it was quite a night. >> election nights are fun anyway. but this was everybody right off the rails. so i wish could you have had like behind-the-scenes camera because waits trip whal you saw. >> it was fun. soledad o'brien is our starting point and coming up next. hi, sole. >> hey. good morning, ladies. i'm soledad o'brien. welcome to our new show which starts right now. "starting point." today we are coming to you from manchester, new hampshire. live here at the airport diner. five days away from primary day, "starting point," the future of the american military.

good morning. welcome. i'm soledad o'brien. welcome to "starting point." we are coming to you from manchester, new hampshire. we are coming to you live from the airport diner. five day ways from primary day here. our starting point this morning is something that you are bogey to hear on the combine trail today which is the future of the american military. just about four hours president obama will reveal his plan for a slimmed-down force that will no longer be fighting two full-blown ground wars. digging into the details and talking a lot about it this morning. also, mitt romney, does he have a tea party problem? they didn't go away in iowa but could new hampshire be different? we are going to ask the tea party favorite and romney supporter christine o'donnell this morning. and despite the sparring back in 2008 in this very state, senator john mccain is now backing mitt romney. he is going to join thus morning to tell us why.

then oops, we deported your teenage daughter. a family is asking how the government accidently september a missing runaway teenager, 15 years old to colombia. even though she doesn't speak the language and doesn't know anybody there. that plus our political panel that will make you stai say get real. "starting point" begins right now. we start with the military this morning. bracing for sues mick changes and cuts. president obama will join leon panetta at the pentagon. lit happen later this morning. going to discuss the strategy for cutting billions of dollars from the budget. this is going to include these things. number one, no longer fighting would ground wars simultaneously. removing 4,000 troops from europe. and cutting at least 47,000 marines and troops within the next five years. the president's opponents say this is coming at a time when china's military is growing. when iran is growing its nuclear program and middle east is more volatile than any time before.

cnn's chris lawrence has been talking to his source. we will find out what the president will be saying today. chris is live for us at the pentagon. good morning to you, chris. first, why the shift? >> bottom line, soledad, money. when you have to cut half a trillion dollars and possibly even a full trillion dollars out of the budget, you can't have everything on the plate. so -- as one official told me, look, if you think the greatest danger to the u.s. is right around the corner, then you keep the military -- keep the army size high right now. and big. but if you think the greater threat is going to grow over the next five, ten, 15 years, then you keep that money in research and very many and in weapons systems and things like that. and that's basically what this has come down to, a choice. knowing that the military can no longer buy and fund everything, having to make some tough calls and you mentioned the big change, not being capable of

fighting two large ground defenses, being able to fight one and deploying forces to try to hold off another. >> chris, the president will make this announcement, talking to reporters at the pentagon. how unusual is that? what's the explanation for that setting? >> yeah. the people i spoke to said they can't really remember the president, any president, doing something like this. obviously it is a political year that's going to play into any calculation. this is a fairly big strategic shift. so the president is going to come here and he is going to sort of outline the policy and strategy and then the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and defense secretary panetta will answer our questions and get more into the nuts and bolts of it. but, again, i think touched on one of the big points of it. you know, a smaller military, you know, the military is more likely going to go back to what it was pre9/11 in terms of manpower because the pentagon

simply can't afford to pay all of these soldiers, marines, over a length of time. when you start adding up health care, retirement costs, housing, pay, bonuses, it does not add up. >> chris lawrence, thanks. i-want to bring in general mark kimmitt, retired general. nice to have you with us this morning. let's begin with sort of the numbers that would just heard chris talking about. what do you think is literally going to be the impact if we have fewer boots on the ground in terms of safety and in terms of overall military for the united states? >> well, pit -- i like many of my colleagues remain concerned that a budget-driven exercise on our nation's security is not the way to move forward. it is reasonable and rational to talk a hard look at the 21st century responsibilities, threats, and capabilities we need to address those lets. but to go into an exercise with the intent and express goal of

reducing the amount of money this you are paying, in fact, you may take a look at the threats, you may take a look at the requirements, you make take a look at the responsibilities as you reshape the military, and determine that you need more money rather than less. understanding the fiscal constraints of these days, that's a tough sell. it is a dangerous world out there in -- our enemies are going to be watching us carefully and our friends are going to be watching us carefully, too. p we are going to honor our commitments or not. >> how much of this is sort of rethinking of the economic reality which all americans know and also rethinking of strategic changes in how wars are really fought these days? it is not like how world war ii was fought. >> you are absolutely right. there are new threats out there. cyber attack, we never anticipated that we would have to fight our way in and out of the strait of hormuz. we have certainly new realities out there and we asked the military to do much, much more.

haw mantarian operations, peacekeeping operations in the balkans. standing guard on the north korean border. all of these are different in the -- than the threats we faced and requirements we faced in the last century and my view remains we ought to be very, very careful before we start shedding missions and asking our military to do less. >> let's take a look at another country's budget, china. when you look at the gdp china comes in right after the united states. i-want to look at military spending. $91.5 billion in 2011. that's almost 1% rise over the year before. the year before, 2010, where they spent $77.9 billion, 7.5% rise over the year before, 2009. what should americans take when they look at this figure from china? >> well, what they ought to be looking at is a clear desire on the part of chinese to pay a lrn larger role in the world as

reflected in the military capabilities. that will incur challenges to u.s. dominance in that region. i think that's why this administration is starting to focus more and more on that region. and all of those increased expenditures are going to result in a requirement for us to take a hard look at how we are going to maintain our interests in those -- that region. >> general mark kimmitt for us this morning. thanks for talking with us. appreciate. >> it thank you. president obama will be announcing that plan for the pepg after a decade of war. and it includes, as we mentioned, mass cuts. confidentrage of the president's brief which happens at 10:50 a.m. eastern time right here on cnn. round two for the republicans. it is all happening right here in new hampshire. this state holds its primary on tuesday and unlike iowa, new hampshire should be a lot kinder to mitt romney. in the latest poll the former massachusetts governor holds a

commanding lead in the granite state. he has 47% of the vote. 30 points ahead of the second place finisher in the poll, ron paul. on wednesday, romney got an endorsement from the man who won new hampshire in 2008. john mccain, who had this to say about his former rival. take a listen. >> i guarantee you one thing. no one will ever say that mitt romney will lead from behind. he will lead from in front the way ronald reagan did and not lead from behind which is what this president is doing. >> romney has a support of the republican establishment here in new hampshire. picking up endorsements from senator ayotte, governor john sunu sununu. >> you can get all the doles and mccains in the world as romney probably will. but in the end, nobody cares. >> well, my next guest is hoping

her endorsement does matter especially to tea party members. former u.s. senate candidate christine o'donnell joins thus morning. she is in philadelphia. welcome to "starting point." nice to have you and thanks for being with us. you just heard, christin hunts smoound bite and enlisted him the establishment will weigh in and weigh in on behalf of mitt romney and big giant shrub is the way he sees it. how do you see it? >> well, you look at the fact that governor romney has earned not only my endorsement but governor nikki haley's endorsement. figures who have had to fight the establishment. and the resounding message in that is that he has broad base appeal and that, you know, based on the feedback we have been getting from my supporters, it truly is causing people to take a second look because they know that based on governor haley's record, my record, we would not sell out like that. i took a close look at governor romney's record. i brought all my concerns

directly to his campaign and they were able to address them and -- >> what were some of those concerns? >> you know, that -- >> what were some of those concerns he -- >> you know, i -- the impression that's trying to get out there is he's a big spending moderate and the reality is that he was automobile to balance the budget in massachusetts without raising taxes and he took a bold approach to cutting spending there. obviously one of biggest concerns of many americans is obama care and, you know to compare the massachusetts health care bill to obama care is like comparing, you know, motel 6 to the four seasons. and also, governor romney has clearly articulated a strong understanding for how destructive full implementation of obama care truly will be and he's pledged over and over to make stopping obama care in its tracks his number one priority.

