of questions about immigration. americans need to understand high immigration flows are one of the most important causes of inequality. you can be concerned about it, you can support higher immigration, not both. >> my "end point" of the day if you look at the polls, one done as late as thursday, it shows that mitt romney had 38%, gingrich 29%. that's the exact flip of the nbc "wall street journal" poll which ended on the 24th. so between now and tuesday, rather, the day of the primary, there is a lot of time. >> no debates. >> no debates but a lot can still happen. all right. so that is my "end point." that is how we not only end the show today, we end the week. we've got "cnn newsroom" with kyra phillips beginning right now. we'll see you back here for starting point on monday. >> four days until the high stakes florida primary and mitt romney hammers newt gingrich on everything from his investments to his ads to a moon base.

yes, a moon base. just listen as things got pretty fire ri over immigration. >> is he still the moet anti-immigrant candidate? >> i think of the four of us, yes. >> go ahead, governor. >> that is simply inexcusable. actually, senator marco rubio came to my defense and said that ad was inexcusable, inappropriate. i'm not anti-immigrant. my father was born in mexico. my wife's father was born in whales. they came to this country. the idea that i'm anti-immigrant is repulsive. to say that enforcing the u.s. law to protect our borders, to welcome people here legally, to expand legal immigration as i approve, that that's somehow anti-immigrant is simply the kind of over the top rhetoric that has characterized american politics too long and i'm glad that marco rubio called you out on it. i'm glad you withdrew it. i think you should apologize for it and i think you should

recognize that having differences of opinions on issues does not allow you to slam people. >> whole new mitt romney there. what do we know about gop debate coach brett o'donnell working with romney? do you think it's going to stop gingrich's florida surge? >> brett o'donnell, a little bit of insider talk here, but really shows what happens when mitt romney becomes focused. that's what we saw last night during this debate. if we look back at that exchange right there, kyra, it shows that mitt romney was not waivering in anything. he was very direct in his criticism of newt gingrich. he was very direct in defending himself against any charges regarding, of course, what we heard about there, immigration, or about his own personal finances. brett o'donnell is somebody that you would never recognize on the street, but he's really a very important person in republican politics. he was michele bachmann's debate coach and one of her top advisors for her presidential

run. if you remember back when she was running for president, she was very good in the debates. now brett o'donnell also is a long-time gop hand. he was john mccain's debate coach. he worked on bush/cheney. get this. where did he rern all of this, at liberty university where brett o'donnell was an award winning debate coach for that school. someone we haven't heard from or you would not know about but really has helped mitt romney turn things around publicly, kyra. >> well, tuesday's vote could be a game changer now in this race, and winning florida is critical. >> it's huge because if mitt romney is able to win here in florida, if he's able to win here big, all the momentum will shift back towards him. now when newt gingrich came out of south carolina a lot of folks were saying, look, mitt romney is not the inevitable nominee. what the romney campaign is trying to do right now is to try to change that narrative and put it back on track. also, after florida there's a little bit of a stretch now, kyra, where there's going to be some contests but really it's

not until the end of february where michigan and arizona will be voting. so whoever can win florida, even if it's just by a few points, they'll have some wind at their back as they head down into the stretch heading into super tuesday which will be march 6th. kyra? >> okay. mark preston, thanks so much. tuesday all eyes are on florida. join wolf blitz ser, erin burnett, canned kri youl will he. cnn tuesday night beginning at 6:00 eastern. we know more about that testy exchange between president obama and arizona's republican governor jan brewer now. it was ignited by this letter that brewer gave the president as he stepped off air force one inviting him to meet with her. he responded saying she had misrepresented their last meeting in her book and that led to a much publicized photo of her wagging her finger in the president's face. >> what i've discovered is is that i think it's always good

publicity for a republican if they're in an argument with me, but this was really not a big deal. >> reporter: were you tense? >> you know, diane, i'm usually accused of not being intense enough, right? too relaxed. >> brianna keilar at the white house. nice and relaxed this morning. brianna, the president seems to be laughing it off, but is it really over? >> reporter: well, i mean, we're certainly still talking about it. i think that's because there's a lot of interest when you have someone that kind of gets in an intense conversation with president obama. it doesn't happen very often, but i think right now though if you talk with administration officials, they just kind of think, you know, whatever. they're not really surprised. and i think really the president kind of said it there what a lot of the people behind the scenes are saying. there's really no difference between what they're saying behind the scenes and what president obama is saying. they feel that it is a bit of a publicity stunt. and you heard jan brewer, kyra, saying that the president changed the subject after this

invitation to meet with him. the point that the white house is making is there was no subject change. she invited him to a meeting and he was saying, we had a meeting before, it went pretty well, and you misrepresented it. she is standing by her account of the meeting that she had with the president here at the white house. but in short, jay carney, the press secretary here at the white house on the road with the president saying that she did misrepresent that. they're essentially accusing her of sort of lying about that meeting that she had at the white house. >> meanwhile later on this hour we will take it live. the president is going to be talking about the importance of keemg college affordable. tell us more about this speech. >> reporter: that's right. the president is speaking at the university of michigan this morning, and this sort of -- obviously it follows on what he talked about in the state of the union. it's kind of a two-pronged approach when he's talking about education. he's always said that education and pursuing education to make the future of america is important, but there's also this

economic bent to it. everything has an economic angle with the climate being what it is, no surprise. so he's focusing very much on affordability. increasing perkins loans to schools but saying to schools you have to keep costs under control. we're going to be tying that aid that we give to you to you making sure that things are affordable for students. he's really trying to speak to a lot of americans because student loan debt is a very big concern for so many americans. so trying to do a twofer here with education and affordability. >> brianna, thanks so much. we'll have live coverage of that speech when the president starts talking about affordable college about 9:45 eastern time. we'll take it live. more evidence that the nation's economy is growing. just minutes ago we learned that the gross domestic product grew by 2.8% last quarter. christine romans, let's get down to basics and talk about what this means toup and me and the rest of america. >> reporter: good morning, kyra. it means things are getting a

little bit better. right here in jacksonville so much of the discussion about housing, so much of the discussion last night at the debate about the economy, but this morning new details about the economy and that it is growing. 2.8% in the last three months of the year. how does that compare? it's better than the second quarter when it was 1.8%. it's the best since 2010. when you take a look at it, it shows you that the economy slowed down last summer. we were worried about that double dip remember. then it's picked up some momentum later in the year. we see little anecdotal evidence of maybe some recovery late in the year on consumer spending, late in the year on housing. at least some evidence of that on housing. the question though is will it continue? will it continue into the new part of the year? there you can see the graph. look, that shows you that last year the economy started out very, very slowly. we were really worried, really worried about a double dip recession, and then, look, slowly but surely each quarter

got better. 2.8%, that is not enough. that is not enough to really dig into the unemployment rate, to really dig into a lot of the problems we have, but it is showing you the economy moving in the right direction, kyra. >> that's good news. christine, thanks so much. we've also got new details this morning on the two hostages rescued by u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s. american jessica buchanan and her fellow aid worker from denmark are getting special attention now at a u.s. military base in sicily. zain verjee has been following this for us out of london. what do you know about the ongoing care, zain, and also the international reaction to this rescue? >> reporter: good morning, kyra. well, they're going through what's called a transition process. you get a health check and then also when you've been a hostage for a really long time, you have to be psychologically re-integrated back into society. it's something that a lot of military personnel have to go through, so that's some of the things that they're experiencing right now. let me just give you a sense of

