live from studio seven i'm suzanne malveaux. want to get you up to speed for this friday, december 15th. two former penn state officials will soon know if they face trial in the child molestation case involving former assistant football coach jerry sandusky. former athletic director tim curly and gary schultz are charged with lying and failing to report the suspected abuse. mike mcquery is the star witness. he says he told curly and schultz seen sandusky raping a boy. he testifies there's no question that he fully described what he saw. prosecutors say sandusky sexually accused ten young boys. he has pleaded not guilty to more than 50 charges.

back from the brink of a government shutdown. sources are now saying that democrats and republicans have reached a deal to keep the federal government running after midnight tonight. the house and senate, they're expecting to vote on that plan today. negotiators are still trying to agree on extending the payroll tax cut. if they don't, your taxes are going to go up by an average of $1,000. republican presidential candidates are making their closing arguments to iowa voters. now the candidates met last night in their last debate before the iowa caucuses. some took aim at president obama. current front-runner newt gingrich found himself defending his conservative credentials. >> i think on the conservative thing, it's sort of laughable to suggest that somebody who campaigned with ronald regan and with jack kemp and has a 30 year record of conservative is somehow not a conservative? >> fortunately for the republican party this year probably anybody up here could

probably beat obama. so the challenge isn't all that great on how we're going to beat obama. >> we'll have more highlights from the debate ahead. there was a startling discovery at moscow's main airport today. russian customs agents found more than a dozen radioactive metal objects in the luggage of a passenger bound forte ran. they say the material registered radiation levels that were 20 times above normal. now russia's atomic agency says that material is used exclusively for medical and scientific research. that couldn'tered earlier claims it could only come from nuclear reactors. quick witted author and journalist christopher hitchens has died at age 62. he had developed complications from his battle with cancer of the esophagus. he wrote for vanity fair,

harpers, the nation, and slate among many publications. he was known for taking strong, well-argued and controversial positions in support of the iraq war and athiesm. academy award winning actor christian bale is used to plenty of action on a movie set. he's played the comic book hero batman. he experienced a dose of real-life drama in china. he was traveling with cnn when he was roughed up by chinese security as he tried to vits the home of a prominent human rights activist. >> why can't i not go visit this man? >> after bale and the cnn crew were turned away, chinese security kept harassing him. he was in china promoting his new film which is china's entry for the foreign language academy award. army private suspected of being behind the biggest intelligence leak in u.s. history wants the investigating officer in his case to recuse

himself. the hearing for bradley manning went into recess just a short time after it started. why? his attorney says the army reservist presiding over the case has a conflict of interest because he has a job with the justice department which is investigating wiki leaks. that is a site where manning's alleged leaked material was posted. he faces charges from stealing records, aiding the enemy and could get the death penalty if found guilty. baseball legend barry bonds is waiting to hear if he's going to serve time for giving misleading information back in 2003. hours from now sentencing is scheduled to begin in san francisco. in april what happened? jurors found bonds guilty of obstruction of justice. prosecutors want him to serve 15 months in prison. the voices of hundreds of florida a&m students could be heard as they lined up on the front lawn of the governor's

house. >> we are famu. >> they are outraged over governor rick scott's recommendation for florida a&m trustees, rather, to suspend the school president because of hazing and fraud allegations. scott got out of bed to actually answer this crowd. >> hopefully when this investigation is finished nobody can question that he's done all the right things. that's what all of us hope. but why would he put himself and the university in a position that is clear there's nobody questioning how thorough this investigation is. >> that's where we have a disagreement. we don't think that's in the best interest of our student body to have a leave of absence of our president. that's where we disagree. so we are not going to leave until you rescind your

recommendation. >> last month a florida a&m drum major died in a suspected hazing incident. just this week three band members were charged in another suspected hazing that left a woman badly beaten. all right. so here's your chance to talk back on one of the big stories in the day. in the wake of the hazing allegations florida a&m's famous marching 100 was suspended indefinitely. that is the same punishment that would have followed hazing at a fraternity or a sore report at this. our talk back question is does the suspension of florida a&m's band go too far? is it actually punishing the good students by taking away a great college opportunity? tell me what you think by posting a comment on my facebook page. that is facebook.com/suzannecnn. more now on the last-minute deal by congress to prevent the government from shutting down at midnight. this is after months of negotiations, days of partisan

finger pointing. negotiators have now we understand reached a compromise. kate baldwin. in the middle of all of this on capital hill, kate, it's almost like ground hog's day. you get on the brink of disaster and congress takes action. what happened? >> it sure seems like that's exactly what happened. they needed the pressure of coming very close to another deadline on the brink of government shutdown for both sides to come together to hash out their final differences and reach agreement. that's basically what happened last night. negotiators, congressional leaders last night, they were able to finalize this massive spending bill. it's hundreds and hundreds of pages to keep the government funded and fund the government through the end of september, really through fiscal year 2012. so they hammered out the deal. they signed off on it last night and they'll move forward to rubber stamp it and push it through with votes hopefully today. it is a bit of good news. hey, i think we should take what

we can get, that they were able to reach a compromise on this. it's all the partisan bickering that we've been seeing of late. they are moving forward and a government shutdown has been averted. >> we'll take the good news. give us a time line. i know this isn't the last they'll be voting. what are we looking forward to. >> the house have the bill on the calendar. they'll be voting on this conference report as you call it later this afternoon. the senate will vote on it today f not today it will be because they have paperwork to do. they may take the vote into tomorrow but that won't have any impact on any potential government shutdown issue again. they said that it's been averted and the votes will be happening. >> kate, i know there's still some outstanding issues on the table. payroll tax cut. has there been any progress on that? >> the negotiations are continuing. we're told the senate majority leader harry reid, he said they met to continue discussions this morning. both really continuing their new

optimistic tone and upbeat tone saying they're making significant progress and working together and working on this negotiation. they're not there yet. there seems to be still some outstanding issues to overcome to extend the payroll tax cut. the other major end of year issues that are set to expire. they're working towards an end game. the senate will likely continue that work into the weekend. let me quickly add that in light of it they have not reached agreement yet. senate democrats started floating a short-term extension as something that they're considering, something in the area of two months, but that seemed to fall quickly pretty short on the ears of house speaker john boehner. we can listen to him. >> the house has done its work. we're waiting on the united states senate. these rumors are floating around here about two-month extension. i'll just say this, if that bill comes over to us, we will make changes to it. i will guarantee you that the keystone pipeline will be in there when it goes back to the united states senate.

