grted. things can go sour, santorum has to try to carry pennsylvania, romney has to try to carry michigan, i have to try to carry georgia. psychologically it is important. >> paul, thanks so much. that does it for us. suzanne malveaux in the hot seat for the next two hours. >> nice to see you, kyra. >> i'm susan mazanne malveaux, , february 20g9. un inspectors are in iran for another round of talks as iran cuts off oil expeorts. iran insists the nuclear program is for energy, and medical research. western nations believe the iranians are trying to buildal bomb. three u.s. senators headed by senator john mccain have been meeting with egyptian leaders in cairo, they are trying to resolve the case of 19 american workers who face criminal

charges in egypt's crack down on non-governmental organizations. the trial is set to begin on sunday. this video from syria is said to show men rushing into a burning house to save a child in the city of homs. cnn can't confirm the you authentici authenticity, rebel commander calls the uprising an orphan revolution without the international support given to other revotes. an advisor said it's premature to decide to help armed the rebels. rick santorum surging to a lead over mitt romney. ahead by eight points, five point drop for romney, five point jump for santorum since last wednesday. just before the arizona

primary, all four candidates meet in arizona, republican presidential debate, moderated by our own john king, that is coming up wednesday at 8:00 p.m. eastern. in washington state, an avalanche kills three skiers in the cascade mountains. police say 12 skiers got caught in the snow slide, but the other nine dug themselves out. a deputy tells us that one of the skiers survived because she used an avalanche rescue system which works like an air bag. a gay arizona sheriff is outed and resigns from a position with the romney campaign. now his ex-boyfriend is speaking out. sheriff paul babeu denies allegations that threaten to have him deported. cnn has the only tv interview with the former boy friend he spoke to miguel marquez. first of all tell us who is the man that you're speaking to and what is he accusing?

>> reporter: he's a 34-year-old mexican migrant, and he says that he is now living in fear because his ex-boyfriend, the sheriff here in pinla county, made threats against him. >> these allegations that were in one of these newspapers are absolutely, completely false. >> reporter: a grand canyon size political shocker. >> we're outmanned, with all the illegals in america, more than half come through arizona. >> reporter: the tough sheriff outed by his migrant ex-boyfriend. >> this is my personal, my private life but now it's not so private any longer. and it's an awful position for me to be in. >> reporter: he's in the position because of this man, jose, a 34-year-old mexican national, afraid to be identified but speaking out because he says he was threatened by his powerful ex-lover. >> reporter: at some point you

felt -- >> yes. >> reporter: used and then threatened? >>. >> reporter: why threatened? >> i got a text from him directly on my phone, saying that i will never have business. that my family will be deported. >> reporter: the alleged threat to have jose deported if he went public with the affair. >> at no time did i or anyone who represents me ever threaten deportation. ever. >> reporter: babeu stepped down as co-chair of mitt romney's campaign in arizona but the tough as nails sheriff is not ending his run for congress. jose says he's here legally wants to get on with his life. but with the story playing the role in presidential politics, that won't be happening any time

soo soon. >> so, has there been any reaction first of all from the romney campaign? >> reporter: there has been a little bit when the sheriff called to resign the romney campaign said they didn't want him to resign, he didn't have to take that step but the sheriff felt it was the right thing to do but he is keeping his congressional campaign alive here. suzanne? >> is it true he's working on the sheriff's congressional campaign, does he work on that campaign now? >> reporter: he didn't work on the congressional campaign, he worked on the sheriff's campaign for sheriff when he first ran, he does not work on the congressional campaign, he managed the websites and web properties for the share oeriff volunteer basis, he was not involved in the congressional campaign. >> do we think there will be political fall-out, how i the sheriff holding up?

>> reporter: i think it will be difficult for him because more and more keeps coming out. there are very racy photos, this is a fairly conservative area, he is a tough as nails sheriff and tough as nails state, it will be difficult i think for him to rise above this. his press conference was a model of crisis management, he came right out and said what he had to say, lots of people to talk on his support but as time goes on we'll see the toll this takes on the sheriff. >> miguel, thank you so much. run down of stories we're covering, 19 americans facing possible jail time in ee ji-- i egypt. john mccain and a delegation arriving in cairo to take up the case. let the good times roll only if you're over 16. if not, mardi gras ends at 8:00 p.m., the latest on the curfew out of new orleans. an ethnic slur during

basketball's lin-sation. >> do you have a reaction that espn put up the headline? >> hear what jeremy lin says about controversy and espn's response. and had your shoes shined. well, i made you a reservation at the sushi place around the corner. well, in that case, i better get back to these invoices... which i'll do right after making your favorite pancakes. you know what? i'm going to tidy up your side of the office. i can't hear you because i'm also making you a smoothie. [ male announcer ] marriott hotels & resorts knows it's better for xerox to automate their global invoice process so they can focus on serving their customers. with xerox, you're ready for real business. forty years ago, he wasn't looking for financial advice. back then he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future. but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement planning for our military, veterans and their families. now more than ever, it's important to get financial advice from people

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terms. now bush had a rocky start with the press corps, he felt he was burned by gotcha questions. then he got comfortable. pushing back on challenges coming his way. this was one of those memorable moments. when the democrats had just seized control of congress. >> with all due respect, nancy pelosi has called you incompetent, a liar, the emporer with no clothes and yesterday, dangerous. how will you work with someone who has such little respect for your leadership and who is third in line to the presidency? >> i have been around politics a long time. i understand when campaigns end, and i know when governing begins. and i'm going to work with people of both parties. look, people say unfortunate things at times. if you hold grudges you will never get anything done. my intention is to get things done. >> president bush was emotional

both in front of the cameras but also during many of our off the record sessions, during the first meeting with him he teared up over the prospect of our country going to war. he also used humor to try to lighten the mood during tense times, with me pronouncing my name. this was the final press briefing. >> yeah, suzanne. i finally got your name right after six years? >> eight years. >> used to be known as suzanne, now suzonne. i'm jorge. we'll have my sit down interview with former president jimmy carter. well, back to one of the top stories, john mccain and lindsey graham and joe lieberman have been meeting with egyptian leaders in cairo, trying to resolve the case of 19 american workers who now face criminal charges in egypt. what its egypt doing?

