i'm wolf blitzer in washington. we want to welcome our special -- our viewers through our special coverage of kim jong il's death. we're covering all the angles of this developing story. we have reporters across the world from beijing to the pentagon, to london, to the white house and beyond. instability in the region is a major worry right now. stan grant is in beijing and is joining us now live. stan, just a couple of hours ago we learned north korea test fired a short-range missile. what's the reaction in china, which obviously has the closest of relations with north korea? >> reporter: no reaction to that report of the short-range missile being fired. we know that north korea has these and has carried out these types of test firings before. out of south korea there have been reports that they don't see this as having been a hostile act towards south korea or anything related to that. however, this once again leads to the uncertainty and that's what the situation is, wolf, it is uncertain. china stressing once ag

wolf?> jessica, thanks very much. >>> the man who oversee s was arrested for drunk driving. randy babbitt has taken a leave of absence from his job. what do we know about this? >> wolf, police say this happened on saturday night at about 10:30 if fairfax, washington, not far from washington. faa administrator randy babbitt pulled over for allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road. police say he was driving alone. no crash or injuries reported in this incident. he was charged with driving while intoxicated and released on personal rekog any suns, which means in bail money was required. the department of transportation said officials there learned of the arrest, quote, in the last hour. that of course would be just afternoon today, about 36 hours after the arrest occurs. the white house also didn't find out until today after about noon time. so far babbitt has been given a leave of absence and his deputy will fill in. we called babbitt's house and went there to speak to him. we were not

i'm wolf blitzer. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room". -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com the clock is ticking. we're only five days away from the iowa caucuses. the focus has now turned to a certain degree, to rick santorum. an extraordinary surge in his poll. can rick santorum keep on climbing? joe johns has been following santorum in iowa on the campaign trial. joe, how did it go? >> well, wolf, good news and bad news for rick santorum. he's doing better in the polls. the bad news is he's the latest target on the campaign trial. what on earth took this guy so long to get traction in iowa any way? >> what's going on right now in iowa and i see it with the crowds getting bigger. i think they'd be bigger in any circumstance. people are focused. >> here's a guy who spent more time in the state than any other candidate. totally speaks the language of evangelicals and they've ignored him for months. now, suddenly, the lights and cals are all over the place. not what they wanted at first, but the only one le

wolf? >> south korea's military, they have gone on a higher state of alert right now. what are they expecting from north korea? >> well, their president held a national council security meeting right after the news of kim jong il's death. they were placed on high alert. there is the dmz, about an hour and a half drive where fr where we are here in seoul, the border between north and south korea, some 28,000 u.s. troops are there with south korean troops as well. really, securing their positions. so the moment, all eyes are on that region to make sure that everything remains stable. that of course, is what south korea wants. they want the situation to remain stable, wolf? >> and anna coren in seoul, south korea. with some 30,000 american troops along the dmz, american military commanders say they are vigilant in monitoring north korea right now. along with barbara starr, the joint cheer's chairman says bluntly, he is worried. joining us from germany where she is traveling with joint chiefs c

wolf? >> and as you pointed out in his memo he wrote to his staff and his supporters, he was very precise, newt gingrich, as he always is when he said don't initiate in his words attacks on other republican candidates, but then he went on to say he says they should reserve the right to respond when my record has been distorted. in other words, he's not going to start it, but if they start it, he's going to slap right back. >> and he's actually responded already, in fact. so you have to consider that. he's not -- he's being very precise with his words. >> as he always is. thanks very much for that, joe johns reporting. >>> donald trump now says he will not moderate a december 27th republican presidential debate. in a statement trump says and i'm reading it now in part, the republican party candidates are very concerned that sometime after the final episode of "the apprentice" i will announce my candidacy of the united states as an independent and unless i conclusively agree not to run as an

wolf? >> let's not forget, jim, there are about 3 million people who live in this state but republicans are suggesting if 120,000 actually show up for the caucuses a week from today, that will be pretty good. it's a major commitment. they can't just go into a voting booth and spend four or five minutes there. they have to spend an hour or two or three, getting ready for this, so that undertakes a major commitment and requires organizational skills to get these folks out there. >> reporter: that's right. it requires a major ground operation, and some of these candidates simply don't have that at this point, and so it's going to be interesting to watch. when i was talking to matt straun, chairman of the iowan republican party, he was struck by the fact that really this is anybody's game in iowa, while the national polls show this as a race between newt gingrich and mitt romney. here in iowa you have a slate of six candidates starting at the top at ron paul, going down to rick santorum and mic

