promise? >> no. >> no, never happened in. >> i made no promise about supporting anybody. i wouldn't do it, it would be wrong to make a promise in advance of knowing who the nominee was and what the qualifications were. >> so kyra it's fair to say arlen specter will not be supporting rick santorum as he runs for the nomination. >> mark preston, thanks for straightening that out for us. that does it for us, top of the hour, hope you have a great weekend, see you back here monday, suzanne malveaux driving us in the weekend. up to speed for this friday, february 24th. relentless bombardment by syrian forces in homs is in the third week. world powers are are meeting in tunisia mapping out a plan to

get aid in and dead and wounded out. friends of syria group includes u.s., arab and european nations. preparing to give legitimacy to the opposition. arab nations have started supplying arms to syrian rebels. protesters on the street in afghanistan voicing outrage over the kwurning of qurans by troops. eight people have been killed in today's demonstrations. nato says burning the cqurans w mistake. gas prices shot up 12 cents this week alone nationwide the average bright, 3.64. in some price in the country more than $4 a gallon.

election hot button issue. >> anybody who tells you we can drill our way out of this problem doesn't know what they are talking about or just isn't telling you the truth. >> that is maryland state senate voted to legalize same sex marriage. the governor will sign it in law appeared join sx states, connecticut, iowa, new hampshire, new york and vermont and washington d.c., all of which will currently -- currently issue same sex marriage licenses. 35,000 postal jobs are at risk, the head of the postal union says it's faster, his plans to consolidate or close, some workers take early retirement, others laid off, have to move to a new facility.

postal service is trying to cut $20 billion over the neck three years. major league baseball player us spended for alleged doping may be in uniform on opening day. ryan braun was suspended for 50 games after failing a league drug test. a neutral appeals panel thrown out the suspension, the board won't say how it came to the decision, but baseball blasted the ruling. i would like to tonight announce a donation to the obama super pac which has the very unfortunate tongue twister name, priority usa action. i would like to give that pac one million dollars. >> comedian bill maher putting his money where his mouth is giving away one million dollars to keep president obama in the white house. a big boost, they raised less

than $59,000 last month, that is according to the federal election commission. back to the crisis in syria, nations around the world meet to discuss how to stop the bloodshed that is escalating by the day. their goal is to demand a cease fire so food, medical supplies can be brought in the hardest hit areas, especially homs. 70 countries are involved in the so-called friends of area conference, they include the u.s., arab, european countries, meeting taste place in tunisia. li alise is there, what have the friends of syria decided to do, what has come out of the meeting? >> reporter: couple of things, suzanne, firstly, increase humanitarian aid to the syrian people who so desperately need

it putting out a proposal in the conference document to urgently get humanitarian aid in, although there is plenty of aid stockpiled on the borders, the real challenge is getting president assad to do that. they want to boost up the opposition, they will increase their outreach and calling him a representative of the syrian people, they can't reap the groups inside. if you saw this is the way they did it in libya, first called them a legitimate representative, then toward recognition. thirdly, increase the pressure on the assad regime to peel away supporters in the regime, military, family. officials want a tsunami wave of pressure against him at this conference. >> alise, we have talked to people in syria, why is it so hard for the international community to respond?

>> reporter: a multiple number of factors, most importantly first of all up in until now there hasn't been an international consensus how to go about it. some wanted to arm the opposition and intervene militarily. they don't know the opposition well. e exile seven, can't communicate with the outside world, the opposition is fragmented, today they heard from the head of the syrian national council who is presenting a plan and starting to get to know the opposition more. also, let's remember, president al-assad has support and people are concerned what comes after. geography, it was easier in libya when you had those -- that sea border, now, it's

land-locked and hard to any aid and troops in. you were with the secretary of state, what is she calling on the united states and other leaders to do? >> for the united states part she called, announced $10 million in emergency aid, calling on our nations to do the same, calling on more sanctions, stepped up contact with the opposition, everybody in lock step the 70 countries. she says president assad will pay a price for define his people, violating human rights, defying the will of the international community. you will see more support for the opposition from the u.s., non-lethal training and arms. >> thank you for joining us. appreciate it. here is a chance talk back on one of the big stories. the president is apologizing for a nato troops accidentally

burning qurans. some folks are upset, some people believe this could actually save lives because it's a life and death situation that a lot of people don't understand in afghanistan. >> reporter: apologize or demand an apology in return, it like everything else was a poli politically charged question with potentially deadly consequences. nato troops in afghanistan ined a ve-- accidentally burned qura. more than a dozen people have been killed including two americans. president obama in a move designed to calm things down, apologized for the quran burning, alarming one of his republican challengers. >> two young americans were killed. four other americans were wounded by an afghan soldier. who we probably were paying for,

who we probably armed and who we probably treated. the president apologized for burning the qurans. i believe the afghan government owes the family of the soldiers an apology. >> reporter: so far, hamid karzei has not apologized because he doesn't want to or maybe because it could further in cite the mobs that are now threatening the u.s. consulate. for the u.s. troops fighting along afghan soldiers it's frustrating. this is george allen talking to u.s. forces. >> there will be moments like this, when your emotions are governed by anger, the desire to strike back, these are the

moments when you reach down inside and you grip the discipline that makes you a united states soldier and you gut through the pain, and you gut through the anger, and you remember why we're here. we're here for our friends. >> reporter: so should america be governed by anger or apologize? should president obama have a apologized to afghanistan? facebook.com,/carolcnn. i'll read responses later this hour. thank you, carol. run down of the some of the stories, flames light hing up the sky after a pipeline explosion rocks a texas neighborhood. a new york police taking pictures of mosques and islamic bone owned businesses in the name of stopping terrorism. why new jersey politicians are if you're is why you a the boy it. a dollar bill was handed to me, at 18 years old i snorted my

first line of cocaine. >> former basketball star shares his story how he became an addict. tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods.

nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion.

