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The postman had just delivered a Korean-language newspaper to 4416 Cather Ave. when he saw a plane plunging toward him.
“Everything was in slow motion,” said Bill Dusting, a veteran letter-carrier. “My first thought was, ‘Well, this is going to be quick and painless.’”
It was neither. On that morning, 10 years ago today, Dusting ran to safety but the Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornet crashed, killing four people inside 4416 Cather Ave. Flaming wreckage shredded that house and ripped through its neighbor, burning both homes to the ground.
The accident destroyed a South Korean immigrant’s family — the dead were Don Yoon’s wife, their two daughters, and his mother-in-law — and left a scar on this corner of San Diego’s University City.
South-koreaCrown-pointCaliforniaUnited-statesUniversity-village-parkWashingtonUniversity-city-high-schoolUniversity-cityNorth-islandCholla-namdoKorean-united-methodist-churchSan-diego and their initial statements are so far stunning. the chief monitor of this arab league observer force is a sudanese military commander named lieutenant general mohammed ahmed mustafa al dhabi. not only is he a sudanese military commander, he's also the former head of foreign intelligence in the government of omar al bashir, the man now wanted by the international criminal court for genocide and crimes against humanity. more on that in a moment. today, the head of the arab league team in syria, general al dhabi, told reuters that "things were calm and there were no clashes in homs, " which has for months seen some of the deadliest violence." he went on to say, "the situation seems reassuring so far." he also said, "some places looked a bit of a mess but there was nothing frightening." nothing frightening. that is not of course what we've been hearing from people in and around homs for months. and it's not what you will hear tonight from a reporter who snuck into that city and just returned. the footage he took is very disturbing. and we're going to show you that in a moment as well. there's other video from homs to show you tonight, but before we do i want to warn you, it is very hard to watch. this is video claiming to show the aftermath of an artillery strike on monday in homs. the very day the arab league monitors were arriving in damascus. the scene, destruction, several people lay dead. as always, we can't independently confirm the facts because the syrian regime won't let us see for ourselves. but this is what others tell us is happening. [ gunfire ] in homs the day the monitors landed in syria, the gunfire was reportedly nonstop. this is a neighborhood called baba amir. the monitors visiting that neighborhood today. you heard what john adhabi, the chief monitor said, nothing frightening. on monday, a syrian activist described the exact opposite. >> the security forcers and militia of syrian army are using the armored vehicle and tanks and anti-aircraft armor, storming this area, storming this neighborhood. there are more than ten houses completely destroyed, and there were many bodies under the rubble there. there is now a genocide take place in the city of homs. >> now, you can argue about the use of the word "genocide," but the killings have certainly taken on a sectarian nature. this activist in syria is desperate that someone do something to help. >> we are calling to direct intervene from the whole organization and the international community, to intervene here in syria and stop this bloodshed that's going on in syria, and in homs in particular. >> just yesterday, again with the arab league monitors on the ground, there was reported violence across syria. this video reportedly shows security forces firing on protesters in hama. remember, the monitors are in syria to verify that president assad is not attacking his people. today in dara, where all of this began, military defectors reportedly launched an ambush on security forces. this video purports to show it. according to an opposition group, four security force members were killed and at least 14 other people died across syria today. so what did the arab league observers actually observe in homs today? well, besides the benign statements by their leader, we've seen this video. again, i warn you, it's disturbing. it shows what apparently is an arab league observer being shown the body of a dead child. the man is in the orange vest. he's presumably the arab league observer according to the logo on his vest. the little boy is said to be about 5 years old. he and his family were allegedly shot by security personnel who opened fire on their van. now, remember, the sudanese head of this observer team says he saw nothing frightening. things seemed calm today. many people are outraged that this sudanese man, al dhabi, is leading this mission to begin with. again, he's a military commander in sudan and was head of foreign intelligence in a government which is now accused of genocide in darfur. he reported to a leader who is now wanted by the international criminal court for crimes against humanity. this is the man who's head of the observer force. the syrian opposition group doctors local committee in damascus is calling for that man's removal from the observer force saying "his role as the deputy head of foreign intelligence raises questions as to his knowledge of mass atrocities in darfur." "al dabi is now tasked with probing war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed against syrian victims. the appointment of al dabi taints the arab league's efforts and taints is r it as nothing more than a political force causing little help but much harm to the situation in syria." the situation al dabi calls reassuring and calm. today a u.s. state department spokesman responded to al dabi's initial assessment of homs saying it's just the beginning of the mission and they've only seen a small area so far. it's important, he said, "that we let them get themselves squared away on the ground, get their mission up and running." fair enough. but syrian opposition groups report that at least 14 people were killed today across the country, including five people in homs. a freelance journalist and filmmaker who we're not manamin for his security has just left homs. he spent six days there. and over the next few days cnn is going to be showcasing his remarkable reporting from the front lines. of a city at war. his first report is about government snipers that prowl homs, picking off civilian victims at will and randomly. >> the snipers are on basically every main street. they have checkpoints on both sides. snipers would shoot everybody who is basically crossing this street between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 in the morning. this is an unofficial curfew. the activists told me i have to meet this woman. this is the mother of a victim who got shot when she was pregnant in the seventh month. it was during the morning when she wanted to go out for shopping. >> translator: her brother tried for half an hour to go over the walls and roofs to get to her, but he didn't manage to reach her. finally they managed to pull her away, but it took another half an hour to get her to my house. >> you arrive a situation, you arrive a scene where a half hour ago somebody got shot. and 30 minutes later, people are crossing very normally this street. me crossing the street, i've been feeling basically, literally i've been feeling that somebody's aiming. the sniper's aiming on me and it's up to him if he's going to pull the trigger or not. i came to this junction and i realized that somebody wanted to cross the street with a huge bag of cigarettes. so he -- i could hear the snipers shooting. and he was -- he wasn't able to cross the street. and the bag with the cigarettes was in the middle of the street. so it was, again, one of these impressive -- very impressive scenes where people have been very happily -- and almost like a sport challenge to get the cigarette bags out from the sniper range. and they've been happy when they could. and they started to throw it from one car to the other. and they started to throw the bread because they were not able to cross. so everything they needed on the other side, they throw it over the street. >> a short time ago i spoke to that journalist by phone. again, we are not naming him for his own security. >> the footage that we just showed of snipers basically shooting people who are trying to get supplies, cigarettes and food, is really stunning. is there any justification for what they're doing? i mean, how can they justify randomly shooting people, targeting people in the streets? >> yes. it is exactly what you said, it is randomly. what we've seen in homs was especially in the neighborhoods al bayara and al haladiya, which are exactly in the middle of the city, surrounded by a lot of different sniper positions, which are aiming to all the main alleys, which are surrounding the neighborhoods. they are trying to -- to randomly put fear into the people into these neighborhoods in order to get them quiet and not getting out of the streets to demonstrate. >> and yet the people continue to turn out to demonstrate. you make the point that they have no other choice, that if world attention stops focusing on homs, if the demonstrations stop, the government will just go in later on, once it's gotten quiet, and arrest them anyway. >> exactly. so there is no other option for them. it might be either keep on fighting and demonstrating, uprising, or getting killed by the regime anyway. >> you've spent time in syria before. you took great risks. you risked your life to get into homs. what surprised you the most? >> everybody who was enforcing every time that they are doing a peaceful uprise now started to tell me, no, the point of no return is already crossed, this is not be able to peacefully. we are getting armed. we have the free syrian army. we will have to fight. >> the arab league has sent in this monitoring team into syria to try to assess the situation. what are people there saying about that? clearly the head of the team is this sudanese general. his own track record is in question. >> what the activists have been telling me about the monitoring team is that they are -- basically think this is a total show by the arab league. if the arab league would want to do really some pressure and steps against the regime, they would not need this monitor teams, especially not a team which is guided by somebody which is not really the most convincing people for the activists. >> thank you for what you've done. thank you for your footage. >> thank you. >> joining