pushed and super imposed. penny voted it at one point. i have to push back that is only true if you define conservative by style or social conservatism. if you broaden it, that falls apart. >> duly noted, will cain. yes. we'll go. >> rick santorum asked to be defined that way. >> what's your end point? no fighting. >> my "end point" is my thoughts and prayers go out to the houston family and all that are involved, all that will be mourning her loss as a mother, daughter, to the rest of america. >> what have you got for us? >> i'll end with a question for the secretary. will anybody go to jail for robo signing, securitization? >> this could be your "end point", sir? >> clearly we've done a set of things to hold folks accountable. there are folks serving time already for the mortgage meltdown. fha lenders that we brought to justice that we found and there need to be more. there's no question about it. the thing i would say about this

settlement that some folks have missed is when was the last time you got 49 state attorneys general, 49 republicans and democrats having to do anything together? i think one of the important things here is this is a step towards doing big things across party lines. >> we'll leave it at that because "end point" ended a minute ago. fredricka whitfield i apologize for the 43 seconds i've stolen from you. >> that's okay. >> that's okay. i'm willing to share. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com hello everyone, i'm fredricka whitfield in for kyra phillips who's on assignment. we begin with whitney houston. as her family prepares for saturday's funeral, new details suggest troubling behavior in houston's final days. don lemon is in los angeles. what are you hearing about those final moments? >> reporter: some really sad information that i got yesterday from a source who is briefed on whitney houston's activity and behavior just days before her death. i'm told that on wednesday and thursday she was seen in the beverly hilton in the pool area

and the hotel lobby bar area, that she was consuming considerable, considerable quantities of alcohol. fredricka, apparently this is before 10 a.m. sometimes as early as 9:30 in the morning. the sources say a guest overheard her accusing bartenders of watering down her drinks and of putting too much ice in her drinks. they became concerned. they expressed concern at her erratic behavior. they said she was doing somersaults into the pool and doing somersaults in the pool area, jumping into the pool, she looked disheveled. she was wearing mismatched clothing and from her appearance and behavior. this is according to the source, the guests thought she looked intoxicated. at times they say she was alone roaming around the hotel in the bar and pool area. at teams she was seen with her entourage and with a male companion. she was also seen at the pool area drinking on saturday morning before her death, but they say she was not exhibiting the erratic behavior that she had exhibited days before. >> all right.

meantime, don, now there are medical reports that have been subpoenaed, doctors, pharmacists are being asked to cooperate in this investigation. to what extent? >> reporter: well, we don't know exactly how many. there were original reports of 11 doctors and pharmacies that were subpoenaed from los angeles, the west coast to the east coast, but it's not quite that many according to the coroner. yes, they have used their subpoena power. they're subpoenaing those doctors and pharmacists to figure out what medication and how much she was being prescribed and how much was being filled. they want to know all of the doctors, all of the medications before they get the toxicology reports so they can weigh it all as to exactly how she died. they want to make sure that she wasn't doctor shopgs or pharmacy shopping. at this point the coroner says it doesn't appear that she was. everything appears to be on the up and up at this point, and the coroner says everyone, everyone, the doctors, pharmacists are all

cooperating with him at this point, fred. >> don lemon, thank so much. appreciate that. meantime saturday is whitney houston's funeral. that taking place in new jersey, her home state. susan candiotti is in newark. susan, what more can you tell us about the funeral arrangements? >> reporter: well, you know, just a little while ago the funeral director for whitney houston's funeral arrangements is here outside the church meeting with a number of police officials and other police department authorities who are discussing, it would appear, plans for the mass at the service on saturday. and so if we pan off you can see some of that activity going on. i think actually the funeral director has just moved inside the church again, so we missed that, but it just goes to show you all the arrangements that are underway at the present time. fred, among other things we're learning that there will be a camera now inside the church and video will be streamed that we can air on cnn and cnn.com in

order to watch the funeral on saturday. >> and among those who will be in attendance, part of the proceedings during that funeral we understand aretha franklin is going to be sippinging. what more do we know about those who will be honoring the life of whitney houston? >> well, among those will be reverend marvin wians. he is a famed gospel singer in his own right and a close friend of the family. last night exclusively he spoke with anderson cooper and talked about why the family wanted to keep this event a private one. >> want to have a parade. we loved her when she was nippy in new jersey. the world loves her because of her voice, but if nippy could not sing, the houston family would love her. >> reporter: and, you know,

nonstop ever since whitney houston's death on saturday we've seen momentos, the flowers, the balloons grow that are hanging on the fence outside the church here. people coming by throughout the day, throughout the evening to drop off additional momentos and messages of how much they loved whitney houston. back to you, fred. >> all right. susan candiotti there outside new hope baptist church where the funeral will be taking place on saturday. meantime, new jersey governor chris christie is taking heat for his decision to lower flags to half staff on saturday for whitney houston's funeral. most of that criticism is coming via twitter. one tweet saying this, are you serious? whitney is no hero. and kristie responded, flag being lowered for her cultural contributions for an artist and new jersey yan. the exchanges continued with saying the honor should be reserved for fallen soldiers and police officers. he responded again saying, quote, not saying sacrifices

were equivalent. her cultural contributions to this state merit the honor. sorry you disagree. cnn of course will have full coverage of whitney houston's funeral this saturday beginning at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. join piers morgan, soledad o'brien, and don lemon as the music legend is remembered. later on today the u.n. general assembly could condemn syrian president assad's violent crackdown. the view owes lens has not let up. a human rights group says syrian government forces have been pounding the city of homs for a 13th straight day and have killed at least ten army defectors and several civilians in hamma province. ivan watson has gotten into the northern part of the country. we're hoping to talk too him at some point in hour. meantime, let's take a look at what the world is saying about the violence in syria.

