runners-up, we'll have links on my page. "cnn newsroom" continues with randy kaye. thank you. president obama is making a rare presidential visit to puerto rico right now, speaking there with leaders and citizens about jobs and their status as a u.s. possession. puerto rico is an important stop for the president. he's the first president to make an official stop there in 50 years, since john f. kennedy. president ford was actually the last president to visit puerto rico while in office, but he was there for an international economic conference, not to meet with puerto rico's leaders. they have a special importance now. while residents there are u.s. citizens, they can't vote in a presidential election but puerto ricans living in the u.s., of course, can. right now, there are more puerto ricans living on u.s. soil than on the island. this trip was promised by the president the last time he was in puerto rico as a candidate. even though he lost the primary

to hillary clinton. cnn white house correspondent dan lothian is traveling with the president. he's in san juan for us. dan, what would you say is the key message the president is delivering there today in puerto rico? >> reporter: i think you pointed out a couple. first, this was a promise the president made during the campaign in 2008 so when he came here this morning, he said that i'm delivering on that promise. the president also wanted to thank the people of puerto rico to let them know they're not forgotten for the sacrifices they have made, in particular the military. the president laying out names of veterans who have served not only in iraq but also afghanistan, so the president wanted to thank them for that. but thirdly, this was a moment for the president to say listen, i understand the difficult situation that you might be facing here on this island. this is an island that has an unemployment rate of more than 16%. they have a high crime rate as well. and the president wanted to deliver to them a message of the united states, the mainland u.s., is looking out for your wellbeing, that the president's

health care reform package, that the economic plan has various investments for puerto rico, including broadband, that believes long-term will help this island. i can tell you there are a lot of people who are still struggling on this island, are not happy that the president came here for just a few hours, and they want to hear more than just words because it is a difficult situation economically here, as it is on the mainland, and they want more than just words. >> dan, i'm sure there's also a lot of talk about statehood. we know puerto ricans have rejected statehood several times. where does the white house stand on this issue? >> reporter: that's right. you know, the president has weighed in on this. for those who aren't up to speed on this, about half of the people on this island are pushing for statehood. the others want to maintain it as a territory. only a really small minute population is looking for independence. the president told the people of puerto rico that he has been looking into this, he had a task

force that was looking into it. take a listen. >> we have addressed the question of political status. in march, a report from our presidential task force on puerto rican status provided a meaningful way forward on this question so that the residents of the island can determine their own future. and when the people of puerto rico make a clear decision, my administration will stand by you. >> reporter: so the position of the united states and that task force, at least, is that this really be put to the people in form of a vote. two referendums for the people of puerto rico to decide their own futures. as you heard from the president there, whatever they decide here, the white house will stand behind them. randi? >> i know this is technically an official presidential visit, that's how the white house certainly is framing it, but how much of this is really

campaigning, would you say, for the hispanic vote in 2012? >> reporter: well, first of all, the president is having a fund-raiser here on the island later today so that's one point. secondly, yes, this is really about courting the puerto ricans but also, the overall hispanic vote. more hispanics, as you pointed out earlier, or rather puerto ricans, live off the island than on the island. about 4.6 million puerto ricans live in the united states and it's about tapping into that vote in key states like florida. the president did pick up a big chunk of the puerto rican vote there in 2008 and so that really is what the administration is doing, appealing not only to the puerto ricans but also to hispanics in general. i was talking to a democratic official who told me they have already started recruiting volunteers and training them to make sure they have language skills in order to go out and try to drum up support for the president. they have also set up hispanic

phone banks in florida to reach out to that community. so this is a critical group for the president as he looks to winning again in 2012. >> dan lothian for us in san juan, thank you as always. serena williams is back on the court just three months after a near death experience. williams is making her return to competitive tennis. in fact, she won her first match today in england. it wasn't easy. it took three sets. but just getting back on the court was a victory in itself, really. as you may remember, serena williams suffered a pulmonary embolism in march, a blood clot that settles in the lung. the cdc says it's deadly in one-third of cases but didn't stop serena. she was already recovering from foot surgery. still, this was a shock and it is today's sound effect. >> i'm really honored to have a chance to walk out on the court, because you know, 3 1/2 months ago i never thought i would have that chance again. i never even thought about that chance. i just thought if i can just

pull through this and survive, then wow, i would be really excited for that. >> excited is right. the fans are excited, too. they're looking forward to seeing her play at wimbledon later this month. former ambassador to china jon huntsman will formally announce his bid for the presidency next week. a republican source is telling cnn. seven other republican contenders squared off last night during the first big gop primary debate in new hampshire. congresswoman michele bachmann delivered the first surprise of the debate, announcing onstage she had officially filed the paperwork for a presidential run. the republican candidates duked it out in a broad range of issues from the debt ceiling to abortion and foreign policy. front-runner mitt romney was expected to be a target for the other candidates, most of whom trail romney by double digits in most polls but in the end, the attacks went straight to the white house. >> president obama is a one-term president. >> this president is a

declinist. he views america as one of equals around the world. >> any one of the people on this stage would be a better president than president obama. >> on the winners and losers of the debate, cnn political analysts agree romney and gingrich gave strong performances and bachmann was the biggest surprise of the night. some disturbing news related to the war on drugs. more than 70% of guns seized in mexico and turned over to the u.s. from 2009 to 2010 originated in the u.s. a new congressional report indicates many of those weapons are arming mexico's violent drug cartels. senator dianne feinstein and others are calling for tougher laws. they want an assault weapon ban that expired in 2004 to be reinstated. in the next hour, we take a deeper look at these alarming findings and the deadly results. a fellow democratic lawmaker says congressman anthony weiner might resign in a couple of days. the calls for weiner's resignation are only getting louder. house speaker john boehner

weighed in today, when asked whether weiner should step down, he simply said, quote, yes. his response follows a string of lawmakers including democratic leaders who are pressuring weiner to give up his post. new photos surfaced of weiner on tmz.com that showed him half-dressed, taking a picture of himself reportedly at a gym used by legislators. weiner has been granted a two-week leave of absence from the house as he seeks treatment for his quote, sexting problem. feeling the backlash. comedian tracy morgan has agreed now to go back to nashville next week to say he's sorry for an anti-gay rant during a recent standup comedy show. the "30 rock" star will return with staffers from the gay and lesbian alliance against defamation or g.l.a.d., to apologize to the audience who attended the show. morgan will also work with the tennessee equality project. this is all happening following a phone call he made to g.l.a.d.'s president, who will join us for a follow-up today.

we'll talk details about his conversation with morgan and plans for their trip back to memphis in the next hour. statehood or status quo? that is the debate in puerto rico. the president there for a rare visit right now. we'll examine the sides of the statehood debate. we don't just make a taillight... ..we make a sculpture. we don't just make a sunroof... ..we make the heavens wide. we don't just make a crossover... ..we make a statement. the cadillac srx. we don't just make luxury cars, we make cadillacs. oh, just booked a summer vaycay. ooo. sounds pricey? nah, with the hotels.com summer sale, you can find awesome deals for places nearby. interesting...