cracking down on nongovernmental organizations. senator mccain and graham are joining us. you're trying not to negotiate the release of the 19 american also, what is your intent and purpose and who have you met with so far? >> well, we have met with the supreme council and also the field marshall who is the head of the provisional government, the speaker of the parliament. the head of the muslim brotherhood and others, and we have emphasized the importance of the issue to the american people, the importance of it being resolved as quickly as possible. but we, as i said, we are not negotiators we are people who want to emphasize the importance of our relationship with egypt and the importance of this issue getting resolved so we can move forward with a very important challenge that egypt and our

relationship faces. >> senator graham, what did they tell you about those being held? did they give you any assurances at all that they will be released in the near future? >> well, i'm optimistic, the muslim brotherhood, much to my surprise, said one of their priorities in parliament is to change the ngo law that these people are being prosecuted under, because most of us tend to forget that during the mubarak regimes era, the muslim brotherhood was oppressed by the government and so they made an open commitment to change this law, so that non-governmental organizations would have more freedom because they saw the ngo's as helpful, the military very much understands the importance of our relationship. so the term politicians use is i'm cautiously optimistic i'm

very optimistic we'll get this behind us and have a fresh start with the new government. >> have they given you a date or time certain that they would be released? >> i don't want to talk about any details, again we're not negotiators, but the sense that this is shelf life, that we want to start over, i think is well understood and the sensitivity of the issue on both side is well understood. it's my hope sooner rather than later. >> senator mccain, have they offered in any way for you to actually see the 19 americans who are in their control? >> we just met with the remaining americans at the u.s. embassy where they are now, and we had an excellent conversation with them. >> what did they tell you -- go ahead, i'm sorry.

>> they're in the embassy, as you know, they are well taken care of of. but there is a certain amount of concern, obviously, tension because right now they are not allowed to leave the country, and although the conditions that they are in the embassy are fine, certainly is reasons for anxiety to get the issue resolved. >> and did you specifically see one of those americans sam lahood, the son of the transportation secretary? >> yes, i saw sam, and i can tell you he's fine, grown a full beard and not nearly as good looking as he used to be. >> but suzanne, we're also worried about employees. i want to put a plug in for the egyptian employees of these organizations. john is the head of iri, international republican institute. madeline albright the head of c

we're not spies, we're trying to help the egyptian people, we made it very well-known we don't agree with the premise here and again, they were in good spirits, a hearty group, the work is very important for our country and the world and we're proud of them. >> we are worried about non-u.s. citizens that work this these organizations we'll work hard to make sure they are cared for as well. >> do you worry you can't protect those egyptians who might, who are not able to leave like the americans are? >> we are concerned, we have their names and we are making every effort to make sure that they are not in any way held culpable for the violation of mubarak era law which is unfair and unjust. you said you were optimistic

you hope this is resolved fairly soon, that you're working with the muslim brotherhood, are you confident going in the future here that the united states does have reliable, credible partner here, an ally in the next leadership here in the country? >> well, time will tell. like all politicians, you have to judge us by our actions. when the muslim brotherhood spoke about changing this law, and their experiences in the past, that made me optimistic that from their past bad -- from their abuses they will try to create a better future, but at the end of the day their economy is on its knees, the muslim brother had hhood has to delive the people. our aid is important to the military. they kept this from being a bloodbath. we'll take a wait and see attitude. how do you write the constitution. what will be the future of women

under the new egyptian constitution. i came here very much concerned but i'm leaving somewhat optimistic the muslim brotherhood and new government is embracing a better future but time will tell. >> suzanne, very briefly? could i just say, mubarak was going to go, he was going to leave and that we have to adjust for that reality and hope on the path of democracy we maintain our strong relationship with egypt. >> senator mccain, very quickly here, the aid, the additional money that the obama administration has given since hosni mubarak was deposed there, do you think congress is in a position now to reconsider, take away from aid until we find action from the egyptian people in releasing the hostages? there is always time to do that. right now we want to emphasize the benefits of our

relationship, the benefits of getting this tissue behind us and lets move forward with vital issues. we know and you know, egypt is the heart and soul of the arab world. our relationship with this government and the success of this government is vital to the united states national security interests including israel's. >> senator mccain, senator graham, thank you for joining us. obviously, any updates on the release of those 19 americans, we will go to you as quickly as possible for any kind of breaking news, thank you for your time. we'll have more after the break.

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un inspectors under iran for more nuclear talks as iran fights back against european union sanctions by cutting off oil to the u.k. and france. matthew chance joins us from london, this is a thing gone on for years and years, inspectors go in iran, they become frustrated here, what makes them think this go-around they will get answers from iran they are looking for here? >> reporter: i'm not sure, suzanne, they do think they will get the answers. the chief inspector on his way out made the point that this was going to be a low process and he wasn't expecting to come back with positive results

immediately. but it is part of a process which is underway, perhaps to create space to perhaps bring iran back to the negotiating table so the possibility of conflict between the west and iran can potentially be avoided. that is something that under lines all the trips we're seeing to iran by the un nuclear watchdog agency. >> everybody is watching the oil prices they went up after iran cut the exports to britain and france, i'm sure gas prices could follow as well. is that a concern for the folks you're talking to on the ground as well as others? >> reporter: i think it's a general concern the instability around iran will cause oil prices to go up. obviously feeds in inflation. on the issue of oil cutting supplies to britain and france, a symbolic gesture, showing iran is defiant and will resist the kind of economic sanctions that have been imposed on it. clearly saying, no matter what pressure we'll press on. >> matthew chance, thank you.

a rebel commander calling it the orphan revolution. why the international community is not helping syrians in their fight against this brutal regime. mornin'. i guess i'm helping them save hundreds on car insurance. it probably also doesn't hurt that i'm a world-famous advertising icon. cheers! i mean, who wouldn't want a piece of that? geico. ah... fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent oh dear... or more on car insurance.

