nic robertson was there.n us to talk about just how fast this country is unraveling, and what it is like to watch a city spiral out of control. in less than ten minutes, personal finance expert suze orman will be answering your money questions. so two ways to send your questions. post them on my facebook.com/suzannecnn. or tweet them #suzannemalveaux. alison, we always love good news. want to hear good news from you. what do we know about foreclosures? in 2011 the number of foreclosures went down. there are 1.9 million homes foreclosed on in 2011. that's a big improvement. there were 3 million homes foreclosed on in each of those years. so you're able to see the improvement. the level that we're at right now, we're at levels from 2007. all right. here comes the bad news. the biggest reason why we're seeing the number of foreclosures fall is because of the robo signing scandal back in 2010. the there are still processing delays, so banks are taking their time, they're making sure they go through the paperwork

nic robertson was nearby, he joins me ahead.ables with sauce and still reach your weight loss goals? you can with green giant frozen vegetables. over twenty delicious varieties have sixty calories or less per serving and are now weight watchers-endorsed. try green giant frozen vegetables with sauce. with thermacare heatwraps. thermacare works differently. it's the only wrap with patented heat cells that penetrate deep to relax, soothe, and unlock tight muscles. for up to 16 hours of relief, try thermacare. >>> raw politics. new numbers. cnn predicts mitt romney took seven of new hampshire's 12 delegates with 39% of the vote. ron paul picked up three, huntsman two, leaving gingrich with none. you need 1144 delegates for the nomination. for the number of voters, it was a record. does the turnout in new hampshire and iowa signify success? >> there were two contests into the republican race. one of the big debates in american politics, are the republicans showing the necessary intensity to beat barack obama. let's look at the iowa c

nic robertson was there moments before it happened. syria's dictator launches more violence against his people. and check in with isha. >>> he seemed to be falling asleep in court the other day, couldn't stop yawning. joran van der sloot managed to stay away long enough to enter a plea in the murder case against him. we will tell you about the plea and the case against him. that and more when 360 continues. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] entune mobile technology. ♪ stronger! ♪ stand a little taller [ male announcer ] stay seamlessly connected to your smart phone. available on the reinvented 2012 camry. from toyota. ♪ my high school science teacher made me what i am today. our science teacher helped us build it. ♪ now i'm a geologist at chevron, and i get to help science teachers. it has four servo motors and a wireless microcontroller. over the last three years we've put nearly 100 million dollars into american education. that's thousands of kids learning to love science. ♪ isn't that cool? and that's pretty cool. ♪ >>> keeping them honest o

nic robertson, how is the government responding to this? >> well, the government were escorting us on our trip to holmes to various locations in the city. they believe that because we were going to go, the group that they were escorting and about a dozen of us, they believe that because we, the international media, were going to cover this pr pro-government rally, they say that's why they believe the opposition was targeting it. we have no way to know that was true. there were so many things about this incident that remained strange and very odd. it was government reminders in the city that told us about the rally. it happened fairly late in the day. it was close to the front lines. the attack was a military style attack. that's the way these weapons are used. three or four rounds in quick succession. so there are significant questions that we may never know who is responsible for the attack, but the government clearly blaming the opposition here. >> nic robertson, you always find yourself in some of the most dangerous places in the world,

nic robertson, cnn, damascus, syria. >>> excellent reporting by our nic robertson. the phone from damascus. knick, this story shocked me, i know it shocked a lot of people around the world, the killing of a french journalist, who's on the same government-sponsored visit as you are right now. you were there apparently with them. tell us what happened. >> reporter: we were in homes, and spent the day with government minded officials. we weren't able to go to any of the option-held areas. it was with a different group of journalists. they have been invited into the country. officially they were there. we both -- our group and his group were invited to go to a pro-government rally. we told the government minders with us that we didn't want to go, we've seen too many rallies, they said that's fine, and we were living. we were standing around filming in that area, and as we were leaving, we saw the group of journalists he was with going toward the rally. within ten minutes in that area we began to get calls that they had been hit in mortar rounds s apparently one mortar r

our nic robertson is there with an exclusive and rare look.ront-runner mitt romney under fierce attack in south carolina. how true are those blistering allegations being made against him? we'll have a fact check. and the first lady of the united states, michele obama says she's not the stereotype of quote some angry black woman. her reaction to a controversial new book about the white house. . ...or a big steak... ...or big hair... i think we have our answer. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. out for drinks, eats. i have very well fitting dentures. i like to eat a lot of fruits. love them all. the seal i get with the super poligrip free keeps the seeds from getting up underneath. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles. super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs, it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. a lot of things going on in my life and the last thing i want to be thinking about is my dentures. [ charlie ] t