then he was able to lay out a plan on how he will do that. >> let's talk about tea partiers across -- my apologies. tea partiers across the country. if you look at how governor romney did in iowa, actually -- new hampshire, sorry, new hampshire, when they asked people primaries -- tea party members, primary voters, choice for nominee, governor romney does very well. i have a picture of that. 42%. leads the pack very, very well. when you look at how it actually went in the state we just left which was iowa, it is actually rick santorum that leads the pack at 29% and governor romney is down at 19%. isn't that big giant challenge not only does he have to overcome but nodes to you overcome it? what will you do? >> well, a couple of things on that. first of all, governor romney earned a lot of the teavangelical support as some people are calling it. he has the infrastructure to get his message directly to the voters. when it comes to candidates like

is an tore sxum huntsman, you know, it is hard to stay a step ahead when you are busy catching up. santorum, god bless him, getting a lot of support right now. but in the short time between new hampshire, south carolina, and florida, can he build the infrastructure, can he get his message out before others define him? i think that's going to be his biggest challenge whereas people know that governor romney is ready to hit the ground running and challenge this massive billion dollar obama machine that is already, you know, trying to outorganize the republican party. that's the only way obama can win. >> look forward for me -- look forward to me in south carolina for just a second. here's what a woman named karen martin, head of the spartanburg tea party. do i not personally know anyone that does not despise mitt romney. this is her quote. and doesn't hate the idea of him

being our nominee. that's a lot of strong words, despise and hate and she leads the tea party in spartanburg. >> right. well, based on information that i have got, e-mails i have received from some of my supporters in south carolina, she's wrong. one thing you have to keep in mind is that there's this visceral response from certain people who are just getting access to the media and, again, evidenced by the fact that governor romney was able to win over some of that support in iowa shows that that is simply not true. and, you know, i hope that leader begins to take a look at governor romney because has the class, courage and convictions to stand up for some truly conservative principles in a liberal state like massachusetts and that's overlooked. but another thing going into south carolina that we have to keep in mind is that there is an unknown factor, this election cycle. when candidates win states

leading up to super tuesday, not all of the states are winner takes all. that's delegates are going to be split. we don't know how that's going to impact the process as candidates try to get that, you know, 1,150 delegates. south carolina may not have the historical preference it did. >> christine o'donnell with us this morning. thanks for being with us. we appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. >> our pleasure. senator john mccain is joining us live in the next half hour. right here on "starting point." still to come, rick santorum who is surging after iowa. campaign contributions are pouring in. but with success comes more scrutiny. there may be a few skeletons or certainly things he's said in the former senator's closet. we will take a closer look.

the teenage girl from texas who ran away from home and somehow wound up being deported to colombia. an american citizen and does not speak a word of spanish. we will hear from her horrified mother. something you have probably never seen before. a soccer goalie scoring a goal. from there. coughs, sneezing, fevers?ow i re tylenol: me, too. and nasal congestion. nyquil:what? tissue box (whispering): he said nasal congestion... nyquil: i heard him. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't.

breakfast being made hear at the airport diner. welcome back. i'm soledad o'brien. we are live in manchester, new hampshire, this morning. in five days votedlers get to go to the polls to pick their gop nominee, political panel to start with this morning from washington, d.c., editor of the national journal. also cnn contributor rick joins us. here in manchester p. julianna bergeron, member of the new hampshire gop executive committee. james, political analyst important our affiliate wmur. nice to have you all. james, let's start with you. we will hear from president obama announcing major cuts and shifts. what's the impact going to be on the race? >> for the new hampshire primary probably not all that much. but when it comes to the general election, new hampshire is still a presidential swing state.

the campaign remains here after next tuesday and this is a very big fiscally conservative state. and for that sense, it is going to have impact more on the general election than probably the primary. >> you heard from christine o'donnell who now has been -- really a surrogate for the romney campaign. also john mccain has announced he is throwing his support behind mitt romney. and how will that impact the race here? politically they are on two opposite sides with -- under the gop umbrella. is that a challenge? >> i don't think it is a challenge. i think it will help mitt in the state, you know, more support he gets the stronger his lead which is -- he is running ahead 40% at this point. so i think it is good for him. >> ron brown stein, huffington post had a funny line this morning. they talked about the iowa competition as being a competition of the tallest hobbit which i thought was funny. do you think that's true? two, could new hampshire change all of that? >> and seven dwarfs.

it is great to see america mores on to new hampshire. con coring the other hill states before the election over. look, new hampshire -- iowa, it felt to me kind of reaffirmed two things at once. that mitt romney can public beat and that it is going to be very difficult for any one of these can't diets beat him. in a very -- real way, iowa crystallized when we have seen all year. romney is a solid but not spectacular competitor for the more centrist parts of the party. voters that don't identify with the tea party, voters that than don't identify as evangelical christians. 19% of tea party supporters in iowa, 14% of self-identified evangelical christians, less than they got in 2008. there is an opening on the right. the question is whether anyone in the this field is capable of really seizing that by consolidating that support that remains skeptical of romney after iowa as before. >> maria, when you look at a state like iowa, that's

nondiverse state, you look at a state like new hampshire, similar thing, in the a very diverse state, in iowa, we know now there is less than 6% turnout for the caucuses, new hampshire is a state that has a million people. people talk about both of these states helping widow down the candidates but in a way is it being winnowed down by states that don't actually represent maybe what your average american if there is such a thing would look like? >> there's no question about that. what we have seen in both parties recently is this that is -- for that process to try to change. you have seen for the democrats, they moved up nevada. for the republicans, they moved up florida. and to your point, i think what is so i-ing coming out of iowa is that none of these candidates, at least in my eyes and what i can see is trying to appeal to the diversity that exists in the country. and you really tried to push mitt romney yesterday on his immigration stances because as

we know, that is a very important issue to the latino community. not the number one issue but it is an issue they care about and he was not able to answer the question. frankly, none of the gop candidates have been able to answer the question about how they are going to try to appeal to the growing latino community and we are going to see how that's going to affect their stances in florida but more importantly into the general election. >> soledad, soledad -- >> james, i want to ask a question about the growing power of the latino community is not an issue here. really, in the state of new hampshire. look what are the big issues people are dealing with? you see high foreclosure rates. you see an unemployment rate around 6%. what are the issues that are really the heart of the people who will be going to a primary in five days here? >> the latino community fastest growing in this state, still small. in no stay a perfect reputation. what you do find in new

hampshire is this sense of empowerment from voters. they will ask tough questions to these candidates and you saw it yesterday. you saw what the chinese american living in new hampshire at a mitt romney town hall meeting asking pointed questions about her own heritage towards mitt romney. in terms of the issues, no question that there are jobs, jobs, jobs. yes, unemployment rate here is lower. country is at 5.2%. but still, it is jobs in the economy and in secondly, it is for republicans and particularly some independents where barack obama's approval rating is down here. it is who you pick to beat barack obama. >> we are going to take a short break. i-want to thank our panelists. talking about the state of new hampshire. looking forward to the primary in nif days. make sure if you are watching cnn on tuesday night because all eyes will be in new hampshire. you can join wolf blitzer, erin burnett, john king, candy crolly. the best team politically on tv. still ahead right here on "starting point," you want to join us live.

senator john mccain from opponent to proponent. we will ask him why he's endorsing mitt romney. a teenage girl from texas runs away from home. somehow, though, winds up being deported to colombia. she's not colombian. she doesn't speak spanish. she is an american citizen. ed lavandara is on the story for us. here's something you see hardly ever. it is great to see over and over again. a soccer goalie scored a goal. we will see how it played out. where they grow america's favorite potatoes. 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.

