CNN news 2012-01-11 加文本
cnn news 2012-01-11
First up today, President Obama announced a new plan for some changes to the U.S. military. The president`s idea is for the military to be leaner and cheaper. The country`s recent economic problems and the government`s budget concerns are part of this. And officials say they`re trying to balance America`s security needs and the country`s resources.
AZUZ (voice-over): When he announced the new strategy yesterday, President Obama said the military`s budget will keep growing over the next 10 years, it just won`t grow as much as it had been. He said his goal is to keep the military strong and the nation secure. But critics say it`s a sign that America is retreating from its global responsibilities.
One Republican in Congress said the president`s strategy would mean America couldn`t guarantee support for its allies.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta -- he`s to the right of the president here -- he says while the U.S. force will be smaller, it`ll be more flexible and more technologically advanced. But the new strategy means the U.S. won`t be able to actively fight two major wars at once like it did for years in Iraq and Afghanistan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today`s Shoutout goes out to Ms. French`s students at Mill Creek Middle School in Comstock Park, Michigan. Detroit, Michigan, is also known by what nickname? You know what to do. Is it the Charm City, Emerald City, Motor City or Windy City? You`ve got three seconds, go.
Detroit is known as the Motor City because it`s the center of the U.S. auto industry. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout.
AZUZ: Looks like some good news for the Motor City. U.S. auto industry`s Big Three -- that`s General Motors, Ford and Chrysler -- are all set to report profits in 2011. That hasn`t happened for seven years.
AZUZ (voice-over): The Detroit companies will release their sales reports in the next few weeks. The U.S. auto industry took a major hit a few years ago. Ford survived on borrowed cash. GM and Chrysler needed bailouts from the government.
Some serious reorganizing helped lead to this financial turnaround, but it`s not a guarantee of more profits in the future. The auto industry is one of the most competitive industries on the planet.
AZUZ: Next up today, the race for the Republican presidential nomination. New Hampshire`s primary`s on Tuesday. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who had a narrow win in Iowa this week, has a big lead in the polls in New Hampshire. So there are some experts who are already focusing on the next primary, and that`s going to happen in South Carolina on January 21st.
Mary Snow now looks at what could be a make-or-break event.
MARY SNOW, cnn REPORTER (voice-over): Iowa created a top tier of Republican candidates. Michele Bachmann`s now out, and others are fighting for momentum heading into New Hampshire. But the head of South Carolina`s Republican Party predicts his state will provide the next real make-or- break moment.
CHAD CONNELLY, SC GOP CHAIRMAN: The Iowa winner hadn`t always been the nominee. The New Hampshire winner hadn`t always been the nominee. But since 1980, we have picked the eventual nominee. And so I believe this is where the race really starts, and I think this is where it`s going to be decided, too.
SNOW (voice-over): Case in point: the 2008 Republican primary, where Mike Huckabee won Iowa with the help of evangelicals. But John McCain eventually became the party`s nominee. Like Iowa, the Christian Right has a heavy influence in South Carolina, but there are some key differences among voters there.
SNOW: In 2008, 60 percent of South Carolina`s Republican primary voters were evangelicals or born-again Christians. Of the 40 percent not in that category, they favored John McCain over Mike Huckabee, leading McCain to win the state.
SNOW (voice-over): Political watchers say social issues are a motivating force for evangelicals in South Carolina, but not a sole factor.
SCOTT HUFFMON, WINTHROP UNIVERSITY: Simply saying I`m an evangelical is not enough to win them over. You have to say, "I`m the evangelical candidate," or I`m a moral candidate. I am concerned about the social issue you`re concerned with, but I`m also concerned about the debt and the deficit.
SNOW (voice-over): Along with fiscal conservatives, there`s also a large number of active and retired military personnel living in South Carolina. And a win here is seen as key to winning the South.
HUFFMON: If you can appeal to the conservatives in South Carolina, if you can win in the heat and occasional dirty politicking of South Carolina, then you`re the type of candidate who has the mettle to move on. It does often provide a firewall.
SNOW: One other thing to watch in South Carolina is the issue of jobs and the economy. Unlike Iowa and New Hampshire, where the unemployment rate is below the national average, South Carolina`s unemployment rate is 9.9 percent -- Mary Snow, cnn, New York.
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