[ male announcer ] when diarrhea hits, kaopectate stops it fast. powerful liquid relief speeds to the source. fast. [ male announcer ] stop the uh-oh fast with kaopectate. outrage is intensifying over the burning of qurans in afghanistan. happened at bagram air field, a u.s. run military base. the backlash now has been deadly. protesters have taken to the streets for the fourth straight day now, at least eight people were killed in the demonstrations today alone. nick paton walsh, we know nato

apologized, president obama apologized. what more do the afghans need, what do they want in order to know that this was a mistake? >> reporter: i don't think there is much at this point that isaf or u.s. can do to calm it down. afghan authorities appealed to everybody to show restraint. there were hopes they could pass fees ful peacefully. the worst violence in the west, the u.s. consulate protested around and clashes there and in other part of the province resulted in six people losing their lives and nine injured. in kabul, protesters marched toward the presidential palace, shots fired over their head, seven people injured. today and in the north, ire dead in the protest, in east another dead in protest, know let-up in the fury, an investigation in

how this happen pd is on-going susan but we're now in the fourth day the question is what happens tomorrow is the bitter cold afghanistans now feeling, is that going to try to temper the protests, will we see yet another day, suzanne? can you explain to our you a ye -- can you explain why people are so incredibly emotional about this? >> reporter: it's deeply offensive to mistreat their holy tech what happened is on a deten shall facility, the religious texts were being used to pass around extremist messages, between prisoners. they were rounded up, put in di they ended up being sent to incinerators where love afghans

work. we understand -- where local afghans work. texts should be buried or burned and ashes taken care of with reference. this disposal was offensive to the muslim faith. it's sparking fury after a decade in which they haven't got what they thought they were promise and corruption spread. >> we've done expensive story the detaindetainees, they know deal with the religious materials, is there a situation they were not trained how to dispose of the quran? >> reporter: that is not something nato wants to discuss. no soldiers here have basis religious sensitivity training but clearly there wasn't enough this particulbag or box was han

appropriately. clearly, there was a mistake unintentional, this has dozens of lives. nike shoes, police in riot gear have to control as crowds push and shove to be first in line for these sneakers. two. and, three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, earn more cash back for the things you buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% cash back on groceries. 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. it's as easy as one. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you.

with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only listerine® that gets teeth two shades whiter and makes tooth enamel two times stronger. get dual-action listerine® whitening rinse. building whiter, stronger teeth.

so you're tired of being tracked by advertisers when online? there might be help on the way from the web companies themselves. a coalition of internet giants agreed to allow a do not track button. so what does that button do? it would be embedded in most browsers, dan simon is live in san francisco to talk about this. so does it really work? would this possibly mean an end to online tracking? >> reporter: no. this is something that sounds actually really good in theory, being able to go on the browser rg click one button and not be tracked. what this does is prevents advertising companies from being able to send you targeted ads. some people like having targeted

ads, others not to get them. this prevents the ads from loading in your browser, but the searches will still be tracked and internet companies still have free reign being able to monitor your internet habits. >> why do you suppose they are offering the button? >> reporter: this is a public relations game here, the web companies and the advertising companies have fought this, this is where they make most of the money by sending you targeted advertisements, so naturally, they didn't want this. we're beginning to see a theme in the early part of 2012, and that's consumer privacy, on the internet. there is a lot of interest with how facebook, what they do with the data, what they can see, what google sees and does with your data. there has been push-back to get controls in place. this is one step this is an

advance step, but not going to do much to ease a lot of concerns out there. >> a little good news, a little bad news we'll see how it goes, thank you, dan, appreciate it. checking news across the country, firefighters have contained a fire burning in a fuel tank near galveston, texas. blaze erupted last night after a explosion at an oil terminal. students at texas a & m were ordered to stay indoors. another skier killed in an avalanche. timothy baker was skiing near a utah resort. crews found him buried under three feet of snow. the launch of a new nike basketball shoe touched off a frenzy in orlando, hundreds of people packed the mall parking lot to buy the $220 shoes. rye poet police as people rushed toward the store, no reports of any arrests or injuries.

>> this week's cnn hero is a doctor who makes his house calls by boat. he sails in some of the world's most remote areas to treat more than 10,000 patients in the last two years. all for free. take a look. >> my name is benjamin, i don't have a private medical practice, i don't make a salary. >> ben, this is ingrid. >> i started an organization called floating doctors to use a ship to bring health care to communities that have fallen through the cracks and deny access to health care. floating doctors has a 76 foot, 100 ton ship we refurbished and use that to transport supplies. since we set sail 2 1/2 years ago the mission has been continuous. two months in haiti, working in panama for the last eight

months. in the last two years we treated nearly 13,000 people in three countries. i'll find patients who have never seen a doctor before in their lives. >> that is about a good result as we can hope. >> no running water, no sewage, none basic requirements. we built schools, we've done community pronl eths, provided health education for thousands of patients. floating doctors is an all volunteer arguization, nobody gets paid, all the medical supplies are donated. i had to postpone many aspects miff own personal life, i don't have a home somewhere i had to give up a lot but i gained everything. >> new jersey politicians are furious over new york muslim surveillance program. the nypd says it's all in the name of post 9-11 security.

>> very cute to go and to blame everybody and say we should stay away from anything that smacks of intelligence gathering. the job of our law enforcement is to make sure they prevent things. weight loss programs can be expensive. so to save some money, i just got the popular girls from the local middle school to follow me around. ew. seriously? so gross. ew. seriously? that is so gross. ew. seriously? dude that is so totally gross. so gross...i know. there's an easier way to save. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. 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! ♪ [ 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.

yeah, you -- you know, everything can cost upwards of...[ whistles ] i did not want to think about that. relax, relax, relax. look at me, look at me. three words, dad -- e-trade financial consultants. so i can just go talk to 'em? just walk right in and talk to 'em. dude, those guys are pros. they'll hook you up with a solid plan. they'll -- wa-- wa-- wait a minute. bobby? bobby! what are you doing, man? i'm speed dating! for your family at e-trade. 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. a run down of stories we're working on. why new jersey politicians are angry about new york's muslim surveillance program. then this. dollar bill was handed to me, in 18 years old i snorted my first line of cocaine many. >> former player travels the country telling students his personal story of becoming addicted to drugs. and later we reveal some of the tricks behind the filming of the oscar front runner "the artist." the governor of new jersey

furious, they want new york city officers to keep a muslim surveillance program on their side of the river. the nypd says the all name of post 9-11 security. susan candiotti has more. >> reporter: for six months starting in late 2006, new york police scanned open access websites of muslim students organizations at several universities in the northeast. including yale, columbia, syracuse and university of pennsylvania. looking for any signs that might lead to terror plots, a senior law enforcement official tells ynn. as first reported by the associated press, new york police also took photos of mosques and muslim-owned businesses including dollar stores and restaurants in newark, new jersey. after finding out new jersey's governor was fuming. he says he's about helping another jurisdiction, but -- >> has to be coordinated, the nypd has at times developed a

