at a preliminary hearing. very few states offer a preliminary hearing. it used to be all the states you could get them and now i think it's down to maybe two states in the united states that still do preliminary hearings like this public snapshots of what the trial is going to look at. so, it's a golden opportunity

for a defense attorney to see what's on the horizon at the jury trial. amendola has given up that opportunity. >> so, why do you think he did that? why, why would he, i mean, is this a risk? is this a ploy? is this, kind of try and get us inside his head. i mean, you've represented, you've taken on cases like this before. >> you know, i've had any number of clients through the years facing very, very serious charges and, frankly, i've never, ever waived an opportunity to do a preliminary hearing because i think it's so important. you have to understand and people have to understand in the criminal justice system, it's basically a very secretive system. a grand jury meets in secrecy, hears the evidence and hands down an indictment. the case then is put over until the time of trial. you may have a couple of hearings on issues like whether the search warrant was valid or whether somebody got their mirranda warnings, but basically the victims, the alleged victims

never testify until they are actually in front of the jury. so, lots of times defense attorneys really don't know how strong the case is going to be because the alleged victims won't, of course, talk to the defense attorneys. so, they like to do these hearings. so, what is amendola thinking, the defense attorney here? number one, we know he's engaged in very unorthodox defense tactics throughout this case. he's subjected his client to at least two public interviews in which he said, you know, one was with "new york times" and the other was on espn, i think, where he said terribly damaging things, i think, in terms of his own case. no defense attorney normally allows his client to be interviewed by the defense in advance of trial. yet, we have another unorthodox here. kyra, why wait until the last minute to do this? if he had in mind, i don't want to subject my client to all this

adverse publicity and circus atmosphere in pennsylvania, why wouldn't you edadvise the court and the prosecutor a week in advance, we'll avoid the preliminary hearing. it would have avoided the press conferences that are going on now. it doesn't sound like a well thought out strategy to me. sounds like somebody throwing a hail mary pass at the last minute. >> interesting to see how this all develops. paul callan, appreciate your insight this morning. we'll definitely track the story throughout the afternoon. >> nice being with you. well, funny thing happened on the way to the iowa caucuses, now just three weeks away. two candidates looking to make points, well, instead, just make nice. a one-on-one debate over foreign policy and jim acosta you're there in manchester, new hampshire. no gotcha moments, no drama, it was like two buddies having a conversation. >> that's right. a heartwarming holiday affair.

just in time for the holidays. more nice than naughty, you could say, kyra. this was really billed as a conversation. it didn't say debate. that's how it went basically between newt gingrich and jon huntsman. let's face it, for the speaker the real fight is with mitt romney. >> i agree with newt completely. >> i strongly conqur with the governor. >> gingrich versus huntsman was more of a love fest. so mild mattered it got mind numbing for one candidate's own family. >> i can see my daughter nodding off over there. >> in her defense, she was nodding off while i spoke. >> gingrich had time to add to his provocative campaign moments on the subject of iran. >> i believe we cannot allow them to have a nuclear weapon. therefore, i believe we have to be for regime change. we are not going to tolerate an iranian nuclear weapon. >> while huntsman would not go that far. >> i would have to agree, all

options need to be on the table. and in terrain they need to know all aungz options are on the ta >> gingrich doubled down saying israel's very survival depended on stopping iran's nuclear ambitions. am i going to take the risk of presiding over the second ha holocaust, which would mean the end of judaism in the planet. >> that kind of rhetoric might explain why former vice president dick cheney fondly remembered gingrich's time as speaker. in an interview with cnn's erin burnett. >> he was tenacious and kept it up, kept if up and kept it up. finally by '94 newly elected speaker of the house of representatives with the republican majority. i wouldn't underestimate. >> reporter: the one-on-one debate was no match for gingrich and romney. >> do you believe he should give

that money back? >> i sure do. gingrich was ready for that one saying romney should try compensating people he downsized as head of a private investment firm. >> romney would like to give back all the money he earned from bankrupting companies. >> reporter: romney told politico their battle for nomination could go on for months. >> is newt gingrich the frontrunner in this race? >> as of right now. >> the former speaker repeated his challenge to president obama for their own series of lincoln/douglas debates. the modrierator -- when the votg starts in iowa and new hampshire. it's not likely mitt romney will take him up on that offer. he hinted at his own event

yesterday that he will run some negative advertising against newt gingrich telling the audience at that event there is no, no niceness in politics that, you know, there's no whining in politics. get ready, newt, it's coming. carol? >> jim acosta in manchester, thanks. jon huntsman is pulling towards the bottom of the pack, but john avalon says it's time to give huntsman a second look. and verizon wireless sends texts to their customers telling them to take cover now. details in across country. my doctor told me calcium is best absorbed in small continuous amounts. only one calcium supplement does that in one daily dose. citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal.

for the efficient absorption my body needs. where they grow america's favorite wpotatoes. idaho, everyone knows idaho potatoes taste great. but did you know they're good for you too? they're high in vitamins and potassium. and idaho potatoes are now certified to carry the heart checkmark from the american heart association for foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol. so they're good for my family, and for yours. heart smart idaho potatoes. always look for the grown in idaho seal.

forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. 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.

checking stories across country right now. one of the drivers injured during a shooting rampage in hollywood has died. music xebative was shot in the jaw as he drove through the intersection last saturday. and police arrested three student in another hazing incident at florida a&m university. a third victim, a woman, suffered serious injuries. the men are charged with felony battery and hazing. verizon wireless caused quite a panic yesterday. telling them to take shelter now and warning of a civil emergency. verizon later said that the message was only a test and apologized for any inconvenience. republicans to give jon huntsman another look?

>> afghanistan is not our future. iraq is not our future. the future of this country is really how well prepared we are to meet the 21st century economic challenges. are they going to play out largely over the pacific ocean. >> well cnn contributor says, yes. huntsman has substance and he's got credentials. john, why isn't anyone paying attention to him like the others? >> well, the big question is whether this says more about jon huntsman's campaign or more about the state of the republican party. he got attacked as a rhino early on. he was president obama's china ambassador. but if you take a step back and look at his record, first as governor of utah, cutting taxes and creating a climate and then look at his risk campaign. his job plan praised by "wall street journal," for example, erasing the ryan plan. these are fiscally conservative,

so the key is whether the party is willing to look at the substance over the style and increasingly you're seeing our own erick erickson and starting to say huntsman deserves a second look. well, the white house, it's interesting, early on they said the candidate they were interested in running, electable. polls show jon huntsman will do very well in a general election. he can connect with the independent voters but because jon huntsman has been stuck in the single digits nationally they haven't had to worry about him. instead they believe newt gingrich is the most electable candidate against barack obama and, of course, the white house looks at that with some degree of delight. they're watching all that play out. inching up in new hampshire. that's why yerbd's debate was

significant. >> what do you think he needs to do to inch up higher and can he do it? >> well, he starts needing to highlight the fact that increasing number of conservatives saying he has the most conservative fiscal record in the books. polls showing 70% of republican primary voters saying this is about social issues. he needs to make a case about electability in the general election and focus on his credentials and policy record. the problem is this republican game of musical chairs we're less than three weeks out from iowa. the question is whether enough time to have the republicans give him a second look. i think he deserves it because you find the perfect balance. >> interesting that you mention musical chairs because music is a big part of the huntsman family, as you know, and you also know some individuals getting a lot of attention, his daughters. first of all, the tweeting and then the ad spoofs, well, now, it's all about getting his sexy

