new head coach. some call him an outsider. others say, you know what? maybe that's not such a bad thing. we're going to tell you the coming to jesus moment they had with the outcider. >> we have an over the counter drug recall to tell you about this morning. painkiller and many other drugs that you have in medicine cabinets. >> and did you hear the one about tim tebow? i'm kidding. did you hear this one? holy moly! and i stress the holy! is it divine intervention? what's this guy got that nobody else got? and will it get him all the way where he needs to go? i don't even like football and i'm excited about it. and a rookie to boot, right? >> i know. who knew? >> but up first this morning, it's final kounddown to the new hampshire primary. republican field is tangled in two weekend debates or they tangoed. mitt romney is ahead in the polls. we have other candidates trying to knock him down. so here we are in the eve of the first in the mags new hampshire primary. let's get perspective and bring in our panel. our "new york daily news" columnist and will cane and from washington, democratic strategist mol elathy. thank you for joining us, everyone. >> good morning. >> let's begin with you. >> two new state polls show mitt romney slightly down. but still holding a solid double digit lead. in a university wdh poll, romney leads 35%. paul at 20%. hun huntsman at 11%. is it a sure bet that romney takes new hampshire? and if so, does it make the next 24 hours really about who finishes third? >> right. who gets up at 5:00 a.m. to talk about who finishes second and third, right? but here i am. and here we are. i'm telling you, that's what this is about. >> we're happy you're here. yeah. >> no, but seriously, this is about second and third. romney looks like he's going to win new hampshire handedly. second and third is interesting. if huntsman can creep into second and make you wonder where can he go from here and does very to creep up in the second but a close second which i would argue probably does. so, yeah, it's who is second and third. what momentum does that give you going into south carolina which is going to be a much bigger indicator of where this is going to go in the future. >> all right. so let's turn to you. the polls were taken before this weekend's double debates where romney's opponents went on the attack, especially former speaker newt gingrich. let's listen in and then i want you to weigh in. >> i real realize the red light doesn't mean anything you to because you're the front-runner. but can we drop a little of pias bologna. you ran before and you lost. the fact you is had a very bad re-election rating. you dropped out of office. you've been out of state for something like 200 days preparing to run for president. >> all right. so that wasn't it. the candidates all took their turn going after romney. rick santorum said when romney faced a difficult re-election run, instead of seeking a second term, he ducked and decided not to run. i'm going to play something from john huntsman who some people said couldn't get into the mix. listen to this and then we'll talk about it. >> you learn in one fell swoop the biggest difference between me and mr. romney. i'm somebody who believes in putting my country first. mr. romney apparently believes in politics first. i say that's a problem in this country right now. you hear what i'm saying? >> so how effective are these attacks against romney? and will they even make a difference? >> yeah. i mean conventional wisdom is that it's too little too late. it's like someone just told these guys that for months mitt romney is the front-runner. john huntsman had a good performance, especially i thought in the saturday night debate. and he delivered that line, you know, i put my country first. and this is why the country is partisan. this is what's wrong with the country. i actually think he missed a huge opportunity. for huntsman to finally come out and say, look, i put my country first. i serve a democratic president again. but supporting the president is not the same as supporting his policies. and here's where i differ. with obama on the policies. that was his opportunity to woo conservatives. doin i don't think he infeeffectiveld that. >> we just heard from huntsman. it's really important for him to stay in the mix. he's number three in the latest polls. do you think that he's going to be able to stay in the top three? if not, what happens? >> well, if not, i think he's done. he staked his entire campaign on new hampshire. he's got to -- there is probably three tickets out of new hampshire on to south carolina. he has to have one of those three or his campaign is done. whether or not he makes it, it's hard to say. the polls are kind of -- you know, while romney is out front by wide margin everyone else is bunched up for that second and third slot, i do think, you know, once again it shows the challenge. every cycle there is somebody out there who says i'm going to skip iowa, go straight to new hampshire and bank their entire campaign on that. it's tough. you don't see that work all that often because you're just out of the conversation. everyone is so focused on iowa. you're out of the conversation. and so he missed an opportunity to get any momentum or buzz coming out of iowa. i think he could still do well in new hampshire. but, you know, it remains to be seen. >> all right. thank you so much for joining us this morning. of course, you can stay with cnn for the best political coverage on television. we'll have brand new poll numbers on the new hampshire race. and at 7. 