for romney when he couldn't differentiate between gingrich and santorum. >> we'll have to keep talking to him as this race keeps going along. "cnn newsroom" with kyra phillips begins right now. we'll see everybody right back here on "storting point." >> thank you, soledad. this morning we're talking about the sign of the recovery. we learned that 200,000 jobs were created in december, that is better than expected and a big leap from the 120,000 created the month before. christine romans is here to break it down for us and alison kosik is the new york stock exchange with the likely impact on the stock market, of course. but, christine, let's go ahead and start with you. how big is it? >> november was revised down a little bit and then december came in bigger. this is a good report. this shows that hiring is moving up and layoffs are moving down. i want to go to the wall and show you how it really looks overall. you look over the last year, for the first time in a very long time, kyra. we have six months in a row of jobs created.

boom, boom, boom, more than 100,000 jobs created. that hasn't happened since 2006. think about that, since 2006 that we have been able to put together 6 1/2 months. that was also better than anybody expected. i want to really give you some perspective here because, kyra, as you know, this is a political story, as well. on the campaign trail you hear how this is the obama economy or how president obama is responsible for your job being lost. this is that incredible recession and financial crisis. financial crisis first and then the recession. this was, this was horrible for the american worker and the american economy. and then it was very careful start -- i mean, these gains here you had to have census and hiring and stimulus to get anything going and we had all these concerns about a double dip recession and now at the end of last year, you're starting to see slow and steady improvement.

quick point about what kind of jobs, kyra, were being created. a lot of things in like messengers and warehousing and no surprise there. also in retail, seasonal jobs there, as well. transportation. those sorts of jobs. so, we'll be looking closely to see if those jobs start to go away in february and we get worried about that. but you also saw health care jobs created. manufacturing, mining, they're hiring in mining every single month. so, overall, 1.6 million jobs created in 2011. we have the data for the whole year now. 1.6 million jobs created in 2011 and 280,000 jobs lost by the government. that's a trend that is expected to continue, kyra. >> christine, thanks so much. let's head over to alison at the new york stock exchange. alis alison, how will investors respond? >> it looks like they're going to respond favorably to this, kyra. we saw a bump in futures and dow futures went from 30 points to 75 points and now they're backing off just a bit. you think about it, 270,000 jobs

is good. you would expect to see a bigger jump in the markets just about a half hour before the opening bell rings. i talked with one economist and he said where we stand right now is that the bar is kind of set higher. expectations are a lot greater and the economy, the expectation is that the economy needs to pretty much stitch together three to six months of adding 200,000 to 400,000 jobs every month for four to six months to see if there is a real trend taking hold. the big question is, can this be sustained? yes, the unemployment rate is falling. that is a good thing. the markets see that as a good thing, of course. also important to note that when you look deeper into that report, some of those that are coming back into the workforce are taking lower paying jobs. the average rate rose by 2.4% and also people not going back into the workforce are taking these lower paying jobs and also there were some people who left the workforce, as well. which is also why we can see the

unemployment rate coming down just a little bit. this is the sixth month in a row that we're seeing 600,000 or more jobs being added. the trend shows things are getting better, kyra. >> we like hearing that. alison kosik, thanks so much. okay, just four days away before the new hampshire primary and republican candidates are blitzing the state. right now, long-shot candidate jon huntsman hosting an event in concord. he ignored iowa and gambled big on new hampshire. a poor showing could doom his campaign, however, today, huntsman did get a big endorsement. "the boston globe" chose him over a former massachusetts governor saying while mitt romney proceeds strategically trying to appease enough constituencies to get himself the nomination, huntsman has been bold. rather than merely sketch out policies, he articulates goals and ideals. jim acosta in concord for us. how important, how surprising is this endorsement?

>> well, it's very surprising. and jon huntsman is hoping that this is his moment. he saw rick santorum, he saw rick perry. he's seen all the other unromneys in this race have their moment and perhaps this could be jon huntsman's moment. that was a very good endorsement and it did, basically diss the former governor of massachusetts. the governor who was in that state, where that newspaper resides. so, this is a good pickup for jon huntsman and we'll have to wait and see what happens. there is a new suffolk university poll that came out. they're doing a daily tracking poll up here in new hampshire. the last one was sort of stratling the iowa caucuses and part of it was taken before the iowa caucuses and part of it after. this new one that just came out was taken before the boston globe endorsement, but it shows jon huntsman in fifth place which is not a good showing for him in that poll considering all the time he has spent here in new hampshire basically done

what rick santorum did in iowa. go from town hall to town hall sometimes without the press following you and he's hoping that it will pay off for him here in new hampshire the way it did rick santorum in iowa. it's a tough challenge, no question about it. >> rick santorum surged in iowa, we've been talking about that for a number of days now. but he got a frosty reception in new hampshire, right? >> he really did. you know, rick santorum is a social conservative. and he makes no bones about it. while that kind of politics works in iowa, it may work down in south carolina, it doesn't work so well in live and let live new hampshire. live free or die new hampshire. where folks are a bit more relaxed when it comes to the social issues and yesterday he got into it with some college students here at this event that i'm standing at right now over the issue of same-sex marriage. santorum compared same-sex marriage to polygamy. the reaction he got when he was

leaving the podium. here it is. >> let me thank you all very, very much for being here and your time and attention. >> yeah, so that is not the reaction you want to get. the applause for jon huntsman is the reaction you want to get when you're leaving a room here in new hampshire. going to be interesting to hear what jon huntsman has to say this morning not only the "globe" endorsement but the unemployment numbers, as well. fascinating to hear how the republicans talk about what is arguably going to be a pretty good day for the white house, kyra. >> jim, thanks for clarifying because we could hear the live clap behind you and then it was combine would the boos for santorum. we wanted to make it clear that you knew what you were talking about there. jim, thanks so much. >> i try. >> always. gop frontrunner mitt romney is so confident of his lead in new hampshire now that he is actually beginning his day in south carolina. that is the primary battleground

that follows, as you know. joe johns is in conway, south carolina. joe, you were at a romney event this morning. what kind of reception did he get? >> i got to tell you, a lot of energy here. this is conway, south carolina. very healthy size crowd. it's clear he's bringing everything he's got. the governor of south carolina, nikki haley was here, john mccain, the guy who won the primary here four yeerb years a here. very well received. somebody in the crowd called john mccain a hero and he responded, essentially, that he was not. but i have to tell you, this is a real contrast to an event last night out in the charleston landing area where it was much more subdued. so, he's basically, you know, trying to get ahead of the game, romney knows he's doing well in the polls up in new hampshire. so he decided to come down here to south carolina where,

frankly, he needed a little bit of work and i can tell you, just from watching this very well received. it's interesting, too, sort of gave a stump speech and hit president obama very hard and then the interesting part, i think, was last night and, again, this morning. it was john mccain who went before the audience and sort of went after rick santorum, who's basically the chief competition for romney at this stage and mccain, last night, as well as today, talked about earmarking, which is a process that santorum was very much involved in when he was in the united states senate and let's just listen to what mccain said about that last night. >> one of the reasons why we have mortgaged our children and our grandchildren's future is because the pork barrel, earmark corruption in washington. believe me, earmark spending is the gateway to corruption. and that was practiced when republicans were in the

majority. senator santorum and i have a strong disagreement. a strong disagreement that he believed that earmark and pork barrel projects were good for america. i think it's wrong for america. >> so, this event here in conway this morning has just ended. and i think, if i look over my shoulder here, it appears that romney might still be here, though he's just signing autographs. headed back to new hampshire. and it looks, you know, like he's got a little traction here. probably thanks to john mccain following him around and speaking on his behalf. kyra? >> joe, we'll keep checking in at all the live events today. thank you so much. next hour, jon huntsman's wife, mary kay is going to join us. i'll ask her about her husband's endorsement from the "boston globe" why he seems to be the flavor that hasn't had the month yet and how he acts when no one's looking. turning to international news now. a suicide bombing goes off in a

damascus, syria and state media blaming terrorists for the attack killing 25 people, most civilians. arwa damon following the story out of beirut. what have you learned? >> well, kyra, the blast happened according to syrian state television. the images are quite gruesome at a traffic light, a suicide bomber, that also according to syrian state television, the images really chilling and horrific. pools of blood, damaged vehicles and flesh strewn all over. the government, as you said, they're blaming terrorists, but activists are blaming the government saying that thi was done deliberately to try to keep them off the streets. we spoke to a young man who was from this neighborhood and it's in the heart of damascus. he was around two streets away when the blast took place. he said security forces immediately cordoned it off.