>> reporter: the keystone pipeline being one of the major obstacles that have been contentious point in these negotiations. besides the fact they're floating the idea, i'm assured by top aids that they are still working towards a full deal to extend the payroll tax cut along with the other issues. negotiations continue today. >> keep us posted on the end game, kate. we appreciate it. thanks again, kate. here are some of the stories you'll see this hour. first new courtroom developments in the penn state sex abuse case. assistant coach mike mcqueary testified just a short time ago. then with the republican race tightening, they debate one last time. now candidates playing the marriage card. why you might be seeing more of their wives on the trail. later, the feds recommend bans on talking on your phone when you drive but do bans actually lead to fewer crashes? and then at 11:30 eastern nasa is looking for a new

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we're learning more about the penn state child molestation scandal involving former assistant football coach jerry sandusky. two former university officials, they're in court today. they are accused of lying. the key witness in today's hearing, assistant coach mike mcqueary. cnn's susan candiotti is live from harrisburg. i understand he was in the courtroom and he explained what he saw and heard. what did we learn? >> reporter: well, his testimony just wrapped up. it lasted two hours long, suzanne. let's get right to the heart of

this. at issue is what you said is what mike mcqueary told these two penn state officials. he has testified this morning that he made it very clear to these two penn state officials, tim curly and gary schultz, that he did see something of a sexual nature, something that he believed was sexual intercourse. that's what he said he told him. that it was wrong, it was over the line. that he saw jerry sandusky in the showers allegedly attacking a young boy. that's what's at the heart of this, because those two penn state officials disagree that mcqueary said that this boy was allegedly being raped. in fact, mcqueary said i never used the word rape or sodomy, but i did make it very clear to them that something extremely sexual was going on. now as to the particulars, we are hearing for the first time from mike mcqueary what he says he saw. he said he went to a locker room in 2002, saw a boy in the showers with jerry sandusky.

now the boy was facing the wall with his hands on the wall shoulder height and he testified that he saw jerry sandusky allegedly with his hands around the boy's waist and, quote, they were as close as they could be. he said that he eventually did make eye contact with them and afterwards left the locker room in shock. he admits that he didn't call the police. he said he called his dad first because he respected him. and he said that eventually when he told joe paterno he also did not use the term intercourse but told paterno that something extremely sexual in nature was going on between sandusky and the boy. it was not until nine days after that that mcqueary testified that he was called to a meeting with the two penn state officials and told them what was going on. he did face a somewhat tough cross examination by two defense lawyers but remember at a preliminary hearing, they're not

allowed to attack his credibility. they didn't get very far in that regard, but they did say, did you believe that a crime took place? mcqueary said, yes. and they said, but you didn't call police? and he said, no. suzanne? >> susan, the penn state officials, they reported -- testified in the grand jury testimony under oath that it was horseplay. explain to us how their version of the story is different than mcqueary's. >> well, perhaps we will hear that as the hearing goes on and perhaps their testimony to the grand jury will be entered into the record and we'll get more particulars, but they believe or they testified, according to the grand jury, that as you indicated, mcqueary wasn't specific with them about what he saw, that something sexual was going on but they didn't believe it was anything serious and, therefore, that's why they didn't report it to police. >> susan candiotti, thank you. we'll come back to you.

time to go cross-country for some of the stories that the cnns affiliates are covering. michael peterson walked out of jail yesterday after a judge ordered a new trial in the beating death of his wife ten years ago. kathleen peterson was found in a pool of blood at the bottom of the staircase in the couple's home. the judge ruled that jurors had been misled about the blood evidence. the southern baptist convention's publishing wing is now recalling pink bibles it was selling at walmart and other stores. a dollar for each sale was going to the susan g.komen fund. many conservative christian groups oppose planned parenthood because it provides abortion services. in california firefighters were called to rescue a young man, check it out, who got stuck in a chimney. there are conflicting accounts of why or even how this happened. he was either trying to clean the chimney or trying to sneak in the house after curfew.

firefighters used soap and water to get him unstuck. newt gingrich learning being the front-runner makes you a target. republican candidates, they met in their last debate before the voting starts. jim acosta is live with some of those highlights and joining us soon.

newt gingrich playing defense in the latest republican debate. last night's showdown was the final debate before the iowa caucuses. jim acosta is joining us live from sue citi. jim, it was fascinating. michele bachmann took aim.

what was the main point? where did they hit him the hardest? >> well, they were hitting him almost on all pressure points last night. we're inside of a steel plant. i want to prepare our viewers in case they hear any unusual noises. mitt romney just wrapped up an event here. he's having a good day today. picked up the endorsement of the south carolina governor. he emerged from that gop debate last night virtually unscathed. that was not the case for newt gingrich. you just mentioned michele bachmann was really tearing into him. she went after him on a couple of different subjects. one of them on all of that money he took advising the mortgage giant freddie mac and also on social issues. she hit him on his position on abortion. it got to a point late in the debate where newt gingrich had basically had enough and accused michele bachmann of not having her facts straight. then they got into a pretty testy exchange. >> sometimes congresswoman bachmann doesn't get her facts

correct. >> i think it's outrageous to continue to say over and over through the debates that i don't have my facts right when, as a matter of fact, i do. i'm a serious candidate for president of the united states, and my facts are accurate. >> reporter: and to back that up she cited politifact and saying that they've even gone back and looked at what she has said during these debates and rated her statements as accurate. i should tell you, suzanne, after the debate was over the website came out and said, no, no, pants on fire, michele bachmann. you have not gotten all of your facts straight and all of your statements in these debates. but the night really was toughest for newt gingrich. >> gingrich, how did he respond to all of those challenges from his rivals, particularly the attack that he's not electable against obama? >> reporter: well, this was a scorched earth strategy this week for mitt romney.

they really went after newt gingrich every way that they could. even mitt romney called newt gingrich famously, as we all heard it earlier this week, zany. newt gingrich basically had no opportunity to go back at mitt romney because during the debate it was hands off. he was staying very positive when it came to newt gingrich. so gingrich seemed to concede at one point during the debate that, you know what, maybe i can be a little bit over the top at times. here's what he had to say. >> i sometimes get accused of using language that's too strong. so i've been standing here editing. i'm very concerned about not appearing to be zany. >> reporter: so gingrich would probably like to go back and edit out some of those moments from the debate if he could actually do some of those -- do some of that editing. as we all know, you can't go back and do that. >> we're too smart for that. what about rick perry? how did he do last night?

>> reporter: well, he was trying to throw that hail mary pass. there are only two weeks or so left and he needs a tim tebow-like moment if he hopes to win the caucuses. wouldn't you know it, 12 minutes into the debate rick perry played the tim tebow card. here it is. >> there are a lot of folks that said tim tebow wasn't going to be a very good nfl quarterback. he won two national championships. we're the national champions back in job creation in texas. am i ready for the next level? let me tell you i hope i am the tim tebow of the iowa caucuses. >> reporter: and if rick perry's going to pull off a tim tebow type comeback, he better hurry up. we're at about the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter when it comes to the iowa caucuses. a process you know all too well. >> we'll take that sports analogy. thank you. nasa is looking for the best of the best. the space agency is recruiting