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welcome back to "starting point" this morning.

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you can watch that 100 times. still to come this morning, an american teen from texas ends up getting deported to colombia despite not being colombian and not speaking spanish. plus, mitt romney has a newly minted ally. john mccain will talk to us about his endorsement and campaign ahead. driver's license. past five years' tax returns. high school report cards. and i'm gonna need to see a receipt for that watch you're wearing. you know, you really should provide us with a checklist of documents we're gonna need up front. who do you think i am? quicken loans? at quicken loans, we provide a checklist of the mortgage documents you'll need up front. it helps keep you in the know every step of the way. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. thrilled. wait. we can have shakes? and boston cream pie. did you say pie? pie. she said pie. pie. [ male announcer ] get back on track with low prices on everything you need.

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shot inside the airport diner this morning. manchester, new hampshire. good morning. welcome. 7:30 in the morning. soledad o'brien. you are watching our new show which is called "starting point." senator john mccain is going to be joining us to explain his endorsement of mitt romney. what's changed since they did battle in this state back in 2008? then this story deported by mistake. the government accidentally sends a runaway teenager to colombia. even though she is an american citizen, she does not speak spanish. more on that story coming up in just about ten minutes. first, though, a look at some of the other stories making news this morning. christine romans has that for us. live at cnn headquarters. >> good morning. that accused hollywood arsonist, harry burkhart, is charged with 37 felony counts. police alleged he set more than 50 fires over new year's weekend. they say that arson spree was triggered by his mother being taken into custody. she's wanted on a warrant in her

native germany. armed intruders broke into her home new year's eve, sarah mckinley, mother after newborn baby, put down her little boy and picked up the phone and a shotgun. >> i have two guns in minute hand. is it okay to shoot if he comes in this door? >> well, you have to do whatever you can do to protest yourself. i can't tell you that you can do that. but do you what you have to do to protect your baby. >> mckinley killed one of the intrudesers. police say it was justified. tragically she was alone at home with her baby because her husband had died of cancer on christmas day. army corporal jessie could be in trouble with the brass important speaking at a ron paul rally in iowa while in uniform. officials are investigating whether itville eighted military polil -- it violated military policy. dan choi asked was if service members are briefed of what they can and can't do in uniform.

>> when you do something like this and you believe that it is a moral cause that you are speaking for, then you should be ready for the consequences. i spoke up and i said that i'm gay. i said the truth. i learned that in the code that i will never compromise my in g integri integrity. when we raise our rye hand to serve we are prepared for all the consequences, we are responsible for all of our actions. >> choi was discharged for violating the don't ask, don't tell policy. president obama there now turning gears here. on a push for summer jobs program for teenagers. the white house hoping we can't wait program will create a quarter million job opportunities. obviously not matching pictures you are seeing there. job opportunities, government, private companies, and nonprofits that volunteer to take part. the president igniting a firestorm on capitol hill by making four recess appointments including richard corgray as

head of the protection bureau. republicans oppose creating this watchdog agency and intend it to block anyone named to run it. and a u.s. markets rose earlier loss tows close mixed by the end of trading yesterday. right now u.s. stock futures for the dow, nasdaq, s&p 500 will point into a slightly lower open this morning. waiting important jobs data. could give us a nice hint about where things will go. soledad, back to you. >> all right. thanks, christine. appreciate it. it -- mitt romney is hitting the ground running in new hampshire. a big lead in the polls. picked up an endorse many from a man that knows a thing or would about winning primaries in this state. >> our message to the president barack obama is that you can run but up can't hide from your record macking this country bankrupt, from destroying our national security, and to making this nation one that we have to restore with mitt romney as president of the united states

of america. >> john mccain won the primary in the 2000 and 2008 election. arizona senator joins us live from salem, new hampshire, this morning. nice to see you and thanks for being with us. appreciate it. let's start with the reason behind your endorsement. you sparred, as we pointed out, in 2008, now you are saying this is the man that should be president of the united states. why are you supporting him? >> we had a very tough primary in 2008. and that's politics but as soon as that campaign was over, nobody worked harder, supported me more than mitt romney did. i have watched him grow in accomplishment as a campaigner and i agree with him on issues. i think that he's best suited to run this country and, frankly, the best chance we have against president obama in the general election. so i'm proud to support him and i want to emphasize that as you

know, soledad, the people of new hampshire make up their minds at the last minimum. so i don't think he's taken anything for granted here. >> state of iowa, we discovered just the other day you criticized mitt romney back in 2008 saying that he was a manager, not a leader. that's a quote. what's changed now that you are saying he could be a leader? >> well, again, politics is a collision sport. not a contact sport. and campaigns are very tough. and we are seeing that again now. you about again, i want to point out that mitt romney and i, we have -- we had disagreements during the prirms. that's why we competed against each other. the fact is he supported me strongly and we agree on issues. woe agree on what the ned for the future of this country and we need, obviously, a man, i think, of his experience and

talents to be president of the united states. is he a perfect candidate? no. was i a perfect candidate? no. i think it is far superior to what -- re-election president obama, i think works have dire consequences for the country both domestically and foreign policy. >> i never heard anybody call politics a collision sport as opposed to a contact sport which makes it sound even meaner than we think it can often be. how much of that is part of the endorsement in terms of rick santorum? because 2006, you supported his election campaign. but 2008, he spoke out against you. is there some of this that is saying anybody but rick santorum? >> no. i respect all of the candidates. i respect their willingness to run and it is very tough to do that. it is a grind that is hard to describe unless you have been part of it. i respect senator santorum. he and i had very strong

differences on earmarking and pork barm spending. i believe it is gateway to corruption. senator santorum supported it. engaged in it as much as he possibly could. i strongly disagreed with it. that was a fundamental difference we had in the senate. i still respect him. >> so when you give an endorsement, is that essentially a stamp of approval saying listen, we ideologically agree on things? is there something more you will be doing with a campaign besides appearances together? do you help now with strategy to help mitt romney win? >> well, i help every way possible that i can. i do have some people who, i think, would listen to my views here in new hampshire and in south carolina. and other places. >> just a few. soledad, i think you have to understand -- you have to understand that it is really the candidate. i think in all due respect to --

to myself that endorsements have limited effect but i'm pleased, however, it might help in some small way to support mitt romney. i think this is a critical time in the history of this country. >> let me play a little bit of what governor huntsman has said and he has this refrain going. i'm sure you heard it which is sort of the who cares, who cares here in new hampshire. let me play a little bit about what he has called the wonderfully -- wonderful for him ambiguous state of the race. >> and you can get all the doles and mccains in the world as romney probably will be. but in the end nobody cares. >> nobody cares. he said the -- the race is really up for anybody. and it is wonderfully ambiguous. when you were speaking yesterday you said it is time for people to come together behind a president. how much of a problem is it that, in fact, as we you a in iowa, it really is very, very

ambiguous. >> well, i think that we are going to go through this process as we should from here down to south carolina. hopefully mitt romney will have some momentum if the -- if he wins very big here. i understand governor huntsman is correct. endorsements are helpful, i think, but performance of the candidate is really what's making -- what makes voters decide. i would say that i do have a lot of friends here in ham that i think at least listen to my views. but overall, he's -- >> you are being a little modest on that front. little modest on that front. you won this state a couple of times. you are bag little modest on that front. i think it is fair to say. let me finish by asking about newt gingrich who is angry. really, really, really angry. what is that going to mean important the candidate you are now supporting because he could kind of do anything? are you worried about that?