3067 -- at 7:30 eastern, we'll have rand paul with us. >> doesn't that sound like u2. we commissioned the edge for that music. a couple news headlines. gabriel gabrielle gi gabrielle giffords attend and event this weekend. and she led the crowd in an emotional pledge of allegiance. >> pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> we have goosebump patrol on the set. i can't believe seeing that especially since she's still in recovery mode from that enormous head injury that she sustained from that gunshot. i am so glad to see that. i had to cover that story. i remember thinking there was that erroneous reporting that she had died. and then this. here we are a year later tshgsz a great story. >> nice to report that and see her doing so well. >> honest, really. the goosebumps were there. >> the u.s. markets kicked off 2012 on a high note. on friday, the dow and s&p 500 slipped .5%. >> that's why we're singing friday, friday. christine is here on friday. sorry, christine is talking on monday about friday. i always love these day to day reports, especially whether we got our 2011 report which was -- >> i know. don't get too worked up about one day. this morning things are feeling okay. you have futures looking up a little bit. the big story here is that the united states is showing signs of live in terms of its economy. a lot of concerns about europe. we'll be closely watching europe and the rest of the world for growth there. the u.s. is starting to look up and it's a big world and the stocks respond to what is happening elsewhere. >> the world is flat. >> that's right. >> there's a story this morning that you love talking about. it's america's huge national debt. >> i know. i love talking about debt. >> if you could just control it. >> here at cnn we've been talking about this since 2004 as our debt was going up. now it's a good political story. usa today bringing it home that the u.s. debt, our overall debt is past the size of the economy. now it's $15.23 trillion. it's a milestone. it's a warning sign that there is a debt bond in the united states. even as we talk about pulling back the reins on spending, we still have problems. this is the debt we owe other people, $10.5 trillion. that's the number that economists say is really important to watch. that means our debt is 70% of our gdp. the bad news is we're there. i mean our big debt is bigger than our economy. the good news is we look at just the debt we owe others, it's still about $10 trillion, too big but gives us a little breathing space. >> as our debt continues to grow, is our gdp going to grow? >> you need to have your gdp growth. you need your growth. the economy needs to grow faster otherwise the debt is going to grow faster. that means as time goes on, you're just paying your interest on your bills to such an extent that you can't pay for other stuff. and that's a real problem. this is what republicans are talking about on the campaign trail. the important thing is how you're going to fix it. that's where it gets tricky. >> by the way, how about the 15% of people who don't pay their taxes. >> can you believe this? 15% of people don't pay taxes. it's an unbelievable number. $385 billion. the irs was $385 billion short. now the good news here is that you and i, joe and jane w-2 worked for a company. oh, they're getting the money out of us, don't worry. we're paying our taxes. it's automatic. but companies, small businesses and individuals underpaying to the tune of $385 billion. >> can you get a close-up on this. i want to ask you a question about this pie chart. that big black area right there being look at them. they had it produced into a graphic in 20 seconds flat. how much of that is general electric? >> when you talk about the deficits that we were talking about and the national debt that berp talking about a moment ago, underreporting income and not paying all your taxes becomes that much more critical. you can imagine that the irs is going to come after you. you know millions do. that one out of eight millionaires are being audited, the highest in many years. >> wow. >> so, yeah, millionaires listen up. >> that's right. a little heads up for everyone. they want to make sure where the money is. >> and if the irs doesn't get you, christine is