some grizzly details about the tragic death of a 9-year-old girl from indiana. what her baby-sitter and trusted neighbor is reportedly confessing to police. it will send chills down any parent's spine. >> good tuesday to you. "news nation" following the political war of words in the lead up to the iowa caucuses. we are now just seven days from that race and there is no shortage of verbal jabs between camps and front-runners mitt romney and newt gingrich. much of that is centering around the debate over which is more conservative. the romney campaign's press secretary talked with o about an e-mail attacking the former governor. can we trust a massachusetts moderate to an act of conservative agenda. here's how they responded.

>> speaker gingrich is a desperate candidate trying to revive his failing campaign. he is unreliable and it's no surprise he is flailing and trying to attack governor romney to save his sinking campaign. >> after that i talked to rick tyler, the former spokesman for gingrich. he fired back with his own criticisms of romney. >> anybody go to you tube or google and look up romney, he denounces president reagan and bush. you can see him denounce that. he is not an independent, but you can see him embrace row v wade and same-sex marriage and abortion and rights for women. >> who has the momentum on the ground in the hawk eye state? a live look speaking to the rotary club. ann, back in 2008, mitt romney

spent about $10 million and lost to mike huckabee. how is 2012 different for romney in iowa? >> it's different in so many ways. he spent a lot less time and money in the state. he has plausible deniability that he ever cared about iowa in case he doesn't win first. that's one way that things are different. the mood of the state is very different. people make a mistake by thinking iowa is the same iowa that gave mike huckabee the win. >> how is iowa changed? >> the nation has changed. the economy, jobs, taxes, these are the leading issues that are on iowa republican caucus goers's minds. people think it's about social conservatism and they are likely a big part of it. they are not the most important part. you hear a lot of talk about wanting a pure candidate and

it's going to hinge more on how they lead with the economy the way it is. >> i talked to mr. tyler and i asked him how reasonable it was to expect that a newt gingrich who could not get on the ballot in virginia to do well this a state where organization seems to be paramount. how can we expect that? >> well, i think it is a telling sign of a campaign that isn't terribly well organize. it was curious he made the analogy to d-day as though it were a surprise. what it takes it get on the ballot in virginia. i wasn't sure it would play out that well. do you have supporters locked in and committed and do you know who they are so you can be combatting the negative messages coming against you with the people who want to support you the most. >> ron paul accepteds to do very well in caucuses and straw polls

where organization reigns supreme. how do we expect him to do? >> ron paul is generating enthusiasm and drawing the biggest crowds. the others are getting crowds in the dozens and he is getting crowds in the hundreds. they are enthusiastic. a lot of them are first time caucus goers and a younger group of people that can cut both ways. they are a surprise element and also a little less reliable in terms of knowing what to do. a big piece is having people in the room that night to speak passionately on your behalf and explain why you are the best choice going forward. things do change in the caucus room on caucus night. >> thank you so much and appreciate your time this afternoon. >> great to be here. >> let's bring in our panel, former governor of ohio and former white house aide to george hw bush. good afternoon to all of you.

>> let me start with you. what do you make of the back and forth between romney and gingrich? he promised he was going to run a positive campaign. that doesn't seem to be the case now. what do you think changed? >> newt gingrich is telling the truth. you never know where he is going to come down on an issue. he changes from moment to moment and month to month and year to year. >> that's not new. that is the chief criticism of romney this cycle and last cycle as it well and it's not working this time around. >> i think it is working and that's why the republican pace as not full ly embraced him. he is yet to get beyond 30% or most other places. it is an old criticism and a valid criticism. it says something about his

character and his commitment. i think the republican base is on to this guy and certainly the american people will be on to him. >> for all the criticism this they are throwing at mitt rom no, they seem to agree to health to a certain extent. we agree entirely with governor romney and massachusetts legislator that is our goal should be 100% insurance coverage for all americans. what do you make of that? >> i make of it that newt gingrich is a very, very savvy politician. he is somebody who i happen to like quite a bit and he is nimble politically and you reason why you see him raise the polls to be. you saying gingrich is a flip flopper? >> of course you have to talk to people where they are now.