reputation of asking forgiveness rather than permission. in certain areas in coming in other state and doing things. >> governor christi and mayor cory booker want an investigation. >> it's deeply disturbing, adding to put large segments of a religious community under surveillance with no legitimate cause or provocation, clearly crosses a line. new york's mayor michael plu bloomberg is unapologetic. >> the job of law enforcement is make sure they prevent things you only do that to by being proactive, you have to respect people's right to privacy. >> nypd spokesman tells cnn it was mapping out place where terror suspects from other countries may try to blend in to avoid detection. the surveillance shouldn't shock

anyone. saying newark police were briefed and even escorted the nypd. still, muslim students livid. >> this tactic actually creates more hatred. a wbetter approach, engage the muslim youth at a large level. >> i disagree with the way this was implemented, wat way they went about trying to find terrorist activities. >> are muslim students being singled out without hard evidence or are police doing what they are supposed to do? protect public safety. susan candiotti, cnn, new york. you know this guy from the tv show "top chef" sam is more than just handy in the kitchen. sanjay gupta talks to him and also with living with a disease that changed his life. ( whirring and crackling sounds )

man: assembly lines that fix themselves. the most innovative companies are doing things they never could before, by building on the cisco intelligent network.

[ male announcer ] engine light on? come to meineke now for a free code scan read and you'll say...my money. my choice. my meineke.

and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios.

one of tv's top chefs has a disease that changed his life years ago but hasn't slowed him down. sam talbott's ambition hassen dampened his success. dr. sanjay gupta caught up with him. >> reporter: for sam talbott says making healthy food taste good has been important. long before he was known on "top chef." >> i started my first job, 13 years old started off as a dishwasher, moved up to bus boy then cooking pizzas when i was 14, my first professional job at 15. >> naturally? >> just one of those god-given abilities, i remember being 8 years old going to the farmer's market and making scrambled eggs

an 8-year-old doesn't necessarily pick up. >> would you say your food is healthy? >> i am a person living with type i diabetes. >> what do you remember, were you not feeling well? >> my mom's brother was diabetic, a lot of the symptoms when you become diagnosed were happening to me. my mother had seen them from growing up with her brother, so one night i used the bathroom like 15 hours in the course of sleeping 10 hours. we went to the emergency room and they checked my blood sugar it was 980. >> normal is like 80-100. mine was 980. my mom burst in tears. took me across the street and we got ice cream and now my blood sugar was through the roof. do this now you can't do it again. from that moment on i was 12, i

made it like a life time goal of mine to never say that anybody and live within a certain parameter. >> how much of your life is dictated by measuring sugars and your diabetes overall? >> we both wake up in the morning we both shower, brush our teeth, i have a few more stops to go through, that is my life. >> his motto is cook nice, food that makes sense tore the mind, body and soul. he shares his philosophy and recipes in his cookbook, called "the sweet life" which he says is for everyone. not just those living with diabetes. dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, atlanta. he went from being a star on the basketball court to this. >> i woke up in the back of ambulance, the police officer cuffed me and said "my man, you were dead 30 seconds ago." chris herron talks about his struggle with drugs and recovery.

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! but last year my daughter was checking up on me. i wasn't eating well. she's a dietitian, and she suggested i try boost complete nutritional drink to help get the nutrition i was missing. now i drink it every day and i love the great taste. [ female announcer ] boost has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to help keep bones strong and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. and our great taste is guaranteed or your money back. learn more at boost.com. [ dad ] i choose great taste. i choose boost. so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories.

a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. that's going to have to be done by a certain date. you always have homework, okay? i don't have homework today. it's what's right here is what is most important to me. it's beautiful. ♪ ♪

he was on his way to nba stardom until drug abuse ended a once-promising basketball career. today in depth look at addiction. jason carroll talked with one man about hitting rock bottom and what he's doing to make sure others learn from his mistakes. >> thanks for being here. >> reporter: chris herren is back on the court. >> 2:00 my name is called.

>> reporter: this one time rising basketball star is not performing the way he once imagined. >> my first memory was hanging on the street corner waiting for oxycontin. >> reporter: he's speaking at a school in massachusetts talking about who he really is. how do you define who you are? >> i'm a recovering drug addict. extremely grateful for one day at a time. >> reporter: a basketball town like fall river, massachusetts herren was the answer to all those who dreamed of making it. a 2,000 point scorer at durfee high school, mcdonald's all american. sports illustrated darling before herren started for boston college. >> i was like every other kid, an athlete, went out friday and saturday nights, thinking what high school kids do, i took it one step further than most. a dollar bill handed to me and 18 years old i snorted my first line of cocaine.

>> reporter: three failed drug test, a year later his career at boston college was over. but herre nefn landed at denver state, then the celtics. his drug use escalated, turning to deadly overdoses. >> i woke up in the back of the ambulance, the police officer cuffed me and said "my man, you were just dead 30 seconds ago" in the world of addiction you hate yourself you escape yourself. whatever drug i'll take because i don't like being me. >> reporter: after years of abusing heroin, prescription drugs, after losing his career and nearly his family, herren accepted step through a 12 step program. his troubled past detailed in the book "basketball junkie."

>> chris herren! >> reporter: speaking about addiction is therapy, reaching out to people like luke and his father. he had trouble with alcohol. >> helped put perspective on the path where i can take from this point. >> reporter: it took herren 14 years to find his path to sobriety. >> reporter: do you think what could have been? >> who cares? who cares? honest to god, why should i care? because i'm too happy where my feet are today to worry about my footprints behind me. >> reporter: jason carroll, cnn, boston. heroin, cocaine and marijuana dominate the headlines about substance abuse. one of those addictive drugs could be in your immediate cane cabinet. in our next hour, we'll speak with a doctor directors of the center for disease control about the dangers of prescription drug use and abuse, that is 12:40

eastern right here on cnn. sounding off on the talk back question should president barack obama have apologized to afghanistan over the accidental burning of qurans by nato soldiers? carol costello, i imagine there is a lot of emotion on both sides. >> reporter: a lot of strong opinion, suzanne. the question should the president have apologized to afghanistan from james, this country runs a lot on arrogance, doesn't matter what the extremist muslims are doing, if we want respect, we show respect. grow the held up if you're trying to put an end to the conflict you don't add fuel to the fire. from mike, no it shows weakness, extremists consider it unforgivable. good guys finishes last in diplomacy. yes of course the president should apologize, in return the afghan president should apologize for the lost of american lives. when it comes to the soldiers

lives being at stake, yes. keep the conversation flowing. we have a punch line, i know you're a sports fan, i don't know if you had a chance to see it last night i have to go to bed early, but jeremy lin's new york knicks lost to the miami heat haas night. >> they lost to lebron james? come on! >> he didn't have a great game but wasn't all bad news for the linsation. he got a tribeute in a "pearl jam" song. ♪ at home shooting frooee throw and three point shots, ♪

>> carm ♪ like an asian tebow >> carol, do you know who that is? >> reporter: eddie vetter. >> this is jimmy fallon, spot-on impersonation. >> reporter: is insanely good. >> not all bad for jeremy lin, got props. it was a mixed bag. >> reporter: you know what that song is about, maybe not such a tribute. it is funny. >> okay. carol you have to fill me in on that one. thank you, carol. good to see you. some thing senator marco rubio did at 8 years old could stop the rising star from becoming vice president. in our political ticker. a band. ♪ an old man shared some fish stories... ♪ oooh, my turn.