max foster joins us now from london with more on that. max? >> reporter: ivan's been telling us how this movement taking place in the rural areas across the country. certainly people are viewing this as the turning point right now. the situation in syria. the international herald tribune under the headline hama rules, the more the syrian opposition demonstrates to itself, to all syrians and to the world that it's about creating a pluralistic ser yeah, the weeker assad will be and the more likely a post-assad syria will have a chance at stability and decency. looking ahead. the gulf news in the u.a.e. breaking the syrian deadlock. sadly because damascus refuses the league u.n. plan, that's the arab league united nations plan, and to avoid a full flemminged civil war, the last available option might well be an arab league nato operation. obviously damascus will put up stiff resistance those syrians will probably live to rebuild

their shattered lives. so perhaps suggesting some sort of conflict might work for the good. china daily, respect for different viewpoints. the international community should give russia and china more time for mediation rather than forcing a hurried vote in the u.n. security council, which has only escalated the crisis rather than resolve it. all the commentary very much looking ahead to the future, fredricka. >> max faster, thanks so much from london. back in this country now turning to the gop race for the white house. rick santorum has released four years of his tax returns to cover his time since leaving the senate. our political editor paul steinhauser joins us now. paul, what kind of financial picture do these numbers paint? >> reporter: yeah, we're learning a little bit more about him. the campaign releasing the rate he paid and how much he paid in taxes. take a look at this. these are the four years after he left congress after he lost the 2006 re-election to the

senate in pennsylvania. you can see karen and rick santorum joint earnings in 2007 it was $668,000. as high as 1.19 million. anywhere from 28.3 and 25.1%. last year mitt and ann romney released their 2010 tax returns. they earned over 21 million but their tax rate was lower. the difference of course much of the romney money on investments. much of the santorum money on income. rick santorum talked about it last night on piers morgan. take a listen. >> all my income is earned income. i mean, i have very, very little -- i don't know if i have any dividend income, probably a couple -- maybe $100 of interest income. no capital gains to speak of income. so i don't have any income that would come from investments or wealth. almost 90 plus percent of the money that's on those tax returns i went out and earned and as a result, you know, i'm

paying social security taxes on them, i'm paying all the other taxes that come when you have earned income so that's why i ended up paying the higher rate of taxation. >> rick santorum today campaigning in michigan. we're just 12 days away from that primary as well as arizona. >> paul, rick santorum not the only one in michigan today. >> reporter: that's true, rivalries mitt romney there as well. romney was born in michigan. his father was a popular governor back in the 1960s. today romney will get the endorsement of the governor there, rick snyder, a moderate republican. we've seen that endorsements aren't making that much of a difference in this cycle. fred? >> paul steinhauser, thanks so much. we'll have the next political update coming in one hour. a reminder for all the latest political news you know exactly where to go, our website cnnpolitics.com. a plot to kill the pope? accusations of fraud and scandal. it's not the plot of a new movie, just the rumors that are rocking the vatican.

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checking stories cross-country now. an anti-crime group in washington state has blocked plans to have josh powell buried next to his two sons. powell killed the boys and himself by setting his house on fire earlier this month. crime stoppers and the local sheriff have reportedly bought plouts on both sides of the boys grave sites to prevent powell's family from burying him near the

children. in new orleans a milestone in the hurricane katrina recovery effort. the last fema trailer has left the city more than six years after the storm hit. tens of thousands of trailers were sent to the city to provide temporary housing for displaced families. and in birmingham, alabama, a car careens out of control and crashes into a gas station. a surveillance camera captured the accident right there. the driver was hospitalized. no one else was hurt. it was supposed to be a week of celebration at the vatican, but a scandal is brewing. a flurry of leaks suggest there is a power struggle going on within the vatican. one archbishop even complaining about what he called a web of corruption. john allen is cnn's senior vatican correspondent. he's joining us from rome. quite the flurry of activity, reports and leaks about the vatican's financial picture, political in fighting, and then gossip, too, about the next pope. what is stirring all of this,

john? >> reporter: fredricka, well, you're absolutely right. what we've been treated to over the last few days amounts to a really juicy vatican soap opera. we have seen an almost daily set of new revelations of confidential documents on topics ranging from an alleged plot to kill the pope that was supposedly hatched in china to illicit transfers in the vatican bank to private correspondence from the pope's i remember the days before copd.

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the u.n. general assembly is set to vote on a nonbinding resolution today condemning syria's deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters. on capital hill a bipartisan deal extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits is expected to be finalized today. a vote on the measure could happen this week. a source tells cnn whitney houston was seen drinking a considerable amount of alcohol two mornings last week. subpoenas have been issued for the sipping ger's health records and prescriptions, but an assistant chief coroner says it does not appear houston was doctor shopping. rick santorum has released his tax returns for the past four years. he earned more than $3.5 million over that time. he paid about $260,000 a year in taxes. his highest tax rate was 28.3%. about twice mitt romney's. santorum told cnn's piers morgan that he's had setbacks like many

people. >> i took a lot of that money and paid down a rather significant mortgage to the point where i was -- my mortgage was still below the value of my house. and that's been a bit of a hit for us. i have two kids in college, a child with a disability and needing care. we've had some expenses. we've been very blessed to have the opportunity to handle those and still be in the black. >> lets a bring in cnn contributor will cain and democratic strategist robert zimmerman. how will this translate with voters? robert, you first. >> in the short term as rick santorum outlines the tax rate he paid at and of course the challenges he faced like many americans with his mortgage situation, in the short term it helps him against mitt romney because in every political analysis, in every polling data you look at two key questions. does this person relate to my problems? does he care about me?

it helps rick santorum make the case. the problem, of course, is in the general election both romney and he are locked into the same unfair strategy of protecting the top tier earners against the middle class. >> will, does he better relate then to voters? >> he's pulling this off very well, fred. look, he plays this economic populism, economic man of the people very well. some i begrudge him. blue collar industries, manufacturing, offering to have a lower tax rate on manufacturing than other industries. that's favoritism i'm not really excited about hearing, but when he does this mortgage thing that i am underwater. i was 40% underwater. he's now identifying with 30% of americans who are underwater on their homes. politically that's going to resonate. it shouldn't escape our attention that he went on to say i paid down my debt, i saved, i used some of my income to bring that loan down. he's trying to send the message there as well. i didn't look to the government to help me out with that problem.