the newspaper headlines around the world. the "national post" in canada says this, the right way to deal with somalia's thugs. it says, the more money is handed over for hostages, the more hostages are likely to be taken. that's why barack obama's decision this week to send navy s.e.a.l.s into somalia to rescue ms. buchanan and mr. thisted was the right one. a headline from the philippines. this is "the free man" that's their paper. headline says, so it can be done. it goes on to add, very unfortunate for the hundreds more danish, indian, korean, and philippine sailors still being held captive by somali pirates when their vessels were hijacked in the gulf of aid den. i would surmise a rescue is not in their future. that does underscore an important point, kyra. you have indians, south koreans, filipinos, other danes whose countries won't necessarily

deploy their navy s.e.a.l. teams to rescue. a lot of these individuals being held in hostage are being held in isolation. they don't have a big company behind them that will shell out a ransom to pay for them. it's a tough situation there on the ground for people that have no representation. kyra? >> zain, thanks. still ahead, the battle for the latino vote. candidates reaching out. the gop zeroing in. republican consultant alex cacianos joining us after the break. and a drug delivery to the u.n. a shipment of cocaine arrives in the mail room. we've got more straight ahead. so uh this is my friend frank and his, uh, retirement plan. one golden crown. come on frank how long have we known each other?

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let's check stories cross-country now. two utah high school students are accused of plotting to bomb their school. 18-year-old student who you see here and a 16-year-old. allegedly they planned to set off explosives and escape in a stolen plane. a fellow student actually alerted school officials after he got a strange text. a federal judge says trans ocean cannot be sued by third parties for this oil spill, the worst in u.s. history. trans ocean owned the deep water horizon rig that exploded in the gulf. trans ocean is still potentially liable though for civil lawsuits. in minnesota two cars fell through a frozen lake popular

with ice fisher men. no one was hurt, but is it took recovery crews all day to cut through the ice and pull the cars out. well, no rest after the debate for newt gingrich as you can see. he's speaking in miami right now to the latin builders association. let's go ahead and listen in. >> take the package i just gave, i think you start to see how you could have a dramatically better economy, dramatically more jobs. remember, in the long run the answer to the housing crisis is getting people to work. if people are at work and they're rising in income, they're going to rise in purchasing. you say 8.5, 9, 10% unemployment, it's going to be hard for anything to recover because you don't have a demand driven model where people have resources. that's part of why i emphasize so much job creation. let me also take a minute because you are concerned about latin america. i really want to see a strategy which dramatically expands

miami's role in reaching ought to all of latin america. one of the things i want to do is take mexico, which is currently under the north american command in i think it's now in omaha, i want to move it from there back to southern command, which is right here near the airport. it seems to me the southern command should, in fact, be responsible for all of latin america. i also want to dramatically increase resourcing for the southern command. if you lack at how thin we are in terms of the number of people we commit to latin america and you compare it to bahrain, uae, kuwait, after began stand, germany, or japan, i mean, we really totally ne glegt latin america. the results are a major drug

war. >> newt gingrich speaking live there. we will continue to monitor all the live events, of course, as we get ready for the florida primary. gingrich there speaking to latin builders association in miami. well, if you missed the debate in florida last night on cnn, i want you to see one of the most impassioned moments of the showdown. it was over illegal immigration. it was actually mitt romney that really went off defending his record last night. >> i'm not anti-immigrant. my father was born in mexico. my wife's father was born in whales. they came to this country. the idea that i'm anti-immigrant is repulsive. >> latinos make up nearly 1/4 of florida's population. alex was paying close attention to this. alex, who did the latinos love? >> i think last night all the republicans i think handled themselves pretty well on

immigration, but latinos, i think like all other americans, love strength. the strong father figure in the family. and i think the candidate that displayed the most strength last night was mitt romney. newt gingrich was that candidate in south carolina, but he didn't seem to be as aggressive last night. and when romney went back at gingrich on immigration, when romney went back at gingrich on his investments, he create what had we call in campaigns a moment of strength. that's that moment that's going to play over the next few days in the news media, so i think the edge last night to romney. >> okay. let me ask you this, alex. let's get even more specific and really define the latino vote. cubans lean republican, mexicans largely democrat, and puerto ricans pretty much split. how do you find a common appeal? >> well, i think people who come to this country, the immigrants, for example, in florida, come here for opportunity. they come here to build a better life for their families.

it's an aspirational vote. the biggest thing is really not immigration, the biggest thing is the economy. and who lifts their eyes over the horizon. who tells them tomorrow's going to be better than today? last night we didn't really hear a lot about that from the republican candidates in all fairness. they kind of just went back and forth at each other. the way to go after the hispanic vote is to say, look, we can take you to a better place. there's more opportunity for you in this country. >> all right. so how about these spanish language ads and the impact that they had or are having. let's take a quicklike at this one coming from the romney campaign. you'll see why i'm asking this. >> so here's my question, alex.

breaking barriers or some critics say disingenuous. after all, none of these candidates speak spanish. >> well, it shows you the growing importance of the hispanic vote, not only in florida, but now we have in so many swing states, nevada, new mexico, colorado. you're seeing candidates for the first time really with powerful negative and positive campaigns on hispanic media, and they make a difference. you know, a lot of these negative ads are old news to us in the english language but breaking into the hispanic markets with tough punch and counter punch, that's kind of new and it's very effective. >> alex, thanks for weighing in. >> good to see you. ford posts its biggest profits since 1998, but a big tax credit is what really fueled the automaker. we'll talk about that next. and cocaine seized in the united nations mail room. what police are saying about the investigation.

well, needles to say this package truly surprised the united nations mail room folks. a shipment of cocaine arrives with more than 35 pounds of drugs hidden in hollowed out notebooks. zain verjee, how did you find out about this and what's the deal? >> reporter: i don't know whether to laugh or to cry, kyra. this is potentially very serious. cocaine at the united nations? they're debating an important u.n. resolution on syria here, you know? the thing is that the mail room people were totally stunned because they discovered, as you say, in a hollowed out books 35 pounds of cocaine.

it's worth something like over half a million dollars or something. they had these fake apparently u.n. em blems all over it. what police are saying, kyra, is that this package originated from mexico and it was sent to a post office in ohio but the staff over in ohio didn't know where it was supposed to go so the police are saying that they decided to send it over to the united nations, which, you know, that's the first thought of most people, right, kyra? if you don't know where to send it, send it to the u.n. it's got to be okay. they sent it to the united nations. there's no return address. they don't know what they're suppose today do with it. a spokesperson's come out and said, kyra, this shipment of cocaine ain't connected to anyone at the united nations. nobody is using it. >> i don't know about you. i would have send it to the dea. i don't understand. we'll stay on i guess the trail and see what happens with this

investigation. definitely woke everybody up there in the mail room. quite a special package. thanks. well, ford motor is revving its engine up today. the automaker said that it made $20 billion last year. felecia taylor at the new york stock exchange. let's talk about how big this is. >> well, i'm still thinking about the suspicious packages at the u.n. ford though -- >> that got some engines revved up, let me tell ya. >> exactly. anyway, ford hasn't posted a profit this big since 1998. compare that $20 billion to 2010 when ford made just $6 billion. not just, but in comparison it's a smaller number. the devil is in the details. ford benefitted from a huge tax credit, like about $12 billion worth. that's where the kbans come from. without that, annual and quarterly earnings actually missed estimates. as a result ford shares are down about 3% in pre-market trade.