. >> anderson, nic robertson is on the ground in syria and this is almost beyond description. as if the tanks weren't enough already. he has an up close look at ordinary people of what is looking more and more of the beginning of a bloody civil war. that and much more when "360" continues. the other office devices? they don't get me. they're all like, "hey, brother, doesn't it bother you that no one notices you?" and i'm like, "doesn't it bother you you're not reliable?" and they say, "shut up!" and i'm like, "you shut up." in business, it's all about reliability. 'cause these guys aren't just hitting "print." they're hitting "dream." so that's what i do. i print dreams, baby. [whispering] big dreams. >>> republicans are settling on mitt romney for their nominee, one dropping out and another one dropping down. another stop for the massachusetts governor what his campaign is calling the money bomb. ron paul may have taken the last four days off but his donors have been busy putting up $1.4 million over the weekend. jon huntsman is out. >> today, i am suspending my campaign for

our nic robertson is in syria. we're going to bring you his report in the next hour. >>> at a time when protests are heating up around the world, romania has become the site of a dramatic social uprising. it is day four of protests against the government there and hundreds have been pouring in the capital's university square. they want the president to step down. >>> online retailer zappos says it was hacked and 24 million customers are now at risk. they sent an e-mail to customers yesterday telling them about this breach and asked them to reset the passwords. they say that the critical credit card information, however, that is safe, but other stuff like names, addresses, phone numbers, all of them might have been revealed. >>> all right, everybody, in hollywood tired this morning, perhaps even just, i don't know, waking up, or maybe they were up all night. golden globes handed out last night. some familiar names won big. george clooney was named best actor. meryl streep best actress. both in the drama category. an

nic robertson is not allowed to travel freely. to what the syrian government. wants him to see. he's joining us live. has anyone claimed responsibility for the killing? >> reporter: absolutely not. everyone is running in opposite directions. the government they said wants to intimidate journalists here. so it's a he said/she said situation. the arab league is involved in investigating this. they sent some of their monitors to homes to take a look at the site, to look at the place where the mortar rounds struck, and where jalil was killed, the french journalist was killed. there's supposed to be an interim report already this morning. we've heard nothing so far, and according to the arab league chief here, general dhabi, who i spoke to, who heads the monitoring mission, he said the monitors were involved in the investigation, so at least there seems to be some internal confusion about what's going on. this could be unsolved for a long time, wolf. >> you're in damascus. are you seeing demonstrations in the capital? what are you seei

here's nic robertson in damascus on the hardships that syria's people are now facing. >> reporter: inhe heart of damascus, streets clogged with traffic give the impression of norm normality. president bashar al assad firmly in control. it is a facade that's beginning to crack. in recent weeks in the capital, several large bombs have known it is not immuned from the violence engulfing much of the rest of syria and in the suburbs increasingly close to the capital, anti-government protests are becoming more common. but it could be the tanking economy that rocks the regime the most. talk to the car mechanic and this is what you hear. "they can't pay so we write it in the book. it's this big, he jokes. we are getting a little work," he says "but no one has any money." but next door, money is no laughing matter. this mechanic tells me repairs have dried up. he can't pay the rent in his workshop. his house or even feed his family. like most here, he won't publicly criticize the president but blames the old guard around him, says it's time for change. and it's not just the little guy that's h

nic robertson has been allowed to travel with arab league monitors in syria.w they were treated yesterday. >> reporter: the crowd has gone absolutely wild now that the monitors have arrived even carrying them on their shoulders. they're treating the monitors as if they are gods sent here to save them. >> they reportedly pulled out before the monitors arrived. residents told nic what life has been like for them. >> reporter: bitter anger against the government is everywhere. >> every day, every morning, shooting. >> reporter: two or three people have been killed, she says, more than 60 wounded. now, for the last three days, she adds, water, electricity and phones have been cut off. >> they strike at anything, in the street, in the street, kill people, isolation people. you understand me? >> reporter: yes. >> we don't need this regime. can you understand me? they are killing us! >> people so desperate to get their message out, desperate to find the words. many residents urge the monitors to stay longer. i talked to nic by phone a short time ago and asked him abo

cnn's nic robertson was nearby when the attack happened. to know who was responsible. >>> growing outrage over video showing a u.s. marine sniper team urinating on dead bodies possibly in afghanistan. defense secretary leon panetta has ordered a full investigation. a marine corps official tells cnn the marines are thought to have been from a unit based in camp lejeune, north carolina, two have been identified. >>> identified itself as a company that alerted u.s. regulaors about low levels of fungicide in some of the products. it makes juice under the label minute maid and simply orange. and check this out, scientists have discovered the new species of frog so small it can fit on a dime with room left over. at just 7.7 millimeters, 7.7 millimeters, in fact is the world's smallest vertebrae. it lives in new guinea. that's seriously cool. >> how did they find that? it's crazy. >> it was really, really -- i'm going to get all nerdy on you now. >> this is fine. nerd to nerd. >> this is a nerd-off. it was basically, they live on the floor of the