♪ she was in paris, but we talked for hours... everyone else buzzed about the band. there's a wireless mind inside all of us. so, where to next? ♪ -three. -one. two. three. one. -two. -three. -one. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% back on groceries. and 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. -it's as easy as...1. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] 1, 2, 3 percent cash back for the things you buy most. the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you.

[oinking] [hissing] [ding] announcer: cook foods to the right temperature using a food thermometer. 3,000 americans will die from food poisoning this year. check your steps at foodsafety.gov.

catholic mormon, baptist, rising star, senator marco rubio has been on a spiritual journey. mark preston is live from the political desk in washington

with more on this. so what do we make of this, is all the different faiths a strength or does once being mormon put him out of the running as potential vp with mitt romney? >> reporter: i don't think it's the latter, suzanne. what is interesting we found out about this about this from marc is who the most mentioned for vp. but what we found out is that in this memoir that he's going to release in october, he talks about the spiritual journey where he was bap tiesed astized became mormon when he was 8 and he has since gone back to the catholic church. marco rubio has a sense of spirituality in him and was on a

journey to find it. the whole idea that he was mormon as a child is not going to matter, i don't think, if mitt romney were to win the nomination. i think people at this point have moved beyond his religion. they are concerned about the economy and for the republican party, mcarco rubio is a rising star. >> and of course they are talking about him. i want to go back to mitt romney here. he got arizona's largest newspaper to endorse him. what does that mean? is that really significant in terms of improving his chances? because he's been pretty much in a pit. he's been trying to get out of it. >> yeah, he has. he's been in a ditch on the side of the road. he had a very good debate the other night. the largest newspaper in arizona, of course, just endorsed him this morning. now, we put a lot of faith in endorsements and think that they can put you over the top. i think this just shows that mitt romney certainly through the eyes of the editorial page of the arizona public and the

lead is very close. there are other polls that show that he has a bigger lead but i can tell you what, heading into tuesday is mitt romney's. >> we're leaving this evening for the primaries, of course, next week. i understand that you've been talking nothing but food, about some good places to eat out there? >> absolutely. when you go to arizona, first of all, the people are so nice go to a place called slices. a good mikts tur of students and it's a good place to stop by. >> we're going to have some

pizza tonight. thank you. >> thank you, suzanne. for the latest news g. to cnnpolitics.com. i'm getting oon plane and headed to arizona tonight for tuesday's primary. we're going to talk about folks about immigration, gasoline prices. that is starting on monday at 11:00 a.m. eastern. and hollywood's biggest night just two days away. will a silent film rule the night? we're going to go live to l.a. to turn up the sound on "the artist." they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] new glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes.

chocolate lemonade ? susie's lemonade... the movie. or... we make it pink ! with these 4g lte tablets, you can do business at lightning-fast speeds. we'll take all the strawberries, dave. you got it, kid. we have a winner. we're definitely gonna need another one. small businesses that want to grow use 4g lte technology from verizon. i wonder how she does it. that's why she's the boss. because the small business with the best technology rules. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006. [ woman ] i was ready for my trip, but my smile wasn't. [ female announcer ] new crest 3d white intensive professional effects whitestrips. it goes below the enamel surface to whiten as well as a five-hundred dollar professional treatment for a transformation that's hard to believe. ♪ wow, that's you? [ female announcer ] new intensive professional effects whitestrips. and try 3d white toothpaste and rinse. from crest. life opens up when you do.

this year a silent movie is a leading contender to take home the biggest award. >> hollywood, the late 1920s. this is the era of "the artist." george's career crumbles when sound. >> i want to let you in on some secrets of "the artist ".

the opening shots of the film was shot right here in los angeles at the famous theater. the audience, part real and part fake. "showbiz tonight" can reveal that extras were hired and digitally multiplied them to fill all of the seats. film makers came here to the historic grandbury building. the director wanted to convey that his career is headed down and hers is rising. so a staircase is called for. richard middleton helped film the location. >> this is by far the best that you could find. >> you may recognize the building from the jack nicholson movie "wolf" or blade runner." other secrets were revealed, like how hard of a sell this was to hollywood agents. >> it's silent? what? why do i want to put my client

in this movie? >> he confirm two big name actors turned down roles. they may be kicking themselves now. and the dog from the movie, it turns out he had a couple of stunt doubles. dude and dash. the only problem, they didn't all look the same. >> so we had to, you know, do a little doggie makeup and hair coloring. dash we sent into the dog groomer for a cut and color. >> in the end, the doubles were seldom used and that title, it wasn't always "the artist". >> the original title was beauty spot. it will earn yet another title. oscar winner. >> all right. joining us is michelle. she actually saw somebody interview that dog.

>> do we actually think the dog has a chance to win? >> absolutely he has a chance to win. most people would be surprised if "the artist" did not win for best movie. >> it's coming back to the artist. he won the s.a.g. award and now the push has come around to him. we thought it would be a battle for best actor with george clooney and brad pitt. but it looks like he's becoming the best actor. it's coming down to a slug fest between vie old la davis and meryl streep. >> all right. can't wait to see all of the highlights. it should be a lot of fun.

thanks, michelle. >> oh, yeah. top of the hour. i'm suzanne malveaux. i want to get you up to speed. this relentless bombardment in the city of homs is now in the third week. world powers are meeting today, mapping out a plan to get humanitarian aid in and the dead and wounded out. the friends of syria group include the u.s., european and arab nations. we're hearing for the first time as well that arab nations have started supplying arms to syrian rebels. protesters back on the streets of afghanistan for a fourth straight day voicing outrage over the burning of korans by troops at a u.s.