that may not work in 2012. that means understanding what the voters need. like mitt romney is connecting because people care about the economy and think mitt romney has the capacity to put americans back to workful along with spending money and having a big organization and that is gaping traction because people want to know how i get become to work. newt is speaking to the same thing and that's why he is doing so well in the polls. >> here cannot imagine a scenario where mitt romney does note get the nomination. are they overconfident or is that justified. >> they need to use the imagination more. this is a fluid race. their two tickets out of iowa and three people vying for them. candidates will say they can carry on competing, but i was there with howard dean and they couldn't.

three pieces and they have to come in one or two. with a third, the inevitable front-runner who looks mortal and wounded. that's a bit of bravado at this point with so many undecideds. ann said it's the gold standard. i believe it's still fluid. >> who do you think comes out if you were a betting man? >> i think ron paul is going to be right up there, or two. we are going to discount that to say he has no organization elsewhere. it's between romney and gingrich. can they pull out something that is respectable enough to continue the fight? >> governor gingrich promised about 44 stops in the lead up to the caucuses. the des moines registry said he will make half of that. about 22 stops. what does that tell you about the state of his campaign?

>> i think it says that no republican has won the hearts and minds of the republican base. they are all flailing. none of them look strong compared to president obama. regardless of who comes out, it will make little difference. right now if you look at whoever they may nominate and compare that person's positions and compare those with president obama's, the president has provided strong steady leadership and the republican candidates are changing positions and they have yet to solidify their own base. i think that's good news for the president going into 2012. >> governor joe watkins and richard wolf, thank you for your time. i want to update on the breaking news. democratic senator ben nelson of nebraska will announce plans to retire later today. nelson will be holding a press

conference in his home state this afternoon. the two-term democrat was a top republican target in 2012. a high ranking aide said bob kerry is now considering a run with nelson's seat open. right now, rain and snow making itself way across the eastern part of the country. this is the skene in indianapolis. the snow is already starring to fall. holiday travelers depending on where they are headed or coming from, they may butt heads with the stormy weather. we turn to carl parker. who needs to be worried most? >> there is a lot of rain in the northeast. a severe weather threat as well and no on the back side. it's all going to be gone by early tomorrow. let's take a look at the broad picture. most of the country is in good shape. we have a lot of clear skies in the plains and the southwest and

in the south as the storm moves away. there is a lot of rain and quite a bit of wet weather up and down 95 and across the 70 corridor and the snow on the back of the system. this is a tornado watch until 7:00 eastern north carolina. heavy rain through the outer banks through 95. both hands on the wheel there. heavy rain in d.c. and philly. it is lighter thus far and there is the snow on the back of the system, probably about to five inches in cleveland. more than that in upstate new york. here's how the storm will play out. it lifts out slowly, but it will be gone by tomorrow. a lot of rain into the major metros and a breezy day tomorrow. also rain and snow coming into the northwest. back to you. >> carl, thank you. >> you bet. >> straight ahead, president obama's poll numbers are trending up for the first time in months.

is it because american are more optimistic about the economy? we will talk about that. christmas day tragedy. new details on the fire that killed a grandfather, his wife and three granddaughters. >> neighbors who tried to alert authorities. a 9-year-old girl's horrible suffering allegedly at the hands of her own baby-sitter, a trusted neighbor to her family. what he told police about the girl's murder. >> join the conversation online. find our twitter page. "news nation" is one word by the way. ok! who gets occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas or bloating? get ahead of it! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defend against digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. hit me! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'.

the forecast for hawaii where president obama is vacationing calls for showers over the next seven days, but the approval ratings are

brightening for the first time since july. more people approve than disapprove. his rating is at 47% or 45% say they disapprove of mr. obama's performance. kristen welker is traveling with the president in hawaii. joining us live from honolulu. i don't any of the rain showers behind you that they are forecasting. >> reporter: no, it is absolutely gorgeous here right now. cannot complain. >> i was going to say let's talk about the positive numbers. to what can we attribute the uptick? >> reporter: i think a couple of things. they are an indication that the president may have rebounded from the summer's gruelling debate. most recently he had the victory in the payroll tax cut fight and also some positive signs from the economy that they are showing signs of life.