>> well, i think that -- i hesitate to give any advice since i did not win in my race but i think you have to be careful about being too angry. i have never called an opponent of mine a liar. that's just sort after line you don't usually cross. but look, newt gingrich is a very, very smart man. he's very intelligent. i'm sure he doesn't need my advice. but i think that the people in new hampshire want to hear your views and your vision for the future rather than, frankly, attacks on a candidate. >> i love the way you say he doesn't need my advice but let me give you some advice. thanks for joining us this morning. we appreciate it. >> it is good to see you. still ahead, the mother -- thank you, sir. the mother of a texas teenager who has been missing since she ran away in 2010 learns her

daughter has been deported to colombia. the girl is 15 years old and is not colombian. got a live report coming up from dallas straight ahead. y daughter's like, "mom, wait up!" and i'm thinking, "shouldn't you have more energy than me? you're, like, eight!" [ male announcer ] for every 2 pounds you lose through diet and exercise alli can help you lose one more by blocking some of the fat you eat. simple. effective. advantage: mom. let's fight fat with alli ♪ it's pro-cool technology releases armies of snowmen masseuse who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a $3 coupon. thrilled. wait. we can have shakes? and boston cream pie. did you say pie? pie.

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welcome back to "starting point." i'm soledad o'brien coming to you live this morning. manchester, new hampshire. get to the story of a bizarre case kind of mistaken identity. it revolves around a little girl, 15-year-old turner. she has been missing for more an year after running away from her home in houston. turns out she was arrested. then she gave authorities a fake name. through that fake name she was deported. 15-year-old to colombia by mistake. not colombian, does not speak spanish. she is an american citizen. so now the u.s. government ape sly working to get her back. cnn's ed lavandara is live for us in dallas. you know you spoke to the family this morning. but this case is so complicated. help me unravel it. where does it begin? >> it starts in november of 2010. little more than a year ago. and turner, 14 years old at the time, clearly going through troubles, decides to run away from home. she goes missing. family members don't really know

much about what she is doing or where she has been. her grandmother spends hours and hours on the computer and starts finding her lou facebook messages. she turns up in haas ton after being arrested for shoplifting at a mall. she's going by the name of tika cortez at this time. what's fascinating about this story -- >> she has this name tika cortez. s it is this fake name that sets the next thing into a spiral. she has been arrested and is now dealing with the dallas -- law enforcement really in the state of texas. >> yes. >> but that texas law enforcement that hands her off, right, to who? >> yes. she goes threw the criminal proceedings there in houston and gets arrested for theft. she goes by the name -- what happens here is still where it gets confusing. she tells -- kirding to federal

agencies, they saw she told them she was colombian. even though she doesn't speak spanish and doesn't appear colombian in any way. she then goes through the local criminal proceedings. she spends four days in jail. pled guilty,er with told to that theft charge. and then i.c.e., immigration and customs enforcement, take control of her. goes through deportation process, immigration process. and ends up getting deported. houston police tell me that at in point she declared herself as colombian. federal officials say that's not necessarily the case. that's why the hold was put on her. and there's also some of the initial reporting in this case that her name happened to match an illegal immigrant that was on the list to be deported. we understand from federal officials that they don't believe that that's the case. all of this has just come to light over the last couple of days. there's still a great deal of work being done to figure out exactly how it was happening.

despite all of this young girl ends up in colombia. >> you are going to tell me a 14-year-old girl managetion to navigate around the houston pd, navigate around the immigration and customs. then has to deal with the with authorities pretending all the time she is a colombian with a fake name and fingerprints that don't match anything. to the point she gets sent of the country, this is a 14-year-old girl. what do people really think is behind this? >> that is what is so fascinating and stunning about all of this. that is what has her family in dallas extremely worried they don't understand how a 14 or 15-year-old girl could dupe local authorities and dupe federal immigration officials and then dupe colombian officials because once the colombians, the americans tell the colombians, look, the person says she's colombian, she has to

prove them she's colombian and according to federal officials they gave her all the paperwork she needed to be sent to columbia. the family believes something much more sinister and much more severe going on and that's what they're trying to figure out. >> yeah. i believe that, too, because that doesn't add up at all. the colm om beens wouldn't give you a passport that easily. >> the family knows, believes they know where she is. they believe she is in some sort of detention facility in co columbcolm b colombia. they believe this young teenager is now pregnant. >> it is, wow, wow. wow. we're going to keep following this story because lots of weird, loose threads in this. ed lavandera this morning, thank you, appreciate it. still ahead, of course,

we're talking politics because, the primary hearing in new hampshire is what is ahead. we'll ask people here in new hampshire about what they think about the upcoming primary sampling people here at the airport diner where the food is good, the coffee is great. lots of conversation. plus the president and secretary of defense about to unveil pentagon budget cuts that will effectively shrink the u.s. armed forces. what could the impact be? we'll take a closer look, straight ahead. welcome to idaho, where they grow america's favorite potatoes. everyone knows idaho potatoes taste great. but did you know they're good for you too?

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>> health care for sure hp i, myself, am a physical therapist. i teach disabilities and adults with chronic illness. i can't afford my own health insurance. i don't have health insurance. i think people want a candidate who is going to be honest and trustworthy. >> and who is that candidate for you? >> that is a good question. >> you're not even close at all? >> we want someone who will get

in there and say, things are not right right now in washington. we want people that is going to get in there and not need to change things. >> i appreciate you chatting with us. i will bring you over here to mark. mark was the first person i saw early this morning. you run this business. >> i do. >> so, the economy has to be the issue for you that is the forefront of your mind looking into the primary. who do you support, do you know yet? >> i'm not real sure. >> you sound unenthusiastic, really. >> i am. i like them all. the speaker, mr. gingrich, is a very nice man, very intelligent. i have a lot of faith in him, but also mr. santorum is very sharp. so, i'm kind of up in the air. you know, it's -- i will definitely be republican, but not sure who yet. >> i'm getting a sense that people are very frustrated and angry from four years ago. is it frustration about the field that the republicans are presenting or frustration about the state of the economy or all

of the above? >> i think all of the above. like i say, we just don't see our representatives being strong and taking a real command like i wish they would. i guess that's from being a general manager. i control them, i can see someone take control and just not jumping out here like i think we should. >> sounds like a lot of frustration. hear not only a lot in the diner but the state of new hampshire. interesting to ask the question then, rick perry. everyone thought out of the race now he says he's staying in. what will that mean for the frontrunner mitt romney? we'll look at that, straight ahead. he wasn't focused on his future. but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement planning for our military, veterans and their families. now more than ever, it's important to get financial advice from people who share your military values.