us now is fouad ajami, senior fellow at stanford's hoover institution. when you see people being just shot in the streets, trying to toss bread across from one side to another, there's no justification for what the government of syria is doing. >> well i think you have to understand the mind of al assad, just as his father maintained his reign by conquering and defeating the city of hamah 20 years ago, he is determined. he wants to make sure there can be no benghazi. there can be, full, no -- >> no free zone. >> exactly, became the free zone and liberated libya. there can be -- homs cannot liberate syria. and the demography of homs is very complicated. it's mostly syrian town but substantially allawi population. >> they support the government or traditionally did? >> absolutely. the geography. the allawi neighborhoods are spared. the sunni neighbors are shelled. the corpses are in the sunni neighborhood. you see the terrible logic of this regime. >> which is basically pushing it toward civil war, toward a sectarian conflict. >> that's exactly from the playbook of bashar al assad, that's what he would love to do in fact. because if he makes it sectarian, he corners his own allawi community. they stick by him. they have to become basharists. they must stay with him to the bitter end. and i think this is something that he believes that he can win. >> and yet they are in this situation where clearly he cannot win, but they cannot win either. there is this -- right now this back and forth. >> absolutely. i mean, i think we've talked before about syria repeatedly, and i think what it is in many ways, it's a kind of -- this irresistible force meeting with this immovable object. the people can't go back. that crossed that point. they can't go back. they can't accept the tyranny of the assad dynasty. and anyway, they're marked. all the activists are known to the syrian intelligence people. they will go and pick them one at a time. so i think it's too late, if you will, for the opposition. they must win. and it's too late for the regime because that's what the regime is looking at. bashar al assad is looking at -- he sees possibly what happened to gadhafi as a prelude, as a kind of a cautionary tale of what could happen to him. >> i think that's a really important point. that it's beyond the point of return for the people who have protested thus far. >> yes. >> there is no going back for them because if the world, not that the world is really paying attention, but to the extent that it is, if that attention stops, the protests stop, then security forces come in the night and just take you away and kill you. >> well, i think you've got it. and i think what's interesting about it, there was kind of a placard carried by some women in homs that said "all doors are closed except your doors or god." there's only god left for them. because again, they look at libya and see that libya was rescued by nato. and they look at their own situation. ten months into this terrible fight, no one has come to the rescue. and the arab league is a joke. the arab league had always been a joke. the arab league did one decent thing on libya, and all it did was to single out gadhafi, to finger him, if you will, for the international community. and so now the arab league sends this compromise mission, but we see what we see. >> there are 60 observers for a country -- a ridiculously small number. led by a man who is linked to the regime in sudan. >> yes. >> if you wrote it as a play, it would be laughable, but it's real. >> exactly. 60 observers for a country of 23 million people led by someone who must be reckoned to be the godfather of the dreaded janjaweed in the sudan. so you send someone to syria with this kind of compromised moral credit. but look at the arab world. no one really wanted this assignment. you can't send the lebanese, they don't want it. you can't send a jordanian because they border syria. you can't send an iraqi. and the syrians will not accept anyone from the gulf. and the egyptians don't want to do it. so guess what? you stick the sudanese with it. it's a terrible mission. and i think the international community that's hiding behind the arab league, if you will, has to face at some point what needs to be done about syria. >> so that's the thing, though. is there any answer to it? because if it goes to the i.n. there's russia and china which could very easily veto anything. >> exactly. and here's -- when the arab -- when basically the arab league says to the syrians, look, if you don't behave, if you don't grant us access, if you don't stop killing your people we're going to internationallize the conflict, we're going to refer it to the security council. and bashar al assad said welcome. the security council he has russia and china. not only that, the security council discussed syria he not only had russia and china, he had india and brazil and south africa, to their eternal shame, on his side. >> fouad, thanks for being on. appreciate it. >> let us know what you think. we're on facebook, google plus. add us to your circles. follow me on twitter twitter, @andersoncooper. i'm tweeting tonight. coming up, stunning development less than a week before the iowa caucus. new polling showing mitt romney in the lead but support for newt gingrich dropping significantly. we'll hear from romney and talk about what's behind gingrich's drop. also ahead, amazing pictures out of north korea. have you seen these pictures today? the elaborate funeral for kim jong-il. mourners filling the streets of pyongyang. whether real or not, the cries you see them there, just incredible to look at. we'll have all of the most important moments coming up. we'll be right back. 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. just a second. just, just one second. ♪ what are you looking at? don't look up there. why are you looking up? ♪ get outta the car. get outta the car. ♪ are you ok? the... get in the car. get in the car! 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romney was far and away the top pick. and in new hampshire he had more support on this question than all the others in the race combined. >> yeah. listen, in so many ways, can he beat president obama is the question. that, to me, is the most significant part of the poll because you can love somebody because they say exactly what you think, what you believe. you can like someone because they like their personal story. but in the end what republicans want is someone who can throw president obama out of the white house. so electability is huge. it's what mitt romney has been pushing, saying, look, you've got to have someone who can stand up to president obama, who can actually beat him. in the end when they go into the poll whether it's a straw poll or a caucus or primary in new hampshire, what republicans want is someone who can beat obama. so i think we're definitely talking about a winner kind of number for mitt romney. >> hillary, do you think republican voters are finally rallying around romney? maybe they're not in love with him but you know, maybe it's a marriage of convenience? >> well, you know, this campaign has been so fascinating because clearly, democrats, we've always thought that we're going to end up with the president running against mitt romney and but yet it was in the early months of the fall where mitt romney's vulnerabilities were really obvious. you know, the fact that he is a flip-flopper, that he has no job creation record, that he has consistently been inconsistent and -- >> come on, hilary. stop. >> wait. give me this, rich. what happened was republicans then saw those weaknesses and started looking elsewhere. and the rest of the field isn't that attractive, either. and you know you saw the gingrich surge, he was a lot angrier about the president and so he had his surge for a moment. but i think when push comes to shove, from their perspective, romney's run a pretty good primary campaign to date. and all of those other candidates have their own flaws and iowa may just be more reflective of the republican primary problems than it is their solutions. >> rich, i'll let you respond to what hilary said. >> well, i talked to two campaigns in iowa today. candy's out there, so she's probably heard the same things. they say that the santorum surge is a real surge, and that ron paul's campaign is going to -- is probably tomorrow going to turn its big guns, not only advertising but people in stops where he is, the social media that the paul people are so good at, they're going to turn that entire operation against rick santorum and try to protect at least their second-place finish in iowa, if not pivot back and try to -- try to top romney. but they're absolutely convinced that these other two campaigns, that santorum is peaking at exactly the right time. not that he can win, but that he can really kind of surprise everybody. >> rich, why do you think it is that he has done so well just in the last couple of weeks? >> i think -- to this extent i agree with hillary, that this is -- he's the last one standing whose tires haven't been kicked by the conservative wing of the republican party. they went through everybody else. >> the other issue, reason why santorum is surging, obviously, is that the evangelical vote, which is 60% historically of the republican primarily, remember, pushed mike huckabee to a win in 2008, that they're coalescing around rick santorum and there aren't that many states where the evangelical wing of the republicans are that dominant. but if santorum does well in iowa, you know, he can also move, he's not going to do that well in new hampshire but south carolina is another early state where the evangelical vote is pretty strong. so you know, there ends up be -- >> yeah, i think south carolina -- >> ends up being mitt and who co-lesses around mitt is the strongest candidate. >> i think south carolina's going to be the two-man death match between santorum and gingrich, loser goes home. but when you get past that hillary and candy, you still have to go to florida a week later, a $2 million a week state, who else has got the money and the resources and the infrastructure to do all of that within 28 days starting next tuesday? >> candy, are expectations now, i mean, for romney that if he places anywhere but first that that would be seen as a defeat? >> i think it depends -- i don't think he can place any place but second and not have it be negative for him. but i think he could place a strong second to someone like ron paul simply because most republicans, even though this makes the ron paul people very upset, most republicans -- >> you'll get e-mails -- >> -- see ron paul as -- yes, i know. don't see him as someone who will win the nomination but he is someone who can stay the course. he will stay in this forever, until the end, until it's over. but placing second to ron paul in iowa for mitt romney would be okay. they could use that as traction moving into new hampshire. what -- what mitt romney can't do is lose to rick perry or newt gingrich, that's a problem. >> we've got to leave it there. candy crowley, thank you. rich galen, hilary rosen, thanks. the iowa caucuses less than a week away. we'll have results and analysis on cnn. our coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern. that's next tuesday january 3rd. just ahead, in north korea a fascinating day. carefully staged farewell to kim jong il. thousands of wailing mourners lining the streets of the capital. we're going to take a look at the very public outpouring of grief and what's next for the country. the most remarkable images from this day. plus, a reporter seuss the massachusetts town where phoebe prince committed suicide for details of a settlement with her parents. details ahead. ahead, kim jong il's funeral. a rare glimpse into one of the world's most closed society. but was all that wailing and weeping genuine, or were they crocodile tears in the crowd? we'll take a closer look. but first susan hendricks has a "360" news and business bulletin. susan? hi, anderson. the trial of former egyptian president hosni mubarak resumes today after a month-long break, only to be adjourned until monday. the ailing 83-year-old arrived at court by ambulance and was brought in on a stretcher. today, families of slain protesters asked to have the head judge disqualified but were denied. mubarak is pleading not guilty to charges he ordered the killing of protesters back in february. mexican police say they have captured aguerdo, a top drug trafficker. this is huge. authorities say, the 39-year-old was arrested at mexico city's airport tuesday. the u.s. offered a $5 million reward for his capture. the town of south hadley, massachusetts paid the parents of a bullying victim nearly a quarter million dollars after their daughter committed suicide. you may remember this sad story. 15-year-old phoebe prince hanged herself last year. a reporter for "slate" sued and just received access to details of that settlement. in business news last-minute shopping caused a surge in holiday sales according to industry analysts. mall shoppers spent about $44 billion during the week before christmas, up almost 15% from last year. maybe you can tell from all of the video we've been showing. anderson, back to you. >> susan, thanks. tonight another look at the other major stories of the year. that's coming up -- to a close. this saturday, new year's eve, at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. eastern, we're going to bring you our special "all the best, all the worst of 2011." tom foreman previews the impact of pop culture. >> harry potter. >> reporter: the final "harry potter" film exploded into theaters. >> harry, harry. >> reporter: conjuring up more than $380 million in ticket sales, according to box office mojo. >> it was kind of sweet. it was a nice movie. >> reporter: putting an exclamation point on one of the most successful literary and cinematic series of all time. >> you know, it's always nice to see a big movie where you want to eat a lot of popcorn and drink soda and just kind of lose yourself in it. and that was definitely one of those films. >> i have no idea what's going on from the beginning to the end. it's mr. whosy wits it and mrs. grimblehower and they have their ferwizen and like riding on their turducken. i just -- i need a guidebook. great movies this year. i'm trying to think what my choices are. ♪ >> my three favorite movies are going to tell you a lot about me. number 3, "kung fu panda 2." >> what time! >> number 2, "winnie the pooh." >> oh, bother. >> and number 1, "puss in boots." >> put up your dukes. >> worst movie of the year for me, "hangover 2." >> cheers. >> cheers. >> cheers. >> it was the same movie! >> you're going to freak out, but it's going to be okay. >> okay. how are you going to make the same movie twice? >> check your pockets. i might be close. >> come on! >> you're going to freak out but it's going to be okay. >> you know? like come up with a new plot. it was still at a wedding! >> a preview of the special. "all the best, all the worst of 2011." again, that airs saturday, new year's eve, at 8:00 and 10:00 eastern. then you know what happens after that. we're going to ring in the new year, me and kathy griffin, live from times square. i don't know why they did it again this year, but they did. they hired her again. party starts 11:00 eastern new year's eve here on cnn. i hope she doesn't get me fired. up next, a more serious note. we turn to the funeral of north korean leader kim jong il. the video is really just amazing. grief on a level outsiders may find hard to understand. we'll look behind the tears, find out what may lie ahead for north korea now that its, quote unquote, dear leader is gone. and later, new details about the horrific christmas morning fire at the connecticut home that took five lives. autopsy results paint a much clearer picture of what really happened. [ terri ] my husband, hank, was always fun. never took life too seriously. 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[whoosh, clang] you need lifelock-- the only identity protection company that now monitors bank accounts for takeover fraud. lifelock-- relentlessly protecting your identity. call 1-800-lifelock or go to lifelock.com today. a cult-like devotion on display for a dictator who ruled with an iron fist pl all of it intended for worldwide consumption. up close, the funeral of north korea's dear leader, kim jong-il. it was a well-choreographed production, to be sure. in a moment, we will talk about what happens to north korea now. but here's a look at a spectacle we rarely get to see. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: the weeping voice of a north korean state news anchor announcing the start of kim jong il's funeral procession. ♪ it's a national and required day of mourning for the leader whose death came as a surprise to most of the world, leaving the future of this secretive society unclear. the weeping of north koreans as they watch the procession is showcased throughout the broadcast. their wailing is heard constantly in the background. whether the grief is real or forced is unknown. at the head of the funeral coach walks the new leader of north korea, kim jong un, already titled the great successor. his hand resting on the car that holds his father's body, a clear symbol of this inherited leadership. he's kim jong il's youngest son. his two older brothers are notably not visible during the funeral. the funeral broadcast is also a propaganda tool. the state anchor tells us that even the snowfall is a sign of grief. tears from heaven for kim jong il. >> [ speaking foreign language ]. >> "the general, our general," the announcer weeps, "where have you gone?" this woman echos the announcer, saying, "general, you can't go. you can't go." as the procession reaches the city's central kim il sung square, the wailing crowd is worked up into a frenzy. and the message of grief for the dear leader is turned into a message of support for his son, who is surrounded by military advisers, including his uncle, the vice chairman of the national defense commission, believed to be the power behind the scenes. "the world will witness our march forward," the anchor says, "we will defend kim jong un with our lives." thousands of soldiers stand in the square, motionless, in perfect formation, a symbol of the collective, their heads bowed in a sign of respect. for a dictator who kept such tight control of his country through his army, the carefully choreographed funeral is also a show of military strength. sending the world a message, true or not, that the nation is united behind the new regime. >> so fascinating to watch. let's dig deeper into north korea. i'm joins by barbara demik, a beijing bureau chief for the "los angeles times," also author of the book "nothing tone vi: ordinary lievgz in north korea." also joined by john park, research fellow, director of northeast projects at the u.s. institute of peace. barbara, when you see that outpouring of emotion, is it real? i mean, what -- yeah, is it real? >> only in part. you know, it's funny. i've talked to many people who were at kim il sung's funeral in 1994. and what they describe is a situation where you just get swept away by the crowd. it's like if you're around people coughing you cough. and you're around people crying. you cry. many people, including people who were on camera, have told me how they were required to fake it or they thought their political loyalty would be questioned and their whole family would be downgraded in social status. so i think sometimes the people themselves don't know if they're crying for real. >> and john, why did the line of succession go to kim jong il's youngest son? >> well, the speculation, anderson, is that if you look at the eldest son, kim jong nam, there was an episode where he tried to sneak into japan to go to tokyo disneyland. and that is credited as the main reason why he perhaps is not fit for succession. >> wait. sorry. he tried to sneak -- he tried to sneak into japan to go to tokyo disneyworld? >> that's correct. and it was a huge embarrassment for north korea, and he was promptly deported. but you know, this is something that is a part of the north korean lore now. he is now more or less living in exile in macau, and reports out of china is that he's under a considerable amount of protection. but the second son, kim jong choi, the japanese sushi chef who lived with kim jong il and personal chef for many years, noted that kim jong il viewed his second son as not really the material for a strong man. the third son, i think the biggest claim to fame for him is that he remarkably looks like his grandfather, kim il sung. an important part of the propaganda in the transition to the third generation. >> so does he have the support of the military, which he is now head of? >> well, i think one thing we have to remember is this process is ongoing. even in the death of kim jong il. and with that the military is a critical part because kim jong il consolidated his power and ran the country through the military after the death of his father in 1994. but the key thing about the north korean military and the whole emphasis of the military in the new leadership structure is the north korean