wolf?st 5,000, maybe 5500 people, mostly peaceful protesters, killed the past several months by syrian authorities. what do we know about the arab league observers who are supposed to be there? what are they going to be able to do? >> well that's the key question, wolf. the arab league observers seem optimist about their mission. about 50 have arrived so far. some of them going to the city of homs. some going to flash point provinces where a lost violence has taken place. but many fear they won't be given the access that they need. we have been told that observers will be taken around to the cities and these provinces by syrian security forces by their own protection. the question is, will the syrian government actually allow these observers who are supposed to monitor the situation, who are supposed to bring an end to the violence, close to the neighborhoods where the crack down is going on? in sir why a lsyria a lot of ac don't believe that will happen. >> thousands killed and injured and

wolf blitzer, you stand by.ght back with more on newt gingrich. ♪ [ woman ] i know my kids are growing up. i see it in last year's pictures. i hear it in their plans for tomorrow. it makes me miss a couple of things. but i have a way to keep them close, even when they're far away. [ male announcer ] the inspiron one 2320 with the second gen intel® core™ i5 or i7 processors. performance for your unique lifestyle. for a limited time purchase select dell pc's and receive our holiday photo solution. our gift to you. everyone in the nicu, all the nurses wanted to watch him when he was there 118 days. everything that you thought was important to you changes in light of having a child that needs you every moment. i wouldn't trade him for the world. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. if you're caring for a child with special needs, our innovative special care program offers strategies that can help. okay... uhh. the bad news, it's probably

and the word erratic is very important here, wolf.mney campaign. you're going to be hearing the word erratic. you're going to be hearing the word unreliable. and that's because it plays into a narrative about newt gingrich that is already established, which is that he a s erratic and undisciplined. they want to try and reinforce that. one thing people look for fwhb a president who after all, served his commandener chief, is someone who is dependable. the romney campaign is finally getting its message act together. i think the career politician message while romney is still talking about it didn't stick on newt gingrich because he turned it around on mitt romney. this notion of unreliability play niece the marital issues and into the temperament issue. which. >> you a know, was a problem for john mccain in the 2008 election. do you remember. >> of course i remember. is it fair it say that republican establishment is really worried, still very much -- >> worried. >> more worried that newt gingrich could get the nomination? >> yeah, they

i'm wolf blitzer. i'm wolf blitzer.tion room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> we're at the new cnn election headquarters gearing up for iowa. game time in the republican race to take back the white house. and with just four days to go, emotions are running high. literally. voters saw a side of newt gingrich they rarely see when he got choked up a number of times talking about his late mother. let's bring in joe johns. he has the very latest. joe? >> it's not exactly what you would expect from one of the toughest talking guys in american politics, but there he was. former house speaker, newt gingrich, on the stage at java joe's in des moines, choked up and not able to hold back the tears after a question about his mother from gingrich's long time buddy and pollster, frank lunts. >> see, you got me emotional. i'm dealing with the real problems of real people in my family. and so, t not a theory. it's in fact, you know, my mother. >> it was by far the biggest moment in the campaign's trouble to humanize gingrich

it's a wolf! we got a wolf! we have a wolf. oh, my -- all righty! well, see?nt. there he is, it's a black -- nice. narrator: a young black wolf and her parents are attempting to cross soda butte creek, but winter presents challenges even for them. they are wise to be cautious. there'll be no river crossing today. down along the yellowstone river, the otter family has come together. even the lame youngster is in their midst. it's a christmas reunion, and today, they have an appreciative audience. man: do they normally stay in families? man: quite often, we see three of them together in this stretch of river, and today's actually been the first time this winter that i've seen four at one time. quite often, we see eagles somewhere around the otters, or coyotes somewhere around the otters. actually, right there! there's a bald eagle right in that tree. there's a bald eagle right there, look at that. [ laughing ] good spot. narrator: this is yellowstone's special gift -- to experience for ourselves the world that used to be, to enter the same fierce, wild place joh