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constipated? phillips' caplets use magnesium, an ingredient that works more naturally with your colon than stimulant laxatives, for effective relief of constipation without cramps. thanks. [ professor ] good morning students. today, we're gonna... the president's trip to puerto rico is shining a spotlight on the island. their status as a u.s. possession and their influence in the political system.

as we said earlier, it bears repeating, there are more puerto ricans living in the u.s. than on the island. there are large communities in new york as well as florida. puerto rican-americans also make up the second largest group of hispanic-americans in the u.s. just behind mexican-americans. all this solidifies puerto rico's importance economically and politically, even without a vote in presidential elections. joining me to talk more about puerto rico is cnn correspondent juan carlos lopez. you're there. are people there excited to have a u.s. president paying a visit there? >> from what we've seen, yes. it's an historic visit, 50 years without a president coming on an official visit. john f. kennedy was the last in 1961. there is a lot of talk. people did go out to try to get a glimpse of the president driving by. there have been protests, some in favor, some against, but the island seems to be mobilized and

seems to be very excited with the president's visit for many reasons. >> have you seen any evidence that the current economic problems on the mainland have trickled down to puerto rico? >> well, actually, the recession started in puerto rico before it did on the mainland. right now, unemployment on the island is 16%. we have 9.1% on the mainland so the island is facing difficult times. that's one of their main concerns. they have been suffering the consequences for quite awhile now. >> what would you say exactly is puerto rico's influence in the u.s.? >> well, you were talking about the numbers. 4.6 million puerto ricans in the united states, in the mainland. now, puerto ricans are u.s. citizens by birth but they can only vote in the presidential elections when they're on the mainland. you have an electorate in central florida, orlando, that can be very important in the next elections.

they could swing the election one way or another. so they do play, they could play a very important role in the electoral process and coming to puerto rico is a link that many will establish with the island and with them living in the united states, and that could really help the democrats. >> i want to ask you about statehood. that is certainly an ongoing issue there. we know that puerto ricans have rejected the idea of statehood three times, most recently in 1998. why is that? why have they repeatedly voted against this? >> this is a very politically active island. people live politics probably as much as they live sports, and they don't agree on what the future of the island should be. there is a group that wants puerto rico to become the 51st state but there's another group that wants to maintain the current status, the commonwealth, maybe modified, and a third group that wants independent from the u.s. that's why there hasn't been agreement. there is no one set position on the island.

puerto ricans are very adamant about this issue. they debate it constantly. they just haven't reached an agreement. there was a presidential task force and president obama said today that they would respect whatever puerto ricans decided. now puerto ricans have to go ahead and vote and see where they want to take the island. >> juan carlos lopez, thank you very much. appreciate it. nice to see you. your weight, turns out, could help determine how much money you make. it works differently for men and women. we'll tell you how it's working. [ waves crashing ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] and just like that, it's here. a new chance for all of us: people, companies, communities

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welcome back, everyone. it is time now for your money. want a bigger paycheck? you might try losing some weight or gaining it, even, depending on whether you're a man or woman. allison cosick joins us from new york to explain. you've been looking at a new study. what is it telling you? >> it's saying that weight can have a big effect on what you're paid, randi, but turns out there's a double standard here because it's different for men versus women. for ladies, the less you weigh, the more you make. for men, it's just the opposite. look at this chart we put together. look closely. the pay scale is on the left, the weight goes along the bottom there. follow the pink line for the women. what you make drops significantly as the weight gets higher. the negative 70 is somebody who

is less -- who is basically 70 pounds less than the average weight of a normal woman. they will get paid more. like i said, it's the opposite for men. the blue line goes up as the weight increases. once again, the more men weigh, the more they're paid in real dollars. what does this amount to? women who are 25 pounds overweight make $16,000 a year less than a woman of average weight. a man who weighs 25 pounds more than the average man earns $8,000 more. nice, right? >> yeah. there's something really wrong with that. but what does this mean? does this mean the guys are off the hook, they can just eat doughnuts, skip the gym, do whatever they want and still make more money? >> you know what, we're critical of men, too. people were shown pictures of slender and muscular men in this study. muscular men had positive traits, they were called polite, happy, brave, healthy and smart. slender men were -- had the following traits. they were called nervous, sneaky, afraid, sad and weak.

if you're a slender guy, you may want to bulk up if you want a bigger paycheck. >> you don't want to be known around the office as a sad and weak person. >> or sneaky. >> yeah. exactly. does this go beyond pay? does weight affect the workplace in other ways, according to the study? >> you know, you're right. it's not just about pay. what happens is it affects how co-workers see you. obese people were rated as less desirable workers, less agreeable. also, the study says people of average weight are more able to get things accomplished and influence other people. here's something interesting i found in this study. i found that as americans, we're really conscious about our weight, really obsessed with looking good, but at the same time, we're sort of super-sizing what we eat. we've got great access to cheap fast food and we just are gluttonous. we eat a lot. yet we are obsessed with how we look. call us hypocrites. who knows. you can take this study tongue

in cheek at this point. >> i don't know about you, but when i'm stressed out, i eat more. i don't know what the study says about that. all right, thank you. i appreciate it. >> i have to look into that part. >> you let me know. of course, for all the latest financial news, be sure to join christine romans for your bottom line each saturday morning at 9:30 eastern. don't miss "your money" saturdays at 1:00 p.m. eastern and sundays at 3:00. 21 minutes past the hour. time to check top stories. president obama is in puerto rico. a cheering crowd greeted him when he arrived in san juan this morning for a five-hour visit. in an airport speech, the president said puerto ricans should vote on whether they want statehood or independence. he said his administration will support whatever decision they make. the wallow fire in arizona is now the largest wildfire in that state's history. officials say the blaze has now burned 733 square miles. that's one mile more than the previous record holder, the 2002 fire. the wallow fire has been burning

since late may but firefighters are finally making some progress. the blaze now 18% contained. the company that owns the perkins and marie callender chains has filed for bankruptcy protection citing the weak economy. 27 restaurants and 31 marie callender restaurants have been closed. the company says it will continue to operate 448 perkins restaurants and 74 marie callender restaurants. the trial of casey anthony just getting back under way this hour after taking the morning off. these are live pictures of casey anthony at the trial. prosecutors are now down to their final witnesses. have they proven the 25-year-old mother killed her daughter caylee? we'll take you inside the courtroom again. does that in one daily dose. new citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal.

