we appreciate that. i'm fredericka whitfield. much more right after this. there he is, my colleague, don lemon. i didn't know. i wasn't sure. hi, don. >> are you trying to get rid of me. be nice, the holidays, we're supposed to like each other. >> i like you, in fact i love you. we can do the show like this and share. >> okay. thank you. appreciate it. have a great day. randy is off today. i'm don lemon. let's get right to the news, fighting an dying, bleeding and building, live here on cnn, president barack obama saluted the work and sacrifice of u.s. troops winding down an almost nine year war in iraq. he spoke at ft. bragg, north carolina, home of airborne and special forces who fought the war in iraq from day one and making history and said what's happening now is profound. >> we're building a new partisanship between our nations. we are ending a war not with a final battle but with a final

march toward home. this is an extraordinary achievement! nearly nine years in the making and today we remember everything you did to make it possible. >> the last remaining few will be gone by year's end. in other news ahead. the amateur athletic union say his group acted quickly and correctly when it first learned a former head of the association was being accused of sexually abusing children. current president lewis stout is holding a news confence in orlando but sat down yesterday exclusively at cmm and claims that aau bobby dodd molested two boys in the 1980s when he was a basketball coach at the memphis ymca. >> unlike penn state and unlike syracuse and the citadel, we

acted immediately. we didn't wait six months to find out if this was a protected thing because of an executive director, we acted immediately. we formed our own internal investigative process. then, once we found out who the accusers were, we immediately went to the police department. we didn't sit on this. no one has acted any properly than the am your athletic union. >> this is not the bobby dodd who coached georgia football and now deceased and no one has come forward to file a complaint. we just learned the state of florida has lunched a fraud investigation into florida a&m's response to the death of a band member almost a month ago. robert exam died on a band bus of mysterious circumstances believed to be related to hazing. the band's director is now on

administrative lead and the president has been reprimanded. and after being efficiencily beaten for skipping a meet, three band members face criminal hazing charges but the lawyer s says they may face a lawsuit as the school bears responsibility as well. she will join me in this broadcast. on long island, they expect to know soon what they already suspect, that the bones they found yesterday belong to a prostitute who vanished 19 months ago,s who disappearance start finding a serial killer. they were searching the marshes and beaches where she was last seen, they uncovered other victims' remain, one man and woman's clothing and toddler and believed all likely killed by the same person. autopsy results and positive id on shannon gilbert are pending. it was a scene we have

watched play out over and over again. actress lindsay lohan in court yet again. this time, it's not all bad. today's hearing will be a check-up on the star's progress on her community service and therapy sessions stemming from a probati probation violation on a necklace theft conviction. the judge says if she says on track, her probation would be eased in march of next year. cell phones texting and driving don't mix. the ntsb is calling for a full nationwide ban on cell phones while behind the wheel. it applies to hands-free devices, too. hands-free also apply, new. the recommendation came after several investigations found texting was the cause of several deadly accidents. presidential hopefuls are already opposing such a ban including ron paul, that it shouldn't push too far into people's lives. >> i was thinking about that and looked at the cushion, article

12, section 1-8. there is nothing in there about telephones. and also text messaging. i don't think that's good judgment. there's a lot of things you do in a car that's bad judgment. what about eating? >> this is only a recommendation. it would be up to lawmakers to implement an official nationwide ban. alec baldwin was told to put his phone away on a plane. apparently, the faa is giving the green light to ipads in the cockpit. it's the approval of the aviation administration to use the ipad during all phases of flight. beginning friday, the airline will use the device on its aircraft followed by implementation to its fleet. pilots will have access to electronic charts replacing paper ones. so far, no comment from mr. baldwin. >> i want you to meet "time" magazine's person of the year. the person of the year is the

protester. the deputy international editor of the magazine said while the arab spring protests stood out, protests around the world in russia, syria, downtown new york made headlines collectively throughout the year. >> we decided in the end rather than pick on any one individual or small group, we would go for -- >> runners up include congresswoman ron paul -- paul ryan, i should say and kate middleton. >> by there is no denying injuries, broken femur, blood clots in the legs. is the alleged violence at famu an isolated incident or entire culture? one of the accuser's attorneys joins us next. first, meet today's rock stars. these new york sanitation workers jumped into action after seeing a mother and four kids trying to escape a house fire. the workers immediately called 911 after seeing the flames and

told the kids on the roof to jump. >> we yelled at them, we were screaming, jump, jump, jump into my arms. i grabbed the feet and he caught the bodies as they were coming down. once the first one came down, they came down one after the other. >> the two by thes consider their heroics quote all part of life. i'm good about washing my face. but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. removes 99% of dirt and toxins without dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. so skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] from neutrogena® naturals. your new progresso rich & hearty steak burger soup. [ dad ] i love this new soup. it's his two favorite things in one... burgers and soup. did you hear him honey? burgers and soup. love you. they're cute. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. 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. everyone believes in keeping their promises once a year. but we believe in helping people take steps to keep them every single day. that's why every day we help people across the country get into their first homes. prepare for a comfortable retirement and protect the people and things that matter most. at genworth we believe every day is the right day to take a step toward tomorrow.

[♪...] >> male announcer: book now, save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. before the break, we talked about the growing repercussions of the hazing scandal at florida a&m university. known for their marching band. another student says she was

beaten so badly by fellow band members she is leaving the school. for rhea hunter, that's no small decision. she's giving up a four year scholarship and said to be considered a lawsuit against the university. her lawyer is b.j. bernstein joining me by phone. thanks for joining us. how is your client hanging up? >> caller: she is a little fragile right now. the national exposure is a little intimidating for her and being well taken care of by her parents right now. she has exited the school. she finished her last exam yesterday. >> why not just leave the ban? why exit the school all together? she's giving up a full ride scholarship, $82,000 for four years? >> caller: and $82,000 scholarship. it's not been easy for her. she reported this in november. went to the hospital. nothing happened at the school. nothing changed. the students were still around

her. then she has to go throu through -- she knew robert champion. she was friends with him. he dies while she's at the schoo school. >> didn't he try to warn her, b.j.? you said there were frien friends -- my question is, did a they know, did she know about this so-called culture of hazing when it comes to the band because that's many of the students' lives. their parents went there. it's quite an honor in the community and students and legacy's families to be part of the marching 100. didn't they know about this hazing? >> caller: she didn't know about the hazing and the attacks essentially, the beat-down that occurred. that's the problem with all this. i've heard a lot of commentators saying, it's the young people. these are kids going to college. these are fresh american. this university has known since 1998 they have conduct going on by members of the band that have killed one child previously in 1998, and now killed another