back. take a listen. ♪ ♪ i'm bringing huntsman back ♪ we're right behind him >> i guess if he doesn't make it to the white house, they could definitely start a band. do you think the huntsman daughters are increasing their dad's cool factor, john? >> i think that's the idea and certainly they've increased his buzz factor. john huntsman was in a rock band called wizard in the early '80s which i'm endlessly fascinated about. huntsmans' girls are increasing attention. but it's the substance that deserves the attention. the policy substance of the huntsman campaign deserves respect and has gotten respect from some conservative organizations like "wall street journal." the republican party to say, do we want a strong center nominee or try to purge anyone who

descents because, i think huntsman has tried to run a realbie-based campaign and not a rhetoric campaign and that should help him the long run but still focused on purging center right voices and that creates a problem for jon huntsman. >> john, thanks. well, coming up, vladimir putin is getting some competition in the russian presidential race. nba fans might recognize him. the billionaire owner of the new jersey nets. 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. lord of the carry-on.

sovereign of the security line. you never take an upgrade for granted. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i deserve this. [ male announcer ] you do, business pro. you do. go national. go like a pro. say, hey, we know this guy.

he owns the new jersey nets. zain verjee here with more details. zain, very interesting. >> truly fascinating that he's talking about getting into this race, kyra. one of the richest men in the world. something like $11 billion in metal industry. we do know that name. does he have a shot? many people really wonder if he could really win. one says, yeah, maybe he's jumping on the band wagon of a lot of protesters in russia. he saw thousands of them gathering in moscow over the weekend and maybe he's jumping in on that and give putin a real run for his money. the opposition and the cynics of the opposition saying that this is just a strategy being used by the kremlin. he is being used as a kremlin

stooge just to give the appearance that vladimir putin is going to have a run for his money and there is some real competition. what they're saying is that he is in the race to draw the voters that would have voted for the opposition away. they don't go to putin and the opposition, but it gives putin a little bit of an edge. jury is still out on what's true and what will happen. >> any background in politics at all? >> well, he has had some previous relationship with political parties. he had a close relationship with the kremlin. he did try and get involved with one of the more right-wing parties in russia, but i think he annoyed everyone and he ended up making himself really unpopular. he does have political ties and he has, you know, worked closely with the kremlin, but, you know, a bit of a murky operation there over at the kremlin. so, i think he annoyed a lot of the people there, too. but he is, you know, someone who

is powerful and someone who is very well-known in the country and he's got a box office name recognition. so, it will make the race interesting, but he's got to apply as a candidate and that's the massive bureaucracy he has to deal with right there. it's not official yet, he just declared his intentions. >> we'll track it, zain, thanks. well, stocks are set to bounce back after yesterday's 160-point loss for the dow. alison kosik is at the new york stock exchange to talk more about what investors are keeping an eye on today. hi, alison. >> hi, kyra, yeah. expect the dow to rise about 60 points when the opening bell rings in four minutes. this comes from yesterday's selloff that was partly europe related. investors feeling more optimistic this morning. retail sales came in for november and they edged up slightly, though. they came in worse than expected, though. october's number was revised up

sharply. it shows that consumers are continuing to spend their hard-earned cash. anticipation headed the federal reserve is also going to play into the market action today. the federal reserve coming out with the decision later this afternoon. now, the central bank is not expected to make any policy changes, but investors are really going to be reading the tea leaves and look at that policy statement very closely to see if there is any indication of more stimulus on the way. kyra? >> well, you mentioned hard-earned cash. this is the time of year we have to not forget to tip those who work very hard in various areas for us within our country, right? >> exactly. the people we just can't live without, right? some spokesman for the emily post institute and they say the best rule of thumb here is to tip the equivalent of a single service. so, if you're talking about a baby-sitter, it could be a week's pay or what it costs for a single session if you're talking about a personal trainer. the other rule of thumsub to start with those people who are

closest to you that do the hardest jobs. the ones who clean those smelly diapers, you know, or somebody who shovels your snow every morning in the winter and then, of course, work your way out as far as the people go. now, there's a survey out by bank rate that says 70% of americans don't plan to change their tipping habits, even though the economy is still struggling. less this year because, oh, yes, money is tight, like it is for a lot of us. >> you have to give something. that's for sure. alison, thanks. jerry sandusky heading to court and immediately heading out. the latest preliminary hearing in a stunning move this morning. we'll take you inside the courtroom for what happened. [ gargling ] oo-ay-ow. savings. savings. savings? progressive was the first to offer online quoting.

you can do better. first to show comparison rates. ding! the "name your price" tool. oh! gosh, don't mind if i do. who was the first to offer pet injury coverage? we were. and when did you know you wanted to sell insurance? i said i wouldn't cry. um... whee! it's flo time. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

checking top stories now, possible revenge attack in syria. an activist group tells cnn that army defectors killed seven government security forces. payback for the government killing of 11 civilians in two villages. four soldiers are dead after two army choppers went down during a training exercise in washington state. military says it happened on training grounds inside joint base. it's not clear yet if they collided. speaker john boehner says that the house could vote on a tax relief and job creation bill. no deal yet on extending the payroll tax cut. lawmakers go on their holiday break friday. sandusky, jerry sandusky's

attorney speaking right now after his client walked in and out of the courtroom waiving his rights at a preliminary hearing. >> the commonwealth would have had an opportunity to recite the allegations in the presentment and filed against jerry sandusky in this matter, which would have really left us with the worst of all worlds. we would have heard rthe allegations without cross examining the witnesses who testified as to their credibility and as all of you know, credibility is the main factor in this case. credibility is a situation that exists at trial. it's a measure which we can address at trial, but we could not have addressed it today. as we attempted to, we would have been foreclosed from doing so. one of the main reasons we wanted to have a preliminary hearing and anticipated having one is because we wanted to cross examine mike mcqueary who

was involved in the accusations to accuser number two. as many of you know, the credibility of mike mcqueary was put into question prior to today with various statements he allegedly has made and we verified the e-mails, but we still have not yet verified the comments allegedly made following whatever mike mcqueary said he saw in a shower room at penn state university in march of 2002. having done that and having realized that mike mcqueary's credibility was already a grave issue, we decided that when we looked at the strategy that we wished to imply in this case, that would make a lot more sense to waive this hearing and proceed with our defense, especially given the fact that we get a concession from the commonwealth to address our pretrial discovery needs and address at a reasonably fast way so we can analyze that material more quickly and properly prepare for a trial. so, again, having said that, we

anticipated nothing new coming out of this case by way of our defense and not being able to realistically present a defense or attack any witness' credibility today we decided late last night at the better part of the tactical mu mover would be to waive today's proceeding being very well prepared and realizing that we have much of the evidence we would have gained from today's proceeding and putting everyone to the task of sitting in court for an entire day's worth of court hearings. having said that, i'll be happy to answer any questions. wait, i want to control this. i can't answer five or ten questions. i'll take you first. >> attorney representing one of the alleged victims went so far today to say he thought it was an act of cowardness to go to this 11th hour to have those alleged victims face the prospect of having to testify to an open court only to pull it

