>> he was under attack by romney perry and bachmann.luding his connections to lobbyists, lobbying activities for fannie mae and freddie mac his extra-marital affairs and this was trying to bring him down a notch. what happened is that he actually survive to those attacks were very well, and he was very much prepared and struck back at a lot of these accusations from his opponents. >> do we think that anything happened that would have any impact on the opinion polls right now? some of them show him 20 points up. >> he solidified himself as someone who can compete and he is a good debater, but the problem is that mitt romney is losing ground rapidly. he did not do anything to demonstrate that he is able to go past newt gingrich. and this is a problem for him. if he loses ground at this late stage, he is running out of time to close the deal with voters. this is a huge problem losing ground in new hampshire. >> everyone talks about that moment in the debate when he said, i will bet you $10,000. he is worth $200 million. how much of an impa

, romney's camp has been most afraid of perry, because he has the money any very good life story to tell. had he not collapsed in the debates, that was the candidate they feared by far the most. >> santorum appeals said the three -- appeals to the thre reagan leggs republican is a bit on social issues, he is the most reliable. on foreign issues, he went after ron paul for isolationism. on economics, he is a down-the- line conservative treaty does not have the baggage and the apostasies on issues. >> ron paul is running one-two out of every poll in iowa. heresy, apostasy, what does he have going for him, evan? >> more good news for romney, because he cannot get elected. what is hisuse h appeal? >> isolationism place well in the midwest. they don't want to be in afghanistan, iraq. isolationism does not play well nationally but it does in iowa. also, he has been there a long time, has an on-the-ground network, and that the difference. >> i saw him at speak before a veterans group this week. a number of young people went up to him and said, "

huntsman, paul, romney, perry and bachmann all passed. only gingrich and santorum are in. did they lose a ring master? the defense against republican charges proves if you underestimate this president, do so at your peril. let me finish with a line that may be a guide to gingrich. we start with newt gingrich under siege. can he be stopped? chuck todd and john harris. we have the heavy hitters. her's the question. nationwide, gingrich is at 36, way ahead of where romney has been nationally. romney below that 25%. he never gets above a 23%. ron paul, the libertarian is at 12. he's irreallevant to the debate. chuck todd, i have a theory. the more they attack newt, the better he looks. he looks more blooded, tougher, nastier with more dirt on his uniform. it's what he wants to look like. >> it's the rush limbaugh theory. more the establishment. >> a broken clog twice a day, we're talking rush. >> george will, david brooks, peggy noonan. now we have the superpack. that is the risk here. if you don't knock him out now, what does not kill him will only make him stronger as this m

newt's under siege from rivals like mitt romney and rick perry. perry's hitting him for his three marriages, believe it or not, and romney's hitting him for changing positions, and religions. and now a conservative pastor out in iowa who's backing santorum is running a video calling newt the kim kardashian of the gop, and also attacking his serial marriages and his conversion to catholicism. with two debates in the next seven days, the attacks against gingrich are going ballistic. but republican voters are falling for newt, because they see him as a gladiator. he can counterpunch, and his supporters are betting he can survive the onslaught. are they right? >>> then, there aren't that many house republicans who endorse newt gingrich, but we'll talk to one of them about his chances -- newt's chances of winning iowa. georgia congressman jack kingston. he joins us tonight. >>> and dumping trump. that debate donald trump wanted to host has been rejected by count them, five republican presidential candidates. huntsman, paul, romney, perry and bachmann h

romney. rick perry has been the one going off on newt's marriages. here's an ad he goes off on both newt and romney. >> we don't want government-mandated health care. yet newt gingrich supports it. and mitt romney, he put it into law in massachusetts. worse, barack obama forced it on the entire nation. >> i won't let the big government liberals ruin this country. i'm rick perry. i will appeal obama care. >> but i have to play this one which his gingrich marriages. >> i made an oath to god when i married my wife. so yeah i think it's an important issue. but the american people will figure out these issues and work their way through them. >> jonathan martin, rick perry. who's he an ally of here? that's weird when we look at this. the anti-newt stuff, what was perry more effective on? hitting romney with the first ad or hitting newt with the marriage comment? >> i think his chief opponent is now newt. because to get to mitt, at least two weeks ago that's how it was. you have to go through newt. i think even know with newt in the lead, his opponent is sti