we have seen the unemployment rate dip below in months. people are encouraged and also it's potentially a sign that his message is really resonating with people. we heard him lay that out in kansas when he talked about defining issue right now is really boosting the middle class. this is something that we will probably hear him talk about again when he delivers the state of the union address in january. these polling numbers are certainly good for the president and he will enter what will undoubtedly be a tough reelection battle. these are good numbers for the president. having said that, it is a lifetime away until voters head to the polls. anything could happen between now and then. a good way to start the new year. >> kristin welker from honolulu, hawaii. thank you. >> mitt romney returns to iowa and spent the better part of

last week in new hampshire. mr. romney will launch a bus tour of the hawk eye state. a correspondent for time magazine and will be joining romney on that bus. thanks for being here. >> thanks for having me. >> they featured this cover of mitt romney and there it is. why don't they like me? that's the headline. what's changed for mitt romney in the last few weeks? >> when we were at the cover that was after newt gingrich taking the place, we are seeing a gingrich collapse where it counts the most. the headlines are there. ron paul is surging and maybe santorum is surging. i year ago when they were plotting this campaign, they knew they couldn't sweep and what they wanted was enough confusion. this wasn't one single other

than romney candidate. that seems to be what's happening. >> i'm interested in seeing and hearing the differences between candidates who have run before. you covered mitt romney. four years ago, mitt romney and mitt romney now. what is the differences between that candidate and that this candidate. >> the mitt romney four years ago was on the ground and this time it's barely campaigning. it's an odd campaign cycle. he is only in iowa less than two weeks at this point. in 2007, he was in iowa for months. just constant on the ground campaigning. romney hasn't felt he needed to. he has a campaign story line this time. i'm a business guy and i can take on president obama and he failed and know how to fix it. there is a narrative there. last time in 2007, mitt romney had a list of issues and he was

trying to please and doing a lot of introduction. the speech ran a lot more like a shopping list. he's never really been a dynamic candidate and not the person you see coming away saying he's my guy. >> a philosophy is let the voters see the candidate less. let's make this about barack obama. not about mitt romney. this is about barack obama and why mitt romney is the guy to take him down. >> here's a barometer of they website, intrigue.com putting odds for the nomination at 73% now. is romney's strategist right when he said there is no scenario where he is not the nominee? >> nothing is ever certain in politics. in order for romney not to be the nominee, another candidate has to emerge who can win the nomination. ron paul is emerging right now. it's not clear at all that he has any chance of winning since he turned off a huge chunk of

the party. newt gingrich seemed to have space there. if he does well, he can come back. he poled well perfect in florida. there is a route here to come through, but the momentum is not really on their side. we have to see what happens with iowa. whether someone surprising can finish in the top third and get momentum and carry through where it looks certain that romney is going to win and make something happen. >> thank you so much. here's the thing and will let you go. we talk about iowa, but the fact is south carolina is a far more accurate predictor for a republican candidate than the hawk eye state? >> it has. >> the so-called anonymous hackers back at it, stealing personal information and thousands of credit cards. wait until you hear what they are allegedly doing with the stolen funds. plus -- four women kill and the bodies found in two different cars. why police believe it's one killer.

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what sounds like a good thing, a wealth of donations made to charity. the contributions are the result of a major hacking attack. the group that calls itself anonymous claims it stole credit card numbers from a security firm and use the information to take money from bank accounts and give that money to charity. pete williams is live with the latest on this story. pete? >> most of that money given to the charitable organizations can't keep of course because it was stolen and not given voluntarily. the charities have been noticing the credit card companies and the people themselves have been discovering it. journalists too. all from a list of hundreds of clients of a company that provided security advice and risk analysis for both big companies and individuals who

subscribed to the services. in the last several days, the group hacked into the site and released these names along with credit card numbers and personal data used to make the contributions to charitable organizations. the group said it has more havoc in store for the week ahead and it may release more names and go after people who are defending this website and attacking the group. it's part of an attempt to gain more publicity and the goals. the chief goal is the release of army private bradley manning who is on trial in the military court system for leaking documents to wiki leaks. you may recall this group anonymous went after the credit card companies that stopped accepting contributions for wiki leaks after the government criticized the release of the do you means. >> pete williams from washington, d.c. thank you. another democratic senator

bites the dust. ben nelson will not run for reelection. how it could upset the balance of power in washington. it makes the kardashian wing seem like an eternity. sineed o'connor calling it quits after 18 days. we have the scoop. [ male announcer ] with the new year comes resolutions. when we resolve to stop snacking and slacking. resolve to start reading and running. ♪ this year, resolve to help someone else, too. resolve to give to the american red cross. because the red cross provides hope, help and compassion, not only during disasters, but every day. donate to the red cross

