at 11:00. at 11:25, president obama speaks at the second white house science fair, celebrating winners in science, technology, engineering, and math. at 1:00, ohio governor john kasich gives a historic address at wells academy. the first state of the state speech given by an ohio governor outside the capitol. excited about that ticker tape parade. i didn't know you were a giants fan. >> i just like a good parade. >> that's right. >> i would have rooted for the other team, too, truth be told. >> you've got the spirit. all yours, my dear. live from studio 7, i want to get you up to speed for this tuesday, february 7. this just in -- karen handle, the vice president of susan g. komen for the cure foundation, has just resigned. this is after she came under fire for taking away funding from several planned parenthoods. komen reversed the decision to withdraw last week. the "huffington post" reported handle had expressed anti-abortion views in the past. huge decision on same-sex

marriage. we are waiting on a federal court ruling from california on the constitutionality of proposition 8. it is the 2008 voter initiative that said same-sex couples could not get married. well, a federal judge struck down prop 8 two years ago saying gay couples were being unfairly denied the right to marry. the people behind prop 8 appealed it, which brings us to today's milestone decision. and what we're seeing on the ground in syria right now could be a turning point to ending the planned parenthoodshed or just more of the same. [ crowd noise ] >> syria's president wants to show he's got support, too. the thousands of people waving flags welcoming russia's foreign minister. this comes just days after russia threw a lifeline to syrian president assad. by vetoing a u.n. resolution that would have condemned him for killing his own people. since then, the government

attacks have intensified. [ explosion ] >> unbelievable video we are watching there. syrian opposition activists say 128 civilians died in those rocket attacks on the city yesterday. today's death toll has reached 21 so far. the sheer desperation and determination of one syrian activist stopped us in our tracks. >> we might just face our death by tomorrow morning or even in a half-hour or get arrested and die under torture. but this doesn't mean we're going to retreat. this doesn't mean we're going to give up. we'll stay even if it takes us just another 10,000 people kill or 100,000 people killed. we'll not stop. protesters back on the

streets of greece today. now they are furious over cuts in government spending. and traders on wall street, they're taking notice. for months now, greece has been at the center of the chaotic battle between european leaders who want to see the country get itself back on budget and workers who think that these cuts are unfair. presidential politics. three states and 70 delegates up for grabs in today's republican matchups. colorado, minnesota hold calks today. missouri holds its primary. delegates are going to be decided later. rick santorum says he has a shot at winning one or more states. he campaigns in colorado springs this hour. mitt romney is holding a rally in loveland, colorado. we'll have updates from the campaign trail and complete election results tonight. we are now getting gruesome, new details in what police are calling a murder/suicide. investigators say josh powell attacked his own sons with a hatchet before setting his house on fire, killing them and

himself. a judge had denied powell custody of his children. and he seemed consumed by the decision in a chilling voicemail left moments before he killed the boys. >> this is josh. i'm calling to say good-bye. i am not able to live without my sons, and i'm not able to go on anymore. i'm sorry to everyone i've hurt. good-bye. >> imagine if president obama was judging your science fair project. for some lucky students, it's happening today. the second annual white house science fair. the president also expected to speak about ways to help american students be more competitive in math and science. we're going to bring you the speech live later. and we want to get you a closer look at now just how desperate this situation is in sawyer.

[ yelling ] [ explosions ] >> women and children are among those being killed and injured as the government unhere's relentless attacks on its own people. this is the hardest hit city of holmes. syrian activists say a weekend bloodbath there was followed up yesterday by government rocket attacks that left 128 people dead. one activist explained the slaughter in very chilling terms to cnn. just listen to this. >> let me say one word -- i think that the entire world should be ashamed of what's happening here. everybody is just silent and looking at us being slaughtered every moment. for no reason, just for asking for our freedom. everybody's just looking at us like this. we are slaughtered. russia has called for veto.

china has gone for veto. the rest of the world are condemning this veto. and what else -- looking at us -- the world is watching us so silently. we are getting killed every moment. we are not able to get some basic medicine to injured people, children are really hungry. i swear, children are hungry. no power, no fuel, it's too cold. it's too much. for god's sakes, this is too much. >> that is so touching. russia's foreign minister is in syria today for an emergency meeting with president assad. the russians say they have a proposal that could end the crisis in syria.

they have not yet revealed it. here's your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. everybody is still talking about the clinton eastwood commercial that aired during the super bowl. a lot of people think this commercial had a political message behind it. carol costello, a little bit more about all of that. it's interesting because some people don't know which way it fell politically. some people think it was for obama. other people think it was for the gop. >> reporter: i know. i guess i should ask our audience -- are you tired of talking about clint eastwood's ode to detroit? i'm not, sorry. it's endlessly fascinating politically whether eastwood meant it to be or not. >> detroit's showing it can be done. and what's true about them is true about all of us. >> of course, detroit still has a long way to go. the city teeters on the edge of bankruptcy. but the big three are thriving

thanks in part to a government bailout. president george w. bush seems on eastwood's side. his administration gave the auto industry $25 billion in emergency aid, according to the "detroit free press." bush told the national automobile association monday he'd do it all again because "sometimes circumstances get in the way of philosophy." it's a sentiment the republicans running for office do not share. mitt romney made that quite clear in a "new york times" op-ed entitled "let detroit go bankrupt." he was confronted by voters last month. >> bankruptcy is not going under and losing jobs. i believe the market works better than a president step information to take care of his friends. >> reporter: >> friends as in union friends. president obama is all for the auto bailout. his administration also lent billions of dollars to the auto industry.

he touted the big three's comeback. after all, g.m. and chrysler are turning profits. ford rebounded without government help. and last year the treasury department reported taxpayers would lose $1 billion because of the bailout, but does it matter? as clint eastwood said, detroit is showing us it can be done. so the "talk back" question -- have you changed your mind about the auto industry bailout? facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read your comments later this hour. >> all right. thank you. here's a rundown of some of the stories we are covering. first, we're expecting a ruling soon on california's same-sex marriage ban. and this -- >> reporter: here's one of the problems with trying to completely eradicate the python. you probably don't even know is. it's right here, a six footer. >> wow. these exotic pets are killing off entire species in south florida. we'll find out why it is so hard to stop them. then, the giants of the super bowl get a massive welcome

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there's a political fight over same-sex marriage. a federal court ruling from california on the constitutionality of proposition 8. the 2000 voter initiative that said same-sex couples could not get married. a federal judge struck down prop 8 two years ago saying gay couples were being unfairly denied the right to marry. so while we wait on the ruling, i want to bring in our senior legal analyst jeffrey toobin. essentially what is at stake?