he said, quote, i think romney is the best choice for us. i like rick perry, but he doesn't seem to be going anywhere. he's not surging forward. >>> rival newt gingrich is looking for a big iowa finish. gingrich said he would be happy to come in third or fourth in iowa. this came a day after a poll showed congressman ron paul in the lead in iowa. iowa caucuses are on the 3rd of january. >>> gingrich was also in virginia trying to collect enough signatures to make it on the primary ballot here, and it appears to have worked. republican leaders in the state tell "the washington post" gingrich, romney, perry, and paul turned in thousands of signatures by yesterday's deadline. the other candidates did not qualify to make the march 6th primary ballot. >>> 4:37 is our time right now. we have rain out there right now around the region. >>> ahead on "news 4 today," best buy is playing the role of bad santa this morning just days before christmas. why a number of customers may never receive their gifts. ♪ [ female announcer ] light up your season with a brighter, whit

. >> romney or perry? >> i'm straddling the fence. i will celebrate the republican nominee.'m a republican and will they're all 35 or older and bu borr in the united states. [laaghter] >> who is qualified, that is -- >> not endorsing. >> you're a new englaader on the one hand -- [inaudible, multiple people speaking] >> rooted in massachusetts, proud resident of aggie land right now. love texas a&m university and the bush school. >> you won't pick? made by governor perry in the last presidential election which he was campaigning against mayor giulianii he was heard to say on this is pointed to as the root of the tension between the perry folks and the bush folks. would you comment about that? do you think bush was a fiscal conservative? >> i think he was a remarkably strong leader. he was pragmatic and learned a lot of pragmatism by being governor of texas dealing with the legislature. governors in texas aren't that strong constitutionally. i think lieutenant governor bullock who kind of introduced governor bush how to be a stronger leader. i think governor bush was a strong

newt gingrich, mitt romney and rick perry are all kicking off bus tours while michele bachmann and rick santorum hold 14 events between the two of them. teegtd madness, apparent front runner ron paul shows up tomorrow. dom, good morning, thanks for joining me. newt gingrich made a lot of the fact he is staying positive. we had a break in that strategy. monday night, gingrich's communication director sent out a e-mail, he said the following, wrote the following can we trust a massachusetts moderate to enact a conservative agenda? our campaign might have plenty of things to say about that but the best response certainly comes from mitt romney himself. i think people recognize i am not a partisan republican, that is someone who is moderate and that my views are pro-grace sive. what does this tell us? i have long held that newt gingrich, if he wants to whip the iowa caulks, can only hold off going negative so long. what does this tell us where newt things he is? >> the fact of the matter is needs to go somewhat negative to fight off of this incoming that's coming his way by the back of the

>> reporter: the only one who escapes perry's attack, mitt romney who like perry has never worked in washington. romney has a new ad that stresses his conservative credentials. >> i'm going to do something to government. i'm going to make it simpler and smaller and smarter. >> reporter: today newt gingrich, rick perry and michelle bachmann launched bus tours across iowa looking to be the anti-romney candidate that conservatives rally around. car haven't traverse, abc news, washington. -- >>> how facebook helped a kidnap victim and her baby son escapee five-day hostage or keel. -- ordeal. toothpaste is the wrong thing to use on a denture, it could be very abrasive. if the surface gets abraded, it's just the environment that bacteria likes to nestle into and they can cause the odor. your denture needs to be cleaned gently on a daily basis. i like to recommend polident, it kills the bacteria without causing any abrasion. when my patients follow my instructions, their dentures feel clean and fresh. they look forward to putting them in their mouth and smiling. >> closed captioning brought

] governor romney called him out on it. perry thought he had the facts on his side he's wrong. the reason that governor romney made that wager is because he knew perry wouldn't take it and he didn't. romney call his bluff and perry folded and it made him look weak. >> shannon: i know that of course everybody wants to do well in the first two big states iowa and new hampshire. romney finished second in 2008. how do you think he will do in a couple of weeks? >> we always expectedded this race was going to come down to the wire and it has. we are going to continue to work in iowa and new hampshire and the other early states. governor romney built a lot of support last time in iowa and we are going to continue to build on that support. today he will be in new hampshire and tomorrow too we will continue to talk about the number one issue that is on the minds of voters, the economy. when you look at governor romney's record his record is far superior to his fellow republican contenders when it comes to having the experience of turning