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here's what "news nation" is following right now. mitt romney not the only republican candidate defending the stance on health care. newt gingrich may have to explain the news leader defending romney care. police believe they know what caused a christmas day fire that killed three children and their grandparents in connecticut. why that children's grandfather is being hailed as a hero today. even layaway angels can't save k mart and sears stores.

hundreds more across the country will be out of work. how the rich are getting richer if they are a member of congress. all that and more straight ahead. we go back to the breaking news. senator ben nelson of nebraska, the two-term democrat will not seek reelection. he was a top republican target after the health care fight. joined by nbc news director mark murray. first of all, let's start with what it means for democrats in the senate. >> just on paper, it will be harder for democrats to hold on to. it will be a tough and tough poll numbers that they were contending with. it becomes an easier pick up opportunity for them and of course a democrat can get a slam dunk recruit and person whose name is mention side former

nebraska senator bob kerry. he would fit the bill and it could be a competitive race. you have battle royals that would occur in missouri. you end up having clair mchask il in a fight for her life. this all depends on control of the senate. republicans need to pick it up and if president obama does not win in 2012, they need to win if he does. this is all about looking down the list and seeing who will end up controlling the senate in 2012. if republicans have an easy slam dunk opportunity in nebraska. it makes it easier for them to focus on. >> is senator nelson not running

because he thought he was going to lose? >> i think there is part of that. he knew he was going to be in a very, very difficult race. i am told that the decision that he made just came and of course he had a long time to think about this. the poll numbers haven't been good since the 2009 health care debate. something that he was probably mulling, but if something is going to be difficult and if you have a 10 or 20% chance of winning and giving your all, maybe sometimes you realize you are going to retire. >> a serial killer may be on the loose in detroit. police uncovered a possible connection in the murders of women found dead since last week in the trunks of cars. the investigative crime reporter said three of the women promoted

themselves as escorts through a website. what else do we know? >> we know that and we also know that thes bodies were found. only days apart. two of the bodies, the two found on crist miss day, one is identify and the other has not yet. they were burned badly in the back of a trunk and the other two were found a few days before inside of another vehicle. that was towed away from the scene. what we know from what the police said is they are all linked. at least three of the four promoted escort services in the detroit area. >> do they have strong leads? >> they are working leads. you have to think about this. when you put the information on the internet on the websites, you leave your phone numbers, for instance a little while ago, i went through the back page.com into the adult services. there were a number of phone

numbers listed. i called a lot of them and women answered. one said she just heard about the murders and she would be taking her profile down. he wants those folks to exercise caution. what you have to remember is that we know they are all linked to one site, maybe two at this point. everybody is leaving behind a digital footprint. at this point investigator are working strong leads and we had know more in the coming days especially as the medical examiner releases the reports and the toxicology in the weeks to come. >> michelle, keep us posted please. >> you got it. have a good day. >> a man confessed to broulthsly ki killing a 9-year-old girl he was supposed to be baby-sitting. he told police he bludgeoned her to death with a brick and then dismembered her body.

her head, hands and feet were all found in the ft. wayne home. he was caring for the girl on friday when she disappeared. fire officials released the calls made as residents of stanford, connecticut watch their neighbor's house burn down christmas morning. three children and their grandparents were all killed in the fire. take a listen. >> 911, what's the address of your emergency? >> i'm calling about a major major fire with people in the house. >> we have a fire crew on the way. >> please. >> they believe that embers may have sparked the fire. the grand father who was killed was found near one of the girl's windows. they believe he was trying to save his granddaughters's life when they both succumbed. >> facebook is helping to free a utah woman and child who were

held against their will on five days. erica carver managed to sneak a computer into a closet and posted a message begging for help. replies went unanswered, but a friend offered up her address. police say they arrived to find an uncooperative troy krichfield. he was arrested in a similar kidnapping last year. an armed man trying to rob a cash for gold store. check this out. friday night instead of the clerk giving up the cold hard cash, surveillance video showing that same clerk knocking the would be robber unconscious with a cold clock to the face. when he comes to, the clerk makes a suspect clean up his own blood. the man has been identified as 25-year-old hindy charged with