this is actually a simple situation here. the decision today will determine whether same-sex marriage is legal in california. those are the stakes of today's decisions. the implications may be bigger, but today's decision by the ninth circuit court of appeals will solely determine, it's a big state, almost 40 million people, whether same-sex marriage exists or shall exist in the state of california. >> so jeff, is today's ruling by the ninth u.s. circuit court of appeals the last word on whether gays will be able to marry in the state of california? >> probably not. there are a lot of legal mac nations left to spin. this is a three-judge panel of the ninth circuit. the losing side, whichever side it is, will answer a choice -- will they appeal this to the full ninth circuit, a bigger group of judges, or will they go to the united states supreme court? the united states supreme court

has never ruled on whether there's a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. if this case goes to the supreme court, we'll see whether it does, it will be certainly one of the biggest dmasz many years. -- cases in many years. and that's something to look at, listen to, the losing side after today's decision about how they plan to handle this. >> jeff, being somebody who follows the supreme court for years and years and years, do you believe that this is the kind of case that will go to the supreme court ultimately? >> i don't think this case will go to the supreme court. this is not a straight-up test of the constitutional right to same-sex marriage. there are procedural issues about legal doctrines, things that are not terribly important to people that actually complicate the case in a way that i don't think the supreme court will will want to get involved. my sense and we'll see is that today's decision is really going to be the last word for california and the last word in this case. don't know if that's going to

happen, but i don't think this a case is going to wind up in the united states supreme court. >> do we think this case will be partisan or political in any way, or does it cross party lines when you look at the three-judge panel? >> i think this will be a political case. i think in most federal judges you can tell a lot by which president appointed them. there are two democratic leaning judges, one judges, more republican leaning judges in the oral argument of this case. seemed that the democratic-leaning judges were inclined to overturn proposition 8. so i think most people who followed this case think today's decision will be in favor of same-sex marriage, proposition 8. but predictions are predictions. >> we'll see -- >> it should be 1:00 eastern time, 10:00 pacific time. that's when the decision should be coming out. >> okay. we'll bring you back the next hour.

we can talk more about what we're expecting there in the next hour or so. thank you, jeff. appreciate it. the so-called super pacs pumping millions of dollars into the presidential race. now the obama campaign changing itself position on super pacs in response to the massive amounts of money raised by those republican groups. obama campaign aides will support his bid. and we have donna in the house atlanta. >> great to be on set. you brought you a gift. two weeks from now we have the mardi gras. i have the music ready. look -- i got this from a friend yesterday here. and he's part of the crew that's -- a very historic year. happy mardi gras. two weeks from the day, there you have. i know you'll be working, i'll number new orleans. ielt hai'll -- i'll have the sur

bowl treat. >> we're new orleans folks. tell me about the obama campaign. this is a president doing a 180 on super pacs here. this is not a president who said, yes, we can, if it's financially convenient. he said yes, we can. how do you justify that? how do you back this? >> as you know, when the supreme court ruled and in citizen united, the president condemned what they d. it is a threat to democracy. but i believe the obama campaign people were alarmed by the increasing amount of money coming from the right, from the republicans, and especially in florida where 92% of the ads were negative. mitt romney campaign, for example, ran all of those negative ads against newt gingrich. the campaign decided that they're not going to sit and simply allow these super pacs to overwhelm the democrats this year. and that's the reason. look, i oppose all of this, i also believe we need more transparency. but there's no question the campaign decided that they had to make sure that they had

enough money to compete against the negative money this year. >> do you think it's fair enough that the president and vice president said we're not going to be participating or showing up at events supported by the super pacs? do you think that's a reasonable compromise in some way? >> i think it's a compromise, but democracy's up for sale. last year we saw millions of dollars in ads spent, and president obama wasn't on the ballot. both in 2010 and 2011. there's flow question that the campaign has to be prepared to defend itself. and the super pacs, while i disagree with them and i wish that the nonprofits would have more transparency, disclose their donors, i would hope that after this election cycle we try to figure out some way to get rid of all of these crazy, you know, machines that really destroy our democracy and participation in our electoral process. >> let's talk about the policy, the fallout over new policy requiring employers, religious hospitals and schools to cover contraceptives to employees. this seems like a gimme. just a gift to the republicans.

here's how mitt romney responded to this. >> this is a violation of conscience. we must have a president willing to protect america's first right, the right to worship god -- >> to give himself the political cover, why didn't he offer exemptions to religious institutions? i mean, this is something that might have actually helped him win over some of the independents and some of those conservatives. >> you know, he based this, the administration did, on some of the exemptions that states already grant to religious institutions. you know, mitt romney's the last one who could talk about. this as governor of massachusetts with his health care mandates, i mean he had a similar policy that the president and the administration is pushing. i'm catholic, many of us are very concerned about this policy, of course. but i'm also a woman, and i care -- i believe it women should have the access to the full range of reproductive care. especially women who work at the

institutions and may is to use birth control pills, not to prevent pregnancy but really for health care reasons. there are many women in our society today that need birth control for other purposes. but i know that the political implications, the timing, it was complicated. but i do believe at the end of the day the president will be able to explain his policy to the american people so that they see the big picture. and it's not an infringement on the church and, of course, church-based institutions. >> all right. donna, thank you. >> happy mardi gras. let me see if i can get professor long here -- ♪ >> two weeks, folks. >> i'm vienting you back. >> yea. >> you got come back. ♪ >> i'm getting in the groove. >> i don't want to stop but i've been told i got to continue. i got to move on. >> we'll will do this on the break. all right. >> tune in tonight, "america's choice 2012," special coverage

of the primary caucuses, begins at 6:00 eastern with a special edition of "john king sougusa," followed by results at 7:00 eastern. it could be a lifeline for homeowners under water on their mortgages. deadline to agree on a massive mortgage deal has come and gone. we'll get an update on where things stand. this new at&t 4g lte is fast.

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new york city, new york giants parade there. we just saw the vince lombardi trophy there. and the team welcomed home there. beautiful, beautiful weather, as fans are gathered there to celebrate the big super bowl win. there's the band leading the charge. ♪ banks in states working on a deal to help homeowners who owe more than their homes are worth. the negotiations stem from allegations that mortgage companies cut corners, used robo-signing to foreclose on homeowners. yesterday was the deadline for the states to sign on to this massive mortgage deal that could

generate as much as $25 billion. we want an update on where things stand today. alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. is this a done deal? where are we in this? >> okay, so it's not a done deal yet because state terms are negotiating with banks. but at this point, 40 states had signed on to this $25 billion deal. and if this deal goes through, what it would wind up is doing that it could help people who owe more on their moenchlgs than their home is worth -- mortgages than their home is worth. it would give them money to pay down their principle and would give money to people who lost their homes but shouldn't have because of these banks making mistakes. here's one of the big issues at least for the banks. some key states, they're not sure about the settlement at this point. cnn "money" is reporting that california, new york, delaware, and nevada are holding out because these states want their own separate legal proceedings to try to get a better deal. they want to get more money that way. it's those states still at the