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to having your favorite things... taken away from you. but you can take action today. go to ra.com for your free joint profile so you can better talk to your rheumatologist about protecting your joints. after taking the morning off, the capital murder trial of casey anthony got back under way this hour. the trial began just three weeks ago and lines of investigators and forensic experts have been called to the stand by the prosecution in an effort to prove their theory. by the way, you're looking at live pictures there from orlando. their theory is the 25-year-old mother killed her daughter caylee by knocking her out with chloroform and putting duct tape over her nose and mouth. they allege the orlando mother then put the body in garbage bags and stored it in her trunk before dumping it in woods near her home. to help us understand the science behind all the evidence, we want to go straight to

medical examiner dr. michael hunter, who is following this case very closely. as an active medical examiner and board-certified forensic pathologist, doctor has routinely been involved in the investigation of suspicious deaths. doctor, i want to ask you, how do you determine at least in this case, if a child suffocated from duct tape that might have been wrapped around her mouth and head? how would you know? >> right. you know, the prosecution is putting that theory out there because of the location of the duct tape on the mouth or in the vicinity of the mouth. now, homicides like that in young children, certainly do happen where obstruction of the airway occurs because of placement of the tape, but can you say that for certainty. there are other reasons why duct tape may be used on victims of a homicide post-mortem. it can be used for binding, more easily transporting a body from one location to the other. i can see where it could be used to simply stem the flow of some

fluids that might come from the mouth and nose post-mortem and that can occur very early following death. >> how do you link back the body of caylee anthony to casey? because yesterday, we learned that there weren't any fingerprints found on the duct tape, for example. how do you make that link, if you can make that link? >> well, you're not going to expect to see fingerprints on duct tape where the remains have been for six months. it would be extraordinarily unlikely that you're going to have prints. how you tie her back is the scene. the scene i think strongly suggests, i think the state has proved that caylee was actually in a vehicle at the house for some period of time, probably several days. that links her back. there is some testimony today from an expert who did actually examine the tape and found a heart shape that she testified about which may actually tie

back once again to some heart-shaped stickers that are present in that location. so the evidence is -- you have to look at the scene. you have to look at the scene, then extrapolate what that may mean. >> the fingerprints not being on the duct tape isn't surprising. i want to ask about this, because obviously in your line of work, you know quite a bit about decomposition. tiny flies in the trunk of casey's car apparently fit the prosecution's theory that a body was stored in the trunk. does that sound like it could be in line with decomposition and remnants of it in the trunk? >> sure. i think the state has shown i think clearly that a body has been in that trunk for a period of time. the carpet has been analyzed with material that has been testified to being from a decomposed human body. there is hair that is consistent with caylee's that has features of decomposition. once again, that of a decomposing body. and you brought up the

entomologist. flies have a life cycle and you can look at that life cycle and what's left in that vicinity to estimate as far as how long that person may have been in the trunk. he's saying anywhere from three to five days. much, much longer where she was subsequently found. >> very quickly before we have to let you go, you mentioned the hair. the hair that was found, there is some question about whether or not that hair might have been from caylee when she was alive or from her when she was already deceased. can you make that determination? how do you test that? >> right. there is a feature of a particular hair that has some dna evidence which links back to caylee. what i'm talking about is there is black banding that the hair specialist is testifying to saying you don't get that type of banding material on the hair unless it comes from a decomposed body. now, the defense is certainly arguing the point that, you know, testimony like this hasn't

been offered in court often at all, how specific is it, how comfortable are you testifying to it, but i think it makes a lot of sense that you're putting a hair from a decomposed body that is linked to caylee in the trunk of the car, so they're trying to bring her into that vehicle and say -- and to show that she is the source of that decomposition in that vehicle. >> all right. dr. michael hunter, thank you so much for your expertise. really appreciate you coming on today and helping us understand a lot of that science that we have been hearing now for weeks in the courtroom. thank you. >> thanks, randi. our sister network, hln, is your destination for complete coverage of the casey anthony trial. you can watch special coverage of the trial throughout the day on hln. wait until you hear how much the airlines are collecting in fees from passengers just like you. buckle up and keep your seat.

half past the hour. here's a look at some of the headlines and news you may have missed. president obama is in puerto rico right now. it is the first official presidential visit to the territory since president kennedy visited 50 years ago, although presidents johnson and ford made unofficial stops there. the u.s. territory has nearly four million residents who are american citizens but can't vote for president. but more than four million puerto ricans living in the 50 u.s. states do have full voting rights and the president could use their support in his 2012 re-election bid. he will wrap up today's trip with a fund-raiser. michele bachmann made news in last night's republican

presidential debate. listen. >> i filed today my paperwork to seek the office of the presidency of the united states today and i'll very soon be making my formal announcement. >> the minnesota congresswoman is the only woman to confirm her candidacy for the 2012 race. the former tax litigation attorney for the u.s. treasury department is a favorite of the conservative tea party movement. as chairman of the tea party caucus in the house, bachmann is a fiery critic of the obama administration, as were others in last night's debate. >> any one of the people on this stage would be a better president than president obama. he has failed in job one which was to get this economy going again. he failed in job two, which was to restrain the growth of government. he failed in job three, which is to have a coherent, consistent foreign policy. >> gop insiders indicate that front-runner mitt romney was perhaps the biggest winner in monday night's debate. arizona's wallow fire has now burned about 733 square

miles, making it the largest fire in the state's history. right now, officials say it's about 18% contained. a big improvement over yesterday. they say the northward advancement has been stopped. that is certainly some good news. but another fire is now burning in southern new mexico at carlsbad caverns national park. hundreds of visitors were evacuated as crews tackled the 14,000 acre wildfire inside the park. the transportation department says u.s. airlines collected, are you sitting down, almost $5.7 billion in fees from passengers in 2010. that includes $3.4 billion in baggage fees and $2.3 billion in reservation change fees. the fees collected last year were roughly twice the amount collected in 2009. about 3800 air canada employees went on strike today after failing to reach an agreement on pensions. the striking workers are customer service and sales employees. air canada says flights will

continue as planned despite the strike and the airline is operating at full schedule. new sunscreen rules out today to help you avoid skin cancer. you want to hear this. what do you got? restrained driver... sir, can you hear me? just hold the bag. we need a portable x-ray, please! [ nurse ] i'm a nurse. i believe in the power of science and medicine. but i'm also human. and i believe in stacking the deck.

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is out today with new regulations aimed at making it easier for you to make the right choice. chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta explains. >> reporter: whether we dab it or lather it all over, most of us know sunscreen is designed to protect us from the dangerous rays. but labels on suntan oils, lotions and sprays can be confusing. now the food and drug administration wants to give americans better sun protection by unveiling new regulations and guidelines on sunscreen products. >> fda has taken these actions to provide uniformity and standards in the marketplace. >> reporter: the agency's testing will let consumers know whether a sunning product is broad spectrum, which means it protects against both ultraviolet rays a and b, uva rays are the main cause of skin cancer and premature aging. too many uvb rays can cause serious sunburn. when it comes to a product's sun protection factor, or spf number, which lets people know

how long they can stay out in the sun before they reapply the product, people will no longer see figures higher than 50. >> we don't know whether over 50 provides any additional protection for consumers. >> reporter: once the new label regulations are in effect, the fda hopes they will assure sunbathers that any product labeled broad spectrum and spf 15 or higher not only protects against sunburn but skin cancer as well, because it has been tested. >> fda is putting warnings on products that don't meet the broad spectrum and spf 15 test, and that's to warn consumers that those products don't provide protection against skin aging and against skin cancer. >> reporter: the new labels will also tell buyers how much time they can use a water-resistant product while either swimming or sweating before they lose protection. products will no longer be allowed to label themselves

waterproof, sweatproof or call themselves sun blocks once the regulations are in place, in about a year. dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, reporting. doctors and nurses facing military trials in bahrain. their charges and claims of torture in a live report from there, after this. we're thinking about them. a couple decades ago, we didn't even realize just how much natural gas was trapped in rocks thousands of feet below us. technology has made it possible to safely unlock this cleanly burning natural gas. this deposits can provide us with fuel for a hundred years, providing energy security and economic growth all across this country. it just takes somebody having the idea, and that's where the discovery comes from.