>> let's remember we're talking about how he does in a republican primary in a state like michigan that's so defining right now where, of course, 36% of the vote is evangelical. he does do well in the short term but in the long term he's still wedded to the same right wing agenda that is really clearly defined support for the top 1% earners against middle class individuals. >> okay. let's talk about the issue of conservatism. sarah palin said she still doubts mitt romney's conservatism. listen to him, however, respond to her criticism. >> i'm not quite sure what she'd be referring to. i'm pro life. pro traditional marriage. i believe in the second amendment. as governor i balanced the budget every year i was in office. put in place a $2 billion rainy day fund. cut taxes 19 times. >> so is that the criteria for con vaertism? will, if so, then why does he still have a hard time appealing to the base? >> well, first of all, i'm not going to award sarah palin the

high practice of defining conservatism. there are to many people that want to define conservatism in ways that i'm not comfortable with defining right now. explain to me how rick santorum is this conservative purist. the issue is there are many different kinds of conservatives. there are many different sits sets of priorities. if we're going to define that by social conservative then, fine, give it to santorum. my point is not to say mitt romney is the most conservative guy out there. we're constantly having this debate, who's the purist and massachusetts moderate. >> bigger issue, having to defend your credentials to sar a palin, that's like having to defend your sense of character or sense of style to snookie or nicki minaj. certainly the idea that sarah palin's setting the standard after she quit her governorship mid term is hardly the issue. the reason we have this debate

about mitt romney, the reason conservatives are so uncomfortable to him and so resistant is he's changed his positions on so many key issues, social conservatism, whether he's supporting anti-contraceptives or whether he is he's changed his position on many economic issues. it's his own credibility. >> always good to see you gentlemen. thanks so much. just days before the arizona primary election the gop contenders debate the issues again on cnn. the arizona republican presidential debate moderated by john king wednesday night, 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn. the divorce papers are filed but are kobe bryant and his wife, vanessa, kissing and making up? the answer next in showbiz headlines.

john king wednesday night, 8:00

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actor charlie sheen is sounding off again about his old show "two and a half men." "showbiz tonight" tonight host a.j. hammer is live from new york. a.j., why are sheen and warner brothers once again fighting? >> both sides are unhappy with each other here, fred. but what else is new? they sent sheen a cease and desist letter and this was after they say he used promotional material that was shot for his old show to promote his new show "anger management." he have said, he's thrilled that they sent the letter and said that he hopes it means he won't have to see himself in that i had otic bowling shirt anymore. he also rather crudely advised warner brothers to worry more about their show and not his new project. that was apparently good ole

sheen unfiltered. when we got in touch with his spokesperson we received a tame, no comment. charlie sheen. >> delicately put. okay. meantime, there are reports that kobe bryant may be reconciling with his soon to be ex-wife. is that true? >> well, you know, sometimes these reports can be a little bit sketchy, but kobe and his soon to be ex-wife were seen kissing at the staples center after a lakers game. everybody noticed when vanessa bryant was in the stands during the lakers game on valentine's day. then as they walked down the tunnel to the locker room they had a little valentine's day kiss together that was caught by photographers. now kobe and vanessa's divorce doesn't become official until june. yeah, they still have time to backtrack. kobe may have some serious incentive to make up. the couple apparently didn't have a pre-nup so that means vanessa would be entitled to half of what kobe has made in the last ten years. they have reportedly already splint up their property with

vanessa getting their three newport beach estates worst an estimated $18 million. that's the tip of the iceberg. the best reason for these two to kiss and makeup, they've got two daughters. who knows fl we'll see what happens. >> we'll see. wish them the best. a.j., thanks so much. meantime, oprah winfrey will be back maybe on the silver screen. a.j. will have that in the next hour of the "cnn newsroom." oil prices in europe spike on fears iran might shut off supplies. could u.s. drivers see gas prices jump on those same fears? we'll talk about that after the break. ♪ he was a 21st century global nomad ♪

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cross-country now. defense attorneys are presenting their case today in the murder trial of a former university of virginia lacrosse player. george huguely is accused of killing his girlfriend yeardley love. the defense could rest as early as tomorrow. drivers on i-95 in maryland had a real road hazard to deal with. hundreds of dead birds. star links scattered on the roadway. there are several theories about what happened. no one knows for sure. scientists are checking to see if a disease killed these birds. check out this sign. drivers in a michigan community have a hard time reading it and keeping their eyes on the road. the sign has speed limit times for three separate school zones on the street.

budget concerns are keeping the school district from putting in a digital speed time limit sign. all right. now your money. fears that iran might shut down oil shipments september prices in europe sky rocketing. though tehran has backed off on that threat, u.s. drivers still have concerns about rising gas prices. let's bring in our business guru, christine romans joining us from new york. how do oil prices in iran possibly impact gas prices here? >> i thinker one should be prepared for higher gas prices for the next days and weeks as we head into the summer, fredricka. it's a fact of life when you have oil prices on the futures market going up. you've got saber-rattling from iran. you have a he got concerns overall about high energy prices at a time of the year in this country when we normally see this shifting from winter formulation of gasoline to summer formulation. it's a perfect storm and most every analyst is expecting the gas prices are going to move higher. it's not just gas prices and what's coming out of our pocket.

oil prices affect everything. so the real worry here is that a weak economic recovery could be impearled by these higher energy prices. gas prices for consumers. raw materials for manufacturers, petroleum products are raw material for many manufacturers. it's also the cost of doing business for many companies. their energy costs going up. when the costs for businesses are going up and the margins are being squeezed, that can mean less hiring. that's why it really bears watching overall for the economy what it will mean. peter butel has been following gas prices forever. he told us, look, think of it this way. every penny that gas prices goes up is $4 million a day out of our pockets. so when you're paying for gas instead of paying for a movie ticket or restaurant, pair of tennis shoes, it's something that bears watching in the economy. i will say this. most experts tell me they do not think we'll go back to those really sky high prices of 2008. we won't go back to those record highs. >> that's a little relief there.

thanks so much, christine. >> bye-bye. meantime, the fascination grows over jirm any lin. the rookie fee no, ma'am helps the knicks to their seventh win in a row. even president obama is watching. highlights of the game coming up in sports. sports. sports. all energy development comes with some risk, but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint

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a new study has some troubling news for new parents. researchers at zers at dartmoutd arsenic in infant formula. it underlies an urgent need for tougher regulations. the problem is the organic brown rice syrup used as a sweetener, and it's also common in cereal bars. elizabeth cohen joins us next hour with a closer look. let's fast forward to tell you what we'll cover later on cnn. at 1:00 eastern time the so-called underwear bomber faces a judge for sentencing.