military base. afghan officials say eight people have been killed in today's demonstrations. nato says burning the koran was a mistake and has apologized as has president obama. all right. can't get a break when it comes to gas prices. regular shot up 12 cents. that was this week along. nationwide, the average price for a gallon of gas, $3.64. in some parts of the country, gas is already more than $4 a gallon. it's becoming an election year a hot button issue that president obama is addressing. >> anybody who tells you that we can drill our way out of this problem doesn't know what they are talking about or just isn't telling you the truth. >> mitt romney is going to unveil a new, more aggressive tax plan that is happening this hour. it's going to include what he calls flatter, fairer, and simpler tax code. i'm going to bring you the speech live and break it down, what it means for you and your

wallet. applause, cheers, maryland's state senate which has voted to legalize same-sex marriage. the governor has pledged to sign the bill into law. when he does, maryland will join six states. all of which currently issue same-sex marriage licenses. 35,000 postal jobs at risk now. the head of the union says it's a disaster. they may close or con sole dad 200 mail centers across the country. some will go into early retirement, some will be laid off or move into a new facility. the postal service is trying to cut $23 billion over the next few years. a major league baseball player suspended for alleged developing may be back out. ryan braun was suspended for 50 games after failing a league drug test.

but the suspension has been thrown out. the board would not say how it made the decision but major baseball blasted the ruling. >> i would like to announce a donation to the obama super pac which has the very unfortunate tongue twister name, priority usa action. i would like to give that pac $1 million. >> all right. he's making fun of it but it really is not a joke. i mean, bill haher is putting his money where his mouth is. he's giving away $1 million to help keep president obama in the white house. some say action raised less than $59,000 last month. gas prices now surging, 12 cents just this week. but people in some states are being hit a lot harder than others. alison kosik is at the new york stock exchange.

alison, you and i talked about this yesterday and we talked about it the day before. this is unbelievable here. what is happening? >> nothing like making a comparison from state to state to either make you feel better or worse about how much money you are spending in gas. this is an interesting to look at gas prices. cnn money pulled together interesting maps to show how much drivers in the u.s. are paying to fill up their tasks. right now aaa says the national average is sitting at $3.65 a gallon. if you look at this map, the states shaded in darker red, they are paying the most money for gas. the lighter shaded ones are shelling out less. washington, oregon, new york, they are paying 3.80 to $3.90 a gallon. if you're in california, you're paying up to $4.20 on average. if you look at what people are paying as a percentage of their income, check out how the map shifts dramatically. drivers in montana and dakota end up spending 10% of their

income on gas. in mississippi, drivers pay up to 12% because the median is just under $38,000. it really illustrates just how difficult these rising prices are for drivers who live in these states that are not as well off. the scary notion is that the price is expected to go up to $4 in the next month or so. >> we heard newt gingrich promising $2.50 a gallon for gas in the debate the other night. can he sell this promise of lower prices? is that really realistic? >> economists laugh about that. they say it's kind of b.s. they find the whole notion laughable. the reality is that politicians can do almost nothing to effect prices in the short term and it's extremely complicated to do much for the long run either. think of the crude oil marketplace. the price of oil is subject, supply, politics, geo poll lit

cal issues. what the u.s. would have to do is remove itself. they would have to set themselves up for supply shortage since we don't produce anywhere enough to make up for that in imports. most economists say they don't support gingrich's theory, suzanne. >> all right. great to get those fact checks. suzanne, appreciate it. >> no problem. >> check gas prices in your state. go to cnn.com/money. look for the gas prices story under "latest news." here's your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the president apologizing for nato troops accidently burning korans. carols could stel is live from washington. and, carol, the last time a florida minister pastor was burning korans, there were dozens of people, americans, who got killed in afghanistan. is the president trying to

prevent more people from dying here? >> i'm sure he is. apologize or demand an apology in return. that's the question, though. like everything else, it has become politically charged with potentially critical consequences. nato troops in afghanistan incinerated korans. massive violent protests, chanting death to america, throwing rocks and burning cars. more than a dozen people have been killed, including two americans. president obama in a move designed to calm things down apologized for the koran burning, alarming one of his republican challengers. >> two young americans were killed and four other americans were wounded by an afghan soldier who we probably were paying for, who we probably 5 8 armed and who we probably

trained. so we apologize to the afghans for burning korans. i believe the afghan government owes the families of those soldiers an apology. >> so far, afghan president karzai has not apologized. maybe because he doesn't want to and because it could further incite the mops. it's frustrating. listen to george allen talking to u.s. forces. >> there will be hoemts like this when your emotions are covered by anger and the desire to strike back. these are the moments when you reach down inside and you grip the discipline that makes you a united states soldier. and you gut through the pain and

you gut through the anger and you remember why we are here. we are here for our friends. >> so should america be governed by anger or should it apologize? the "talk back" question for you, should president obama have apologized to afghanistan? facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read your responses later this hour. >> thank you, carol. here's a rundown of some of the stories in the next hour. first, do the stars of reality tv really reflect americans? it's part of "i am america" series. we've got lots to cover can. whitney houston, and much more. mitt romney and his plan to cut taxes across the board. find out how that might impact your pocketbook. looking good! you lost some weight.

you noticed! these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios... five whole grains, 110 calories. in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track,

at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ one chance to hunt down the right insurance at the right price. the "name your price" tool, only from progressive. ready, aim, save! grrr! ooh, i forgot my phone! the "name your price" tool. now available on your phone. get a free quote today. at meineke i have options...

like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke. all this week cnn is going in depth, people who are proud to tell cnn i am america. today we zero in on the stars of reality tv. do they really reflect every day american life? here's kareen wynter. >> reporter: imagine you're from china and the only images you have of the melting pot here in the u.s. comes from reality television shows. an explosion of unscripted programs, like real housewives, spreading to different cities. >> i'm sure they would think that we just lived in a

completely degenerate lives. >> she's not a christian! >> viewers have gained big brother access. >> i wonder sometimes if the camera brings out the meaner side of people. >> i'm not kidding. >> reporter: able to view everything from the surreal life. >> the viewers love it. i'm sorry to say. >> reporter: to the real world. >> don't disrespect me ever the [ bleep ] again. >> one of the big myths is that reality tv has anything to do with america. >> reporter: "reality bites back, the troubling truth about guilty pleasure tv." she says mtv's real world, the grand daddy of unscripted tv, opened the door to the discussion of diversity. but she says those days are gone. >> mtv's real world devolved