>> reporter: the only one who escapes perry's attack, mitt romney who like perry has never worked in washington. romney has a new ad that stresses his conservative credentials. >> i'm going to do something to government. i'm going to make it simpler and smaller and smarter. >> reporter: today newt gingrich, rick perry and michelle bachmann launched bus tours across iowa looking to be the anti-romney candidate that conservatives rally around. car haven't traverse, abc news, washington. -- >>> how facebook helped a kidnap victim and her baby son escapee five-day hostage or keel. -- ordeal. honey...? [ mom ] yes. honey, i can't find my internet cord. oh, i'll borrow hailey's. you're downloading movies. fast! from here? where is her cord?! we switched to at&t high speed internet and got wireless access. no more cords. wireless, okay, honestly, can i just get a cord, please? dad, the cord's invisible. [ female announcer ] call at&t today to get high speed internet for just $14.95 a month for 12 months with a 1-year price guarantee. it's the fastest internet for the price. oooh. videos onli

perry is undecided. romney is undecided. there is a lost chatter among the establishment types in washington that maybe there is a way to protect the rest of the field and the romney and the perries and others who don't want to go into this thing. even gingrich not necessarily wanting them to participate, do they create a criteria and force them to say i will not endorse and be a candidate and create something that is too much for trump to agree to and therefore allowing the rnc to fashlly say we are not sanctioning that. finally romney came out in favor of the one-year extension of the payroll tax holiday after calling it a temporary fix. >> no one likes to see increases and the stimulus bills that are supposed 3 going it create jobs, we have seen this played in the theater. >> you would be okay with seeing the tax cut. >> i want to fundamentally restructure the foundation economically. >> i would like to see the payroll tax cut extended. i know the family are feeling the pinch right now. >> to defend romney, that's not a f

can romney or perry or god forbid ron paul put this together and distill it as a sharp message. >> will >> gingrich does have the ability to rattle obama in the debates. >> i am hearing a mixed bag from democrats. we will stay on the topic. stick around. trivia time. in 1829, 20,000 people mobbed the white house following president jackson's inaugurat n inauguration. how did aides convince everyone to leave? they moved the risky and served it on the lawn. they filled the tubs with orange juice and whiskey. a lot of you threw a cheese nugget. i give credit you're watching "the daily rundown." new one a day vitacraves plus omega-3 dha is a complete multivitamin for adults. plus an excellent source of omega-3 dha in a great tasting gummy. one a day, gummies for grown-ups. ♪ [ multiple sounds making melodic tune ] ♪ [ male announcer ] at northrop grumman, every innovation, every solution, comes together for a single purpose -- to make the world a safer place. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman. it's 4g, so you can do more faster. so, kathryn, post more youtube videos of your

. >> so people are talking about when romney and rick perry argued over romney's views on health care and challenged perry to put his money where his mouth is. watch this. >> you were for individual mandates, my friends. >> you know, you've raised that before, rick. >> it was true then. >> no. >> and it's true now. >> rick, i'll tell you what, $10,000 bet. >> i'm not in the betting business. >> wow, maria, $10,000. the first thing i would say is i don't have that kind of money just to bet. maybe you do. but what was romney thinking with that? >> that would have been the exact perfect comeback from rick perry because it would have shown -- and even the comment itself shows that mitt romney is so incredibly out of touch with what reality is for middle class, working families. twitter last night exploded on this and the hash tag, what can 10k buy was trending around the world. people were saying, this guy has no idea how we live our lives on a day-to-day basis. $10,000 can buy groceries for a family for a year. it's more than what you pay for a public university in a year. i think that r