he could get life for trying to detonate a bomb on an american airlines flight that was christmas day back in 2009. at 2:30 eastern the leaders will update congress on staff erdz facing criminal charges in egypt. 16 americans are accused of contributing to the unrest. at 5:10 china's vice president tours the port of los angeles with california governor jerry brown. following lots of developments in the next hour. let's check in first with don lemon in los angeles. don. >> reporter: her death certificate is released. stunning nye details about her erratic fwhaifr hours beforer her death are starting to emerge. i'll have the exclusive details at the top of the hour. i'm joe jones, and farmington hills, michigan where mitt romney is set to get a big endorsement in the state where

he was born and raised. i'll have that coming up at the top of the hour. i'm alison kosik at the new york stock exchange where i'm following a stunning turnd-around in the auto industry. two of the automakers in bankruptcy a few years ago, but today gm, ford and chrysler are profitable. plus, we go deeper on iran's defiant nuclear program and the growing crisis in syria. are we seeing a new cold war in the middle east this time? advie ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you get at some places. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 they say you have to do this, have that, invest here ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you know what? ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you can't create a retirement plan based on ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 a predetermined script. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 to understand you and your goals... ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ...so together we can find real-life answers for your ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 real-life retirement. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 talk to chuck ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 and let's write a script based on your life story. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550

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all right. folks cannot get enough of jeremy lin. whether you're a basketball fan or not, it's a great story. it carries on. >> the legend keeps growing. even the president knows all about him. president obama, of course, is a huge hoops fan. a white house spokesman says the first lin command is very impressed but is he linpressed. look who showed up last night at madison square gardens? mike tyson. where's the tiger? tyson was there. we see choopy goldberg and speak lee is there. the fans showing up wearing masks now and they all have the signs. there it is. you've got the feeling good, lin

your face, and every day is a must lin. the most famous -- the geekiest handshake of all of sports right here. lin and his buddies and teammates, the textbook and then the glasses and pocket protector. the fans love that. in fact, they're running with the pose and they're calling it linning like tebowing. fans are doing the pose. check it out. posing in spots around town with the glasses. last night the sensation did not disappoint. the first quarter against the kings, it's lin, the kickout to landry fields for the three. lin wasn't scoring as much as usual last night, but he was incredible passing the ball around the floor to tyson command ler for the jam. he set a career high with 15 assists. a month ago he was in the developmental league like the minors. any team could have grabbed him and no one wanted him. the knicks blow out the kings. the knicks have a seven-game

lining streak since they let him loose. shaq's tweet, linderella story of the year. jair where i lin has lingle handedly played lensational and i'm linpressed. last night david letterman did the worst puns. >> lintrest baring lin-vestment. you've gob in it to lin to lin it. there you go. >> knicks fans are in it to win right now. he plays again tomorrow night at home at madison square garden. >> that's fun. i like that, taking that to another level. >> that's how it's going right now. >> i like it. thanks so much. appreciate that. more now on jeremy lin's

impact. here's joon moose. >> in less than two weeks he went from sleeping under the covers on a teammate as's couch to the cover of "sports illustrated." the three letters of his last game are everyone's favorite word game. >> my symptoms, linsomnia and lintestinal blockage. >> they're siting divine lintervention. >> lin for the win and got. >> the trip off the lips of announcers. >> lin to the rim. >> jeremy lin cut by two teams came off the bench and made the happenless new york knicks winners. now lin-sanity is inspiring

songs, and to top it off lin comes across as a really nice guy, a team player. >> can you believe this is happening to you? >> no. >> he has an economics degree from harvard and did a parody video tellsing kids how to get into the school. >> get glasses. if you already have glasses, get bigger glasses. >> after he was seen doing a multi-step hand cake, a few folks started linning like the tebow photo op bus focuses on the eyes. p if all puns are driving you nuts, too bad. they're spreading lininfluenza. there's lin-plus linsult and lynn plus ninja linja.

lin came up with one. >> super lintendno. >> spike lee got giddy reciting names to the "wall street journal." >> i move so fast i must be on ritalin. jere jeremy, stop asian profiling. >> stephen colbert offered lin an endorsement deal. >> of premium linoleum tile. >> lin prefers the basketball court where he's a linderella story kissed not by a prince. >> we couldn't get a stop. >> jeanne moos, cnn, lint, new york. get it? welcome back, everyone. i'm in for kyra phillips on assignment. new details suggest troubling behavior in houston's final days. don lemon is joining us from los angeles. what more are you hearing?

>> it is troubling. it's troubling to hear about this sort of behavior, but also even more troubling, fred, as i'm sure you know and our viewers know, prescription medication confirmed found in her hotel room. if she was drinking, that was possibly a lethal combination. i want to read to you exactly what this very high-level source who was briefed on whitney houston's behavior and activity the days before her death says about how she was acting. she was seen ordering and consuming alcohconsiderable quantities of alcohol sometimes as early as 9:30 in the morning at the beverly hilton hotel lobby bar and pool area. the source says the guests overheard her both loudly complaining about her drinks, accusing bartenders of watering down or putting too much ice in them. the source also said other guests became concerned, and there are are pictures of her the at the pool during the final days of her life. you see a drink there. we don't know exactly what's in the drink.

there you see it. that's courtesy of tmz. other guests expressed concern about her erratic behavior, that she was walking around a lot from the pool to the bar area, that she was disheveled, her clothes were mismatched and she was loud. they say her behavior to them indicated intoxication in their estimation and that she was jumping into the pool and doing somersaults. she was at some points aalone and some points with her entourage and also with a male companion, fredricka. >> don, what's being said now about the investigation and which direction it's taking? >> all is coming out on the same day. this is an official copy of her death certificate from the coroner's office. this came out. the information about her behavior came out. then the information about a coroner's investigation. they have issued subpoenas to several doctors and several pharmacies here on the west coast and also on the east coast

to try to figure out exactly what whitney houston was prescribed, who prescribed it, who filled it. they want to know if she was taking the medication in her room accordingly and bloo she was doctor or pharmacy shopping. the coroner told me it doesn't appear at this point that she was, but they are double checking everything. every single person they reached out to the coroner says has been cooperative. >> all right. don lemon in los angeles. thanks so much. the arrangements for whitney houston will be unfolding on saturday at new hope baptist church in newark. susan canada ddiotti is outside church. this is the church where her loved ones will say good-bye. what are you hearing about what's planned? >> reporter: at this hour some members of the family are inside the church meeting with the funeral director as well as members of the newark police department to try to further

finalize plans about security and other funeral arrangements. he they set up a few metal barricades outside of the church now because there's been more of a steady stream of whitney houston fans coming by to leave flowers and balloons and messages telling her how much they love her. leaving behind, for example, favorite pictures they have of her. fans are disappointed they can't attend the funeral themselves, but happy to hear that the family has agreed it to allow a camera inside the church where it will be streaming video from inside the service. of course, we'll be broadcasting it live on cnn and cnn.com, fred. >> then, what more do you know about the attendees? >> reporter: well, they include some pretty big names. you can't get any bigger than the queen of soul, aaretha frankl franklin. she will be here as well as valerie simpson, artist that was a xroezing team of ashburg simpson and wrote some song recorded by whitney houston including "i'm every woman."

