eve bash in the world on this "american morning." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good morning, everyone. so glad you could join us. it is friday, december 30th. i'm deb feyerick along with alina cho on this "american morning." >> thanks for joining us, everybody. up first this morning, mitt romney trying to steal the deal in iowa. former massachusetts governor is the front-runner now, a few points ahead of ron paul. with four days to go before the caucuses, romney is tweaking his schedule, planning to spend a lot more time in iowa over the next 96 hours telling voters this election is about saving the soul of america and he is the man for the job. cnn political editor paul steinhauser live in des moines, iowa this morning. good morning to you. so romney is enlisting high-profile help on the trail today. isn't he? >> sure is. thinking here and across the country, iowa, chris christie. a lot of people wanted christie himself to run for the white house. in october he finally said no for the last time and endorsed romney. going to be with him at the first campaign event of the day for romney. alina, seems quietly behind the scene, the campaign a little more happy where they stand in iowa and maybe a little bit more confident. he'll be right here in des moines on caucus not. not back in new hampshire. stay here and here the next morning before heading to new hampshire, the state that votes second subpoena that's what they're saying quietly and behind the scene. i think they're more confident. a modest mitt romney, still. take a listen. >> sure i want to win iowa. everybody wants to win iowa. i'm not going to predict who's going to win. it's too difficult to know who's going to show up at the caucuses, but i want to get the support of the people of iowa. >> remember four years ago he spent a lot of time and money in iowa. got upset by mike huckabee. went to new hampshire. lost there as well. bad. he memories from four years ago. >> i also want to talk about newt gingrich falling in the polls. in the last cnn poll he's fourth with 14% of the vote. he's still confident. he's newt gingrich, after all, but he's lowering expectations now. isn't he? >> he seems to be. started last week and continued on the campaign trail yesterday here in iowa. maybe now fourth place is good enough for him to continue. take a listen. >> if you come in fourth, will you stay in the race? >> oh, sure. that wouldn't bother me. >> there are more than three tickets out of iowa? >> sure. depends on what happens. depends what the margins are. considering i'm 20 points ahead in other states, it would be fairly foolish not to stay in the race. it is a long way from here to picking the nominee. >> and those states he's talking about are south carolina, and florida. we haven't seen polls in a while. keep our eyes on newt gingrich. see how he does here in iowa. that could really determine what is next for him. >> and headed into 2012 in debt. something else to think about. meanwhile, michele bachmann another high profile defection. two in two days. what's that all about, paul? >> the last thing she needs, right? in the single digits in our poll. shep needs a strong finish to continue on. taken off message. remember yesterday morning talking about her state chairman, senator, who jumped ship and now is backing ron paul. well, her political director here in iowa, let go, maybe fired after he took sides with that state senator, over that state senator was paid off by ron paul or not. taking michele bachmann off message. she needs to get back to her message immediately if she can do well near iowa. >> polling at around 9%. paul stein houhauser. in the next hour, rick santorum's sudden surge in the poll. is it real? his chances of pulling off an upset? could he be the next mike huckabee? and this tuesday night, don't forget the country's caucus. iowa caucuses begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn. north korea warning of violent revenge against south korea. the nation says it insulted that more south koreans did not intend the funeral of the late kim jong-il. south korea did allow some citizens to attend and did not send an official delegation. cnn's paula hancocks is live from south korea. there was hope the south expressed condolences, but what is going on now? >> reporter: well, alina, it's literally one day since the official mourning for kim jong-il ended, and already these confrontational statements from north korea have started once again. there was this hope that the new boy, kim jong-un, he is young, he has been educate the abroad would have a different outlook and change things in north korea. the initial impression is it will be exactly the same. the statement from the national defense commission. we solemnly declare with confidence the south korean puppets and foolish politicians around the world should not expect any change from north korea. it really couldn't be