away. why make these decisions at this moment when you could have made it two days ago? >> because we did not have meaningful discussions, we did not have meaningful discussions with the prosecution until yesterday afternoon. and even after we did so, that it was not today's proceeding would be waived. in response to that particular comment, you know, i always have to chuckle with attorneys who make comments about other attorney's cases when they really don't know all the details. i try not to do that. i try not to comment on his comment, but i will say this, but it was the commonwealth that insisted that all the witnesses be here today because they were concerned that jerry might change his mind and might want a hearing. it wasn't us. matter of fact, i told the commonwealth attorney last night he could call off his witnesses and he chose not to do so and i understand that because if jerry had come into court today, even

though we agreed late last night that he would have been stuck with no witnesses, but that's the reason. we did not drag people in the court. in fact, we tried to avoid that. in fact, we tried to be sensitive to everyone but because of the nature of the legal system until a defendant actually signs the paperwork and waives his legal process, no one could assume that's going to happen, not even i. he could have come in and even though i thought he was going to waive and said at the last minute, joe, i decided i want a hearing. that's the reason why all those folks were available today. it had nothing to do with cowardness or gamefulness. because of the process, the prosecution chose not to do that and i understand that. anybody else? i'll take men, women. >> from cnn, susan candiotti. did you flag this to the prosecutors as a possibility last night in your discussions and what all did you discuss with them?

>> well, what we discussed is that if we were to waive the hearing based upon the realization that a probable cause hearing, which is what a preliminary hearing is, there is a really low threshold of proof for the commonwealth. all they have to do is establish the element of the defenses that case held for court on those charges. realizing that and realizing credibility was not going to be an issue when, in fact, the prosecutor, i think correctly stated that he would object to any questions i wanted to ask about credibility. and having given that information, we talked about if we waived a hearing would they facilitate discovery, for example. would they agree to maintain bail where it is, for example, because i think most of you realize that a client who's not incarcerated is a heck of a lot more valuable to his attorneys in terms of preparing his defense than an attorney who is in jail. so, we made those agreements and based upon those agreements we decided that we would waive the hearing today. >> that's our susan candiotti

that just asked joe amendola that question. it was a pretty stunning development early this morning when we thought jerry sandusky was going to testify possibly in his preliminary hearing and said he walk under to the courtroom and waived his right to that hearing and now you see what has happened since then. we're going to continue to talk about this with our susan candiotti, who is there right now in that live news conference and also cnn reporter susan gannon the reporter for "patriot news" has been on top of this story and she has information from the attorneys representing the alleged accusers. more from the "cnn newsroom" straight ahead.

a stunning development in the child sexual abuse at penn state. >> to stay the course to fight for four quarters. we'll have the opportunity to present our side. >> we couldn't do that today. >> why not? tell me why the preliminary hearing? >> are you looking forward. >> maintain your innocence? >> jerry sandusky's attorney did come back to the mikes and he's holding a live news conference and we're monitoring that for

you. cnn contributor sara is outside the courthouse and the reporter for "patriot news" and sara you had a chance to talk to some of the attorneys representing these alleged accusers, correct? >> that's right. you know what they were saying is that their clients are relieved that they didn't have to be here today, however, one attorney went as far as to call jerry sandusky and his attorney cowards for bringing them to the courthouse this morning and then not going through with the hearing. not being able to face their accuser, his accusers and for that he called him a coward and victim six also speculated that possibly jerry sandusky wanted to see his boys, now men, would go ahead with testifying against jerry sandusky. would go ahead with the accusations and once it was clear to him that they were going to go through with it, they did stand strong and maybe

they would be perceived as very credible, those were the words of victim six's attorney that he decided not to go through with it. afterwards, jerry sandusky did tell some members of the media that it wasn't over, he was fighting for his innocence and his attorney chimed in and said this wasn't the right time. you can see joe amendola reiterated that. he can't attack the credibility of those alleged victims, so they would have been telling their side of the story, with essentially very little to no defense and that was why they decided not to go through with it, even though he did say that they really debated it but they decided late last night and they told prosecutors that they were going to waive. >> now this case just goes straight to trial, right? >> now this case is going to trial, january 11th, jerry sandusky does have a formal arraignment. that is kind of a procedural type of hearing.

most people waive that. they don't come in and show up for it. so, the next stage in this is setting a trial date after that january 11th arraignment. we should have a tentative trial date at that time. >> developing news out of the jerry sandusky case. coming up, what it means to be poor in the wealthiest country in the world. a new op-ed tackles poverty and the real american dream. they came to see us in florida... make that alabama... make that mississippi. the best part of the gulf is wherever you choose... and now is a great time to discover it. this year millions of people did. we set all kinds of records. next year we're out to do even better. so come on down to louisiana... florida... alabama... mississippi. we can't wait to see you. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. when it comes to preparing for your financial future, it helps to have a team that performs well together.

pacific life offers life insurance, annuities for lifetime income, mutual funds and retirement solutions. ask a financial professional about how pacific life's more than 140 years of experience can bring strength to your team. pacific life - the power to help you succeed. ♪ my hair is gone ♪ cheap cologne ♪ motor home

♪ i'm the rocket man! [ both ] ♪ rocket man ♪ burning out his fuse up here alone ♪ burning out his fuse up here alone? ahh. [ male announcer ] crystal clear fender premium audio. one of many premium features available on the all-new volkswagen passat. the 2012 motor trend car of the year. ♪ and i think it's gonna be a long, long time ♪

so, we're the wealthiest country in the world and still we had more than 46 million people living in poverty last year. clearly, the economy's got a way to go. in the meantime, l.z. granderson wants everybody to know, poor is not the four-letter word. the title of his latest op-ed. what is your personal story that gives you insight into this. >> i have been thinking about writing this piece for a months, actually and herman cain's comments about poor people kind of pushed it further and then this past weekend i was noticing my own behavior around people i perceived to be poor. i thought it was time to talk about our attitudes because i was finding ways to cut the deficit and i was thinking it's important that we don't forget

that poor doesn't necessarily mean that you're a bad person or that you had a bad work ethic, it just means that you don't have as much money. >> newt gingrich made the comments that made headlines. the quote is really poor children in really poor neighborhoods have no habits of working and have nobody around them that works. what do you say to newt? >> well, you know, same thing i said last week in that basically you're a jerk, newt, because, you know, in my neighborhood was very poor. i grew up on government cheese and we needed food stamps to help survive, but, you know, my folks worked their butts off. they worked overtime. but we were still poor. but i saw a strong work ethic and my story is not unique. you know in the piece i talk about howard shultz, the ceo of starbucks. he grew up in the projects of brooklyn. president clinton grew up poor in arkansas. our entire history is based on the hard work of poor people.