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relentless as attacks on homs. the red cross is trying now to negotiate a cease fire to deliver food and medical supplies to the city. rebels have also been asking for weapons. president obama main advisors said that is premature to decide to help armed the rebels. to discuss the challenges with fare fareed. >> do you believe you could intercede? >> syria is a different challenge as you described it geographically. a different challenge in terms of the capability of the sir military, they are very capable. they have a very sophisticated, integrated air defense system, for example. chemical and biological weapons. they haven't demonstrated an

interest or intent to use those but it's a very different military problem. >> dempsey says right now the opposition movement doesn't have a clear identity. ivan watson has the story. >> reporter: meet syria's armed opposition. a handful of men on a hillside lead in prayer by a masked cleric. god grant us victory over the sinners, make us victorious over the family of assad. bravery against a 40 year dictatorship from fighters who are little more than boys. this is a rebellion of farmers, carpenters and students. the men are members of the free syrian army, it would be much more accurate to call them animpromptu village guard.

they are defending with little more than hunting shotguns. the men guarding the entrance to the opposition-held town don't have enough guns or ammunition. the commander is a former general who defected six months ago. he covers his face for safety. he calls the 11 month-old uprising the orphan revolution. unlike the revotes in egypt, yemen, tunisia, they have not received support. with no outside help, the men of the community turn to a higher power. friday prayers in a packed mosque in the rebel held town of binash, condolences for a man killed by a sniper's bullet turned into a full-throated roar of god is great.

the crowd marchs to the town square and performs a ritual of defiance against bashar al-assad. there is no government presence in the town but the tanks are not far away. >> the syrian army? >> will you fight if they come here? >> yes, we will. we will for ten months this is for, but now there is no other solution. >> reporter: you have to fight. >> we have to fight. >> reporter: not everyone shares this spirit of defiance. this man spends his days taking care of the flock of pigeons he breeds on his roof. these are hard times for the whole country, he says. it's too dangerous to travel outside of town because you don't know who you could meet on the open road. and if you leave, you may never come back. trapped at home while birds fly

free, he waits for what many here fear is inevitable, a syrian civil war. ivan watson, cnn, northern syria. not only skills on the court that dominating the headlines, also a racial slur used to describe new york knicks standout jeremy lin. espn follows up with action and apology. ♪ [ male announcer ] offering four distinct driving modes and lexus dynamic handling, the next generation of lexus will not be contained. the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. see your lexus dealer.

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pretty cool, knicks jeremy lin done it again. career high 14 assists, in new york's win over the mavericks. that happened on sunday. that is new york's eighth win in nine games since he became a starter two weeks ago. while the skills on the court dominated the story.

part of the fun, lin-sanity, lin-ning streak. espn got into trouble over it. susan candiotti last more. >> reporter: insensitive at best. a racial slur at worse, many fans are not taking kindly in a head lin by espn. after the knicks ended a winning streak to the hornets, esp n published a headline "chink in the armor" it was taken down 30 minutes later. the writer was fired, the anchor was suspended who used the phrase. "we again apologize especially to mr. lin. his accomplishments are a source of great pride to the asian american community, including the asian american employees at espn." fans we spoke with in chinatown,

not happy. >> you wouldn't say the n-word or racist tone, racist statement to any other race, so why should chinese be excluded? >> it's inappropriate, it is. and he should be treated like any other player, it shouldn't be -- i don't think race should be a factor. >> lin himself was more fill f philosophical about it. >> espn apologized about it. i don't think it was on purpose or whatever, but at the same time they apologized from my end, i don't care. i have to learn to forgive and i don't even think that was intentional, or hopefully not. >> reporter: at a sports bar called libation on the lower east side, fans were cheering lin on, ready for the puns?

lin-spirational. lin-sanity. backers hope he can erase racial stereotypes. >> playing in the ballparks or playgrounds, as an asian person you're looked down upon. you can say hey there is an asian american playing. like to see him dunk, just wow. >> reporter: susan candiotti, cnn, new york. >> i'm sure we'll see him dunk. snl is not letting espn off the hook. they took the coverage of race and jeremy lin when all the jokes and puns go too far. >> he's like that seidlid sign game lin is the knicks good fortune. >> he terurned kobe in kobe bee

>> he was like hey, i orred fried chicken. >> it's presidents day and i've be fortunate to interview jimmy cha carter, both president bushes, bill clinton and weigh ta talke jimmy carter, he's 87 years old, a book out through the years with jimmy carter and here is how he's looking back. >> the best times of my life have been the last 30 years since i left the white house. i enjoyed being president, i wish i could have been reelected to a second term but the experiences i've had since then have been the most gratifying and challenging and most adventurous and most unpredictable in my life. >> so that is an under statement. what is he doing in the free

time? that day, before the interview, he said he had bagged a turkey, did oil painting and wrote a newspaper column. in the next hour, we'll give insights in president obama, willing to share a great deal of his personal life when he first hit the public stage. so uh this is my friend frank and his, uh, retirement plan.