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you'll hear later onp the campaign trail, no doubt. the future of the american military. in just about three hours, president obama is going to reveal his plan for a slimmed down force that will no longer be able to fight two full-blown ground wars. and despite the sparring in 2008, in this very state, senator john mccain. he is now backing mitt romney and he told us why just a few moments ago. >> i think that he is best suited to run this country and, frankly, the best chance we have against president obama in the general election. >> and we'll talk to the man who literally wrote the book on mitt romney, this book right here. why he says this endorsement from mccain could lead to something very ugly with another candidate in new hampshire. our reveal this morning. you know to the rest of the world, you are the 1%. how much you have to make to be considered part of a global

elite. "starting point" begins right now. welcome back, everybody. you're inside the airport diner. i'll let you in on a little secret here. they have bathrooms marked coach, business and first class. bracing for seismic changes and severe cuts because today president obama will join the u.s. defense secretary, leon panetta, to discuss cutting billions of dollars from the budget. no longer fighting two ground wars simultaneously and removing 4,000 troops from europe and cutting at least 47,000 marines and troops over the next five years. while we are downsizing, obama's opponents say china's military is growing. iran is in enlarging its nuclear program and the problems in the middle east are worse than they've ever been. chris lawrence is live at the pentagon working on the details of this this morning. what are we expecting to hear from the president this morning,

chris? >> soledad, we're not going to hear a lot of the nuts and bolts details from the president or more than likely won't hear from the defense secretary either, but some of our sources have been giving us some information about what is expected to happen. you know, you mentioned that 47,000 number of reduction in soldiers and marines. we're hearing that there's talk that that could go even higher, perhaps, you know, 20,000, 30,000 more troops reducing those number of troops. so, really what you've got here is a money problem. when you've got to cut $500,000 from the budget, there's not enough money to pay for everything. so, you're shifting from two-war strategy to a one-war strategy, drawing down the number of troops. all of this to meet sort of that financial goal. >> it's unusual for the president to be addressing reporters at the pentagon. i've read that that really hasn't been done before. how much of this is political posturing.

they want the president to be in this sort of position when the potential opponents running around with air time talk about military might. >> surprise, soledad. 2012, it's an election year. so, you're likely to see some things we don't normally see here at the pentagon, like the president coming over to actually give this address. you know, but i think it's interesting in that a lot of what's been made on the campaign trail is about cutting budgets. about reducing the debt. things like that. so, i think in some ways, you know, candidates will have to calibrate their message, wanting a strong defense, but at the same time, finding money to pay for it. you know, all of this really comes down to where you think the threats are going to be. are they in the near term, are they in the long term? do you need a big military? the problem is the former secretary robert gates used to joke, he said, we've had a perfect record when it comes to predicting our next war, we've never once been right.

soledad? >> chris lawrence for us this morning, thanks, chris, appreciate it. let's get right to retired air force colonel cedric layton. 26 years experience. nice to see you, sir. thank you for talking with us. when you hear the numbers that chris just laid out of the reduction and all this coming in the announcement later this morning. what do you think? >> soledad, i'm worried about how far we're going to go with those reductions. i look at what we're doing right now. some of the policies, you know, in the services such as the air force and the navy that are supposedly not going to be cut by the new defense strategy. they're actually being cut right now. the air force, for example, has come out with a reduction of 6,000 civilians that they did in the first increment and they're coming up with another increment just in the next few months. and, so, that's part and parcel of it. the navy is also being reduced. if you have an asia first strategy, which the strategy seems to be, that's going to be a situation where you have to

have a strong navy and a strong air force to project our power across that vast region. that's really my main concern that we won't be able to do that, even though we're advertising that, again. >> but ultimately, is it about weighing an economic reality? as chris said, just can't pay for it any more versus u.s. safety in the globe? >> well, that's the dichotomy. you have that very clear set of priorities on the domestic side getting our financial house from a budgetary standpoint and then you have military and geopolitical necessity. it's really a question of what role do we want to play in the world and i think what we're seeing is a retrenchment in that role. we're looking at the idea of not being able to fight another iraq and another afghanistan at the same time and that is one of those area wheres we have to be very careful because once we say we cannot do something, then we can be sure that others will test us and try to take

advantage of what they perceive to be as our weakness. >> but, ultimately, isn't the nature of war changed that you may not have to fight a war on two fronts like that. you can use drones and you can use people who are basically spying and then going in and doing these strike forces. the nature has changed. >> the nature has changed and you're right that we're not going to be fighting another world war ii scenario, at least not a high probability that we will. but what could happen is that we could be tested in the form of unconventional war fare and could take a lot of especially skilled people to employ droins and employ our intelligence resources and also make sure we're up in the cyberrealm and those are the things that we have to be careful of. word that this particular strategy is going to actually emphasize siber and emphasize intelligence and that will be good because the wars that we fought right now, or just recently, have actually been

wars that have been led in large part by intelligence in the sinking of intelligence and operations, which has actually been done very, very well. but that is something that we want to make sure that we maintain that advantage and that's what i'm going to look for when i look at the strategy that is unveiled today. >> cedric layton is colonel and a retired air force colonel. thanks for being with us, sir. we appreciate it. president obama is going to be announcing the plan for the pentagon after a decade of war. it includes massive cuts. we'll get more details on it when we hear from the president at his briefing which is at 10:50 a.m. eastern here on cnn. time to check in with christine romans for the other stories that are making news this morning. hey, christine. >> good morning, soledad. a series of deadly bombing in iraq leaving 24 dead and dozens wounded. fueling fears of an increase in sectarian violence following the withdrawal of u.s. troops. one of six utah police officers shot overnight has now died. the officers were trying to

serve a drug-related search warrant at a home in the city of ogden, utah, when a suspect opened fire. the five other officers and the suspect are being treated now at a hospital. an arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords will attend a candlelight vigil on sunday. this will mark the one-year anniversary of the shooting that severely wounded her and killed six people. the weekly jobless claims report out in just a few minutes. it is expected to show that about 375,000 people lined up for the very first time last week for unemployment benefits. sounds like a lot. any time this number comes in below the key 400,000 level, it shows the labor market are healing. stock futures for the dow, nasdaq, s&p 500 pointing to a slightly lower open this morning, but, soledad, it will depend on how the jobs report turns out tomorrow. soledad? >> we'll watch that. christine, thanks.

words that started on twitter spread to tv. it started with a tweet that we talked about yesterday. it was posted on ron paul's twitter account and mocked jon huntsman's showing in iowa and said this. we found your one iowa voter, he's in linn precinct 5. you might want to call him and say thanks. ron paul said he knew nothing about it. last night paul and huntsman addressed it with piers morgan. >> that was done through staff. it was supposed to be good humor. and, i mean, i just didn't think that was a big deal. i can't imagine that anybody making that. but he was the one who sent the first twitter. i thought he was a nice guy. he and i got along real well. i thought he had reasonable ideas. i can't imagine him attacking me. >> you know, piers, first of all, thanks for having me. you would think he would learn the perils of ghost written subject matter by now.

but i have to tell you, at the end of the day, i actually found it to be pretty humorous. i discovered it last night. somebody shared it with me and i thought it was pretty funny. you have to have a little bit of levity or humor in this business or you'd go crazy. just tell dr. paul that i owe him in a tweet in return and he should be expecting one some time soon. >> oh, it's a little terrifying if the politicians will start back and forth. ahead on "starting point" mitt romney pulling 30 points ahead of the rest of the field in new hampshire. we'll check in with our expert political panel and see if a surging santorum will knock him out. rick perry was reassessing and then decided to stay in the republican race. michele bachmann has decided to drop out. how do the changes in the field impact new hampshire's outcome? then the richest 1%. who are they? where do they live? give you a hint, you're probably one of them. the reveal is coming up. tylenol:nyquil. what are you doing?