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nurses have been tortured for taking part in anti-government protests. the unrest first erupted back in february between the revolts that tomorrppled the presidents tunisia and egypt. they also were forced to sign false confessions. the government accuses them of stockpiling weapons and taking control of a hospital during demonstrations. they are being tried by special military courts and today, human rights watch called on the government to stop the proceedings. nic robertson is following developments and joins us now. if you can, can you just give us an update, what is the status of these military trials? are they still in progress? >> reporter: they are absolutely still in progress and the government is really sort of fast-forwarding a huge number of defendants through these cases. it was more than 40 people yesterday, there were more than 30 the day before. the trials continue. the doctors themselves, that

case has been postponed to the 20th of june but a government official today called me into his office to show me videotape that he says proves the allegations that the government's making against the doctors. it's not legal evidence that would stand up in a court of law that you and i are familiar with, where the defendant is innocent until proven guilty, but the government here is convinced it's right, won't listen to any outside calls that the doctors should have their confessions squashed, they should be treated by civilian doctors and indeed, that they, if they are going to be tried, put in a civilian court. the government is just completely set on going down this track, randi. >> what about these claims of torture? these doctors and nurses, from what i understand, were in tears claiming they had been tortured. is there a government response to these allegations? >> reporter: well, the prosecutor in the court, again, a military officer, has said

there hasn't been. we haven't had access to these defendants, the doctors and nurses in the prison. i asked for that today. i was laughed at. i saw the doctors there in the courtroom. all their heads were shaved. they looked incredibly stressed. they looked under a lot of duress. they looked very nervous. some of them are wearing what appeared to be their former suits that just hung loosely on them. the idea that these doctors are going to get what they're asking for, which is independent medical examination, doesn't seem likely but we have heard from human rights groups and medical, independent medical professional groups, they have seen other people who have been in detention here by the government at the moment, and they say they can confirm that those people have shown signs of torture. they say they can only imagine what's happening to the doctors. >> nic robertson for us with that update from bahrain. thank you very much. time right now, about 44

minutes past the hour. we are checking our top stories. in syria, witnesses say the government is expanding its crackdown in the northern part of the country along the border with turkey. troops are said to be conducting a scorched earth policy, destroying houses and crops as residents flee for safety. many of them crossing the border into turkey. residents say hundreds of people have been arrested. in india, a very unusual help wanted ad. listen to this. the ad is for someone who is willing to slip the noose around the neck of a murderer. the call went out after the president rejected a last chance mercy petition from a convicted murderer. all official hangmen have either died, retired or disappeared. finally, the son of a late hangman offered his services, saying he wanted to continue the family legacy. the massive wallow wildfire in arizona has become the largest in the state's history. it's burned more than 733 square miles since memorial day. in neighboring new mexico, another fire is burning in

carlsbad caverns national park. hundreds of visitors have been evacuated as crews battle the 14,000 acre blaze. every month, most of us probably pay our electric bill, we hope, but where exactly does all that power come from? how clean is it? coming up, we want to take you inside what could be the next generation of power plants. ♪ [ male announcer ] and just like that, it's here. a new chance for all of us: people, companies, communities to face the challenges yesterday left behind and the ones tomorrow will bring. prudential. bring your challenges.

so when was the last time you paid your electric bill? ever really think about where that electricity comes from? well, you should. it's important for the environment and of course, for your bank account. right now, we get the majority of our energy from oil, then comes natural gas, coal and nuclear power. only a small portion of our energy actually comes from renewables. they are the cleanest type of energy. it helps that it's harder to ren out of renewables, because once we have depleted all the oil, natural gas and coal, we need to fall back on something. but there is a huge problem with renewable energy right now. it is super expensive. general electric is hoping to help fix that with a new hybrid power plant. take a look here. it's an artist rendering of the plant from g.e. they are hoping to open the plant in turkey in

2015. it's a cross between natural gas, wind and sun power plant. think about it. if you have a power plant that's just solar, you can't get juice at night. if you have a power plant that's just wind, what happens when the wind dies down? you don't get any power. imagine if you were able to combine those into one one big power plant. yeah, ge is doing exactly that. and here to tell us all about it is paul browning. thanks for coming on the show, paul. first of all, tell us how this new plant works. >> well, thanks, randy. this is a power plant that uses aviation technology to provide a level of flexibility in a power gas plant that we haven't really had before. not only that, but it's providing world class efficiency at the same time. that combination makes it so it pairs really well with wind. so it can be there when the wind is not blowing and similarly

with solar when the sun is not shining. so we designed the power plant to provide the flex nlt. in the project we enter deuced in turkey, we've combined the solar, the wind and the gas into one power plant that provides a hybrid capability so you get the best of both worlds. you have gas to give you good, reliable power. then you have renewables to take us into the future of power generation. the other comment i'll make is renewables are getting more and more affordable. the ge renewables business is a big part of that. we've announced world record solar efficiencies. we're driving the price down overtime. renewables are here today and over today. we certainly talk a lot about this show. why do you think it's so important? >> well, you know, different fuels have different strengths and weaknesses. as we described for renewables,

they're very clean energy. however t fact they're not there when the sun is not blowing, the wind is not blowing is a problem. on the other hand, natural gas is a very flexible fuel and also one of the cleaner fossil fuel ls. the two of them together make a great pair. that's one example how the diversity of fuels really allows a power plant operator to take the best of both worlds and make sure when you turn the switch on at home that power is always there for you. >> do you think we as a country will be able to wean ourselves off of oil and gas in our lifetime? maybe our children's or grandchildren's lifetime? if not, i guess, why? >> well, i'll tell you what, if we do, this power plant is a great step in the right direction. what we see with this power plant in turkey is right now it's 15% renewable. it's 85% gas in terms of how it's producing power. over time as we develop this technology, we think we'll be

able to change that balance, be more renewables, less gas, and head towards a future where we can increase renewables content over time and decrease our reliance on fossil fuels. >> paul browning from ge with a cool project under way. paul, thanks for coming on the show and sharing it with us. >> thank you. well, first he tried to shrug it off as a prank by a hacker. now he's fighting for his political light. can congressman weiner keep his job? she felt lost... until the combination of three good probiotics in phillips' colon health defended against the bad gas, diarrhea and constipation. ...and? it helped balance her colon. oh, now that's the best part. i love your work. [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health.