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whitney houston has been laid to rest.

the superstar singer was buried in a private ceremony yesterday. on saturday family, friends, many of the artists all saying goodbye, an incredible thing to watch here. there was so much emotion, people were praying, singing, they were paying respects. i want to bring you some of the highlights. ♪ no more do you have to cry ♪ you're always be our ribbon in the sky ♪ >> there are two constants i know about whitney houston one is there was a grace that carried. a grace that carried her from heaven down through miss cissy houston. a grace brought her up through singing. from what i understand she wasn't supposed to be able to speak let alone sing because of an incident that happened as a child, there was a grace that kept on carrying her all the way through. >> the whitney i knew despite

her success and world wide fame wondered am i good enough, am i pretty enough? will they like me? it was the burden that made her great, and the part that caused her to stumble in the end. whitney, if you could hear me now i would tell you you weren't just good enough, you were great. ♪ i don't want to feel like a dove with no wings ♪ ♪ i don't want to know what a heart of stone would bring ♪ ♪ because there's a lonely road to travel ♪

a beautiful ceremony, very emotional, the investigation in houston's death, that continues as well. source close to the case telling us that the toxicology reports may come out sooner than the typical six to eight weeks that is expected. taking a look at stories, the affiliates are covering. a tense stand off that is playing out in minnesota police station. officers say they were just doing paperwork when a man they thought was suicidal walks in. >> stay back, stay back, stay back! drop the knife! >> i drew my gun thinking i need to shoot this guy. to protect me. >> in california, investigators say a small plane collided with a helicopter near rio vista airport. officials will help with the investigation. watch something amazing, this is

what happens -- happened in massachusetts. you see this burning building, you run into it to see if you could help? what then? this guy, he actually runs into the building to save two men who were trapped inside. surveillance video from nearby funeral home catches all this on tape. families of the guys he rescued are so grateful but he's modest. >> we are very grateful for what he did to risk his own life and to save our family. >> no, i'm no hero, just a guy that can help. >> good news for folks buying cars, new survey shows that quality is now better, allison has some of the information, tips to help you get a quality car, allison, what should we know and look out for? >> reporter: jd powers annual dependability survey is out measures how well cars purchased three years ago will hold up and overall, dependability rose 13%

from the year before. of the 32 brands measured, 25 showed improvemens over last year, six did worse, one stayed the same. toyota's brand lexus told the reliability list, rounding out the top five, porsche, cadillac, toyota and scion, also owned by toyota. that dpigives them three of thep five. there is perception american cars are not as good. that may not be accurate. while consumers still think american brands are unreliable, domestic automakers are catching up to foreign rivals in terms of actual dependability. suzanne? that is a good thing. >> looking for a car, where do you start the whole thing? >> okay, consumer reports says the car buying process needs to begin at home. do your research before you get to the dealership and don't make a decision that is based just on price. read multiple reviews and factor in reliability, safety and fuel economy. consumer reports recommends

making a special trip to the dealership to comparison shop and take test drives. you can take some of the pressure off of of yourself by making it clear to the salesperson that you're not buying a car that day. when you do begin negotiating, you will be presented with the msrp, that is the manufacturers suggested retail price. but don't start price negotiations there. instead, use sites like kelly's blue book to determine what the keeler paid. open negotiations at a price between 1 and 5% over the dealer's invoice price. suzanne? >> if you have to have financing or trade in something should you do it at once, negotiate at that time when you start? >> okay, what consumer reports recommends negotiating one thing at a time, beginning with the price of the new car. if you will roll off the finance, leasing and trade-ins, that will give the dealer an opening to entice you with a low price on one item while inflating the others. don't be afraid to just walk out

of the show room, remember, you are there to buy the car you want, not the car that the dealer wants to sell you. suzanne? >> that is a tough thing to do, walk out of the show room when you see that car and you want it. >> i've done it before many. >> really in. >> it worked. >> i don't know if i could do that. stick around, i know up next you'll explain how to close the deal, thanks. ♪ he was a 21st century global nomad ♪ ♪ home was an airport lounge and an ipad ♪ ♪ made sure his credit score did not go bad ♪ ♪ with a free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ app that he had ♪ downloaded it in the himalayas ♪ ♪ while meditating like a true playa ♪ ♪ now when he's surfing down in chile'a ♪ ♪ he can see when his score is in danger ♪ ♪ if you're a mobile type on the go ♪ ♪ i suggest you take a tip from my bro ♪ ♪ and download the app that lets you know ♪

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♪ tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty ♪ 8% every 10 years.age 40, we can start losing muscle -- named a 2012 iihs top safety pick. 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! you know what's exciting, graduation. when i look up into my student's faces, i see pride. you know, i have done something worthwhile. when i earned my doctorate through university of phoenix, that pride, that was on my face. i am jocelyn taylor, i am committed to making a difference in peoples lives and i am a phoenix.

we're back with alison kosik trying to talk about how to get the best deal on a car if you're shopping for a car. set up the scenario for me. you have a great deal. how do you negotiate paying for it?

>> ideally what you want to do is arrange financing in advance at banks and you're going to have the option to decide that as well. you may get the option to sign extras. consumer reports say stay away from the ones you don't need. if you want fabric protection, you're better off doing it yoursel yourself. suzanne? >> including probably washing the car yourself. >> yes. >> thank you, alison. >> you got it. up next, rick santorum defends his prenate toll comment and whether it's helping his polls. who do you think was the shortest president? just 5'4", weighing less than 100 pounds. we've got the answer in just a

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so did you guess the shortest president in u.s. history is this guy, our nation's fourth president. james madison was only 5'4". he didn't weigh much either. just under 100 pounds. that's all right. a small president. in the race to determine the next president, giving comedy shows lots of material to work with. we're talking about saturday night live. >> good evening. here's tonight's top stories. a new poll shows that president obama's approval rating has risen in recent weeks. the president says, keep talking, fellas. >> all right. republican presidential candidate rick santorum sets off a hot debate. here's what he said about prenatal testing and the obama administration's health care

plan. >> one of the mandates is they require prenatal testing in every insurance policy in america. why? because it saves money in health care. why? because free prenatal testing ends up in more abortions and therefore less care that has to be done. >> jim acosta is at the political desk in washington. jim, a lot of people are reacting to that. i understand that santorum is not backing down from what he said. >> he's not. >> tell us about his position, how he basically defends this and how the obama camp is reacting. >> yeah, it's very interesting, suzanne, to listen to rick santorum bring out these social issues because they haven't been really at the forefront of his campaign. they certainly have been in the the forefront of his political year but not his campaign and he was asked about those comments