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welcome back to "starting point." just five days mitt romney could become the first presidential candidate to win the vote in iowa and new hampshire. now, it appears to be romney's race to win or lose at this moment, at least. the latest cnn/orc poll has him 30 points ahead of the field. is he a shoo in? from washington, ron brownstein, senior political analyst joining us this morning and also in d.c. with him hillary rosen and here with me in new hampshire, juliana, executive committee of new hampshire gop. nice to see you. andrew, i'm told i am supposed to call you drew. i'll start with you. is that okay? >> yeah. >> we were talking about the military changes. i think probably not a tremendous impact here in new hampshire from those, what we're going to hear from the president later today, but how did this play out in the race as the politicians pick up on what the

president says this morning? >> it's interesting because the big issue is the economy and jobs. so, you know, at this point i don't know that there is a big difference on military issues betwe between, among the candidates except for ron paul and everyone else. huntsman is more aligned with ron paul. so, in terms of giving santorum or gingrich or anybody an edge to catch up to romney, i don't see how that really helps. >> so then there were five, right? plus, you add back huntsman who wasn't in iowa at all. how does the landscape change dramatically, julianna, as we are here in new hampshire versus what we just left in iowa? >> i'm not sure that new hampshire's landscape is going to change. i think mitt is polling above 40% and even if the other candidates pick up, you know, what michele bachmann and rick perry have had for support, i don't think it's going to be enough to stop mitt in new

hampshire. i mean, some undecided people, i think that is running at about 16% and that could make a difference. a slight difference, but unless something changes dramatically, i think we're looking at mitt romney in new hampshire. >> so, hillary, you know, what i've really enjoyed, honestly, is that politicians will say something like, i think he's a fine gentleman and then they like cut him and then they're like, but he's a fine gentleman. jon huntsman is a really good example of that. charming man, but kind of goes for the jugular and then charming, again. i want to play a little bit of what he said about how the race is going. take a listen. >> do you have a message to the winner of tonight's iowa caucuses? >> a message to the winner of the iowa caucus? it would be welcome to new hampshire, nobody cares. >> and then it's delivered in

that deadpan kind of way. what do you make of what he's saying. first of all, is that true? >> well, it might be true for the new hampshire primary voters, but it's not going to be true if he won the nomination and had to go back to campaign in iowa, which is actually a swing state for either republican or democrat. look, jon huntsman is throwing everything he has at new hampshire because this is really his make or break state. it's the only place he's really got the shot and been investing everything. if he can't succeed there, he is going to pretty much be out of it. that's why he's doing whatever he can. >> ron brownstein, you know, everyone keeps talking about this historical first. if mitt romney moves to new hampshire and wins in new hampshire, it's a historical first. but when you break down the numbers, i think in iowa it was like 5% of the population. maybe just under 6% actually participated in the caucuses. new hampshire is a state that has a million people in it. how big is this historical

first? >> well, first of all, democratic candidates have won both iowa and new hampshire. it's republicans where no one accept an incumbent president has won both iowa and new hampshire in the same year. in a contested race, in effect. there's a reason for that, soledad. you were talking about before whether they are truly representative states of the broader electorate. a problem on the democratic side because democrats get 40% of their votes from minorities, each state is seeing minority growth. much less of an issue on the republican side because it is for better or worse, overwhelmingly white. 90% of john mccain's votes came from whites. somewhat more blue collar, new hampshire is very different. more upscale, more college educated and much more secular and only a quarter of the electorate is evangelicals. that's why it's so hard for one candidate to win both in the same year. since traditionally 1990 has

been the winner. so, if mitt romney wins iowa and new hampshire, the challenge for everybody else is, can they get enough momentum to seriously threaten him in south carolina because if he wins that, also, with florida coming right after that, very hard, i think. >> it's a done deal. we'll take a closer look at what rick santorum is able to do. he is kind of stepping around things that he has said. we'll talk a little bit more about that when we ask our political panel to stick with us. we're back in just a moment after this short break. so, how was school today ?

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we're back at the airport diner. i'm soledad o'brien. let's get right back to our political panel. ron brownstein in d.c. and hillary rosen and here juliana bergeron and editorial page director of "new hampshire union leader." nice to have everybody back. let's get right to rick santorum as he rises in polling. as he rises in focus, everyone starts to parse his every single word. here's a little bit of what he said about a week ago on the campaign trail. listen. >> i don't want to make a lot of people's lives better by giving them someone else's money. i want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money. >> okay. you know what, guys, cue that up, again. i want to play that one more time. that is the $64,000 thing. many people said, i don't want to make black people's lives

people. >> i don't want to make black people's lives better , i want o give them a chance to go out and earn the money. >> when rick santorum was talking to john king usa yesterday, he said that very thing. here's what he told john, listen. >> i've looked at that quote. in fact, i looked at the video and i don't, in fact, i'm pretty confident i didn't say black. i think i started to say a word and sort of mumbled it and changed my thought. but i don't, i don't recall saying black. >> so, two things out of this. i must start with you hillary rosen, this is an indication that everyone is literally watching so carefully to be able to jump on something that this candidate is saying and really any candidate, especially him now that he is the rising. he is the one with the momentum. what do you think is the impact on santorum at this point because he said a lot of other

stuff, too, that mumbles that could get him in some trouble. >> he has a long history of attacking minorities and doing other things. it looked to me like he started to say black and then thought better of it and changed his mind mid-word. i think the issue is as much about what this says for the republicans versus president obama as anything else. you know, the conventional wisdom here is the longer this presidential republican primary goes on, the better it is for president obama because mitt romney is going to get really bloodied. i actually am sort of the anti-democratic talking points on this because i think you've got a guy like rick santorum who is so unacceptable to the middle that when he charges consistently against mitt romney that he's too moderate, you know, that's only going to help romney in the general. i want to sideline rick santorum as quickly as possible and have the focus really be on why mitt romney would be a terrible

choice for this country. so, the more that rick santorum does stuff like this and that people are talking about his terrible record, the better mitt romney ends up looking overall and i think that's trouble for democrats. >> so, ron brownstein, then, what does it mean that rick perry who said he was going to go sort of rethink things the other day and then didn't drop out kind of a shocker, actually, he decided he was going to stay in the race. what is the fact that he's staying in mean and who does it help and who does it hurt? >> the basic dynamic of this race is that romney has done a solid, but hardly spectacular job of consolidating the center of the republican party. as we saw in iowa, he's still facing enormous resistance against the conservative an guard. and the tea party activists and evangelicals. only won 14% of evangelicals in iowa. but the evangelicals did not consolidate nearly as much as they did in 2008.

mike huckabee won almost half of them last time. rick santorum only won a third of them. if rick perry continues in south carolina and newt gingrich, as well, a risk for conservatives that more conservative vote will fragment, again, and potentially allow romney to do in south carolina what john mccain did last time. which is win a plurality victory with very limited support from the most conservative parts of the party. 60% of the vote in south carolina was evangelical in '08 and same as in iowa. if they fragment, romney can put together a small, but plurality coalition. >> i will ask my political team to stay here because we're going to keep this conversation going talking about what is going to happen as we look towards the new hampshire primary. watch cnn on tuesday night because everyone is looking at new hampshire. candy crowley and john king, like how i put myself first in that list. coverage of the new hampshire primary tuesday night at 7:00

p.m. eastern time. still ahead, john mccain in his corner now and he has a 30-point cushion. that looks pretty good for mitt romney. can he close in on new hampshire this time around or does rick perry's continued run help him do it? we'll ask the author who wrote the book about mitt romney. a man and his politics, straight ahead.