earnings did improve so that's good news. it did sell more vehicles and at higher prices, it's just one of many recent signs of turn around in u.s. manufacturing. that is a good sign for the overall economy and it's the first of the big three to report. we're expecting good news from all three of the big automakers in the united states. kyra? >> all right. felecia, thanks. newt gingrich accuses mitt romney of profiting from the big mortgage lenders. >> governor romney owns shares of both fannie mae and freddie mac. governor romney made a million off of selling some of that. >> if you're not willing -- >> more debate highlights straight ahead. and also jesus and mohammed. saving the u.s. and global economy? that's a title of a compelling new opinion piece on cnn.com. we'll talk to the author.

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checking top stories. passengers will get $14,400 each in compensation. separate agreements will be offered to anyone injured and family members of passengers who died. two rescued aid workers need time to decompress before speaking to the media. jessica buchanan and poul thisted were rescued. they say an asteroid the size of a bus will pass close to earth. the huge rock is expected to come close to 36,000 miles of the planet but it poezs no danger to earth. well, if you missed the debate last night, give us 2.5 minutes. here's the highlights. >> is he still the most anti-immigrant candidate? >> i think of the four of us, yes. >> mr. speaker, i'm not anti-immigrant. my father was born in mexico. my wife's father was born in whales.

they came to this country. the idea that i'm anti-immigrant is repulsive. >> congressman paul, you're a physician. you're 76 years old. you would be the oldest president of the united states if you were elected. are you prepared to release your medical records so voters out there know what your health is? >> oh, obviously because it's about one page, if even that long, but -- [ applause ] >> i'm willing to challenge any of these gentlemen up here to a 25 mile bike ride any time of the day in the heat of texas. >> speaker gingrich was hired by freddie mac to promote them, to influence other people throughout washington, encouraging them not to dismantle these two entities. i think that was an enormous mistake. i think instead we should have had a whistle-blower and not horn tooter. >> the governor has been attacking me inaccurately. the contracts said i would do no

lobbying, none. there's a more interesting story. we began digging in after monday night because i had had about enough of this. we discovered to our shock governor romney owns shares of both fannie mae and freddie mac. governor romney made a million off of selling some of that. >> you said the u.s. should talk to everyone. imagine you're in the oval office. you speak to raoul castro. what would you say to him? >> well, i'd ask him what he called about, you know? what was the purpose of his call? no, i would ask him, what can we do to improve relation sns. >> what's happened in massachusetts is people are now paying the fine because health insurance is so expensive, and you have a pre-existing condition clause in yours just like barack obama. so what's happening in massachusetts, the people that governor romney has said he wanted to go after, the people that were free riding. free ridership has gone up five fold in massachusetts. >> 98% of the people have

insurance, and so the idea that more people are free riding the system is simply impossible. >> congressman paul, who's right? >> i think they're all wrong. i think this is a typical result of when you get government involved because all you're arguing about is which form of government you want. cnn political editor paul steinhauser live in jacksonville. there was a lot of big moments in those 120 minutes, paul. what stood out most to you? >> reporter: you condensed that pretty good there. that was very nice, kyra. a couple take aways from this. first of all, listen, it was a big night for mitt romney, no doubt about that. the second strong debate. even stronger last night than he did on monday night. what a difference from a week ago in south carolina when it came to freddie mac whrks it came to space exploration whrks it came to illegal immigrants. that was one of the story lines of the night. the second big thing there, it plays out of that, where is newt

gingrich's game? listen, a week ago in south carolina he had two huge debates. newt gingrich was on top of his game, mitt romney was on the defensive. that helped gingrich win big in south carolina. a bit of a role reversal. take a listen to what mitt romney said after the debate. >> i think it's going to give me the boost that i need going into this very last couple of days before the primary. >> reporter: you were pretty aggressive i couldn't help but notice in taking on newt gingrich. you seemed to turn -- you seemed to sort of turn every attack you made on you into an attack on him, particularly the attacks he's made on the campaign trail about your finances. >> when i'm shot at, i'll return fire. i'm no shrinking violet. >> reporter: check this out, kyra. this is a brand new poll out this morning of people likely to vote in florida. tuesday through thursday romney up by nine points. that was before our debate last night. sunday and monday gingrich was ahead. it really indicates that

gingrich's big momentum coming out of south carolina has faded. >> what about santorum and ron paul? you have to admit ron paul was pretty funny last night. >> reporter: ron paul was a riot. second debate in a row where this guy has a will the of great one liners. as for rick santorum, he was in a feasty mood. he really went on the attack especially over health care. he needs to do something to get the poll numbers up here. one other star in the debate, he's not a candidate, a guy called wolf blitzer. we know him pretty well. newt gingrich went after him early questioning wolf about one of his questions that he asked gingrich. take a listen to how it played out. >> wolf, you and i have a great relationship. it goes back a long way. i'm with him. this is a nonsense question. [ applause ] >> look, how about if the four of us agree for the rest of the evening we'll talkly talk about issues. >> mr. speaker, you made an issue of this this week when you said that he lives in a world of

swiss bank and cayman island bank accounts. i didn't say that, you did. >> reporter: nice job there by wolf blitzer standing up to newt gingrich. that was a big moment in the debate, kyra. >> paul steinhauser. thanks for watching it with us. tuesday all eyes on florida. once again wolf blitzer, anderson dooper, candy crowley, paul steinhauser, they'll be talking about the florida primary. 6:00 eastern on cnn. next up a final father well in honor of one of our favorite shows. "welcome back kotter."

well, let's get now to the university of michigan in ann arbor. president obama about to speak. he's going address the rising cost of college and affordability that is slipping beyond the reach of many middle class families. as soon as he begins speaking we will take that live. our chief white house

correspondent is traveling with the president though. she joins us while we wait for this to begin possibly in about 15 minutes or so. jessica, what more do we know about the president's plan? >> hi, kyra. well, the president is proposing a number of steps to try to actually force colleges to keep tuition affordable creating incentives for them to keep down costs using actual federal dollars to sort of favor those colleges that do have lower costs and also make it more evident. they didn't use the word transparent, but sort of make it more obvious to people who are applying to college which colleges are adding extra costs, how they're doing it so that you know when you're applying what you're really getting yourself into. part of this is because, you know, college costs are really going up. colleges are a little upset about this saying, look, state budgets are being squeezed. we don't have that far to turn. they're setting up everything up there. people think the president's --

it's not the president coming. but colleges are saying, you know, we don't have that far to turn so we have to increase tuition a little bit to get the job done. part of this also though you have to keep in mind is the president really needs young people to turn out and vote for him. this is an effort to help get young people invested in his campaign and show them he's doing something that matters in their lives, kyra. >> got t. we're going to take that live. jes car, i know it's happening right behind you, but i think everybody got excited because they put the presidential seal on the front of the podium which obviously got everybody fired up. thought that was the entry point. we will definitely give it to our viewers when the real deal happens. you let us know. thanks so much. >> we'll do. coming up, we're going to talk to a cnn contributor who say babies named jesus will save the economy.