gingrich comes in at 44% in the lead, and 29% for romney, and ron paul at 8%, and perry at 4%. alex. newt gingrich is the frontrunner in the race for the gop nomination. we have been talking about it how the candidates went after gingrich last night, and nobody landed a hey maker, and now as i understand it, right now the first family -- i guess i should mention this since i am standing in front of the white house, they just emerged and are walking across to st. john's church for services. >> thank you. >>> as mike said, many of the gop candidates took aim at gingrich's high stakes debate in iowa. and this is the first debate since gingrich surged to number one. >> let's be candid. the only reason you didn't become a career politician is because you lost in 1994. >> and i could have been a career politician if i had beaten kennedy, that's probably true. if i could have got in the nfl like i hoped when i was a kid, i could have been a football star all my life, too. >> and another exchange over health care. >> i read your first book and it said in there that your mandate in mass

romney and ron paul lead but the story in our new poll? santorum's rise and gingrich's fall. the x factor? rick perry. complete results of this morning's revealing nbc news/maris poll straight ahead. romney's acting like the front-runner again turning his fire back toward the president. but how intense is his support in iowa? will the i guess i'm for romney voters show up on tuesday night? the other secret to romney's success? tea party support divided among all of the other candidates. and what happened to michele bachmann? four months ago she won the iowa straw poll and now it's looking like she may come in dead last come tuesday. it's friday, december 20th, 2011. i'm chuck todd. this is a special edition of "the daily rundown" coming to you live from java joes very early here in des moines. you guys can clap. it's okay. let's get right to my first reads of the morning which is four days left until the iowa caucus, our new nbc news/maris poll showed newt gingrich's cratering, rick santorum is surging and conservatives are splitting and mitt romney is the one benefiting. romney gets the support, 23%

romney's 21%. newt gingrich is dropping. rick perry is gaining. and both romney and perry today launched new ads while michelle bachmann and gingrich and perry are launching bus tours today in hopes of gaining more supporters. the guy who won iowa last time predict the weather could be a deciding factor. >> i would probably say that mitt romney will end up winning it today. now, i think, again, ron paul, because of his organization could and that is where mitt is really at a disadvantage. he doesn't have the devotion. if the weather is good, mitt romney is in better shape. if the weather is bad and it is real tough to get out, ron paul will win. >> reporter: the caucuses tend to be very low turnout fairs which is why organization is key. that gives romney and fall an end as veterans of the last race. still polls say only half of caucus goers have made up their minds yet. only romney and paul are the only ones to get the required 10,000 signatures in virginia to be on the state's ballot for super tuesday. gingrich vowed to launch a write-in campaign

mes en propagandas polÍticas en ese estado no parecen estarle dando buenos resultado a mitt romney y a rick perryr despuÉs de gingrich. >> de alguna manera refleja una vena que existe en muchos votantes republicanos de iowa de ir contra el estado. >> buscan no solo votos en iowa, sino tambiÉn obstaculizar el avance de romney, segundo por solo un punto despuÉs de gingrich en la Última encuesta a nivel nacional sobre quiÉn deberÍa ganar la candidatura republicana. >> (en inglÉs). >> el ex gobernador de massachusetts, quien perdiÓ esta consulta en el 2008 contra mike h, ex gobernador dear ka arkans comenzarÁ a hacer campaÑa esta noche, su meta es new hampshire el 10 de enero. >> el nÚmero de delegados que da iowa al ganar es relativamente pequeÑo en lo que da new hampshire y estados grandes como la florida. >> esta consulta pudiera no tener el peso en delegados pero sin embargo, pudiera marcar el paso polÍtico y sacar de la contienda a algunos aspirantes. >> en miami, angie sandoval val, telemundo. >> y en arizona activistas latinos y lÍderes comunitarios exigieron la renuncia del alguacil de marico

romney, 21%. grin gingrich, 14%. then rounded out with perry, 12%. michele bachmann and santorum behind them that. now, it's going to be all about retail politicking tomorrow, it will be a battle of the buses. you've got gingrich, romney, perry and michele bachmann, all launching major bus initiatives. romney will give a major speech to iowa voters. he'll have a three-day tour. gingrich is unveiling his bus and bachmann tell me that bus tour is going to all 99 counties and they have already gone to 74. they will pick up and try to finish where they left off before the break. here is what our viewers need to know what is happening. this has a population of just over 3 million. the turnout of iowa caucus will only be about 120,000 to 140,000. it was 118,000 in 2008. that is significant, in over 1700 republican precincts, you are going to have a small number of folks turn out. it's a seven candidate field. anything can happen here. it will be all eyes on that as we go forward. as you mention in the lead in, 45% undecided, nearly half of the small pool i