? >> this is one of the few neighborhoods in the heart of damascus where we do see demonstrations when it comes to the capital. most of the time they happen in the suburbs. this young activist, just 22 years old, kyra, was saying they went out to demonstrate around 30 feet away from where the explosion took part in massive numbers and, again, said they were attacked. security forces using bullets and tear gas. he said he personally witnessed eight security forces beating up a 10-year-old child. he said he believes that the child was unconscious when they dragged him away, kyra. >> arwa damon out of beirut for us this morning. and new hampshire may be the center of the political universe right now, but some voters are feeling out of the loop and say the candidates haven't even connected with them. we'll have that story, next. remember joran van der sloot and natalee holloway's disappearance. he was never charged but is on trial in peru for murder and the victim is the daughter of a

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all right. new hampshire's large group of independent voters often decide elections in the state, but many of them are just not fired up about tuesday's primary. they say the candidates haven't even connected with them. dan lothian is in manchester, new hampshire. dan, we were talking to one of the local deejays there yesterday and he was saying the exact same thing. >> that's right. you know, the key is here with these independent voters what's different between here in new hampshire and iowa is independent voters can vote as independent. they don't have to switch over

to the republican party at the last minute. the other thing, too, is that they really demand an up close and personal encounter. they want to experience and feel the candidate. it's classic retail politics. but as you pointed out, some of these independent voters feel that this time around they're being ignored. for the republican presidential hopefuls, new hampshire is the second stop on the road to the white house. but unlike the first stop in iowa, independent voters who make up about 40% of the electorate are in the driver's seat. and most come to the table with strong partisan views, according to the university of new hampshire's andrew smith. >> some of them are democrats. some of them are true independents but most of them are really republicans. >> reporter: but elizabeth from new hampshire's institute of politics say don't call them renegades. >> i wouldn't call them renegades as much as i would call them fiercely independent in the sense that they're going to make up their own minds. >> reporter: what happened in

iowa or what the pundits predict doesn't necessarily sell in new hampshire. voters here relish the vetting process and large town hall meetings are a kind of appetizer to the real meal that up close encounter on main street. but new hampshire radio host paul westcot says that he feels some tune him out. >> some candidates have come and spent a lot of time here. >> reporter: like jon huntsman and mitt romney and early on rick santorum. >> just didn't happen and the candidates stayed away. >> reporter: their daily planners were packed with a lot of debates. in an election cycle where republicans are having a difficult time rallying behind one candidate, some independent voters here are still scratching their heads. >> the republican field, not too impressed. >> reporter: mitt romney the former governor from neighboring massachusetts has consistently maintained a 2-1 lead over his closest opponents.

the clear frontrunner in the granite state. but smith says it's not a warm embrace. >> romney, well, we may not like it too much, but probably the guy with the best chance. i think that's the kind of dynamic that is going on, as well. >> reporter: rick santorum is getting a second look after his near victory in iowa and newt gingrich is attacking the frontrunner who cost him his fortunes in iowa. >> i think it's dangerous to make predictions in new hampshire, i really do. i think you have to wait until the last possible minute. >> and the latest poll, the suffolk university poll showing that mitt romney continues to hold a big lead here in the state of new hampshire, more than 20 points over his closest competitor, ron paul. rick santorum also getting a little bit of a bump there, but still, 15% undecided. so, that's why the candidates are working very hard here at running ads on television, holding town hall meetings trying to make that final pitch in these final days, kyra. >> dan, thanks. you can trust cnn, the best

political team on television for compete coverage of the new hampshire primary. join, wolf, erin, anderson for complete coverage tuesday night at 7:00 eastern here on cnn. a case that gained worldwide attention. natalee holloway vanished from aruba in 2005. the man once considered the prime suspect joran van der sloot was never charged, but he is in court today in peru and his lawyer says he will admit to killing a woman. not just any woman, though, stephany flores is the daughter of racing legend ricardo flores. her body was found beaten to death nearly two years ago. peruvians must hate this guy. >> he's not beloved in a place where this is like a national treasure's daughter. she was not just killed, she was absolutely brutalized in that hotel room. this was an ugly, violent attack. so, you have a guy who is facing these kind of murder charges and

why would he say i did it? why wouldn't he come out and say, okay, i'm guilty, i did kill her. strangely enough, ironically, he's trying to get less time in prison. he's trying to suggest this just wasn't a premeditated murder, folks. i just snapped on the anniversary of the natalee holloway disappearance which i have been blamed for all these years. i didn't mean to kill her, i just lost it. you know in the law that matters. it matters if you looked into it and planned that thing or if it just came at you in a flash. >> did he get a free trial, a fair trial? >> well he is certainly getting a free one. >> i guess we can use both words. >> that is a great question because you would think maybe not, who knows about foreign justice. they do have a pretty significant justice system in that country. however, what did we say about casey anthony? after all that press coverage, could casey anthony get a free trial? i highly doubt that in this case

because he's acquitting to it. not necessarily will he spend time, it is going to be how much time is he going to spend? >> what is it like for him in prison? >> it is not good. all those jokes that you hear that you don't want to end up in a peruvian prison. it is dark, cold, ugly, the food is terrible and the people are tough. to that end, joran van der sloot decided early on that he was going to make a name for himself and get tough and he's been real tough with the other prisoners, reportedly. he's been violent and has made a name for himself and has been one of the tougher people in that prison. make no mistake, you don't want to be there. you just don't want to be there. >> we'll keep watching. thank you. helping ferry supplies to a town cut off by a sheet of thick ice. you'll see the pictures, next. i want healthy skin for life.

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taking a look at stories across country now. three air force academy cadets charged with sexual assault. the three separate cases happened over a 15-month period. two of the alleged victims were fellow cadets. a man accused of breaking into a home of a young widow is out on bail. charged in the shooting death of his alleged accomplice who was actually shot and killed why the young woman, the homeowner. prosecutors say that stewart is the only one responsible since the death happened during a crime. a frightening end to a police chase in oklahoma city. watch as the four burglary suspects and a car collide with a truck and a van and then is the suspects flee. three later captured and one is still on the loose. gnome, alaska, on the edge

of the berring sea. it's surrounded by a sheet of ice and needs fuel. no fear, the coast guard is on the way and i bet rob marciano wishes he was there. >> absolutely. i am a big fan of the coast guard and this cutter specifically designed to break ice. we heard of them. but right now only one in business. let's take you over to the great northwest and our lovely land of alaska, which, of course, a huge state. where they're going from, well, the cutter itself is going out of dutch harbor and going to meet up with a russian frighter here and deliver the goods into nome. this was supposed to happen in the fall but a nasty storm in the fall that prevented this and now we have the winter ice that has grown in this area. all around the harbor. actually 300 miles of this stuff, these two boats have to cut through. now, the russian ship is designed to go through some ice. it's double hulled, but not this thick of an ice. it needs this coast guard cutter to get into this area.

they're not able to get right into the harbor, but just get close to it and unload some of this fuel via piping. all right, all right. 1.1 million gallons of diesel fuel and 300,000 gallons of gasoline will get in here. it's set to arrive some time between sunday and monday. and this is the cutter itself. now, this is the only ice breaker in the coast guard fleet that is active right now. two other but they're out of commission. this thing can go up to four knots or eight knots, three knots, excuse me, breaking four feet of ice. it can actually break up to eight feet of ice, just kind of going back and forth, ramming this thing. we don't expect to see much of that. but it will escort the russian freighter out there over the next few days. a mild storm heading to the sea and, by the way, not much daylight. although the days are getting longer this time of year. live picture from the nome conservation and visitor center. that looks fairly desolate.