a ton of others, of course, too numerous to mention. more and more people are telling us they'll be attending. >> susan candiotti there in newark, new jersey. thanks so much. you can see right there the makeshift memorials set up outside the church. fans have come by leaving flowers, balloons and their messages to whitney houston. cnn has full coverage of the whitney houston funeral this saturday beginning at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. join piers morgan, soledad o'brien and don lemon as the music legend is remembered. politics now. mitt romney gets a boost next hour. michigan governor rick schneider plans to announce his endor endorsement of the candidate, and it comes in a state where romney needs some help. a new poll shows him trailing rick santorum by 6 percentage points. joe jones is p in farmington hills, michigan, where schneider and romney will be speaking. can the governor's endorsement

give romney that boost he needs? >> reporter: fred, kwik frankly if rick schneider had not endorsed romney, it would have been an embarrassment because schneider, of course, is one of the leading establishment republicans in the state. he has a lot of heft, but just because he's endorsing romney doesn't necessarily mean that romney is out of the woods, as you said. he's showing second in the polls right now, though it's a very close race within the margin of error. still, rick santorum, who is running very strong in this state, is really making a play for those manufacturing voters, those blue collar voters here in michigan. so i would say that romney still has a fight on his hands at this stage, fred. >> a lot was made of romney's tax returns. now rick santorum has released him. any real comparisons of the reaction? >> reporter: yeah. well, back to the blue collar

voter idea, santorum has been reaching out to those folks, the manufacturing voters really making that populist play here in the state of michigan, but when you look at his tax returns, $3.6 million over the last four years. so he's made a lot of money, and that's not blue collar money, if you will. nonetheless, he can say that he paid at the highest something like 28% tax rate, which is a lot more than mitt romney. so there's something in there for everybody on rick santorum's tax returns, fred. >> all right, joe johns. thanks so much from farmington hills, michigan. later today a u.n. general aassembly could condemn syrian president assad's violent crackdown and the violence still hasn't let up.

>> that is video of fighting near the lebanese border. the syrian army has taken control there. the human rights group says government forces have killed at least ten army defectors and several civilians in the province and arrested an activist in damascus. ivan mwatson is in northern syra and he said much of the region is in open revolt and government is losing control. nick payton walsh is in beirut. what are you hearing? >> reporter: i should bring you today obviously the first death toll we've heard. 40 today nationwide, but athat includes 19 people killed near the north where we apparently have heard of 19 people who have attempted to escape to turkey having, in fact, been executed by syrian security forces. a deeply troubling development

if that is true. i should point out that we heard reports today seeing this video from zabadani near the border here east of beirut which shows a remarkable attack upon a tank. we understand there was a cease-fire negotiated between opposition fighters and the syrian military. that then broke down it appears when the army went into the town and began arrests and aattacking and it seems that the up opposition fighters are still up in the hills not far way from the town. a strong presence there. perhaps the opposition there, but the army has the upper hand at this point. >> nick, is there a feeling that a u.n. assembly vote to condemn the crackdown who make any kind of impact? >> reporter: well, if this vote is passed at the general assembly it's not legally binding. it's a piece of paper chsz people strongly condemn and disagree with what's happening inside syria at the moment.

most of the people voting for that have publicly said they're strongly against what the regime is doing. the veto used by russia and china can't affect this particular resolution passing. it doesn't have the security council behind it, so it can't enforce things against the syrian regime. while it might be a big expression of discontent, it isn't going to change anything necessarily on the ground, although some argue that kind of diplomatic statement might assist things moving forward. >> nick, thanks so much. coming up, we go deeper on iran's defiant nuclear program and the growing crisis in syria. are we seeing a new cold war in the middle east this time? new orleans says good-bye to an iconic image of hurricane katrina, the fema trailer. details on that, next.

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have more fiber than other leading brands. they're the better way to enjoy your fiber. checking stories cross country now. an anti-crime group in washington state has blocked plans to have josh powell buried next to his two sons. powell killed the boys and himself by setting his house on fire earlier in the month. crimestoppers and the local sheriff have reportedly bought plots on both sides of the boys boys' grave sights. a milestone in the hurricane katrina recovery effort, the last fema trailer left the city more than six years after the storm hit. tens of thousands of trailers were sent to the city to provide temporary housing for displaced

families. in bur ming ham, alabama, a car careens out of control and crashes into a gas station as you see right there. surveillance camera up captured the accident. the driver was hospitalized. no one fortunately was hurt. all right. iran calls it a huge achievement in its nuclear program. it made a big show of scientists loading homemade nuclear fuel rods into a reactor. iran says it has developed advanced centrifuges and will start yellow cake production. the u.s. state department says iran is showing off, and now law enforcement he officials are concerned about attacks on jewish targets because of iran tensions. homeland security secretary janet napolitano says there is no specific threat, but it bears watching. let's bring in author and middle east expert, and he's joining us from london. good to see you. so you talk of a new cold war

possibly brewing in the middle east. what do you mean by that? >> well, what i i mean on the one hand you have the iranian-led coalition. you have iran and seiyria and hezbollah and you have saudi arabia and the gulf states supported by the united states. this particular new cold war, fredricka, has been going on for several years and has intensified and escalated. unfortunately for the syrian opposition, the syrian crisis now has been caught, embroiled in this particular cold war. the damascus road is the lifeline of the regime. the iranian regime supports president assad in syria because it views what is happening in syria is part of an attempt to clip the wings of iran p in the region. that's why the situation is complex and dangerous there. >> how concerned are you about