any clearer. criticizing the fact the south koreans wouldn't give a blanket approval from people from south korea to go to pyongyang and pay their respects to kim jong-il, but it was an about-turn for the south korean government. president lee myung-bak had been hard-lined before he softened his stance. it clearly wasn't enough for north korea. there should be a little context here. this is the kind of language we do expect from north korea. it's the kind of rhetoric that we have seen and heard a lot of in the past. very fiery rhetoric, but obviously it is coming very quickly after this official mourning period is over. alina? >> so, and, paula, it's deb now. we're also hearing that the u.s. plans to send one of its top diplomats to talk there in the region. do you think that that might help soften things? do you think that can help build a bridge, or right now is north korea just digging in and saying, sorry. things are going to ge on as usual? >> reporter: well, certainly from what we've heard today, it sounds as though they're digging in their heels and will be saying business as usual. sunday will be interesting. they always give an editorial on the first of january, every single year. it's published in the newspaper, but it's effectively indirectly from kim jong-il, it will be from kim jong-un. we'll be able to see exactly what he thinks for the year, but we do have curt campbell, the u.s. assistant for the eastern asian affairs coming to tokyo, to beijing and a flurry of diplomatic activity around the region, which just shows the fear of the unknown at this point. all of the regional powers and the u.s. are working very closely to try and figure out what the repercussions are from kim jong-un taking over and kim jong-il dying. this is a statement we have heard before. >> paula hancocks for us there in korea. thank you so much again. i think as you put it, it is indeed a fear of the unknown. thanks so much. massive anti-rallies across syria. the opposition calling on people to camp out in public squares until president bashar al assad's regime is gone. 30 people killed during demonstrations last night. the protests were energized by the arrive of arab league peace monitors earlier in the week. also new this morning, al qaeda building an army in libya. the terrorist organization recruited some 200 jihadists in the country and al qaeda leader ayman al zawahiri sent one of his personal fighters to head recruiting efforts in libya, but the source says western intelligence agencies are aware of his presence in. a fight over money is holding things up again at ground zero. new york mayor michael bloomberg now saying there is no chance the september 11th museum will open as planned 11 years to the day of the attacks. this is all over a dispute between the port authority and the museum foundation, whose chairman, by the way, a bloomberg, over who should pay $300 million in cost overruns. president obama paid his respects at pearl harbor last night. he and the first lady laid a wreath at the uss memorial to honor those killed there. china official on a mission to send a man to the moon. a spacecraft and a space station. no human has set foot on the moon when the americans landed. the chinese successfully docked two unmanned space docks last month and consider to have it completed by 2016. any moon landing is not expected for another decade or so. 2020. still ahead, chilling 911 audio, whispers of a suspected killer who was dressed as santa as he opened fire on his family on christmas day. the economy raining on the rose parade. organizers dropping out and protesters moving in. what's that all about? we'll tell you, just ahead. final touches. yes, the countdown for the new year's eve ball as new york prepare for the party of the year. a live report from times square, next. ♪ he was a 21st century global nomad ♪ ♪ home was an airport lounge and an ipad ♪ ♪ made sure his credit score did not go bad ♪ ♪ with a free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ app that he had ♪ downloaded it in the himalayas ♪ ♪ while meditating like a true playa ♪ ♪ now when he's surfing down in chile'a ♪ ♪ he can see when his score is in danger ♪ ♪ if you're a mobile type on the go ♪ ♪ i suggest you take a tip from my bro ♪ ♪ and download the app that lets you know ♪ ♪ at free-credit-score-dot-com now let's go. ♪ vo: offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com™. nyquil tylenol: we are?ylenol. you know we're kinda like twins. nyquil (stuffy): yeah, we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. tylenol: and i relieve nasal congestion. nyquil (stuffy): overachiever. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't. this was the gulf's best tourism season in years. all because so many people wanted to visit us... in louisiana. they came to see us in florida... nice try, they came to hang out with us in alabama... once folks heard mississippi had the welcome sign out, they couldn't wait to get here. this year was great but next year's gonna be even better. and anyone who knows the gulf knows that winter is primetime fun time. the sun's out and the water's beautiful. you can go deep sea fishing for amberjack, grouper and mackerel. our golf courses are open. our bed and breakfast have special rates. and migrating waterfowl from all over make this a bird watcher's paradise. so if you missed it earlier this year, come on down. if you've already been here come on back... to mississippi... florida... louisiana... alabama. the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go. so come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. man on tv: ...rbis and 36 homers. swings at the first pitch and fouls it deep back into the stands. [ding] [fans whirring] announcer: chill raw and prepared foods promptly. one in 6 americans will get sick from food poisoning this year. check your steps at foodsafety.gov. welcome back. it's 13 minutes after the hour. disturbing discovery in that deadly christmas day shooting outside dallas. police have enhanced the audioof a 911 call and they say the voice they've uncovered is the presumed killer. a man who shot and killed six family members while he was dressed as santa claus and then he shot himself to death. his words are chilling. listen. >> hello, 911. >> help me. help. >> you need help? >> are you sick? what was that? do you need an ambulance or police. hello? >> the victims included the suspected gunman, his estranged wife and two children, his 19-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son. new this morning, a massive sinkhole threatening to push a historic cemetery under ground. officials in allentown, pennsylvania are scrambling to the cemetery holds 20,000 graves some dating back at far as the 1800s. the sinkhole spans 50 feet dead. 25 people in the area have also been evacuated from their homes. arrested a driver who they say intentionally ran his suv into five cars including that one there. a security camera captured all of it. police say the driver also tried to run over several people knop word on why. and we are holding our breath and just in time as 16 1/2 million dollar winning lottery ticket was turned in wed. only two hours before it was set to expire. iowa lottery officials tried for months to get the winner to come forward. no word yet on who won the hot lotto, or why they waited so long to claim their prize. good things are, they did. the odds are winning nearly 1 in 11 million. it's billed as the biggest new year's celebration in the world. the famed ball drop in times square, we're talking about. more than 1 million people are expected to crowd the area. workers are putting final touches on the ball, testing lights and confetti machines. straight to susan candiotti, live in times square. good morning. what a difference a year makes. a year ago were you standing on a snow drift. today, relatively balmy. >> reporter: can you believe it? indeed. it was right after the blizzard following christmas. standing on snow piles. not like that at all today. temperatures should be in the mid-40s on new year's eve. look. action already under way, even at this early hour. they've moved the barricades over to the side. soon they will be covering half of the street, where part of the 1 million people will be crowded. for a ten-block stretch here at times square and then heading up north from here, and you see the crane is up. they're still work okay the lights. they're working on speaker systems, and at the top of the one times square building, look before that ball is going to be dropping towering 300 feet above times square. not to mention the ton of con fit that confetti showering times square at the stroke of midnight. a lot of preparations underway over there. the stage where cnn's anderson cooper and kathy griffin will broadcast our coverage, starting at 10:00 on new year's eve tomorrow night. we talked to the people putting all of this together, and they said, it's cooperation. >> when you see behind me, this like organizing the super bowl halftime show, except you've got a half a million people every day in a city alive all around you. it's so different from setting up in some empty stadium until the crowd comes in. the crowd is already here. the crowd is in your way. it's great, but makes it a lot more complicated. >> reporter: and, of course, added to the complications of all of these people being here, security. nypd has been hard at work making all kinds of preparations. they will have security officers manning land, sea and air posts including healths with infrared capabilities. 