let's check stories going cross-country now. the man convicted in the killing of the petit family may now face the death penalty. dr. william petit's wife and daughters were brutally murdered in a home invasion that dominated headlines in 2007. at noon in connecticut a judge will decide his fate. many of us will never forget hurricane katrina. when those levies broke it devastated new orleans. now a grassroots group wants those failed leaf have is listed on a national register of

historic places. they want them preserved and never forgotten. and celebrating the life of football coach joe paterno. more than 16,000 people gathered to remember his legacy of 46 years. paterno died sunday at the age of 85 after battling lung cancer. immigration, one of several hot topics at the cnn republican debate last night in florida. >> i want to control the woirder. i want english to be the official language of government. i want us to have a lot of changes. >> mr. speaker, i'm not antiimmi grant. my father was born in mexico. my wife's father was born in whales. they came to this country. the idea that i'm anti-immigrant is repulsive. >> i think we need to enforce the law at the border. secure the border. secondly, we need to have employer enforcement which means everify. we need to have not only employer sanctions but we have

to have people who are found working here illegally, they need to be deported. >> i think we spend way too much time worrying about the border between afghanistan. use some of those resources on our border. >> one thing you didn't hear them say was how important immigration is to our economy. he works with hispanic-owned companies. he's a florida primary voter. he's an op ed contributor on cnn.com. you can see the article you wrote. what grabbed my attention was the headline, hey sues and mohammed can save the global economy. >> explain that to me. >> for the last 20 years in the united states one of the top 100 baby names in america is jesus or pronounced jesus. >> is it really? >> yes. if you go to europe, england, belgium, oslo, the number one popular baby name is mohammed. what do names and babies have to

do with the economy? everything. the future currency of the global economy will be babies. babies grow up to pay taxes. babies grow up to fight our wars and without them, countries decline. so in the u.s. there's this fancy term they throw around called total fertility rate. there needs to be a two, which is coupled. need to have two kids to replace themselves. if they don't, we decline. so in the united states we're about two. if we want to be a global economy, the strongest in the world, we need about 2 or 3 million more babies every year. where do they come from? >> let me -- i just had two kids. maybe i should have named them jesus and mohammed. i should have read your article sooner. you actually write, quote, the sustainable competitive advantage of america over any other country is that we do immigration best. how so? do we need more immigrants? >> we need -- well, we need 3 million more babies to be

powerful. where do we get them? immigration. the one thing this country knows better than any other country in the world is we assimilate. we assimilate culture so that's a competitive advantage. and to me, it is the goose that's laying golden eggs. what no one talks about is those 10 million illegal immigrants in this country, the minute they produce babies that then go fight wars and everything else, they're american citizens. and lance corporal jose gutierrez is important. he was an illegal immigrant. when you look at the vietnam war, hispanics were 5% of the population. 25% of the people who died in that war were hispanic. very patriotic culture. we're afraid today like the irish, the jews, when they came in the country, the germans. >> what do you say to the candidates, we heard it last night, that say, they're breaking the law.

they're initially coming into this country breaking the law? >> little kids aren't coming into the country breaking the law. they've been there for 30 or 40 years and what they've been producing is babies that pay taxes, that grow up. they come into the economy. instead of depressing wages, wages actually go up. they're a net gain on the economy, and the candidates know that. they have to know that. they're smart individuals. but they're not exercising a leadership role. what they should be saying is, guys, this is actually a goose laying golden eggs and explain to the american population and the american people why it's a good thing and not a bad thing and not just be reacting because they want to get elected. >> interesting. charlie, thank you very much. appreciate you weighing in. >> thank you for having me. >> you can also see his entire article, cnn.com/opinion. you can weigh in. i'm sure he'll love the

feedback. >> flashback 1970s. ♪ welcome back, your dreams ♪ ♪ welcome back, to that same old place you laughed about ♪ >> and of course, the theme song. who could forget "welcome back, kotter" and the lovable sweat hogs. well, we have sad news, one of the show's stars passed away. joining us from "showbiz tonight" host, a.j. hammer. and a.j., tell me it is one of the favorite shows growing up. i am coming clean on this. >> well, i was like 2 years old, kyra, but sure. >> it is okay. i'm older than you. >> but this is sad news to any of us who remember this terrific show from the 70s, and mr. cotter has indeed lost a student. robert hedges who played juan epstein. the cause of death was cardiac arrest. he also had roles on "kagny and

lacey" and guest appearances on news radio and diagnosis murder, but of course, we remember him mainly as the self-described puerto rican jew who was always ready oforge a note from his mother on "welcome back, kotter" and we remember how popular the show was and of course launched the career of john travolta, but only on the air for four years from 1975 to 1979, and every one of them iconic members. >> and you have more news on the condition of demi moore and what exactly happened? do we know? >> well, so much information out there, kyra, and a lot of speculation in the public eye right now sh, and i should poin out that you should not believe all of the reports out there, and you need to take some of them with a grain of salt. this is what we do know that people are reporting that she is suffering from a long list of ailments including eating disorders and stress and anxiety

and exhaustion, and the 911 call from the night she was rush to the hospital will be released later, but parts of it edited for her privacy, but she has left the hospital so it is a sign she is getting the care she need needs. no news from the ex-husband ashton kutcher and there are photos of ashton partying in brazil, and a lot of people think that sends the wrong message, but i have to believe that he is of course, deeply concerned, and i can understand if he wants to express that concern, he is not as twitter friendly as the guy, is that is not necessarily where he is going to go to express his concern. i am guessing things going on behind closed doors as it should be. sometimes sometime public eye needs to keep things handled privately. >> thank you, a.j.

and justin bieber sharing the stage with michael jackson's kid kids. we will have that next in the next hour of "cnn newsroom." i love that my daughter's part fish. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.

fast forward to the story happening today, and 1 1:30 eastern attorney general eric holder announcing a new fraud fighting unit. and in seattle, colton harris moore known as the barefoot bandit will be sentenced. and also, a ceremony tonight for soul singer etta james. now, let's check in with paul steinhauser in jack sopvillso

hsonville, florida. >> i will break it down with the rock'em sock'em presidential debate at the top of the hour. >> i'm david mattingly in a city known for the violent crime, the murder of a man described as a good samaritan in the streets of new orleans is striking people as particularly heinous. i will have that story in the next hour. hey there. i'm zain verjee in london and i will bring you the lat est on te american hostage jessica buchanan freed are somali pirates and what headlines are happening around the world. that is in a moment. thank you. facebook's new time line is coming for you, like it or not, and it may drudgep things from the past that you thought was behind you. we will talk to you about what you need to know to prepare for the change.