iran's nuclear capabilities? because president ahmadinejad is known to try to bluff or at least appear as though there's much more than there is. >> fredricka, two points for your audience, american audience. the first point is that the defense department, the u.s. defense department has made it very clear that iran has a long way to go. we're not talking about months. we're talking about a few years. the second point, again, the u.s. government believes that the iranian leadership has not made a strategic decision to build a nuclear bomb. it's one thing to build a nuclear program. it's another thing to build a nuclear bomb. as you said in the introduction, you said it's a show. the reality is the assertions by the iranian president serve two causes. the first one is basically as you might say deterrent, what the iranian leadership is saying for the united states and

israel, if you attack it, it's over. we have the capability. we have the bomb. we can make a bomb as quickly as a few weeks or aa few months from now. secondly, the iranian leadership is trying to tell its own people, look, we have made progress. the reason why the sanctions are basical basically imposed on iran is because we're now a nuclear design country. at the end of the day, iran has a long way to go, even though you're absolutely correct. the drums of war basically are becoming louder and basically very threatening, and that's why the obama administration has been trying to lower the tempo of escalation and has been trying to convince israel not to attack iran because there are many concerns within the obama administration that israel might preempt iran and attack iran in the next three months. >> all right, professor. thanks so much for joining us from london. >> my pleasure. a new study has troubling news for new parents.

researchers find arsenic in infant formula and other foods. cnn's senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen joins us with a closer look. [ tires screech ] [ engine turns over, tires squeal ] introducing the 2013 gs, with the lexus enform app suite -- the most connected information and communication technology available in an automobile. [ engine revs ] the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. see your lexus dealer. there's no going back. today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities.

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all right. it's official. gm, ford and chrysler are all making money. something we haven't seen in seven years. alison kosik is at the new york stock exchange. a few years ago the headline for gm and chrysler was bankruptcy. quite the turn-around. >> exactly, quite a turn around. it took two years to turn around, and not just their profits, the big three are also hiring. now, ford, chrysler, they both reported earnings a few weeks ago. today we heard from gm reporting almost $8 billion in profit for 2011. it's a record high and wasn't easy for gm. it set itself up to make money. it closed plants and sold brands, and it's changed its labor contract so now gm is a leaner machine to benefit even more from the recovering economy, especially with more people buying more cars. >> you mentioned hiring. however, gm isn't done cutting

costs. it apparently is changing its pension plan. why is that necessary? >> that's happening because gm's pension plan is sirchlly running out of money. it's moving everybody salaried into 401(k) plans. gm will continue making contributions, but 401(k)s are cheaper than traditional pension plans. they're shifting some of the cost to workers. they have to do this because gm has to keep a lid on expenses. they're dealing with a slowdown in european sales. even though the sales in the u.s. are doing pretty well, the slowdown in europe can hurt the company. fredricka. >> i hear it was a rough day because you had quite of four-legged visitor. >> yes, yes. the top dog of the westminster dog show, he ran the opening bell. i think it's a he. i'm sorry if it's a she, but i think it's a he. malachi, a pekinese, this

11-pound furball rang the opening bell. we'll see the picture of it. it barely moved sitting on the side there. i've seen people tweet what it looks like. it's like a toupee with a face, isn't it? it's so ugly it's cute. >> it's so cute. >> where's the fais? >> it's in there. just a lot of hair. >> it is? there is a lot of hair. >> yes. thanks so much, alison. now we want to take a closer look at a troubling discovery. arsenic found in some foods including baby formula. elizabeth cohen is here with details on this. nobody likes to hear that arsenic, eenot even a trace, isn your food. it's fairly common? >> let's talk about this a little bit, because this has been going on for awhile but this is a new report from consumer reports. they looked at foods like this. these are cereal bars, these are called shot blocks that endurance athletes use and

sometimes when they don't want to use high fructose corn syrup they use brown rice sugar. they say brown rice syrup can have arsenic in it and the kind that harms humans. in water, you only have 10 parts per billion of this type of arsenic, and according to the consumer reports some of these products had up to 128 parts per billion. now, as far as infant formula goes, it's not in most infant formulas. it's in the organic ones. we went to the store and the couldn't find it. >> couldn't find the organic formulas? >> we couldn't find it with brown rice sugar syrup in it. i'm not sure how common that it is. it is commonly in these types of products. >> was it an issue of a complaint and that's why dartmouth did this study to find out or try to discover whether there was arsenic in baby formula? >> there's always concern about arsenic in rice, because rice is

grown in fields that has arsenic in it. the rice industry says there's nothing to worry about, and that there's no link between rice and any kind of human health problems. they point out in asian country they eat he way more rice than we do and don't have higher cancer rates than we do. the rice industry says there's nothing to it. >> do we stay away from things and read the ingredients for brown rice syrup in it? >> this is really tough. consumer reports seems quite upset about this, and they say people should think twice before eating these kinds of products. what's your alternative? you have high fructose corn syrup. it's very, very hard to know what to do. i think that the only thing i can think of is that you can eat natural products, not necessarily cereal bars but maybe give your kid a banana or apple if you're scared of these things. there is no definitive evidence saying these are the problem. this is sort of a suggestion of a problem. >> sounds good.

elizabeth cohen, thank so much. president obama seems to being enjoying a nice bump in his approval rating. we'll ask a political panel what's behind that surge, next. so, how was school today ?