one. for instance with bria, it happened off-campus, so when she reported it and actually she reported it to the band director. he called the campus police. the campus police said, well, it's not on our property. we punted to tallahassee. and then everybody doesn't do anything versus i practice law here in atlanta. i have plenty of students who have issues at universities in this area. off-campus conduct can suspend you from school, can expel you from school and does all the time. and yet this university wasn't doing that. they're complicit in this. they are the adults are to blame. >> we'll get you back on cnn to talk more about this. i have to ask you, she's hired you as an attorney -- >> we're going to file a lawsuit against the school for this,

allowing this to happen. they're already facing a lawsuit with the champion matter and obviously, i'm hearing the most recent news about the investigation. i can tell you this. we are thrilled that people are taking this seriously. these are the good kids. these are kids who want go to college. these are kids who are accomplished musicians. to be victimized in this way by the very university they're looking forward to getting a degree from is appalling and has to end? b.j. bernstein, thank you very much. one final note as investigators are looking into flacorida a&m' death investigation, they identified possible fraud and misconduct by school employees and others and we'll, of course, keep you posted on this. if you have -- listen closely, an unpaid debt, you could wind up in jail believe it or. how collection agencies are taking extreme measures to force

people to pay up. (rambling phone conversation) 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.

you 0 know how we say this story can literally happen to anyone? it really can. pay attention. do you have debts? most of us do. what if i told you your unpaid bills can land you in jail? you'd probably say that's illegal. debtors prison is a thing of the past, right? what we're about to tell you will surprise you. today's undercovered story. according to several reports, collection agencies are using a troubling strategy that forces feechl pay up. here's what's happening. once a company sells its debt to a collection agency or creditor, that creditor files a lawsuit

against you, the debtor, that requires you to appear in court. the debtor is supposed to get a notice for that court appearance, but if they don't show up, a warrant is issued for their arrest. some debtors say they never even knew they were being sued and never got the notice to appear in court that is, until they got pulled over for something unrelate and suddenly, they're in jail as a result of their debt. that's what happened to robin sanders on the phone with us now and we have our legal expert, paul, joining us live from new york about what this means for all of us. robin, i want to start with you. tell our viewers. what happened to you? >> well, i got pulled over when i got off work, my car had a loud muffler on it. they ran my license and come back and put me in handcuffs and said i had a warrant for my arrest. i was very confused at that point because i had -- what

could i have a warrant out for? they take me to jail and it was in warren county. i had to spend the night in that county. they transferred me to the next county the next morning. i was in there for failure to appear, from the country bureau had put out a warrant for me and i didn't even know i had a court date. >> you said part of your bill money was sent over to the collection agency to pay off part of your debt. >> right. my bail money cost me $530 to get out. i had to wait until the first of the month when my dad got his pension check. he paid it for me. $500 of it went to the bill and $30 went to the processing fee. >> paul, is this legal? >> well, shockingly, i think to most ordinary american citizens and frankly even to a lot of lawyers, yeah, it is legal.

in a third of the money states. robin is in good company. two signers of the declaration of independence were thrown in debtor's prison. there's a lot of hostility to this idea among the founding fathers. in 1833, the federal government banned it on a federal level and most american states banned it. one-third of the states allowed debtors to be jailed for not paying their debts. it's a stunning and shocking thing these old laws permitting people to be jailed for this still exist and illinois is one of the places. >> this is a study by the "wall street journal" and found while debtor's prisons are legal across the country, more than a third of u.s. states allow borrowers who can't or won't pay to be jailed. the "wall street journal" reports a number of judges have seen a surge in debt related arrest, warrants and being threatened with arrests in court. is this a sign debtors and

judges don't know their rights when it comes to debtors? >> i think there's a lot of ignorance in this area. i've been looking at some cases, including robin's case. a lot involved not so much jailing for debt, but the lawsuit relating to the debt, the person being sued doesn't show up for a deposition, don't show up because they're supposed to reveal their bank accounts. then somebody goes into court, the person suing them and get an order of contempt and for being hauled into court. much like a parking ticket, you get pulled over and forgot you got that ticket in new york city and all of a sudden, you are in front of a judge and you have to pay that ticket and leave. that's process and a lot of people are being jailed for that sort of thing? >> robin, did you know anything about these rights? >> i didn't know anything about

these rights. >> how are you doing? you sound a little -- how are you holding up after this? this would be trying to anyone you end up in jail and never expected to be there. >> that was awful and explaining to people what happened. like, nobody does that. it does. and, you know, i never thought i'd be saying i was in jail. i never got a notice about the court thing. >> don, robin also might have been the subject of what lawyers called sewer service. the person trying to collect the debt tells the judge the other person was served and they really weren't, it was just thrown away. robin may have never been served and thrown into jail as a result of that. it's a terrible injustice if that's what happened. she can sue and she can collect. >> can i share one thing. >> go ahead, robin. >> the woman that owns the credit bureau, when i had to go

back, you know, and talk to them again about trying to make payments even though i had no money, she told me point-blank that sometimes that's the only way they can get their money. i was just kind of appalled t t that, you know, she admitted that to me. >> you find a lawyer in illinois who will sue for abuse of process. that's what it's called. it sounds like that's what you were subjected to. you can collect damages back. >> there is a solution there. thank you, robin sanders and paul. appreciate. it we're out of time. good luck to you, robin. >> thank you very much. >> the ntsb says no cell phones behind the wheel. is the government going too far or are cell phones a real distraction? twes it out after this quick break. [ 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.

really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and has 5 grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i--- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? [ female announcer ] as you get older, protein is an important part of staying active and strong. new ensure high protein... fifty percent of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. see? he's a good egg. [ major nutrition ] new ensure high protein. ensure! nutrition in charge!

we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense.

texting and driving simply do not mix. according to the national safety transportation board, more than 3,000 roadway fatalities last year were because of distracted drivers. 37 states disallow texting while driving and 10 states disallow hand-held cell phones. in 2009, virginia tech released a study on driver distractions and just how impaired motorists may be. tom foreman demonstrated it on ac 60 the day the report was released. >> let's get to studies released by virginia tech and on people texting. i talked to them earlier today. they gave us a sense how badly

texting distracts from driving more than virtually anything else done on the road. we went to a parking lot in maryland to test out their findings. let's look at this. a relatively low impact activity, loading a cd. researchers found people doing this normally look away from the road about a second and half. so i drove this suv right here up to about 25 miles an hour and right here, i spent about a second and a half quickly loading a cd and i looked up and put on the brakes as quickly as i could and this is where i wound up stopping. we have this reference, a second and a half to stop that vehicle from loading a cd. not too bad. >> what about more intense activity like dialing a cell phone? >> that's where it gets more tricky. we did the same experiment. the virginia tech found actual circumstances, measuring real drivers in real traffic for