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pretty classic match in melbourne, jeff. >> it was fantastic and we are talk talking about almost five years. and novak djokovic against andy murray. fantastic, five hours. djokovic started hot and won the first set 7-3, and then andy murray comes back to win the second set and the third set and this thing kept going and going and djokovic turned around to win it in the fourth set and in a classic fifth set wins it 7-5, and he moves on to face rafael

nad nadal. there is nadal, and djokovic turning it around, but murray pushed to the limit, but djokovic final ly won in five sets. let's show you x-games and snowmobile freestyle colton moore for the holy grab of the free jump and gets away from him on the crash and not only gets up to walk away, but he wins the gold metal, and the first ex-games gold for him. >> that is inkrcredible as i pu the contact lens back in. >> u ro weyou were ripping it. >> yes, i saw half of it. and now over to the president of the united states live in ann arbor, michigan, going to rally folks up about being able to afford college. let's listen in. >> hello, ann arbor. thank you, christina, for that wonderful introduction. i also want to thank your president, mary sue coleman.

the mayor of ann arbor is here. my outstanding secretary of education arne duncan is in the house. and we have some outstanding members of congress who are here as well. who are representing you each and everyday. give them a round of applause. come on. now, i love you back. so -- in terms of -- boy, we got all kinds of members of congress here. so they -- [ laughter ]

where's denard? denard robinson is in the house. i hear you are coming back, man? that is a good deal for michigan. >> [ inaudible ]. >> come on, they are trying to draft you for president. he's got to graduate before he runs for president. there's an age limit. well, it is wonderful to be here. i want to thank all of you for coming out this morning. i know for folks in college, this is still really early [ laughter ] i remember those days. it is good to be in the home of

the sugar bowl champion wolverines. so and with denard coming back, this is going to be a team to be reckoned with, and i understand that the basketball team is pretty good this year, too. all right. go blue. it is always good start with an easy applause line. look, the reason that i'm here today in addition to meeting denard robinson, is to talk with all of you about what most of you do here everyday, and that is to think about how you can gain the skills and the training

you need to succeed in this 21st century economy. and this is going to be one of the most important issues that not just you face, but this entire country faces. how can we make sure that everybody is getting the kind of education they need to personally succeed, but also to build up this nation, because in this economy, there is no greater predictor of individual success than a good education. today, the unemployment rate for americans with a college degree or more is about half the national average. their incomes are twice as high as those who don't have a high school diploma. college is the single most important investment that you can make in your future.

i'm proud that all of you are making that investment. and the degree that you earn from michigan is going to be the best tool that you need to achieve that basic american promi promise. the idea that if you work hard, and if you are applying yourself, and if you are doing the right thing, you can do it well enough to raise a family and own a home, and send your own kids to college. put away a little bit for retirement, and create products or services, and be part of something that is adding value to this country and maybe changing the world. that's what you are striving for. that is what the american dream is all about, and how we keep that promise alive is the defining issue of our time. i don't want to be in a country where we only are looking at

success for a small group of people. we want a country where everybody has a chance. where everybody has a chance. we didn't want to become a country where a shrinking number of americans do well, while a growing number barely get by. that is not the future we want. not the future i want for you and not the future i want for my daughters. i want this to be a big bold generous country where everybody gets a fair shot, and everybody's doing their fair share and everybody is playing by the same set of rules, and that is the america i know. that's the america i want to keep, and that's the future within our reach. n now, in the state of the union i got us a blueprint to get us

there. it is a blueprint. blue! that is no coincidence, and i planned it that way, michigan. a blueprint for an economy that is built to last. it is an economy built on new american manufacturing, because michigan is all about making stuff. if there is anybody in america who can teach us how to bring back manufacturing, it is the great state of michigan. on the day i took office with the help of folks like debbie stabenow your senator and john conyers, the american auto industry was on the verge of collapse. and some politicians were willing to just let it die.

we said no. we believed in the workers of this state. i believe in american ingenuity and we placed our bets on the american auto industry, and today, the american auto industry is back. jobs are coming back. 160,000 jobs, and to bring back even more jobs, i want this congress to stop rewarding companies that are shipping the jobs and profits overseas, but start rewarding the companies who are hiring here and investing here and creating good jobs here in michigan and here in the united states of america. so our first step is rebuilding american manufacturing, and by

the way, not all of the jobs that have gone overseas are going to come back. we have to be realistic, and technology means a larger and larger portion of you will work in the service sector as engineers and computer scientists -- and there are the engineers, and entrepreneurs and so there is a lot of activity in the service sector, but part of what my argument, and part of the argument of the michigan's congressional delegation is that when manufacturing does well, then the entire economy does well. the service sector does well if manufacturing's doing well. so, we have got the make sure that america isn't just buying stuff, but we are also selling stuff all around the world,

products stamped with those three proud words "made in america." an economy built to last is also one where we control our energy needs. we don't let foreign countries control our energy supplies. right now america is producing more of our own oil than we were eight years ago. that's good news. as a percentage, we are actually importing less than any time in the last 16 years, but i think that young people especially understand this. no matter how much oil we produce, we have only got 2% of the world's oil reserves which means we have to focus on clean renewable energy. we have to have a strategy that,

yes, in producing our own oil and natural gas, but we have also got to develop wind and solar and biofuels. and that is good for our economy. it creates jobs, but it is also good for our environment, and it also makes sure that this planet is sustainable. that's part of the future that you deserve. we have subsidized oil companies for a century, and that is long enough. congress needs to stop giving taxpayer to a oil industry that has never been more profitable, and double-down on the clean energy future that has never been more promising. i don't want to see the wind toror

the solar to germany or japan, because we didn't have the same commitment here. i want those jobs created here in the united states of america. i also want us to think about energy efficiency. making sure that we have already doubled the fuel efficiency standards on cars, and part of detroit coming back is creating more fuel efficient cars here in michigan. and more fuel efficient truck, and we have to revamp the buildings to make them more fuel efficient, and if -- if we are focused on this, we can control our energy future, and that is part of creating an america that is built to last. we have to have an economy in which every american has access to a world class higher education, the kind that you are getting right here at the university of michigan.

you know, my grandfather got the chance to go to college, because this country decided that every returning veteran of world war ii should be able to afford it. my mother was able to raise two kids by herself, because she was able to get grants and work her way through school. i am only standing here today, because of scholarships and student loans gave me a shot at a decent education. michelle and i can still remember how long it took us to pay back our student loans. i will tell michelle that you said happy birthday. but i just want all of you to

understand your president and your first lady were in your shoes not that long ago. we didn't come from wealthy families. the only reason that we were able to achieve what we were able to achieve is because we got a great education. that's the only reason. and we could not have done that unless we lived in a country that made a commitment to opening up opportunity to all people. the point is this country has always made a commitment to put a good education within the reach of all who are willing to work for it, and that is part of what is helped to create this economic miracle, and build the largest middle-class in history. and this precedes even college. i mean, we were -- we helped to

begin the movement in industrialized countries to create public schools, public high schools, to understanding that as people were moving from an agricultural sector to industrial sector, they were going to need training. now we have moved to an information age. a digitalized age, a global economy, and we have to make the same commitment today. now -- [ applause ] we still have by far the best network of colleges and universities in the world. nobody else comes close. nobody else comes close. but the challenge is that it is tougher and tougher to afford it. since most of you were born, tuition and fees have more than doubled. that forces students like you to take out more loans and rack up more debt.