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time for a cnn political update. the pressure is growing for congressman anthony weiner to quit. dana bash is standing by with much more on this. dana, when house democratic leaders called for weiner to resign, they were hoping, i would imagine, that it would end what they call a political distracti distraction. doesn't seem to be working so well, does it? >> it doesn't. they were hoping they would not enter what is now a third week of the story and what is, they consider, a distraction. house democrats this morning met for the first time in over a week. they were gone from washington when anthony weiner admitted to sending the lewd twitter pictures. the frustration outside the meeting was palpable from anthony weiner's fellow democrats who said they wanted this to end. they wanted to talk about what they were talking about inside the meeting. high gas prices, energy, and they came out.

they were pounded by reporters by questions about anthony weiner. nancy pelosi inside that meeting, randi. she reiterated what she said publicly. she thinks it's time for him to go. another colleague from new york says she thinks it's only a matter of time. >> i wanted to be sure that they knew why i came to the conclusion that with the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents, and the need for help that congressman weiner should resign from the congress. >> is it possible to get onto your business without him resign sng. >> we're going top find out. hopefully we're hearing that he might resign in a couple of days. >> she sid not say where she heard he would resign. some of weiner's colleagues are still saying it's up to his constituents in hand. it's not up to members of the house democratic caucus to push him out. there are certainly a lot more

of them saying it's time. even, randi, the former house ethics chairman is saying that he should go. >> this is certainly a very tough, very confusing time, is the hope though, still, that when weiner's wife returns for her trip abroad with hillary clinton that then maybe he'll resig resign. >> it is the hope. that's what so many are saying. she is supposed to return now maybe in the early morning hours. she will find him and the two of them will talk. that's what weiner has told his colleagues. he wants to wait to look her in the eye and talk to her about it. a source told me that nancy pelosi was really expressing confidence that she does think ultimately weiner will resign because somebody asked about the possibility of the caucus taking other steps, like stripping him of his committee assignments. her response was he won't have any when he resigns.

>> those are tough words there. dana bash for us there. thank you. >> thanks, randi. >> your next update is just one hour away. there is a disturbing new report out now on the deadly drug war in mexico. it says that a large number of weapons taken from the cartels came from the united states. how large a number? try 70%. this is what we're talking about. take a look here. yeah, you see all the rifles? at least two-thirds probably came from the u.s. it's been a bone of contention and talking between the u.s. and mexico on stopping the flow of illegal drugs going north. it comes from legitimate sales, smugglers and even the military. the mexican military is supplied in part by the u.s. when a soldier defects to the cartels, he takes his american-made taxpayer funded weapon with him. and what's the effect of the guns in mexico?

death. drug violence killed more than 15,000 people just last year. and nearly 35,000 over the past few years. stopping the flow of guns is a rough game for atf agents near the border. ed lavendera road along on one of their patrols last year to see the challenges they're facing to stop the guns, the drugs and the mexican cartels. the number of firearms somebody has purchased. >> we're driving with an agent from the bureau of tobacco, alcohol and firearms, atf. we can't tell you who he is because he's in the midst of the biggest case he's ever worked, battling lethal mexican drug cartels. down to gauatemala is where he opened our eyes. >> they found a trail from houston to guatemala, littered with 340 guns purchased by straw

buyers. 23 houston area residents, all with squeaky clean records and legally allowed to buy guns. almost 100 have since turned up at crime scenes south of the border, in the hands of the drug cartels. >> they're fighting each other for turf in mexico and unfortunately many law enforcement and civilians are being killed in that fight. >> the man in this undercover photo shared exclusively with cnn is john phillip hernandez. investigators say he was at the center of the straw purchasing scheme. >> according to investigators, hernandez had a crew of 23 people to purchase firearms at gun shops across houston. court documents show hernandez bought them at this gun shop. one was later connect to do the kidnapping and murder of a mexican businessman. hernandez also admitted to buying weapons used in the infamous 2007 acapulco massacre,

where seven people, including four police officers were slaughtered by a dozen armed traffickers. >> a very long range capables. ats special agent in charge d e dewey webb showed us the group's favorite hardware. >> there's probably a dozen versions on the market today. >> hernandez purchased four weapons here hat this shop. we spoke with the owner. he didn't want to go on camera. he said a few weeks after that hernandez returned flashing $20,000 in cash and ready to buy 20 more weapons. the owner says he rejected the sale. >> people that are buying drugs in the united states have just as much blood on their hands as the people pulling the trigger in mexico. >> john phillip hernandez is now serving an eight-year prison sentence after pleading guilty. he says as one ring opens up, new rings can quickly emerge on

the gun trail from america to mexico. atf investigators also say they didn't realize how big the group was until they sat down one day and compared notes. and that's when different inv t investigating teams realized it. it is a growing problems that senators say needs to be addressed right now. jeanne meserve joins me from washington now. jeanne, 70% seems like a very big number. how many guns are we really talking about here? >> we're talking a pretty large number, in fact. this report substantiating claims that guns for the u.s. are fuelling the mexican drug wars. not every weapon recovered in mexico is traced, but according to the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms in 2009 and

2010 of the 29,284 firearms that were traced, 20,504, or 70%, were sourced in the united states. the report also says that most of the firearms traced to the original owner in the u.s. came from three states. texas, arizona and colorado. they are urging congress to do a lot of things. reinstate the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. and require background checks for all firearm purchases. those are both very controversial steps. they've been fought hard by the gun lobby and they have failed before. >> so i would imagine that the u.s. has already been taking steps to try to stop the flow of guns to mexico. is that just not working and now they're going to try this? >> not as effectively as people will like. the atf spearheaded project gun runner that intercepts weapons and ammunition headed for the border. it's had some success. but it's also criticized for

failing to target high level traffickers. and the the atf is under fire for allegations it let gun smugglers purchase hundreds of weapons to be traced. senator charles grassley says atf then lost track of thousands of them. >> jean meserve, thank you for the update. now the caribbean where president obama is making a rare presidential visit to puerto rico speaking about jobs and their status. he is the first president to make an official stop in 50 years. president ford was the last to visit puerto rico while in office, but he was there for an economic conference, not to meet with puerto rico's leaders. as you know, puerto ricans are u.s. citizens, but they can't vote in presidential elections. they also don't pay any federal income tax. but their citizens can serve in the u.s. military. that's a fact the president highlights during his first stop

ther there. >> for decades puerto ricans like juan and ramon have put themselves in harm's way for a simple reason. they want to protect the country that they love. they're willingness to serve, they're willingness to sacrifice is as american as apple pie. yeah, he had to practice that one a little bit i think. we'll have more of that later in our show. seven republican contenders battled it out last night during the first big gop primary debate in new hampshire. congressman michele bachmann delivered the first surprise f the debate announcing on stage she had officially filed the paperwork for a presidential run. the republican candidates squared off on a broad range of issues from the debt ceiling to

abortion to foreign policy. front-runner mitt romney leads most of the candidates by double digits in most polls. surprisingly he was not the target last night. in the end the attacks went straight to the white house. >> president obama is a one-term president. >> this president is a declinist. he views america as within of equals around the world. >> any one of the people in the states would be a better president than president obama. >> on the winners and losers of te debate, cnn political analysts agree romney and gingrich gave strong performances and michele bachmann was the biggest surprise of the night. you can add john huntsman to the roster list of gop presidential hopefuls. a republican source telling cnn the former ambassador to china will formally announce his bid for the white house next tuesday in new jersey with the statue of liberty as his backdrop. harold camping, the minister who inaccurately predicted the end of the world last month has

suffer ad stroke. an employee said camping had a mild stroke last thursday and was recovering at a california hospital. for months camping predicted christ would return to earth on may 21st for the rapture. when that day came and went, camping said during his radio ministry he miscalculated and that the world would actually end october 21st. the casey anthony trial is now back under way. right now you're looking at live pictures. that is kcasey anthony's mother testifying. they had the morning off. now it's back under way. we take you inside the science behind the prosecution's case right after this very quick break gets teeth two shades whiter t and makes tooth enamel two times stronger. get dual-action listerine® whitening rinse. building whiter, stronger teeth. you noticed! these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios...