bargaining table. that's where we are at with this deal. >> let's look at what's happening in greece. a lot of demonstrations. the union's protesting. where is that now, what is that about? >> exactly, so what you're sigh regular unions protesting austerity measures that greece has to accept at this point if it wants to get that bailout. so what these unions are protesting are more job cuts than they expected, deeper pay cuts, and these pension reforms. greek leaders are meeting today discuss those cuts. and these stakes are high at this point. if greece doesn't cut spending at this point, it's not going get its next bailout from the e.u., imf, and ecb. we're talking about a lot of money here -- $170 billion bailout. and greece needs this money to pay its bills. >> and how is it impacting the u.s. markets today? what are we seeing? >> not impacting the markets. stocks have actually turned back to positive territory on news that leaders are going to be meeting later today on a draft

rescue plan. that immediately turned the markets around. you see the dow up 31 points. this is one of these markets that really is being driven by the events in europe. so you see that immediate change once some optimism comes out. lurking in the background are still major concerns. you know, greece has got this big bond payment that's coming due next month. if it doesn't get this bailout, it's not going to be able to make the payment. so the big worry is if it doesn't make the payment, greece could default. it could get kicked out of the e.u. that could shock the financial markets, and that's why you see investors every day on edge about the -- about what transpires out of europe. >> thank you. president obama's hosting a science fair at the white house today. science champs from around the country, they're meeting in the state dining room to show off their projects. the president also expected to talk about making american students more competitive in math and science. we're going to bring you his comments live up next. okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle --

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here's a rundown of what we're working on. we'll take you on a bus with u.s. marshals tracking down sex offenders. cnn has rare access. then invasion of the pythons. that's right. they've got a stranglehold on the florida everglades. and later, giant parade for new york's super bowl heroes. check it out. registered sex offender could be living right next door to you without you even knowing it. a new report shows that the number of registered sex offenders is now going up. a lot of them are not complying

with the rules that they have to comply with once released from jail. we have more from a team of u.s. marshals on what is being done to make sure that these sex offenders are following the law. sandra, let's start off with the basic question here -- how big a problem is this? >> reporter: well, according to this new report by the national center for missing and exploited children, over the past five years, the number of registered sex offenders went up 23%. now out of the nearly quarter of a million registered sex offenders out there, actually there's 3/4 of a million according to this new report, 100,000 of them are in noncompliance with the registry. that means they give false addresses, they're not at the addresses they should be according to the registry. they flee the state, and that is why u.s. marshals team up with local law enforcement to try to find these people who are in hiding. now we got an exclusive inside look at a recent bust with

marshals in baltimore. we went to address after address, about seven locations, no luck. not finding these registered sex offenders who were supposed to be there. now finally after knocking on a lot of doors, there's a lot of investigative work that needs to be done, finally marshals got a lead on one alleged fugitive. they found him, they arrested him. they told us that this registered sex offender was convicted of statutory rape a few years ago. he has not been complying with the law, and he actually admitted that to us when we talked to him later after the bust. have a listen. you have to notify officials where you move to. and you weren't doing that, right? >> no. i didn't do that. >> did you think you could snide what were you thinking? >> no, i didn't think i could hide. i was trying to stall until i got money together. that was -- i wasn't trying to hide or nothing. i was going turnnize and -- >> why didn't you just register and comply with the law, let them know where you are? >> the last time i missed my

appointment they locked me up down there. >> he told cnn also that it's very hard to comply with the registry and that it's like wearing this scar, a scarlet letter. and he'll have to we'll do that for at least 25 years. >> is there anything about this particular group that makes them able not to comply with these registries how do they do that? >> yeah, it's something because law enforcement officials we spoke to, the u.s. marshals say that this group of registered sex offenders are really unique because they are transient in nature, they can range from a very affluent person who you may never suspect committed a crime like it to somebody who's homeless. and that's what makes these numbers very hard to really nail down and have concrete numbers as to who's complying and who's not. really, it's a cat and mouse game of chase. trying to find registered sex offenders to make sure they're in compliance. >> what should people do to protect themselves and their families? >> really, you should be armed

with information. all these registered sex offenders are listed on state data bases. every state has a registry so you can look up on line where they're living. and there's a picture and name associated with their offense, as well. so even if they aren't at the address on the registry, you can be armed with information to know who to look out for because that name and picture are on the registry and on the internet. >> all right. thank you very much. and you can actually go inside that raid with sandra and the u.s. marshals. that's at 1:00 eastern in the newsroom. the slaughter in syria intensifies. [ explosions ] >> no one is spared as rocket fire and gunshots rain down. we've got a live report. the best part of any great meal?

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syrians turn out to welcome russia apes foreign minister. the government report seen on

state tv in damascus starkly different from the bloodshed seen across the country. 11 months into the uprising, the slaughter now is intensifying. cnn's jill doughterty joins us live from the state department. jill, russia says it's got a plan end to the syrian crisis. some believe that russia essentially has given bashar al assad a green light to violently crush the opposition. where does it leave the united states? >> reporter: you know, just a couple of minutes ago, there's a statement that came from mr. lavrov saying what had been accomplished at the meeting. and essentially what they're saying is president assad has assured him that he supports seizing of the violence. stopping the violence wherever it comes from. and he also says the arab league should come back to start their mission again, and register any violations that they see. now the problem with this is

that phrase "wherever it comes from." obviously the russians have pretty much gotten what they have said they were going get, which is they believe that what the government is doing what the opposition are doing is pretty much the same. the violence is coming from both sides. so if they got assad to say we're going to stop the violence no matter where it comes from it's unequal as you see. where this leaves it -- go ahead. >> obviously that is a problem when you have that kind of statement. it says that they're equally culpable. you see the video, that is clearly not the case. what is the united states going do? what kind of position is the obama administration in now? >> reporter: so far the obama administration is trying to rally the world community outside of the united nations which is pretty much at this point a lost cause. you can see what's happening with russia and with china. rally the international community to really push with

sanctions, push with anything they can. we already have the gulf -- the gulf cooperation council which just this morning said that they were going to pull their ambassadors. we have the u.k. pulling their ambassador. the suds pulling the ambassador. that essential -- it's sanctions, pressure, and unmasking countries like russia that are helping supply weapons to syria. >> all right. jill doughterty at the state department. thank you very much. all eyes on syria. what is taking place there on the brink of civil war. president obama at this hour hosting a science fair at the white house. science champs around the country meeting in the state dining room to show off their projects. the president also expected to talk about making american students more competitive in math and science. we're going to bring you his remarks live up next. americans are always ready to work hard for a better future.

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in our "talk back" question, in hindsight was the auto bailout a good idea or bad idea? carol costello with responses. >> hi. it's a "talk back" question. have you changed your mind about the auto industry bailout. from paul, it was a good idea then and it's still a good idea now. averted a cascading economic collapse, and it's gradually employing more people again. a better expenditure than to the banks to be sure. from chris, no, it was a bad idea, and it was money wasted that we'll never seen again. giving money to companies that produce crappy products benefits no one. this from kenny, i've changed my mind about the auto bailout. even though i'm in from michigan, can you imagine what would have happened to the families of those who worked for the auto industry and those who lived in the city of detroit? from basil, the message proves bipartisanship can work. when his words can be taken by both sides as true, maybe he's on to something. please continue the conversation. facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll be back with you in about, oh, 25 minutes or so.