on cbs' face the nation. his position is that prenatal care leads to more abortions. meaning that when expectant anothers go in and get prenatal testing, in cases where fetal abnormalities are detected, that in many of those cases the mothers decide not to have the pregnancies go all the way to term. so rick santorum is standing by those comments and that's the reason why he is giving that comment and making those remarks. and the white house had a pretty tough response to it. there was a spokesperson who called the comments a race to the bottom. that phrase race to the bottom is something that we will hear a lot about from the election campaign. robert gibbs used the same phrase. >> and what is interesting here, santorum is now ahead of romney and the latest polls showing that he's actually ticking up

and you've got romney ticking down. >> big time. >> do we think it's these kinds of comments, essentially, that are helping him? >> you know, i think that really remains to be seen, suzanne. there's a new gallup daily tracking poll that shows mitt romney ahead of santorum and newt gingrich really far behind. that's got to be stunning news to the gingrich campaign. but my sense of it is the reason why rick santorum has surged ahead in recent days is because of the mishaps that mitt romney has had. and because of the strategy that the santorum campaign had to put its eggs into colorado, missouri and helped the campaign get a big boost. the question in the next 24 to 48 hours and heading into the cnn debate on wednesday is whether or not the socially hot-button issues are going to work for rick santorum in

places. >> all right. thank you, jim. just days before the presidential debate, watch the arizona republican presidential debate on cnn. moderated by other own john king. that is wednesday night at 8:00 eastern. top of the hour. i'm suzanne malveaux. i want to get you up to speed. a sheriff is outed and sheriff babeu denies to have his former boyfriend deported. the former boyfriend only identified as jose says he's in this country legally. he spoke to our own miguel mar kwez in this exclusive interview. >> at some point you felt used

and then threatened? >> yes. >> why threatened? >> i got a text from him directly on my phone saying that i will never have business, that my family will be contacted. in washington state, an avalanche kills three skiers in the cascade mountains. about 12 skiers got caught in a snow slide. one of them survived because she used an avalanche air system that works like an air bag. senators are meeting with cairo today. they are talking about 19 americans facing criminal

charges. the trial is set to begin on sunday. senators mccain and graham joined us with details about how those talks are going. >> we have met with the supreme counsel and also the field marshal who is the head of the provisional government, as you know, the speaker of the parliament. we met with the head of the muslim brotherhood and emphasized the importance of it being resolved as quickly as possible. this video shows men rushing into a burning house to save a child in the city of homs. cnn cannot confirm the authenticity of the video but they have suffered 18 straight days of shelling in that city.

they call it an orphan revolution. obama's main military adviser says it's premature to decide whether to help those armed rebels. iran cuts off oil experts to britain and france in retaliation for new sanctions. iran insists its nuclear program is for energy, medical research, western nations believe the iranians are trying to build a bomb. the decision by iran to cut off oil exports to britain and france is already causing oil prices to go up. i want to bring in alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. this is what folks are worried about. they are concern canned. do we know why this is happening now? is it related to what is taking place on the ground. >> it really is related to that.

oil prices are topping $105 a barrel today. they are topping the highest level in nine months. most of the focus is what is happening in iran, what you mentioned. but the rise in prices is more of a psychological effect and less of a supply issue because we here in the united states don't get our oil from iran. france and britain get very little of of their oil from iran. it's more about the fear, meaning how oil is trading. it's the fear about what if as iran continues to squeeze supply. >> and how would that impact gas prices? >> so higher oil prices, no surprise, means higher gas prices and some analysts say the national average could reach 4.25 by late april. the national average is sitting at $3.56 a gallon and it's already $4 in two states in california and hawaii. now, if prices rise as expected, you're probably going to see consumers pull back and drive less and if that happens, prices could actually retreat again as demand slows down.

suzanne? >> and overall how would that affect the overall recovery? are we looking at something that could have a huge impact here? >> it could impact the economy. we spoke to one oil analyst who said that rising gas prices could actually stop the recovery that we're in the middle of right now. stop it altogether if prices get too high. rising oil prices are partly a reflection of a recovery picking up speed. if you look at how the dow is doing, the s&p 500 is up more than 8%. so portfolios are a little fatter and sure they wind up blowing up your budget to pay an extra buck or two every time you fill up your tank but prices going up could be a good thing because the economy is getting stronger. jobs are being created and stock prices have rallied. the potential gang from a strong stock market and growing economy could more than offset our

wallets. ultimately it's one of the real delicate balance kind of things. suzanne? >> thank you, allison. here's a rundown of some of the things we're covering. first, huddled in fear in makeshift bunchers. arwa damon talks to people desperately trying to escape the violence. and would you run into a burning house to try to save people trapped inside? well, one guy did. we're going to have his story. and then, presidents' day. we're going to talk to a historian about his top five. [ horn honks ]

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a gay arizona sheriff is outed and resigns from the romney campaign and now his ex-boyfriend is speaking out. sheriff babeu denies reports that he threatened to have him deported. here's miguel's report. >> all these allegations that

were in this newspaper is absolutely completely false. >> it's a grand canyon size political shocker. >> of al of the illegals in america, more than half come from arizona. >> reporter: the tough on immigration arizona sheriff outed by his ex-boyfriend. >> this is my personal and private life but now it's not so private any longer and it's an awful position for me to be in. >> reporter: he's in that position because of this man, jose, a 34-year-old mexican national afraid to be identified but speaking out because he says he was threatened by his powerful ex-lover. >> and at some point you felt -- >> used. >> reporter: used. and then threatened? >> yes. >> reporter: why threatened? >> i got a text from him to my

phone saying that i will never have business, that my family will be contacted. >> reporter: the alleged threat to have jose deported if he went public with the affair. >> at no time did i or anyone who represents me ever threaten deportation. ever. >> reporter: babeu stepped down as co-chair for romney but says he is not going to stop running for congress. jose he's here legally and wants to get on with his life. that won't be happening any time soon. >> miguel joins us from florence, arizona. first of all, jose says that is he in the country legally. why is he worried about being deported? >> reporter: well, because he claims that during the course of

all of this drama unfolding, that there was a communication between his lawyer and babeu's lawyer in which krista rose, the lawyer for sheriff babeu, said that he understood that jose was here on an expired student visa. jose says the sheriff knew that he was here legally or claims that he was here legally, saying that he was on a ten-year multiple tourist visa. >> is there any comment from the romney campaign about the sheriff stepping down? was there any problem to begin with, whether or not he was outed like this? >> reporter: so far not today but over the weekend when the sheriff resigned, he said that he called the romney campaign to resign and the campaign said you don't have to do that. we like you. we trust you. we want you to stay and he said it would probably be better for all parties and he did.