years. dialing a cell phone can make you glance away from the road three seconds at time. you may do it several times in a road but three seconds at a time. same test, 25 miles an hour away, i hit here, i pick up my cell phone, i start dialing, do it for three seconds and look up and step on the brake. notice what happened. when i stopped here, this is the mark i stopped previously. look where i kept going. that's the difference from loading a cd and cell phone. i'm covering a fair amount of turf before i managed to get stopped. about twice as far. >> what about texting? >> this is where it really becomes a mess because of the number 6. researchers have found the six seconds before an accident is the critical time you might be able to avoid it. texting requires so much thought and action, it takes up almost all of that time and why this is a problem. researchers say people texting routinely take their eyes off

the road for nearly five seconds. that's not to complete it, just at a time. watch what happens. once again, here we go, 25 miles an hour, right here, i start texting, i do it for 4.6 seconds. by the time i get on the break, look where i wind up. i effectively drove this entire way blind, anderson. look at this. there's the mark from where i was talking on the cell phone, trying to dial the cell phone, back here is where i passed the one -- where we started and here is where i passed the one for loading the cd. you get a sense how terribly far you can go with this, that's traveling at 25 miles an hour. >> that is the interesting thing, only driving 25 miles an hour. on the highway, going much faster. >> in highway speeds, if you take your eyes off the road, look at, mind blowing. if you take your eyes off the road at highway speeds because you're texting. i'm waving at the end here, if

you keep going in the five seconds you're not looking at the road, you could drive the entire length of a football field and both end zones and essentially driving blind the entire time. think what could happen in that space. it is unbelievable and why the researchers at virginia tech are making strong recommendations we have in the window of our truck. they think texting should be banned at all times for all drivers and they believe cell phone use should be banned for all newly licensed teens. i'll tell you this, this was a simple test but it really made a believer out of me. i thought i could get away with flicking my eyes up. they said everyone believes that but statistics prove we all think we're better at it than we really are. >> thanks to tom foreman. the ntsb recommendation is just that, a recommendation and up to lawmakers to decide if such a

ban should be put in place. a fight for iowa. ron paul goes after gingrich. could this strategy help him pull away in the polls? next. every major candidate for president is currently married. can you name the only -- the only unmarried president? the answer is just ahead. everyone believes in keeping their promises once a year. but we believe in helping people take steps to keep them every single day. that's why every day we help people across the country get into their first homes. prepare for a comfortable retirement and protect the people and things that matter most. at genworth we believe every day is the right day to take a step toward tomorrow.

it's easy to see what subaru owners care about. that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and $250 goes to your choice of 5 charities. with your help, we can reach $20 million dollars by the end of this, our fourth year.

♪ that music is amazing. before the break we ask you who the only unmarried president was. here's the answer. james buchanan. he had a fiance, but she broke off the engagement and died soon after. afterwards he vowed never to marry. we will be talking about marriage a little bit later, too. let's go globe tracking. we start in syria now where businesses are closed in several cities amid violence and the government's continuing crackdown on protests. this video reportedly shows a tank blocking a dusty road and firing its massive machine gun into a residential area. they cannot independently confirm the authenticity of

these pictures because the government restricts actions of foreign journalists. ivan washington from turkey. i understand nerg international pressure is mounting on syria to end the crackdown. will syria comply? >> reporter: it does not look like the syrian government is in any mood to cooperate or negotiate. in the meantime, we're seeing a disturbing transformation of the syrian opposition movement that started out last march, marching peacefully, calling for change and turning increasingly into an armed movement. look at this incredible video that we believe was shot within the last couple of days. look in your lower right hand corner. there's a mansweeping up debris on a largely empty st. an armed personnel carrier up the road. the walks back in the shot

carrying a rocket propelled grenade launcher and fires it with incredible accuracy at that armor personnel carrier, showing some degree of training, real sophistication there. we're seeing in other cities across syria, particularly in the northwest, other armed groups of rebels, many defectors from the syrian military and taken up arms and engaged in clashes with the syrian civilian forces, something we did not see five, six months ago. it's been a bloody day in syria, at least 31 people killed an according to one of the main opposition groups. >> i know we can't independently verify that. does it appear this is simmering down or not at all because of the uprising there. >> reporter: not at all. in fact, what we seem to be seeing is the opposition is

increasingly reaching out for weapons after the united nations came out with a statement the death toll since march is approaching 5,000. take a listen to ban ki-moon, the secretary general of the united nation, what he had to say about syria today. >> in syria, more than 5,000 people are dead. this cannot go on. in the name of humanity at this time, for the international community to act. >> reporter: a call for action. it's important to note the syrian president, bashir, in an interview last week, he said the united nations is not a credible institution. >> appreciate your reporting. we go now to afghanistan, a woman in prison for adultery after being raped by a relative, is free. >> nick peyton walsh spoke to her. she had been sentenced to 12

years in prison after she reported her cousin's husband raped her two years ago. her case prompted international outrage including hamid karzai ordering her release. a man who killed five people in a grenade and gun attack gave no explanation before his cadeay rampage. he turned the gun on himself and a 13-month-old baby died in that deadly attack. more cnn right after this break. [ sniffs ] i have a cold. [ sniffs ] i took dayquil

but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ deep breath] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! your new progresso rich & hearty steak burger soup. [ dad ] i love this new soup. it's his two favorite things in one... burgers and soup. did you hear him honey? burgers and soup. love you. they're cute. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

almost nine years ago, this image, symbolic early fall of hussein marked the start of the war in iraq. today, a much different scene is playing out to mark its end. the president and the first lady addressed some of the returning troops at ft. bragg, north carolina, less than an hour ago. >> i'm proud to finally say these two words. i know your families agree. welcome home. we knew this day would come. we've known it for some time. still, there is something profound about the end of a war that has lasted so long. >> our david mattingly is there

and he joins us now live. david, it was interesting, interesting strategy because the first lady spoke first and she spoke for a lot of the time and he referenced her. that's an interesting strategy when it comes to the exit from iraq. >> reporter: that's right. plus, the first lady, we have to remember, has been a tireless advocate for the needs of the families of these troops who have been over there fighting this war. it was probably appropriate that she gave the first words since she probably had the most personal contact with families that have been involved in this conflict and the president himself pointing out the families have had a bear a large burden of this conflict, along with the soldiers who have been there on the ground. >> and i know that while your children and your spouses and your parents and siblings might not wear uniforms, they serve right alongside you.