where they used to treat sexuality and race with some measure of understanding and reflection, now they cast for people who have drunken hookups and get into screaming fights. >> reporter: despite the name "flavor of love," this program was more than tasteless as '80s rap star saw a mate and spawned spinoffs. >> the definition of hyper sexual, lazy, bafoons, divas. >> it really is a relationship between the audience, the producers and the participants. we are all complicite. we are all guilty of perpetuating these stereotypes on tv. >> reporter: making a career out of being a reality fixture on programs like the surreal life after failing to land a job with donald trump during season one

on "the apprentice." she's currently an editor for "reality weekly". >> the bigger ratings the more they will cast those types of scenes. it's a cycle that will not stop as long as the audience keeps tuning in. >> it's an area that they are accepting diversity. >> reporter: the most controversial season when tribes were separated based on race. >> it's a social experiment like never before. >> reporter: the rationale -- >> it was the criticism that we received for being too white. >> reporter: when kwan heard te twist, he almost left but he stayed on. >> i wanted minorities to be represented on tv. i wanted america to see

asian-american men as they truly are. >> i think a lot of groups have benefited from reality tv. >> a married couple from beverly hills. >> reporter: and they won the amazing race nine years ago. >> it was about competitiveness, about showing the world that gay people can do anything that anyone else can do. >> i think reality television has made the world a better place and it's made us understand each other a little more. >> reporter: ultimately, media critic says, the key is how we view these shows. >> watch in an engaged way and critical way and don't take in the myths. >> i'm 98% real. >> reporter: and don't be fooled, even if "real" appears in the title, it doesn't mean that it's a depiction of the real world. kareen wynter, cnn, hollywood. >> paying tribute to the movie industry's trailblazer and the next generation. editor in chief of "essence" magazine is joining us for the black women in hollywood event.

when you have tough pain, do you want fast relief? try bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles so it enters the bloodstream fast and rushes relief to the site of your tough pain. it's proven to relieve pain twice as fast as before. bayer advanced aspirin. 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!

just ahead of sunday's oscars, stars gathered in beverly hills at the 2012 essence in hollywood event. but for some attendance, their thoughts were from a legend in the music world, whitney houston. >> it was so incredible. she went from being this unreachable super nova pop star to my co-star to being a mentor and a friend and somebody who was very much like a mother figure towards me. >> that was singer jordin sparks. they co-starred in the upcoming remake of the 1976 movie "sparkle." houston play's the singer's mother. i want to bring in essence editor-in-chief for today's segment of what matters.

constance, nice to see you. >> thanks, suzanne. >> it was the fifth annual luncheon honoring blam women in hollywood. give us a sense of who was there. >> it was a crem de le crem. there was la toya jackson, angela bassett and we really had a house which was unbelievable because in that room you had two oscar nominees and that's incredible to think about. and of course the legend of all legends, pam greer. >> it really is quite amazing when you think about how far the community has come. i know that part of the event, too, was a tribute to whitney

houston. >> yes. >> what is the mood? what was the mood of the group and what were folks saying about her legacy? >> the move was celebratoy because they have really tried to remember what was beautiful of this woman who was a trailblazer for black women and all women of entertainment and then when jordin took to the stage to complete the tribute, the mood was really reflective but at the same time it was full of joy. people were very happy that "essence" was honoring her in this way. >> let's talk about the roles of black women in hollywood. >> yes. >> as you mentioned before, you have viola davis and controversy as well over their roles as maids. in your opinion, how far do you

think we've come? >> i think, suzanne, we have made progress. however, there is still a long way to go. these women really received these oscar nominations and incredibly a number of other awards that they've won during the season because they were so deserving, because of the way they portray these characters. and carrie washington in her acceptance speech said it bech h best when she said, we should all be able to look at these portrayals for what they are. we should be able to see black women in their breadth in television, in film, on the internet and print in all media and not just be confined to narrow portrayals. so she was making the point without mentioning "the help," that we do need to also embrace what these actresses were doing

in this movie as well. >> and constance -- >> it's not what they are playing but how they've done it. >> i believe paula weighed in on this as well in terms of where -- how far we have come and where we are. i want to play really quickly what she said. >> it's not easy to be black, period, in this world we live in. and yet we can't let that stop us. we have to look to the past and see the people that have had a much harder struggle than yourself and they worked so hard to give us the opportunities that we have and then we now have to pay it forward. >> she talked about paying it forward and i imagine that was a pretty common theme, yes? >> it was a very common theme. on the stage and in the audience. i thought it was so interesting, there were actresses, like i just mentioned, la tonya richardson jackson who were taking the younger actresses in

the room and introducing them to people and really literally thoughing them the wshowing the the way. >> go ahead. >> the event was really those who have blazed the trail and those who are coming generation next. >> all right. constance, good to see you. sorry we have to end it there. it looks like it was an amazing event. appreciate it. >> mitt romney is switching gears. he's unveiling an aggressive tax plan. what it could mean for you. [ woman ] my husband, hank, was always fun. never took life too seriously... till our son was born. that day, he bought life insurance. now there's no way i could send our boy to college without it. if there was one thing i could say to hank,

it'd be "thank you." you're welcome. hey, hank. [ male announcer ] life insurance you can use while you're still living. you are one lucky lady. mm-hmm. [ male announcer ] learn more from your state farm agent today. to our relationships in the african-american community. and we're showcasing the work our employees do. like karen. [ karen ] what's so special about our relationship is they're passionate. through southwest airlines, the learning continues outside of the classroom. educating young people for black history month is so important. it's not just a month. it's all year 'round. [ male announcer ] when it comes to giving back to the african-american community, we are proud to say, we do. find out more at southwest.com/blackhistory. in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time.

you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ so i wasn't playing much of a role in my own life, but with advair, i'm breathing better so now i can take the lead on a science adventure. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing,

take the lead. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. have 46 grams of whole grains... mmmm. ...and a touch of sweetness. you'll be delighted to discover how good they taste. get your free sample of quaker oatmeal squares on facebook. mitt romney unveiling his new tax code in the state of michigan. joe johns is live covering it

all. joe, good to see you. i understand there was some protests. can you tell us about it? >> reporter: that's right, suzanne. earlier today, really first thing in the morning, united auto workers out on the streets protesting the headline, the now famous headline from the new york times of the opt ed that romney wrote in 2008 that said, let detroit go bankrupt. of course, this an issue that arose over the bailout for the auto industry back in those days and it has haunted mitt romney even though he says he called for a managed bankruptcy and says he didn't write the headline. it's a big issue. of course, democrats care very much about our polling. republicans, perhaps not so much. going into the primary it doesn't seem like it would hurt him that much. however, if you get into the general election and he's the nominee, it could cause bigger

problems here in the state of michigan for him, suzanne. >> joe, how is he doing? is he winning in michigan or are things pretty tight with santorum? >> most of the polling shows that it's a very tight race within the margin of error of one or two points. there are some suggestions that he's done a little better since that last cnn debate out in arizona. he's had a lot of problems with evangelicals, christian conservatives, people questioning his conservative credentials, even perhaps some tea partyiers. now, though, as we head into the home stretch, the question is whether he can hold on to those folks and in this state where he grew up and his father was governor of the state in the 1960s, suzanne. >> it's an all critical state for him. we'll keep a close eye on that as well as arizona. thank you, joe. alison kosik is joining us from washington.