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all right. so here's a job with some really great benefits. travel, fantastic sightseeing, but you've got to be the best of the best to get hired here. we're talking about nasa recruiting its next generation of astronauts. check out the requirements here. you have to be between 5'2" and 6'3". your blood pressure cannot exceed 140/90. you have to pass a swimming test in a flight suit with tennis shoes. if you get the job you have to learn russian and how to cook in

space. nasa astronaut reks wolheim is here from houston. i can't cook on earth. i'm not sure if this will work out. these requirements, pretty tough stuff. what are some of the others? >> we're looking for people who are very well rounded. have a little bit of an adventure streak. have a solid academic background and are good working for people. we're looking for an all-around person. zbr i'm bringing in reynolds wolf who is say little too tall. >> right at 6'4" rex. one question that suzanne and i both have has to do with vision. i know you mentioned 20/20 vision is requirement. what if you have bad eyes that were corrected? can you still be an astronaut? >> yes. that's a recent change that you can have some of the vision correction surgeries, as long as you have had it done and you don't have any adverse symptoms after a year. there are ways now we can accept corrected vision. >> the swimming part, i think

reynolds and i can deal with the swimming part. what about the part that you're with strangers for three to six months at a time and ready to kill each other? is there some component of a test that says we don't think these two should be in space together? >> there are. we have to learn those. they're coping mechanisms, how to deal with being in a confined space. we liken it to camping skills. you have to be able to get along with others in adverse environments. little things like you have to be able to keep track of your stuff. as you can imagine on a camming trip, when stuff gets out of place it gets to be a challenge. if somebody is disorganized on earth, when you get in space with zero gravity, it's a problem. >> rex, i would imagine if, say for example, speaking on my behalf, taking a mini van across the country can be sometimes a nightmare scenario. i would imagine being in a confined space in orbit, if you can't handle mini van, you can't handle space shuttle. >> that's right. have you to deal with those

adverse circumstances, dealing with little children or something like that. it's good practice. we take our astronauts out to do what we call outdoor leadership school training. we take them backpacking or sea kayaking where we teach them how to deal with those skills of dealing with adverse environments, coping with it, keeping their humor and team-building skills together. >> i understand astronauts will be spending more time in space, maybe years. how do they treat serious illnesses in space? has that changed? >> yeah, it has. when we're staying up there for six months, have you to have better medical training. we train them how to deal with medical emergencies. how to stabilize things. there always is the way to get back to earth via our life boat, if you will. that's not going to be the case when we go beyond the space station. we'll have to rely on telemedicine. with all of the medical training you can call home and get advice. the farther we go away from

earth the stronger your medical training has to be. >> it is amazing to see how the requirements have changed. when you look back to the mercury 7 astronauts, the primary qualification was to be a greatest pilot. now it seems like you not only have to have this criteria, but you need to be a diplomat especially in terms of speaking russian. >> you bet. we have to be able to learn russian. that is very important. the diplomacy skills are very important. we take a wide variety of the background. one of the neat things about nasa is we have the medical doctors, engineers, professors. we all come together to form a great team that we also interact with the international partners. it's a great opportunity. wonderful job. >> let's say the scenario is that reynolds wolf and i both get accepted to the space program. we're spending a lot of time in space, understand with zero gravity your muscles can atrophy, things change. how would we change spending a lot of time in space? >> we do have problems that you

encounter in long duration and zero gravity. we're studying that. how the body reacts and how do you develop counter measures? you get muscle atrophy. you're like a bed rest patient for a certain extent. we have a stringent exercise routine. they exercise two hours a day. in addition to that you lose some of your bone density. that can be dangerous. it's like osteoporosis. we have ways of trying to combat that. they're applicable here on earth howie can help people who have similar problems on earth. when we go beyond that we need to deal with more of the radiation too. it's a tough environment. we have a lot of smart engineers and doctors at nasa that help us out. >> it's interesting seeing how many things have changed in nasa in terms of trying to find the perfect candidates for these jobs. suzanne was talking about just the what-if scenario of someone applying. i sent in an application when i

was 12 years old. haven't heard anything back. is it safe to say that you guys chose to go in a different direction? maybe i ought to look for something else? >> no rk, i'm going to go back look at that. has anything changed? >> this was back in '82. a few minor changes. a little bit taller, heavier, few more wrinkles. >> good deal. i'll take a look at that and we'll give you a call. >> is there an age limit though? >> no. >> we're a little on the older side. >> no, there's not a formal age limit. actually, since i've been participating in the selection process, i've seen applications for people in their 20s, even younger with ren noeld's application. we've had people up in their 70s. as you get older, it's harder to meet the stringent requirements. >> we work out a couple hours a day. thank you very much. appreciate it. the justice department is going after america's toughest

share i have. the fed's say that joe arpaio is too tough on latinos. he is accused of racial profiling. he's now firing back.

senator john mccain is defending himself in a wharf words and tweets with russian

prime minister vladmir putin. the senator tweeted comments encouraging russian protests in the name of democracy. >> he had been held not just in jail but was put in a pit where he was kept for several years. any person under those circumstances would hardly remain mentally sane. >> mccane responded to being called nuts last night on "john king u.s.a." take a look at what he said. >> he said i was, quote, nuts. and in a way it is a bit amusing, but it's also very serious. my point was that i have told -- you and i have discussed other times on this program, arab spring is spreading around the world, to china, to russia, to every country where there is an oppressive or repressive government and people want their freedom. they want their democracy. >> mccain then took aim at putin with another tweet. it said, dear vlad, is it

something i said? he's no stranger to controversy. the justice department has released a scathing report, accusing joe arpaio of violating the civil rights of latinos. he's firing back calling the report a sad day for america as a whole. casey wian has the story. >> reporter: maricopa county sheriff often brags about being the toughest shir i have in america, especially on illegal immigration. after a three-year investigation the justice department says his policies sand practices are violating the civil rights of all latinos in this arizona county. >> our expert found that latino drivers are four to nine times more likely to be stopped than similarly situated nonlatino drivers. the conduct that he observed involved the most egregious racial profiling in the united states that he had ever personally observed. >> reporter: a blistering investigative report accuses arpaio's department of the

unlawful detention and arrest of latinos, unlawful retaliation against critics and discrimination against spanish-speaking jail inmates. the charges are civil. there's also an ongoing criminal investigation. the government says both have been delayed by a lack of cooperation by the sheriff's department. >> i do have compassion, but i'll tell you one thing, enforcing the law overrides my compassion. that's as simple as can you get it. i took an oath of office. i am enforcing the state and the federal laws. >> reporter: the department of homeland security says it will restrict maricopa county's access to federal immigration resources. the justice department identified other areas of concern including the use of excessive force against latinos, lack of adequate police protection in latino neighborhoods and the failure to investigate sexual assaults. the justice department cites the los angeles police department as a law enforcement agency that

has successfully reformed after allegations of civil rights violations. it has given sheriff arpaio and maricopa county 60 days to show good faith cooperation or face the allegations in court. casey wian, cnn, los angeles. recommended you put down your cell phone when you drive, but do bans actually lead to if youer crashes. one group says not so much. [ 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.

national transportation

safety board has just recommended that states ban all cell phone use while driving, but does it mean fewer crashes on the road? karina huber is at the new york stock exchange. what do we know about this? nobody's allowed to use a cell phone? does it make a difference? >> hi, suzanne. this is a tricky question. there's an organization funded by auto insurers called the insurance institute for highway safety. they studied crash rates before and after bans were enacted in various states. while bans didn't result in fewer drivers using their phones, they did not result in a reduction in crash rates. they found similar results in states with text messaging bans. the lesson is that phones aren't the problems, drivers are. the argument is that distracted driving is a much broader problem than phone use. you have radio, billboards to look at to keep your eyes off the road. how to reduce crash rates is a

tricky business. they want all states to ban the use of all devices and hands free. this would be a big deal for automobile makers because of their investments. there will be a lot of resistance to this recommendation. >> you see people doing all kinds of things when they're driving, putting on makeup, eating, whatever. even watching. >> reading magazines. right. >> how are the markets looking today? >> they're looking pretty good. we're up 38 points on the dow. investors are remaining pretty optimistic as we head into the weekend. we'll have to see how things stand closer to the close. futures contracts expire today so they make moves to square up their portfolios. >> karina, have a good weekend. campaign battle between newt gingrich and mitt romney has become now a family affair.