>> reporter: that was just one of the many big rounds of applause and cheers that came up today as the president and the first lady not only recognized everyone for their sacrifices and achievement but also pledged to stand beside them the way they stood up, they say, for america, don. >> david, temp us about the mood there. we heard the president and first lady were received very warmly during this speech. what's the mood there now? >> reporter: let me put it this way. any time you have troops for home for the holidays, you will have a lot of very happy people. today, we saw a lot of smiles on a lot of soldiers, as they walked away from today's event. there were generally two questions everyone had on their minds i spoke to before the event. one, will they be properly recognized for dangers they f e faced and job they had to do. and the president went into detail on the dangers they have

to face on lives lost and blood spilled. the second question was, what will happen to us now, now that we're not engaged in the active conflict in iraq, are you still going to stand by us and help us with our needs as our lives go forward from here? the president was clear about that. you stood up for america. now america will stand up for yo you. >> don't be afraid to ask for help and admit there are problems and you have issues, whether small or large. i think you should be willing to talk to especially loved ones, people that understand and know about it and been good through it. good group counseling is always great. be willing to get help and don't be afraid of your chain of command. >> those words from wesley dodd, a vet from iraq, came back in 2008, still has terrible ptsd problems, post traumatic distress disorder and still has

constant pain in his knee and developed an addiction to painkillers, now on methadone and got in trouble with the law on a medical retirement out of the military and believes now that the conflict is over, he's afraid he will see a lot more soldiers coming out in pain and in trouble the way he is today. >> david mattingly, thank you very much. david is going to take a closer look at the transition for veterans and how they'll be cared for now that the war is over. you can better believe we will continue to follow this story as our men and women in uniform come home from iraq. tonight, in the "situation room." the fight for iowa. can the gop underdog shake things up for the leader of the pack. and ron paul goes after gingrich. will this strategy him help in the polls? up their credit score ♪wing ♪ she bought a pizza party for the whole dorm floor ♪

♪ hundred pounds of makeup at the makeup store ♪ ♪ and a ticket down to spring break in mexico ♪ ♪ but her folks didn't know 'cause her folks didn't go ♪ ♪ to free-credit-score-dot-com hard times for daddy and mom. ♪ it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk.

i want to take some stories now. making headlines at street level. first to center, incinnati, no l charges will be filed after that brawl in cincinnati with xavier basketball players and cincinnati. they reviewed the past fight on hardwood and talked with both head coaches. after the review and some player apologies, prosecutors felt the teams are dealing with it just fine. it doesn't need the attention of a criminal justice system. now, we want go to orlando,

where the amateur athletic union is responding to sexual abuse allegations against its former head, bobby dodd. two told them bobby abused them while a coach. lewis stout president says they acted moment they learned about the accusations last month. >> once we found out who the accusers were, we immediately went to the police department. we didn't sit on this. no one has acted any properly than the athletic amateur union regarding this allegations. >> they are holding a conference this afternoon to address the allegations. a restaurant owner saying he will never occupy wall street or new york ever again. police responding to occupy walt protests put barricades on the street. after 12 straight weeks of, business has dried up at the cafe. it closes for good tomorrow. can you believe?

more than 90 employees, they're out of a job. the owner says he will never open a restaurant in new york again. now, we want to go to port washington. will chinese consumers one de la meant all these shoes are made in wisconsin? people say everything is made in china. all these are made in wisconsin. probably not. the allen edmond shoe company just signed a major deal. next year, they'll sell their high end men's shoes at the very first allen edmond store headquartered in shanghai. their shoes will soon hit the streets in china, hong kong and macaw. and says this will create more jobs and expect it to double in size over the next decade. to the city of campbell'sburg, kentucky, the animal services director said it is the worst case he has ever seen. hundreds of animals rescues and covered in mud and excrement

without proper food, water and shelter. it is a puppy mill and a case of extreme animal hoarding. hundreds of dogs and cats, rabbits and horses. an unanimous to the discovery and the crooks responsible are on the run now. marriage is so last century ago. at least that's what one new nationwide survey is saying. barely half of the adults in a research study said they were married. that's down 20% from the '60s when it was 72%. more couples are now putting off marriage for a while and just living together. others said they have to save up because married live is expensive. and while some see marriage as completely obsolete, researchers say this is a reflection of the changing attitudes about the role of marriage in society. and the fight for iowa now. can can the gop shake things up? ron paul and gingrich's

strategies ahead and how they are doing in the polls. politics in just moments. (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.

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. but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. removes 99% of dirt and toxins without dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. so skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] from neutrogena® naturals. can you believe we are now three weeks away from the iowa caucus? paul steinhauser joins me from the political desk in washington with some details. what do you have for us in what's going on there? >> we'll start with rick perry, the texas governor. you remember when he jumped into

the white house? he jumped into the debates and the polls went right back down. today in iowa, a few minutes from now, he kicks off a 42-week tour. of course, we're less than three weeks away from the start of the caucuses on january 3rd. so for rick perry and he's getting traction and he's been on the air nonstop with a lot of commercials, especially controversial ones attracting social conservative voters. keep your eye on rick perry. the other one i want to talk about is michele bachmann. a tour starts on friday. she's going to visit all 99 candidates. she had a good debate performance. poll numbers are kind of low. she's hoping to catch a little magic. >> paul steinhauser, appreciate it. we'll be looking forward to that. with the latest organization

hezbollah, they claim to have blown the cover of ten cia officers. is this true? and how big of a setback is this for the war on terror? brian todd reports. >> reporter: with polished graphics, om news music, hezbollah ratches up the war on the u.s. they list ten people who they say were ten cia officers working in beirut. it includes the name and birth of a cia station chief. the cia would not confirm or deny if the video is accurate. a spokeswoman said the agency does not as a rule address spear yous claims from terrorist groups. i think it's worth remembering that hezbollah is a dangerous organization. bob bayer is a former cia

officer serving in beirut whose operation was hezbollah. i asked him if it was credible. >> i assume it's correct. they used telephone link analysis. so once you tie one phone in to another phone, you can pretty well identify a station. >> reporter: in the video, hezbollah even produces animations, reproducing meetings at mcdonalds between cia agents and recruits. >> reporter: eyes and ears all overbear route, from the area of the u.s. embassy to the airport, the defense ministry, and to parliament where the group holds seats. these new claims come after hezbollah partially unravelled the cia's operations in lebanon bon, capturing some informants. hezbollah has been a bitter enemy of the cia since the

