now, bottom line is campaigns in politics are fueled by money. i know people don't like to hear that, but, in fact, that is true. just yesterday we're on a conference call with the obama campaign, and that question came up. we asked how much did president obama raise? you know what they told us, carol? they wouldn't tell us, surprisingly. they're going to release that on their own of the >> i bet it's a lot, though, huh? >> i bet you it is a lot. he did 100 fund-raisers in less than a year so far for this re-election campaign. >> i think that's a record, isn't it? >> i think it is too. he did it in 11 months. amazing. >> mark preston, thanks. >> thanks, carol. let's head one floor down and say hello to kyra phillips. >> hello, everyone. i'm kyra phillips. we've got a busy hour ahead. let's get straight to the news. the republican presidential hopefuls gone south. newt gingrich just wrapped up a stop in jackson, mississippi, part of a day long sweep of that state that also takes into tupelo and south haven. he's pinned his campaign's hopes

on a strong showing in tuesday's mississippi and alabama primaries, and he's still going after mitt romney, this time in reference to gas prices. >> the president seems to suggest to you just like dr. chu. dr. chu is the secretary of anti-energy. to be honest, he said that before he became secretary that he wanted americans to pay european levels of $9 or $10 a gallon. so last week -- give him credit for being honest. last week he testified in the house, and somebody from mississippi actually, said to him, gas prices are really hurting people. what are you going to do to lower gas prices? and to be fair to dr. chu, he honestly said, nothing. >> now, newt gingrich rather has plenty of company in mississippi. mitt romney is there as well holding a rally later today in pascagoula.

rick santorum is next door, rounding up support with three stops across alabama. first time claims for unemployment benefits ticked upwards last week. labor department says that 362,000 people filed for benefits in the weekended march 3rd. 8,000 more than the previous week. the number had been trending downward. today's numbers actually dampen expectations for tomorrow's monthly employment report expected to show the unemployment rate is unchanged. jobs are one thing. the white house and congressional republicans ought to be able to agree on. this may be the day. the house is expected to vote soon on a package of measures called jump-starting our business startups. the goal is to help small businesses go public sooner and thus grow faster. the package should clear the house with votes to spare, but parts of it have been stalled in the house for months. we'll keep you posted. cindy mccain says she won't be watching the new hbo movie

"game change." she believes it will give an inaccurate portrayal of her husband john mccain and his running mate sarah palin. she says palin has been unfairly criticized. >> sarah palin is a remarkable individual. whether you agree or disagree with sarah, she has served our country loyally. she's been a good stalwart for many years. and i think any depiction of any woman is unfair in that way. it's just wrong. >> cindy mccain, of course, got to know sarah palin during the 2008 presidential campaign. she says everything she's heard about "game change" is fiction, and in her words, i can go to disneyland for fiction. growing concern iran may be cleaning up radioactive traces left behind by nukes. this according to satellite photos. cnn has not seen the photos. these are a few weeks old. western diplomats say new photos show trucks and earth moving vehicles at the site. sources say, while the photos

clearly show cleanup activity, it's not clear what actually is being removed. and new reports from syria claim that the government is using hospitals to torture patients. a warning that some may find the following pictures disturbing. patients are seen chained to their beds receiving electric shocks. cnn has not verified the authenticity of this video. we can tell you that 60 people have been killed across the country so far today. today is international women's day. we're looking live now at pictures of a washington event that's honoring ten extraordinary women from around the world. secretary of state hillary clinton and first lady michelle obama are part of the celebration. and u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon says, although gender equality is improving, it still has a long way to go. >> i urge governments, civil society, and the private sector to commit to gender equality and the empowerment of women as

fundamental human rights and a force for the benefit of all. >> women around the world turned out for walks, rallies, and protests. wells fargo about to hit more customers with a $7 a month fee for checking accounts. the bank is already charging all new customers as well as existing customers in several western states. in may at least six more states will be added to the list. wells fargo isn't saying which ones yet. the bank says there are ways around it. customers can actually maintain a $1,500 minimum daily balance or make direct deposits of $500 pour more each month to avoid the fee. they can also get a $2 discount by opting for only online statements. apple and five major publishers may be in trouble with the feds. "the wall street journal" says the justice department plans to sue them for allegedly conspireing to raise the prices of e-books. if that happens, it might result in cheaper e-books for

customers. filmmaker james cameron directing his own real life epic adventure more than seven miles below the surface of the pacific ocean. that's right. the man behind "titanic" and "avatar" is also a deep sea explorer. cnn got to go behind the scenes down deep into the mariana trench. >> i want to go deep down and use these 3d cameras and bring it all back so people can see what's there. it's the last unexplored frontier on the planet. >> the project is a joint effort between cameron and the national geographic society. take a look at these amazing pictures. images of the sun whipping up a massive storm. its radiation from the flares that's hitting the earth right now at a speed of 4 million miles an hour. that's causing problems with radio signals, power grids, satellite navigation systems, and airplanes. scientists say this is probably the strongest event of its kind in nearly six years. single parents, listen up. one lawmaker wants to target you. >> i think that senator grossman

is just completely out of touch. >> i find this bill, quite frankly, insulting. >> why this state senator wants to pass a bill making single parenting child abuse. he joins me live next. but first, an inspiring high school student we could all learn a few things from. this is jacob goldberg. a senior in ft. lauderdale, florida. he was awarded the spirit of sport award from the national federation of high schools. but what you don't know about jacob is that he's legally blind and he has tourette's syndrome. you know what, put that aside. jacob is an all-star athlete, has a 4.65 gpa, and is heading to harvard. and he's turned his disabilities into a cause. he and his sister founded together we see, which has now raised $60,000 to help blind and disabled kids go to summer camp. >> i live to make a difference. i love what i do. it just makes me happy to see other people happy. >> jacob, you are extraordinary. and you're our rock star.