their wives are now in the spotlight. we're going to tell you why. first, each week we introduce you to someone who has achieved remarkable things despite having to overcome major challenges. for sarah werner, fighting cancer was a challenge. it was her desire to become a mom that became her biggest fight. sanjay gupta has this week's human factor. >> yeah. he looks like his mama. >> reporter: being a mom was always sarah werner's dream. she never imagined it would take the help of a total stranger, denise bennett, to deliver that dream. at 26 sarah got devastating news. she had advanced cervical cancer and needed a hysterectomy. >> i went into menopause, infertile in a matter of weeks after the diagnosis. emotionally it was a pretty tough pill to swallow. >> reporter: before she would undergo any cancer treatment, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, she fought to keep her dream alive. she found a doctor willing to try to help.

>> i made it very clear that i wanted to be a mother no matter what it took. the doctor said we can make embryos. >> reporter: ten years later despite being divorced sarah was ready to be a mom. while she's cancer free now, she cannot carry a child. then she found denise who agreed to be her surrogate. >> to sit back and see that first ultrasound was more than just -- it was more than just realizing a dream of becoming a mother but it was like i could finally relax. it wasn't going to be a fight anymore. >> reporter: denise carried and delivered a healthy baby boy. as sarah prepares to take little chase home from the hospital with her boyfriend matt firmly by her side, she's overcome by the joy of having her dream finally come true. >> when i first had my hysterectomy and they told me that i could get a surrogate and have a baby, that was to me like going to the moon.

like i didn't know anybody else that had done that. it seemed to crazy to me. to sit here and have this little baby produced, it took effort on so many people's behalf. it can happen. i guess that's like the one thing that i would love to just tell somebody who was in my shoes. there are times when i didn't think it could ever happen. >> reporter: dr. sanjay gupta, cnn reporting. 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.

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>> male announcer: book now, save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. we're watching michele bachmann kicking off her iowa state tour. that is in sioux city, iowa. she says she's going to 99 counts in ten days. think she's taking some questions. let's listen in for a minute. >> -- he has the most liberal record on illegal immigration. i have the most conservative record. he was for the $700 billion charge. you have newt romney versus michele bachmann. i am your conservative alternative. >> after just one last debate, full speed ahead for the republican presidential candidates towards the iowa caucuses, then new hampshire's first in the nation primary. newt gingrich, mitt romney are battling for front-runner status

and we are also seeing more of their wives. here's joe johns with the story. >> reporter: what usually doesn't work very well in a presidential campaign is for some guy to interrupt an event and start shouting embarrassing questions about a candidate's personal life. >> how would you know? >> -- cheating on your wife -- >> how would you -- other than personal hostility -- >> reporter: but it is the velvet glove approach that's harder to deal with. the wife of contender mitt romney. >> i look back at i think of how my husband has been, the kind of guy he's become, and that's the personal side of him that people don't know about. >> reporter: how long has mitt romney been married to the same woman? by the time this is over you might eventually have it memorized. >> i've been married to the same woman for 25 -- excuse me -- i'll get in trouble -- for 42 years. >> reporter: presidential candidates love to think of their spouses as secret weapons. ann romney is on the trail now

to humanize her husband to try to make him seem more appealing. but her appearances are also a bid for values voters. women voters. and voters for whom trust is a big issue. >> -- and that he has strong family values and that's what matters to him and that's where his world is. >> reporter: contrasting romney with gingrich who's had a much more complicated personal life. >> the romney campaign is almost certainly putting ann romfy out there to highlight the couple's 42-year marriage and her children and romney as a family man, as opposed to newt gingrich who is right now on his third marriage. >> reporter: not only married three times but gingrich has admitted adultery, asked god for forgiveness and converted to ka thol lym catholicism. >> newt and i are determined to run a positive, issue oriented and solutions based campaign. >> reporter: republican political veteran mary matalin

says some values voters might want to know more about the gingrich personal story. but for many, it is news that's a deck kate old. >> people have discounted. they already knew about newt's marriage history and they've discarded that as a concern about him. >> reporter: for her part, ann romney says she's not trying to compare and contrast her husband's personal life with newt gingrich but campaign insiders have said they think the former speaker's past personal life is one of his liabilities. joe johns, cnn, washington. you've been sounding off on our "talk back" question. does the suspension of florida a&m's band for hazing going too far? does it punish good students by taking away a great college opportunity? >> taking away a great opportunity for college students who have done nothing wrong may be an inappropriate time to take a proactive approach to this

very sad and unfortunate incide incident. >> the way i see it, the band is the team. the team has to deal with the consequences as a team. >> no, it does not go too far. we all seem to forget someone died. where was the thought of wasting a great college opportunity when they were beating their band mate? it should be suspended at least until they can figure out a better way to avoid such incidents in the future. >> why is it becoming more and more when the acts of a few ruin things for the majority, the majority suffers? sad thing is, the whole thing of hazing should have been addressed and dealt with years and years ago. >> it has been swept under the rug for too long to suspend the band for the acts of a few that did it is uncalled for and not fair to the innocent. thanks for writing in and being a part of the conversation. continue on facebook.com/suzannecnn. more of your responses in the next hour.

these photos breaking down barriers with a bra. jeanne moos explains. she takes it to the streets. 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 habe a cohd. and i toog nyguil bud i'm stild stubbed up. [ male announcer ] sorry, buddy. truth is, nyquil doesn't un-stuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a decongestant. really? [ male announcer ] you need a more complete cold formula, like alka-seltzer plus liquid gels. it's specially formulated to fight your worst cold symptoms, plus relieve your stuffy nose. [ deep breath ] thank you! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth!

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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. in the world of sports, men and women don't generally compete with one another but no longer the case in the world of fashion. jeanne moos tells us about a male model being used to boost the sales of push-up bras. >> reporter: how do you prove your push-up bra can push up even the most miniscule bust?