i'm wolf blitzer. i'm wolf blitzer.'re in "the situation room". -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> let's begin with herman ca n cain. he just returned to his home a little while ago to have what is likely to be a very uncomfortable conversation with his wife. that talk could be key to deciding whether or not he stays in the race. cnn has learned that cain will meet with supporters and donors tomorrow before he publicly reveals the future of his campaign. jim acosta is following the cain controversy. what's the latest information we're getting? >> wolf, we told you yesterday about cain's plans to open up a new headquarters in atlanta tomorrow. turns out that's when and where cain says he will make a big announcement about the future of his campaign. >> as the cain train pulled into a town hall in south carolina, the candidate left no doubt the end of the line could come in weekend when he's scheduled to open up a new headquarters near atlanta. >> i will be making an announcement. we're going to be opening our head

now to wolf blitzer. now to wolf blitzer. "situation room" starts now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> happening now, the race for the white house in the big picture. how does president obama fare against each of the republican hopefuls? we have some surprising new poll numbers just coming in. we're releasing them. also, shocking charges against iraq's vice president, sparking fears of a civil war in iraq. we're going to talk about that and a whole lot more with senator john mccain. he's blaming president obama. plus, the impasse over extending the payroll tax cut becomes a full fledged congressional showdown with a tax hike for millions of americans hanging in the balance. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> this just coming in. our brand new poll numbers hitting pitting president obama against the republican candidate. the survey puts each toe to toe the president and even though the election is still almost 11 months away, the results still troubling for the gop. let's go inside the numbers with

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." the news continues next on cnn. >>> thanks for joining us. i'm jessica yellin. john king is off tonight. you'll see it here first. mitt romney's campaign responds to newt gingrich's cnn interview and his accusation that romney does not have the courage to debate one-on-one or defend his campaign's negative ads. >>> also -- gingrich says he won't vote for ron paul if the texas congressman wins the republican nomination. >>> plus -- a frightening day at country's biggest shopping mall and nothing to keep from happening the a mall near you. >>> first in iowa, the skating criticism newt gingrich levelled at two of his republican opponents, mitt romney and ron paul. just a short time ago wolf blitzer asked gingrich about the barrage of attack ads both romney and paul are running in iowa. republican voters caucus exactly one week from tonight. listen to some of what newt gingrich had to say about mitt romney. >> mitt romney made fun of you today. i don't know if you heard. >> no. >> about t

while some are excited, one group is worried about the wolf's return. here's more. >> reporter: as he feeds his beef cattle, he is in the hills and thinks what it would be like to have a wolf there. >> this is going to change everything. >> reporter: soon 300 miles north of gallardo's rang, the gray wolf labeled or7 by biologists is rolling in easterns is key use county after cross the border this year. >> the group defended the wild life providing this video and celebrated the return of the california wolf but rangies like gallardo fear if they return in packs, they could decimate the state's $10 billion a year livestock industry. >> people will think it's great and they will go out and listen to him and go to the condominiums and leave us to deal with it. >> reporter: over the past two years, wolves have -- and the federal government pays rangers for each wolf-related loss. last year, 10 states received a total of $1 million california was not one. sam blake, finally living on road kill and that the only threat is to the wolf itself and he predicts th

now to wolf blitzer in new york. your "situation room" starts your "situation room" starts now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> happening now, a critical state and powerful endorsement from romney, but will those voters back an blshment candidate? >>> also, a very disturbing hearing in the penn state child sex scandal. a coach tells what he witnessed to assault involving sandusky. >>> plus, fannie mae and freddie mac executives charged with representing the mortgage meltdown. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." mitt romney is picking up a significant endorsement in south carolina today. one that could help boost his standing with tea party republicans who continue to question his conservative credentials. romney now has the backing of governor nikki hailey, who herself was propelled into office with tea party support. can she convince those same tea party voters to back mitt romney? joe johns is joining us now. this is a huge day for mitt romney. tell us what we know. >> mitt romney continued

i'm wolf blitzer. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com the white house is stepping up pressure on house republicans to aroouf a two-month extension in the payroll tax cut. it's set to expire at the end of this year. president obama called john boehner today and the white house has even put a counterdown clock on the home page of its website. it says if the house does not act, taxes on the middle class will increase starting the first of the year. let's go to the white house. our chief white house correspondent, jessica yellin, is standing by with the latest on this dramatic political showdown. what is the latest? >> the latest is that the white house believes there is only one way for the nation to avoid an increase in the payroll tax cut and that is for speaker john boehner to bring that senate pass two month extension to a vote. just this morning, speaker boehner said that's not going to happen. >> we're here, we're ready to work. we're looking for our counterparts to