>> all right. who you were rooting for, but super bowl champs giants, getting a hero's welcome in new york. we'll be live from the massive ticker tape parade along broadway in moments. totodaday y mymy j jouournrneyes acacrorossss t thehe g golo, whwherere e evevereryoyonen ununbebelilievevabablyly n . momornrninin'.'. i i guguesess s i'i'm m hehelp huhundndreredsds o on n cacar r. itit p prorobabablbly y alalsot

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all right. check it out. super parade for a team of giant. thousands of new yorkers looking at it live, welcoming home their super bowl champs. ticker tape flying over broadway. crowd, a sea of blue. turns out that a record 111 million people watched the super bowl on sunday. that is the most watched tv

program in american history. if you can believe that. richard roth is joining us live from the new york giants parade route. richard, what's going on? >> reporter: it's a very excited crowd here. people are in the windows. people are on the streets. obviously when you turn the tv camera on, this is what you're going to get. i've been ducking toilet paper all day. why are you here today? you can look at me -- why are you here today? >> giants number one super bowl champions! yea! [ cheers ] >> reporter: what does the parade mean to you? and were you at the last one four years ago? >> the giants won the super bowl, baby! number one! >> reporter: who are you waiting for? >> eli manning! >> mvp! >> reporter: i see tom braidy in a helmet, but it looks like he -- >> tom brady --

>> he doesn't look very well. anyway, this crowd is -- well, let's say they're not exactly a patriots fan here. i'm not even sure they're a gisele bundchen fan. there's a flul the trucks where players have come already. the offense of the receiving corps. some of the defense. but they're all waiting for eli manning. >> where is the parade headed? where are you going? >> reporter: i think your question was where they're going. they're going to go to city hall to get the keys to the city. this is the second giants parade in four years down the canyon of heroes. a million people estimated last time, who knows this time. a lot of people don't seem to be in school or at work. so they say. back to you. >> they've all got sick notes for today. all right. enjoy the parade there. looks like a lot of fun. thank you. wildlife biologists think that there are it 100,000 pythons in the florida everglades. that's right.

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want to give you a closer look at just how desperate the situation is right now in syria. women and children are among those being killed and injured as the government unleashes

relentless attacks on its own people. this is the hardest-hit city of homs. security activists say a weekend bloodbath there was followed up yesterday by government rocket attacks that left 128 people dead. one activist explained the slaughter in very chilling words. to cnn. just listen. >> let me say one word, i think that the entire world should be ashamed of what's happening here. everybody is just silent, and looking at us being slaughtered every moment. for no reason, just for asking for our freedom. everybody is just looking at us like this. we are slaughtered. china is going for veto. the rest of the world are condemning this veto, and what else? looking at us.

i condemn the entire world for watching us so silently. we are getting killed every moment. we are not able even just to get some basic medicine to injured people. children are hungry. i swear, children are hungry. no power. no fuel. it's too cold. this is too much. for god's sake, this is too much. >> just very compelling video. and story there. russian foreign minister is in syria today for an emergency meeting with president bashar al assad. the rations say they have a proposal that could end the crisis in syria. but they have not yet revealed it. we are watching another story, as well. president obama celebrating science today. the second annual white house science fair. president also making a push for

new tests he says will help make american students more competitive in math and science. let's listen in. >> my science adviser is in the house. and we got a couple of people who've dedicated themselves to making science cool for young people. we've got neil degrass tyson and bill nye, the science guy. now, it is fitting that this year's fair is happening just two days after the super bowl. i want to congratulate the new york giants, and all their fans. i just talked to coach coughlin. i'm looking forward to having the giants here at the white house so we can celebrate their achievements. but what i've also said, i've said this many times, is if we

are recognizing athletic achievement, and we should also be recognizing academic achievement. and science achievement. if we invite the team that wins the super bowl to the white house, then we need to invite some science fair winners to the white house, as well. and now i'm going to talk about how great all of you are in a second. but before i do, i want to give the parents a big round of applause, because they work hard to help you succeed. and i know this is their day. they're really proud of you. as a parent i know that seeing your kids do extraordinary things is -- brings the greatest happiness that a parent can have. so, congratulations to all the parents of all these assembled young people.

but parents aren't the only ones who helped you get this far. every one of you can think of a teacher, or maybe a couple of teachers, without whom you would not be here. so i want you to promise that the next time you see those teachers, that you give them a big thank you, not just for yourselves, but also for me. because teachers matter. they deserve our support. and i want to make sure that we are constantly lifting up how important teachers are to making sure that not only you succeed, but this country succeeds. so give teachers a big round of applause. now, as i was walking around the science fair, i was thinking back to when i was your age, and basically you guys put me to shame. what impresses me so much is not just how smart you are.

but, it's the fact that you recognize you've got a responsibility to use your talent in service of something bigger than yourselves. you know, some of you that, that means developing new products that will change the way we live. so haley, where is haley? there she is right over here. invented a new type of sugar packet that dissolves in hot water, it's flavorless, it's colorless, and potentially could save up to 2 million pounds of trash each year, and that's just at starbucks. so master card has already awarded her $10,000 to help turn her idea into a business. some of you are here because you saw a problem in your community and you're trying to do something to solve it. benjamin. where is benjamin? he's right here. was worried that folks at his grandmother's senior center, so

he built a robot with a monitor and a video camera. so it's like a moving skype and it moves around the center. allows seniors to talk to their kids and grand kids, even when they can't visit in person. so inventions like benjamins could make life better for millions of families. for some of you, the journey you took to get here is just as insmiering as the work you brought with you today. there's a rocketry team from texas. where's my team? stand up, guys. stand up. this is part of the fourth poorest school district in the state of texas. and i was told the teachers cooked food after church, supporters drove 200 miles to pick up doughnuts for bake sales. they even raffled off a goat. is that right? just so they could raise enough money for the rocketry team to

compete. and the majority of kids after school are esl. english as a second language. and the presentation they made could not make you prouder. so way to go. there's a group of young engineer engineers and nobody needs to tell them the types of challenges that detroit still faces. where's my team from detroit in the house? there they are. stand up. they believe in their city and they're coming up with new ideas to keep detroit comeback going. and there's samantha garvey. where's samantha? there she is. stand up, samantha.

samantha spent years studying muscle populations in the long island sound. and when she learned that she was a semifinalist for the intel science talent search, when she found this out, her family was living in a homeless shelter. so think about what she's overcome. she wants to, by the way, work for noaa or epa. so the head of noaa, lisa jackson right there, head of epa. you might just want to, you know, hook up with them before you leave. the young people i met today, the young people behind me, you guys inspire me. it's young people like you that make me so confident that america's best days are still to come.