3,000 to 4,000 people live up there and they do not, kyra, want to run out of fuel. current temperature is 35 degrees below zero. expected high temperature of 20 degrees below zero. >> it's like living in green bay, wisconsin. >> maybe a little more rugged. rick santorum's rivals are attacking him over pork barrel projects, but santorum defends the earmarks. we have a fact check, next. tiger woods ex-wife, well, she's not happy with her $10 million home, just so unhappy, well, you'll see what she's doing with it.

checking top stories. a suicide bombing in damascus that they blame on a terrorist. that blast reportedly killed at least 25 people, civilians and police. activists claim that more than a dozen other people were also killed in other locations. police are asking the public to help identify the body of a woman found on the queens estate sunday. dna tests have failed to come up with a profile that might lead to the identity. the body was discovered on a public portion of the 20,000-acre estate. and here's a music industry first. digital music sales outpaced sales of cds for the first time ever. nielson and billboard digital music accounted for just over half of all music sales last year. rick santorum reaching out to new hampshire voters four days before the first in the

nation presidential primary. the former presidential senator is holding a faith, family and freedom town hall event in new hampshire. let's go up the road now to lebanon, new hampshire. newt gingrich holding a town hall meeting there after finishing a disappointing fourth in iowa. he's sharpening his attacks. one such target, rick santorum and his role in the 1990s republican revolution in congress. >> in terms of -- if you think of us as partners. he would have been the junior partner and he's not a bad person. i want to be clear about this. >> santorum countered that he played a key role in exposing a congressional scandal during that time and that gingrich remains silent on the sidelines. meantime, santorum rivals are attacking him over earmarks while he was in congress. but as dana bash reports, earmarks were a part of business when santorum served. >> we're in a financial crisis

right now. >> reporter: stumping in new hampshire, rick santorum gives his prescription for reducing the deficit. >> we have to do it in the areas where the deficit has been created. and that is, spending. >> reporter: but the former senator's opponents say he was part of the problem. >> he's very liberal. >> what makes him liberal? >> he spend too much money. >> reporter: they really hit him for taking earmarks, a dirty word in tea party lexicon. >> who personally demanded more than $1 billion of earmarks in his 16 years in congress? dave from ames. >> rick santorum? >> right. >> i have had a lot of earmarks. in fact, i'm very proud of all the earmarks. >> reporter: the reality, it's hard to know if santorum really got a billion dollars in earmarks because he was defeated in 2006 before lawmakers were required to disclose their earmarks. but steve ellis says -- >> i think it's pretty clear if you look at the anecdotal

evidence that he got at least $1 billion and probably much, much more. >> reporter: in 2005, alone, pennsylvania received $483 million in earmarks for 872 projects. during his years in congress, santorum issued press release after press release, bragging about bringing home the bacon. like an expansion project for job training center and $50,000 for gateway fasteners, a career development program in export, pennsylvania. santorum voted for that infamous bridge to no where in alaska. >> to go against the bridge to no where against senator stevens who was a very senior appropriator. >> bye-bye money for pennsylvania. >> exactly. >> reporter: santorum still defends his pork barrel projects. >> when you go to congress, you make sure that when taxes go from your state to washington, d.c., you fight to make sure you get your fair share back. >> reporter: to be sure, he was

hardly alone. until recent years, even for republicans, spending federal funds on folks back home was a path to re-election. but now, in a gop primary, it's fodder for opponents. >> i believe that earmarking is a gateway drug to corruption and senator santorum supported it and engaged in it as much as he possibly could. >> dana bash now joining us from washington. dana, he doesn't sound apologetic. >> not at all. he actually told cnn just a couple of days ago that he feels that it is really the constitutional right or had been the constitutional right of members of congress to direct taxpayer dollars back to their homes. back to their home states. that was the way everybody felt back then, except maybe john mccain and a few other members. now, kyra, he is saying that he supports the ban on earmarks that happened a couple years ago. i guess it's easy for him to say now that he's not in the senate and now that it's terrible politically for them to do that. but it is important to point

out, he points this out and he is right about this. earmarks were less than 1% of the federal budget. it wasn't a lot when it comes to spending, but it was really just, it has become a symbol of politics gone awry in washington and that is his problem. >> the earmarks were about bringing money home for pennsylvania, but then he got defeated in 2006 and started just bringing home the money for himself. >> chaching. it happens with members of congress when they leave on their own or get defeated. they go and make money. rick santorum according to his financial disclosure, he made $1.3 million in 2010 into the first half of 2011. that's so much more than he made when he was a united states senator, that was $160,000. you know a lot of the money he made was doing consulting for lobbying interest and other adv advocacies. another area where his opponents are hitting him. >> dana bash, thanks. a long time coming but today a american teen mistakenly

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hollywood filmmakers are casting a thriller about osama bin laden, but a powerful republican in congress is

alleging that the white house gave producers information that should have remained confidential. a.j. hammer investigating for us. what did you find out, a.j.? >> well, the deal is this is a film by kathryn bigelow and mark bulk they gave us "the hurt locker" this is a film that has been in works for years but just now announcing casting choices and the movie will be in theaters by the end of this year and that will be over the objections of peter king. the search for bin laden, the story needed to be changed when he was killed by s.e.a.l. team 6. he is alleging that the white house gave the filmmakers classified information and he's now calling for an investigation. so far, it doesn't seem to be slowing the film down, although i do remember that king was concerned at one point that the film would be released and used as propaganda for the obama administration. obviously, with a december release, that's not going to be an issue. as for the casting news.

let me show names at you. jessica kastane and edgar ramirez and mark strong who was in "green lantern" all these names in negotiations to star in the film. terrific actors there, but lesser known names. interesting to see if they go for some major marquise value with somebody else, although they didn't for "the hurt locker." >> look what happened to that film, exactly. all right, let's turn the corner here. tiger woods' ex-wife, apparently not real happy with her $12 million home. >> no, and what does anybody do with a $12 million home that you're not happy with, kyra? you tear it down, of course. why not? elin bought a 7,000 square foot home and bought it about a year ago and now reduced to rubble so she could build her dream home. this is what you can do when you get an estimated $100 million

divorce settlement. "the palm beach post" was the original plan was to renovate the house. the house was built in 1932 and plans started to change and took full demolition after the work had started. but a $12 million tear down, hey, why not? >> hey, all things new. she deserves some good changes in her life. a.j., thanks. >> no question. >> a.j. will be back with more "showbiz headlines" next hour. we're also going to take you across country where a driver took a bare bones approach to sneaking into the hov lane. with your mortgage,