romney hasn't said anything about that but this may continue to swirl. >> thank you very much, miguel. appreciate it. it's now 17 straight days of relentless violence in syria. the international red cross is now trying to negotiate a cease fire so it can deliver food and medical supplies to that city. rebels have been asking for weapons. president obama's military adviser says that premature to help arm these rebels. he discussed the challenges with our own fareed zakaria. >> do you believe if you needed to you could militarily intervene the same way you did in libya? >> not the same way we did in libya. it's a different challenge, as you described it, geographically. it's a different challenge in terms of the capability of the syrian military.

they are very capable. they have a very sophisticated integrated air defense system, for example. they have chemical and biological weapons. now, they haven't demonstrated any interest or intent to use those but it was s is a very different military problem. >> gut-wrenching arwa damon is taking us inside an underground bunker where families are now taking refuge. these images are pretty graphic stuff. >> reporter: this small hall was once filled with laughter and celebrations of marriages. now it echos with tragedy. these are some of the families who have nowhere else to go. finding relatives safety in this makeshift bunker but little comfort. we're not sleeping at night or during the day. the children are always crying. the bombs are coming down like

this. they huddle in near darkness. some cover their faces afraid they will lose more than they already have. she said that her son has been detained, this woman right here, for a month and a half. we just walked in and we've just been swamped, bombarded by these people's tragic stories here. >> reporter: they survive on basic staples of rice and lentil taken from a house in the neighborhood but supplies are running low. at a wood cutting factory turned bunker nearby, this baby is cradled in her grandmother's arms. the image of innocence though the world she was just brought into is anything but. her 19-year-old mother gave birth to her in this makeshift shelter 24 hours ago.

there are no painkillers. i couldn't sleep all night, she tells us. still, in excruciating pain. she says, her husband left a month ago to get supplies and hasn't been able to get back. he doesn't know he's a father. baby has two great uncles she will never meet. both retained and returned as mutilated corpses. it was a site you don't want to see. the grandmother's voice trembles as she describes his neck was broken and skin pealed off. we've just been given a photograph of her second brother who was detained and the state that she received his corps in. and it's absolutely horrific. it's a room filled with endless stories of death and despair. her brother and husband were killed when a round struck her house ten days ago but she can

hardly pause to grieve. i have to keep going. i have to live for my children, she says. activists gather the children for the camera, leading a song against the regime. my husband died on the first day of the bombing. they didn't let me see his body. it was shredded to pieces, she recalls. his blood is still in the streets and his son is sick and there is no medicine. he keeps crying saying, i want daddy. i want daddy. i can't bring his daddy back. what is the world waiting for? for us to die of hunger and fear? >> arwa damon is joining us from neighboring lebanon. first of all, very strong reporting, as always. you put your life on the line to bring us these reports from inside that city. what did you find the most difficult situation there on the

ground? >> reporter: it really is being confronted by the sheer scale of the human tragedy that is unfolding and the desperation in people's voices and the questions that they have that one simply cannot answer. why isn't the international community come to help us? how account world watch what is taking place and not do anything to try to end it and, of course, they all want to know when this is going to end and we can't answer that question for them. all we can do is record what it is they are going through and continue to report on that and bring those images into people's living rooms around the world hoping that at the end of the day it causes some sort of pressure on government to take action because the people there at that point in time, they've really been left to their own devices. there is nothing that is going to come in to charge them at this stage. >> you were actually able to get out of that place that is so besieged right now.

are families able to flee sor it too dangerous right now? >> reporter: it's very difficult for them to be able to leave the neighborhood. it involves quite an elaborate route that has to be carefully calculated. those families that you saw in those bunkers, they tried to leave, many of them did, but said that they were turned back from government checkpoints. some of the families have chosen to stay because they have nowhere else to go. bear many minin mind, this is o of the most i am pof verked neighborhoods. some of them die in that effort. it gives you a snapshot of how dire the situation is in there and it's going to continue to get worse for those people the longer this drags on. >> arwa, is there any hope from these families that help will come?

>> they cling to this notion that perhaps somehow they will be saved, that perhaps somehow miraculously the shelling is going to end, the siege is going to leave. but at the end of the day they also realize that there is nothing that is going to save them but themselves. they most certainly feel as if they are in this on their own and they have to continue to figure out various ways to stay alive. the food rations, we were told by the head of the humanitarian community there, it's only enough to last for a couple of weeks and that's not to mention the shortage in medical supplies and trying to deal with the wounded and so forth. just imagine this, suzanne. to try to bury the dead, they have to do that under the cover of darkness and even while they do that, they continue to get shot at. >> that's unbelievable, arwa. thank you so much for bringing it to our attention. thank you. it is tax time. identity thieves know that there's a lot of information out

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it today's "smarter is the new rich," we have tips to protect your information from identity theft. christine romans has more. >> your personal information is everywhere during tax season and all it takes is your social security number in the wrong hand to wreak havoc on your finances. the irs says it may take longer for some people to receive their refund because they are taking ebbs t extra steps to combat identify theft. john, we hear the irs has a new section on its website where they help improve the ability to spot fraud. is it still safe? >> i think it is still safe. the key for consumers is to understand the sooner they can file, the better.