when you work and 12uddy and excel at what you're doing in math and science, when you compete in something like this, you're not just trying to win a prize today, you're getting america in shape to win the future. you're making sure we have the best, martest, most skilled workers in the world, who have the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root right here. you're making sure we'll always be home to the most creative entrepreneurs, the most advanced science labs and universities, you're making sure america will win the race for the future. so, as an american, i'm proud of you. as your president, i think we need to make sure your success stories are happening all across the country. that's why when i took office i called for an all hands on deck approach to science, math, technology and engineering. let's train more teachers. let's get more kids studying these subjects. let's make sure these fields get the respect and attention that

they deserve. but it's not just a government effort. i'm happy to say that the private sector has answered that call, as well. they understand how important it is to their future. today led by the carnegie corporation, a group of businesses and foundations is announcing a $22 million fund to help train 100,000 new science -- >> congratulations to all those kids. how do american students in general stack up against those in other countries when it comes to math and science? the most recent breakdown the united states was behind 30 other countries in math. we were 23rd when it comes to science. so we've still got some work to do. but congratulations to those young students. top of the hour, suzanne malveaux. want to get you up to speed. a huge decision on same-sex marriage. we're waiting on a federal court ruling from california on the constitutionality of proposition ate. now it's the two eight voter

initiatives that said same-sex couples could not get married. federal judge struck down prop 8 two years ago saying gay couples were being unfairly denied the right to marry. the people behind prop 8 appealed that which brings us to today's milestone decision. what we are seeing on the ground in syria could be a turning point to ending the bloodshed, or more of just the same. syria's president wants to show that he's got support, too. the thousands of people waiting, russian and syrian flags welcoming russia's foreign minister, it comes just days after russia threw a life line to syrian president bashar al assad by vetoing a u.n. resolution that would have condemned him for killing his own people. since then the government attacks have even intensified.

activists say 128 civilians died in these rocket attacks that you're seeing on the city of homs yesterday. today's death toll has already reached 21. the sheer desperation and determination of one syrian activist stopped us in our tracks. >> we might just face our victim in even half an hour or get arrested and die. but this -- this doesn't mean we're going to give up. it means that even if it takes us just another 10,000 people killed, or 100,000 people killed, we'll not stop. >> protesters back on the streets of greece today, now their is over cuts in government spending. for months now greece has been at the center of a chaotic

battle between european leaders who want to see the country get itself back on budget and greek workers who think that these cuts are unfair. presidential politics now. three states, 70 delegates up for grabs in today's republican race. rick santorum may be the man to beat. he has a shot at winning one or more of those states. some of his republican rivals say this could be a pretty good day for santorum. this a brutal climb caught on camera. [ bleep ] an atlanta teen viciously beaten in what appears to be a hate crime. you can hear the attackers yelling anti-gay insults at the victim. the clip now has gone viral. police are still looking for the attackers. we have now learned, about an hour ago, that karen handel, the vice president of the susan g. komen, the charity foundation, has resigned.

this is after she came under fire in a controversy over funding for planned parenthood. komen reversed its decision to withdraw funding for some planned parenthood projects last week. "the washington post" reported handel had expressed anti-abortion views in the past. the komen foundation released a statement after the resignation saying we have made mistakes in how we have handled recent decisions, and take full accountability for what has resulted. but we cannot take our eye off the ball when it comes to our mission. the stakes are simply too high, and providing hope for a cure must drive our efforts. want to get back to the huge decision today that is taking place in california. federal court ruling on the constitutionality of proposition 8. now it's the 2008 voter initiative that said same-sex couples could not get married. a federal judge struck down prop 8 two years ago saying that gay couples were being unfairly denied the right to marry. our dan simons is standing by waiting for the ruling. tell us what is the significance

today of this decision. >> well obviously there's a lot of anticipation here in san francisco. this is really the epicenter for the gay rights movement, and the significance is, whether or not this court, the ninth circuit court of appeals, will hold up proposition 8, which as you said defined marriage between a man or a woman, or it will say that same-sex marriage is legal in the state of california. now there's a little more than three years ago that california voters went to the polls, and voted in favor of proposition 8. it was by a narrow margin, 52-48% margin. and it effectively ended same-sex marriage here in california. now, 18,000 couples had already gotten married, and those marriages were still valid. but no marriages, no same-sex marriages, could take place after proposition 8. what we saw here at the court a few months ago, it seemed like the three-judge panel was siding with same-sex marriage. so the question that many people

here have is if the court rules against proposition 8, can same-sex marriages happen tomorrow in california? can they take place immediately? and the answer to that is probably no. they will probably put their decision on hold while this ruling will be appealed. but no doubt it's likely headed to the supreme court, so, people here want to know if, in fact, proposition 8 was thrown out, can they get married tomorrow? can they get married immediately? and the answer is likely no, suzanne. >> dan, this is something that's been long time coming. a lot of people waiting, anticipation on both sides of the issue. what is the mood there? >> well i think people here are nervous. they're cautiously optimistic, this is from the same-sex marriage side. obviously you have people with a different viewpoint. the proposition 8 was taken by

protectmarriage.com. because you're in san francisco, obviously a very liberal place. you don't have too many proposition 8 supporters show up at the courthouse and in other places. but i think people here cautiously optimistic, and i think -- i think they feel like they're going to get a win today suzanne. >> dan simon. we'll be watching. here's your chance to talk back on the big stories of the day. everybody's talking about the clint eastwood commercial that aired during the super bowl. a lot of people wondering if was there a political message behind it. carol costello is joining us. carol, you know, it's fascinating because we talk to people and it goes both ways. some people see it as a pro-obama ad. others saw it as a gop ad. but a lot of people kind of missing the message that it was a car. you know. it was about a car company. >> a car commercial, right exactly. it's an ode to detroit, right. i guess i have to ask our viewers this question. are you tire of talking about clint easewood's ode to detroit? i'm not. it's endlessly fascinating. whether you believe eastwood meant to be political or not

detroit still has a long way to go. the city feeters on the brink of kups. but the big three are thriving. president george w. bush seems to be on eastwood's side. on monday he told a group from the national automobile association that he doesn't regret giving bailout money to the auto industry. because he says sometimes circumstances get in the way of philosophy. it's a sentiment the republicans running for office don't share. mitt romney made that quite clear, "the new york times" op-ed entitled let detroit go bankrupt. he was confronted by voters last night. >> bankruptcy is not going under and losing jobs. i believe the market works better than a president stepping in to take care of his friends. >> friends, as in union friends. president obama is all for the auto bailout. his administration also lends billions of dollars to the auto industry. mr. bomb ma often appears in

michigan touting the big three's comeback. general motors and chrysler are turning profits. but ford rebounded without government help and last year the treasury department reported taxpayers who blew $14 billion because of the bailout. but does it matter? as clint eastwood said in that tv ad, detroit is showing us it can be done. so the talk back question today, have you changed your mind about the auto industry bailout? facebook.com/carolcnn. facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read your comments, though, in this hour. >> thank you, carol. here's a rundown of some of the stories we're covering over the next hour. first, the entire staff of a los angeles elementary school has been replaced after two teachers were arrested, one accused of lewd behavior. and you ever feel like you can't stop sending and reading tweets? new study says that twitter is harder to resist than cigarettes or alcohol. and later, what is funk? >> funk is probably the very essence of life itself.

but we all are in a state of funkiness. but it's only a few of us that recognize it. >> oh, yes. he talks to cnn about his funky philosophy. moi urize. improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula goes beyond 24-hour moisture. it's clinically proven to improve your skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. for healthy, beautiful skin that lasts. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] daily moisturizing lotion. and for healthy hair every day, try new pure renewal hair care, with balancing seaweed extract. only from aveeno.