have man model it. she's actually a man. >> not bad. >> reporter: she is a man actually. >> really. >> she looks good. >> reporter: she is a man. >> okay. she looks really good. >> reporter: serbian-born model andre is the latest "if t" girl or boy. he got to be the bride in a john paul gautier fashion show. "out" magazine named him stylemaker of the year. >> reporter: huffington post awarded him ultimate style game changer of the year and now he's changing how bras are sold. she's advertising bras. >> does she have breasts? >> reporter: no. he flaunts what he doesn't have, not shy about appearing shirtless. that's the point the dutch department store is trying to

sell, saying it's mega push-up bra will bump you up two cup sizes, even if you're starting cupless. >> if he can look like that, what can it do for a woman? >> i love it. >> reporter: would that convince you that that's one heck of a push-up bra? >> yes! >> reporter: you think busty sales lingerie? move over, victoria's secret. pecs rather than breasts are making waves. "new york" magazine named him male model of the year. but even on the portfolio page of one of his modeling agencies, he's rarely seen dressed as a guy. what a year it's been for him. he may leave some confused. even a woman who gave us an earful about being unable to get used to gender swapping broke

down. would you buy this bra when you see what it can do for him. >> of course. yeah. >> reporter: his cupsmy not runeth over, but when it comes to gender bending, there's no one more elastic. when it comes to selling bras, we'll see if he really can-can. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. top of the hour, i'm suzanne malveaux. want to get you up to speed. two former penn state officials will soon know if they face trial in the child molestation case involving former assistant football coach jerry sandusky. a hearing is going on today in harrisburg. former athletic director tim curley and the former vice president gary schultz are charged with lying and failing to report the suspected abuse. assistant coach mike mcqueary is the star witness. he says he told curley and schultz that he-seen sandusky raping a boy in the showers and

mcqueary testified there is no question in his mind that he fully described what he saw. prosecutors say sandusky sexually abused ten young boys. sandusky has pleaded not guilty to more than 50 charges. back from the brink of a government shutdown. democrats and republicans have now reached a deal to keep the federal government running until after midnight tonight. lawmakers are expected to vote on this plan today. negotiators are still trying to agree on extending the payroll tax cut. if they don't do that, your taxes will go up by an average of $1,000. feds have filed security fraud charges against six executives of freddie mac and fannie mae, accused of misrepresenting their holdings of high-risk mortgage loans. s s.e.c. wants them to pay financial penalties. fannie mae and freddie mac got the biggest bailout during the

financial crisis. it was a startling discovery at moscow's main airport today. russian customs agents found more than a dozen radioactive met aal objects of package boun forte ran. russia atomic energy agency says the material is used exclusively for medical and scientific research. that countered earlier claims that could only come from nuclear reactors. quick-witted author and journalist christopher hitchens has died at 62. he developed complications with his battle of cancer of the esophag esophagus. he was known for taking strong well-argued and controversial positions in support of iraq war anda and athism.

arizona sheriff joe arpaio is under a federal investigation. he calls it a little bitky motivated witch hunt. last year arizona enacted one of the nation's toughest antiimmigration laws. federal investigators say the maricopa county sheriff's office has engaged in systematic discrimination that includes unlawful stops and detentions of latinos. the army private suspected of being behind the biggest intelligence leak in u.s. history wants the investigating officer in his case to recuse himself. the hearing for bradley manning went into recess a short time after it started. why? his attorney says that the army reservist presiding over the case has a conflict of interest because he has a job at the justice department which is investigating wikileaks. that is where manning's alleged leak material was posted.

manning faces charges from stealing records to aiding the enemy. could get the death penalty if found guilty. the voices of hundreds of florida a&m students could be heard as they line up on the front lawn of the governor's house. they are outraged over governor rick scott's recommendation for florida a&m's trustees to suspend the school's president because of hazing and fraud allegations. scott got out of bed to answer the crowd. >> hopefully, hopefully when this investigation is finished, nobody can question that he's done all the right things. why woe put himself and the university in position? it's clear. there's nobody questioning how thorough this investigation is. >> that's where we have a disagreement. we don't think that's in the best interest of our student body to have a leave of absence

of our president. that's where we disagree. so we are if the going to leave until you rescind your recommendation. >> last month a florida a&m drug major died in a suspected hazing incident and just this week three band members were charged in another suspected hazing that left a woman badly beaten. here's your chance to "talk back" on one of the big stories of the day. in the wake of the hazing allegations, florida a&m's famous marching 100 was suspended indefinitely. it is the same punishment that would have followed hazing at a fraternity or sorority. our "talk back" question today is does the suspension of florida a&m's band go too far? is it punishing the good students by taking away a great college opportunity? tell me what you think by posting a comment on my facebook page, facebook.com/suzannecnn. your responses later this hour. baseball great barry bonds

was called the home run king. he broke hank aaron's major league home run record. but, ironically just blocked from where the stadium where bonds was made a hero he's going to be be sentenced for giving misleading information in the 2003 steroid information. dan simons is live in san francisco where the sentencing begins shortly. dan, what do we believe will happen this afternoon? >> reporter: well, we do not believe barry bonds will actually get jail time. mostly all of us think he'll probably get home detention based upon how some of these other defendants were sentenced by this federal judge. suzanne, barry bonds' baseball legacy will be debated for many, many years. of course how he goes down in history is a far different question than what the judge has to decide today. this is a case that goes back to 2003 when this federal steroid probe began and barry bonds was eventually hauled in to court where he testified in front of a grand jury and he said he never

knowingly used steroids. prosecutors determined that to be perjury so he was charged with several counts and also an obstruction of justice count. but only one charge stuck and that was obstruction of justice. here we are today. all of these years later and barry bonds will learn his fate in a couple of hours. >> dan, why did this take so long to get to this point of the process here that now he's going to face his sentencing? >> that's a very good question. it took a long time and it cost taxpayers millions of dollars an of course there are a lot of critics towards that decision to actually prosecute brond. but really you had a lot of defendants involved in this case so it took some time but really what delayed things is that barry bonds' childhood pal, a guy named greg anderson, refused to cooperate and he was actually sent to jail for an entire year because of his refusal to cooperate with prosecutors. that delayed things significantly but here we are and so the question before this

judge is, again, home confinement which wouldn't be so bad for barry bonds. he lives in a ten-bedroom mansion in beverly hills so there is the home confinement option, the jail option or just give him probation. >> dan, i remember when i was covering the white house president bush actually weighed in on this, it was such a big deal talking about how it was such a sad state of affairs with steroids and baseball. give us a sense of why this goes beyond bonds, why he was such a formidable image and a person when it comes to the baseball community. >> reporter: well, as it relates to barry bonds, this was at the height of the steroid era in baseball. so in one sense he sort of represented everything th was bad in professional sports and bad in baseball. and it was also a time when athletes were doing everything they could to get an edge. marion jones, the track and field star athlete got caught up in this.

so eight, ten years ago, this was pervasive in professional sports and so some people feel that maybe that chapter is closing, and of course that would be a good thing. >> dan simon, thank you. here's what's ahead this hour. first the penn state sex abuse case. there is a hearing that is going on today. then a controversial photo goes viral. an investigation quickly follows. in afghanistan special forces. could they take over the fight against the taliban? and the u.s. drone that went down in iran, what was it really doing there. and finally after christi l bale in some real-life drama offscreen in china. cnn was there. okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle --

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we're learning more about the penn state child molestation scandal involving former assistant football coach jerry sandusky. two former university officials are in court today. they are accused of lying and failing to report the suspected abuse. now the key witness here, assistant coach mike mcqueary, says he told the two officials that he had seen sandusky sexually molesting a boy in the showers. he testified there is no question in his mind that he fully described what he saw. want to bring in our cnn legal analyst sunny hostin with us from new york. so, sunny, first of all, let's deal with what mcqueary said today in court. what was his story? >> you know, his story was much the same as we heard in the grand jury summation. he says he reported what he saw to schultz and to coach paterno. he says that he saw jerry sandusky in the locker room showers with a young boy who appeared to be about 10 years

old. the young boy had his hands on the shower wall at sort of shoulder height. he says jerry sandusky was nude, had his hands around the boy's waist and he saw what he believed to be a sexual encounter. he says that he did not use certain phrases but he made it clear to everyone that he spoke to that he believed he saw a sexual assault. >> now i understand when mcqueary was questioned, they said you did not go to police. does that help or hurt him here, the fact that if this is considered a criminal act that did he not go and take this to police officials. >> what is so interesting though, suzanne, is what has come out today during this preliminary hearing is that gary schultz was the de facto head of the university police department. and so mcqueary said he felt that he had gone to the right

person. interestingly enough, an officer, a university police officer, a former one, officer harmon, who was an officer from the 1990s to 2005, also testified that he reported directly to schultz and that schultz did all of his performance evaluations that schultz was the head of the university police, and that he, too, had investigated another report against sandusky being involved with a young boy in some sort of inappropriate behavior in the shower in 1998 and that schultz was involved in that investigation but he did not hear from schultz about this 2002 allegation. so by all accounts, schultz was the head of the university police. >> being the head of the university police, what are they alleging that he has done? i mean that he has made misstatements or that he dropped the ball and could have done more here? >> what they are alleging is that gary schultz as the head of the university police did not

report the 2002 mcqueary allegations to the police department, to the university police department, nor did he report it to the district attorney's office. and they're also saying that he then lied in front of the grand jury about what was told to him about these sexual abuse allegations against jerry sandusky. so very serious charges against schultz. remember, today it was just a preliminary hearing. all the government needs to show is that there is probable cause that a crime occurred. if the government proves that this case will proceed to trial. in my view, suzanne, it is very clear that the prosecution thus far has proven that there is probable cause to believe that a crime occurred. >> sunny hostin, thank you. a photo causing outrage over the internet is now under investigation by the air force. the picture shows 15 airmen posing around an open casket. it is similar to those used to

bring home troops killed in the war. well, another airman is inside the casket pretending to be dead with a noose around his neck and chains across his body. the caption across the bottom reads" it sucks to be you." other airmen were shock by that picture. >> it does make me a little bit upset. we all put on the same uniform. we do our jobs, we do our missions, and something like this happens, it just doesn't seem right. >> someone e-mailed that photo to the "air force times" trig r triggering the investigation. the first pictures of an elite group of afghan fighters has come out trained by american military to fight the taliban. we'll show you how they're doing. to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems...

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in japan, a turning point now for the nuclear disaster. the country's prime minister says that a cold shutdown has been achieved at the reactor at the damaged reactor. the temperatures have stayed below boiling point for some time. while it is considered major progress, experts say it could take decades to clean up the disaster area completely. you may recall the earthquake struck in march in japan triggering a huge tsunami. the area is along the coast northeast of tokyo. u.s. forces begin a draw-down in afghanistan. who will lead the fight against the taliban? cnn's nick paton walsh is getting some of the first access to afghanistan's new special forces trained by americans. >> reporter: these are the first pictures of an elite group u.s. forces in afghanistan have been

working on for years. nato says these commandos are trained and equipped to american standards and are the future of fighting the taliban. but the key thing in rural villagers that hate foreigners invading their homes is they're afghans. these afghan special forces putting on a display of force amid a growing controversy. their next drill targets something president karzai demanded americans stop raiding at night afghan homes. great reason we're showing this, we're keen to show afghan commandos are capable of doing the kind of night raids that have proven deeply unpopular inside afghanistan without much intrusion and without anybody being hurt. first, they call out. flash grenades bring out a wo n woman. she's searched, and then sent back to open doors in the house and get everyone else out.

one man comes, is searched, and then the removed. this controlled exercise is meant to show us the afghans are already more than capable of doing this. "i promise my nation," the commander says," the energy of our country can't change our goals. we're going to get them anyway." he's been in 56 raids so we ask in how of them did he have to fire a shot? "four." sometimes you have to shoot. and then they are gone. president karzai has made an end to u.s. night raids, a condition to american troops staying on

permanently. nato says without them it is almost possible to hit the taliban. this is a first glimpse at nato's solution to a defining problem in their final days here. nick paton walsh, cnn, kabul. u.s. military is now changing its story. hear what officials now say that drone was doing when it crashed in iran last week. s e. elerocs ♪ 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 ♪

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here's a rundown of some of the stories we are working on next. new details about the u.s. drone that crashed in iran. and a last-minute deal to stop a government shutdown. actor christian bale gets real-life drama off-scene in china. cnn was there.

there is now new information about the u.s. drone that went down in iran. military officials now say it was looking for iran's nuclear sites. chris lawrence has details from the pentagon. >> reporter: u.s. officials now admit an american stealth drone was spying on iran. it is an about-face from when it crashed. when officials claimed it was only flying on the afghanistan side of the border, strictly looking for insurgents, not spying. but even then we heard doubts. >> that could have been deliberately used in iran and it is very likely in fact that it was a reconnaissance platform of choice to do precisely that, to take a look at iran's nuclear weapons system. >> reporter: u.s. military officials now confirm the sentinel was flying a surveillance mission of suspected nuclear sites. they say the u.s. military didn't know what the drone was doing because it was being run by the cia. the afghan government wasn't informed either and afghan president hamid karzai wants his

nation kept out of the iran-u.s. rift. >> and that afghanistan's sovereignty and territory is not used. >> reporter: but the u.s. defense secretary suggested the flights will not stop. >> part and parcel of our effort to defend this country and to defend our country involves the important intelligence operations which we will continue to pursue. >> reporter: the "christian science monitor" spoke with an iranian engineer who claims iraq hacked the u.s. drone and guided it down intact. >> it can basically spoof the drone into thinking it landed where it was supposed to be but landing where these hammers wanted it to land. >> reporter: u.s. officials claim it was a technical problem. one says it is impossible to see, it just missed iran's claims. but aviation experts say there is evidence iran may have the

capability to jam the drone's cps link. >> it is designed not to shoot down in the enemy in the old way, it is more to learn what the enemy is doing and maybe react and shoot down the enemy in a very 21st century way. >> reporter: but how much intelligence will iran really get out of its prize? by all accounts, the "sesentines one the u.s.' most sophisticated drones but we're told it is not the most sophisticated stealth technology and there are several systems coming online in the next couple years that will make it outdated. chris lawrence, cnn, the pentagon. keeping the government running. once again congress pushes the country to the brink of a government shutdown. we'll go live to capitol hill for the latest on the deal now to prevent it. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was.