in 2010 graduates who took out loans left college owing an average of $24,000. that's an average. are you waving, because you owe $24,000? student loan debt has now surpassed credit card debt for the first time ever. think about that. that is inexcusable. in the coming decade, 60% of the jobs coming will require a college diploma and high school education is not a luxury, but an economic imperative that every family in america should afford and when i say higher education, i don't mean just four-year colleges, but the community colleges as well to help retrain workers when the

economy shifts, and all of those things cost money, and it is harder and harder to afford. so we've got to do something to help families be able to afford and students to be able to afford this higher education. we have all got a responsibility here. thanks to the hard work of secretary duncan, my administration is increasing federal student aid so more students can afford college. one of the things that i'm proud of with the help of the members of congress, we want a tough fight to stop handing out tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to banks that issue student loans and shift that money to where it should go, directly to the students. and to the families who need it.

tens of billions of dollars that were going to subsidies for banks are now going to students in the form of more grants and lower rates on loans. we have capped student loan payments so that nearly 1.6 million students, including a bunch of you, are only going to have to pay 10% of your monthly income towards your loans once you graduate. 10% of the monthly income. so that is what we have been doing. now congress has to do more. congress needs to do more. they need to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling this july. that is what is scheduled to happen if congress doesn't act. that would not be good for you. so you should let your members

of congress know, don't do that. don't do it. don't do it. they need to extepd the tuition tax credit that we have put in place that is saving some of you and millions of folks all across the country thousands of dollars. and congress needs to give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work study jobs in the next five year yea years. so, the administration has a job to do, congress has a job to do, but it is not just enough to increase student aid. you can imagine why. look, it -- we can't just keep on subsidizing skyrocketing tuition. if tuition is going up faster

than inflation, and faster than even health care is going up, no matter how much we subsidize it, sooner or later, we are going to run out of money, and that means that others have to do their part. colleges and universities need to do their part to keep costs down as well. recently i have spoken to a group of college presidents who have done just that. here in michigan, you have done a lot the find the savings in your budget. we know it is possible. so from now on, we are telling congress that we should steer federal campus based aid to those colleges who keep tuition affordable, and provide good value and serve the students well. we are putting the colleges on notice, you can't keep -- you can't assume that you will just jack up tuition every single

year. if you can't stop tuition from going up, then the funding that you get from taxpayers each year will go down. we should push colleges to do better. we should hold them accountable if they don't. now states also have to do their part. i was talking to your president, and this is true all across the country. states have to do their part by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. last year over 40 states cut their higher education spending. 40 states cut their higher education budget. and we know that these state budget cuts have been the largest factor in tuition increases at public colleges over the past decade.

so we are challenging states, take responsibility as well on this issue. what we are doing is today, we are going to launch a race to the top for college affordability, and telling the states, if you can find new ways to bring down the costs of college and make et eait easier more students to graduate, we will help you to do it, and give you additional federal support if you are doing a good job to make sure all of you are not loaded up with debt when you graduate from college. finally today, i'm calling for a new report card for colleges. parents like getting report cards. i know you guys may not always look forward to it. but we parents, we like to know what you are doing. from now on, parents and

students deserve to know how a college is doing. how affordable is it? how well are its students doing, and we want you to know how well a car stacks up before you buy it, and you should know how well a college stacks up. we call this, one of the things that we are doing at the consumer finance protection board that i just set up with richard cordray is to make sure that young people understand the financing of colleges. he calls it know before you owe. know before you owe. so we want to push more information out so that consumers can make good choices, so you as consumers of higher education understand what it is that you are getting. the bottom line is that an economy built to last demands we keep doing everything that we can to bring down the cost of college.

that goes along with strengthening manufacturing and keep on investing in american energy, and double-down on the clean energy that is creating jobs across this state and guaranteeing your generation a better future can. and you know what else it means? it means that we renew the american values of fair play and shared responsibility. shared responsibility. i talked about this at the state of the union. you know, we have got to make sure that as we are paying for the investments s oos of the investments s oos o the fu that everybody is doing their part, that we are looking out for the middle-class families and not just those at the top. the first thing that means is to make sure that the taxes don't go up on 160 million working americans at the end of next month.

people can't afford the lose $40 out of every paycheck, not right now, and students who are working certainly can't afford it. your voice is encouraged and ultimately convinced congress to extend the payroll tax cut for two months, and now we have to extend it for the whole year. i need your help to get it done again. tell them to pass this tax cut without drama, without delay. get it done. it is good for the economy. >> four more years. >> okay. now, in the longer run we are also going to have to reduce our deficit and invest in the future and reduce our deficit. and to do both, we have to make some choices. let me give you some examples. right now we are scheduled to

spend nearly $1 trillion more dollars on what was intended to be a temporary tax cut for the wealthiest 2% of americans. it is not fair. a quarter of all millionaires pay a lower tax rate than millions of middle class households. not fair. warren buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary and i know because she was at the state of the union and she told me. is that fair? >> no. >> does it make sense to you? >> no. >> do we want to keep these tax cuts for folks like me who don't need them or do we want to invest in the things that will help us in the long term like student loans and grants and a strong military and care for the veterans and basic research.

those are the choices that we have to make. we can't do everything. we can't reduce our deficit and make the investments that we need at the same time and keep tax breaks for folks who don't need them and were not even asking for them. well, some of them were asking for them, but i was not asking for them. we have to choose. when it comes to paying our fair share, i believe we should follow the buffett rule. if you make more than $1 million a year, and i hope that a lot of you do after you graduate, then you should a tax rate of at least 30%. on the other hand, if you decide to go into a less lucrative profession, and you decide to become a teacher, and we need teachers -- if you decide to go

into public service or go into a helping profession, and if you make less than $250,000 a year, which 98% of americans do, then your taxes shouldn't go up. this part of the idea of the shared responsibility. i know a lot of the folks have been running around calling this class warfare. i think that asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as the secretary in taxes is just common sense. yesterday bill gates said he doesn't think that people like him are paying enough in taxes. i promise you, warren buffett is doing fine, and bill gates is doing fine and i'm doing fine.