economy is a militarized economy. so kim jong un as a four-star general, as a senior military figure, he will have to be groomed to run some of these very important military links trading companies, very important revenue generator for the regime and for a future kim jong un regime. >> and barbara, his uncle is often described as kind of the real power. >> that's right. jang sung tek, who's 65, an appropriate age for leadership in korea, is married to kim jong il's younger sister. he who was really the closest family member to kim jong il. and they have been power brokers behind the scenes for a long time. jong sun tek has a large family, he's had brothers and sons very involved in the military. brothers and sons, very involved in the military. and i think there was somewhat of a deal made where kim jong-un would become perhaps the figure head, giving a considerable amount of power to jong sung tek. it's shakespearean, but that's how the deal works. >> barbara, how does this funeral compare to the funeral of his father? >> you know, it's funny. the north koreans are not that creative. it's almost the same. his father died in the summer. so there was no snow. but the procession, the cars, the rituals of grieving today, already thursday in asia, there's going to be a three-minute moment of silence at noon. you know, they announced -- the death was announced by the same television broadcaster on north korean television, also done at noon. so they're following this template, they feel like it worked last time, so maybe it will work again. >> john, what are the biggest questions you would like to know the answers to? i mean, there's so much we don't know about the inner workings of this regime. >> i think, anderson, there's a lot of speculation in reading the tea leaves right now. but there's one fundamental question that i think is very objective, is will kim jong un and his collective leadership be able to make money on a recurring basis? and running the web of state trading companies which effectively make up north korea incorporated. kim jong il was purported to run this system quite well, quite effectively. so the question going forward, irrespective of being the third son of kim jong il, will kim jong un learn from his uncle, a known rainmaker, with the running and the profitable operation of the state trading companies? >> and what is it that's making them money? >> a key part of it, and this is a new reality of north korea-s that all of these north korean state trading companies have very important chinese partners. and the commercial deals and the transactional nature of these relationships, it isn't one of resurgence of an alliance or any type of preferential treatment, it's really each side going out and trying to make a buck. but now the partnerships between these state trading companies on the north korean side, private chinese companies on the chinese side, is growing rapidly in the border region, and specifically in the north korean mining industry. that is a key area that has been neglected and underdeveloped for many years. but already we're seeing reports of increasing of coal exports from north korea to china. so the evidence is there. >> barbara, what question would you like most answered? >> are you going to be the next -- the deng xiaoping of north korea? i think there's a lot of expectations that he will, when he comes into his own, that he's going to open up the country. the chinese certainly know, the north koreans know that the country cannot be sustained at this level of poverty, deprivation, and hunger. and north korea, it's so extraordinary. it's in the middle of the greatest economic miracle of the world next to china and south korea and japan and somebody has to move things. and the question is is kim jong un going to be it? >> interesting. barbara demik, appreciate it. john park as well. thanks. coming up, new information about the tragic christmas day fire at a connecticut home, left three young girls and their grandparents dead. they have autopsy results which give really new clues about exactly what happened. you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been doing. you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. that's my world. ♪ anything? no. ♪ how about now? nope. ♪ [ dog barking ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] the chevy silverado. ♪ [ male announcer ] with best-in-class 4x4 available v8 fuel economy. finally! ♪ [ male announcer ] from getting there... to getting away from there. chevy runs deep. so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. ewill be giving awayuse for passafree copiesrline, of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. hi there, i'm susan hendricks with a "360" bulletin. we have new information in that horrific christmas day house fire in con that killed three young girls and their grandparents. the girls, ages 10, and 7-year-old twins, died in their fire. the medical examiner's office says the grandfather, seen here dressed as santa with his grandchildren, died from blunt force head and neck trauma and smoke inhalation. he reportedly fell through the roof outside of a window while trying to save his granddaughter. all three grandchildren and their grandmother died of smoke inhalation. a federal judge has ordered the government to pay more than $17 million to a family that lost four members when a marine jet crashed into their home in san diego. the family did ask for $56 million. that is the aftermath. don yoon lost his wife and two daughters and mother-in-law in the 2008 crash. and a warning for you. build a bear workshop is recalling nearly 300,000 teddy bears sold in the u.s. and canada. the consumer product safety commission says the colorful hearts teddy bears' eyes could fall out, causing a choking risk. no injuries, though, have been reported. anderson, back to you. coming up, your choice for number 3 on our top 10 "riduculist" countdown. last night number 4 was romance haters who doubted the relationship of doug hutchison and courtney stodden. well, tonight number three on the list, voted by you, the best "riduculist" is the first time the names doug hutchison and courtney stodden ever crossed my list. that's right, they make up number 3 and 4 of the top 10 "riduculist." ah, the memories. that's next. ♪ wouldn't you like to get away? ♪ ♪ ♪ sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ ♪ you want to be where you can see ♪ ♪ our troubles are all the same ♪ ♪ you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ all right. you voted for it. here's the number 3 of the top 10 "riduculist"s of the year. and it's the first time we ever met courtney stodden and doug hutchison. take a look. >> tonight we're adding those heartless folks who are criticizing the love between this actor and his new bride. i'm talking about a guy named doug hutchison. apparently he was in the movie "the green mile" and had some small roles on "lost" and "the x files." now, i'm not familiar with his work really at all. but here's what i do know. he's 51 years old and a few weeks ago in las vegas he married a 16-year-old girl. now, a lot of people are making a bunch of noise about how the girl, courtney stodden, is a minor and how there's a 35-year age difference between them. blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. i don't see what the big deal is. the wedding was on may 20th, according to my calendar that was a friday. so she probably only had to miss one day of high school. and what was she going to miss in 11th grade, anyway? algebra? whoever uses that? but it did get me thinking, who is this young lady who found true love with a character actor in his early 50s. >> luckily like a lot of 16-year-olds she has a youtube channel where she posts videos. probably talks about her homework and getting her driver's license and justin bieber and stuff. let's take a look. ♪ when i'm a-walking ♪ i'll be dropping ♪ when i walk by ♪ you can't control your guy >> oh. goodness. well, i'm sure there's more to her than just that. ♪ don't put it on me girl ♪ don't put it on me girl ♪ no, don't put it on me girl ♪ d-d-d-d-don't >> a lot of people suggest that someone should have told courtney d-d-d-d-don't marry that guy. he's too old for you, you have your driver's test coming up. her parents. but guess, what her parents gave their permission. not the uptight parents that won't let her stay out past 11:00, make music videos on boats, marry someone three times her age. they're cool parents. her mom told radar online they're, quote, totally supportive of this marriage. her dad says, the new son-in-law, who is four years older than he is, is, quote, the nicest man i ever met in my life. so cool. but they also vin stilled morals in their daughter. here's another one of her youtube videos. >> i have never done pornography, i never will. about myself, i am a christian girl. i hold my faith very tightly. >> believe me, you learn how to hold things very tightly when you go to the beach wearing nothing but the american flag. i like that at age 16 she makes it a point of pride that she's never done pornography. that's like basically saying i'm about to do pornography. or inevitably i will do pornography, but i haven't done it yet. i wonder if her parents booked her for that photo shoot. they are so cool. >> i'm a virgin, and i plan to stay that way until i am married. >> okay. a little bit of an overshare, but i'll say this about courtney. she likes to keep it real. >> my breasts are real. everything about me is real. my hair is real. my teeth are real. my eyelashes are real. my breasts are totally real. you know, believe it or not it, but they are. >> did she mention that her breasts are real? i think she mention td twice. you know what else is real? their love is real. courtney, i wish you nothing but the best in your singing career and your marriage. but if it doesn't work out, someone's recently back on the market. and to all you haters, remember, age is only a number. 51. just a