coming. >> no. i'm the good cop. >> thank you. we have a couple other things we want to get under way. we like to do something like get you ahead of the game, alert you as to what's happening. not just the news from overknight and this morning. but to get you on to what is on prime time tonight. here's a big one. there are shots being taken in the united states. he's going to meet with venezuelan president hugo chaff tows day. he's on a tour of latin america today. he is going to go to ecuador and cuba. >> and the supreme court is stepping into the texas redistricting showdown today. wale hear arguments over new election maps that were changed by the gop-controlled texas legislature after the last census. so the changes could determine which party has control of the house of representatives in 2013. latinos say they were ignored when they carved out the new boundaries. >> and the future is on display today. if you just happened to be at the consumer electronics show. it's kicking off in veg yas, baveg ya vegas, baby. smart tvs and even more powerful phones expected to dominate as the companies try to play catchup to apple. >> trying to figure out what all those gizmos are. >> and it's called the rematch of the century. number one lsu and alabama playing tonight in the super dome for the bcs national championship. lsu handed alabama its only loss of the year back in november in their first meeting. >> there was some bcs controversy. >> we will be after we're done here. >> i'm pretty sure they don't get baskets in football games. i do remember something about the bcs is a big ole hassle a few years back. i'm glad they -- well, i assume they settled it. i have no idea what i'm talking about. >> we'll look it up. >> it's 14 minutes past 5:00 and my mind doesn't work so fast at this hour. i do know one thing and that rob marciano may be very, very pretty. but alexandra steel is prettier. >> yeah! >> but he's extremely pretty. >> you know he got us gifts. >> he d. >> he is smart and smooth and cute. he's got it all. >> what did you get us? >> nothing. i'm sorry. i'll bring you something after. how about some coffee? >> how about good weather. >> all right. good morning, everyone. let's look at the travel forecast. the southeast is seeing the bulk of the issues. rain and snow and also the fog. a lot of fog especially fli georgia and bam this morning. here is the southeast radar picture. west texas, three to six inches of snow, even up to eight in some areas. east texas, three inches of rain. definitely need it. very dry there. so as we head from there all the way farther eastward, what we're seeing here, more rain. so the mid-atlantic, southeast really going to see the rain today. even look at this, blue ridge mountains, year getting snow. moving all the way to washington, not the snow, but the rain. washington, almost 7 0 two days ago. so big picture. here's the rain in the southeast. that's all the action. the snow in west texas. and the mild air continues to come down. temperatures well above average. take a look at these. minneapolis, 44 degrees today. above average almost 20. but upper midwest, northern plains, extremely warm. but by the time we get to thursday, these places like minneapolis that are 44 will be to 17. the cold sayer coming. it's going to take a couple days. >> poor folks. >> always s you know if you get the bonus now, you're going to pay for it. >> absolutely. >> it's been mild. >> i asked rob just to humor me ever so often and put winnipeg on the map. i'm telling you, my brother sent me a picture. there is almost no snow on the ground which is unheard of. >> absolutely. and so many places. even the iconic pictures of new hampshire this time of year with the snow and the town squares. >> you know what? our reporters are freezing their you know what's off up there. >> we'll take it. a little warmup and then cold temperatures, we'll take it. >> great new show, guys. best of luck. >> and we're loving you. >> thank you. >> you are a gift. >> are you related to remington? >> yes, he's any daddy. >> thank you. >> it is 16 minutes past the hour. time to check the stories making news. >> the republicans are making the final push in new hampshire. mitt romney is still the man to beat. he's taking lots of heat from his fellow candidates. they are trying to close the gap. >> and a company called know various 'tis is recalling a few popular over the counter medicines. so listen up. it all happened after complaints came in of mislabelled or broken pills. the recall includes bottles of ecedrin and no-doz. and also bottles of gas ex-and bufferin. >> and tim tebow's play-off magic. his 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime led the broncos to an overtime win over the pittsburgh steelers sunday. the broncos advance to play the new england patriots next week. i'm sure you didn't miss any of that? >> i missed the whole thing. i'm a tebow fan because he