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the casey anthony murder trial just resumed last hour. we want to show you some live pictures from inside the courtroom in orlando, florida. that is casey's mother, caylee's grandmother on the stand. casey is accused of killing her young daughter caylee. the prosecution's case centers around the idea that casey covered gave her chloroform and then covered her mouth and nose with duct tape. the prosecution's case is expected to wrap up today or tomorrow. then it's the defense's term. the defense claims she drowned in the swimming pool. much of the case is based in science. how did she die? how was she buried? how did the child's remains decompose? here is a forensic scientist at

john jay college of criminal justice. he's also worked as a consultant on casey anthony's defense team. larry, i want to talk to you about the science here. i want to start with the duct tape. how are they able to determine, if they can, death by duct tape? >> well, to be honest, duct tape is important evidence. it's used in criminal matters because people tend to bind, tie up their victims, restrain them. sometimes duct tape is used to seal plastic bags in which you have bodies and body parts. it's very common evidence. and duct tape is very important because it very often has fingerprints of the person who handled it and also dna. so, clearly you expect to find the victim's dna, but anybody who handled it would also have their dna on the duct tape.

it this particular duct tape is marked by a manufacturer, and so it can be compared with duct tape that was found on the gas can as well as duct tape used to put up the fliers. georgen anthony put up fliers about caylee anthony being missing. the duct tape is similar. >> this this case is a sticker was found near the little girl's remains 6. after months in the elements, i'm curious, can you possibly determine the connection to the case? does the adhesive play a role in that? >> yeah, randi, this is a very controversial issue. if there was adhesive there, if it was analyzed and found to be the same adhesive that stickers were made out of, then it would be very significant. unfortunately here the analyst at first with multiple

procedures didn't see anything. then upon seeing what looked like the outline of f a sticker, failed to document it. so there's issues of credibility here. obviously environmental factors could explain why a sticker that was on there would have come off, but i think there's some real issues about whether there was in fact a sticker on the duct tape. >> right, we're talking about the adhesive. but there was a stick ner the area. the prosecution brought up hairs and fibers found in the trunk of casey anthony's car and with caylee's remains. how do you test hair? how does it work to find out if the hair came from a live person or a dead person? >> sure, well initially hair is looked at visually and then microscopically. you can tell if it's human and what part of the body it's derived from. once you do that, then you want to find the origin.

whose hair is it? if there's a root you can do nuclear dna and then tell with certainty who it is. if there's no root, you need to do mitochondrial dna. then it's shared by all maternal relatives. it's difficult to identify with any degree of certainty whose hair it is. in terms of death, there's a band that forms as a result of decomposition. it's a couple of millimeters away from the root area. it's actually air pockets that are in fact transparent under the microscope it looks dark. they say this is an indication of decomposition, which it could be. there has been some research that demonstrates that other environmental factors can create a very similar looking band. so there's no absolute proof

that the state brought that says this is definitely from a dead body. >> larry, we always appreciate your expertise. it's so sad, but so fascinating at the same time. thank you for coming on and helping us understand it better. our sister network of hln is your complete destination for complete coverage of the casey anthony trial. comedian tracy morgan has apologized several times about his violent anti-gay rant in his show in washington, d.c. uel ands like ecopia tires... even making parts for solar panels that harness the sun's energy... working on social activities like clean up programs on beaches in many locations... and regional replanting activities that will help make a better world for all of us. ♪ one team. one planet

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new details today new details in the casey morgan anti-gay rant story. he went on a violent anti-gay rant at a comedy show earlier this month. we first told you about this on friday when one of the audience members talked with me live about his experience at morgan's show. take a listen. >> i knew i was going to see a comedian that disturb push the envelope and was expecting to hear all sorts of different probably inappropriate humor. i didn't expect to hear an

attack on the gay community. >> tracy did come out with an apology on friday. he said i want to apologize to my fans and the gay and lesbian community at my choice of words for my recent stand-up act in nashville. i'm an equal opportunity jokester, my friends know what is in hi heart. even in a comedy club this clearly went too far and was not funny in any context. he also spoke with business mogul russell simmons about the incident. he asked morgan about people defending what he said. morgan responded by saying, when all of it set in, i realized how hurtful my words are. not asking anyone to feel sorry for me or pity me. but i don't need people to defend me. in my heart i know the words i used are indefensible. i appreciate the love from my friends and fans, but i was wrong, period. he spoke with the gay and lesbian alliance. the president of g.l.a.d. joins us live from our new york

studios. jarrett, nice to talk with you again. we spoke about this last week. i know that you've been working now with tracy morgan to help rectify what he did. >> we had a conversation with mr. morgan yesterday. he was apologetic. we're not the ones he needs to apologize to. he's agreed to go meet with, as we asked, family members of kids who were murdered because they were gay. he also agreed to meet with homeless kids. this is important. you're eight and a half times more likely to kill yourself. this is a serious issue. you anyway how homophobia kills. we want mr. morgan to talk to the folks to hear how words and images are matter. the story he told on the stage in nashville can hurt people. not just hurt people, but kill.

the people in the audience is who he should be apologizing to. those are the people he needs to talk to. glad is going to go with him. it will be up to him to tell his story. i know you spoke with him after all this happens. we pulled this from your website. my family knew what it was like to feel different. my probably was disabled i lost my father to aids in 1997. my dad wasn't gay, but i also learned of homophobia then. parents should support and love their kids no matter what. yaird, how do you feel this conversation overall with him went? is this just about apologizing and keeping his job? or do you really think he understands he really did something wrong here? >> i think this meeting, this

coming thursday at the center in brooklyn can kids and family members is going to be good first step for him. he's going to need to listen. we'll see if it stands the test of time. >> i know also one of the things he premised to do, from what i understand, is a psa. are you working with him on that? what might that look like? >> that's right. g.l.a.d. and the american federation of teachers are doing a campaign for the back to school season this year. this september and october called project amplify your voice. as kids are going back to school and the all too familiar dynamics of kids experiencing bullying emerge in school, that we raise awareness. not with the kids so much, but with teachers and parents. this environment where kids live in fear because of bullying is unacceptable and all of us have a role in turning it around.