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cnn's wolf blitzer joins us now. wolf, you were in north korea very recently.wolf, i want to tell you that i'm hearing the south korean government is in emergency response status after the death of kim jong-il. wolf, you were there recently. >> i was there last december. i spent six days in pyongyang. i went with former u.s. ambassador to the united nations bill richardson. and at the time, the assumption was that kim jong-il was sick, but that he was in decent shape. this is almost exactly a year ago when i was there. they were getting ready for a succession to his son. he had been making appearances and over the past year has been making a few appearances, although it's obviously a totally uncertain situation that's unfolding now because no one really has a good appreciation of the inner workings of what's going to happen inside north korea. reminds me of when his father died. we were uncertain what was going to happen. kim jong-il did eventually take over and he continued. the communist totalitarian regime. we don't know what's going to happen now. there's n

wolf, as you know, mr.plimentary of romney even sort of giving explanation for what people would call his flip-flop or changes in position, saying only stupid people are the people who do not change their minds. >> donald trump will be joining me on thursday. we'll discuss this and a lot more with him as well. thanks very much. president obama is trying a new way to position himself against his republican opponent. whoever that might turn out to be. he went to kansas to deliver a populist message and borrow a page from a popular republican, president teddy roosevelt. let's go to our chief white house correspondent, jessica yellen. how did this unfold? >> reporter: president obama went to the same town in kansas where former republican presidential teddy roosevelt delivered a speech about wealth and equality more than 100 years ago. in this speech the president also borrowed from the themes that we hear from the protesters in the occupy wall street movement. >> it's a theme the president's team would like to

it's a wolf! we got a wolf! we have a wolf. oh, my -- all righty! well, see?nt. there he is, it's a black -- nice. narrator: a young black wolf and her parents are attempting to cross soda butte creek, but winter presents challenges even for them. they are wise to be cautious. there'll be no river crossing today. down along the yellowstone river, the otter family has come together. even the lame youngster is in their midst. it's a christmas reunion, and today, they have an appreciative audience. man: do they normally stay in families? man: quite often, we see three of them together in this stretch of river, and today's actually been the first time this winter that i've seen four at one time. quite often, we see eagles somewhere around the otters, or coyotes somewhere around the otters. actually, right there! there's a bald eagle right in that tree. there's a bald eagle right there, look at that. [ laughing ] good spot. narrator: this is yellowstone's special gift -- to experience for ourselves the world that used to be, to enter the same fierce, wild place joh

rumors swirled that 29 wolf dogs might be destroyed.lties of a criminal investigation in the attraction which charged $5 to walk alongside of and take pictures of the wolf dogs. the own rs told cnn the animals were treated well and no animals were broken. >> once we learned there were 29 wolves in jeopardy, we knew we had to take action. >> they jumped in, raised money and transferred the wolf dogs to their sanctuary. what they may not realize is we're at 6,000 feet. it does snow here and can get bone chilling cold here in the lockwood valley. >> this is truly a great place for wolves to live and it is where they used to live. >> and a refuge for several war veterans, caring for the wolf dogs. greg hall once fired weapon frs a us navy vessel. >> you feel really good about what you're getting to do every day. knowing the situations these guys came from and that you're working with rescued animals. >> the wolf dogs are too wild to become pets, but they have each other. po bonded by a vounlg from alaska further south. >> our very own wolf

i'm wolf blitzer. i'm wolf blitzer.the situation room". -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com a new warning for president obama to congress. don't expegt to go off and enjoy your holiday unless you make sure working americans aren't stuck with a tax increase. it's another last minute attempt by the white house to get republicans to compromise, break partisan gridlock, but in the process, the president is letting go of a goal that's near and dear to so many democrats' hearts. let's go to dan lothian. he's working the story for us. what's the latest, dan? >> that's right. what he's letting go of is the fact that millionaires, he's always believed, should bear a heavier burden so it eases some of the burden on middle class americans. right now, the negotiations continue. there seems to be more of an optimistic tone to extend the payroll tax cut and to prevent a government shutdown, but so r far, no deals is so the president once again turned up the heat. with the clock winding down to a deadline, president obama put more p