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sign brad up. cool! jamie will ring you up. show brad the way. who's brad? oh, here we go again. discounts that everyone can use. now, that's progressive. call or click today. all right. republican presidential candidates facing off in three states today. colorado, minnesota, holding caucuses, missouri holding its primary. but delegates going to be decided later. rick santorum could be the man to watch in today's match-up. political director mark preston joining us live. mark just told me, i can ask you anything. anything.

>> take a risk. >> santorum, could he be the dark horse in some of these states today? could he win? >> let's just break it down in real simple terms. rick santorum is trying to be the conservative alternative to mitt romney. he's battling for that title with newt gingrich. in missouri today where no deg gatts matter, rick santorum has been putting in a lot of time campaigning there. newt gingrich is not on the ballot there. if he were to win tonight in missouri rick santorum is going to use that to try to reach out to his conservative base, try to raise money from the real social conservatives and add a little bit more gasoline to his gas tank and keep the campaign moving. >> could it be, because he doesn't get delegates, could it be all about momentum? >> for him absolutely. in many ways the month of february is about momentum because delegates tonight will not be awarded. we will allocate them based upon the results but it's really about the perception between what you think, what i think and what our viewers think about who

actually has momentum moving forward. >> how about newt gingrich? i mean is he going to be basically kind of stuck for awhile until he gets the southern and western states looking for support? >> interestingly enough he's not in colorado today, he's not in minnesota. and he's not in missouri. he's in ohio. he's already looking forward to super tuesday trying to plant a flag now in ohio that he has said time and time again that he is waiting for super tuesday, to march 6th, where he thinks he can do better in georgia and tennessee and some of these other states. >> is there a possibility any time soon that we might see santorum stepping down? >> i can't imagine it. unless, you know what? the only reason i could see him stepping out now is if something happens to his daughter. his daughter is very sick. he has a young daughter with an illness, and if she were to get really, really sick i could see rick santorum saying enough is enough. my family is more important. >> you haven't seen your family in awhile. you know you've got to visit every once in awhile. >> maybe in a couple of days. >> we're going to see you here tomorrow too, right? >> we'll be right here tomorrow.

>> you could say hi to your wife and kids. that's all right. thanks, mark. well, the school at the center of these bizarre child abuse allegations is making some big changes now. but are parents going to be satisfied? we have a live update from l.a. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 there are atm fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 account service fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and the most dreaded fees of all, hidden fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, you won't pay fees on top of fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 no monthly account service fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 no hidden fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and we rebate every atm fee. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck tdd# 1-800-345-2550 because when it comes to talking, there is no fee.

when students go back to miramonte school on thursday they're going to have all new teaches and staff members. that's the school that is in a poor, mostly hispanic neighborhood of los angeles, at the center of a bizarre child abuse allegation. the school district is now replacing the entire staff after two men were arrested on the abuse charges.

our casey wian who is following the story. first of all, casey, i can only imagine how furious parents are at this point, saying the school didn't take any action sooner and many believe because it's hispanic, largely hispanic, it's in a low income neighborhood, and that it is underserved. >> suzanne, that's what a lot of parents are saying and a lot of community leaders are saying. one of the reasons that this is able to allegedly have gone on for so long. many of the people who attended -- the children who attend this school, their families are from other countries, many from mexico, and we're being told by parents that culturally, they trust teachers. they don't question school administrators. and that's the way that they have been operating here in the united states. they now believe obviously that was quite a mistake. so, those angry parents have met with the school -- the superintendent of the unified school district at a meeting last night. very tense meeting whereas you mentioned the school district

announced that they are going to replace everyone in that school over the next two days. now these teachers and staff members are not being fired. they will actually be retrained, the school district tells us, and sent to another school that is now being constructed not yet open. they are bringing in an entire new set of staff members, when school resumes after this two-day closing period to allow sort of a cooling-off period and for these investigations to continue. school will resume on thursday. now, here's what some of those parents had to say after they heard the news at the meeting. >> i'm stunned by the news, but it's something i needed to be done. >> oh, disappointed because they didn't tell us, and we want our old teacher not the new teacher. because we don't know how it's going to affect our kids. >> one thing the school district does know, however, is that these parents have lost confidence in the staff at the school, and in the school district itself. the district will continue its investigation into how these alleged acts could have gone on

for so long, and they have asked a former associate justice of the state supreme court to lead an independent investigation into how this all happened, and what actions the school district needs to take down the road to make sure that this doesn't happen again. and of course, the los angeles county sheriff's department is moving forward with its criminal investigation. suzanne? >> all right. casey wian, thank you so much. appreciate that. the slaughter in syria continues. and intensifies. i'm going to talk with someone who has firsthand knowledge about what is going on on the ground. ♪ that right now, you want to know where you are, and where you'd like to be. we know you'd like to see the same information your advisor does so you can get a deeper understanding of what's going on with your portfolio. we know all this because we asked you, and what we heard helped us create pnc wealth insight, a smarter way to work with your pnc advisor,

so you can make better decisions and live achievement.

we're focussing on the horrific attacks under way in syria. no one is spared, women, children, the elderly, all being killed. arwa damon has a disturbing look at what is taking place.