mr. morgan is going to tape at the nbc studios. he's to tape a public service announcement to be part of the campaign with us. we're excited he's decided to do that. >> jared, thank you for coming back on and updating us on the conversations you had with us. thanks so much for your time. 23 minutes past the hour. checking in our top stories. the massive wildfire in arizona has become the largest in the state east history. it's burned more than 7 # 3 square miles since memorial day. in neighboring new mexico, at fire burning in carlsbad national park. hundreds of visitors were evacuated as crews battle the 14,000 acre blaze. he's one of the most watched and talked about republicans. today texas governor rick perry is in new york. he's speaking at a republican dinner tonight. but there's still no answer to that question, a whole lot of folks are ask it. will he run for president next year? and speaking of republican presidential candidates, last night seven of them faced off in

new hampshire with one anti-obama message. but when you ask people who won the debate, one name you hear often is minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann. our joe johns has more on her rise to contender status. >> tea party darling, anti-obama fire breather, now congresswoman michele bachmann is ready for an even bigger microphone on an even bigger political stage. >> maybe we need to send a change of address form to 1600 pennsylvania avenue. with sarah palin still undecided, bachman may be the only woman among a field of male contenders. she's known for tough talk. >> the powers that be here in washington, d.c., specifically in the white house have been wrong about a few things. >> wrong about everything! >> wrong about everything. is that it? >> while seeking support, the 55-year-old minnesota republican will tout her ideology and biography. she and her husband have five

biological children. she's been a foster mother to 23 ores. she's chairwoman of the house tea party quay kus and rails against excessive tea party spending and what critics call obama care. her message is not always on message, like this gaffe from new hampshire. >> you're the state where the shot was heard around the world. that revolutionary war battle actually happened in massachusetts. she later admitted her mistake, though she blamed media bias for widely reporting it. and this from iowa. about slavery and the men who wrote the nation's founding documents. >> the very founder who is wrote the documents worked tirelessly until slavery was no more. in the united states. >> not exactly. many of the founders owned slaves, and delivers te party reaction at the last state of the union address, she appeared to look off camera, blame a two-camera mishap. that didn't stop "saturday night

live" from poking fun. >> unfortunately that response was marred by technical difficulties, and it seems it's core message was not properly conveyed. accordingly i have asked for this time tonight in order to try again. so here goes. >> joe johns, cnn, washington. >> so can you lift 550 pounds? doubt it. but this guy can. the countdown to the special olympics world games begins. that's next [ female announcer ] imagine skin so healthy, it never gets dry again.

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315 world class u.s. athletes, years of training, dedication and perseverance. all of it will the on display at the ultimate competition. the special olympics world summer games in athens in less than two weeks. jermaine eddie is one of the special olympians representing the u.s. you can see he's proving over and over again just how extraordinary he is. he will compete in power lifting in athens. he's already breaking records. take a look at him. he holds the special olympics records in bench press at 265 pounds and dead lift at 550 pounds. jermaine joins us live from new york. with us is tim shriver, the special olympics chairman and

ceo. thanks so much, guys, for coming on and talking about this. i have to tell you, congratulations first of all. talk about super human strength here. how excited are you about this? >> i'm very excited about it. i can't wait on when to go. i'm very happy. >> we're excited for you. i want to talk about your mom, eunice. she helped start the special olympics games 43 years ago. you said it promotes the gifts of the forgotten. this is the most significant hosted by greece since the 2004 olympics games. how does that feel to you? >> we have 3.7 million athletes who compete in 57,000 events a year in the special olympics movement. it's hard for people to believe china, india, countries like afghanistan, all have special olympics programs operating year

round and sending athletes to greece, the home of the olympic movement. people are thinking, does special olympics belong in athens? are we just kind of a sideline? i think the message of people like jermaine is perseverance, courage, determination, are proving that these are athletes who really can lay claim o the real olympic spirit. this is sports the way it ought to be. no cheating. no drugs. no scandal. pure, joyful, exuberant and highly skilled athletes doing it for the love of the game. >> lots of hard work. jermaine, you've been competing in the special olympics since 1999. why would you say this competition is so important for you? >> because it's good for me. it's good for people like us to be better for the special

olympics. i'm a role model for special olympics. it's very good. >> how did you get so strong? >> practice. practice makes perfect. >> isn't that the message? that's the message to many people miss in our ath leases. the determination t guts, the hard work necessary to achieve. this is not just about patting people on the head and saying rbt you cute? when trained, when disciplined, when focused it produces extraordinary changes. our athletes proved the point. >> really quickly, ten seconds. can you tell us how people can get involved? >> specialolympics.org is place to volunteer. we're trying to find 3.7 million fans for the athletes. come on facebook and friend us. follow us on twitter. buy the laces. in general, jump into the movement. it's the movement i think can sweep the world with the message of tolerance and acceptance.

>> tim, thank you so much. i'm sure you have a bunch of the new fans after coming on the show today. god luck at the games. >> thank you very much. >> i will. >> firefighters make progress against arizona's biggest fire, but another big wildfire has people on the run in neighboring new mexico. we'll have the latest details. when an investment lacks discipline, it's never this obvious. introducing investment discipline etfs from russell. visit russelletfs.com r a prospectus, containing the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information. read and consider it carefully before investing. from "i like you." "i really like you." "i love you." "i will always love you."

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gangs came from the u.s. a government report shows that 70% of the weapons seized in mexico orj nated in the united states. a trio of u.s. democratic senators is calling for reinstatement of an assault weapons band that expired in 2004. mexico says the u.s. has been lax at efforts in blocking high powered guns from ending up in the wrong hands. drug cartels are responsible for more than 34,000 killings. since 2006. president obama is in puerto rico right now. it is the first official presidential visit to the territory since president kennedy visited 50 years ago. although presidents johnson and ford made unofficial stops there. the u.s.-caribbean territory is roughly four million residents who are american b citizens but can't vote for president. five million puerto ricans living in the 50 u.s. states do have full voting rights.

he'll wrap up today's trip with a fund-raiser. john huntsman will formally announce his bid for the presidency next week in new jersey. a republican source tells cnn. huntsman has already visited key states such as new hampshire and south carolina. he has not officially declared his candidacy so did not par it in last night's gop debate. arizona's wildfire has burned 733,000 square miles making it the largest wildfire in the state's history. it's about 18% contained. a big improvement from yesterday. the northward advancement has been stopped. that's good news. hundreds of visitors were evacuated as crews tackled the 14,000 acre wildfire inside there. hundreds of syrian men, children and women fleeing their homes ahead of an advancing army

crackdown. a firsthand look at their life in limbo right after this.

for hundreds, perhaps thousands of syrians, life right now is a waiting game. they're living under wretched conditions along the border with turkey into syria today. we saw firsthand what they're facing. this is the camp sight located just across the syrian turkish border. the conditions are so dire as you've been walking through here individuals keep coming up to us wanting to show us how much the families are struggling to survive.