BrazilBeijingChinaMexico-cityDistrito-federalMexicoSan-diegoCaliforniaUnited-statesArab-leagueAl-qahirahEgypt stop violence against protesters. they've been on the ground about 48 hours. and their initial statements are so far stunning. the chief monitor of this arab league observer force is a sudanese military commander named lieutenant general mohammed ahmed mustafa al dhabi. not only is he a sudanese military commander, he's also the former head of foreign intelligence in the government of omar al bashir, the man now wanted by the international criminal court for genocide and crimes against humanity. more on that in a moment. today, the head of the arab league team in syria, general al dhabi, told reuters that "things were calm and there were no clashes in homs, " which has for months seen some of the deadliest violence." he went on to say, "the situation seems reassuring so far." he also said, "some places looked a bit of a mess but there was nothing frightening." nothing frightening. that is not of course what we've been hearing from people in and around homs for months. and it's not what you will hear tonight from a reporter who snuck into that city and just returned. the footage he took is very disturbing. and we're going to show you that in a moment as well. there's other video from homs to show you tonight, but before we do i want to warn you, it is very hard to watch. this is video claiming to show the aftermath of an artillery strike on monday in homs. the very day the arab league monitors were arriving in damascus. the scene, destruction, several people lay dead. as always, we can't independently confirm the facts because the syrian regime won't let us see for ourselves. but this is what others tell us is happening. [ gunfire ] in homs the day the monitors landed in syria, the gunfire was reportedly nonstop. this is a neighborhood called baba amir. the monitors visiting that neighborhood today. you heard what john adhabi, the chief monitor said, nothing frightening. on monday, a syrian activist described the exact opposite. >> the security forcers and militia of syrian army are using the armored vehicle and tanks and anti-aircraft armor, storming this area, storming this neighborhood. there are more than ten houses completely destroyed, and there were many bodies under the rubble there. there is now a genocide take place in the city of homs. >> now, you can argue about the use of the word "genocide," but the killings have certainly taken on a sectarian nature. this activist in syria is desperate that someone do something to help. >> we are calling to direct intervene from the whole organization and the international community, to intervene here in syria and stop this bloodshed that's going on in syria, and in homs in particular. >> just yesterday, again with the arab league monitors on the ground, there was reported violence across syria. this video reportedly shows security forces firing on protesters in hama. remember, the monitors are in syria to verify that president assad is not attacking his people. today in dara, where all of this began, military defectors reportedly launched an ambush on security forces. this video purports to show it. according to an opposition group, four security force members were killed and at least 14 other people died across syria today. so what did the arab league observers actually observe in homs today? well, besides the benign statements by their leader, we've seen this video. again, i warn you, it's disturbing. it shows what apparently is an arab league observer being shown the body of a dead child. the man is in the orange vest. he's presumably the arab league observer according to the logo on his vest. the little boy is said to be about 5 years old. he and his family were allegedly shot by security personnel who opened fire on their van. now, remember, the sudanese head of this observer team says he saw nothing frightening. things seemed calm today. many people are outraged that this sudanese man, al dhabi, is leading this mission to begin with. again, he's a military commander in sudan and was head of foreign intelligence in a government which is now accused of genocide in darfur. he reported to a leader who is now wanted by the international criminal court for crimes against humanity. this is the man who's head of the observer force. the syrian opposition group doctors local committee in damascus is calling for that man's removal from the observer force saying "his role as the deputy head of foreign intelligence raises questions as to his knowledge of mass atrocities in darfur." "al dabi is now tasked with probing war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed against syrian victims. the appointment of al dabi taints the arab league's efforts and taints is r it as nothing more than a political force causing little help but much harm to the situation in syria." the situation al dabi calls reassuring and calm. today a u.s. state department spokesman responded to al dabi's initial assessment of homs saying it's just the beginning of the mission and they've only seen a small area so far. it's important, he said, "that we let them get themselves squared away on the ground, get their mission up and running." fair enough. but syrian opposition groups report that at least 14 people were killed today across the country, including five people in homs. a freelance journalist and filmmaker who we're not manamin for his security has just left homs. he spent six days there. and over the next few days cnn is going to be showcasing his remarkable reporting from the front lines. of a city at war. his first report is about government snipers that prowl homs, picking off civilian victims at will and randomly. >> the snipers are on basically every main street. they have checkpoints on both sides. snipers would shoot everybody who is basically crossing this street between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 in the morning. this is an unofficial curfew. the activists told me i have to meet this woman. this is the mother of a victim who got shot when she was pregnant in the seventh month. it was during the morning when she wanted to go out for shopping. >> translator: her brother tried for half an hour to go over the walls and roofs to get to her, but he didn't manage to reach her. finally they managed to pull her away, but it took another half an hour to get her to my house. >> you arrive a situation, you arrive a scene where a half hour ago somebody got shot. and 30 minutes later, people are crossing very normally this street. me crossing the street, i've been feeling basically, literally i've been feeling that somebody's aiming. the sniper's aiming on me and it's up to him if he's going to pull the trigger or not. i came to this junction and i realized that somebody wanted to cross the street with a huge bag of cigarettes. so he -- i could hear the snipers shooting. and he was -- he wasn't able to cross the street. and the bag with the cigarettes was in the middle of the street. so it was, again, one of these impressive -- very impressive scenes where people have been very happily -- and almost like a sport challenge to get the cigarette bags out from the sniper range. and they've been happy when they could. and they started to throw it from one car to the other. and they started to throw the bread because they were not able to cross. so everything they needed on the other side, they throw it over the street. >> a short time ago i spoke to that journalist by phone. again, we are not naming him for his own security. >> the footage that we just showed of snipers basically shooting people who are trying to get supplies, cigarettes and food, is really stunning. is there any justification for what they're doing? i mean, how can they justify randomly shooting people, targeting people in the streets? >> yes. it is exactly what you said, it is randomly. what we've seen in homs was especially in the neighborhoods al bayara and al haladiya, which are exactly in the middle of the city, surrounded by a lot of different sniper positions, which are aiming to all the main alleys, which are surrounding the neighborhoods. they are trying to -- to randomly put fear into the people into these neighborhoods in order to get them quiet and not getting out of the streets to demonstrate. >> and yet the people continue to turn out to demonstrate. you make the point that they have no other choice, that if world attention stops focusing on homs, if the demonstrations stop, the government will just go in later on, once it's gotten quiet, and arrest them anyway. >> exactly. so there is no other option for them. it might be either keep on fighting and demonstrating, uprising, or getting killed by the regime anyway. >> you've spent time in syria before. you took great risks. you risked your life to get into homs. what surprised you the most? >> everybody who was enforcing every time that they are doing a peaceful uprise now started to tell me, no, the point of no return is already crossed, this is not be able to peacefully. we are getting armed. we have the free syrian army. we will have to fight. >> the arab league has sent in this monitoring team into syria to try to assess the situation. what are people there saying about that? clearly the head of the team is this sudanese general. his own track record is in question. >> what the activists have been telling me about the monitoring team is that they are -- basically think this is a total show by the arab league. if the arab league would want to do really some pressure and steps against the regime, they would not need this monitor teams, especially not a team which is guided by somebody which is not really the most convincing people for the activists. >> thank you for what you've done. thank you for your footage. >> thank you. >> joining us now is fouad ajami, senior fellow at stanford's hoover institution. when you see people being just shot in the streets, trying to toss bread across from one side to another, there's no justification for what the government of syria is doing. >> well i think you have to understand the mind of al assad, just as his father maintained his reign by conquering and defeating the city of hamah 20 years ago, he is determined. he wants to make sure there can be no benghazi. there can be, full, no -- >> no free zone. >> exactly, became the free zone and liberated libya. there can be -- homs cannot liberate syria. and the demography of homs is very complicated. it's mostly syrian town but substantially allawi population. >> they support the government or traditionally did? >> absolutely. the geography. the allawi neighborhoods are spared. the sunni neighbors are shelled. the corpses are in the sunni neighborhood. you see the terrible logic of this regime. >> which is basically pushing it toward civil war, toward a sectarian conflict. >> that's exactly from the playbook of bashar al assad, that's what he would love to do in fact. because if he makes it sectarian, he corners his own allawi community. they stick by him. they have to become basharists. they must stay with him to the bitter end. and i think this is something that he believes that he can win. >> and yet they are in this situation where clearly he cannot win, but they cannot win