to throw us under the bus because we're under a financial crisis, it means he's disconnected to what the backbone of this country really is. >> the american dream, you and i both have a favorite classic and that's "lord of the flies." >> absolutely. you know, we're barreling towards that place where, you know, it's kill or be killed and i think so many people looking for work and i saw statistics that talked about 1 in 45 children that are homeless and we need more compassion, not more fear. >> l.z., thanks so much. i appreciate you. >> thank you. >> l.z.'s piece is at cnn.com/opinion. if you would like, join the conversation and leave a comment for him. yeah, i'm married. does it matter? you'd do that for me? really? yeah, i'd like that. who are you talking to? uh, it's jake from state farm.

sounds like a really good deal. jake from state farm at three in the morning. who is this? it's jake from state farm. what are you wearing, jake from state farm? [ jake ] uh... khakis. she sounds hideous. well she's a guy, so... [ male announcer ] another reason more people stay with state farm. get to a better state. ♪

well, stories making news later today 11:30 eastern, iraqi presidential candidate for iraq visits the u.s. chamber of commerce. and the decision on interest rates, the policymakers are expected to hold firm. beginning tonight at 7:00 eastern shlgt movie fans and jewelry collectors have a chance to bid on elizabeth taylor's gems. also ahead next hour, we go in-depth on the iraq war and its effects on the people who fought it. i'll get a chance to revisit a mother who is still fighting battles in her mind. ♪

>> reporter: june moss and her 15-year-old daughter brianna are tight. laughing, dancing, healthy competition. >> i'm beating you, bri. >> reporter: about five years ago this almost ended. you attempted suicide by cutting your wrists, and what you told me about your kids and what they said to you -- >> i remember the ambulance came and my kids asked me, mommy, why did you do that? and the only thing i could say at the time was i had a bad day. that was one, a stupid mistake. two, i thank god that i wasn't successful. >> reporter: what do you do know when you have a bad day? >> i try to limit the bad days for one. >> the good news is she's whipping her battle with ptsd, but it hasn't been easy. with the war almost over, thousands of returning veterans

could find themselves in her shoes. next hour in-depth on our women in uniform and ptsd. they came to see us in florida... make that alabama... make that mississippi. the best part of the gulf is wherever you choose... and now is a great time to discover it. this year millions of people did. we set all kinds of records. next year we're out to do even better. so come on down to louisiana... florida... alabama... mississippi. we can't wait to see you. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. [ knock on door ] cool. you found it. wow. nice place. yeah. [ chuckles ] the family thinks i'm out shipping these. smooth move. you used priority mail flat rate boxes. if it fits, it ships for a low, flat rate. paid for postage online and arranged a free pickup. and i'm gonna track them online, too. nice. between those boxes and this place, i'm totally staying sane this year. do i smell snickerdoodles? maybe. [ timer dings ] got to go. priority mail flat rate shipping at usps.com.

a simpler way to ship.

i'm not sure what jack hannah would say, but in this case the seahawk is higher than the ram on the food change, at least when we are talking about the nfl. >> that's right. we are talking animal kingdom. the seahawks did keep the playoff hopes alive by feeding

the beast for special teams specialness. the seahawks come charging in and block the punt. michael robinson says, thank you very much. he scoops it up and takes it to tend zone for the touchdown. seattle built the lead and put the game away by beating the beast. the beast is runningback mar schon lynch. his ninth straight game with a touchdown and he always eats skittles after he scores. they started flying onto the field. he was pelted with skittles. they love him so much in seattle. seattle won last night winning four of the last five. prosecutors may press charges for saturday's fight. they are taking a close look at this big blow of an cy gates blind it's siding kenny freetz. >> a lot of people are calling me a thug, a gangster. >> four players from each team

were suspended. gates and two of his teammates got the longest penalty, six games apiece. a high school football player made a move so incredible people are comparing it to something you would see in "the matrix." check out pete ty williams. north carolina, this was posted on a recruiter's website. seriously, watch him kind of bend over backwards to avoid the tackle. how do you do that. that is making the round on the internet tubes. keira, you follow tim tebow, check out jay leno who thinks he has divine intervention working for him. >> you know, some people say tebow has been waiting because god is on his side, have you heard that? i didn't believe it until yesterday. show the play i'm talking about in slow motion. watch what happens here. watch what happens here. there he goes. you see -- did you see?

i don't know. >> i mised that the first time when i was watching the game. i missed that, but clearly that's a key to the bronco's success. they are 6-1 with tebow as the starting quarterback. they are first place in the afc west. it doesn't hurt when you have extra help. >> it works for him, for sure. thank you, jeff. >> absolutely. and we begin the top of the hour with jerry sandusky in and out of court waving his right to a preliminary hearing affectively sciencing his accuser's testimony. here he is leaving the courtroom facing the stunned media. >> we will wait the opportunity to present our side. >> we couldn't do that today. i'll come back and answer your questions. >> reporter: mr. sandusky, are you looking forward to -- >> that was our jason carol asking that question right there inside the courtroom. he's joining us live from there.

jason, pretty bold move. >> reporter: very bold. in fact, jerry sandusky's attorney joe amendola is speaking behind me now. let me explain what he says are the reasons for why they decided to waive the right to the preliminary hearing two. things are happening here, first, this was a tactical move. quite frankly there are two reasons behind this. first of all, they are not anticipating anything through. news are joe amendola's words. nothing new will come out of the preliminary hearing. two, he says they made this decision because they felt as though they would not be able to challenge, really challenge, any of the testimony that would have been made here today by the alleged victims that were set to testify. so that, he says, are his reasons for why they decided to, quote, decide to waive the right to this preliminary hearing. take a listen to what he said a little earlier. >> the commonwealth would have

had an opportunity to basically recite the allegations contained in the resentment that's been presented and filed against jerry sandusky in this matter, which really would have left us with the worst of all worlds. we would have heard the allegations without realistically cross xging the witnesses to their credibility. >> reporter: and this falls in line to what joe amendola told us son sunday when i had the opportunity to meet with him. his thought is much of the discussion in terms of what's being discussed in the public arena on jerry sandusky is all negative. he felt during today's preliminary hearing more of that would have come out. in other word, the headline would have been about the alleged victims testified. now because of the tactical move he feels that at the very least he'll be able to direct some of

the headlines that are coming out. again, he is still speaking, he's been speaking for the last 20 minutes. and i think the legal analysts are really going to have a go at it in terms of whether or not this was the right decision or the wrong decision. keira? >> we'll talk about more of the legal strategies here in just a second, but jason, sarah gannon told me a few minutes ago a trial date has been set. is that right? it looked like january 11th, right? >> reporter: that is correct. well, that's going to actually be a preliminary hearing. >> oh, okay. >> reporter: excuse me, that's not the actual trial. the trial date is much later than that. joe amendola saying just a little while ago he was expecting that to be some time around 2012. what's going to happen on january 11th will be the formal arraignment. so you'll have the formal arraignment around that period of time, but that's, again, what we are hearing -- we'll see if

some of that changes within the next few days in terms of how things go with court scheduling. >> got it. jason, thank you so much. formal arraignment coming january 11th. paul kalon is a former prosecutor joining us as a cnn legal contributor. you called this a hail mary move, and one you didn't necessarily agree with. paul? >> yeah, it is an unorthodox tactic by attorney amendola who has a bag full of unort dock tactics. he submitted his compliant in advance to press interviews in advance of trial, very rare and unusual. and now to give up an opportunity to listen to the testimony of the ten alleged victims and do at least some cross-examination of them in advance of trial is a very, very unusual defense tactic. usually defense attorneys like to do a preliminary hearing because it gives them a snapshot