>> [ inaudible ]. >> they are doing fine. and we don't need more tax breaks. there are a lot of families out there who are struggling and seen their wages stall and the cost of everything from a college education and groceries and food have gone up. you are the ones who need that. you're the ones who need help. and we can't do both. some have been saying, well, the only reason that you are saying that is that you are trying to stir people up and make them envious of the rich. people don't envy the rich. when people talk about me paying my fair share of taxes or bill gates or warren buffett paying their fair share, the reason that they are talking about it is because they understand that, you know, when i get a tax break that i don't need, that the country can't afford, then one of two things are going to happen. either the deficit will go up,

and ultimately, you guys will have to pay for it or alternatively, somebody else is going to foot the bill. some senior who suddenly has to pay more for the medicare or some veteran who is not getting the help they need readjusting after they have defended this country. or some student who suddenly having to pay higher interest rates on the student loans. we do not begrudge wealth in this country. i want everybody here to do well. we aspire to financial success, but we also understand that we are not successful by ourselves. we are successful because somebody started the university of michigan. we are successful because somebody made an investment in all of the federal research labs thatkree ycreated the internet. we are successful, because we have an outstanding military that costs money.

and we are successful, because somebody built roads and bridges. and laid broadband lines, and these things didn't just happen on their own. and if we all understand that we have got to pay for this stuff, it makes sense for those of us who have done best to do our fair share. and to try to pass off that bill on somebody else is not right. that is not who we are. that is not what my grandparents' generation worked hard to pass down. that is not what your grandparents and your great grandparents worked hard to pass down. we have a different idea of america. a more generous america. everybody here is only here because somebody somewhere down the road decided we are going to

think not just about ourselves, but about the future. we have got responsibilities, yes, to ourselves, but also to each other. and now it is our turn to be responsible. now it is our turn to leave an america built to last. and i know we can do it. we have done it before and i know we can do it again, because of you, and when i meet young people all across this country with energy and drive and vision, despite the fact that you have come of age in a difficult tumultuous time in the world, it gives me hope. you inspire me. you're here at michigan, because you believe in your future and you are working hard and putting in long hours and hopefully some of them at the library and some of you are balancing a job at the same time and you know that doing big things is not always easy, but you are not giving up. you have got the whole world

before you. and you embody that sense of possibility that is quintessentially american. we do not -- we do not shrink from challenges. we stand up to them. and we don't leave people behind, and we make sure that everybody comes along with us on this journey that we are on. that's the spirit right now that we need, michigan. here in america we don't give up, and we look out for each other, and we make sure that everybody has a chance to get ahead, and if we work in common purpose with common resolve, we can build an economy that gives everybody a fair shot, and we will remind the world just why it is that the united states of america is the greatest nation on earth. thank you, everybody. god bless you. god bless the united states of america.

thank you. live from ann arbor, michigan, the president of the united states, and christine romans i want to bring you in right away, because we want to get jessica yellin hooked up, the white house correspondent at the event. this was touted as a speech on focus on affordability, and that is right in your wheelhouse, so i want to ask you about that. >> yes. >> and this is really sounded a lot like a campaign speech for president of the united states. >> sure did. >> and so i will tackle that with jessica in a second, but for you, did he get across what parents like you are looking to hear about when you thinking about kids going to college? >> he said something that really resonated there and i will tell you what it is. he said, you know, it can't be just more student loans and more higher education financing for ever higher tuition, otherwise, you are borrowing more money to chase after higher tuition and

something has to break the cycle, and he is saying he would like the tie student aid or certain kinds of student aid and programs and perkins loans to universities who can prove they are trying to keep the costs down for students and value for students, and make a shopping sheet so that the students and their parents can figure out what is the value for the dollar and the size of my loans here as i am deciding where to go the school. it is a populist president obama we are seeing here, you are right, on the campaign trail almost, and populist tone he veered into talking about the payroll tax holiday and other things as well, but saying, look, if you want to get ahead in america, 60% of the new jobs over the next decade will need a college education, but you can't live in a country that has more student loan debt than credit card debt. and everything that he is laying out is something that has to be passed by congress and he is

facing a do-nothing congress so most of it is talk at this point, but trying to figure out how to get a better value for students and value for the money. >> okay. steve perry, you are all things education guru. you are a parent. you are an educator, and you do these types of story for us, and did you hear what you wanted to hear when it comes to college aid? >> well, one of the things that i found to be interesting is that they are giving the money directly to the children as opposed to give it to the banks who are offering up the loans and giving it to the children in some way of a grant. that is inspiring and also encouraging the colleges to hold down the costs. and one of the tough parts of sending the kids to college knowing that many of my kids cannot go simply because they cannot afford it. on the other side, very little detail about what he is going to do to help the students get to college. while in the blueprint he talks about having access to education for all students, i don't hear enough of the conversation about

how he's going to deal with the failed schools and those schools that are listed as failed that he doesn't seem are failed because only a small percentage of the children in them are failing to meet the state standards. >> got you. do we have jessica yellin yet? all right. okay. steve, you know, it is not easy to keep tuition down, as you well know, states' budgets are just getting slashed. education is gets the biggest wounds. >> well, i don't know that the reason why this tuition is going up is because the states' budgets are being slashed, but they are going up, because the schools are attempting to stay competitive so they have to build a bigger facility for whatever they think is important and particularly a sports facility and build better dorms that are more high-tech and make the students feel more like they are at home or better. these schools that i get to visit and i visit colleges all over the country, and there are colleges that i see that are stunning, but if you want to have a stunning college and

stunning physical plant then you obviously have to spend more money, and that is where the rub is. the rub is that students on the one hand want the college that's the ooh/ah factor, but on the other hand don't have the money to pay for that. so that is what we run into. i don't know the reason why the costs are going up is because of the budgets being slashed or even because of the economy, but it is the economy of competition among colleges is driving up the college costs. >> steve, thanks. jessica yellin traveling with the president there. she listened to the whole speech. jessica, we were just saying that while we were looking strictly at obama talking about college aid proposals -- and did we lose her? okay. we lost jessica there. we will try to get reconnected. while we wait for that, let's state on the note of politics. all right. mitt romney seemed to get all of the kudos from the debate last night, and newt gingrich all of the bruises. coming up we will ask his old

campaign strategist what the heck happened.

newt gingrich not usually quiet and not usually uncomfortable. bottom line, last night's debate was pretty rough for the man dubbed as the little angry attack muffin. we have newt gingrich's former campaign strategist, matt, what happened? >> well, he was flat as a

pancake and he didn't have the energy. for one thing i think that he is exhausted. it is clear that the campaign is taking a toll. he didn't seem with it, and he was not the aggressor, and we all know that he needed to be the aggressor in the debate. the other thing that i have to give credit to is wolf blitzer who managed it beautifully, so newt gingrich could not get away with the tactics in the past, and that is not to put anything on him, but credit to wolf. >> and how would you have expected that and prepped gingrich for last night? >> well, firt otst of all i wo have told him to get rest, and he has gotten into the habit of two or three bullets and it is the oldest trick in the debate world. know what you have to say and get it out quickly and threes or fours and not rambling on.

newt was on the defensive last night and that is his biggest problem. he needed to be on the offense and he seemed tentative being on the offense, and again, a moderator having control of the room like wolf blitzer had, it is difficult for gingrich to pile, and pile away when he attacked the media, and he couldn't do it this time. >> i love that you are lifting up wolf blitzer. i hope he is listening. >> yes. give credit where credit is due. >> and let's hear this when mitt romney went after newt gingrich. >> is he the most anti-immigrant candidate. >> of the four of us, yes. >> go ahead, governor. >> that sin is inexcusable, and inexcusable. and in fact, marco rubio came to my defense, and my father was born in mexico and my wife'swal

fact that i am ap t-- anti-immit is repulsive. >> why didn't he look at him in the eye? >> well, if they have a pen, keep notes and sometimes they are not allowed to do that, but in this case, this is a case of gingrich being tired. i know him well enough to know when he is on the game, he is on the game, and he knew what to say, but he could not get it out quite right. but i will say he scored points with few groups. hispanic latinos did a good job with. and space coast, and he may have done a favor talking about the moon stuff. >> and really? done a favor, because a lot of people thought, that this is random -- >> well a lot of people live down there, and he was not clear, but at leasted appeared interested in the space coast more than the other candidates and with that said what he gained from the space coast, he lost from the tea party folks

with the tepid answer from the immigration and the like. i don't think he lost it or romney won, but rick santorum was the best debater without question. and gingrich needed a knockout, but he didn't get it. i will say polling and looking ate at it is a closer rate. our own firm has about eight or nine for romney, and it will tighten up, but that debate did not help. >> you are not going back on the gingrich payroll? >> you know what, that man has never paid me a dime other than buy me a meal. thank you, newt. >> thank you for the insight, matt. >> you got i. >> ron paul challenges the rivals to a bike race making a case that age ain't nothing but a number. but when that number is 76, you know, some people wonder, how old is too old for the white house? our political buzz panel weighs in. he wasn't focused on his future.