either. there is this -- right now this back and forth. >> absolutely. i mean, i think we've talked before about syria repeatedly, and i think what it is in many ways, it's a kind of -- this irresistible force meeting with this immovable object. the people can't go back. that crossed that point. they can't go back. they can't accept the tyranny of the assad dynasty. and anyway, they're marked. all the activists are known to the syrian intelligence people. they will go and pick them one at a time. so i think it's too late, if you will, for the opposition. they must win. and it's too late for the regime because that's what the regime is looking at. bashar al assad is looking at -- he sees possibly what happened to gadhafi as a prelude, as a kind of a cautionary tale of what could happen to him. >> i think that's a really important point. that it's beyond the point of return for the people who have protested thus far. >> yes. >> there is no going back for them because if the world, not that the world is really paying attention, but to the extent that it is, if that attention stops, the protests stop, then security forces come in the night and just take you away and kill you. >> well, i think you've got it. and i think what's interesting about it, there was kind of a placard carried by some women in homs that said "all doors are closed except your doors or god." there's only god left for them. because again, they look at libya and see that libya was rescued by nato. and they look at their own situation. ten months into this terrible fight, no one has come to the rescue. and the arab league is a joke. the arab league had always been a joke. the arab league did one decent thing on libya, and all it did was to single out gadhafi, to finger him, if you will, for the international community. and so now the arab league sends this compromise mission, but we see what we see. >> there are 60 observers for a country -- a ridiculously small number. led by a man who is linked to the regime in sudan. >> yes. >> if you wrote it as a play, it would be laughable, but it's real. >> exactly. 60 observers for a country of 23 million people led by someone who must be reckoned to be the godfather of the dreaded janjaweed in the sudan. so you send someone to syria with this kind of compromised moral credit. but look at the arab world. no one really wanted this assignment. you can't send the lebanese, they don't want it. you can't send a jordanian because they border syria. you can't send an iraqi. and the syrians will not accept anyone from the gulf. and the egyptians don't want to do it. so guess what? you stick the sudanese with it. it's a terrible mission. and i think the international community that's hiding behind the arab league, if you will, has to face at some point what needs to be done about syria. >> so that's the thing, though. is there any answer to it? because if it goes to the i.n. there's russia and china which could very easily veto anything. >> exactly. and here's -- when the arab -- when basically the arab league says to the syrians, look, if you don't behave, if you don't grant us access, if you don't stop killing your people we're going to internationallize the conflict, we're going to refer it to the security council. and bashar al assad said welcome. the security council he has russia and china. not only that, the security council discussed syria he not only had russia and china, he had india and brazil and south africa, to their eternal shame, on his side. >> fouad, thanks for being on. appreciate it. >> let us know what you think. we're on facebook, google plus. add us to your circles. follow me on twitter twitter, @andersoncooper. i'm tweeting tonight. coming up, stunning development less than a week before the iowa caucus. new polling showing mitt romney in the lead but support for newt gingrich dropping significantly. we'll hear from romney and talk about what's behind gingrich's drop. also ahead, amazing pictures out of north korea. have you seen these pictures today? the elaborate funeral for kim jong-il. mourners filling the streets of pyongyang. whether real or not, the cries you see them there, just incredible to look at. we'll have all of the most important moments coming up. we'll be right back. 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. just a second. just, just one second. ♪ what are you looking at? don't look up there. why are you looking up? ♪ get outta the car. get outta the car. ♪ are you ok? the... get in the car. get in the car! 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[ man ] still love that wind in my face! talk to your doctor. don't kid yourself about the risk of heart attack and stroke. if lipitor's been working for you, stay with it. lipitor may be available for as little as $4 a month with the lipitor co-pay card. terms and conditions apply. learn more at lipitorforyou.com. here you go. driver's license. past five years' tax returns. high school report cards. and i'm gonna need to see a receipt for that watch you're wearing. you know, you really should provide us with a checklist of documents we're gonna need up front. who do you think i am? quicken loans? at quicken loans, we provide a checklist of the mortgage documents you'll need up front. it helps keep you in the know every step of the way. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. in raw politics, six days before the iowa caucuses, support for newt gingrich has dropped significantly and surged for rick santorum. the latest cnn/time/orc poll, romney has a slight lead over paul. the next two spots are the big story. santorum is in third place with 16%, up 11 points from the beginning of december. and gingrich is at 14%, down 19 points from the beginning of the month. in just a moment i'll talk with our political panel about whether the negative ads against gingrich are behind the plunge. first what front-runner mitt romney had to say to wolf blitzer in "the situation room." >> if you're going to get into a campaign like this you've got to have broad shoulders. and if you can't take on the negative that's parts of a primary, you're sure as heck not going to be ready for what's going to come from barack obama. if you can't handle the heat in this kitchen, wait until barack obama's hell's kitchen. >> joining me from des moines, iowa, chief political correspondent candy crowley, host of cnn's "state of the union," in washington rich galen and cnn political contributor hillary rosen. one of the interesting numbers out of the cnn/"time"/orc survey wasn't the horse race, it was the response to the question -- we asked the voters who has the best chance at beating obama in iowa? romney was far and away the top pick. and in new hampshire he had more support on this question than all the others in the race combined. >> yeah. listen, in so many ways, can he beat president obama is the question. that, to me, is the most significant part of the poll because you can love somebody because they say exactly what you think, what you believe. you can like someone because they like their personal story. but in the end what republicans want is someone who can throw president obama out of the white house. so electability is huge. it's what mitt romney has been pushing, saying, look, you've got to have someone who can stand up to president obama, who can actually beat him. in the end when they go into the poll whether it's a straw poll or a caucus or primary in new hampshire, what republicans want is someone who can beat obama. so i think we're definitely talking about a winner kind of number for mitt romney. >> hillary, do you think republican voters are finally rallying around romney? maybe they're not in love with him but you know, maybe it's a marriage of convenience? >> well, you know, this campaign has been so fascinating because clearly, democrats, we've always thought that we're going to end up with the president running against mitt romney and but yet it was in the early months of the fall where mitt romney's vulnerabilities were really obvious. you know, the fact that he is a flip-flopper, that he has no job creation record, that he has consistently been inconsistent and -- >> come on, hilary. stop. >> wait. give me this, rich. what happened was republicans then saw those weaknesses and started looking elsewhere. and the rest of the field isn't that attractive, either. and you know you saw the gingrich surge, he was a lot angrier about the president and so he had his surge for a moment. but i think when push comes to shove, from their perspective, romney's run a pretty good primary campaign to date. and all of those other candidates have their own flaws and iowa may just be more reflective of the republican primary problems than it is their solutions. >> rich, i'll let you respond to what hilary said. >> well, i talked to two campaigns in iowa today. candy's out there, so she's probably heard the same things. they say that the santorum surge is a real surge, and that ron paul's campaign is going to -- is probably tomorrow going to turn its big guns, not only advertising but people in stops where he is, the social media that the paul people are so good at, they're going to turn that entire operation against rick santorum and try to protect at least their second-place finish in iowa, if not pivot back and try to -- try to top romney. but they're absolutely convinced that these other two campaigns, that santorum is peaking at exactly the right time. not that he can win, but that he can really kind of surprise everybody. >> rich, why do you think it is that he has done so well just in the last couple of weeks? >> i think -- to this extent i agree with hillary, that this is -- he's the last one standing whose tires haven't been kicked by the conservative wing of the republican party. they went through everybody else. >> the other issue, reason why santorum is surging, obviously, is that the evangelical vote, which is 60% historically of the republican primarily, remember, pushed mike huckabee to a win in 2008, that they're coalescing around rick santorum and there aren't that many states where the evangelical wing of the republicans are that dominant. but if santorum does well in iowa, you know, he can also move, he's not going to do that well in new hampshire but south carolina is another early state where the evangelical vote is pretty strong. so you know, there ends up be -- >> yeah, i think south carolina -- >> ends up being mitt and who co-lesses around mitt is the strongest candidate. >> i think south carolina's going to be the two-man death match between santorum and gingrich, loser goes home. but when you get past that