1980s. u.s. officials say the group gets weapons, training, and money from iran. a former cia officer who tracked iran's operation's in europe and middle east. >> who do you think has the upper hand between the u.s. and iran. >> well, i think iranians really always have the upper hand in any type of covert engagement because they do it all the time. the iranians have a very active paramilitary program. it really does go around the world and kill people. >> on hezbollah, one u.s. official who didn't deny hezbollah's claims to have identify american intelligence officers said, quote, repeating the claims does nothing but serve that group's interests, makes things harder for americans in beirut. this official said, no one is giving up against hezbollah, pointing out that group has killed more americans than any other terrorist group except al

qaeda. >> brian, thank you very much. ron paul has used his financial war chest to attack newt gingrich and this television spot title, the paul camp says that they wanted to debunch the myth that he's a conservative touting himself to be. the attacks may be working. paul is closing the gap with gingrich in iowa. gingrich is at 22% and romney is at 17%. could ron paul win the iowa caucuses? it's fair game, to my guess. will, can ron paul win iowa? >> not if you listen to most strategists. no matter the polling, no matter how many games paul makes, he can't win at nomination or even iowa. we have something called the bandwagon effect.

casual viewers begin to think that you're legitimate. i'm not saying that he can. but it's absurd to say that he can't. >> iowans are famous for making up their mind last minute. ron paul has an extraordinary organization led by young people on the ground in iowa. sure he can win the iowa caucus. many strategists that i've spoken to see that happening. does it mean that he's going to be the nominee? no, he's not. but can he slow the momentum? without question. that's what early contests are. >> i just have a short time here. is winning iowa even important for iowans? >> caucus winners have an historical history of not winning iowa. it's not an indicator of the

republican nominee and ron paul wins, it could make iowa irrelevant to serious contenders. >> does it matter anymore? i just have five seconds here? >> yes, it matter. does it mean you win the nomination? no. but it's always good to win. >> thank you for joining us. now i turn it over to my colleague, brooke baldwin right now for the next hour of the cnn "newsroom." >> hey, don. i'm brooke baldwin. let's go. let's get you caught up on everything making news this hour. the president welcoming troops home in north carolina at ft. bragg marking the symbolic end of the war. >> as your commander in chief and on behalf of a grateful nation, i'm proud to finally say these two words and i know your families agree. welcome home.

welcome home. welcome home. >> december 31st is the day that troops will be out of iraq. 18 days until your taxes go up and congress is still bickering over the payroll tax cut. the house passed a deal but senate in the white house will not sign off. newt gingrich's campaign director is gone. he stepped down after making an anti mormon comment. embarrassment and apologies from the u.s. marine corps. they mistakenly sent purple heart christmas ornaments to more than 1,000 families of fallen marines. this is meant for living

marines. there was a letter of thanks and a document with details who had a physical conditioning program. the marine corps says that they regret it. the company fired the employee typed the words, ching on the left and chong on the right. it shows i am maturity and a lack of judgment. and if you're just listening to me, if you're away from the tv, come on back because i want you to see this. we're going to rerack it. i want you to see this truck. in one was hurt. a pickup truck crash's through the store on friday in columbia, tennessee. >> i'm right behind him. he drives all the way down and i see him go across that curb and take that tree out and at that point i'm on the phone with 911 and i see him hit the white

cadillac and drive through the store. and i thought, oh, my god, he just drove through the store. >> police say that the man was actually aiming for a woman inside the store. aiming for her. he has now been charged with attempted murder. again, incredibly, no one was hurt after that crash. they came, they picketed, and now, take a look, they are on the cover of "time." the magazine naming the protester as the person of the year. from the middle east to wall street, we've seen them month after month. we'll reveal who else made the cut coming up. and monkeys being used to measure radiation levels. how can we forget the nuclear level at the fukushima plant in japan? scientists want to see how far the radiation actually went. so they are putting little gps collars on wild monkeys this upcoming february and hope to get results a month later.

and this next story, you can manual the smoke coming out of alec baldwin's ears. the faa has approved the use of ipads containing charts and maps in the cockpit of american airline airplanes. passengers are banned from using ipad and electronic games including word games during those times. and then there's this. >> i've never seen anything like this except on video games. i never ran a car up the pole but not in real life. >> an awkward predictment for a police officer in miami. yep. that's a ploel car. up a pole. ran that car. that was a guide wire of a power pole. the car was perfectly balanced against the wires so it amazingly didn't tip over. the officer who was not hurt momentarily took his eyes off

the wheel for a second to find a pen. google is giving away $40 million this holiday season. and check this out, in a minute, a 50 carat pearl once owned by elizabeth taylor set an auction record for a gem of its kind. the white pearl, uh-huh, is the showplace of a diamond necklace known as la peregrina worth $11.8 million. we've got a lot more for you the next two hours, including this -- tension is running high in the firestorm over this tv show about muslims and i've

spoken with both sides. >> we believe it was inappropriate. >> i'm going to start the call for the ceo's head. >> we're going to get the reaction from the place where most muslims live in the u.s. her story sparked uproar. a woman is raped by her relative but she's behind bars for adultery. >> to her, there's only one way out. a dreadful choice. >> now she's free. cnn's nick paton walsh broke this story. he'll join me live. a mom gives birth and finds out that the baby she's been breast feeding with and bonding with is not hers. >> they brought her back to me but it was a different baby. >> find out what happened during this nightmare hospital mixup. plus, it affects all of us. the government says no one should be allowed to text or talk on the cell phone while behind the wheel. so we're asking how the heck

would police enforce this? ♪ i'm burning out this useless telephone ♪

♪ 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 ♪

[♪...] >> male announcer: book now, save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. the deadline for most u.s. troops to get out of iraq is a mere 17 days away. it's turning into a pretty busy month for troop returns. there they are. just last hour in ft. br a bragg north carolina, welcoming home brave men and women. >> we knew this day would come. we've known it for some time.

but, still, there is something profound about the end of a war that has lasted so long. >> we should point out this was very much so just the end of a welcome home. the president's speech marking the end of the iraq war. i want to go to cnn's david mattingly where he is live where the president just wrapped up his visit. david, i know that you've been talking to multiple iraqi war vets. were they pleased with the president's words? what were they hoping to hear? >> what they were hoping to hear was first and foremost recognition for their sacrifice and the danger of the lives that were lost and they were satisfied and walked away feeling that their work was duly recognized but they also knew that the president would rally and stand by them in the months and years to come.

they also got some very strong words from the president about that as well. listen. >> we know too well the consequences. 1.5 million americans have served in iraq. 1.5 million. over 30,000 americans have been wounded. and those are only the wounds that show. nearly 4500 americans made the ultimate sacrifice. including 205 heroes here at ft. bragg. >> reporter: since this conflict began, it's the home of the 18th airborne, the 82nd airborne, the special opps. they have been in the forefront

and thick of things in iraq. in fact, it was about eight years and one year ago today that soldiers from here are part of the operation that actually captured suddam hussein. today was also a profound moment as so many soldiers are now home for christmas. >> i heard the president say, welcome home, welcome home, welcome home four times. a huge applause. i know you've been talking to men and women there, they have to have some concerns, some long-term concerns. >> reporter: well, long-term concerns that anyone would have. they are coming home at a time when there are budget cuts and they know that they are not going to be in the forefront making those sacrifices on the frontlines day in and day out so they want to make sure that the public remains behind them in the years that come as they continue to deal with the problems that ey might have from their service. they are also concerned because they have so much invested in this country of iraq.