attempted murder. >> passing in a single season longs to a new quarterback. new orleans signal caller drew brees. there he is. he threw for 307 years and dismantling the falcons. the performance gives him 5087 yards for the season, surpassing the mark set by dan marino 27 years ago. drew brees. not all stores got the business. it will be a blue christmas for some employees. there is a lot going on today. there a few things we thought you should know. nearly half of all lawmakers on capitol hill are millionaires. the average net worth on the hill is $913,000. the average net worth for the

rest of the country, about $100,000. rick santorum is hunting for votes in iowa. he went pheasant hunting again with one of the most conservative lawmakers. steve king. >> i thought we would do something that is fun and i enjoy doing and folks here enjoy doing also. doing it with good friends. it was an opportunity for me to get out and participate in a sport that i know is a popular one here in the state of iowa. >> that was santorum and king's second hunting trip. no endorsement. politicians are known for flip flopping, but so are celebrities who endorse them. cindy crawford threw support behind barack obama last time and not this time. mitt romney has crawford's vote. gary sy is quick to endorse

newt gingrich. how now wants to wait until there two candidates. just a few things we thought you should know. did you hear sam... ...got promoted to director? so 12 seconds ago. we should get him a present. thanks for the gift basket. you're welcome. you're welcome. did you see hr just sent out new... ...office rules? cause you're currently in violation of 6 of them. oh yeah, baby? ...and 7. did you guys hear that fred is leaving? so 30 seconds ago. [ noisemakers blow ] [ both ] we'll miss you! oh, facecake! there's some leftover cake. [ male announcer ] the new htc vivid. stay a step ahead with at&t 4g lte, with speeds up to 10x faster than 3g. ♪

>> per >> one week to go and maybe they should give every caucus goer what they spent on each state. less than a week to go, ron paul is the latest flavor of the month while newt gingrich sees his rise in the polls come crashing down. the full report coming up. >> new details about what will be a record setting holiday shopping season with sales expected to be up about 4% over last year. turns out more shoppers took to the web with online cells jumping more than 16% over last year's christmas day shopping rush. also the number of shoppers using the ipads and other

devices to make purchases and increased by 173%. however today sears holdings reported holiday sales were so poor this year it will have to close between 100 and 120 seers and k mart stores nationwide as a result. sears holdings not saying just yet which will close. meanwhile shoppers crowding many stores today yet again. cnbc courtney reagan is at a shopping center in the bronx. are they buying or returning there? >> there is a little bit of both at barnes and noble. of course they sell those nook ereaders and tablets this holiday season. really, really popular gift item. of course once you get that gift, you have to fill it up. that's the books and the music and the movies if it's the tablet. you are seeing a lot of sales

there, record sales perhaps. we don't yet know, but 'tis the season for returns. the national retail federation believes that $46.3 billion worth will be returned. up 4% from last year and 10% in two years. you are seeing a little bit of both buying and returning. >> any idea why returning were up so much? >> part is because people are buying more. the national retail federation did just increase the sales forecast by a percent. when you buy more, there is more to return as well. it's fairly simple supply and demand there. >> you mentioned the kindle nook. any other pot hot items? >> the kindle and leapfrog had one of the lablets for kids. a video game for little kids. that was a hot toy. hard to get your hans on. toys 'r us extended holiday hours hoping to find them. some got lucky and some didn't.

we will have to see what the prices on ebay are like for the folk who is couldn't get their hand on it before. >> you mentioned the leap pad. i was working on a story a week ago and asked because someone said the same thing. i said why do you think that is? because there is so much and they look like tablets that people buy them for the kids so the kids don't use theirs. >> that's probably a good reason. there was a survey and i think like 44% of the kids had an ipad on the list. that's a high ticket for kids under 12. >> i would say so. when you don't have a job, keep your wish list within reason. thank you so much. appreciate that. a fake magazine cover causes a frenzy online and wedding bells for two celebrities while a 30 is beating hers, beating kim kardashian's record. kim, welcome to you.