our own nic robertson is on the ground inside syria. he's got some exclusive reporting. we'll share it with you. >>> also a key supporter of mitt romney is now telling the candidate to make his tax returns public. we'll have the details coming up in our strategy session. >>> here are some of the stories we're working on for our next hour. my interview with newt gingrich, talking about closing the gap in south carolina, the increasingly ugly campaign here, and what he wants sarah palin to do in a gingrich administration. stand by. >>> plus one of the bort maritime disasters in recent years, but an almost 100-year-old law that may keep the cruise line off the financial hook when it comes to the victims' families. stand by. you're in "the situation room." >>> the syrian opposition group reports at least 13 people killed today in the brutal government crackdown on democracy protesters. our senior international correspondent nic robertson is on the ground in syria and visited one town that's crying out for help. >> reporter: as the arab league monitors arrive. so antigovernme

nic robertson is on the phone from damascus.new protests are really a continuation of what we are been receiving, the protest we attended today, anti-government protest, a couple thousand people, they were burying somebody, they said you can killed the previous day, a 32-year-old man. passions were very high. people were very angry, they were very afraid a lot of people were coming and showing us what they said were bullet wounds, bird shot wounds as well as some people showed us where they had been shot by forces loyal to the government. yet at the same time in the center of damascus today, large pro-government rally, people telling us that they love president bashar al assad. what is happening here, kai rark the ask dividing, polar rising. people are believing opposite things. some believe that the president is the right map for the country. there are others that don't. they are not talking to each other and this is really leading to a much more divided country than it was even a few months ago, kyra. >> what do you see as the

nic robertson, cnn, zabadoni, syria. >> nic robertson literally risking his life to bring us that report reports over these past few days. want to thank him, khalil abdullah, his cnn photographer, tommy evans, his producer, all three doing amazing work to bring us the news from syria. we've waited for months to get in. they are finally in and they're doing a heroic job bringing us these stories. jeanne moos is coming up next. lounge and an ipad ♪ ♪ made sure his credit score did not go bad ♪ ♪ with a free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ app that he had ♪ downloaded it in the himalayas ♪ ♪ while meditating like a true playa ♪ ♪ now when he's surfing down in chile'a ♪ ♪ he can see when his score is in danger ♪ ♪ if you're a mobile type on the go ♪ ♪ i suggest you take a tip from my bro ♪ ♪ and download the app that lets you know ♪ ♪ at free-credit-score-dot-com now let's go. ♪ vo: offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com™. will be giving away passafree copies of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. cnn's jeanne moos explains. >> reporter: when you

nic robertson, hamah, syria. >>> nic is joining us live on the phone from damascus.ny evidence at all of the brutal massacre that occurred in the early 1980s by bashar al assad's father? >> reporter: we didn't. the government officials guiding us into the city didn't take us anywhere near that location. it's so scorched into the memories of everyone in this country and the region as well. you only have to mention h amount ma, and people shake at the scale of that putdown. >> people remember that brutal crackdown, the massacre that occurred then. i know there's a debate with many analysts here in washington about the president, the leader of syria. is he really in power? or is he just the figurehead? i have no idea if you've gotten any sense of that, but i know you're familiar with the debate. what's your sense? >> reporter: wolf, it is very hard to tell what you hear on the ground. what is very clear is this is a president in the shadows for much of the last few months, perhaps really since last summer. he's come out on a political rebound in the past couple days, wh

our nic robertson is in damascus with a look at mass funerals in the syrian capital. >> reporter: passions were very high. people were very angry, they were very afraid a lot of people were coming and showing us what they said were bullet wounds, bird shot wounds as well as some people showed us where they had been shot by forces loyal to the government. yet at the same time, in the center of damascus today, large pro-government rally, people telling us that they love president bashar al assad. what is happening here, polarizing. people are believing opposite things. some believe that the president is the right man for the country. there are others that don't. they are not talking to each other and this is really leading to a much more divided country. >> monitoring fan out to meet with all of the local folks there. and we will continue to keep you updated through nic as well. >>> egyptian civil rights lawyers are demanding the death penalty for former egyptian president hosni mubarak, joining the prosecutor's calls for him to be executed, one attorney tells cnn that negligence and actions

but it is very unlikely anyone will provide conclusive answers. >> all right, nic robertson in damascus. >>> family and friends are trying desperately to find ian burnett. he was missing for two weeks now. seen just days after arriving in new york city to celebrate new year's eve. his parents set up a facebook page looking for information. >>> a coast guard tanker trying to reach the frozen port of nome, alaska, with fuel and gasoline. the first ever attempt of fuel delivery in winter. >>> internet dependency affects the brain in similar ways to cocaine and marijuana addictions. as many as 10% users are addicted. most are gamers, so absorbed in the activity, they go without food or drink for long periods. and their education, work and relationships suffer. soledad? >> i am not surprised. i am not surprised. i agree with that. i think the internet is like crack and guilty as charged. christine, thank you. appreciate it. >>> let's turn now to south carolina. the home to gorgeous beaches, great golf and republican primary is in nine days and probably going to get more ugly. campaign spendi