first of all, how big of a difference do you think it is to have a fair, flatter tax plan compared to what folks are paying now? >> okay. so i'm going to give you the big comparison. mitt romney's plan is actually revised. it involves making big cuts to the income tax rates that all americans pay. now, currently low-income earners earn a 10% rate. that would go down to 8%. people that fall into middle range of incomes would see their income taxes go from 25% down to 20%. and then if you're a top level earner, you would get a cut from 35% to 28%. so let's say your income is $50,000 a year. under that middle bracket, you pay $10,000 under the romney plan you pay instead of 12,500. it becomes much more dramatic. someone who makes $1 million a

year could save $70,000. there are limits on some deductions and ex sem shuemptio may be limited. >> viable action will make those big tax cuts, those breaks and they will be able to dig out of this hole. >> and that's really the money question, really, isn't it? a u.s. budget watch group did an independent analysis so far and they said with the exception of ron paul, the national debt would wind up ballooning under the gop candidates. with the framework that we had going into today, romney's plan would add $2.5 trillion to the debt. but it's substantially less compared to the plans offered by rick santorum and newt gingrich. and then there are the analysts

who say if any of these people got into office and tried to pass these plans, that's the whole other hurdle to get around, and that includes president obama's plan, too. revamping the tax system. it's so complex. it's questionable whether these plans can get through congress. suzanne? >> alison, i want to go to detroit. let's listen to romney talk about his plan. >> a place where if you're willing to take a risk and have the right values, anybody can make a better life. we are the land of opportunity. that deep confidence in a better tomorrow is the basic promise of america. but today that promise is being threatened by a faltered economy and, in my view, by a failed presidency. for 36 months the unemployment rate has been over 8%. 24 million of our fellow americans are struggling to find

work. there's some three million missing workers in america, people who dropped out of the workforce. home values are down, foreclosures at a record high level. our national debt is way too high. and the opportunities in the nation are too few. wherever i've gone in this campaign in america, i've met americans that are suffering as a result of the economy. you can see it in their faces and hear it in their voices. they are anxious. they are scared about the future. i've met moms and dads struggling to get by. one works the day shift while the other works the night shift so they can barry make ends meet and barely meet for dinner. i meet kids facing huge student loans and they are worried about getting a job. it was dick armey who said, this the american dream is not owning a home. it's getting your kids out of it. and so everywhere i go i hear

stories that are sad reminders of the failed presidency that we're seeing before us. now, president obama said he would fix three things. if he became president. first, we've had 36 months with that promise having been broken. then he said he was going to cut the deficit in half. he's doubled it. and, third, he said that he would make medicare and social security solvent for future generations. and three years later he has not offered so far as i'm aware a single serious proposal for either medicare or social security solvency. we have not seen a failure to communicate. we've seen a failure to lead. and that's why i'm running for president. i want to -- >> mitt romney out of michigan unveiling his own plan and obviously making a case for why he believes he should be president. there may be a new front in the war on drugs. we'll explain why americans are

turning to medicine cabinets for a quick high. well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye-care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. [ male announcer ] ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. now, that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health.

they cause more overdose deaths than marijuana and cocaine combined. in 2010, 1 in 20 americans aging 12 and older reported using prescription painkillers for nonmedical reasons. dr. thomas friedman joins us now. thank you very much for being here. we know that one of the big problems is that they are accessible, right? people can get to them and they are also legal. so how do we correct this? how do we change this? why is this getting worse? >> this is a human tragedy. and it's an epidemic that can be stopped. we've seen drug abuse deaths skyrocket over the past decade. at the same time, we've seen

prescriptions for opiate pain pills skyrocket. it's costing us more than $70 billion in health care costs alone. even more than that are the he lives enslaved to addiction and this is something that can be prevented and it can be stopped. >> how do we do that? >> we have to look at the doctors, the patients, and then all of us and what we can do to prevent. for the doctors, we have two groups of doctors. people who may not be sure how to prescribe it. it shouldn't be a last resort or first resort to use these long acting painful painkiller as then they should screen for the absolute minimum for someone who needs to ensure that their pain is adequately addressed, effectively addressed. when i was in medical school, i was taught that if you give a patient opiate painkillers, they

will not get addicted. i was told that by our professor and we've learned over the past generation how terribly wrong, how terribly misguided that was and a generation of people who have become hooked on painkillers, enough painkillers prescribed by doctors today to prescribe enough for an entire month. >> you said that 40 people die a day from things like painkillers, oxycontin and vicodin and things like that. is part of the problem that people are mixing drugs and they aren't even aware of how dangerous this is? >> opiate painkillers are dangerous drugs. they are powerful and adding them to alcohol or other drugs can be particularly dangerous but even in and of themselves they are very risky to take and that's why they really should be a last resort. programs that ensure and state programs to identify patients using too much, either because they are addicted or because they are selling to others are

very effective at identifying people taking appropriate action and people who need help and taking appropriate legal action if people need enforcement. >> finally, you say that some groups are more susceptible to overdose. we're talking about men, middle age in rural areas. why those groups? >> well, there are more drugs prescribed in those areas so there are more overdoses. there are also things that you can do as an individual. if you have opiate drugs in your medicine cabinet, that's a bad place for it. even a single pill can be fatal for a young child. only take them if essential and see your doctor and talk to people if you are addicted. get help to get help off the medication. >> dr. frieden, thank you so much. for more on addiction and prescription drug overdoses, including a blog, go to cnnhealth.com. so you might be surprised. what if i told you the smoothies, super vitamins, crazy

workouts were actually killing you? i'm going to talk to an author who says that everything you knew or thought about health is dead wrong. stick around. it could add some years to your life. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ you noticed! these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios... five whole grains, 110 calories. to our relationships in the african-american community.