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time to go cross-country for some of the stories cnn affiliates are covering. in north carolina, novelist michael peterson walked out of jail yesterday after a judge ordered a new trial in the beating death of his wife ten years ago. kathleen peterson was found if a pool of blood at the bottom of a staircase in the couple's home. the judge ruled jurors had been misled about the blood evidence. the southern baptist convention's publishing wing is recalling pink bibles it was selling at walmart and other

stores. $1 from each sale was going to the susan g. komen foundation which in turn funds planned parenthood breast cancer programs. many conservative christian groups oppose planned parenthood because it also provides abortion services. in california, firefighters were called to rescue a young man who got stuck in a chimney, kind of messy there. there are conflicting accounts of how it happened. he was either trying to clean the chimney or trying to sneak in the house after curfew. firefighters used soap and water to get him unstuck. gaining up on gingrich. republican rivals are taking aim at the front-runner. it happened in the last debate before the iowa caucuses. gingrich defended his conservative credentials last night at the debate. congresswoman michele bachmann took aim at gingrich over his ties to fannie mae and freddie mac. those are the mortgage companies, as you know, bailed out by taxpayers. >> i was trying to see these two entities put into bankruptcy because they, frankly, need to

go away when the speaker had his hand out and he was taking $1.6 million to influence senior republicans to keep the scam going in washington, d.c. that's absolutely wrong. >> easiest answer is that's just not true. >> gingrich tried to use humor to deflect the criticism from mitt romney earlier in the week when romney said that gingrich was too zany to be president. >> i sometimes get accused of using language that's too strong. so i've been standing here edit i ing. i'm very concerned about not appearing to be zany. >> romney mostly avoided taking swipes at gingrich focusing instead on president obama. lawmakers, amazingly, come through with a last-minute deal to prevent the government from shutting down at midnight. after months of negotiations,

days of the patrtisan finger pointing, negotiators have reached a compromise. a miracle that's happened here on capitol hill. kald bolduan joins us to talk about how we watch this unfold. we get to the brink of disaster, then congress decides to step up and actually take some action. what happened, kate? >> it seems to be quite the routine, doesn't it? late last night after months of negotiations on this massive spending bill to fund the government through fiscal year 2012, through the rest of fiscal year 2012, congressional leaders last night finally came together around a plan, it finalized details, dealt with the outstabbioutstab i sta outstanding issues. they are moving forward just in time to avoid a government shutdown as the most recent short term spending bill was set to expire this evening. both sides very confident they're going to be very, very confident, i'll say -- it is pretty much a done deal other than the vote in both the house

and the senate. the house will be voting on this massive spending measure to keep the government open, if you will, in the next few hours. and the senate is looking like that vote might actually end up being tomorrow at some point. there is still a chance they could vote on the measure this evening but looking more like it may slip into tomorrow. >> that's good news. what about the payroll tax cut? where do they stand on that? >> i wish i could bring equally good news but they're still negotiating. they still have issues that they clearly have to hammer out. i'm told by aides that some of the outstanding issues have to deal with how to pay for this measure, this package of tax extenders, if you will. what they are talking about of course is a way to extend the payroll tax cut for some 160 million americans. before that tax cut expires at the end of the year. also extend unemployment assistance for the long term unemployed and also prevent a scheduled cut in payments to doctors who treat medicare patients. very important issues to many americans and they are still

negotiating all of the elements of this deal right now. i'll tell you, senate majority leader harry reid and the top republican in the senate mitch mcconnell on the floor just a couple hours ago seemed very optimistic and very upbeat that they were going to be able to get this done in time and reach a bipartisan agreement but they are not there yet. of course there are still outstanding issues and hurdles i am told they are dealing with but they're talking, negotiating and we're watching and waiting. >> nobody wants to be a grinch during this holiday season. thank you, kate. a key witness in a hearing in the penn state child molestation scandal wraps up his testimony. we'll go live to harrisburg to find out what assistant coach mike mcqueary had to say on the stand. but first, some free money advice from the cnn help desk. >> time for the help desk where we get answers to your financial questions. gary chatzky, financial planner and president of objectiveadvice.com. gail cunningham with the national foundation for credit counseling. thank you both for being here.

gary, robinson in texas wrote in -- i have $5,000 saved up but i do not want to invest in the stock market. what would be a good investment for me? >> first of all, he's not alone. a lot of people are hesitant about the market. the key is to create some sort of balance. but assuming he definitely doesn't want to get into the market, i got to say one of the greatest investments many families can look at is paying down debt. that's one of the -- doesn't sound exciting or sexy but it is one of the guaranteed ways to reduce costs or effectively earn a lot of money and you're guaranteed to not owe anyone that money. >> absolutely living out of debt is a beautiful, beautiful thing. gail, your question comes from david in st. paul -- i'm 54 years old and self-employed. i put the maximum amount into my i.r.a. each year. what elseky do to prepare for retirement? >> well, i totally agree with what gary said. pay down debt. entering retirement debt-free is the way to be but to get there, people need to track their spending. a survey revealed that 56% of us

have no idea where our money goes. don't be one of them. see what you spend. your hard-earned money on. that's the way you can plug the holes. then dedicate that found money to debt repayment. also consider downsizing. make that a fun, not a sad thing to do. hey, also what about continuing to work during retirement? >> we're seeing more of that. thank you so much. if you want a question you want answered, send an e-mail to the c cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com. hello, how can i deliver world-class service for you today ? we gave people right off the street a script and had them read it. no, sorry, i can't help you with that. i'm not authorized to access that transaction. that's not in our policy. i will transfer you now.

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a key witness in the penn state child molestation scandal has wrapped up his testimony in a pre-trial hearing. assistant coach mike mcqueary testified in the hearing for former -- two former university officials who are now accused of lying. mcqueary says that he told the officials he had seen former assistant coach jerry sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in the showers. cnn contributor sara ganim was in the courtroom earlier. sara, what did we learn from mcqueary's testimony?

>> reporter: well, he went to kind of more graphic detail than was in that grand jury report. but very in-line with the details that we already knew that that report which is that he went to that locker room late at night to put some things away and get some football tapes that he could review and stumbled upon an incident in the shower between jerry sandusky and the young boy. he said that it was very clear that the boy was being assaulted in some way, though he didn't see the direct act. he saw sandusky standing behind the boy. the boy had his hands up against the wall and it appeared that he was being abused in some way. mcqueary says he saw that initially in a mirror, then kind of turned the corner and walked towards the shower so he could see it with his own eyes. he said each glance was like a matter of seconds but that at some point jerry sandusky and the boy did separate from each other and both stood there facing -- fully front to mike mcqueary, looked him in the eye, and nobody said anything. there were no words exchanged

but that was when he left the shower and he did admit he did leave the boy naked in the shower with jerry sandusky. he went to his office, called his father, consulted with his father and they together decided to tell joe paterno in the morning what had happened. and from that point, it's clear that joe paterno did do what the law requires and he told officials at penn state. it's clear that mike mcqueary believed from his testimony that he was talking to the police, because gary schultz, that vice president charged with perjury who's -- that's what this hearing is about today -- he was in charge of the penn state police department. what's not clear is there hasn't been a whole lot of talk about tim curley at this point but i think the judge is going to be reviewing the grand jury testimony of both gary schultz and tim curley when we get back from our break, as well as that ten-page grand jury testimony of joe paterno. after that we do expect him to make a ruling. >> we haven't heard from the two penn state officials yet today,

is that correct? they haven't told their side of the story? >> reporter: no. and really honestly, we don't expect them to get on the stand and tell a story. however, their testimony, which i'm told together is about 60 to 80 pages, their testimony before the grand jury will be read into the record when we get back from break. >> all right. sara ganim, thank you. as always, excellent reporting. we're souning off on the "talk back" question. does the suspension of florida a&m's band for alleged hazing go too far. is it punishing the good students by taking away a great college opportunity? samantha writes -- no. this punishment does not go too far. this punishment is just right. if some of the members want to behave in a manner in which they believe that sororities or fraternities behave, they should be punished in the same manner. andrea -- i believe, yes, it does go too far. the hand of the law is already far reaching and i believe why