of the case that they are going to be facing at the time of trial. i do understand, i've been listening to his press conference, i understand what he's saying. i guess he's saying we already know what the allegations are, we don't need to do this hearing. i don't think that's really the reason they waived the hearing. i think they were afraid the testimony of the alleged victims would be so absolutely gut-wrenching and that it would be public revulsion and that the atmosphere would turn even more hostile to jerry sandusky than it already is. >> well, paul, let's take a listen to what sandusky's attorney said about the alleged victims. here you go. >> do you realize that many of these young men already have civil attorneys for the lawsuits that are being filed, have been filed and will be filed? what greater motivation, and i hate to say it, but it is going to be part of our case and we are checking on it now. what greater motivation could there be than money? i have seen money break up

families. i have seen siblings become enemies fighting over their parents' assets after they pass agray away. what greater motivation can there be than the financial gain that can come out of this than by saying i'm a victim? >> this is one of the opening salvo's attacking the credibility of the alleged victims. this is, by the way, a customary tactic in sexual abuse cases because wherever you have a sex abuse case there's almost always a civil case that fool lows follows if the person who committed the crime allegedly committed the crime has money. no surprise here, but what is surprising is if amendola believes that, then why not listen to the testimony in court under oath today and see how strong the story is. see if it is consistent with the grand jury presentment. see if there are flaws in the story. why not subject the witness to at least a little bit of cross-examination. you can't do a full cross. he'll right about that and said, you can't attack their

credibility if they were a drug addict or something, you couldn't bring that up, but you certainly could go after them on the story and whether the story is consistent. he gave that opportunity up today and i'm very, very surprised at that strategic maneuver. >> paul kalin, we'll be talking a lot as this continues. >> nice to be with you, keira. take care. >> pleasure. happening right now on capitol hill, lawmakers ready to grill jon corzine, the former governor of new jersey. he was the ceo of mf global, a commodities trading firm that went belly-up. the nation's largest bankruptcy. client mustn't money is now missing. also many farmers were unable to buy seed or equipment to keep their businesses growing. we'll hear from them as well. three weeks until the first votes in iowa. newt gingrich is the man to beat in the gop race for the white house, but romney says he's

ready for a fight. >> the governor, newt gingrich, is the frontrunner in this race. >> yes, right now. >> why is that? >> gosh, you have seen various people go from very low numbers to high numbers and back down. >> well, a direct question, a direct answer. now to two men at the top of the polls are sparring over how they made their millions of dollars. jim acosta is live in manchester. jim, gingrich planned to run a positive campaign, but it seems like things are getting kind of ugly. >> reporter: yeah, good luck with that, right, keira? we are a few weeks away from the voting in iowa and new hampshire, but it has been anything but positive in the last 48 hours. newt gingrich and mitt romney have gone after each other. considering the issue of how they made their money in the private sector. first romney went after gingrich saying he should return tom some of the money he mad advising the giant freddie mac and gingrich

fired right back. it took a couple hours for the former speak tore fire back saying that perhaps mitt romney should congressmen sate some of the people he downsized when he was the head of a private investment firm. let's listen to both candidates. >> if he was working as a spokesman for fannie mae, excuse me, freddie max, if he was there because of his political connections and then freddie mac fails, i think a fair question is asked, why did he profit as freddie mac failed? >> i would just say that if governor romney would like to give back all the money he's earned from bankrupting companies and laying off employees over his years, then i would be glad to listen to him. >> reporter: so this morning the gingrich campaign put out this letter from the former speaker to his supporters. i'll read a couple quotes from it. it says, quote, we will run a positive campaign focused on our country's future. we will not be running any

negative advertising. then he goes on to say, therefore, i am instructing all members of my campaign staff to avoid initiating attacks on other republican candidates, it is hope that my republican opponents will join me in this commitment. that's a challenge to mitt romney there to run a positive campaign. but, keira, yesterday at an event here in new hampshire romney told a crowd he is basically ready to run negative advertising aimed at newt gingrich saying there's no whining in politics. >> well, talk about the gingrich husband debate, that was quite a different story, this was more of a lovefest. let's take a listen. >> i agree with newt completely. >> i strongly concur with the governor. >> i agree with a lot of what the speaker has put forward on iran. you can't force history. i mean, the speaker knows that. >> why play so nice? it sounds like they will be on

the ticket together. >> reporter: yeah. well, and after the event was over, john huntsman gave a brief media availability telling life-support reporters he would think about gingrich has a member to his party. but this was a gentleman's conversation more than a debate. this was one moment in the campaign that had the audience laughing when huntsman indicates his own daughter was nodding off during the one-on-one debate. and gingrich came to his rescue and said, well, to be honest here, she was nodding off when i was talking. so this could not have been more of a lovefest. more a lovefest than lincoln/douglas. there's probably a reason why this style of debate went out of fashion in the 19th century. >> well, a boring lovefest indeed if his daughter fell asleep. jim acosta, thank you so much. well, turning now to international news, the unrest

in syria. the latest u.n. report says that over 5,000 people have now been killed in the government's crackdown in pro-democracy protesters. zain verjee is following this for us. >> reporter: at at least 13 people have died today. cnn cannot end pep dent independently support those, but here are what some of they hadlines the headlines around the world are saying. neighbors start to feel the threat of syrian unrest. it says for nine months the world has been watching syrians be killed at the hand of the assad regime. for neighbors and former allies of damascus, this had been an obvious human rights issue. now, very quickly, we are seeing it become a fundamental regional security concern. today's zaman, this is the

newspaper from turkey. you are the coast' risky brinksman. it is not a question of if but rather a question of how long baa shar al asad can hang on to power. when his regime will fold under mounting regional and international pressure is still unknown. but one thing is clear, his days are numbered. residents are basing their troops in the city and fear there could be a possible bombardment. many don't have water, electricity and fuel. they are forced to get fuel from the black market in order to survive. so the situation there is really tense. and one human rights activist saying the word that everybody has on their minds is fear in homes. >> zain, thanks. straight ahead, the iraq war is coming to a close. thousands of men and women could be combing home with ptsd. june moss knows what it is like when the war follows you home.

>> but i do know this, when i'm stressing out, then i start having dreams about what i saw in the fear and just all around experiences come back to haunt you. >> june is coping but it is not easy. coming up, we go in-depth on our women in uniform and ptsd. ♪ progresso. it fits! fantastic! [ man ] pro-gresso they fit! okay-y... okay??? i've been eating progresso and now my favorite old jeans...fit. okay is there a woman i can talk to?

[ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less.

well, cnn is going in-depth on the iraq war as it draws to a close and thousands of our men and women come home for good. but many of them might bring the battles home with them. we are talking about the rising rates of post-traumatic dress disorder, especially among women. the v.a. says 8% of the population will develop ptsd. women are more likely than men to go et. in fact, one of every five women fighting in iraq or afghanistan comes home with ptsd. now we'll put a face with the numbers. june moss came back from ooirks iraq several years ago with severe ptsd. i had a chance to check in with her and her daughter to see how they are coping now. ♪ >> reporter: june moss and her 15-year-old daughter brianna are tight. laughing, dancing, healthy competition. >> i'm beating you, bri. >> no you're not.