let's talk about this cover, it looks convincing. >> celebrities get involved and nowadays they go viral. this time it's taylor lautner and a magazine cover saying out and proud. fake quotes he tired of the rumors and happier than ever. it was taken from a 2006 cover side bars. those are real, bull from an old cover. it's not true. it's a fake cover. russell simmons thought it was true and tweeted he was proud of him for coming out, but when he said it was wrong, he was disappointed that people would joke about people coming out. >> have you heard from lautner? >> no, but we know it's a fake cover. >> there will be disappointed women here. >> teen girls will be happy actually. >> i was talking about the next

story. >> i was going to say teen girls are happy it's a rumor. >> john legend. >> two big engagements. john legend has been dating his swimsuit model girlfriend in models and pictures got engaged over the weekend. he is off the market for any girls out there. matthew mcconaughey. this is not such a surprise. he tweeted that he asked his long time girlfriend. they have two kids together. levi and their younger daughter is 2. he tweeted a photo of them kissing by christmas decorati s decorations. they are a great couple. i intrude them and they are adorable. this is not a big shock to anyone, but nice that they are getting married. >> two folk who are starting and another ending a marriage. this one in record time perhaps. >> sineed o'connor got married

for the fourth time 18 days ago. >> you keep trying. >> until you get it right. >> she got married in vegas to a man she had met through an internet ad basically. >> i'm surprised that didn't work out. >> a sweet sex-starved man. she had requirements in the ad. this was only three months ago. she had requirements about what his name should be. no one named brian or no one who was waxed. she likes hairy men apparently. a list of requirements. they got married in vegas and had a drive by wetting in a pink car with a pink dress. everyone thought it would last forever. she posted on her website why they are getting divorced. she said it was basically because within a few hours of them getting married, apparently people around him were upset with the marriage and they

didn't agree with her. she also spoke on this web posting about how part of it was that she went looking for a bit of weed and he was enormously wounded. she loves him and he is too nice to put him through this. when you love someone, set them free. >> i want to hear this guy's version of the story. >> thank you very much. >> this is a story that -- this by the way, scoop.today.com for the latest information. become a fan as well. this is what we wanted to get to. the story that the newsroom has not gotten enough of. this is a baby polar bear that is an internet sensation. new pictures showing him opening his eyes for the first time. the-month-old polar bears being raised by humans because his mother did not make enough milk

to feed him. that's like the cutest polar bear ever. >> very cute. >> bad news about home prices and that's what we are seeing only slight gains on wall street. what does your gut tell you. up next. you can join the "news nation" on facebook. we are at facebook.com/"news nation." yoo-hoo. hello. it's water from the drinking fountain at the mall. [ male announcer ] great tasting tap water can come from any faucet anywhere. the brita bottle with the filter inside. yeah, our low prices are even lower. we need to teach her how to walk. she is taking up valuable cart space. aren't you, honey? [ male announcer ] it's our biggest clearance event of the year where our prices are even lower. save money. live better. walmart. only slight gains on wall

>> time for the "news nation" gut check. a press survey of leading economists shows they expect the u.s. economy will grow faster next year. a survey of three dozen private, corporate and academics expect the economy to grow 2.4% in 2012 visit this year which is likely to be less than 2%. the survey site job growth of

100,000 for five straight months which is the longest since 2006, but they predict the unemployment rate will be about 8.4% when voters go to the polls in november, down lightly from 8.6%. those surveyed say the economy will get a lift of federal reserve policies including interest rates at historic lows and believe the fed will continue the campaign to push down mortgage rates. however they warn that the economy could be thrown off by europe's economy which they believe will fall into a full-blown recession next year. what does your gut tell you. will the u.s. economy get better next year, get wore or stay the same? we encourage you to do it. take a look at friday's gut check. for those of you sick on being on the work blackberry 24-7,

volkswagen agreed to stop sending e-mails to blackberries if union workers stop working, 30 minutes after work ends. they will start up a half hour before the next shift begins. we asked should other companies follow suit? 83% of you said yes. quite possibly many folks who work in the building. 17% seem to enjoy constantly checking the blackberries, presumably managers and bosses that like to send e-mails at 6:00 or 7:00 at night. that does it for this edition. martin bashir up next and richard louie is filling in.

what is it about taking a first step that we find so compelling? is it because taking a step represents hope? or triumph? at genworth, we believe in taking small steps every day to keep your promises, protect what matters, and prepare for a secure financial future. no matter where you want to go, one step at a time is the only way to get there. go to genworth.com/promises.

>> good afternoon. i'm richard louie. here's what's happening. just one week to go and the candid