and we're showcasing the work our employees do. like karen. [ karen ] what's so special about our relationship is they're passionate. through southwest airlines, the learning continues outside of the classroom. educating young people for black history month is so important. it's not just a month. it's all year 'round. [ male announcer ] when it comes to giving back to the african-american community, we are proud to say, we do. find out more at southwest.com/blackhistory. let's get a recap, merv. [ merv ] thanks, other merv. mr. clean magic eraser extra power was three times faster on permanent marker. elsewhere against dirt, it was a sweep, with scuffed sports equipment... had it coming. grungy phones... oh! super dirty! and grimy car rims... wow! that really works! ...all taking losses. it looks like mr. clean has won everything. the cleaning games are finished? and so are we. okay, but i just took a mortgage out on the cabinet. [ male announcer ] clean more, work less, with the mr. clean magic eraser extra power. [ cheers and applause ]

[ playing out of tune ] [ playing in tune ] [ male announcer ] at mcdonald's®, we support the community by giving to programs that bring out the best in our youth... ...because we believe when you feed the competitive spirit... ...it enriches the entire neighborhood. the simple joy of being deeply rooted. ♪ well frk you're writing into us about the talk back question, should president obama have

apologized to the afghans for the burning of korans? joining me this hour is john, president of consumer education with smartcredit.com. lynette is a personal author of ask the money coach. thank you both for being here. your question comes from kiona in arizona. she's 20 and new to investing. she's got a checking and savings account for her son but wants to ensure that she's going to have enough money for her son to go to college and to retire. what should she do? >> she should approach this issue as two prongs. save for her retirement on her own. she's so young, she has four decades plus for retirement. save separately for her son for a 529 plan. some parents make the choice of just funding a 529 plan and for getting about their retirement. >> right. >> you don't want to do that.

you really want to do both. kudos to her for starting off at a young age. >> john, your age comes from shannon. i am 26 years old. i have $30,000 in debt. including $10,000 in student loans. she's are really got 40,000 outstanding. >> i should think of two reasons. first off, student loan is not dischargeable in a bankruptcy. second, in michigan it is not legal to collect or sue to collect debt that is older than six years old and it sounds like most of it is older than six years old. she might be scott free and in one more year all of that is going to fall off her credit report because you can only maintain negative debt on a credit report for seven years. people with a machine.

what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ? ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense.

in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪

you've been sounding off on our talk back question. should president obama have apologized to afghans for americans accidently burning korans. carol has your responses. >> the opinions are split. should president obama have apologized to afghanistan? this is from julie. the last time i watched cnn, i saw protesters burning the american plan. not once did i hear any afghan official apologize to the united states for this. however, i saw them standing there with their hand out waiting for the next installment of american money that has been flowing into their country. from tina, if they were torturing bibles, we would want more than an apology. obama did the right thing. and robert says, with the instability in the region, what problem does it do to apologize.

please keep the conversation going. facebook.com/carolcnn and thanks, as always, for your comments. >> all right. thank you, carol. throwing out the vitamins, skipping the workout. a new definition of good health. s grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪

helping you do what you do... even better.

ah, welcome to hotels.com. i get it...guys weekend. yeah! if you're looking for a place to get together, you came to the right place. because here at hotels.com, we're only about hotels. yeah! yeah! noooo. yeah! finding you the perfect place is all we do. welcome to hotels.com it is the big ideas from the best sellers driving the national conversation. so what if i told you taking a

multivitamin might be a waste of time? or that all of those fruit smooth these could be better off going down the drain? this doctor is turning on its head. he's a famous oncologist and author of the new book, "the end of illness." it's number one on the new york best sellers list and is changing the way we all look at our bodies. doctor, i have to admit this to you, i am doing this interview as someone who has a cold, someone who is not well. someone who has read your book and i'm afraid i'm doing it all wrong. can we start off first with how you define and change on its head this whole idea of good health? >> thank you. it's very simple. we look at the body as a complex system, the whole thing. when you try to correct one little aspect, most of the time we're wrong. we're the same profession that 20 years ago said, take

margarine, not butter, and killed a lot of people with heart disease. look at the data. things like vitamins and supplements don't work. have no benefit. many of them showing clear negative signs, such as increased cancer and other side effects to taking these pills. >> so what am i doing wrong here? i am one of these people that i flood my system thinking if i take these multivitamins, these cold medicines, it's going to turn things around, hit my system, hit it hard and i'm going to get it wrong. why is that wrong? >> because the body's a very complex system and there's no one element that you put in it that is going to change it towards health. you need to do things rather regular areally. keep a regular schedule. for two hours your stress hormone goes up and affects your ability to think well, exercise well, and lowers your metabolism so you gain weight. regular schedule. eat real food. walk around during the day.

these are commonsense things but if you look at the data it's overwhelming in their favor. >> and one of the things that you talk about in your book, one of the biggest problems in our body that we're faced with is this idea of inflammation. can you explain that? >> inflammation is the root of things like heart disease, cancer, alzheimer's. if we block inflammation, in the long run we're going to do better. for example, you can skip your flu shot this year. you're going to be fine. but a decade from now from that big inflammation, it's going to increase your ris are being of heart disease and cancer. and we have simple ways of lowering inflammation. things like aspirin or talking to your doctor about taking a statin. wear good shoes. you walk in shoes and your feet hurt, that's inflammation. i don't want that. >> you say something as simple as looking at your fingernails can give you a good sense of whether or not you're healthy.

how is that so? >> yeah. so your fingernails grow every day but just like a tree ring when it gets cold in the winter, it stops growing and there's a ridge. if you have a stressor in your body, they will stop growing and there's a ridge there. you will see exactly when you have stresses. i want you to know yourself. there's a four-page questionnaire on the website of the book that you can download and look at all of the metrics for yourself and you can discuss all of them. i want to go in with all of the data, with enough data, error goes away. >> you say going to bed at the same time every night which is so hard for any of us to do is really crucial. >> it works. i mean, the effect on cognition is real. your body strives for regularity and that way you keep stress to a minimum. if kids go to the bed at the same time every night, they do better on aptitude tests the next day. >> and how do we make sense of what we really are made of, our dna? how much of our dna actually has

to do with how we live, how healthy we are? >> well, the good is that almost every disease has a genetic component and we can blame our parents for it and an environment component. what happens at that moment in time, we're in charge of it and we can control. we can control what we're likely to get and then intervene to prevent. i truly believe we can delay most illness to the ninth or tenth decade of our lives. >> really? >> yeah, how you behave, avoid, the food you eat, pill you take, the doctor and how he or she has a prevention plan. the main thing is regularity in schedule. when you get up, when you go to bed, when you eat, kpen you exercise. i don't care if you have two meals or five. it's the regularity part. the person that randomly grabs an