>> what did he do for you to treat us like this, this little girl asks, her headbandaged after injuries to her eyes? we can't tell if she's being prompted to speak out against the assad regime but the pain and misery emanating from syria is echoed in various videos posted to youtube. >> they've been bombarding us with more bombs and tank shells. >> reporter: an activist that cnn has regularly been in touch with knows that too well. >> i saw really horrible things, i've never seen in my life. kids in hospital. kid with his whole jaw gone. a little girl, a kid, she's 4 years old, she's dead. her sister 6 years old she lost her left eye and her mother is in intensive care. >> reporter: no one has been spared the violence that reached unprecedented level s just as the u.n. debated and failed to unite on syria over the weekend. >> the vetoes by russia and china of what was already a

watered-down version of a resolution condemning the violence seems to have emboldened the regg each. >> reporter: the syrian government denies the crackdown. these are chaotic scenes from a field hospital, said to have been hit by rocket or mortar fire. the doctor hysterical as he moves through the injured, pointing to a man whose leg has to be amputated and another who they were unable to save. this clip was posted from the town just outside of homs. a little girl lies in a hospital bed saying she is scared. scared of needles, and scared for hassan lying in the bed next to her. >> you don't know if the rocket is going to come in your living room or in your kitchen. everyone is becoming used to death here. blood in the streets. people spread blood just like water. >> reporter: many of the videos are simply too graphic to show. this clip also painful. a child whose leg has been blown

off. no matter how syria plays out, the suffering will be felt for decades to come. arwa damon, cnn, beirut. syrians are determined to carry on despite the bloodshed. but one syrian activist makes it clear that the world, he says, is culpable. take a listen. >> let me say one word, i think that the entire world should be ashamed of what's happening here. everybody is just silent and looking at us being slaughtered every moment. for no reason just for asking for our freedom. >> powerful words. from london, director of the middle east center at the london school of economics. doctor, you've got an inside knowledge of what is taking place in syria. you traveled there recently. when you heard that man, that

activist say that this is the kind of attack by people willing to make to obtain their freedom, does he represent what many syrians are feeling? >> he represents a significant segment of the syrian people, but, of course, there are other syrians who are deeply opposed to international intervention, military intervention. there's one particular point i want to make is that syrians are deeply divided. not only across sectarian lines, divided along idea local lines and class lines, and what you say today is basically a struggle. a struggle between a significant majority which would like to have a distant political system, and a regime determined with a critical segment to stay in power at all costs. i think at this particular moment what we are witnessing is a fight to the bitter end. i see that the sound of battlegrounds any kind of diplomacy, and the balance of

power on the ground in syria, the balance of forces will ultimately determine the outcome of this particular fierce political struggle. >> that man says that the world is culpable, that we are guilty for allowing these civil war to happen, and for those people to die in the streets. who is responsible, who needs to step in? >> well, as you know, suzanne, syria is a very complex situation. unlike in contrast with egypt where the international community was united, the double veto that we witnessed over the weekend shows a great deal how divide the the international community, and how international and regional variables complicate, exacerbate and prolong the syrian crisis. not only china and russia vetoed the security council, but they can count on major regional support. you have iran, you have iraq, i mean trade goes on. it's an open, really, road from

tehran to baghdad. so, the international community is not united. and even if the international community is united, i think president barack obama is absolutely correct, there is no military intervention option in syria. military intervention in syria could easily turn, transform itself into a region-wide conflict because both iran and iraq could get involved in the secular war. >> is there another way that the united states could get involved to the united states short of military action provide help assist with the opposition on the ground? >> suzanne, let me be blunt. i'll say that the western powers and turkey and other gulf states are waging a war by other means. all my respect to the activists but the activists, it must know, is that war is being waged against the assad regime. an economic war, financial war, and a psychological war. and now the united states and its allies and its partners are

trying to unite the opposition outside syria and inside syria, coordinate their activities, and also arm the opposition. and arming the opposition will likely plunge area into all-out war. already syria has descended into a prolonged conflict. arming the opposition, really the option what we're talking about is all-out civil war in syria, no one, no one knows what the outcome of this particular civil war will be. and it's, of course, on its neighbors. the reality is at the end of the civil war, assad will not be with us. in fact even though assad will be with us in the short -- on the long-term i really can't see how president assad and the system on which he sits can really survive this particular fierce political struggle. in particular, because you have a significant who are determined to fight to the bitter end to get rid of this particular system. >> dr. gerges, thank you so much. appreciate your perspective.

a lot of concern over what is taking place in syria. as you say, a plan, hopefully a plan that could work to -- to continue economic actions, and diplomacy outside of that country. possibly even arming the opposition. thank you very much. on to another story, you sometimes feel like you can't just put down the blackberry or stop reading the twitter feed? you're actually not alone. a new study that says social media is harder to resist than sex or sleeping. i don't know if i believe that. but i'm going to talk to psychologist jeff guard ear and see what he has to say about it. [ deep beetle exhaust ]

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having trouble getting away

from facebook or twitter? you're not alone. new study finds people have a hard time resisting social media. jeff gardere joins us from new york. and the study says twitter is harder to resist than -- than -- than cigarettes or alcohol. put it down, skref. put it down. >> i did. i did. >> how did they come up with this? >> well, this was a study that was done in germany where they took a look at respondents anywhere from ages of 18 to 80, and wanted to find out how often do they get involved in social media. we're talking about being on twitter. we're talking about using their blackberries or their iphones. even watching television. anything having to do with the media. and what they found out, suzanne, was that we are much more -- it's much more difficult for us to give up the social media than actually getting

involved in sex, smoking, or alcohol. >> all right. with all due respect, jeff, who are these people? in germany where it's more difficult -- i mean, really? >> will, what they're looking at suzanne is the idea that when it comes to something like social media it doesn't have the same consequences, for example, as alcohol, smoking or sex. there is a higher price to pay both financially and physically for getting involved in those activities. social media, for the most part, yes, it can interfere in our lives. but we all watch tv, thank goodness. we all listen to, watch videos, get on the phone. so as long as that doesn't get in the way of our social lives, occupational lives, it's okay. and that's why we choose that over the sex and the smoking and so on. >> is it really that satisfying? i mean, what are people getting out of the interaction when they're talking about tweeting,

or facebook as opposed to actually being with somebody, or enjoying a glass of wine or something? >> well, that's a great question. and something that we found in previous studies, that people who do not have that face-to-face interaction, studies have shown that they actually lose gray matter in their brains, and they have less cognitive abilities. and in fact they don't learn the social skills that they need in order to interact with other people. however, we do know that being involved in social media, being able to tweet and to get on facebook, and myspace and all that kind of stuff, it is a way of communicating with the universe. communicating with others, and in many ways it becomes a catharsis. people actually work out some of their issues by just being able to tweet about it. to talk about it. and psychologists think just getting that stuff off of your mind, off of your heart, is actually healthy. >> and jeff, is there a way, are there things that you can do to kind of break the temptation, i

suppose, in tweeting or facebooking or using your blackberry? is that advisable? >> suzanne, absolutely. one of the things that this study advises, and as well as others, say monitor how much time you spend on your telephone, or watching videos, or watching tv. keep a record, and if you're seeing that you're spending a lot of hours, that is a red flag. secondly, look at other activities that you can use as healthy substitutes. such as being able to sit down with someone and being able to sharadiner or getting involved in exercise. there are better things that you can do with your time that can help you in reaching out to other people. it just doesn't have to be the electronics all the time. >> okay. okay. jeff i'll get back to you on that. i got to go tweet, work out my issues here. jeff thank you so much. >> i know what you're talking about. thank you. >> so how hard is it, right, to

resist temptation? depends on your willpower muscle. now, these kids, is that what you're doing? they're actually flexing it rye now. join us again on thursday and we'll talk to the author of the new book willpower rediscovering the greatest human strength. this is about how you can change your life by improving your self-control. this thursday at noon eastern. it's water from the drinking fountain at the mall. [ male announcer ] great tasting tap water can come from any faucet anywhere. the brita bottle with the filter inside. hey, it's sandra -- from accounting. peter. i can see that you're busy... but you were gonna help us crunch the numbers for accounts receivable today. i mean i know that this is important. well, both are important. let's be clear. they are but this is important too.