the women here are visibly upset. they arrived from one of the small villages just outside. they don't have much of a shelter either. there's children with them that don't have proper shoes. they're not able to stay clean. they're filthy. it's just an incredibly desperate situation. so the kids are saying they're here just playing in the water. but this is also being used by the adults to try to bathe themselves, bathe the children, and do their washing. and this water is not clean by any stretch of the imagination. in fact, it's so murky it looks more like a stream of mud. this is a makeshift pharmacy that's been set up inside the camp, if it can be called that. mohammed, who brought most of

the medicines, owned the formsy himself and he piled everything he possibly could as he was fleeing. he's choosing to stay here because the people desperately need his help. he's the only person they can go to for any number of illnesses that people are sufferg from here. so this woman who just arrived has high blood pressure and she's diabetic. those are two medicines he quite simply does not have. this is what this family has to cook on the tents, crewed, tarp strung between two sticks, various vehicles. the families crouching and waiting.

when we ask them, say say it was too horrific to put into words. the next thing they want to know is when will they be able to go home. none of them have that answer. >> and michael holmes joins us now to talk a little bit about this. that's incredible. she was able to cross the border from turkey. >> >> any national journalist not allowed into syria. we're not saying how she did it. she's extraordinary. she speaks turkish, arabic, spanish. over 60,000 people have crossed over into turkey. and the turkish authority is having to deal with that, putting a lot of pressure on them. >> you see the condition miss the camp. the government says it's targeting groups firing on security forces, too. >> we don't know what's going on.

whether it's an armed rebellion. whether it's the peaceful protest we've been told about. how much of a role the december versions are playing. whether you have military versus military within syria. the fear is this could become more and more sectarian. this is a town only a mile away. of course, the ruling regime as well. thauf mixed in with kurds and christians. >> it's incredible she got in there. great to have you here to talk about it with us. thank you, michael. feeling like air travel is putting a dent in your wallet? you are not alone. how fees are helping airlines cash in big time. with honey nut cheerios cereal. kissed with real honey. and the 100% natural whole grain oats can help lower your cholesterol. you are so sweet to me. bee happy. bee healthy.

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during his visit to puerto rico today, president obama revived the long running question on whether puerto rico should become the 51st u.s. state. >> in march a report from the presidential task force on puerto rican status provide ad meaningful way forward on the question so the residents of the island can determine their own future. and when the people of puerto rico make a clear decision, my

administration will standby you. >> puerto rico is an island wedged between the atlantic ocean and the caribbean scene. it's about three times the size of rhode island and has almost 4 million residents. about the same number as oregon. puerto ricans are u.s. citizens, but they can't vote in u.s. elections and they don't pay u.s. mechanic taxes on puerto rico based income. joining us for our streamed team discussion is a professor from the university of washington in seattle and bill santiagoa comedian, author and former journalist. he joins us from new york. tell me, matt. puerto ricans have voted against statehood before. do they really want it, do you think? >> well, it's a very complicated issue on the island of puerto rico. that's because there are a number of people who do not want

puerto rico to become a state but rather to maintain the own independent like identity that might get lost in state hood. but that group is large and mobilized. if there was an election, it would be very close on the island. >> your parents are puerto rican, and you've lived there. what do you think? is it something that they want? >> well, it's about 50/50. you heard him say he's behind any clear decision. 50/50 is not a clear decision. then the united states has to vote on it. they're not going to enforce statehood on an island where 50% of the people don't want it. there seems to be so much criticism of the statehood government at the moment. even the state hooders have a national sense of their identity. puerto rico as a separate place. you know, it's the homeland.

and there's no way of getting around that. it's a lomply kated process. it's a clear process. chances are there will be no change and it's been used at a political football. like when hillary clinton went down during the primaries and said her victory took her over the top. the citizens can't vote. >> it doesn't matter. >> it's the same thing all over again. >> professor, let me bring in the professor here. would puerto rico really be a good fit with the mainland of united states? it is a lomply kated issue. to say whether it's a good fit for the united states is whether it's a good fit for the people of puerto rico, as was just stated. there would have to be a clear

majority vote on the island before this moved forward. look at the history of the united states. it's no his different. >> what would a clear vote percentage be? >> you're right. that's a big question mark. >> when will that happen? >> it's not going to happen now. there would have to be a road to toll there. it hand happened in a long time. it's very dwited between state hood and commonwealth or independence. i've gotten a lot of tweets back. who would trade statehood for having to pay federal taxes? >> it's not about the taxes. the people there are not living cheaply. they have to pay a lot of taxes on the island. food is very expensive. they're not getting a deal farce the economics are concerned.

but the economics of it in terms of the united states adopting puerto rico as a state is a real issue. you would have to pour in billions of dollars to get up to the minimal federal levels. so much more poor than even alabama. that's what you have to look at. the united states can't afford it. there's no way you'll get the congress to vote to make another four million latinos and upgrade their citizenship and pour the money in there when the country is broke and there's an an anti latino sentiment unfortunately, that's the case. it's a sad situation. >> all right, bill, i'm glad that we know how you feel. glad you made time for us, professor, you as well. thank you, both. first he tried to shrug it off

as a prank by a hacker. now he's fighting for his political life. can congressman anthony weiner keep his job? i'm chef michael, and my dog bailey and i love to hang out in the kitchen. you love the aroma of beef tenderloin, don't you? you inspired a very special dog food. [ female announcer ] chef michael's canine creations. chef inspired. dog desired. is best absorbed in small continuous amounts. only one calcium supplement does that in one daily dose. new citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal. has twice the calcium of the leading yogurt. that's 50% of the daily value. pass on the news and make sure you and everyone you know is getting the calcium they need. ♪

with heart-related chest pain or a heart attack known as acs, you may not want to face the fact that you're at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke. plavix helps protect people with acs against heart attack or stroke: people like you. it's one of the most researched prescription medicines. goes beyond what they do alone by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking and forming dangerous clots. plavix. protection against heart attack or stroke in people with acs. [ female announcer ] plavix is not for everyone. certain genetic factors and some medicines such as prilosec reduce the effect of plavix leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. your doctor may use genetic tests to determine treatment. don't stop taking plavix without talking to your doctor as your risk of heart attack or stroke may increase. people with stomach ulcers or conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines, including aspirin, may increase bleeding risk, which can potentially be life threatening, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. tell your doctor all medicines you take, including aspirin,

especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than two weeks after starting plavix. time for a cnn political update. the pressure is growing for anthony weiner to quit. dana bash is standing by for us. we just heard from his political mentor for the first time. what can you tell us? >> that's chuck schumer of new york. he's very close personally with

anthony weiner. weiner worked for him. he just spoke to reporters moments ago. stopped short of calling for him to resign. but is clearly in distress. >> those of us who have been friends of anthony weiner for a very long time feel his wrong l ful behavior is distressing, it's saddening, it's hard breaking. it's clear he needs professional help. that's what he sought. that's all i'm going to say about the subject. the buzz is in the house of represents with his fellow house democrats. i was outside in the first meeting that house democrats have had since it came back to washington and since anthony weiner admitted to sending these lewd pictures of himself via twitter. and certainly the frustration was palpable among many of them, saying they simply believe he's still a distraction. he did