>> reporter: but just five years ago this almost ended. when you attempteded is by cutting your wrists and what you told me about your kids and what they said to you -- >> i remember the ambulance came and my kids asked me, mmm mommy, why did you do that? and the only thing i could say at the time was i had a bad day. that was, one, a stupid mistake, two, i thank god i wasn't successful. >> what do you do now when you have a bad day? >> i try to limit the bad days for one. >> reporter: when we first metro tired staff sergeant june moss two years ago she was confronted ptsd head-on. as a u.s. army vehicle mechanic, june went into baghdad in 2003. the start of operation iraqi freedom. she had an incredible attitude. she wanted to win this war. but after a few months of doing

checkpoint security and driving in country, a patriotic june moss went from this to this. she had become a soldier, mentally battling the brutal realities of war. >> decapitations, you saw the charred bodies from the explosions and from seeing all the debris. >> reporter: does that still come back? >> it comes back, but only when my stress level is high. so i try to minimize as much stress as possible, but i do know when i'm stressing out, then i start having dreams about what i saw in the fear and just the all-around experience. it does come back as if to haunt you. >> reporter: ptsd doesn't go away, does it? >> unfortunately, ptsd does not go away. it is not that simple. you are always one incident from spiraling out of control back to

where you were, being depressed. >> our last interview you talked about anger being a problem. >> sometimes when you have ptsd you just lash out. i was an angry ball mess then. >> reporter: is anger still a problem? >> yes, anger is still an issue. >> reporter: why? >> that's funny, just a year ago i punched somebody in the face. >> reporter: you punched somebody in the face? at work? >> at work, yeah, because of my anger. and i'm not proud of that. >> reporter: what happened? >> i let them push my buttons. and they pushed one too many buttons. >> reporter: was that a gut-check for you? >> oh, definitely. that even, i, too, have to keep my anger in check and keep me mindfold. >> reporter: she was suspended for three days without pay, but now committed to weekly therapy and thanks to her employer the chaplain at the palo alto

california v.a. she's embracing her faith and her family in a whole new way. how do you remember your mom when she first got back from war? >> she was overly protective. she said she had nightmares about, like, people taking us away or her at war. >> reporter: so what is your mom like now? >> mommy is just wild and just my mother. she's always -- >> reporter: she's back? >> she's back. she's back. >> reporter: back, but continuing to fight her fears. >> i just couldn't do crowds. it reminded me of being in the marketplace and we didn't know if somebody was out there to kill us. i know i'm back home and don't have to worry about a suicide bomber, but i still felt like it could happen at the mall or the grocery store. >> reporter: but just over a month ago june took a huge step. she took her daughter to a concert. you were afraid of crowds,

noises. >> yes. >> reporter: and you took your daughter to see chris brown. >> yes, we went to the concert. and it was amazing. and i am so glad that i am in my therapy now and was able to do something like that. because that crowd was massive. because those kids love them some chris brown. >> reporter: so would you say your mom is better? healthier? happier? >> all of that. she's just how she used to be and i like it. >> it's a big deal to know that from then and now i have come a long way. >> reporter: are you a better mom? >> i am a better mom, a better person. i'm a better me. you know, from head to toe, i'm a better me. >> well, roughly 40,000 men and women are coming back from iraq for good this month. and the veterans administration faces an influx of new veteran who is may be in june moss' shoes with the battles following

them home. so the question is, will the new v.a.'s program to deal with ptsd be enough? tomorrow you'll meet this veteran, reed wiseman, he was one of the first pilots to attack iraq back in 2003. today he's an as two naught at nasa. he'll share experiences with us and tell us how he feels about the iraq war now. well, straight ahead, big talk from iran's president on that downed u.s. drone. he says he controls it and is not giving it back. plus, inhave to theytive info for job hunters. we'll find out which words are so common you may leave them off your resumé. ♪

you want to save money on car insurance? no problem.

you want to save money on rv insurance? no problem. you want to save money on motorcycle insurance? no problem. you want to find a place to park all these things? fuggedaboud it. this is new york. hey little guy, wake up! aw, come off it mate! geico. saving people money on more than just car insurance. (rawhen an investmentrsation) lacks discipline, it's never this obvious. introducing investment discipline etfs from russell. visit russelletfs.com r a prospectus, containing the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information. read and consider it carefully before investing.

well, many job seekers describe themselves as motivated or innovative but remove unique from the list because apparently a million other people are saying the exact same thing. alison kosik, you don't want to use the overused resumé word. i'm sure there are many more to add to that list. >> exactly. many, many more. yeah, it is all the tired, overused phrases that you have to kick out if you want to make your resumé standout. professional networking site linkedn scoured millions of profiles and resumés to come up with the year's top ten most overused buzz words. topping the list, creative followed by organizational and effective. other popular phrases include extensive experience, communications skills and dynamic. yes, we have all heard the words before, but the most popular buzz words, believe it or not are different from country to country. so where creative is a big word that we like to you in the u.s., spain likes to use the word

managerial. bra skillans are calling themselves multi-national. keira, what do you call yourself? >> cooperative. >> oh, that's nice. >> my entire team is going, yeah, right, she's a tough one. tell me the words that we should you, okay? you told us what not to use, what catches the attention of employers, which will now become overused because we are talking about it. >> yes, next year we'll say something different. if you want to put the sas back in, be specific and direct. for example, instead of saying extensive experience, go ahead and list out what the experiences are. even if you have a limited amount of space. but the funny thing is, many job seekers point out that employers actually use these overused words to describe the actual employee they are looking for. ironic, if you ask me.

>> allison, thank you. how would you describe yourself? >> smart and sassy. that will get me a job, right? >> there you go. you already have a great job. we know you are smart and sassy. thank you, alison. straight ahead, mitt romney admits newt gingrich is the man to beat. we'll talk to our political buzz panelist right after the break. ♪ nyquil: you know i relieve coughs, sneezing, fevers? tylenol: me, too. and nasal congestion. nyquil:what? tissue box (whispering): he said nasal congestion... nyquil: i heard him. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't.

checking top stories now.