this fledgling country. they really want to see this country succeed. no one at this point willing to say what they think that success will look like but they feel like they've given that country a chance and they are eager to see it move forward. >> david mattingly, thank you. coming up, she was raped, impregnan impregnant nated and forced to sit in prison. now she is free. plus, i know many of you, myself included, use your cell phone this morning perhaps on the way to work this morning. you talked on the phone, let your thumbs doing the talking by sending text messages. ahead this hour, how the government wants to keep you from using your cell phone in your car. and later this hour, big developments in the florida a&m university scandal. we have just learned that while investigators were looking into

the hazing issue, they possibly uncovered something else. stay with us. ♪ making your way in the world today ♪ ♪ takes everything you've got ♪ wouldn't you like to get away? ♪ ♪ ♪ sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ ♪ you want to be where you can see ♪ ♪ our troubles are all the same ♪ ♪ you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪

i am proud to sit here and tell you that there is a glimmer of hope today, a glimmer for the future of women in afghanistan. we have told you about the nightmare of gulnaz. it's a story of what never should have happened. still just a teenager raped by her cousin's husband, ended up getting pregnant, having a child of that horrific attack. she reported the rape. she was then sentenced to 12 years in prison for adultery. she was offered release in exchange for marrying her rapist. today gulnaz is out of jail. but -- there is a but, she is not totally free.

i want to go to nick paton walsh. he joins me live in kabul. first off, where is she now? is she safe? >> reporter: i think it's fair to say she is safe. she has left prison. she is at a woman's shelter here in kabul in a location that is not for me to disclose. she is with women who are good at advising people in the next stage of their life after something like that. i think she feels safe. she's confused about what comes next. she was very clear that she was raped. as some people in afghanistan have suggested that it was some form of assault tree and she's absolutely clear in her mind that she would not marry her attacker, as many here are pressuring her to do. she made those opinions clear and also her delight at the intervention. the presidential palace signing a pardon that led to senior officials going to her cell last

night and moving her to this woman's shelter and some intremendoi intrepidation as to what comes next for her and her daughter. but certainly looking forward to a very different future than the one she had a week ago. brooke? >> this is very fresh. in happened last night. nick, remind us of what happened to her release. when i spoke to her attorney, her attorney said it was conditionless. was it really conditionless? >> reporter: absolutely. there were suggestions really from confused translations of the initial press release that she may have to marry her attacker as some sort of a condition. that was perceived to be the way of be a solving everybody as the dishonor between families

because of an attack like this. the presidential decree, which we've seen, very full of technical term and technology, absolutely from that is the demand that she marry her rapist to be free. president karzai clearly saying she must be released unconditionally, which is a precedent for many of the women held in jail for what has been referred to as crimes for which many of us would consider sexual assault. brooke? >> i spoke with kim mothley about that. because of the presidential judicial committee, gulnaz at the catalyst, they will be looking at these women. about a third of the women were in there for moral crimes, escaping a bad situation at home or some sort of rape. have they spoken with these women yet?

and president karzai will again meet with the committee to further address this case of gulnaz. her case is done. the charges have been dropped. but they will be looking at what else they can do for other women in this country. there are, as i say, concerned parts of society that have not come to grips with crimes like this as more easily and many afghans sickened by what happened to her but at the same time, many afghans who think that she should marry her attacker. brooke? >> nick paton walsh, thank you. a glimmer of hope for women in that country. possible fraud and misconduct at florida a&m. this runs deep. we're talking about possible problems with employees and others connected with the university. don't miss the details. maybe wy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america.

they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner. let's see if we can buy the property." and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you." and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years. but i'm only 37 and a half. [ buzzer ] [ male announcer ] finding the must have soul by ludacris headphones for $199.99 at radioshack. so right. ♪

it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. 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.

now to florida a&m. take a look. these are mug shots. then, three weeks later, a different band member dies. also from suspected hazing. several employees at the school can be in big, big trouble. george howeell is on the phone. we hear there's fraud being thrown around. what's up? >> indeed a complicated case. they promised to conduct a very thorough investigation since the death of robert champion in connection with an alleged #

hazing incident. through the process of looking into all of the matters involving mr. champion's death, they came across a situation of financial fraud, they say, there at famu, saying that they are looking into the actions of several employees misconduct by employees at the university saying that they found financial irregularity. so if you look at it, keeping it in perspective, we're looking at the investigation into robert champion's death, looking at this investigation into possible employee fraud and also, as you mentioned, the other student, bria hunter who was injured and three people arrested in connection with that case. a very complicated story right now. >> bria is going to leave the university and leave her full ride or full scholarship as a result of. this i want to point out, normally we see you. we're not seeing you. you're on the phone because

you're en route to a news conference about more hazing. what can you tell us? >> indeed. and this is very interesting. not directly connected but indeed connected. and many students from this district go to famu, something that many students love to do. in this case, the school is making they made a decision to suspend all band activity. certainly an interesting case. and the band will continue to be able to march for martin luther king day but 20 bands in this district that will, again, face

this disciplinary action. george howell, thank you very much. we'll keep you posted. >> you grab your cell phone, hop on the phone while behind the wheel. >> it's hard to enforce. >> actually, i shouldn't. i use it out of habit and i don't know why. i actually have the voice is system on my phone. i don't know thousand do it. >> she still does it. now the federal government wants to ban all use in cars, texting, talking, facebooking, everything while driving. we've got the details for you, next. ♪ [ boy ] looks like our work is done here. i'm heading home. vaaa vrooom! need some help, ma'am? grrrrrrr! [ in high voice ] oh thank you. these things are heavy. zzzzzzzz! [ male announcer ] built for work. and everything you work for.

hey, honey. i'm glad you're home. [ male announcer ] the chevy silverado. our most powerful hd yet. from fathers to sons, [ boy ] dad! [ male announcer ] chevy runs deep.