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that's what it looks like outside. back inside where we are. you're watching "starting point" we're launching our show this week. coming up in this next half hour. michele bachmann is out, you saw that yesterday. rick santorum is saying thanks to her as he heads to new hampshire and south carolina and then attention wall street protesters. the rest of the world probably considers you the 1%. that is ahead in today's reveal.

breaking news to get to. first this morning, let's check in with christine romans. hey, christine, good morning, again. >> good morning, soledad. this just in to cnn this morning. the prosecution in the case against hosni mubarak calling for the death penalty. the ousted leader is accused of ordering the assassinations that removed him from power last february. president obama and leon panetta will unveil their saving plan today that will potentially save billions of dollars. officials say the u.s. will no longer be able to conduct two wars simultaneously. u.s. officials are working to bring a texas teen home after she was somehow deported to colombia by mistake. she was arrested for theft and then she was missing for more than a year. she ran away and was arrested for theft and then somehow got the immigration system and mistaken for a foreign national

and sent to colombia. the accused hollywood arsonist harry burkhart being held on bail for the ars aen spree over the holiday weekend. the labor department just announced that 372,000 jobless claims were filed for the first time last week. that's good news. below that 400,000 level that shows some growing strength in what is overall a weak labor market. adp, a company that processes paychecks in its own survey it says that it thinks that 325,000 jobs were added to the economy in december. tomorrow we'll find out for sure when the government releases its labor statistics for the month. more economists are expecting something like 150,000. right now u.s. stock futers for the dow, nasdaq, s&p 500 pointing to a plat open and up a bit from earlier from those jobs, that jobs data. soledad, back to you. >> christine, thanks. republican field is spinning

after a disappointing sixth place finish. congresswoman michele bachmann suspended her campaign and then rick perry looked like he was bowing out, as well. the texas governor decided he'll keep going. here's what he said. >> so, what made you change your mind about reassessing? >> i didn't say i was going to reassess last night. i reassess. we're headed to new hampshire and then south carolina. >> so you'll participate in both debates in south carolina? >> absolutely. >> how do these changes affect the frontrunner? we'll chat about that this morning. and also jennifer donahue of the eisenhower institute joins us, as well. nice to have you both. let's talk about mitt romney's motivation. he is way ahead, at least here in new hampshire in the polls. why does he want to be president? >> i think it begins with his

father, who wanted to be president in 1968 and because of the misstatement did not become president in 1968. i think as time went on that the mantle of the father and son thing went on and he became the anointed son to seek political office and that was the genesis for his desire to seek, to become a politician eventually and to seek eventually the presidency. >> even before he was governor of massachusetts, the salt lake olympics, really, were quite an amazing thing. i have a friend who told me when there was a traffic jam on the streets, that at one point mitt romney got out of his car and started like literally directing traffic because he was that involved in making sure that that thing, which was a little bit of a disaser in the making he really saved was great. if it meant he got out of his car and direct traffic, he was going to do it. >> that is his reputation at bane capital. he is a fix-it man. he goes in and rehauls and fixes

things. he is trying to make the case. he can do that with the u.s. economy. the problem romney has is this cap and the fact that conservatives who care about social issues and who care about issues other than the economy just haven't coalesced around him. he doesn't seem to have that retail campaignability that soaks people in, that gets them to look them in the eye and say, i like this man. i want him to be my president. >> rick santorum really, truly has -- >> santorum has much more of it, actually. >> and huntsman even has it and ron paul who have sort of solid followings. santorum, someone who has a great personal narrative. a story where he's come from behind, blue collar roots -- >> he talks about being catholic now and when we catch him on the campaign trail all the time and how it shapes his decisions and he is always talking about being a catholic. you don't hear the same thing about mitt romney talking about his religion. >> i think mormonism has been an

issue that chased him in a negative way. it was an issue in 2008 when he ran for the presidency and it's been a huge issue for him again this time around. so, he's -- he's not the kind of guy that brings it up. it is brought up. >> let's talk about that. you know, you're a mormon, as well. he was mormon, he is a devout mormon. he is mormon leadership. you know, just like president obama did that race speech, mitt romney did a speech about religion. even in that speech, he only mentioned the word mormon once. you run through it. so, why that strategy? is that something that is going to backfire? doesn't have to be a, let's talk about it, people, so we can move on. >> i asked that question a lot of times. what is it about mormonism or recommends somebody to be president of the united states? i will lay out the case of the things you learn as a mormon that will serve you. >> like what things? >> service, accountability,

personal responsibility and owning a piece of the rock and being responsible for what you do. those kind of things. if he could sell that, i'll get through that explanation and reporters will say, why the heck won't he talk about that? we never hear of that kind of thing. >> the real problem is this race moves south to south carolina and then down into the deeper south. evangelicals reject mormonism in large part. 40% of evangelicals say they know someone who will not vote for a mormon. 60% say they don't believe that mormonism is christianity and that's a real challenge for romney who is trying to make the case that he has good family values and mormonism does suggest that, but a big bigotry against mormonism. >> what do you think it could mean for the country if a mormon is elected president? >> i think no change at all. it's such a remarkable thing that unremarkable thing that i think people will be surprised -- >> maybe not talking about it in a, i don't have to educate you. no big deal about it.

let's not talk about it. >> no big deal. but reporters don't ask, what is it about mormonism that evangels eject to? >> what is it? >> i have no idea. >> a different take on christianity. the book of mormon is vastly different from the bible and you can't ignore that. i think, honestly, a huge difference. i think that if romney were elected president, it's another first. >> but the question -- >> the question is whether the country wants a first in christianity, a first mormon. and i think that's a real issue that can't be overlooked. i respect it. >> it will be interesting to see if the strategy is so then let's not talk about it but let's bring it up and talk about it. >> eventually have to bring it up because his opponents will bring it up. >> jennifer donahue from the eisenhower institute, nice to have you both at the diner with me this morning. enjoy your coffee, i appreciate it. right back to our political panel to talk more about this and much, much more.