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still a lot of unanswered questions in a story we told you about yesterday and now it looks like it could end up in court. a run away american teen jakadrien turner. today dip loimate ecefforts have started to bring her home. ed lavandera is in texas. another big question, ed, when? >> that's what we're scrambling to figure out, kyra. all signs point to the colombian government handing her over to u.s. embassy officials in colombia. speaking with family members and people helping them out through this year-long ordeal. they fully anticipate her being

returned to the dallas area at some point tonight. that's what they're going with right now. but they haven't gotten any specific details as to how all of this will unfold here today. >> i.c.e. admits to making a mistake, but not any wrongdoing, right? >> it's very sensitive situation because, clearly, they say that jakadrien turner lied at every turn about who she was. back in april of last year, she was arrested for theft in houston and she told police that she was 21-year-old tika cortet. she went through the legal process for the theft charge and hanned over to i.c.e. and went through the immigration process and never saying she was anyone other than tyka quartez. then on top of that, had to fool colombian authorities.

never seen anything like this. they're looking at it and continue to investigate, but family members say they will look into a lawsuit against the government because this happened. they spoke with cnn earlier this morning. >> the next step is that we try to get her home. whether that's by us going there to pick her up or having transportation for her to come back here. after she gets back home, obviously, we understand that there's going to be a lot of care that's going to be necessary for jakadrien and then at that point we'll start seeking re-dress as far as the civil rights violations for the governmental agencies that allow her to be wrongfully deported. >> i want her to come home. she belongs home. >> so, kyra, that's where we stand now. it sounds like jakadrien turner is on her way back to texas. but we're still working on confirming a lot of those details and how she will be

moved and what will happen to her once she gets here in dallas. a lot of unanswered and possible questions surrounding her arrival back here and exactly what will happen with her. kyra? >> we'll follow it, ed, thanks. now looking at other stories across country. the father of a utah man accused of shooting six officers said his son is a decorated gulf war vet that had mental issues. officers tried to serve a search warrant and one officer died and five others injured. starting monday in new orleans children 16 and other will be barred from the city's entertainment district after 8:00 p.m. the curfew includes the french quarter. protect kids from an area known for its bars and strip clubs. a driver in washington state admits having a fake skeleton in his passenger seat so he could drive into the hov lane. a police officer pulled him over for aggressive driving and driving solo and he got a big fat ticket of 554 bucks.

some penn state officials are furious about the hiring of the team's next coach. we have that story in sports seven minutes away. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? woah! [ giggles ]

welcome back. we'll fast forward to events happening today. we'll be covering these for you. 11:40 this morning president obama visiting and speaking at the consumer prevention bureau.

then at 3 clock a soldier will tell a court hearing why explosives were found in his carry on luggage at the mid land texas airport last week. tray atater said he didn't realize they were there. then at 6:30 dorothy burkhart has a court hearing. her son is a us coulded of setting 52 fires in los angeles out of anger over his mother's situation. we're following lots of developments in the next hour of "cnn newsroom." let's start with christine romans. >> hi, kyra. i'm following the jobs report. 200,000 jobs added to the economy in december. the jobless rate fell to 8.5%. is this sustainable and what does it mean for you and your job search. >> reporter: i'm joe johns in conway, south carolina. mitt romney is flying high in the polls in new hampshire, but is he getting any traction in the palmetto state? i'll have a report coming up.

guys, plus jon huntsman's wife, mary kay will be with us. she's been on the campaign stage with her in new hampshire. we'll ask her about the man she knows better than anyone else and what she knows that voters don't. just one drop instantly soothes and revives tired, overworked eyes. and comforts them for up to ten hours. visine® tired eye relief. try now and save $3. my son and i never missed opening day. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better, and that means... game on! symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems.

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penn state might have some big news. jeff? >> we're hearing story reports about who will be the next head

coach. after the jerry sandusky sex abuse scandal, joe paterno was forced out. the question is who replaces him. some people are hearing a name and they're furious. they say bill o'brien is the next head coach and they don't want him. he's the new england patriots offensive coordinator. he just interviewed for the job and he will takeover. here's what brandon short told the "usa today." there's a tangible standard at penn state that this guy knows nothing about. i feel badly for him. he is clueless and will not have the support of the majority of the lermen. this is a hornet's nest for him. now to be clear, cnn has not yet confirmed that o'brien will be the head coach. nba now, lebron james, dewayne wade hurt. who needs them? final seconds, miami down three to atlanta. the only one of the big three who's healthy, chris bosch for three to tie. he's open. give it to him. he fires. good. he had 33 points. this one goes to triple o.t. wade and lebron fired up.

chalmers works his way to the bucket. nice win by the heat on the road without james and wade. 116-109. let's see who can count. final seconds of the game. all tied up. watch closely. they have five, six, wait a seconds, six? that's not right. look at it. raging kay juns get the basket. neither one of them saw there was an extra guy on the court. >> do you think they meant to do that. >> no way. you get a technical if you're caught. so they actually could have lost the game. instead, they capitalize on the mistake no one notices. espn says the sunbelt league could suspend the refs. >> what about the coach? >> i have a great idea. this is a perfect way, we'll get that game-winning basket. it worked. i will he put seven guys on. >> the wild card tips off tomorrow? >> nfl playoffs starting

tomorrow. very exciting. your packers have the week off because they're the number one seed in the nfc. it's the bengals at the texans. the night game should be entertaining, lions and saints. lots of points. falcons and giants are on sunday. steelers travel into denver to take on tim tebow and the denver broncos. >> that's hard because i love drew brees. i go back and forth. saints, packers. >> arguably they are the two best teams in the nfl. >> i'm not picking them because they're popular. i have history. >> those are your two teams. >> darn right. thanks. have a great weekend. you've probably seen the commercial of a woman who climbs to the top of a dangerous looking rock formation. were you wondering, did she do it or is this the magic of tv? of course jeanne moos vekts. >> reporter: these days when seeing is no longer believing, maybe you've seen this commercial and wondered if you can believe what you see. >> i use my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories.

a new belt, some nylons, and what girl wouldn't need new shoes. i'm close to the rock i really had in mind. >> reporter: the reaction on line has been, this can't be real. >> yeah, it's real. >> reporter: thank you for making viewers physically dizzy and sick. i just can't help getting wiggy when she gets to the top and the camera angle is pointed at her feet and all can you see is imminent death. >> it's not very technically difficult. >> reporter: it is a rock formation in utah. who is that hot ad girl? >> i had a camera on the helmet so it's me like looking at my feet as i walk. >> reporter: the feet belong to katie brown. she became one of the top female climbers after she began competing at the age of 15. citi bank hired her and alex honnold to do the commercial. you might recognize him from the

jaw dropping piece "60 minutes" did on him. he's famous for free soloing, climbing incredible rock walls without ropes. >> there is no adrenaline rush. if i get a rush, it means something has gone horribly wrong. >> reporter: in the citi bank commercial the two climbers were using ropes and no one fell though katie says she has had a few scary falls, like this one shot by photographer colis mason. viewers of the commercial are almost as curious about the lyrics to the song ♪ somebody left the gate open >> reporter: is it somebody likes potatoes? somebody leg gee my egg gee. no, a band called lp is singing ♪ somebody left the gate open >> reporter: got to give katie credit for being honest about how it felt up there at the tippy top. >> it's a little intimidating. >> reporter: the spot's even been parodied by somebody doing a diaper commercial.