look. this is something that many of us can relate to. steering wheel in one hand, phone in another. absolutely no awareness of traffic around the driver. the ntsb says at any given moment, there are more than 13 million drivers either talking or texting behind the wheel. that's a lot of distraction and puts you and your loved ones and others on the road at risk. deborah calls it the new dui. >> i used to talk on my phone as well until i understood the dangers of it. two years ago we put a ban on

all of our employees from talking or texting handsfree. when i hung up my phone, it was like being sober and finding that everyone else around you was drinking. >> more than 3,000 fatalities while driving. i want to bring in hln's law enforcement analyst mike brooks. let's go back to the chair of ntsb saying this is the new dui. do you agree? >> i think it's a great analogy. if i'm a cop and i see you swerving, what's the first thing i'm going to think? a possible dui. you pull that person over and what do they have? they had their phone in their lap and -- >> exactly because it takes away from your full time and attention from driving, what you're supposed to be doing when you're behind the wheel. >> i know this is something that

the ntsb said would be great if people did this nationwide. but you were a cop for many, many years. >> sure. >> how do you enforce this? >> in the district of columbia, for example, you can't text, you can't drive with a phone up to your ear. if i pull up next to you and i see you with that, i'm putting the red lights over and pulling you over. now, are you going to write a ticket? it's up to the discretion of the officer. but i tell you, if someone is involved in an accident and the first thing i ask, it's called the new dui, have you been drinking? were you on the phone at the time of the accident? these are things that can play into it. a nationwide ban is going to be tough. you know, there are bans right now. school bus drivers. how many stories do we see on cnn about school bus drivers, especially when there's cameras. >> of course they shouldn't be doing anything with a cell phone. >> but 3,000 fatalities involved

in the use of cell phones. >> at the same time -- i posed this question and got all kinds of responses and some people are saying, i'm perfectly responsible with my cell phone. why should i be penalized for the other idiots on the road being distracted? if it's used in the case of an emergency, it's a mobile phone for a reason. that's a lot of people's perspective. >> now, if you can say -- if you can prove to the law enforcement officer who pulled you over that it was an emergency, to and from every day in atlanta, i want to roll down my window and say, hang up and drive because it drives me crazy. >> i know. >> and texting, that's even worse because you can tell when people are texting you see them driving and looking down and let go of both hands. >> i talked to a mother who lost her little one, she was saying please don't do this. it's the equivalent of driving and just close your eyes for nine seconds. that's like leaning down and

texting someone. don't do it. i guess my other question would be, how long would it take, if this could happen nationwide, how long would it take for every state to comply? >> some states already had legislation so they could probably get an add on to that to that particular law. they could get it done probably within a year, if they want to, depending on how many state legislators when they meet and that kind of thing. it could be done for over a year because you've already got 35 states ban text messaging altogether. you've got 35 right there and tack on a little bit, legislation for hand held or even handsfree. some places don't want you to use handsfree at all. >> that's what the ntsb was saying. >> it's going to be tough to enforce but it's up to the states. >> it's a talker. >> it is. >> mike brooks, thank you. >> brooke, thank you. a man in california is running an online sperm bank out of his own house. but what is really bizarre, he's

the only donor. >> the sperm that i donate is immediately given to the recipient to immediately transfer. it's fresh sperm. it's not frozen. >> and you'll never believe how many children he's fathered. yeah. you know what else is nice is all the savings you can get on cruze and traverse over there. oh! that's my beard. [ chuckles ] it's amazing. ♪ [ male announcer ] this holiday, chevy's giving more. now very well qualified lessees can sign and drive a 2012 cruze ls for around $199 a month. ♪

under another set of circumstances, you might consider this a mom and pop business. but a man runs a one-man sperm bank and he's fathered more than a dozen children. he posts his vital statics on a website and posts pictures that he's fathered. stop by his home, select the product, and you're on your way. >> i'm helping childless couples helping them have a baby and there's no money or financial motive behind it. >> now, this story does not prove the food and drug administration. they have told him cease and desist. they have threatened to fine $100,000 and jail time but his supporters include this customer. >> we just made arrangements to

meet with him when i was in my cycle and of lating and to pick up the donate and do the insem nation at home. everyone has a right to choose how to create their family. this an issue of privacy. >> we are told four of his clients are pregnant. he's running this operation since 2006. the oldest child he's fathered is 4 years old. coming up neck, the iowa caucus is less than three weeks away. is ron paul the x-factor there? we'll speak with wolf blitzer about the gop race. plus, this one is tough to describe taste fully. so i will say this. we have a doctor coming up live who is going to tell us about a certain body part that can fall off if you smoke. i'm serious. you're going to want to hear this one. and other medical secrets next.

well, if you're thinking about plastic surgery, specifically a breast lift, did you know that smoking can make a certain part of your body fall off? i'm not making this up. a plastic surgeon in michigan writes about this side effect in his new book called "in stitches." i'm leaving this story right

open to you. the floor is all yours. >> well, i do ree and in all of my patients who have breast reduction or breast lifts, i tell them, if you're a smoker, it can cause major healing problems. i still had smokers who would continue to smoke before their surgery and i had to be honest with them, look, it's true. your nipples can literally turn black and fall off if you smoke. i've written an article about this and i've gotten a little bit of attention. >> a little bit. let's get this guy to explain why. why does this happen, doctor? >> well, the nicotine in the carbon monoxide, that can cause constriction of blood vessels and acts as an actual turnoquette. same thing with surgery. we deal with breast surgery with lifts and reductions.

we move things up into a higher position. if you combine that with smoking, nipples can literally die and there's no nipple afterwards. >> did i read that sometimes you have to use leachs? >> yes. so if we get in a situation, one of the things that i have, and i mentioned in my book, one of the things that we have in our arsenal is to pull out the leaches. they act as an attachable vein. so the first thing that goes with blood supply is a vein and if youed a a leach, that may salvage it. the women have smoked and it's turned purplish and that's a precursor to black.

>> if you've had that sort of augmentation or a facelift, i've read that your cheeks can fall? >> it's the same thing. so if facelifts, we lift the skin up off the face, the skin has been altered, the skin can literally die off. i wrote an article that you can have part of your face look like two face from the movie "batman ". smokers you've got to quit smoking three, four weeks before the surgery and then afterwards. >> i wanted to ask what are the whacky tidbits that you across in your book? >> i included a couple stories as well. people don't know, if you meet a medical student before a surgery, there's a good chance

that they will practice suturing on you while you sleep. with the internet and ipads, doctors are using google and wikepedia to diagnose conditions. some of these medical websites are just as good, if not better, than the encyclopedias that we used to have. >> and one of the things that i did know, a little music in the o.r. does the doctor good, apparently he? >> yeah. i like laid gee gaga. it depends on what i'm doing. if i'm doing a facelift, maybe billy joel. some colleagues will put on metalica. it depends on the personality of the surgeon. >> to pass the time or keep the mood up? >> studies are showing that it can help or be beneficial to the actual surgeons and they have

found that their techniques are better and strangely enough it seems that patients recover better when there is music playing when they have a procedure done. >> dr. anthony, you and your book "in stitches," i appreciate you coming on and sharing your wealth of knowledge. thank you so much. speaking of lady gaga, let's talk to someone else who is a fan. wolf blitzer, newt gingrich is at the top of the polls but also ron paul? >> ron paul has a lot of mom men tou tum. retail politics being very, very important. remember, brooke, when you go to the iowa caucuses, it's not like voting in a voting booth. you go in for a minute or two or