16 checkpoints, with metal detectors. no alcohol allowed here, no backpacks. once you're in the pens, you can't get out. of course, nypd always have to be worried about >> w is certainly alive and well. we know that there are al qaeda affiliates in places like somalia and yemen that are certainly plotting or have a desire to strike us here in the homeland. so our operating assumption is that the threat has really not diminished. we have no reason to think it's diminished, and thethreat is so enforcement, all of the federal agencies invo of work are very much concerned about. people. it's trying to pick needles is exceedingly difficult. >> repte kelly says despite all that, they're ready for .at all, and too, alina. oh, yeah. got to have -- >> wow. >> reporter: got to the have the glasses and, woo-hoo, my own confetti. nice and ready for you. >> i would have expected you would have gotten the glasses early and the confetti. good for you. in the spirit. >> reporter: my favorite color of green. okay. bye-bye. >> susan mentioned ray kelly. later on in the program we will speak to new york's top cop, ray kelly. he'll stop by "american morning," our studio's right here, to talk about safety at tomorrow's celebration in times square. that's at 7:50 a.m. eastern time. well, rob marciano is off today. but there's going to be a lot of weather, as people make their way tomorrow evening. reynolds wolf in the extreme weather center. hey there, reynolds. >> hey, guys. last year when you had the experience out at times square, the conditions were very rough. we had snow all over the ground. it was very, very chilly. this year we're expecting a little change. expand and show you the forecast. midnight hour, 43 degrees winds out of the west at 7. not warm, but same token, not as cold as last year. good news. we do anticipate that conditions are going to be much better than, say, we could find in detroit or back over in chicago, where for the time being in chicago, do you have scattered rain showers, snow falling south of the twin cities and back towards madison. meanwhile, in new york, seeing a little bit of snowfall now north of syracuse, but back along parts of buffalo, along, say, rochester, 90, that warm front is coming through. that's the big difference. we don't have the cool air surface, that freezing layer. so snowfall, not going to happen for today for you. certainly good news. we're going to see a bit farther out towards the west, it's going to be another onslaught. again, moisture moving in the pacific northwest. rain and snowfall in the high a lot tulaltitudes. 54 in kansas city. 74 in new york. rather, 50 in new york. as we take a look, as we wrap things up with delays. due to rain, and minneapolis backup and houston and minneapolis, due to fog and low clouds. a look at your snapshot of the holiday weekend. more coming up. >> thanks, reynolds. >> you bet. verizon about to spring a new fee on customers. calling it a convenience charge. we're going to tell you thouch how much it is and what you may be able to do to stop it. new rooms making it easier for people to buy and sell homes for a profit. it is now 22 minutes past the hour. ♪ [ female announcer ] you use the healing power of touch every day. the healing power of touch can be even more powerful. with precise from the makers of tylenol. precise pain relieving cream works quickly to activate sensory receptors. it helps block pain signals fast for relief you can feel precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol. and welcome back. "minding your business" this morning. the final trading session of 2011 ready to begin in about three hours. encouraging news on home sales and improving prospects for job growth sent stocks higher yesterday, but the dow gained 138 points and the s&p 500 advancing back into the black for the year. real estate flippers who buy cheap homes fix them up and try to quickly resell them for a fast profit, they just got a reprieve from the federal housing administration. the fha is extending anti-flipping regulations through 2012, meaning buyers can stit gel mortgage insurance even if they flip a home with 90 days of purchasing it. the hope it will unload some of the foreclosed homes flooding low-income areas. and verizon wireless confirms it will charge a $2 convenience fee on january 15th to customers paking one-time bill payments online or telephone using a debit or credit card. it will offer several options to those who want to avoid paying the $2. the announcement comes two days after it suffered its third nationwide outage this month. hollywood low aring the curtain on a brutal year in the box office. just 1.3 billion tickets sold in north america in 2011. believe it or not, lowest number in 16 years. revenues from ticket sales down 3.5% from 2010. and amazon.com, the world's largest online retailer says its kindle ereaders and tablets were the top three selling items in december. cust mothers bought more than 1 million kindles in a single week during the shopping season with the fire tablet the top selling item on amazon's website. "american morning" will be right back after the break. see you then. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us wit