ex-penn state football coach jerry sandusky waived arraignment and won't be atending an arraignment on january 11th. and it means his accusers won't testify for now. he faces more than 50 counts involving the sexual molestation of ten boys. four soldiers are dead after two army choppers went down during a training exercise in washington state. the military says it happened on the training grounds just inside joint base lewis-mcchord. it is not clear if the two collided. and a tax relief and job creation bill will be voted on today. lawmakers go on the holiday break friday. okay. political buzz, your rapid-fire look at the best political topics of the day. three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. playing today, founder and ed dor of citizen jane politics, patricia jane murray, sherry and robert zimmerman. first question, this letter from

newt gingrich. it's pledging to uphold the institution of marriage to my spouse in respect for the marital bonds of others. so is this an admission by his campaign that he's worried about his past? sherry? >> i think what this is is them not wanting to spend more time on this issue than they have to. it keeps coming up as democrats like to stir up a little bit of trouble, but the truth is newt gingrich is a serious man who wants to move on the the serious issues and doesn't want this to take up too many more news cycles. so addressing it on his own terms and getting it out there helps free up some time, hopefully, so that he can address the horrible record of president barack obama and what he's doing in this country and why obama needs to go. it is a smart thing for gingrich to be doing. >> rob snert robert? >> you have to give her credit. of course, he's worried about his past, but we all should be

worried about the extreme right wing representing this and the come indianapolis in the republican party. this letter he signed is not about marriage, it is about dictating to the rest of us, the small government republicans, telling the rest of us who we are allowed to love, what defines a proper relationship and proper conduct with our spouses. and that ultimately speaks to their own hypocrisy of republicans. if they were serious about marriages, they vows and the ten commandments would cover that. >> patricia? >> this is an admission by the gingrich campaign they are at least aware this is a situation. they are aware that other candidates are going to come after gingrich on this and already have. mitt romney has an ad about his own marriage that's clearly a reference to gingrich's several marriages. rick perry went after newt gingrich's marriages in the last debate. so they know this is out there. they are doing a preemptive strike before more comes at them. a smart thing to do. they are going into iowa and south carolina, those are values voters that want to trust the candidate they are going to put

into the white house if the person goes all the way to the white house. i think it is smart to do. they know it is a problem. >> second question, even mitt romney admits newt gingrich is the man to beat. take a listen. >> governor, is newt gingrich the frontrunner in this race? >> yes, right now. >> why is that? >> got me. i have watched over the last year and have seen various people go from high numbers how down to low numbers and back down. >> is romney feeling campaign fatigue? >> they have been thrown off their game, but in many ways that can also be will be rating liberating to help them refocus. i remember when al gore was losing in a lot of polls. then when al acknowledged he was the underdog and refocused his campaign in nashville. he went on to win every caucus and primary in the country. first time it has happened for a challenger. i think this could help romney

refocus and rep energize his campaign. >> romney has known where each candidate was and how they matched up against him. we saw him in the debates pretty much treating the blip on the screen as people that rose and fell. he seemed to be aware of that. he also knows newt gingrich is a serious threat. that's why we see the turn in his campaign. what he and newt gingrich need to do is make sure to keep their eye on the ball, and that is president obama and to get him out of office as soon as possible to create jobs, moving forward and stop dividing the country along with class war fair and start getting on with a serious business of moving forward. so both men stay focused on that and it will help both of their campaigns be best for the country. >> patricia. >> romney is not feeling fatigued but is feeling the heat from newt gingrich as the runaway favorite in the polls. romney needs a fire lit under his fanny to wake up and start running for president. he has not done a sunday show in more than two years and will do one this sunday.

he needs to be more aggressive. the republican voters want somebody to take the fight to obama. and romney is not showing that side of himself, so this is actually a good thing. i think he needs to get more aggressive, more assertive and more focused and there's nothing like being an underdog to focus you on the task. >> 20 seconds each on this one, what is it about huntsman's daughters? they are getting a lot of attention during the campaign pumping up their dad, but this time the quote, debate in manchester, the joke was on them. >> well, i can see my daughter nodding off over there. >> in her defense, she was nodding off while i spoke. >> so what do you think, guys? does this boring lovefest or lack of attack mean that these guys would be the perfect match on the 2012 ticket? robert? >> well, first, i have to give a shout out to the huntsman daughters and to all the kids, certainly to mitt romney's family, they work so hard in this process. i feel taught for them getting a nap that's deserved.

but i don't see them running together, but i do see them using each other. remember in the early contest it is not about whoo who wins but the momentum out of the contests. obviously, newt gingrich wants to use jon huntsman to take away the numbers from mitt romney in new hampshire and likewise in iowa you see mitt romney wanting to use ron paul and also rick perry to undercut newt gingrich's numbers. >> sherry? >> the huntsman daughters are the most exciting thing about the huptsman campaign, which is unfortunate. for the most part the republican field shows a lot of future leaders if not in the white house. you see cabinet members or people around for a long time. jon huntsman will make an impact. whether or not he's a vice president to newt gingrich, i don't know. but this shows gingrich wanting to help and support other republicans, which he has done his whole career. >> patricia, bring us home. >> jon huntsman is one of those people perfect on paper and just

so boring to watch. and his girls get a lot more press than he does because they are more interesting than he is. talk about somebody lit a fire under him. he needs to show fight and focus and hang out with his daughters more to get more press and is a little more lively, or else he won't get out of new hampshire. >> so strange to hear you say this about huntsman because the guy was in a band. he knows how to be exciting and dynamic. >> was it a front band? i don't know. >> maybe we should have talked about that. we'll talk about wizard in the next hit. thank you, guys. appreciate it. well, iran says the military brought it down and the u.s. said it malfunctioned. either way, the american spy drone fell out of the sky into the iranian hands. and the white house wants it back. >> with respect to the drone inside of iran, i'm not going to comment on intelligence matters that are classified.

has already been indicated, we have asked for it back. we'll see how the iranians respond. >> well, no surprise iran say that is the drone is now property of the islamic republican. cnn's athena jones is joining us from the white house. is there a sense of concern over what iran may learn from this drone? >> reporter: well, certainly no one is pleased that this incident happened. no one at the white house, no one at the state department or the defense department. so there's some level of concern. but while you have this iranian military telling one of their news agencies this find is a very valuable thing for iran representing a victory for them and a defeat for their enemies, meaning the u.s., you have u.s. officials raising questions really about how much iran is going to be able to gleam from this. they don't know what state it is in, they are not sure they will be able to explore the technology. we hear that from leon panetta yesterday, but take this with a grain of salt.

it isn't as though u.s. officials will going to scream at the top of their lungs how horrible this is. it is impossible to know what the going on behind closed doors, but we also won't know just what iran is able to get from this device, keira. >> the president is definitely taking heat for how he's handled this. here's what former vice president dick cheney said. they are going ore respond by not giving it back to us, i would assume. >> i would assume that's the case or send it back in pieces after they have gotten all the intelligence they can out of it. the right response to that would have been to go immediately after it went down to destroy it. >> so what's the white house reaction to that line of thinking? >> reporter: certainly, secretary of clinton and panetta don't expect iran to return this. but allies of the white house would say it is not surprising to hear dick cheney criticizing this president. he's been a vocal critic for a long time of everything that the white house does, so they would say this is political posturing

and not at all unexpected. >> all right. athena jones at the white house. thank you. in the lifetime of glamour and beauty, tonight more than 250 jewels and other personal items from elizabeth taylor's legendary collection go on the auction block. we have the details coming up in showbiz. i'm kind of a fixture in different parts of town... some folks call me a rock star, some call me the mayor... and i love it. and, i make everybody happy. i keep my business insurance with the hartford because... they came through for me once, and i know they've got my back. for whatever challenges come your way... the hartford is here to back you up. helping you move ahead... with confidence. meet some of our small business customers at: thehartford.com/business i don't think about the unknown... i just rock n' roll.