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afghan women trapped in abusive relationships turn to the only form of protest that they can think of. they set themselves on fire. those who survive such drastic and desperate actions still find themselves suffering in silence. a story from cnn's nick paton walsh. >> two-thirds of women admitted this burn unit in iraq die. but for the rest, survival normally means lying about what brought them here. >> translator: the gases blew up, she says. i was in the kitchen cooking. it burned me. i swear no pain could be greater than what i suffer now. she was married off to her cousin, age 10. doctors say after six years of abuse from her mother and sister-in-law, she became an opium addict. her suffering in silence. no one to cry to. one day she committed the only

act of protest she could think of. >> she burned herself because she was -- i burned myself. because of violence. >> reporter: it's taken months for her to admit what happened in private. in public, she insists it's an accident. again, here, these women are silent. at 19 they say also a victim of self-mutilation. her wounds are still raw and her instincts of self-preservation still means she calls what happened another cooking accident. >> she's saying i burned the gas. but, when the patient come to you, here you will smell the fuel. it's the taboo of society. the shame of it.

>> reporter: the truth would bring shame on her family and that would mean they'd kill her. it's almost an epidemic here. 83 suspected cases in this hospital in the last ten months. a record. many ask why here? some say it's because such abuse is common in nearby iran. others say the violence, the oppression, the stranglehold these women feel in their lives is so intense that this bid to die is the only way they can speak out about the brutality of their life. they carry scars now forever, from a devastating and brief moment in which they felt they had a voice. but their suffering in the past and future continues in silence. nick paton walsh, cnn. time now for the help desk where we get answers to your financial questions. joining me this hour donna, a senior writer with "money" magazine, david, a family planner at new york university.

thank you both for being here. we appreciate it. donna, mortgage rate question for you. regiona from washington wrote in i have a 30-year fixed mortgage at 5.6%. i'm trying to refinance with my credit union. they insist on refinancing me for 30 years at 4% instead of 15 to 20 years that i want. their closing is almost $10,000. how can i get better terms? >> well, everybody of course wants to refinance today, because rates are so low. and of course if you can lop a few years off your loan you're going to save a lot in interest over time. but not everyone is going to qualify for those low rates or a shorter-term loan. you need to have a good credit score of 760 or higher and for a shorter-term loan your monthly payment is going to go up. you have to look at your debt-to-income ratio. she should talk to the credit union and find out what's holding her back. but she can definitely shop around. those closing costs sound very steep. they should only be 2% to 3% of the loan value. look at improving your credit, reducing your debt, but shop around a little bit. she should be able to get better terms somewhere else.

>> i think she thinks her credit union is going to be the best term. >> not always. >> david question for you comes from james in south carolina. james wrote in, i'm retirement age, can i use my 401(k) to pay off my two cars and my house so i can retire debt free? i would have about $10,000 left over. obviously he has to think about the tax implication. >> that's the first thing that he's going to pay tax based on his going tax rate, whatever that is. if he has other money available i'd probably advise him to use that first because of the tax implications. the other thing is that he'll have lost most of his retirement savings, what's he going to live on? >> right. >> finally if the rates aren't that high it may pay for him to keep the loan to term. he may want to look at those factors. i'd probably suggest he look at other alternatives. >> good advice guys, thank you so much. if you have a question you want answered send us an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com. this is $100,000.

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you've been signing off in our talk back question. was the auto bailout a good idea or a bad idea? here's carol costello with responses. >> hi suzanne. the talk back question of the day. and the answers, from steven the commercial was spot on and i applaud clint and chrysler for their effort in showing that. 197 million people saw that commercial for what it was. the gop saw it as political. give us a break, we're intelligent adults not sheep.

this from tony, should have let them go bankrupt. who bailed out the millions of americans out of work and lost their homes. this from karen, after living in the heart of auto territory in michigan i didn't think it was a great idea to do it. now i stand corrected and am incredibly glad i'm seeing the industry thrive again. from james, had gm gone into bankruptcy and restructured detroit wouldn't have shut down. chrysler shouldn't have gotten a penny from the taxpayer. it's a private company and its investors should have bailed it out. facebook.com/carolcnn if you want to continue the conversation. and thanks as always for your comments. >> and carol you know we got to go in a different direction. because it's you and i and we talk about everything, and this is a great -- this is a great little segment we're doing here. do you think it's kind of funky, carol? >> me, funky? >> you know, like funky. this kind of funky. yeah. >> no but i wish i was. >> we -- we are talking to one of the funkiest guys, we're going to hear from music's grand masters abootsy collins about what funky means to him.

>> funk is probably the big essence of life itself. but we all are in a state of funkiness. but, it's only a few of us that recognize it.

all right. so you are in a funk? well one solution might be to get more funky. nobody knows funky like bootsy collins.

he's the guy in the hat in this picture from last year's soul train awards. we got a chance to hang out with him and he is a funk music pioneer. he started out playing base for james brown. went on to be a member of parliament funkadelic. cnn caught up with the rock 'n' roll hall of famer. >> the name is bootsy, baby. bootsy collins that is. the world's only rhinestone rock star. note we will you night ♪ ♪ we will unite >> i started off playing guitar, and because of my brother catfish, he was like eight years older than i am, i want to play guitar, i want to be like him. one night he needed a bass player, and you know, i played guitar. but didn't have a bass. you know. so i asked him if he had four strings. you know, that i could put on the guitar and turn it into a bass and he laughed at me. i said just get me four strings and i'll show you. he got me four strings, and i

went and played the gig with him, and since i played the gig with him we played together ever since. ♪ we got with james brown, because james brown played -- well he recorded in cincinnati. that's how we got introduced to james brown. at first folk was a bad word. you don't want to sit in on the radio you know. because people didn't identify with funk as music. they always thought it was just a bad smell. we kind of took the word funk and made it something cool to say. and i think that's what we did for funk make it cool to be funky you know. now everybody wants to be funky. funk is having a good time and you need to have a bass. funk is create iing something o

of nothing. so it's bigger than just music. funk is probably the very essence of life itself. but we all are in a state of funkiness. but, it's only a few of us that recognize it. and know it. funk is the one with the one, but until you know the one, you never know you funked up. we all funked up. but we don't know it. we just happen to now we funked up. now once you find out that you are funked up, you jump on board, you say, yeah. wait for the mother ship, man. you know. so that's where we at. that's what funk is. ♪ >> we're doing something a little different here today. cnn newsroom continues right now. good to see you. >> it's nice to see you. did they say funked up? unbelievable. thank you suzanne. hi, everyone, i'm zoraida sambolin.