push a little button. you have to make a major commitment for an hour or two hours or even three hours. you've got to go into various corners of the room and there are runoffs. it could take a while. you really have to be committed to the iowa caucuses. anyone who has been there over the years has seen that. i have. he's still ahead. ron paul 17%. i've got to tell you this, based on everything that we are seeing, we're going to have a full port in "the situation room." gingrich and romney don't have the ron paul offices, the headquarters in des moines, you see a lot of people working and they are on the phone and doing stuff. and he's going to be joining us

live in the 4:00 hour. we'll be talking about this and a lot of substantive issues. why is he generating this kind of momentum? we'll go in-depth in "the situation room." >> one word that we've been reading about is the surge. surge is attached to ron paul's name. do you really think that 17% is a surge? >> he's doing well in iowa. there's still six, seven potential winners out there. we'll see how he does. if he wins in iowa, it shakes things up for new hampshire. right now everyone assumes mitt romney is going to win. but if jon huntsman, for example, if he continues to move up and slowly but surely steadily he's moving up from 5, 6, 7, 8, 9%. a lot of people believe it could go to mitt romney and mitt romney does not win in new hampshire and doesn't look like he's necessarily going to win in iowa. you know what? south carolina, florida, those

will be big challenges for mitt romney. the only other thing that some of the other candidates who have money have going for them is they change the republican contest in most of the states and no longer win or take all. it's proportionate. if you can think ongoing and going and going building up dell indicates to the republican convention, if you've got the money, the organization, you can do that. rick perry, continuing to look at him. he's got potential because he's got millions and millions of dollars. >> wolf blitzer, we'll talk about ron paul in the next hour also. thank you very much. in washington, major squabbling in our nation's capitol. all over the tax cut that puts $1,000 back in your paycheck. they are fighting over to whether to keep it funded. we'll see what is happening. plus, a woman is beaten

allegedly by police officers in a police station. at one point while she was in handcuffs. the whole thing, you can see it there, caught on camera. you'll see it two minutes away. 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.

it's like having portable navigation. a bluetooth connection. a stolen vehicle locator. roadside assistance. and something that could help save your life - automatic help in a crash. it's the technology of five devices in one hard-working mirror. because life happens while you drive. this holiday, give someone you love an onstar fmv mirror for only 199. visit onstar.com for retailers. but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. removes 99% of dirt and toxins without dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates.

so skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] from neutrogena® naturals. where they grow america's favorite so wpotatoes. idaho,nd healthy. 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. national outrage in turkey after several police officers were seen slapping a woman in handcuffs. the video is silent. it was taken this summer. turkish police not only crossed

the line but took steps to cover their tracks. ivan watson shows us what happened. >> reporter: the video is silent but the evidence of abuse is indisputable. two police officers detained and beat a woman. it was all caught on tape in a video camera mounted inside this police station in the western city of ismir. filmed on the night of july 16th, the video caused outrage. it showed a uniform cop casually closing the blinds and the officers resumed beating their handcuffed suspects. human rights activists call this torture. >> it went on and on and it was in a closed space and it's definitely not wrong. treatment. that's torture. >> the woman says police detained her during a raid on a

nightclub because she didn't have her i.d. months after her release, she says she's still traumatized by the ordeal. police in ismir haven't responded to cnn's request for a comment but a top government official announced the police officers in question would be suspended. >> translator: the perpetrators should be punished. there is political will to take swift action. violence in a police station, especially against a woman, is unacceptable. >> reporter: sadly, violence against women is all too common in turkish society. 42% of women surveyed say they were victims of physical or sexual abuse by their husband or partner. human rights activists say this case also highlights a culture of impune tea within turkish

security forces. >> there are lots of efforts time and time again to cover can up their own abuses. one of the ways they do that is by instantly filing a countercharge. >> reporter: the woman being beaten here is currently on charges for resisting arrest and reckless behavior. she faces up to six years in prison. meanwhile, these police officers are expected to go on trial in february on charges of excessive use of force. the maximum jail sentence, lawyers say, 1 1/2 years in prison. >> i want to bring in ivan watson from istanbul. i know that these police officers are us spekted -- suspended and faces trial. here we are in the year 2011 where it seems so much is on video. i imagine that wouldn't have happened if this video had not been taken and released. >> reporter: you're right, brooke. those police officers weren't suspended until the video was released last week on turkish

newschannels and it triggered this outrage. the incident took place last july. this case was language wishing and, in fact, the criminal charges against the woman who was beaten was in court. she was being taken to court long before the men were. human rights activists that we've talked to say this is a typical case that often if somebody tries to lodge a complaint, that the police will immediately start intimidating by launching countercharges against them. since this video came out, the governor of that city has apologized to the woman and the central government has demanding the punishment of these two police officers. this is a rarity when the video actually comes out in cases of this abuse. brooke? >> also, ivan, something that jumped out at us, there's a huge issue with women in turkey and also in the u.s. what do you mean? >> reporter: well, absolutely. domestic violence is endemic

here. 42% of women surveyed in turkey say that they had experienced sexual assault from their partners. but a report has come out yesterday that says of the women surveyed, nearly one in five american women has been raped at some time in her life, one in four american women surveyed has been a victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in her lifetime. we have this problem, too, and it's a big one in the u.s., brooke. >> ivan watson in istanbul, ivan, thank you. and as attempted proech the top of the hour, let's talk about something that a lot of you are talking about and let's go to chad myers, our go-to guy for all cool science things. 200 new species discovered in southeast asia. >> right. the greater del kong region.

>> yes. >> let's go to the elvis monkey. >> the issue is, it has no nose. literally, no nose. there is just a hole there, right straight into the sinuses of this new mammal we found. 145 plants, 28 reptiles, 25 fish, seven am fine generals and a bird they found. take a look at this. this is the eldest monkey. the next thing, the gerkin fish. >> and a great looking little bird. >> that was the only bird they found. they found them easier, quicker. nothing hiding here. something else that i've found very cool, how about ants that feed plants. and this is called the picture plant. this is the cycle lick gecko.

that's a picture plant. and it has a very sweet smell on the inside. just like a fly trap, it will close up and devour a real thing inside of it. is is a carve nif rouse plant. >> and then the frog you can't see. >> where is it? >> it's right in the middle of the picture. you can see the back from right to left or left to right. >> and i can't see the legs at all. completely am flaujed. >> i hefard you practicing that. >> yes. >> there's actually a real picture of the elvis monkey and you can really see -- >> there's no nose? >> there's no nose. there's just a hole there.