the newt machine gets lean. gingrich cuts a third of his staff and turns back his schedule. he's still in it to win it. nationwide outrage over a florida teenager's killing may not have been so fever pitched if local police had charged the shooter the night it happened. they wanted to do just that. why didn't they? the rocky mountain wildfire that won't let up. more lives, homes and property lost. hundreds of firefighters from across the country are coming in to help get that fire under control. and from basketball legend to baseball owner, the l.a. dodgers might be calling magic johnson the boss. we begin this morning with much more information on about the captain who had a mid flight meltdown. we have more information on who the pilot is and the jetblue passengers who pounced on him when he unleashed this terrifying rant. >> a federal law enforcement official identified the jetblue pilot as clayton. he's flown with jetblue for just under a dozen years. it also shows osbon graduated with a bachelor's degree in physics. his neighbors in savannah, georgia, say they're shocked. >> wow. this is -- i just don't know what to think. obviously, you know, something has clicked or something. he's a straight headed guy. very level headed. very professional. so i know he loves his job. we've talked about it a little bit. i am as shocked as anybody would be about this news. >> we have reached out to the pilot's wife but she's not talking right now. but we are hearing from the ceo of jetblue. lizzie o'leary is our regulation correspondent. lizzie, what is the ceo saying? >> he's been talking about this certainly in response to a lot of questions from the flying public and from others sort of trying to understand what was going on here. the airline yesterday saying this was a medical situation. they had a medical issue with the pilot. many folks have been writing in on jetblue's website saying this seems like something perhaps a little bit more than that. we of course know that law enforcement is looking into this including the fbi. i want to play for you the jetblue ceo's response to questions like the one you see there. >> really what happened at altitude and the call into faa is we had a medical situation. that's how we responded. clearly especially in today's media is realtime so we know that it also became a security situation. as we know less than 24 hours later, it started medical but clearly more than that. >> we know from several of the passengers on board that people seem to cooperate in trying to subdue the pilot. they were directed by members of of a flight crew to do that and you have half a dozen passengers pitch in and help. >> when we first heard about this incident, they said this pilot had a panic attack. the pilot was screaming out things like there's a bomb on the plane and al qaeda is here. that's more than a panic attack. it begs the question, are pilots screened for their mental health? >> they are. i think it's very important to point out that pilots particularly commercial airline pilots are one of the most highly trained self-selected groups of people. now, in terms of how all of this works, every year pilots up to the age of 40 are screened both physically and mentally and then after the age of 40 it's every six months. this gentleman would have been every six months. i want to point out there's been changing rules that we've seen in terms of talking about mental health. for example, the faa allowed pilots to fly on four different types of anti-depressants but you have to have an incident free year prior to getting back behind the controls of a plane. there are a lot of questions about whether pilots are fully fourth coming with all of the details of their mental health and whether they are in some ways significant mway s stigmatized not to reveal all of the issues. we don't know all of the specifics. i want to reiterate to viewers that by in large all airline pilots certainly on commercial aviation front are a very highly trained and very sort of self-selected group of physically and generally mentally fit people. >> point taken. i'm sure you'll remain on this case. lizzie o'leary reporting live from washington. they say it's the co-pilot who may have saved the lives of the 141 people on board. >> the co-pilot of the flight, he really is the hero here. he had the sense to recognize that something was going horribly wrong and persuaded the captain out of the cockpit. that allowed this to play out the way it did and thankfully we're here to talk about it. step two everyone's impulses kicked in when the situation continued to escalate. i think myself and the four other guys that jumped on him kind of all felt at the same time that enough is enough and we need to do something. we can't allow him to try to gain access back into the cockpit. >> let's talk about the co-pilot and what exactly happened inside that cockpit. miles o'brien is an aviation expert and pilot. welcome, miles. >> carol, good to see you. >> nice to see you too. let's talk about what that co-pilot did. when he noticed something was wrong, what did he do and what was he supposed to do? >> imagine looking to the left seat and you see this erratic behavior. maybe buttons being pushed. maybe dials being turned that were completely inappropriate. maybe air traffic controls commands ignored. we don't know exactly what was happening. as a co-pilot, if i were in that situation, i think the thing i would do would be to as firmly and politely as possible remind captain what clearances were and what rules of flying were and then think about a way to neutralize that situation. my hunch on this one, carol, this is a long flight. almost transcontinental to las vegas. i suspect this co-pilot did a lot of good talking until such time as the captain, nature took over and the captain had to take a biomedical break. that's probably what happened here. that would be my strategy if i were in that seat. >> so when the pilot finally left the cockpit to go to the bathroom, the co-pilot locked the door, which was pretty smart actually. is there a list of things you should do in these kinds of situations like that? >> well, there are operating manuals that every airline have approved by the faa that go through some of these scenarios. what happens in a crew member for whatever reason becomes incapacitated. frequently in simulateors they drill situations where they are about to take off and one crew member plays as if he's having a heart attack. what is that sole crew member to do? this is not too unlike that. whether