>> i'm close to the rock i really had in mind. >> reporter: that high up, who wouldn't need a diaper. jeanne moos, cnn. ♪ somebody left the gate open ♪ somebody left the gate open >> reporter: new york. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com it's the top of the hour. thanks for joining us. we begin with presidential politics. gop front-runner mitt romney is so confident of his lead that he goes to south carolina. joe johns is there in conway, south carolina for us. you were at a romney event this morning. what kind of reception did he get? >> reporter: i have to tell you, a lot of energy for him. he also came sort of with all his big guns in south carolina. he had john mccane, the senator from arizona who ran last time, actually won the primary here in

south carolina. also had the governor of south carolina nikki haley who has already endorsed mitt romney. even taking a little bit of heat for that. one thing that's very interesting about mitt romney in both of his stops here in south carolina he didn't discuss his chief rival for the nomination at this stage. that would be rick santorum, but he kind of left that to john mccain who went after it with glee. let's listen to what john mccain said about rick santorum. the issue, of course, is earmarks, which is something that santorum was very much engaged in when he was in the united states house and the senate. so listen to this. >> lindsey graham and jim dement have joined with me to go to the floor to fight against the earmark pork barrel corruption that goes on in washington, d.c. earmarks are a gateway to corruption and i can tell you

that neither mitt romney nor rick santorum share that view. >> it didn't quite get the delivery of that last line just right. actually, i don't think he wanted to say that mitt romney more or less shared the view. still, the other half of that sound byte, probably the most important thing he said out here was he brought newt gingrich into the picture. the rest of the sound byte's is when newt gingrich was speaker of the house earmarks exploded. when rick santorum sponsored earmark after earmark he went to the floor and fought against those. so not only is john mccain out here going after rick santorum and his earmarking when he was in the united states congress, he's also now including newt gingrich in that as well. so the other thing i have to say about john mccain, it's important to mention him in south carolina because you know he is seen as a war hero.

got a very warm reception among the people i saw in the audience here, some of whom were veterans of the military. so it looks like the romney campaign is betting that john mccane is going to help them increase the numbers of people who support the romney campaign as we get closer to the primary. kyra, back to you. >> okay. joe johns. thanks so much. we'll continue to talk with you obviously throughout the day especially as these live events take place with the candidates. just four days before the new hampshire primary republican candidates are blitzing the state, as you know. right now long-shot candidate jon huntsman is wrapping up his event in concord. he ignored iowa and has gambled big on new hampshire. poor showing there could doom his campaign, but today huntsman has a big endorsement too. the boston globe chose him over former massachusetts governor saying, quote, while mitt romney

proceeds cautiously, strategically trying to apiece enough constituencies, he's been bold. rather than sketch out policies he articulates goals and ideas. jim acosta is in concord for us. let's talk about how important and surprising is this endorsement? >> reporter: it's a big endorsement for jon huntsman. this could be his moment. it could be coming at just the right time for him. it's just a few days before new hampshire primaries so better late than never, but i have to tell you, kyra, just a few moments ago, i can't even show you the video, i wish we could, we couldn't feed it to you in time because it just happened, we were all chasing jon huntsman out of this room here inside this ballroom that we're standing in. this was the largest media scrum that i've seen around jon huntsman since the beginning of this campaign. it goes to show you what an endorsement from "the boston globe" can do. it sort of changes the game in

that it brings a lot of media attention. it says, wait a minute, maybe this candidate might be for real after all. he was giving some pretty fiery comments in his remarks a moment ago. he was asked about the corporations are people too line from mitt romney. jon huntsman said, who would say such a thing? he repeated this comment that he has made from time to time on the campaign trail telling this young audience of college students, you're getting screwed, in his words, because of what's happening with the national deficit. you do get the sense that the former governor of utah is kind of going for broke, putting all his chips in because he realizes a bad showing in new hampshire means he might be out of this race. so i think he's trying to do everything he can at this point to sort of rachet up the energy around the campaign. >> rick santorum, as you know, jim, surged in iowa but got a pretty frosty reception in new hampshire. tell us about that. >> reporter: well, you know, i will say that his crowds have been pretty big. i would say, you know, statewide

he's gotten a pretty good reception here in new hampshire, but there was an incident that happened at this very sight when we were standing here yesterday listening to former senator santorum talk to some college students here and the issue of same-sex marriage came up. as you know, santorum has made some controversial comments about homosexuality in the past. it gave an interview where it sounded like he was comparing it to beastiality. he made the comparison to polygamy yesterday. i want to play for you that sound. he was booed as he was leaving the podium. >> let me thank you all very, very much for being here, for your time and attention. thanks. >> reporter: something that's interesting that's happening with the santorum campaign, we're all sort of wondering what's going on here. out in iowa, kyra, there is a

local station, kcci, that is reporting that one of those precincts may have miscounted one of the ballots in a precinct that may affect the overall vote count or total in the iowa caucus and may tip the end result to rick santorum. santorum did an interview on fox news late last night saying he doesn't think it's going to tip-in his direction but, you know, as has been the case throughout this campaign, kyra, it's sort of buckle your seat belts. you don't know what's going to happen next. perhaps rick santorum won that caucus after all. it's not clear that he did, but those questions are starting to be raised. of course, that might have an impact on what's happening in new hampshire as well. >> jim acosta. thanks so much. later this hour, jon huntsman's wife, mary kaye, is going to join me. she's been helping him out on the stage in new hampshire. we're going to ask her why many voters don't seem to see what she and "the boston globe" see in her husband.

new hampshire's large group of independent voters often decides elections in the state, but many of them are just not fired up about tuesday's primary. they say the candidates haven't even connected with them. dan lothian is in manchester, new hampshire, with more. hey, dan. >> reporter: you're hearing that frustration when you talk to people on the streets. you hear it on talk radio as well. not only independent voters, but all voters here, they pride themselves in being able to get up close and personal with the candidates. they like to feel them. they like to experience them. it really is retail politics, classic retail politics. some of these voters this time around feel like they're being ignored. >> reporter: for the republican presidential hopefuls, new hampshire is the second stop on the road to the white house, but unlike the first stop in iowa, independent voters who make up about 40% of the electorate are in the driver's seat. most come to the table with strong partisan views according to the university of new hampshire's andrew smith.

>> some of them are democrats. some of them are true independen independents. most are really republicans. >> reporter: elizabeth ossoff says don't call them renegades. >> i wouldn't call them renegades as much as i would call them fiercely independent in the sense that they're going to make up their own minds. >> reporter: what happened in iowa or what the pundants predict doesn't necessarily sell in new hampshire. voters here relish the vetting process. large town hall meetings are a kind of appetizer to the real meal, that up close encounter on main street. new hampshire radio host paul wescott says some of his listeners feel like some contenders have tuned them out. >> the candidates, they came. some of them have spent a lot of time here. >> reporter: like jon huntsman, mitt romney, and early on rick santorum. but -- >> it just didn't happen as much. the candidates stayed away. >> reporter: their daily planners were packed with a lot of debates, visits to iowa and national media interviews.

in an election cycle where republicans are having a difficult time rallying behind one candidate, some independent voters here are still scratching their heads. >> the republican field, i'm not too impressed. >> reporter: mitt romney, the former governor from neighboring massachusetts, has consistently maintained a 2: 1 lead over his closest opponents, the clear front-runner in the granite state. smith says it's in the a warm embrace. >> romney. may not like it too much, but probably the guy with the best chance. so i think that's the kind of dynamic that's going on as well. >> reporter: former senator rick santorum is getting a second look after his near victory in iowa. newt gingrich is attacking the front-runner who cost him his fortunes in iowa. >> i think it's dangerous to make predictions in new hampshire. i really do. and i think you have to wait until the last possible minute. >> reporter: in the most recent poll, the sufficient fok university poll, mitt romney holds a big lead over his

closest competitor, ron paul. rick santorum is seeing a bump. the big number, 15% still undecided. that's why you're seeing these candidates working very hard holding those town hall meetings, running those ads on television trying to make that final pitch in these final days, kyra. >> dan, thanks. some good news in our economy. new sign the recovery is actually gaining some traction. this morning we've learned that 200,000 jobs were created in december. that number better than expected. christine romans here to break it down for us. how big is this? >> 200,000 jobs in one month, this is good. this shows the economy is moving forward, but we lost a lot of jobs, kyra. it still really hurts. we want to see what the trend is like overall and if it's sustainable. we need more months like this. i'm going to show you the trend here. over the past year we've finally have some jobs gains. you can see that for the year we added 1.6 million jobs. this is december, the final number for december. things sort of picked up speed