romney in davenport. rick perryuncil bluffs, and michele bachmann resumes her 99-county bus tour. texas congressman ron paul will hit the trail again on wednesday. some analysts believe the race comes down to mitt romney, newt gingrich, and ron paul. >> paul has the authenticity even if some people don't like where he stands and he has got the passion. >> reporter: paul also has some baggage. questions arisen about news letters in the '80s and '90s that included racist, anti-semitic and anti-gay remarks. >> some pretty nasty stuff in there. certainly disqualified for him to be president of the united states. >> reporter: winning in iowa became even more important for the gingrich campaign. after he failed to quali

sound from the $10,000 question, the $10,000 bet that mitt romney posed to rick perry. romney has a tendency to short-circuit when he's challenged. and when he does, it gets awkward. >> the only reason you didn't become a career politician is you lost to teddy kennedy in 1994. >> now, wait a second. wait a second. 10,000 bucks? $10,000 bet? >> i'm not in the betting business. >> okay. >> rick, again -- i'm speaking. i'm speaking. >> you said you knew you had illegals working at your -- >> so we put all of that sound together to prove a point, which is that romney has this way of inducing cringes when he's either challenged or when he's in an awkward moment. i honestly think the thing that was so unpalatable about the $10,000 bet is that it just spoke to a guy that is not sort of capable of pivoting or being -- his human emotions kind of get -- his lack of human emotions get in the way sometimes when he is on the defensive and you saw that sound and it's this kind of, wait, wait, wait, anderson. it's all part and parcel of a larger problem that mitt romney has, which is t

then you've got this tall red line back then, that was perry -- i'm sorry, romney. it went up in blue, that is perry he went up. then it went up super high for the dark green, that is cain. then it went up super high for the light green, that is begin rich. all of them, however, scott went back down, they went up, they went down, and the reason is what? >> there is something else you've really got to lock at in that chart, every single month mitt romney was either first or second. he was slow and steady, he's not really doing much better now. his share of the vote isn't much higher than it was earlier. he has been consistent. all the other people rose as an alternative to mitt romney then they each had their own stumbles. had that 56 second debacle with the third agency to eliminate. newt gingrich suffered under when it erring attacks. they became frontrunners and continue stay in that spotlight. rick santorum is rising now, he has the benefit of he has not been subject to those kind of attacks and that may be one reason he is still benefitting and still very well l

romney. it happened after rick perry accused romney of supporting a federal individual health care mandate. romney said he never supported the federal mandate then he made a bet with perry that perry was wrong. the amount rated eyebrows. >> it was true then -- >> no, no. >> it's true now. >> i'll tell you what. 10,000 bucks? $10,000 bet. >> i'm not in the betting business. >> campaign officials for gingrich and perry both criticized romney and the bet pointing out the average american in this country makes $39,000 a year, so a $10,000 bet revealed romney is out of touch with real americans who casually might bet $5, not $10,000. >>> in russia there is a scene that country hasn't scene in decades. a government-sanctioned mass protest through the streets of moscow. tens of thousands of ordinary citizens rose up against their miami vladamir putin. >> reporter: the cold and the snow didn't stop them. a massive show of force on moscow streets didn't either. police estimate a crowd of 25,000, the largest political demonstration since the early '90s. russia without putin, they defiantly chanted. >

newt gingrich, romney, perry and paul are expected to make it. michele bachman, huntsman and santorum did not qualify. >>> when we continue, more legal problems for casey anthony. she's heading back to court. >>> caught on tape, a high school basketball game turns into a melee. how the school chancellor says she's going to stop it from happening again. ♪ >> she's bringing it. a rock and roll hall of famer is live in our studio. she is coming up next. ♪ >>> wow, that iconic song. christmas baby please come home. made famous by a rock and roll hall of famer. she is right here all christmasy. that is great. >> it is a christmas favorite. everybody loves that song. great to have you here. >> i recorded that song over 50years ago. >> wait. >> '62. >> that was 50 years ago. oh, my god. >> did you, at the time, did you think it would have the sustainability? >> no. especially because it was a new song, not an original. i thought when they put it out it would do okay, but i didn't think it would last all these years. >> a lot of places. >> a lot of place