a heart attack or a mental breakdown, what does that crew person do? in this case he played it perfectly. the pilots or first officer has more time in the type of aircraft than the captain him or herself. in this case that first officer could have easily -- not easily but he would have landed that plane fine on his own. as it happens in almost every flight, there is another pilot flying, an employee flying as a passenger in the back. in this case he came into to assist. wasn't mandatory to get the plane on the ground but always good to use resources on board. >> miles o'brien, thanks so much for enlightening us because it makes us feel a little better at least. thank you. coming your way at 10:00 a.m. eastern, we'll talk with a passenger. her name is majsara straw. she was in the bathroom when the pilot started banging on the door. she thought she was going to die. we'll talk to her at 10:00 a.m. eastern. safe to say newt gingrich's presidential campaign is gasp for air unless you are newt. gingrich is laying off a third of his staff. still, gingrich insists he's in it all of the way to the convention. here's what he told bill o'reilly on fox news. >> i have no incentive to get out because i have a set of ideas that include $2.50 gasoline, et cetera. i have every incentive to stay in. >> you don't have any money. are you going to spend your own money? >> if necessary. that's not the point. we are raising some money. >> paul steinhauser is in washington for us. you know, what gingrich needs is a debate. he needs one bad. >> those debates did wonders for him. newt gingrich was left for dead last summer when he had a previous shake-up in the campaign. he did great in the debates. surged in the polls. front runner briefly at the end of last year. that went away. he does have financial difficulties. no doubt about it. he spent more money than he raised in february. beginning of this month, he had more money than he owed than he had in the bank. that's never a good thing. you play that sound from gingrich and he said similar things this morning on a radio interview here in washington d.c. he says, listen, my strategy is if romney doesn't get to 1,144 delegates to clinch the nomination, i'm going to take this all of the way to the convention. that's what he says, carol. he says this plan to downsize an already modest campaign will only help him do that. let's be honest. what do republicans think? this is our brand new cnn/orc poll. 60% say it's time gingrich drop out. similar numbers for ron paul. lower for rick santorum. here's the other notion, what happens if gingrich gets out? it helps romney more than santorum. carol? >> so you have been around politics for a long time. you talked to a lot of politicians, what's in his head? most republican voters want him to get out of the race. they think he's hurting the republican party if he takes this all of the way to the convention. what's in his head telling him i got to stay in this race? >> i wish i could get in his head. obviously i can't. he still thinks -- he says he's the best person to debate barack obama one-on-one come the general election. he thinks if romney doesn't clinch the come natinomination d of the primaries, if he's around, anything could happen in tampa. it's a long way to go. >> paul steinhauser, thanks. a surprising turn this morning in the trayvon martin case. according to the miami herald and the initial police report, charges of homicide and manslaughter were considered against the shooter, george zimmerman, on the night he shot martin. it was the state's attorney's office that prohibited the police from making an arrest. martin savidge is in sanford. this case just gets curiouser and curiouser. >> i should point out, this is not really new information. it's just new information that's being framed in a different way. we have known ever since the tragic shooting of trayvon martin back in february 26th when we got the initial police report, that there had been a listing -- let me read it. the offense description that is listed on the initial police report is "manslaughter/unnecessary killing to prevent an unlawful act." that is what is on the original police document. we have known about this. here's what's different. and this is what the police chief going back to chief bill lee has said. he could not charge him with manslaughter under the florida law as it stands now. i'm going to have to read notes. this is complicated. you need to know it exactly. he said that according to authorities because zimmerman said it was self-defense, chief bill lee said that he really didn't have probable cause. this comes down to nitty-gritty. under florida statute 7.6032, you have to have probable cause. if it's self-defense, you cannot charge him with manslaughter. you can only investigate and that is what the state is doing. investigating. >> you're talking about the stand your ground law just to make it clear. >> reporter: exactly. and that is the statute that everybody has been talking about here. once george zimmerman said, look, i was fighting to save my own life, he changes everything as far as ability of the law enforcement in sanford to go after him on a manslaughter charge. they couldn't do it. that's what chief lee said. that's what the department maintains now. >> you're also seeing the difficulty of the special prosecutor in this case. she's not immediately moving to charge him with a crime. >> reporter: no. you see, she got the case last thursday when the governor said that it's now in your hands. so she has her own set of investigators that sort of essentially have to start all over again. even though it's been over a month since the shooting and nearly a month at that time, they have to start and begin exactly talking to witnesses. going over the crime scene. talking to zimmerman. they haven't talked to zimmerman yet. that will probably be the last thing they do. they want to get everything, their dauucks in a row before ty talk to him. it's taken a long time. it's a complicated process. they're trying to get it right. many people are extremely frustrated at how long it does take. carol? >> that's an understatement. martin savidge reporting live from sanford, florida. the anger surrounding george zimmerman continues to grow and some are paying for that anger even though they have nothing whatsoever to do with the shooting. case in point. an elderly couple was forced to leave their home thanks to this retweet from film director spike lee. that tweet listed the couple's address as george zimmerman's and