makes news. i'm not a football fan. actually, we have another football story that's making news and that is there is a new head coach of penn state. and we all know it's a very controversial story at penn state. but this could be a about thing for this group, at least they're thinking so after thinking not so much beforehand. . >> and look at this. this bungee cord snap over croc invested waters. find out what happens to the jumper. you're watching "early start." beth! hi. looking good! you've lost some weight. thanks! you noticed! you know these clothes are too big now, so i'm donating them. not going back there again. good for you! how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. whole grain? whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't... multigrain cheerios has five whole grains and 110 lightly sweetened calories per serving... more grains. less you! multigrain cheerios. it is 21 minutes past 5:00 a.m. on the east. if you're in los angeles, you probably had a really crazy sunday night of partying and probably heading to bed. >> perhaps. >> night-night. but if you're not heading to bed and just waking up, we have the morning papers for you and a couple things we've been seeing from miami to chicago. been to this store? yeah. bet you didn't know what might have been going on behind closed doors. the founders of that company, three brothers, under some serious speculation after a lawsuit has been filed against them. actually, it's weird. only two of the brothers are being sued. but the other brother made a deal with the parent company because the parent company is livid. you are ready for the accusations they're filing against these three brothers, the founders? they are suggesting, i'm not kidding here, that they looted this company of millions by stealing electronics, by going on exotic trips on the company payroll, taking kick backs from vendors, and then i love this one, using employees for their personal errands. i didn't know that was so -- >> it's annoying but i didn't know it was illegal. >> it's a civil suit. they're not saying how much they're suing for. but it's estimated there are $17 million in electronics missing. >> can we good to my hometown now of chicago? >> yeah. >> we're going to check in on the chicago sun times. they're reporting on billing problems on project shield. it's a homeland security program. it is supposed to make chicago area safer. but there have been a lot of untrained first responders, millions of dollars wasted. it was supposed to happen here. two police squad cars and 128 suburbs were supposed to be fitted with cameras. in addition, there were mix mounted cameras to be installed to feed pictures in case of a terrorist attack or emergency. it failed miserably. the cold weather has played a part in that. the cars malfunctioned during the extreme hot and cold temperatures. there was a loack of training. if you do a google search of $43 million, this is what you would find, wasted by the federal government. just did not work. >> unfortunate. we don't like to hear about taxpayer money being wasted. >> spring semester starting out of penn state. there is a big news story and a big sports story. see that guy? that's your new head coach bill o'brien. he was the new england patriots offensive coordinatocoordinator. he is the replacement for joe paterno. a lot of people suggested he was an outsider. he wasn't a former penn state player or coach. that wasn't so key for a lot of folks. they didn't like that right away. and we're also hearing that one of the biggest breaks in the child rape investigation may have been penned by mr. san dus i can himself in his book. and i didn't know this. but the book is called "touched." we'll talk a little bit about what's in the book and this head coach from sarah gannom. she is live in harrisburg, pennsylvania. i love talking to you about this story. you've been on it since march. there is a significance to that. but first i want to find out about this new head coach. if this is one of the jobs that nobody else wanted. >> it's interesting because that's what had been widely reported here in pennsylvania and really within the sports nation that nobody wanted this job. this was toxic. it turns out according to the search committee miembers that were allowed to talk once bill o'brien was announced, they say that's not the case. they had stacks and stacks and stacks of resumes from very highly qualified and big name coaches. but the way that this played out, they weren't looking for necessarily a penn state person but what they called a -- someone with penn state heart. and they found that in bill o'brien. they said his name was in their piles from the beginning. there wasn't so much direct contact from the beginning because of, you know, the situation with football and with pro football, college football. if you have a job, you don't necessarily want to jeopardize it by looking for a j