well, the only thing to

shine brighter then a elizabeth taylor was her jewelry. now you can have a piece of her legendary life, but it won't be chief. kareen winter is joining me now with all the details. hi, kareen. >> hi, keira. wouldn't that be great? maybe it will be an early christmas present in your stocking this year. >> i don't know if i can wear that diamond tiara. >> look at that. if that were on your head right now, lady, oh, my gosh. it would be spectacular. don't get me started. i love diamonds. anyway n a few hours you can own some of hollywood's most treasured jewels. christie's auction house is putting up a big collection of taylor's jewelry together. everything from necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, all of that. the estimates are that the collection will sell for more than $30 million together. that's a whole lot of bling. some of the more famous pieces

are the elizabeth taylor diamond, a 33-karat gift from her then-husband richard burton. burton bought it in 1968 for a reported $305,000. guess what, it is expected to fetch a whole lot more between $2.5 million to $3.5-million. i would love any piece, just one. >> we'll see what santa brings your way. another chapter in the alec baldwin american airlines saga. >> we talked a about this story last week and are still talking about it now. we just cannot get enough. i get the feeling alec is not getting the royal treatment next time he flies. the association of professional flight attendants was not too impressed with baldwin's "saturday night live" skit. they are asking american airlines to pull baldwin's show from the air on all american airlines flights stemming from

baldwin being kicked off a flight last week for refusing to end words with his friends game. when the time came for everyone to turn off their electronic devices alex said, no, not me. he took a shot at some of the flight attendants online and played that pilot character for big laughs on snl. so i can understand here why the flight attendants are ticked at him, but i'm not sure getting "30 rock" pulled from the flights is really going to hit baldwin where he hurts. he will just keep talking about this and bashing them more, i think. >> and my guess is the show will get more viewers. they are all going to want to be a part of the drama, kareen. thank you so much. if you want all the information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, watch "showbiz tonight" on hln. secret santas hit layaway counters across the country paying off presents for strangers. the details are ahead. you know organization is key...

and so is having a trusted assistant. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above and still pay the mid-size price. here we are... [ male announcer ] and there you go, business pro. there you go. go national. go like a pro. it's good. honey, i love you... oh my gosh, oh my gosh.. look at these big pieces of potato. ♪ what's that? big piece of potato. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

well, michigan was really hit hard by the bad economy. so some secret santas are stepping in to spread some unexpected love. alison kosik is at the new york stock exchange with more. i love stories like this. >> reporter: yeah, finally a nice story to talk about, right? this is one of these stories that really reaffirms the holiday spirit, especially in

michigan. that's really had a tough go of it. the detroit news reports secret donors are going to kmart stores to pay for other shoppers' layaway items. one santa put $300 towards one person's bill last week. and 14 more layaways were paid off. similar payments were made up to $300 in some cases where you see payments come into the stores almost every day since. it also happened at other kmart locations in the area, too. it shows santa does exist. he just has to pay one of my mortgage payments. >> well, we'll look at the market, shall we? stocks posting nice gains right now. >> reporter: i was kidding, by the way. stocks are higher right now. financial and energy shares are leading the charge. investors seem to be shrugging off mixed retail sales. they are looking ahead to the fed announcement coming in 3 1/2

hours. traders are listening closely to what the central bank says about the economy as well. >> alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. thank you so much. if there's one thing you can't pack for your flight, it's heat. coming up, we'll tell you about the gun-toting grandpa busted by the tsa. (screams) when an investment lacks discipline, it's never this obvious. introducing investment discipline etfs from russell. visit russelletfs.com r a prospectus, containing the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information. read and consider it carefully before investing.

nyquil tylenol: we are?ylenol. you know we're kinda like twins. nyquil (stuffy): yeah, we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. tylenol: and i relieve nasal congestion. nyquil (stuffy): overachiever. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't.

let's check news across the country now, an ohio prosecutors

is weighing criminal charges in this weekend's college basketball brawl. the fight between cincinnati and xavier players broke out and four guys have been suspended from each team. and a man was arrested at the detroit airport for saying he forgot he was wearing a gun. he told officers he forgot he was wearing it. a blanket of snow is making for tricky travel in southern parts of california. a winter storm warning remains in effect for mountain regions. flooding rains could be a problem, too, in the lower elevations. her story made national headlines and became a symbol of cruelty in the gadhafi regime. this woman is the woman who burst into a crowded tripoli hotel back in march screaming that she had been raped. since then she's made a difficult journey here for asylum. we met with the libyan woman for

this exclusive interview. >> translator: when i came i never imagined life would be this hard. there's nothing easy. you have to work. you have to work. i mean, as we say in libya, you have to kill yourself working just to survive. and i wish there even was work. the state i'm in seems cutoff. there are no work opportunities. i have been going to the employment office for four months. >> reporter: do you have any support from your family? >> translator: mmm fay my family supports me. without the aid they send me i could not have survived. $300 a month can do nothing. >> reporter: what would you like to do? go back to your family in libya? >> translator: i'm sure everyone wants to return back to their own country, but i'm not mentally ready for that. i also feel personally i'm not

ready to integrate back into the society. i feel life for me is hard because everything is so different from culture to language. >> next hour you'll hear more from imam about her life here in the states and her struggle to recover from the brutal attack she suffered in libya. on my phone, i got internet! hotspot five dollars.

hey, hey, hey, hey. i can see who's on my network people! lance? lance? yes, yes you are next.

all right. dave, i'm in. ♪ katie! what are you doing, sweetheart? supplementing my allowance. how long have we been gone? [ male announcer ] get low prices on the latest 4g phones, starting at $28.88. save money. live better. walmart. on the latest 4g phones, starting at $28.88. where they grow america's favorite wpotatoes. idaho, everyone knows idaho potatoes taste great. but did you know they're good for you too? they're high in vitamins and potassium. and idaho potatoes are now certified to carry the heart checkmark from the american heart association for foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol. so they're good for my family, and for yours. heart smart idaho potatoes. always look for the grown in idaho seal.

will well, mitt romney says he has the right plan to put the country on track. it is 160 pages of very detailed information, but what does it mean for your taxes and your job? christine romans breaks it down. >> mitt romney is a former governor and very successful and rich businessman. his credentials as co-founder of bain capital put his net worth at $202 million. 160 pages long, 50 different proposals and ten actions for day one of his presidency should he get there. now romney would cut the corporate income tax rate to 25% and slash government spending, regulations and federal programs. he would repeal president obama's health care law and the dodd-frank banking rules and expand international trade policies and drill for more oil here at home. on to taxes, no mention of a flat tax in romney's plan as in some opponents, but he wants to

keep individual taxes as they are now but eliminate taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains for low and middle income families. he also wants to scrap estate taxes. romney also wants to make it easier for foreigners with advanced degrees in math, science and engineering to come to work in the u.s. including raising the visa caps for those with highly-skilled backgrounds giving many permanent residency exchanges. he also wants to increase job training programs for jobless americans with the help of states in the private sector. special to his plan, no new regulations that would cost money for business. the cost of any new government rules or standards must be offset by savings elsewhere. in other words, treat every new regulation like a balanced budget. christine romans, cnn, new york. >> all right. that does it for us. we'll be back here at 9:00 a.m. eastern time. now we'll take you