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wanted to spend a few billion to put a colony on the moon, i'd say "you're fired." >> how surprised that the moon base became a hot topic. goldie? >> i am not surprised at all. this is one of newt gingrich's really, really big ideas, but i think that some of the voters would like to strap a rocket to newt and send him to the moon and let him set up a colony on his own. at the end of the day, newt gingrich was rambling last night, and he could have come with the one, two, or three points and he got off of the game last night, and romney with a brand new speaker coach really rocked it last night. i think that it will show up in the polls. >> boris, what did you think, a moon base? >> i think that newt gingrich may have been on the moon when he proposed that and started to talk about that in the biggest debate of his political career. newt gingrich needed to have a home run just like the ex-coach said, he didn't get that and he set mitt romney up. that was a beach ball and mitt romney hit a home run with it, and he said i would fire you if

you proposed that to me if i were your boss and that is what the voters are saying, too, we arefiring you as a candidate. foreclosures and the economy is what people think about it. stop talking about the moon colonies. >> and i don't know moon raker and china taking over space, but the fact of the matter is that newt gingrich wants to talk about making a colony on the moon and allowing statehood, but he doesn't want washington, d.c. to have statehood. so he was completely off topic, and mitt romney did a great job the criticize him on him, and great to have big ideas, but he has to find a way to pay for it, and i was pandering way too far for the florida space completely lost it. >> ron paul was a piece of work last night. he had us all laughing. take a look at this. >> are you prepared to release the medical records out there so voters know what your health is? >> well, obviously, because it is about one page if even that long.

but i am willing to challenge any of the gentlemen up here to a 25-mile bike ride to any time of the day in the heat of texas. >> all right. so rick santorum is a 53, and mitt romney is 64, and newt gingrich, 68, and ron paul, 76 years old. so if elected he would be the old president to move into the white house. so is age an issue? boris? >> well, it would be an issue if ron paul had any chance to get the nomination. he doesn't. he did a great job at the debate. the zingers like that, and the 25-mile bike ride and newt gingrich preferred the moon and then the 25-mile bike ride and the thing about the politician on the moon, and those were all great and good, but he is not the nominee over the gop, so that the age is not an issue in this election. >> goldie? >> my money is on ron paul. you know -- >> in the bike ride or winning

the presidency? >> a bike ride, a strong man contest and i think that ron paul can take them all. you know, but at the end of the day, these guys, you know, ironically enough the guys on the stage who had access to the best health care in the world, and in the real issue is who doesn't have access to that kind of health care. is his age an issue? no. is his physical capacity an issue? no. some of the mental capacity should be tested, because that is another story for another day. >> jason? >> people don't care about age, but fitness. ronald reagan is old, but he was on horses. and george bush was old, but he cleaned brush, and bill clinton came out of the water like bo derrick. so as long as they are healthy, we can skip the debates and go one-on-one with barack obama on the basketball court, we'd love that, too. >> you guys are on fire today. the buzzer beater and 20 seconds on this one. this is conan's take on mitt

romney's cash. >> mitt romney does very well with republican voters who make more than $200,000. yeah. or as romney calls them trailer trash. can someonev live on that? >> romney did defend his investments again last night, so is his wealth a turn-off? goldie? >> i don't think that the wealth is a necessarily a turn-off and who cares how much money mitt romney is able to make, if he is able to take advantage of the opportunities that the country affords him, great. but how many toasters do you need if you are going to have accounts in the caymans and the swiss, and how much free checking accounts and free fees do you need if you make that much money? >> boris? >> the key is last night, between the taxes and the charitable donations, he has paid over 40%, and that is what is important that he is not only paying the taxes, but he is donating and giving to education

as a barack obama is talking about. so no, wealth is not a turn-off and most americans want to be rich and be like mitt romney. >> jason? >> look, americans love the rich people, but you have to be the right kind of rich person, and mitt romney isn't. we like mark cuban and warren buffett and bill gates and people who made their money that we can feel, touch and understand, but the problem with mitt romney is that he has made money and how did he make it? he needs to connect for the with regular people and then we won't talk about it. >> jason, and goldie and boris, great discussion. happy friday, and let's do it again. >> okay. happy friday. >> okay. tuesday, all eyes on florida and join wolf, and candy and anderson and john for the coverage of the florida primary beginning at 6:00 p.m. eastern tuesday. and big mandatory change for facebook. and we are talking about how they impact you and your friends. all of that is coming up. okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle --

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all right. attention facebookers all 800 million of you, if you don't like the time line feature, we have bad news. soon it won't be optional anymore and some posts that you thought might be gone, well, they might be back. so let's talk more about this with christine warren from mashville.com, and there are a lot of anti-facebook groups out there, and why such a hard time getting the love i guess? >> well, a lot of people hate

the time line and we have been talking about it for a couple of months now, and some people like it and doing creative thingsb and other people don't like the way it is easy to find your information and like you said highlight some posts that you thought didn't exist anymore. >> and what exactly do people need to know before time line rolls out for everyone? why is facebook pushing this so hard? >> well, i think they they are pushing it, because they see it as the future of the profile. they see this as the future, so they want everybody to embrace it, and moreover, a bunch of apps to take advantage of the time line features that don't work that well if you don't have time line enabled. and as far as what people need to know that once facebook sends you a message saying that time line is enabled, you have seven days to kind of preview how lit look before it is live, and you can go through the back history and choose what to highlight and not the highlight and make private and not private, and get everything sorted away before it goes live. >> well, while i have you and the time is short, but i want to ask you about twitter, too. >> yes. >> this is the newest and the

headline today, because it is going to start deleting tweets in certain countries. >> right. actually twitter has always had the optionremoving tweets that didn't meet laws like nazi propaganda in france and germany is illegal. so if you were to post something against the law in one country could not mean it is necessarily viewed in the rest of the world, so they are taking a nuanced view. they are being open about it and showing any of the requests for deletion that come through on a website they have worked with a public policy organization. >> christine warren, mashville.com. thanks for hanging in there with us. >> thank you. and more stories happening today. 11:30 eastern, attorney general eric holder announcing a new fraud fighting unit. and the barefoot bandit will be sentenced. tonight in 8:00, a public viewing will be held for