. >> romney and perry were sparring over whether romney supported mandated healthcare in a -- headquarter in a -- healthcare in a book he wrote. >> i was taken a little back. driving out the station this morning, i'm pretty sure i didn't drive by a house that anyone thought a $10,000 bet was possible. so a little out of touch with the normal iowa citizen. >> the nonpartisan fact-finder says romney mischaracterized his words. >>> and a wet, cold start to your workweek. but will it last? steve paulson has your forecast. >>> and it's the peek of the -- it's the peak of the holiday season. what fed-ex says it's doing to keep up with the demand on the busiest day of the year. [ screaming ] [ zapping ] there goes dwayne's car. oh, man. there goes dwayne's house. whoa! whoa! and there goes dwayne. man, that thing does not like dwayne. [ male announcer ] state farm's got you covered. nice landing. it was. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. >>> occupy protesters are attempting to shut down ports -- up and down the west coast. about 200 demonstrators gathered at the port of long beach this m

tea party support is really splintered. 20% forç santorum. 17% for romney. perry 15%.hen you look at that split, i'm wondering why are they having so much trouble settling on a candidate? is it to their disadvantage? >> what it reflects is a couple things. the strength of this field, which is not terrific. to mitt romney's credit, he's run a disciplined campaign, but e he does top out here. whatever rick wants to say about huckabee and romney last time, he did not become the nominee. >> he came in second. >> second did you want get you the white house. what matters most to people is there's an issue of consistency here. it all shows, and we should pay attention to this as democrats. the tea party members are not monolithic. maybe not all are willing to settle for second best. and i also think that when you see the kind of damage that the negative ads have been doing in this caucus battle here at the end that's so intense, it's demonstrating the deep list of vulnerab vulnerableties the candidates have. >> when you talk about intensity, that's something that has served r

> oh, okay. >> minutes after the debated a romney adviser downplayed the wager offer saying in part, quote, i thought it was a good moment for mitt. rick perry backing down looked weak. $10,000 sounds stronger than 50 cents. okay. but romney's campaign rivals are using the bet to try to show the former governor is out of touch with average americans. the democratic national convention blasted an e-mail an hour after the debate titled "here's what the average american family can buy with $10,000," in an attempt to highlight what they call romney's rich guy moment. >>> rick perry struck a similar theme yesterday. >> i was taken a little aback. driving out to the station this morning, i'm pretty sure i didn't drive by a house that anyone in iowa would even think about that a $10,000 bet was possible, so a little out of touch with the normal iowa citizen. >> a senior arab league official is condemning remarks made by newt gingrich regarding palestinians, calling the former speaker's comments racist and, quote, a cheap attempt to get more votes. gingrich questioned palestinian statehood. >> i believe the youish people have the right to have a sta

romney 39%. perry released a new ad accusing candidates of being washington insiders. romney is increasing efforts in iowa releasing ads. newt gingrich's campaign is facing questions over how his first marriage ended. he says his first wife initiated the divorce. documents uncovered indicate that newt gingrich filed for divorce and his ex-wife asked the judge to block the process. some believe it will come down to newt gingrich, mitt romney, and ron paul, who is gaining momentum. >> the system drives out or excludes 5/7ths of the republicans in the field. >> jon huntsman is the only gop candidate who will not in b in iowa, banking showing in new hampshire, up next. kuren redmond, abc2 news. >>> you may not be faster than a speeding bullet baa missouri company can make it bullet proof. they make computer bags and briefcases that can double as bullet proof vests. >> we started to look at what are the commonalitys, who do people bring to meetings. meetings are important because 70% of workplace homicides are linked to discipline termination and appeals hearings. what do pe