heading first to d.c., ron boun brownstein and hillary rosen. let's talk about this. this mormon thing, when you read through the transcript of the speech that he gave back in 2007. i was surprised, it's a beautiful speech and all about religion and very little about, he doesn't mention the word mormon. is that a strategic mistake, ron? >> i would think so. sooner or later he does have to acknowledge it and it is much more of a primary issue than a general election issue. the problem, you know, you're talking about the problem with evangelicals and most heavy with southern evangelicals and he didn't get more than 20% of the vote. a little better among evangelicals among the south. if he is the nominee y can't see it being a big problem because the people who are most concerned about his relegion, the same social conservatives who are the most opposed to obama and the most likely to fall behind in a republican candidate. it is an issue in the primary,

but this is towards the broader trend in american life. we are becoming a more inclusive and tolerant society. we are knocking down first in our politics all the times and i don't think this is an issue for him. bane capital, yes, mormon church, not so much in the general election. >> so you think, all right, let's talk for a minute then about capital. >> i think his issue. first of all, barack obama, people should just know is not the kind of man who will attack another man because of his religion. he believes in service and his religion takes him to all the same places that romney does. >> that's what surrogates are for. >> i don't think he'll stand for it for the surrogates either. it's not just who he is. so much material there with mitt romney and when we talk about its history, it has nothing to do with his religion. the fact that he made his money at bane capital essentially taking over and laying off workers and that he can fix the economy, sure, he can fix it

for, you know, his friend and other wealthy folks and that's what people are going to hear more about once people focus on mitt romney and not some of the other candidates that are more likely to move past the primary. i think, as i said before, we need to get to that point as democrats and that's why i disagree with the folks woo want this republican primary to go on and on and on. >> let me get right to juliana and andrew. andrew, you're editorial page director of "new hampshire union leader." you endorsed newt gingrich. what will newt gingrich's role be now? he's mad and he's palpable every time he speaks and he could be a real spoiler in a lot of ways. >> newt's role, what he needs to do -- >> i didn't say needs to, i said what will he do? >> he will go across and he's got scheduled events and a bunch of town hall and he will make his case to the voters.

wile we'll see how effectively he makes that case. if he makes that case aggressively, here's why you vote for me. >> juliana, what he could say is i'm in fourth place and maybe this won't happen for me. what i could do is just hack away at the man who did a lot of negative advertising against me. how likely is that going to happen? >> at this point, it's pretty likely unless he looks in the mirror and decides if he wants to make a difference with the voters in new hampshire, he has to stop whining and feeling like a victim and looking more like a candidate. he'll be in my town tomorrow. so, i'll get a chance to take a peek. >> andrew and juliana sitting with me and ron brownstein and hilary rosen, thank you. still to come, we'll hear from people in new hampshire, at least people in the diner. five days before the primary, find out what they care about. in this morning's reveal,

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ualcome back, everybody. we are at the airport diner in new hampshire, which is only two miles away from the airport. on the inside we're talking. you're a romney supporter because your main issue is -- >> the economy. >> are you a strong supporter or like a lot of folks i talked to, kind of a waffling supporter? >> for me, there's no other choice. to guide the economy, we need to have someone who knows how to pull the levers and push the buttons and make the economy work. make businesses work and then behind that, i think, jobs will follow. so, for me, that's the number one driver. >> are you feeling enthusiastic about the race ahead or some people sound very frustrated when i talk to them. >> for me y hope romney comes out of here and i hope that people will see he's the guy that can drive the economy and, really, the race after new hampshire is going to be the important part. >> eric, thanks, i appreciate

it. i'll walk over here to susan. i have to start with apologizing for you because i know we have been in your way all morning. >> oh, that's fine. >> she lies. it has been very hard as people try to do their jobs as we're sitting in the middle of the diner. tell me about who you're going to support in the primary five days away? >> i'm really undecided, but i was pretty excited about how santorum only lost by seven votes. that was pretty exciting. we're sad and we just want to get on with our lives and we want to know that we can be secure and who to vote for. it's a situation now because i'm an independent. i'll vote for the right person and vote for, and keep the promises that they make to us. >> what is your biggest frustration in the race that you've seen it so far? >> my biggest frustration was it a week or two ago that romney's people already announced he won iowa and pretty surprising when

santorum lost by seven. no one won. we want to win as american people right now. so, please, please, be honest and help us. and free country. >> great, thanks. again, we apologize for being under foot all morning. this is ben, thanks for talking with us. i appreciate that. you're a pharmacist. i'm sure health care is one of the issues that you deal with. first of all, who do you think you're going to support in the primary in a couple days? >> i'm undecided because i haven't seen anyone come up with the solution for the repetitive registration of the elderly, the elderly for the health care for medicare part d. >> you have, i assume, a lot of clients and patients that come to see you. what are their worries? >> getting ready for the holidays every year have to come up with going through the internet. as people age, you have 70 year olds, 80 year olds have to call. they have to call medicare and they have to call, go on the internet. >> just figure out how they're going to navigate paying their

bills. >> maybe they should spend time on the internet looking for health care. no candidate has come up with any plan and i assume most of them getting to that age and most likely have it their way. if they can come up with a plan, that would help the elderly seniors. people were 80, 90 year old and they don't have to go on the internet looking for insurance first. >> you sound frustrated and i think that's what we're hearing. a lot of people here are frustrated on how it looks in the field. we'll see what happens in just about five days. coming up, next, right after this short break. who are the 1%? you might be surprised by the answer because it's probably you. take a look. giant frozen vegetables. over twenty delicious varieties have sixty calories or less per serving and are now weight watchers-endorsed. try green giant frozen vegetables with sauce. i want healthy skin for life. [ female announcer ] don't just moisturize, improve the health of your skin

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looks so good. eggs benedict. my favorite thing in the morning. time for the reveal. today we have a look at the world's riskiest 1%. world bank economist franco and his new book called "the haves and the have notes." let's look at where these people live, 4 million across germany and nearly half of them, 29 million live in the united states. now, that's not all that surprising. we know compared to most countries, we here in the united states have it pretty good. but what might surprise you is that you are likely in that 1% because to be on that top global rung, you need to bring home $34,000 per person after taxes. $34,000. turns out the median income for most of the world is $1,225 per

person per year. even the poorest 5% of americans are better off financially than two-thirds of the rest of our planet. yes, those numbers are adjusted for different costs of living around the world. still ahead, what panelists learned this morning on our end point, coming up. this is an rc robotic claw.

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breakfast in full swing at the airport diner, but we are about to wrap up, we're about to end with the end point this morning. back to our political panel. ron, why don't you start for me. what is your big take away of the day? >> very revealing john mccain siding with mitt romney and

conservatives talking about whether they can unify behind rick santorum. is santorum a big enough figure before he wraps this up? >> hilary rosen, what do you think? >> i was listening to the people you were talking to in the diner, soledad. new hampshire voters really don't want this primary to be over. you know, despite, despite the nature of the rest of us. they've got some things to say and they're not sure they've got the right candidates to listen to it. >> yeah, i definitely noticed, jennifer donahue, that people seem frustrated. i mean, nobody, there's not a palpable excitement about, let's get it done. it feels like, i'm really unhappy about the economy and a bunch of other things. >> i think a bunch of undecided voters up here and what you're going to see over the next several days is people trying to coalesce around retail politics because there hasn't been a focus. iowa has taken up all the oxygen. i'll watch to see if rick

santorum can consolidate and have a retail game and romney has already had a retail game in new hampshire and i think that will help voters decide. >> final word to andrew cline this morning. >> i am looking for aggression. which nonromney candidates go out there and attack romney and which ones make the aggressive, positive message, i'm the conservative alternative. forget these other guys. the voters want to go to a town hall meeting and be inspired. they want to have a connection. i want to see which candidate can do that. >> from the people we heard from the diner, no one sounds inspired. whatever the word is that is the opposite of inspired, that's what it sounds like. thanks, guys, make sure you're watching on tuesday night, of course, because all eyes right here on new hampshire. i'll be reporting right here, live coverage of the new hampshire primary, cnn tuesday night 7:00 p.m. eastern. big thank you to the folks at the airport diner who allowed us to be under foot allni