these fraudsters try to file early. >> unbelievable. if you think you're a victim of fraud, what do you do and how quickly do you need to get it done? >> you should certainly notify the ftc and the irs and notify your local police department. you can get an identify theft police report. for instance, if some bogus information ends up in your credit report, you can get that blocked. you can tell them, give me everything in terms of documentation that you have about the fraudulent transaction that took place or maybe even false accounts that were opened. by law they have to give you that. but you have to file those reports first in order to get

it. >> thanks, you guys. great advice. i'm christine romans with "smart is the new rich". for many of us, presidents' day is a day off but we are honoring presidents today, and of all 43, only five are still alive. it's an exclusive club. one man has had the opportunity to interview all of them. it puts you in the knew neek position to work with all of these guys. president barack obama was someone who we actually watched grow on the campaign trail just about four years ago. we've watched him evolve from someone unfocused, exhausted, to inspiring and transformational. he was also very open with his emotions and tell his story. part of his compelling profile was the rocky relationship that he had with his daughter who

abandoned him when he was 10 years old. we talked about it openly. >> you said every man is trying to make up for his mistakes. in my case, both may be true. can you explain? >> in my case, you had this person who was almost a myth in our family, about how smart he was and how well he had done in school and how well-spoken he was and so forth. so that was something to live up to. high expectations. on the other hand, here's somebody who wasn't there. and that i would come to learn was an alcoholic and somebody who would not have treated his family well and so that was something that you had to make up for. >> since that interview, the president's tone as well as his focus has changed. he's now focused not so much on somebody personally but what he

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here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're working on next. the biggest myth of presidents on presidents' day. a man who has left his career to become a principal. and at 12:45, how this fedex man knew more than those high-paid scouts out there predicted the sensational jeremy lin. so we've been telling you about the avalanches in washington state. three skiers died and nine others managed to dig themselves out. one of the skiers survived because she used an avalanche

rescue system which works like an air bag. jacqui jeras is here to talk about that. >> they were in the back country and an out of bounds area. some of the experienced skiers like to go out in this area. a wide majority of avalanches happen from out of bound skiers. this video was taken in colorado. this has been widespread across parts of the west and really entails and show you how it looks beautiful. it looks tranquil and that skier hit just the right spot and triggered that avalanche. there's very little warning. there were warnings issued, saying that the risk was high above 5,000 feet in the cascades this weekend. these skiers have very experienced and there is control

that they do inside ski patrol. there is a way to avoid that situation and it's a really sad outcome that happened. so let's talk a little bit about some of the conditions that lead up to avalanches. i have a graphic that shows you. believe it or not, we've had a very dry winter out west. the snow pack has been very low. so the base layer is not very thick. it's been very icy. the temperatures have warmed up this week and if you take a look at the corner graphic, it shows you where you get weakening. so we had more than a foot of fresh snow that had fallen the day before and gravity as well as a trigger can make that slide off and it makes me think when you were a kid and walking around in the snow, there was a crusty layer and you take your boot and go through the ice, imagine a layer, a foot of snow on top of that. the avalanche danger remains high in the cascades, rockies, the wasatch range, much of the west. it continues to be a threat in

the upcoming days and weeks ahead. >> good to show. thank you so much. appreciate it. >> sure. stick around. we want to you hear from this fedex delivery guy and how he knew more than all those high-paid scouts out there predicting the potential of the superstar, the sensation, jeremy lin. up next. i remember the days before copd. my son and i never missed opening day. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function,

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it's presidents' day. as white house correspondent for ten years i had the privilege and opportunity to interview all five living presidents. i showed up at 1600 every day. i covered president bill clinton mostly during his last year as president. it was a surreal experience because despite covering the historic trip to africa and landmark legislation, the news was dominated by the monica lewinsky scandal. at first it was a story that we as members of the press debated

whether it would actually catch fire but it was the independent council unbridled power that kept it going. wurn of the most memorable moments was the day president clinton was impeached by the house and made this appearance in the rose garden. myself and another correspondent shouted questions to him after his brief appearance and i asked him, if he would, for the good of the country, step down. he left the podium without answering and of course, the senate later acquitted him. clinton has gone on to do great things for the world through his clinton foundation. so of all of the 43 men who have served as united states presidents, who really stands out in terms of changing the course of our country? joining us to talk about that, from new york, douglas brinkley. thank you, douglas, for being here. you've done research and written dozens of books on the american presidency. who stands out for you in the best of the best? >> best of the best in everybody's mind is abraham

lincoln because no matter how bad president obama or bush had it, lincoln had it worst. he had to come into washington, d.c., with half of the country putting up confederate flags. he had a bad first year during the civil war and bank the iconic states person, thinker, and most beloved president. he's on top of the everybody's list as number one. and number two is always george washington. not only was washington a good president but he did something that's very important. he stepped down. he relinquished power. he said that presidency is not like a monarchy. >> and number three? >> number three is fdr. we lived four times fdr was elected president. we've been lived in the united states in the shadow of franklin roosevelt from 1933 to 1980. by that i mean that the federal government can make a difference in your life. not just the new deal programs

or just winning of world war ii but the shadow of roosevelt affects true man when he does the national security act or the belief that the government can buy a super highway program under eisenhower. >> and what makes a good president, in your opinion? >> i would like to think honesty, talking straight to the american people w that said, it was like a camille general on plaid. so it doesn't -- it's not a full-proof thing but you don't go wrong in history if what you say proves out to be true and also the times that you're president. obviously if you're a commander in chief at a time of war, fdr during world war ii or wilson in

world war i for that matter, you win your war, you do well in history. fits a war of choice, like vietnam or the recent war in iraq, it's harder with your legacy. americans like winners. so if you're going to do a war of choice, you've got to win it quickly. >> douglas, we're running out of time. washington post says there is a great piece about the five myths of the american presidency. i want you to take a look and deal with myth number one. the president has the power to get things done. is that really a myth? >> it's a myth to the degree that big things have to be done through congress. however, there was a weapon to use of executive orders and you see barack obama doing that now. congress told tr to mine the grand canyon. he said, i don't care what congress says and signed an executive order to save it. a president has many weapons up