then read feel free to reach out and touch him meaning zimmerman. zimmerman doesn't live at that address and never did. that didn't stop the cafeteria lunch lady and her elderly husband from receiving hate mail and unwelcome visits from reporters. their son said i'm scared. there are people not mentally right and will take this information and run with it. william zimmerman, the son, says his parents are living in a hotel. prosecutors say it is tougher to investigate. listen to voices on opposite sides of the legal mine field. one calling for patience. the other demanding justice. >> trayvon was hunted down like a rabid dog. he was shot in the street. he was racially profiled. mr. zimmerman should be arrested immediately for his own safety. >> the political outcry makes our job harder. any time there's a misunderstanding of the process based on what we are required to do under florida law, it makes our job more difficult. >> justice about an hour from now congresswoman fredricka wilson will join us to tell us about yesterday's hearings that she did attend with the parents of the slain teenager. still to come, a massive and fast moving wildfire scorching thousands of acres near denver putting people there on ever more high alert. >> there's always one more thing you can go back for. i would load the car and look at the plume of smoke. bigger, bigger. you have to draw a line and say, you know what? it's time to get out. >> rob has the latest fire forecast after a break. plus, new rules for your teenager when they take their s.a.t. or a.c.t. exams. find out why they are going to have to submit their picture now. and march madness over megamillions. no one won last night. $476 million now at stake. you're watching "cnn newsroom." . ♪ ...that right now, you want to know where you are, and where you'd like to be. we know you'd like to see the same information your advisor does so you can get a deeper understanding of what's going on with your portfolio. we know all this because we asked you, and what we heard helped us create pnc wealth insight, a smarter way to work with your pnc advisor, so you can make better decisions and live achievement. like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. pandora rocks the big board. a search is under way for a woman missing in an area near denver devastated by the out of control and fast moving wildfire. the fire killed an elderly couple and scorched 4,500 acres so far. meteorologist rob marciano is here. we've been waiting for the winds to die down. they are calmer today. >> they were able to get aircraft up there yesterday. they had an extra hundred firefighters that came in. zero containment. there will be a press conference in the next hour and that will give us more information to see what kind of progress they made overnight last night. let's talk about where this is and give you percespective as t how close to denver. the ready ard area is where the is. blue area is the area that's been evacuated. beyond that southwestern suburbs of denver are not threatened at the moment. we do have winds that will be an issue today. mostly to the north of the fire zone and especially across parts of wyoming could see 30 to 40-mile-an-hour wind gust. down across the fire zone itself, likely less than that. gusting to about 25. the relative humidity levels will be very, very low between 5% and 12%. we don't get rainfall. this is one computer model we use with high resolution view. look at potential for wind gusts across that area. blues are about 15 to 20 miles an hour. any time you see a spot of green pop up there, that means it could gust as much as 30 miles an hour. if that happens today, that's going to be an issue going forward as far as what they're going to have to handle. tomorrow will be stronger. today i think winds will cooperate and hopefully get more in the way of air support. only two choppers. one tanker and one single engine plane in there to help with this thing. they need more in the way of resources. this may have caught them by surprise. >> let's hope the winds cooperate at least. thank you, rob. will and kate plus harry? the royals have a new roommate. if you think sounds like "three's company," your right. and the ugly side of the mania over "the hunger games."ul our boy to college without it.d if there was one thing i could say to hank, it'd be "thank you." you're welcome. hey, hank. 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[ male announcer ] learn more from your state farm agent today. on december 21st, polar shifts will reverse the earth's gravitational pull and hurtle us all into space, which would render retirement planning unnecessary. but say the sun rises on december 22nd and you still need to retire, td ameritrade's investment consultants can help you build a plan that fits your life. we'll even throw in up to $600 when you open a new account or roll over an old 401(k). so who's in control now, mayans? >> kate and will plus harry? that's right. britain's prince harry has moved in with his brother william and his new wife, kate at kensington palace. that sounds a lot like "three's company." let's head live to london and check in with max foster. that's kind of nice. >> they are very, very close all three of them. prince harry, he's had a fantastic tour. we talked about that in recent weeks. he toured the caribbean. he came of age. when he came back a senior royal source told me that he wanted to move out of his dad's place and move over to kensington palace where his brother and sister-in-law are. he's living in a small apartment. it used to be servant's quarters. not as grand as where duke and duchess are staying. when they move into a larger apartment, he'll move into the cottage. this is part of a much bigger plan. william and harry see themselves as a partnership. he's not the spare harry. and going ahead when william takes a throne, we'll see a jewel kingship if you like. they'll do things together. this is going to be a slimmed down monarchy. they are preparing for that saying to the world, we're together. we're a partnership. and this is an element of that. >> that's amazing to me. you don't hear those kinds of stories often. the brothers get along. they're willing to share power. they live in the same place. their parents must have done great job. >> well, they are very, very close. i think what they went through with diana of course and walking behind that coffin harry was just 13 years old. it would have brought them together. they both accept that they have complementary skills. harry is