gingrich, romney, perry and paul are expected to make it. bachmann, huntsman and santorum did not qualify in virginia. >>> still ahead on news 4, a long awaited shoe hits store shelves, it's not there for long. >>> coming up, the chaos at area malls as they go for the newest air jordans. >> reporter: someone stole his truck. if that wasn't bad enough, they took his dog, too. tonight, the search for cody. i'm pat collins, the story coming up. news 4. >>> an urgent appeal for blood donations are not uncommon. the national institutes of health say this time it's people's generosity that created the need. >>> news 4 >>> cold and flu season is here. doctors say women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should think twice before taking cold medicine. the ingredients haven't been well studied for use during pregnancy. oral decon jes could pose problems for pregnant women. >>> blood banks at the holidays are a problem. sometimes the weather is a factor. >> the reason behind the need might make you smile. melissa is live here to explain that to us. >>

they're saying number one, mitt romney was right. rick perryas misquoting romney's comments in his book. the second spin that the romney campaign is giving me, it's only the democrats who are making a big deal out of this 10,000 bet. it just proves so says the romney campaign that the democrats are obsess with the mitt romney and romney is the most electable candidate. it may be a tough sale. it may not be a good thing that romney was engaging with rick perry in the first place there. it brings mitt romney down a little bit >> it's a good thing. jake s that right? just the democrats or other republicans who are now trying to capitalize on it? do you think too much attention being paid to that bet comment? >> well, probably in the scheme of all that matters of import that were debated last night, it's probably getting a little bit more than its fair share of attention. i agree with the romney's campaign argument that the democrats are most focused on him. because, they consider him the biggest threat to the re-election of president obama. there'

he says "i think romney is the best choice for us. i like rick perry, but he doesn't seem to be going anywhere. he's not surging forward." >>> rival newt gingrich is su l surging for a big finish in iowa. gingrich said he would be happy coming in third or fourth in iowa. his comment came a day after a new iowa poll showed ron paul there. >>> gingrich is in virginia trying to collect enough signatures to make it onto the primary ballot. it appears to have worked. republican leaders tell "the washington post" that romney, perry, gingrich, and paul all turned in enough signatures by yesterday's deadline. the other candidates did not qualify to make it on the march 6th primary ballot. >>> 5:37 is our time. losing their cool on the court. what led up to this basket brawl during a high school basketball at progressive, you can bundle your home and auto policies and save. don't worry, tiny people. flo is a gentle giant. bundle home and auto at progressive.com. >>> good morning. 5:41. i'm meteorologist tom kierein in stormcenter 4. we've had rain passing throu

was chiding romney for his role of bringing health care to massachusetts. >> are you referred to individual mandates. >> perry seemed to misquote romney. romney gave the replay they may come to haunt him. >> 1240u7b bet? >> i'm not in the betting business. >> the internet exploded. $10,000 is three months pay for the average american. >> michele bachmann lumped romney and gingrich together. >> you look at newt romney they were for obama care. if you look at newt romney, they were for the illegal immigration problem. >> if the front runner does get derailed it will be over the issue of marital infill infill dealt. >> if you cheat on your spouse, you might cheat on your business partner. >> he was a target of a video. it's the first time the democrats have made a web video about someone other than romney in this election cycle. >> the plan to install kiosks at the mexican border. >> hundreds of people come together in the south bay to fight aids in east africa. >> the last thing you want to see, the benches clear. >> and fists were flying in the latest show of unsportsmanlike conduct, up next, the consequences.

romney. rick perry is portraying the other candidates as washington insiders, campaigning with the ultimate outsider, the controversial share of joe arpaio. >> that is the real deal right there. >> michelle bachmann is desperately trying to get momentum back, knowing that with less than a week left, a lot can happen. what paul is still leading the pack in iowa, but in new hampshire, it is mitt romney running strong with just 13 days to go before the first in that nation primary. brian mooar in washington. back to you. >> still ahead, did you get rid of your home phone line to avoid it telemarketers? soon it they may be able to target your cellphone. plus, when you are crocodile and you are hungry, even a lot more looks tasty -- a lawnmower looks tasty. it took the lives of five family members, and now learning that this christmas day fir >> we are falling breaking news. the inner loop of the beltway at loch raven boulevard is closed. there is an accident involving police at the location. there is no word of injuries or who was at fault. we don't know how long that portion of the beltway will be shut