in the end of the year. this is the middle of the year. remember we kept talking about double dip recession? this was a very troubling time in the economy. we were worried that things weren't going to get going again, and there you have that. i want to take a bigger, broader look though. this is the perspective. this is what the jobs market has looked like since all the way back in 2008. this is the beginning of all of our financial problems, crisis, then a recession. if you look, kyra, at this right here, this was a horrible moment, a horrible series of moments for the united states economy and for the american worker. then you had some stimulus. you had some census hiring and then slow and steady improvement with some steps back since then. so this is the overall trend. taking just one month, kyra, one month of a trend is sort of difficult. i'll tell you why. because even the white house says you can't just look at one month and say this is the way the economy is going to be. we have a lot of concerns. we have a lot of people still out of work. in fact, when i say things are

slowly improving and hiring is up, i get all this e-mail for people saying not for me. i don't feel this. >> where are the jobs? >> the jobs we saw in the end of last year, we saw jobs in warehousing, package delivery, retail, in hotels, in restaurants. this is probably a lot of seasonal-type hiring. doing a lot more online shopping. anything that has to do from putting a package from a warehouse on to a truck, we saw jobs there. for the year we saw 280,000 government jobs lost. that's a trend that will continue. the government is going to be losing jobs and losing a lot of jobs over the next few years as we tighten these budgets. that's something that's going to be a drag on the economy. health care, mining, manufacturing, we did see jobs gains at the end of the year in those areas. >> thank you, christine. new violence in syria today. a suicide bomber attacked a damascus neighborhood. an opposition figure blames the blast on the government. tired eye relief

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[ male announcer ] when diarrhea hits, kaopectate stops it fast. powerful liquid relief speeds to the source. fast. [ male announcer ] stop the uh-oh fast with kaopectate. let's take a look at stories cross-country now. three air force academy cadets charged with sexual assault. the academy says the three separate cases actually happened over a 15-month period on the academy's campus. two of the alleged victims were fellow cadets. an oklahoma man accused of breaking in the home of a woman is out on bail. he's charged in the shooting death of his accomplice who was shot and killed by the homeowner. prosecutors say stewart is the one responsible since the death happened during a crime. a frightening end to a police chase. watch as the four burglary suspects in a car actually clyde

with the truck and a van, then the suspects flee. three of them were later captured, one still on the loose. a suicide bombing in a densely populated area of damascus, syria, kills at least 25 people. that's coming from state media which is blaming terrorists for the attack. arwa day monday following the story. what are you hearing now? >> reporter: well, according to state television, it was a suicide bomber at a traffic light that exploded at around 11:00 in the morning. now this is a neighborhood that is not just densely populated but it is in the very heart of the capital. let's remember from the onset of this uprising the syrian government has been blaming armed terrorist gangs for the violence saying that it's quite simply cracking down on them. we saw massive pro-government demonstrations across the entire capital. people chanting their support for the assad regime. the activists are saying this violence was actually carried out by the government itself

because, they say, the government wants to force them off the streets, tarnish their reputation, and make a point to the arab league that it is, in fact, targeting armed gangs which activists are saying is not true. when it comes to this particular neighborhood, it's one of the phi neighborhoods in the heart of the capital that's seen regular demonstrations since this uprising began. one activist we spoke to who was 22 years old said even after the explosion, after hundreds of security forces were in that particular area they still took to the streets. but he said that once again they were fired on and that he personally witnessed a 10-year-old child so severely wounded, he says the child was unconscious when security forces took him away, kyra. >> all right. arwa damon. we'll stay on the story. blue's singer etta james is out of the hospital. we've got the latest on her condition. plus tiger woods' ex-wife. not so happy with her $12 million home. we'll show you how unhappy coming up.

legendary singer etta james has been released from the hospital. a.j. hammer is joining us live with all the details. a.j.? >> kyra, i wish it was better news. even though etta james has been released from the hospital, she is terminally ill. she is currently in stable condition. she's at home with her husband and family by her side, but an attorney for her sons telling cnn that she is, as they put it, nearing the end of her time. the legendary singer has spent the last two weeks in the hospital. she's home now and she's resting comfortably. kyra, i am a huge etta fan. truly a legend. reveered as one of the greatest

singers of all time. she's won multiple grammy awards. she's a member of the rock and roll hall of fame. her version of "at last" that's the one that made the song a classic. >> such a remarkable background. broke so many barriers. a.j., i am with you on that. much different story, shall we say. tiger woods' ex-wife wanting to get rid of the old, bring in the new. >> yeah. she had a house that she was going to do some work on. instead, called in the bulldozers. this was supposed to be a complete remodel. instead, it turned into what i am coming to call extreme home makeover millionaire divorcee edition. the house that's no longer wasn't too shappy, 17,000 square feet. eight bedrooms. elevator. elin bought it a year ago. according to the "palm beach post" she was going to renovate it. it was built in 1932. after construction got underway there was a change of heart. now she'll be building her dream

home on the property with some of her reported $100 million divorce settlements. kyra, kind of makes you wonder if maybe she was picturing anyone in particular's face as the wrecking ball was swinging into the house? >> i think you named a new reality tv show in addition to the regular extreme makeover, the i get divorced decide to bulldoze my home makeover. >> hey, look. we may be on to something. they did cancel that show. it's not on regularly anymore. maybe this could be the next phase of that. >> there you go. a.j., thanks. have a great weekend. if you want all information breaking in the entertainment world. "showbiz tonight" 11:00 eastern on hln. still ahead, jon huntsman's wife, mary kaye, is joining us live. he married way above himself so we're looking forward to talking with her. we're going to ask about the man that she knows better than anyone else and what she knows that voters don't. for sore muscles use new bengay cold therapy,

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checking top stories now. the so-called underwear bomber goes back to court in detroit. he's representing himself and that could actually delay things. he's accused of trying to blow up a detroit-bound plane with 290 people on board christmas day in 2009. we now know that jakadrien turner's mother plans to sue several agencies for deporting her to colombia. diplomats in colombia have

started the process of sending her home. boxer employ mayweather heads to prison. he'll serve a 90-day sentence for battery. he pleaded guilty for a domestic violence case in 2010. good news on the state of the economy. 200,000 jobs were added in december. the unemployment rate fell to 8.5%. alison kosik is at the new york stock exchange with the take away from this report. hi, alison. >> you know what the big take away from this report is is that 2011 was a year of big improvement, especially when you look at how the second half of the year did. as you look at 9 whole year though, 1.6 million jobs were added. want a little more perspective on this? look at the big picture view. in 2008, 2009 more than 8 million jobs were lost. poof. they went away. then you go ahead and look at 2010, you saw that come back starting. it really picked up last year.

other positives for you, there are fewer people working part time now for economic reasons, possibly because they're finding full-time jobs. the job gains we're seeing are widespread. the government in this report measures almost 20 major sectors and when you look at it closely, only one of those sectors cut jobs, government. glass half full, my friend. >> all right. if the economy is improving, then why aren't we seeing a big rally today on wall street? >> you know what, call it human nature. since things are improving, kyra, expectations are rising. the economy has kind of taken off its training wheels at this point. we haven't seen it move into the fast lane where everybody wants it to be. wall street wants to see the u.s. economy and especially this job creation really pick up more speed. you have to be realistic. normal could be three to four years away. also, many people who are coming back into the work force are taking lower paying jobs. that doesn't do much for consumer confidence.