hillary and candy, you still have to go to florida a week later, a $2 million a week state, who else has got the money and the resources and the infrastructure to do all of that within 28 days starting next tuesday? >> candy, are expectations now, i mean, for romney that if he places anywhere but first that that would be seen as a defeat? >> i think it depends -- i don't think he can place any place but second and not have it be negative for him. but i think he could place a strong second to someone like ron paul simply because most republicans, even though this makes the ron paul people very upset, most republicans -- >> you'll get e-mails -- >> -- see ron paul as -- yes, i know. don't see him as someone who will win the nomination but he is someone who can stay the course. he will stay in this forever, until the end, until it's over. but placing second to ron paul in iowa for mitt romney would be okay. they could use that as traction moving into new hampshire. what -- what mitt romney can't do is lose to rick perry or newt gingrich, that's a problem. >> we've got to leave it there. candy crowley, thank you. rich galen, hilary rosen, thanks. the iowa caucuses less than a week away. we'll have results and analysis on cnn. our coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern. that's next tuesday january 3rd. just ahead, in north korea a fascinating day. carefully staged farewell to kim jong il. thousands of wailing mourners lining the streets of the capital. we're going to take a look at the very public outpouring of grief and what's next for the country. the most remarkable images from this day. plus, a reporter seuss the massachusetts town where phoebe prince committed suicide for details of a settlement with her parents. details ahead. ahead, kim jong il's funeral. a rare glimpse into one of the world's most closed society. but was all that wailing and weeping genuine, or were they crocodile tears in the crowd? we'll take a closer look. but first susan hendricks has a "360" news and business bulletin. susan? hi, anderson. the trial of former egyptian president hosni mubarak resumes today after a month-long break, only to be adjourned until monday. the ailing 83-year-old arrived at court by ambulance and was brought in on a stretcher. today, families of slain protesters asked to have the head judge disqualified but were denied. mubarak is pleading not guilty to charges he ordered the killing of protesters back in february. mexican police say they have captured aguerdo, a top drug trafficker. this is huge. authorities say, the 39-year-old was arrested at mexico city's airport tuesday. the u.s. offered a $5 million reward for his capture. the town of south hadley, massachusetts paid the parents of a bullying victim nearly a quarter million dollars after their daughter committed suicide. you may remember this sad story. 15-year-old phoebe prince hanged herself last year. a reporter for "slate" sued and just received access to details of that settlement. in business news last-minute shopping caused a surge in holiday sales according to industry analysts. mall shoppers spent about $44 billion during the week before christmas, up almost 15% from last year. maybe you can tell from all of the video we've been showing. anderson, back to you. >> susan, thanks. tonight another look at the other major stories of the year. that's coming up -- to a close. this saturday, new year's eve, at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. eastern, we're going to bring you our special "all the best, all the worst of 2011." tom foreman previews the impact of pop culture. >> harry potter. >> reporter: the final "harry potter" film exploded into theaters. >> harry, harry. >> reporter: conjuring up more than $380 million in ticket sales, according to box office mojo. >> it was kind of sweet. it was a nice movie. >> reporter: putting an exclamation point on one of the most successful literary and cinematic series of all time. >> you know, it's always nice to see a big movie where you want to eat a lot of popcorn and drink soda and just kind of lose yourself in it. and that was definitely one of those films. >> i have no idea what's going on from the beginning to the end. it's mr. whosy wits it and mrs. grimblehower and they have their ferwizen and like riding on their turducken. i just -- i need a guidebook. great movies this year. i'm trying to think what my choices are. ♪ >> my three favorite movies are going to tell you a lot about me. number 3, "kung fu panda 2." >> what time! >> number 2, "winnie the pooh." >> oh, bother. >> and number 1, "puss in boots." >> put up your dukes. >> worst movie of the year for me, "hangover 2." >> cheers. >> cheers. >> cheers. >> it was the same movie! >> you're going to freak out, but it's going to be okay. >> okay. how are you going to make the same movie twice? >> check your pockets. i might be close. >> come on! >> you're going to freak out but it's going to be okay. >> you know? like come up with a new plot. it was still at a wedding! >> a preview of the special. "all the best, all the worst of 2011." again, that airs saturday, new year's eve, at 8:00 and 10:00 eastern. then you know what happens after that. we're going to ring in the new year, me and kathy griffin, live from times square. i don't know why they did it again this year, but they did. they hired her again. party starts 11:00 eastern new year's eve here on cnn. i hope she doesn't get me fired. up next, a more serious note. we turn to the funeral of north korean leader kim jong il. the video is really just amazing. grief on a level outsiders may find hard to understand. we'll look behind the tears, find out what may lie ahead for north korea now that its, quote unquote, dear leader is gone. and later, new details about the horrific christmas morning fire at the connecticut home that took five lives. autopsy results paint a much clearer picture of what really happened. [ terri ] my husband, hank, was always fun. never took life too seriously. 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[whoosh, clang] you need lifelock-- the only identity protection company that now monitors bank accounts for takeover fraud. lifelock-- relentlessly protecting your identity. call 1-800-lifelock or go to lifelock.com today. a cult-like devotion on display for a dictator who ruled with an iron fist pl all of it intended for worldwide consumption. up close, the funeral of north korea's dear leader, kim jong-il. it was a well-choreographed production, to be sure. in a moment, we will talk about what happens to north korea now. but here's a look at a spectacle we rarely get to see. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: the weeping voice of a north korean state news anchor announcing the start of kim jong il's funeral procession. ♪ it's a national and required day of mourning for the leader whose death came as a surprise to most of the world, leaving the future of this secretive society unclear. the weeping of north koreans as they watch the procession is showcased throughout the broadcast. their wailing is heard constantly in the background. whether the grief is real or forced is unknown. at the head of the funeral coach walks the new leader of north korea, kim jong un, already titled the great successor. his hand resting on the car that holds his father's body, a clear symbol of this inherited leadership. he's kim jong il's youngest son. his two older brothers are notably not visible during the funeral. the funeral broadcast is also a propaganda tool. the state anchor tells us that even the snowfall is a sign of grief. tears from heaven for kim jong il. >> [ speaking foreign language ]. >> "the general, our general," the announcer weeps, "where have you gone?" this woman echos the announcer, saying, "general, you can't go. you can't go." as the procession reaches the city's central kim il sung square, the wailing crowd is worked up into a frenzy. and the message of grief for the dear leader is turned into a message of support for his son, who is surrounded by military advisers, including his uncle, the vice chairman of the national defense commission, believed to be the power behind the scenes. "the world will witness our march forward," the anchor says, "we will defend kim jong un with our lives." thousands of soldiers stand in the square, motionless, in perfect formation, a symbol of the collective, their heads bowed in a sign of respect. for a dictator who kept such tight control of his country through his army, the carefully choreographed funeral is also a show of military strength. sending the world a message, true or not, that the nation is united behind the new regime. >> so fascinating to watch. let's dig deeper into north korea. i'm joins by barbara demik, a beijing bureau chief for the "los angeles times," also author of the book "nothing tone vi: ordinary lievgz in north korea." also joined by john park, research fellow, director of northeast projects at the u.s. institute of peace. barbara, when you see that outpouring of emotion, is it real? i mean, what -- yeah, is it real? >> only in part. you know, it's funny. i've talked to many people who were at kim il sung's funeral in 1994. and what they describe is a situation where you just get swept away by the crowd. it's like if you're around people coughing you cough. and you're around people crying. you cry. many people, including people who were on camera, have told me how they were required to fake it or they thought their political loyalty would be questioned and their whole family would be downgraded in social status. so i think sometimes the people themselves don't know if they're crying for real. >> and john, why did the line of succession go to kim jong il's youngest son? >> well, the speculation, anderson, is that if you look at the eldest son, kim jong nam, there was an episode where he tried to sneak into japan to go to tokyo disneyland. and that is credited as the main reason why he perhaps is not fit for succession. >> wait. sorry. he tried to sneak -- he tried to sneak into japan to go to tokyo disneyworld? >> that's correct. and it was a huge embarrassment for north korea, and he was promptly deported. but you know, this is something that is a part of the north korean lore now. he is now more or less living in exile in macau, and reports out of china is that he's under a considerable amount of protection. but the second son, kim jong choi, the japanese sushi chef who lived with kim jong il and personal chef for many years, noted that kim jong il viewed his second son as not really the material for a strong man. the third son, i think the biggest