disrupt if not destroy the experience of many students for the outrageous and vicious acts of a few. for many students this is the only reason why they attended florida a&m. dennis makes an interesting point -- this should be regarded as protecting the students, not punishing them. steven says a few bad apples shouldn't ruin the opportunity for deserving students who have waited their whole lives to be a part of the famous marching band. to correct the problem band members can't be afraid to stand up and speak out against those who practice hazing. those who enghaj haage in hazin should be expelled and punished by law. actor christian bale is roughed up as he tries to visit a chinese dissident. >> why can i not go? >> remember? the ruby red slippers that took

dorothy home from the wizard of oz? >> there's no place like home. >> all right. so soon somebody else is going to take them home. they're being auctioned today. they are expected to go for someone tweer $2 million and $3 million. i don't have that kind of money but if i did, i'd love to have those little slippers. we'll show you some of the other memorabilia that went from big money in just a moment. ly dose. citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal.

dorothy's red slippers from the wizard of oz going on the auction block today, expected to get $2 million or $3 million. that's pretty cool. showbiz items auctioned off for millions. mining's "thriller" jacket went for $1.8 million. marilyn monroe's famous white dress, the one that brew up at she stood over the subway grate, went for $5.6 million. actor christian bale tried to see one of his heroes recently in china. but the visit didn't go too well. cnn's stan grant was with him at the time and discovered the celebrity can't open all the doors. >> reporter: hollywood actor christian bale is used to action, but this is no movie set. >> are we being stopped?

>> reporter: plain-clothed chinese security who would not identify themselves refused to allow him and our crew to visit a detained human rights activist. we're trying to get out of here, once again we've been stopped right here. as you can see, they're pushing christian here. we're just trying to leave peacefully. we're trying to leave peacefully. as we leave the guards give chase in their car. they're still right on our tail. >> bale was in china to promote his latest film, klein's entry for the foreign language oscar. last night he made it very clear how disappointed he was but not for himself. >> i just find it nauseous that such a good man, a nominee for the nobel peace prize, someone who was at one time named one of "time's" 100 most influential people in the world, is being treated this way. >> howard stern returning to tv

to be a judge now on america's got talent. he is replacing piers morgan on the panel and they talk about handing down some stern judgment last night. >> i've read how you intend to -- when you see a young contestant appearing on stage you're going to haul out their mothers and harangue them before their child performs and make it absolutely clear if you then rip this child's performance to pieces, it is not your fault. >> well, yeah. if you're going to put your children on television to be judged -- which, by the way, i don't think i would ever do that with my children. i raised three daughters. but there are parents out there that think it is a good idea. you got to be damn sure this is a wise decision before you do it. not only are you putting your kid out there to be judged, but if a kid really does have talent, you do need time to nurture that talent, develop that talent. >> nbc's actually moving the show from l.a. to new york to accommodate stern who hosts his

sirius xm radio show from the big apple. the parents television council is not too happy about having stern in prime time. they say it was an act of desperation for a failing network. former mouse ka tear britney spears soon to be a bride again. aj hammer is live from new york. do we believe she's engaged? "us" weekly says she is engaged. there were some early reports we had been talking about that her boyfriend was going to pop the question tonight but now it appears he asked her last night at a private celebration for his 40th birthday. while we haven't gotten official confirmation from britney just yet that she said yes to his proposal, she did tweet this message a short time agoomg, last night jason surprised me with the one gift i've been waiting for. can't wait to show you. so, so, so excited. it could be steak knives for all we know but the couple will reportedly be celebrating the news in vegas tonight which may

be why there were conflicting reports earlier today. i should point out, vegas has some history for britney. she married her first husband there that lasted 55 hours. she married her second husband there. maybe the third time will be a charm. we are already seeing reports there will be a pre-nup in place. >> i hope it will last more than 55 hours. what's this story about a concert causing an earthquake in new zealand? >> this must have been some show. it would be clear it wasn't an actual earthquake, but the ground apparently did move. according to geonet, an organization that monitors seismic activity in new zealand, a recent foo fighters concert in auckland generated tremors that can be generated by volcanic activity. the biggest shakes started when

the foo fighters took the stage and they continued with lulls between the songs until the concert ended. they speculate the cause was the weight of 50,000 fans who were dancing along to the show, though the base and sound system may have contributed as well. irv's heard some sound systems in people's cars here in new york city that perhaps are capable of shashging the earth. >> yeah, i believe it. now tell us about "forbes" magazine. out with the list of the highest paid actors in 2011? who made it? >> well, the way they determine this is by looking at top film grosses for 2011 for each actor and then did the math. daniel radcliffe, the highest grossing actor of the year. last installment of the harry potter franchise made $1.3 billion worldwide and they gave radcliffe the credit as opposed to one of the co-stars. behind them, twilight star

pattpat enson is two stars before stewart because he appeared for "water for elephants" that made $217 million worldwide. lot of money being made in movies this year. if you want information about everything breaking in the entertainment world, a.j.'s got all this this evening on "showbiz tonight," 11:00 p.m. eastern on hln. it's called soul food for a good reason. it feeds the soul. but we all know it can put on a couple extra pounds. a new generation of soul food lovers is making some changes. [ umpire ] strike 3. you're out!

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health food -- soul food is the staple in many african-american homes. recipes passed down from generation to generation. it is getting a healthy twist. it is today's "what matters." >> reporter: collard greens, mac and cheese, fried chicken. just a few of the dishes you'll find on the menu of many african-american homes during the holiday season. but there is more to this cuisine than just good eats. >> i think that it the way we would identify with each other, getting through adversity and knowing yourselves as a community. that's really the attraction to

soul food. >> you got a big order? >> reporter: shanka is the owner of gladys knight's chicken and waffles and is also the son of the legendary r&b singer. he grew up on soul food cooked by his mom and grandmother. >> i was raised around chicken and waffles. after that i used that as pretty much my hook. >> reporter: a hook, but not healthy. he knows this firsthand. he has struggled with his own weight issues and lost his grandmother to diabetes. >> i saw that in her diet. you know? she was definitely big on ham hocks and making things the traditional way. >> what is called soul food is very tasty, it is usually taste based on some form of fat driven. >> reporter: jessica harris is a culinary historian and professor at queens college. she says people are no longer openly embracing traditional foods. >> there is a whole generation of folks that are just like i don't want to eat that, that's

not healthy. you are what you eat and your history is on the plate. so the point is to find a way to adapt the history and the plate. >> reporter: harris helped create the african-american food pyramid. >> at the foot of tthe pyramid leafy greens. pyramid suggests a diet that uses more fish and seafood. >> reporter: and hankerson has learned how to make some of his dishes at restaurant healthier, too. >> i don't use pork in anything. we use a lot of seasoning. i use olive oil as much as i can. >> reporter: and he hopes it keeps his customers coming back for more. >> i want to feed the masses with the type of food that everybody likes that can be all cultures, all races, and all economic backgrounds. because that's really the basis of soul food. >> "cnn newsroom" continues right now. don lemon, you been to chicken and wfles?