not helping consumer confidence either, europe. europe's debt issues, those are still simmering in the background and we're likely going to see that sort of way over the mark. it's going to limit any rally that you're likely to see. >> alison, thanks so much. let's talk presidential politics, shall we? rick santorum delivered a winning message in iowa rallying the support of conservatives and evangelicals and coming within eight votes of withining the caucuses. now as he comes to south carolina he has more skepticism. david mattingly explains. >> game on. >> reporter: rick santorum may have surged on a wave of evangelical support in iowa, but now he has to show south carolina conservatives he's not just a one-state sensation. they're looking for someone who can beat president obama. >> that's what they're saying, that's right. >> reporter: they're looking for a winner. >> that's exactly right. >> reporter: across the crowded republican field, conservative

positions on social issues like gay marriage and abortion are a given. southern politics and religion expert james guth says santorum can't win south carolina on faith alone. >> reporter: when it comes to values, he's in. >> i think he's in good stead with south carolina republicans. >> reporter: then he's got to show them he's got what it takes on the economy? >>'s got to be more than a one issue or two-issue candidate. >> reporter: defense? >> defense is very important here. >> reporter: south carolina evangelicals are more politically diverse than they were in 2008 when they gave one-time baptist minister mike huckabee a strong second place finish. their priorities changing with the times. >> reporter: what's the number one issue to you? >> reporter: at the weekly fellowship dinner at the millbrook baptist church in aiken, i find people ready to vote first with their wall lets. >> jobs. >> reporter: the economy, jobs? >> jobs. more people need jobs. more people have training for

jobs that they can't find. >> reporter: but faith is still an issue. and in these matters, evangelicals tell me they are looking for consistency. >> we divide the lines about who's the most pure sometimes and so -- >> reporter: what do you mean? purely conservative? >> purely on the social issues dependable. so last time huckabee was very dependable. he's a baptist pastor. >> reporter: who would be that dependable this go round? >> it would be santorum this time i believe. >> reporter: it's a start. santorum still has to prove to south carolina's evangelicals and social conservatives he has a plan to govern and the ability to win it all. >> david mattingly joining us live from greenville, south carolina. david, how much will santorum have to tailor his message? >> reporter: well, as we've heard from evangelicals and conservatives here, they are ready trust his record as far as how he stands on family values

and things like that. he's got to show them that he can lead and that he can win. everyone here very anxious to find a front-runner that they believe can beat president obama in november. >> david mattingly. thanks so much. jon huntsman is the one republican flavor who hasn't had a month. he's the underdog and he knows it. >> i'm the underdog in this race. i don't make any bones about that. but you know what, new hampshire loves the underdog. the underdogs come into this state willing to work it hard with a message that connects with real people. >> but he still isn't connecting with voters. he's near the bottom in new hampshire. but his daughters sure have connected. from the john 2012 music videos to their 20,000 plus twitter followers, you're going to meet his most prized secret weapon, mrs. huntsman, mrs. underdog.

mary kaye huntsman joining me live from manchester, new hampshire. good to see you, mary kaye. >> mrs. underdog. that's right. >> all right. >> how are you? >> it's good to see you. listen, you've known your husband -- you've been married to him for 28 years. he's got quite an impressive resume. he's intelligent, talented, has a great sense of humor. he was just endorsed by "the boston globe" this morning. why is he an after thought in the minds of voters nationwide? >> i don't think he's an after thought. i think that what's happening is people are coming around as we're seeing here in new hampshire. every event that we're going to is growing with enthusiasm, with energy. i think when he got into this race he was immediately dismissed because he had crossed party lines and taken the job to work as united states ambassador to china. as a wife i'm proud of that because he stood up to sever his country. we have two boys serving in the united states navy. the commitment to service has

been something very important in our family. i'm proud of him standing up and serving. i think what has happened is the republican party is beginning to take full circle around and come being back and looking for the first time at him and realizing that they forgot to notice that he is the most conservative -- the most consistent conservative, actually, in the race. he is a consistent man in all things that he does. genuine. a realist. common sense. sane. honest. these are the things that people come up and say to us after, genuine. >> mary kaye, but he's still the one who hasn't broken through and hit the top with voters. why isn't he connecting? what do you think it is? >> i think that we've just gotten through the silly season of the early stages of the primary where people are lighting their hair on fire and making sound bytes. that's not who john is. as people begin to sit and listen to him, i can't tell you the feeling they have from him

when they walk out from an event, holding his signs, takings his bumper stickers. they said we had no idea what he is all about. he is the real deal. i think as people get to know him more and more i find that they find that he is genuine. he's dependable. he's a leader and he can win. >> what do you say to those republicans that say that your husband is running for the wrong party? >> i say that the reason that they feel that way honestly is because he has the ability to unite people. 's not an extremist. he's never going to be on the extreme fringe of any party. 's going to be a real list and he'll bring people together. i think this country has an entire huge carved out middle that has no home right now. jon represents that. the people that come up to him that are just common sense, good-hearted americans, recognize that and see that for what it is. >> mary kaye, his conservative credentials aren't of tremendous importance in new hampshire. what is he going to do in south carolina where evangelicals make up a huge part of the

electorate? how is he going to convince them that he is that real deal, that he is a real conservative? >> i think the more people get to know him they see that he's genuine. to me that is important. have you to look at the things that you look for m a candidate, and i think that you're going to look for someone that has had government experience, preferably running a state. someone who's had business experience and can get this economy back on track. someone who has extensive foreign policy, which i think everybody knows. there's no one quite like jon when it comes to foreign policy. someone who has the ability to unite this country together that has never been so divided. if you put those four things together, i think jon comes out on top. i hope the american people are able to look at those things in him, recognize that, and i know that when they do that, they're going to know they have a winner. >> mary kaye, if you don't mind staying with me. want to take a quick break. have a couple more questions for you. >> no problem. tylenol: sure. do? tylenol (another bottle): hmmm...no... nyquil (stuffy): dude!

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and we're back with jon huntsman's wife, mary kaye. mary kaye, a big part of winning the nomination is electability, and not only is your husband pretty much off the map right now, but many republicans have said that there's not enough of a contrast between him and obama. how could he ever beat barak obama? >> i think if you look at jon's

record, you look at his background, you look at how he governed as a governor in utah and you see his consistent record as a conservative, they're very much is a contrast. i think what he's running on is unique to all the candidates and to president obama as well, and that is he's running on this trust deficit that we have in our country. he says that obviously we need to have term limits. nobody's talking about that. he's talking about closing the revolving door and letting congress go and be lobbyists saying, no more. and saying that we have banks that are too big to fail. he's the only one that is bold enough to talk about that. today "the boston globe" endorsed him. that's one of the things they talked about. he's bold and courageous in the fact that he is not afraid to stand up and say what he feels is right. that's what i think people are going to love about him. and that is that he always will stand up for what he feels is right. whether it is popular. i will tell you he is not a

politician. he's a states man. he's a gentleman. he's thoughtful and he thinks through each of the issues. and i think people that have been around him understand that he has incredible judgment and wisdom. i think these are things that are very important. i think there's a contrast when you look at what he brings to the table versus some of the others. >> you mentioned this morning's endorsement. he dissed iowa saying iowa picks corn, new hampshire picks president. of high profile endorsements, he has said who cares. do you think he's being too cavalier here with party tradition? >> i think what he's talking about is the fact that here in new hampshire people want to shake your hand. they want to know your heart and your soul. we have been through this state through and through, and we have met the people of this great state. he has done the groundwork. as we saw in iowa, rick santorum did a lot of that there and it paid off for him. as we're doing here in new hampshire, we're not looking at polls. we're not reading the news.