their sleeves and you're seeing president obama become an executive order right now. >> this has created a little bit of a stir and i want to you respond to it. you did a review by jodi kantor. >> are some women out there who did not like your choice of words, referring to it as a chick nonfixz. if you could change that, would you? >> well, i didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings so i guess so. but i was dealing with the whole kantor story of michelle obama and gayle king. i said you can call it that if you'd like. oi admire miss kkantor tremendously. there was humor and tongue in cheek going on and people shouldn't take that seriously. >> we journalist have been

called worse. douglas, thank you so much for your insights. thank you. >> thank you. john mccain has been meeting in cairo. they are trying to resolve the case of 19 american workers who face criminal charges in egypt's crackdown on nongovernmental offices. the offices were raided, as you may recall, back in december. now you're being looking at video. some of those raids occurred and senator mccain and graham joined us live just within the last hour to talk about the details of this talk and whether or not they will be released. >> at the u.s. embassy where they are now, we had an excellent conversation with them. >> what did they tell you? what are their conditions like? >> go ahead. i'm sorry. >> well, they are in the embassy. they are in the embassy, as you know, and they are well taken

care of. but there's a certain amount of concern, obviously, because the -- right now they are not allowed to leave the country and although the conditions that they are in as fine, there is reason for anxiety to get this resolved. >> and did you specifically see one of those americans, sam lahood, the transportation secretary? >> yes, i saw sam and i can tell you he's fine. he's growing a full beard and not nearly as good looking as he used to be. >> but suzanne, we're also worried about the employees. i just want to put a including and durng the international republican institute, madeleine al bright is head of the ndi and the accusations against these groups are unfounded and quite frankly offensive. they are not spies. we are not trying to destroy egypt's future and we made that

very well known that we don't agree with the premise here and, again, they were in good spirits. it's a hearty group and what they have been doing, the work over here is very important and we're very proud of them. >> but we are worried about the nonu.s. citizens who worked with these organizations and we'll work hard to make sure that their welfare is cared for as well. stick armed for another story. the amazing story of a truck driver who knew more than all of the high-paid scouts out there predicting the nba's newest sensation, jeremy lin.

jeremy lin had a career high and 14 assists. that was all on sunday. it's new york's eighth win in nine games. the 23-year-old became a starter just two weeks ago. after the game, lin responded to an espn headline when they used a slur about his ethnicity. >> jeremy, do you have a comment about the slur? >> espn has apologized and there's no -- i don't think it was on purpose or whatever but

they've apologized and i don't care anyone. i have to learn to forgive and i don't even think that that was intentional or hopefully not. >> espn fired the writer for the slur who offered an apology. he said, i'd love to tell jeremy what happened and explain that this was an honest mistake. listen to this incredible story of his two weeks with the knicks. who always knew that he was the one that would be one of the best point guards out there? not one of these high-paid nba scouts, it was an amateur sports analyst from bend, oregon. >> reporter: from out of nowhere jeremy lin and the enshoeing linsanity has been taken by a storm. but one man saw it coming. >> this is my master database.

>> reporter: armed with a laptop and college basketball stat sticks, weilank pours over arcane details. in 2010, a little known player at harvard caught his eye. >> when you were analyzing jeremy lin as a college player, did you ever watch him play? >> no, i didn't. >> reporter: based solely on his statistics, at the time no one listened and lin wasn't even drafted but now he's the hottest player in the nba and among those stat heads weiland is looking pretty smart. >> do you look for underdogs? >> oh, yeah. when i led the 2010 preview off with jeremy lin, the idea was that, you know, i thought this would -- if and when he broke out, you know, that there might be some notoriety there and obviously never expected anything like this.

yesterday's journal -- >> reporter: but the notoriety has come for lin and for weiland. he's not the obvious sports analyst. he makes his living as a fedex delivery driver in a small town in oregon, far from the glamour of madison square garden. he watches the lin-sanity unfold in an old tv at his simple apartment. >> you're both kind of underdogs in your chosen thing? >> yes, we are. aren't we? connected. >> reporter: will they meet? >> i guess so, if it fits his and my schedule, i'd love to. that would be fun. >> reporter: jim spell man, cnn, bend, oregon. a hands-on teacher makes a difference in kids' lives. it's an all-american story and it might just inspire you.

it's an election year. so you know what it means? there's a lot of chatter and speculation about what the american people want. what really defines america in 2012? we went on a journey to find out. talking to folks all across the country is part of our in-depth

series. we asked ed chang to tell his "i am america" story. >> good morning. good morning. how are you? >> the school day starts with a simple gesture from the principal. >> when i shake your hands, you look me in the eyes. a reminder to these students that ed chang is running the academy that they run a school like a business. he even implemented a payback system where they work on behavior and keep a close eye on things. >> why do you check each class? >> because it's really important

and these are some of the lessons that he learned from his previous career as a physical therapist and medical recruiter, as a son of first taiwanese immigrants who came to america for their piece of of the american dream. his parents wanted him to find a job where he could make a lot of money and for several years he did until he realized something that broke from his parents' expectations. >> it wasn't really my personal passion and so that's what led me to do a lot of soul searching. it led me to really think about, what did i want to do as a career, right? not the job piece but as a career. through that i discovered that there was a common thread for me based on how i was brought up, based on my personal values and it was an idea of service over self. >> reporter: an idea that met a 60% pay cut from his previous salary to instead invest in his own community. >> he takes care of us a lot and he does a lot of things for us. >> he's always there and supporting us and giving us a lot of help with each other.

>> reporter: and that's the reason he chose education. a career field that he admittedly stumbled into but realizes his work here is important. >> to me, education is the civil rights movement of today. >> all right? >> i'm good. >> ed chang ends each day knowing that he's making a difference. >> reporter: i'm ed chang, principal, and i am america. >> good for you, ed. we have been asking cnn ireporters to weigh in on what makes them american. they've been sharing their story with us. go to ireports.com/iamamerica to see the responses.

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a tense standoff playing out at a minnesota police station. officers say they were just doing paperwork when a man they think was suicidal walks in. >> stay back. stay back. stay back. >> i drew my gun thinking i need to shoot this guy to protect me. >> and now something amazing that happens in