wolf. >> so, he wins this round, but in the aftermath of this fight, what do we expect from the white house going into the new year? >> expect more of this we can't wait events where he enacts executive actions. expect them to engage in the fight, to figure out how to extend the payroll tax cut for a full year and pay for it in a way that the white house thinks is responsible and expect them also to push for more elements of that jobs package to pass. the white house and president knows he'll ultimately be judged on how well the economy is doing and that to some extent, is out of the president's control and for republicans, that also is what they think is the final, is what he finally also will be judged on and for them, that is in their view, good news. >> a lot of economists say keeping this tax cut going for another year and the unemployment, that will help the economy, which will be important if the president. thanks very much. with the deal wrapped up, the president heading to hawaii r

wolf? >> jill, we'll be watching together with you.nks very much. >>> in the world of politics though, a win here in iowa could add to mitt romney's heir of invincibility. just ahead, i'll speak with the republican presidential candidate about his run for the white house. my interview coming up in our next hour. while romney's campaign in iowa seems steady, newt gingrich's is flailing and a dark horse has emerged. we're taking a closer look at that, our new poll numbers. strategy sessions coming up. at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness, man: good job. where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer a hassle-free lifetime repair guarantee, where the repairs made on your car are guaranteed for life or they're on us. these are just two of the valuable features you can expect from liberty mutual. plus, when you insure both your home and car with us, it could save you time and money. at liberty mutual, w

i'm wolf blitzer. i'm wolf blitzer.- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> donald trump is positioning himself as a king maker in the republican race and as a possible independent candidate. trump's political influence is under renewed scrutiny as he prepares to moderate a republican debate in iowa that's getting a poor response from most of the candidates. just today, rick perry announced he will not participate. for those reasons, i went to trump's office here in new york to talk about him, the campaign, the issues and of course, a lot more. thanks very much for joining us. >> thank you. >> nice building. >> pretty good. we've had some fun in this building over the years. >> we're going to talk about the book, time to get tough making america number one. talk about it later. let's talk about the debate. right now, it's a debate between santorum and gingrich. not much of a debate. >> i think you'll have others coming in. it's really a news max debate. i think you're going to have others coming in and coming many stron

i'm wolf blitzer. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room". -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> it's the center of the political university for the republican white house hopefuls. most of the candidates have iowa on their schedule today with their eyes on the all important caucuses less than three weeks away. that includes newt gingrich, who's iowa campaign director resigned amid reports he called romney's mormon faith a cult. but do voters share that view? and could that be part of the reason why mitt romney isn't xweting even more support? joe johns is joining us with more. he's been taking a closer look at romney's faith. i guess the question is mormon faith holding him back? >> it's a very good question, wolf. what about mitt romney's faith? one of those questions a lot of people dismiss as soon as it's asked. partly because people of both parties say they want to believe that a presidential election ought to be about issues, that the religion is beside the point, but polls show it was an issue four y

sam blake, who rescues wolf-dog hybrids says or-7 is probably living on road kill. he says the only threat is to the wolf itself, which he predicts will end up shot. >> the hysteria about wolves has not depleted at all. >> that was david benik reporting. wolves are protected species and killing one would be a crime. the wolf is probably looking for a mate, and when he realizes he's all alone, he'll probably turn back north. >>> tomorrow, ucla and the university of illinois will be playing against each other in the kraft fight hunger bowl. today the football players tackled hunger right here in the bay area. ucla players served thousands of meals in san francisco. and at saint anthony's university of illinois players served to hungry men and women as part of kraft foods huddle to fight hunger campaign. >> tonight we are here to help serve some of the people in san francisco, give them a nice meal for the holidays. and make sure they get fed and mingle with the people, and just show, like -- we love what we do. and then we just love also helping out -- helping out oth

. >>> a lone gray wolf is moving farther south. some are excited by the visitor one group is worried. they call the wolf or7 and are keeping tabs on the movement with a globing positioning caller. it was the first gray wolf to be seen in our state since the last one was killed in 1924. ranchers say reintroducing them will cost them livestock. >> people will think it is great and drive back to their condos and leave us to deal with it. >> in the past two years they killed 20 cows and the federal government pays ranchers each wolf-related loss. experts say the lone wolf is probably living on road kill. >>> a young hockey fan, claims he was attacked at a shark's game, and now the police are investigating. >> the doctors told her she suffered a slight concussion after a woman hit her during wednesday night's game. she is originally from vancouver and was wearing a canucks jersey at the time. the woman accused of attacking her says he is hit her accidently while celebrating a shark's goal. the investigation is open and they made no arre