claim to fame for him is that he remarkably looks like his grandfather, kim il sung. an important part of the propaganda in the transition to the third generation. >> so does he have the support of the military, which he is now head of? >> well, i think one thing we have to remember is this process is ongoing. even in the death of kim jong il. and with that the military is a critical part because kim jong il consolidated his power and ran the country through the military after the death of his father in 1994. but the key thing about the north korean military and the whole emphasis of the military in the new leadership structure is the north korean economy is a militarized economy. so kim jong un as a four-star general, as a senior military figure, he will have to be groomed to run some of these very important military links trading companies, very important revenue generator for the regime and for a future kim jong un regime. >> and barbara, his uncle is often described as kind of the real power. >> that's right. jang sung tek, who's 65, an appropriate age for leadership in korea, is married to kim jong il's younger sister. he who was really the closest family member to kim jong il. and they have been power brokers behind the scenes for a long time. jong sun tek has a large family, he's had brothers and sons very involved in the military. brothers and sons, very involved in the military. and i think there was somewhat of a deal made where kim jong-un would become perhaps the figure head, giving a considerable amount of power to jong sung tek. it's shakespearean, but that's how the deal works. >> barbara, how does this funeral compare to the funeral of his father? >> you know, it's funny. the north koreans are not that creative. it's almost the same. his father died in the summer. so there was no snow. but the procession, the cars, the rituals of grieving today, already thursday in asia, there's going to be a three-minute moment of silence at noon. you know, they announced -- the death was announced by the same television broadcaster on north korean television, also done at noon. so they're following this template, they feel like it worked last time, so maybe it will work again. >> john, what are the biggest questions you would like to know the answers to? i mean, there's so much we don't know about the inner workings of this regime. >> i think, anderson, there's a lot of speculation in reading the tea leaves right now. but there's one fundamental question that i think is very objective, is will kim jong un and his collective leadership be able to make money on a recurring basis? and running the web of state trading companies which effectively make up north korea incorporated. kim jong il was purported to run this system quite well, quite effectively. so the question going forward, irrespective of being the third son of kim jong il, will kim jong un learn from his uncle, a known rainmaker, with the running and the profitable operation of the state trading companies? >> and what is it that's making them money? >> a key part of it, and this is a new reality of north korea-s that all of these north korean state trading companies have very important chinese partners. and the commercial deals and the transactional nature of these relationships, it isn't one of resurgence of an alliance or any type of preferential treatment, it's really each side going out and trying to make a buck. but now the partnerships between these state trading companies on the north korean side, private chinese companies on the chinese side, is growing rapidly in the border region, and specifically in the north korean mining industry. that is a key area that has been neglected and underdeveloped for many years. but already we're seeing reports of increasing of coal exports from north korea to china. so the evidence is there. >> barbara, what question would you like most answered? >> are you going to be the next -- the deng xiaoping of north korea? i think there's a lot of expectations that he will, when he comes into his own, that he's going to open up the country. the chinese certainly know, the north koreans know that the country cannot be sustained at this level of poverty, deprivation, and hunger. and north korea, it's so extraordinary. it's in the middle of the greatest economic miracle of the world next to china and south korea and japan and somebody has to move things. and the question is is kim jong un going to be it? >> interesting. barbara demik, appreciate it. john park as well. thanks. coming up, new information about the tragic christmas day fire at a connecticut home, left three young girls and their grandparents dead. they have autopsy results which give really new clues about exactly what happened. you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been doing. you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. anything? no. ♪ how about now? nope. ♪ [ dog barking ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] the chevy silverado. ♪ [ male announcer ] with best-in-class 4x4 available v8 fuel economy. finally! ♪ [ male announcer ] from getting there... to getting away from there. chevy runs deep. so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. ewill be giving awayuse for passafree copiesrline, of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. hi there, i'm susan hendricks with a "360" bulletin. we have new information in that horrific christmas day house fire in con that killed three young girls and their grandparents. the girls, ages 10, and 7-year-old twins, died in their fire. the medical examiner's office says the grandfather, seen here dressed as santa with his grandchildren, died from blunt force head and neck trauma and smoke inhalation. he reportedly fell through the roof outside of a window while trying to save his granddaughter. all three grandchildren and their grandmother died of smoke inhalation. a federal judge has ordered the government to pay more than $17 million to a family that lost four members when a marine jet crashed into their home in san diego. the family did ask for $56 million. that is the aftermath. don yoon lost his wife and two daughters and mother-in-law in the 2008 crash. and a warning for you. build a bear workshop is recalling nearly 300,000 teddy bears sold in the u.s. and canada. the consumer product safety commission says the colorful hearts teddy bears' eyes could fall out, causing a choking risk. no injuries, though, have been reported. anderson, back to you. coming up, your choice for number 3 on our top 10 "riduculist" countdown. last night number 4 was romance haters who doubted the relationship of doug hutchison and courtney stodden. well, tonight number three on the list, voted by you, the best "riduculist" is the first time the names doug hutchison and courtney stodden ever crossed my list. that's right, they make up number 3 and 4 of the top 10 "riduculist." ah, the memories. that's next. ♪ wouldn't you like to get away? ♪ ♪ ♪ sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ ♪ you want to be where you can see ♪ ♪ our troubles are all the same ♪ ♪ you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ all right. you voted for it. here's the number 3 of the top 10 "riduculist"s of the year. and it's the first time we ever met courtney stodden and doug hutchison. take a look. >> tonight we're adding those heartless folks who are criticizing the love between this actor and his new bride. i'm talking about a guy named doug hutchison. apparently he was in the movie "the green mile" and had some small roles on "lost" and "the x files." now, i'm not familiar with his work really at all. but here's what i do know. he's 51 years old and a few weeks ago in las vegas he married a 16-year-old girl. now, a lot of people are making a bunch of noise about how the girl, courtney stodden, is a minor and how there's a 35-year age difference between them. blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. i don't see what the big deal is. the wedding was on may 20th, according to my calendar that was a friday. so she probably only had to miss one day of high school. and what was she going to miss in 11th grade, anyway? algebra? whoever uses that? but it did get me thinking, who is this young lady who found true love with a character actor in his early 50s. >> luckily like a lot of 16-year-olds she has a youtube channel where she posts videos. probably talks about her homework and getting her driver's license and justin bieber and stuff. let's take a look. ♪ when i'm a-walking ♪ i'll be dropping ♪ when i walk by ♪ you can't control your guy >> oh. goodness. well, i'm sure there's more to her than just that. ♪ don't put it on me girl ♪ don't put it on me girl ♪ no, don't put it on me girl ♪ d-d-d-d-don't >> a lot of people suggest that someone should have told courtney d-d-d-d-don't marry that guy. he's too old for you, you have your driver's test coming up. her parents. but guess, what her parents gave their permission. not the uptight parents that won't let her stay out past 11:00, make music videos on boats, marry someone three times her age. they're cool parents. her mom told radar online they're, quote, totally supportive of this marriage. her dad says, the new son-in-law, who is four years older than he is, is, quote, the nicest man i ever met in my life. so cool. but they also vin stilled morals in their daughter. here's another one of her youtube videos. >> i have never done pornography, i never will. about myself, i am a christian girl. i hold my faith very tightly. >> believe me, you learn how to hold things very tightly when you go to the beach wearing nothing but the american flag. i like that at age 16 she makes it a point of pride that she's never done pornography. that's like basically saying i'm about to do pornography. or inevitably i will do pornography, but i haven't done it yet. i wonder if her parents booked her for that photo shoot. they are so cool. >> i'm a virgin, and i plan to stay that way until i am married. >> okay. a little bit of an overshare, but i'll say this about courtney. she likes to keep it real. >> my breasts are real. everything about me is real. my hair is real. my teeth are real. my eyelashes are real. my breasts are totally real. you know, believe it or not it, but they are. >> did she mention that her breasts are real? i think she mention td twice. you know what else is real? their love is real. courtney, i wish you nothing but the best in your singing career and your marriage. but if it doesn't work out, someone's recently back on the market. and to all you haters, me
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