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a look at the up top stories now. the u.n. general asem sbli set to vote on a non-binding resolution today condemning syria's deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters. on capitol hill a bipartisan

deal is expected to be finalized today. a vote could up happen this week. a source tells cnn whitney houston was seen drinking a considerable amount of alcohol two mornings last week. subpoenas have been issued for the singer's health records and prescriptions, but an assistant chief coroner says it does not appear houston was doctor shopping. all right. political buzz is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. playing today cnn contributor robert zimmermann, patricia murphy the editor of citizen jane pauttics and a contributor to the daily beast and will cain. good to see you again. a new cnn poll putting president barack obama's approval rating back up at 50%. why the bump, robert? >> well, the short answer is that is that the republicans are

beating each other up. that doesn't explain why the country's -- why the right track/wrong track numbers are doing better, why people feel better about the economy and direction of the country. that's primarily because president obama seized control of the agenda through the american jobs act. i was very critical of the administration last year for not focusing on jobs and getting caught up in the government shutdown debate. they changed course with an important piece of legislation, and he's gone to the american people to rally them. >> will. >> it's because of the he economy. there's a sense out there right or wrong that the economy is doing better. you set aside issues what dictates why the economy is doing better, unemployment rate, gdp growth and the total level of debt in an economy. what matters is there's a sense for now in this temporary period that the economy is doing better. so president obama will benefit from that. if that same he notment exists in november by the way, it's a win for president obama at that time. >> patricia. >> i agree with the boys on this one. i think it is the economy.

americans wake up today and they're a little less worried about how things go than two years ago, and when the economy is going poorly, republicans beat up on the president and blamed him. they have to give him some credit for the economy turning around. i think, though, that president obama compared to the republicans running against each other, slinging mud against each other, basically a war of attrition, these guys are killing each other. it makes him look better in comparison. i think there are a couple of factors going very well for him. he's only one point above 50%, so i don't think he should get too comfortable. >> he'll take it. >> the deal on payroll tax cuts is done. did the democrats win this fight, will? >> yeah, they did. here's why. regardless of whether or not the payroll tax cut was going to be described as and have a serious debate about it being a temporary stimulus when it wasn't that big and effective, it was going to be boiled down to republicans are opposed a tax cut for the middle class. therefore, it was a political

loser and they had to lay down that argument. as long as we talk about political suicide, i'll say this. that was a bad fight to have. it was too small. the big fight is over medicare, and this morning senators tom coburn and richard burr began to have that fight. let's talk about reforming medicare even though it's political suicide. >> robert. >> clearly, the democrats wong the payroll tax cut debate. obviously republicans can make the case. they took it off the table, out of the election discourse. the reality is the narrative building over the payroll tax cut, over protecting student loans for middle income kids, over a whole range of programs for job retraining, a focus on the democratic position being one standing up for the middle class and one of fairness. however, unless my party and the republican party get serious about dealing with the deficit, they'll be no real winner in the economy. >> patricia. >> i want to strike a cautionary note. this has not passed congress yet. i think today with the news

there's an agreement, it's a huge win for president obama. he told congress to act. he told congress to extend this tax cut, and they did it. looks good for him. when you get into the details, there's a lot of spending in here that republicans don't like. there's also a lot of pay-fors in here that democrats are uncomfortable with. a lot of grumbling on the deal and very short tempers. people are not happy. we want to see if it gets passed, but it's a big one so far. >> 20 seconds each. president obama visits a lock factory and reminisces about his high school days. listen to what he said. >> it is wonderful to be at master lock. i have to say, though, it brought back some memories. i was thinking about my gym locker in high school. and, you know, if you go into the boys' locker room in high school, sometimes it's a little powerful, the odor in there.

>> kind word, "powerful." what are your guesses? what's in that locker? >> i have to guest knowing his love of history, a number of history books and certainly basketball equipment. i would venture a guess to make a few smokes in the locker. maybe a picture of himself. i'm just glad you didn't ask me about my high school locker. that's all. >> all right. will. >> i think robert took all my lines. geez, he's running the right wing message out, is he not, robert? i don't know. you left out communism manifesto. that was sitting in there as well, right? i'm kidding. you guys know i'm kidding, right? i'm kidding. i said that to just tweet. you know what was in there, fredricka? a bright future. >> patricia. >> definitely a lighter. we know he was smoking in the boys' room, and totally an

eight-track tape of al green because he learned how to sing somewhere. he can carry a tune. >> okay. all right. very good. patricia, will, robert, good to see you all. thanks so much. >> good to be with you. oprah winfrey may be returning to the silver screen for the first time in nearly 15 years. we'll tell you why next in "show biz." today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe?

let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities. siemens. answers. 8% every 10 years.age 40, we can start losing muscle -- wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge!

actor charlie sheen is sounding off about "two and a half men." a.j. hammer is live in new york. what's going on now? >> you know, we thought that chapter of charlie's life had closed. they sent aa seize and diagnosis letter saying he used promotional material to promote his new show "anger management." you're not supposed to do that. charlie is thrilled he sent the letter and he hopes he doesn't have to see himself anymore in the idiotic bowling shirt he worry as a chakt on "two and a half men," of course. he crudely advised warner bros. to worry about their show and not his new project. when "showbiz tonight" got in touch with his spokesperson, we received a simple no comment. charlie sheen can't say no comment. he has to get all sarcastic. his people say we have nothing to say. >> let's talk oprah maybe

returning to acting. >> yeah, she may be. apparently she's being lured in by her friend, the director lee daniels who directed, of course, the film "precious," which oprah executive produced. she's very intrigued by this story about a black man who was a butler in the white house from 1952 to 1986. oprah hasn't appeared in live action filmed since "beloved" in 1988. the hollywood reporter says she's thinking of signing onto the project. it's an article that profiled eugene allen. he worked as staff in the white house for eight presidents, and according to the report, winfrey would play allen's wife. the article says the film has sign signed milas to play jackie kennedy. if lee daniels is directing, it will be outstanding. >> of course it will. a.j., thanks so much for keeping

us posted on that. want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, a.j. has this this evening at 11:00 p.m. on hln. this just in. reports now that comedy central has suspended production of c colbert show for the week. no reason why. the website media light first reported it saying ticketholders to the show were told due to unforeseen circumstances the show would be off the air for the week. when we get more information on that, we'll bring it to you. also coming up, a story for everyone who has been told you can't. >> he was 5'3" and 120 pounds. so the question right from the start was, is he going to get big enough and strong enough to play at the high school level? >> and that was only the beginning of jeremy lin rising to a challenge. the story of the nba sensation coming up.