all we're saying is we feel it on the ground and we feel an energy and an excitement. i think there will be a surprise on tuesday as people see that he does better than expectations. >> we saw a surprise in iowa, that's for sure we'll be following this. i have to ask you two quick questions now. we've got the serious questions out of the way. your husband's very direct, straight to the point and genuine. is this stressful? is it hard doing these interviews, getting out there and being the wife to a candidate and having to do these interviews? >> you know what, when you believe in someone as i do in him, i know he's the real deal and i know that he has been the most undiscovered leader out there. i think he's been the most undervalued stock and underestimated. so it is exciting to get out there and watch him. that to me is thrilling as i watch him as a group. as i did last night at a town hall. people walk in and don't know him very well. they walk out with a standing ovation saying where has he

been? this is the guy we're looking for. they take his signs and his bumper stickers out. that says something about what he's able to do and that is to bring people -- it's something you feel. i think when you go to the voting booth you generally put down the way a candidate makes you feel. he's inspirational. people feel good around him. he brings the sense of confidence and he's someone that you know without a doubt that you'd be in great hands. no one ever says that he's not experienced and he's not ready to lead this country. >> mary kaye. >> they may say he crossed a party line, this or that, but they don't say those things. >> we'll see what happens. we enjoyed your daughter's reaching out to the romney boys. we liked the interesting flirtation that was happening via twitter. could we possibly see some dating possibilities between the romney sons and the huntsman girls? >> well, i think romney sons are all married and taken. we've got one married and

happily so, two others out on the prowl. other than that, they're having a great time. i think the kids of these campaigns are enjoying it. you're finding spouses more involved. you're findings kids more involved, families more involved. i think it's great. >> mary kaye hants man, thanks for your time. appreciate it. >> thank you so much, kyra. >> you bet. straight ahead, the man once suspected in natalee holloway's disappearance but never charged goes on trial in peru. his victim has a legendary name in south america. hey guys, breakfast!

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has spent the past 18 months at the prison in peru's capital city of lima. some inmates see the 24-year-old dutchman as a celebrity. >> he's one of us. in these four walls, he has everything to do with us. we don't have nothing against him. >> reporter: after his arrest in chile in june of 2010, he was sent back to peru and taken to the lima prison to await trial in the robbery and beating death of 21-year-old stephany flores. this surveillance video shows them playing poker at a local casino. another video shows the couple an dering vander sloot's hotel room. she had suffered multiple injuries, a broken neck, and was covered in blood. the killing happened on may 30th, 2010, exactly five years after alabama teenager natalee holloway disappeared in aruba after spending time with vander sloot. though arrested as a suspect in

holloway's death, he was never charged due to a lack of evidence. in peru he initially confessed to killing flores. >> so it is true and i'm going to ask you this. you can say yes or no. did you kill stephanie tattaiana. >> yes. >> translator: you killed her, right? >> yes. >> reporter: but vander sloot later recanted. his attorneys say he was not given a translator during his intear row gags. peruvian authorities say they have done everything according to law. >> translator: the statement given by the dutch citizen where he declares himself convicted and confesses his crime was done according to the formalities of the law. unlike other inmates at the prison, vander sloot has a cell to himself. he has the support of his family and friends. >> what the media portrays him as is far from the toout. he's a good person and a good friend. he's not the serial killer sociopath psycho path you guys,

the media makes him out to be. >> reporter: the flores family says it wants him to be punished to the maximum extent of the law. >> we need justice. he's psycho. a murderer. he has to pay. >> rafael joining me live. stephany flores, the daughter of this racing legend. this must have peruvians extremely furious with him? >> that is right. the floress are a very prominent family. the father of stephany flores at one time was a race car driver and now he's a businessman. so when this happened, as you can imagine, the story generated all kinds of headlines. and at this point peru is really paying close attention to this trial that started about 1/2 hour ago. very prominent family. people are very much awaiting a verdict in this trial. >> we'll follow t. bring us the latest, okay? thanks. coming up, you're going to

meet one amazing little girl. she raises funds for another little girl with a brain tumor, then learns she has one. we'll show you how she's inspiring everyone around her. i'd race down that hill without a helmet. i took some steep risks in my teens. i'd never ride without one now. and since my doctor prescribed lipitor, i won't go without it for my high cholesterol and my risk of heart attack. why kid myself? diet and exercise weren't lowering my cholesterol enough. now i'm eating healthier, exercising more, taking lipitor. numbers don't lie. my cholesterol's stayed down. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. it's backed by over 19 years of research. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems.

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well, tore ri simpson is one amazing little girl. she was just seven when she heard about a little girl in her town with a brain tumor, and she wanted to help. so tore ri competed in a relay

for life beauty pageant to fund raise for 3-year-old matty douglas. take a look at this twist. the day torrey brings matty all the money she raised, she finds out she has a brain tumor. you know what, she fights on. this time inspiring her nurses and now all of us. take a look at torrey in keem mow lip sinking her favorite christian singer. ♪ the angel by my side, i will get you through the night ♪ ♪ i'll be the strength you can't provide on your own ♪. >> she joins me now live to talk about why she did this. you are one amazing young lady, you know that? >> thank you. >> why did you pick this song and why did you decide to do it right there in chemo when it's so exhausting? >> well, i was feeling good that

day, and i just wanted to sing a song. and my mom said, can i videotape it? and it just went on from there. >> and everybody's been clicking on it and watching this. let me ask you, have you ever met francesca. >> no, ma'am. >> no? would you ever want to meet her. >> zblem what would you say to her if you had a chance to meet her? >> thank you for making this song and it inspires me and so much other children that are going through this. and thank you. >> do you want to tell her yourself? >> hi, tori. how are you? can i have a hug? so nice to meet you. are you surprised? yeah? >> why don't you stay close with her, francesca. she's starting to shake. what did you think when you saw little tori lip sinking your song in keem mow. >> i was blown away.

girl, you are born for the stage. it was just amazing obviously. my heart just was swelling the whole time. it was really, really cool. >> what do you want to tell francesca about that song, how it makes you feel, why you chose that song? >> thank you for make thg song. it inspires me so much and the other children going through this. >> as a christian, an award-winning christian singer, a mom, is this what you pray your music does every day? >> absolutely. this is what it's all about, right here. so i am the blessed one by you. absolutely. >> i'll tell you what, do you remember the words to the song? >> some of them. >> why don't you sing a little bit. i bet she'll join you. ♪ i'll be an angel by your side ♪ ♪ i will get you through the night ♪ ♪ i'll be the strength you can't provide on your own ♪

>> let them keep singing. take a break. for more inspiring stories like this, go to our belief blog. cnn.com/belief. ♪ be the angel by your side >> that was awesome. good job. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning.

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let's flash forward to some events happening later today. 11:40 this morning president obama visiting and speaking at the consumer financial protection bureau. he side stepped congress to name richard cordray to run that agency. at 3:00 a soldier will tell a court hearing why explosives were found in his carry on luggage at the mid land texas airport last week. trey atwater says he didn't realize they were there. then at 6:30 dorothy burkhart has a court hearing on

being extradited back to germany. her son is accused of setting 52 fires in los angeles out of anger over his mother's situation. that does it for us. we'll see you back here monday. hope you all have a great weekend. suzanne malveaux has some more suzanne malveaux has some more news. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com suzanne malveaux. gget yop get you up to spe friday, january 6th. better thp better thbettern friday, january 6th. better thp better thbette . thatp that's the bottom li december jobs report that was residentiresidential released today. the labor department says they added 200,000 jobs. december was the sixth month in a row where we saw 100,000 jobs or more added. the unemployment rate tipped down slightly to 8.5%. we'll have more numbers and the job market coming up. president obama visiting the new man in charge of protecting your money. he stops by the consumer financial protection bureau. that iha