nic robertson left the area just before the mortar attack. >>> we have a new study, a warning against transferring more than two embryos for folks going through in vitro fertilization. there's saying there's a health risk not just for the mothers but the babies with be too. typically, three or month emb o embryos will be implanted. we'll talk about that in the next hour. >>> $500,000 bonuses for solyndra executives. that's the company that's bankrupt. remember that? we'll dig into that. >> and that the government gave a bunch of money to. >>> and a desperate search is on for a missing student. we have the early reads. we'll tell you why new year's eve plays into this story. you're watching "early start." ♪ ♪ ♪ one too many... [ male announcer ] it's time to reclaim your garage. the all-new passat. the 2012 motor trend car of the year. ♪ seek your way and go with two children and no way to support them. people told me i wasn't going to do anything. and i just decided i have more to offer than that. i put myself through nursing school, and then i decided to go get a doctorate degree. un

cnn's nic robertson with an exclusive story. >> what does this now mean now? >> i'll able to pay my mortgage every month on time. >> solving the mortgage crisis from a very unlikely savior. could he help save your home? we find out this hour. that and more right here, right now on cnn. >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> i'm don lemon. thank you so much for joining us. we're going to begin this newscast with breaking news tonight. a major shake-up in the republican battle for president. he said he had a ticket to ride after finishing third in new hampshire butt trip is now over for jon huntsman. huntsman is dropping out of the race for president. and he plans to endorse mitt romney. cnn pleas political reporter peter hamby broke this news for us. when is the official announcement? >> the official announcement will be tomorrow they sheraton hotel where there's a big debate sponsored by the republican party. the official endorsement will be here. he is going to endorse governor romney. a campaign official tells me the reason they're getting behind governor romney

nic robertson, cnn, hama, syria. >>> usually long lines for apple products are peaceful.ase at one store. >> we are running down. the mob continue iing to follow them. >> we are inside the crowd as it turns violent all over the new iphone 4 s. can you enjoy vegetables with sauce and still reach your weight loss goals? you can with green giant frozen vegetables. over twenty delicious varieties have sixty calories or less per serving and are now weight watchers-endorsed. try green giant frozen vegetables with sauce. have more fiber than other leading brands. they're the better way to enjoy your fiber. >>> earlier we told you about an indiana mom who says the court system was too easy on her son. she's taking matters into her own hands. >> he broke the law. they only gave him a few hours of community service. i decided we were going to wear a sign saying you looking for attention, we're going to get you attention. the sign says i lie, i steal, i sell drugs and i don't follow the law. we asked you if you think this mom is going too far. here are some of your comments. mom of

our nic robertson is one of the first allowed him. nic, we had a chance to talk to you yesterday. was his speech received there? >> it was received very well by his loyalists. not at all by the opposition. within minutes of his speech, finishing, there were opposition rallies in the north of the country. the opposition was able to stream live over the internet. there was nothing in this speech that appealed to the opposition here. the opposition wanted bashir assad to pull his tanks off the streets. that's something that he agreed with the arab league that he would do. he did talk about reform in the government, about changing corruption laws. he talked about new constitution, allowing political parties. i talked to opposition people, he said while he says these things, they don't trust him. >> all right, nic roberton in a damasc damascus. >>> new developments to tell you about the florida a&m hazing investigation. this just in to the cnn newsroom. we are learning that drum major robert champion's alleged sexual orientation may have played a role in his beating death. let's get li

. >>> and here is cnn's nic robertson in the capital city of damascus. >> we're just a few miles from center of damascus, and there is a crowd here -- thank you -- this is a crowd here of perhaps several thousand people. they threw rocks in the road to prevent the police from coming in here. >> today alone at least 19 people have been killed across syria. >>> ford recalling 450,000 older model mini vans and suvs. ford says there is a risk of fire with the 2001-2002 ford escape compact suvs. the risk of losing power prompted a recall for 2004 and 2005 mercury monterrey minivans. >>> the man suspected in natalee holloway's disappearance pleaded guilty to killing a woman in peru. we're talking about joran ver der sloot admitting to killing the woman in 2010. van der sloot was arrested twice but never charged in the natalee holloway case in aruba. >>> for the first time in 61 years, there is no paterno on the penn state coaching staff. jay paterno will not be returning under phil o'brien, his father. the legendary joe paterno fired in november after sex assault charges were handed down on