the nba's newest star jeremy lin made a big splash with big-scoring numbers in the first six games, but last night the rookie showed off another part of his game. cnn's joe carter is in new york with more on this. lin was in the mood of giving, was he not? >> reporter: yes. great way to put that fredricka. we saw a new dimension of jeremy lin last night. he's a complete player because last night he didn't score a lot of points and actually had a career night in assists. he got the ball to the open guys so they could make the basket, and that's what a good point

guard is supposed to do. he helped the knicks win number seven in a row. they cruised past the sacramento kings easily. it was 100-85. it was well in hand halfway through. watching him last night and feeling the electricity inside madison square garden and giving the sense that he's responsible for bringing basketball back to new york city. talking to folks yesterday, they said this is a basketball town. they've long hungered for a good knicks team, and they're finally playing good basketball. this guy comes from an underdog story that people attach to at this point. they say this could be the best sports story. tim tebow was not long ago. this could be the best story of the year. i saw lin's jerseys and faces everywhere. there were celebs from the crowd from spike lee to mike tyson and whoopi goldberg and al gore. the electricity was there, and

to think it was a wednesday night against the terrible sacramento kings, and it was a sellout crowd. it fell like a playoff atmosphere. basketball is certainly back in new york city, and if -- if that spells good for the knicks, it's goods for the nba. a couple of months ago we had the threat of possibly not having an nba season, which meant we wouldn't have this great story of jeremy lin and all the insanity that comes with it. >> the stars were definite out. i love that sin, lin in your face. that's so new york. perfect. joe carter, thanks so much. lin is the difference between why and why not? all his life people kept telling him he's not big enough to play basketball. he didn't listen. now he's proving the doubters wrong and inspiring a whole new generation of kids. here's sandra endo. >> reporter: pushing the ball down the court wearing the 4. even in high school jeremy lin

shows he could rise the to the occasion. in 2006 in his senior year, young jeremy scored 36 points to lead palo alto high to a comeback victory. he went on to win the state title. lin had it to overcome a lot to get to that pinnacle. >> he was 5'3", 120 pounds. so the question right from the start was, is he going to get big enough and strong enough to play at the high school level? >> reporter: lin grew 10 inches by the time he graduated. still, he didn't get scholarship offers from division i college teams in california, so he went to harvard without a scholars p scholarship. after college lin got passed over in the nba draft and even after getting signed as one of the league's first asian-american players, he was unable on to break into the starting line up until a few short weeks ago. >> there were stare ereotypes a prejudices working against him in the recruiting and why he

didn't get offers maybe he would have if he was a different race. >> reporter: did you think that he would get to this level in the nba and be a star? >> no. no. this is beyond anything i could have ever imagined. >> reporter: while his coach praises lin's work ethic and fearless disposition, lin attributes his success to his faith in god. >> i think it's a miracle of from god. >> he realizes it's all a gift, and that's wonderful. that keeps him grounded. >> lin for the win! got it. >> reporter: his explosion in the nba and his pioneering role as an asian-american star is giving hope to younger generations. >> it's fun to actually see him play. >> reporter: does it mean a lot to you that ease asian-american? >> yeah, because it shows that any asian person can make it to the nba. >> reporter: tens of thousands of kids play in asian-american leagues like this one across the country, and it's not just for boys.

i actually grew up plague on a team in california, and now with jeremy lin it could be a game-changer for these kids. >> we work hard, and you'll get there. that's what jeremy lin taught me. >> reporter: one of many lessons to be taken from lin's story, there's no fast break to the top. sandra endo, cnn, palo alto, california. guess who is also a fan of jeremy lin? here's a clue. the commander lin chief. details are coming up in the political ticker. i found a new way to get my profile out there. check me out. everybody says i've got a friendly disposition and they love my spinach dip. 5 foot ten. still doing a little exploring... on it. my sign is sagittarius, i'm into spanish cheese, my hairline is receding but i'm getting a weave. (falsetto chorus) getting a weave. who wants some ronald tonight!? geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more.

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okay. so you know you're really famous when one name says it all. oprah, madonna, the donald. it's the same way with fashion modeling. here now is alina cho.

>> one look at her, and it's clear joan smalls is not just a supermodel, she's a star. >> it's kind of like a go-getter heart. like i'm coming. i'm coming to get it. i'm coming to be great. >> on the catwalk at louis vut ton, mark jacobs, gucci, the it girl chameleon designers mif like derrick lamb. >> she's like a seasoned actress. >> jason wu. >> what's not to love? i just believe in her. >> she represents that girl i feel i design for. the girl that never gives up. >> what does it take to be joan smalls? how did it happen? >> it happened with a leap of faith. >> born in puerto rico, in the early days joan was a catalog model. three years ago she wanted more. she switched managers, who directed her to change her

approach. for instance, set casting calls and dress the part. >> high heels. show off those legs and show off that great body of yours. >> joan started to book jobs. her biggest break through, an exclusive contract in january of 12010 during high fashion's most coveted runway couture. >> my agency said joan, don't go anywhere else. you got this. i got goose bumps all over my body and smiled so hard. >> did you realize that was a break-through moment for you? >> yeah. you feel when you want something so bad and something great happens, i think it's instinct that you say, this is going to be the moment that's going to change everything. >> it did. >> her second job was with an italian model and shortly thereafter american vogue and shortly tlafr she was signed to

represent he is stestee lauder. >> the first latina global face. a multi-year contract at a rate of more than $1 million a year. have you seen what it has done to models' careers? >> yes, it makes them a household name immediately. >> fitted by ver ra wang, stella mig cart any and most recently chanel. >> that was one of the greater and bigger. i came here with a purpose to finally adhooef it and be an inspiration to others. >> supermodel joan smalls, elina cho, cnn, new york. >> for more you can watch fashion backstage pass airing next saturday, february 25th, 2:30 p.m. eastern time. ♪ [ male announcer ] the 2012 m-class continually monitors blind spots,

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but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! right now mitt romney is the only republican presidential candidate receiving secret service protection, but that could soon change. our political editor paul stein hauser joins us now. the santorum campaign is talking with the secret service. why? >> here's what's going on with this, fred. romney is getting it a few weeks ago and her main cain briefly had secret service protection before he dropped out of the race late last year. for santorum, this is

interesting. a course close to the senator's campaign told us that, in fact, a lawyer for the campaign had reached out to the secret service to begin the conversation. santorum was asked about it by piers morgan at the time, and at the time he wasn't aware because the lawyer hadn't told him. they say it's because of events that happened on the campaign trail. we're not sure if it's violence we saw a couple nights ago by the "occupy" protesters in tacoma. the secret service doesn't comment on this stuff. >> in the meantime we know president obama is a big basketball fan. has he been commenting on the linsanity. >> this is a great story. the president is a big basketball player. jay carney was asked about it yesterday as the campaign -- as the president was making his way out west for some fund-raisers and carney said, yeah, the president is an avid sports fan and