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almost 30% of american families are headed by single parents, moms and dads who are divorced, widowed, or have never been married at all. that's hardly new. this is. a bid by a wisconsin law maker to single out single parents as potential dangers to their own kids. republican state senator glenn grothman served on the state's child abuse and neglect prevention board and has written a bill that says -- and i quote -- "the board shall emphasize nonmarital parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect." to say that struck a nerve would be the understatement of the week. we're pleased that senator grothman is with us now from madison to make his case. senator, you're not married yourself. you don't have kids. on what do you base your claims about unmarried people with kids?

>> statistics from the united states department of health. i know there are many, many wonderful single parents out there. you've got to look out and be aware, if you choose this lifestyle, you've got to watch out for what happens to your kids. frequently because of what's done by the new boyfriend or new girlfriend in your life. right now in the united states, if you have a child raised by a mother or father with their boyfriend and girlfriend, that child is 20 times more likely to be a victim of sexual abuse than a child raised with their natural mother and father. when the statistics are this overwhelming and the statistics are pretty overwhelming for physical abuse as well, i think it's something that ought to be talked about. right now in the united states, single parent hood is becoming more and more of an option. "the new york times" reported last week that 60% of the women under age 30 who have a child, they're having a child out of wedlock. if we're headed this way in this

country, i think people ought to be aware that there are possible dangers of going this way. >> let's get back to the bill for a minute because i do have the government study that your bill is based on. you just quoted from it. and it does cite, as i look at it here, correlations between family structure and child welfare. just let me read from it directly. "compared to children living with married biological parents, those whose single parent had a live-in partner had over ten times the rate of abusabuse." now, this study specifies single parents with live-in boyfriends or girlfriends, but your bill targets all single parent families. why? >> well, if you look at that study, the greatest difference is with a live-in boyfriend, but it's still a great problem if you don't have the mother and father, if you have stepparents or what have you. so there's still a greater -- a much greater possibility of abuse in other situations as

well. and what i'm saying is, if we as a society are going to go to the point where it becomes outright rare that a child be raised with their biological mother and father at home, we ought to be talking about these statistics a little bit because i think this -- >> it's not rare. >> -- is a huge sea change. oh, it will be. we're headed rare. >> let me get more to the point here. family structure is also one of many factors that's linked with these higher rates of child abuse and neglect. as i look further into the government report, it cites parents' employment, socioeconomic status -- yes, family structure that you mentioned -- but also family size and whether the family lives in an urban or rural county. so why, again, single out single parents? >> because this is something that kind of has to be pushed on the social welfare establishment. other things that lead to child abuse, for example, alcoholism, something like that, that's not controversial.

any social worker can say that. but if you say that a child may be a little bit more at risk raised in what used to be called a broken home, that's very politically incorrect among the chattering classes today. and since it is politically incorrect, we may have to introduce a little legislation to force these social workers to talk about it. >> but wait a minute. just because a parent is a single parent doesn't mean it's a broken home. >> i never said that. >> there are fabulous single parents all across this country raising amazing kids. my mom was one of them. >> right. there's no question. i said most single parents are wonderful. but if you look at the statistics, as we as a society shift away from the traditional family with mother and father at home, and when you read off those statistics from that report, you have to wonder if nationwide it is going to lead to an increase in abuse, both physical abuse and sexual abuse of the children. that's something that's not being talked about right now. >> the study that your bill is

based on -- and i think a lot of people might be surprised by this -- says that family size actually makes an impact here. it says, quote, incident rates of child endangerment in the largest households, four or more children, were more than twice the rates of households with two children. do you plan to go after large families next? >> i don't think the difference is anywhere near as dramatic. i think, if they would cross-correlate that with mother and father compared to a family raised with a single parent or a single parent and a boyfriend/girlfriend, i think they would find that's where most of that abuse comes from. >> do you have numbers? can you cite exact numbers or where exactly you determined that? >> no, those numbers were not in the -- those numbers were not in that study. i would have loved to see if that study if they would have broken it down between, say, a family with five kids and mother

and father at home compared to a family of five kids with a single parent. obviously, a family of five kids and a single parent very, very difficult thing to do. >> we'll see what happens with this bill. senator glen grothman, appreciate your time. >> glad to be on this show. the catholic church in maine has decided to stop campaigning against same-sex marriage. is it about money, or has the church shifted its position? and one of the best things about state farm is we're here anytime, anywhere, any way you want it. that's the way i need it. any way you want it. that's the way i need it. we just had ourselves a little "journey" moment there. yup. ♪ any way you want it ♪ that's the way you need it ♪ any way you want it

in the battle over same-sex marriage, a stunning move by the catholic church in maine. the church says it will not actively campaign against a november referendum asking voters to approve gay marriage. that stands in stark contrast with the church's position in 2009 when it waged a campaign to overturn a law passed that same year legalizing same-sex marriage. the gay activist group human rights campaign says the church spent nearly $2 million in the fight to repeal that law. joining us now, the bishop of portland, richard malone. bishop, thanks so much for being with me. you're not going to take an active role, from what i see here, in fund-raising, staffing, advertising, or campaigning against the gay marriage referendum this time around. why? >> good morning, kyra.

well, let there be no confusion about the fact that the diocese and i will still be very involved in the effort to protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman, but we've decided this year that our best efforts can be to put our energies and resources into educating our catholic community better about the very nature of marriage. >> so, bishop, let me ask you. this plan of action has changed quite drastically since 2009. you know, where you had very active campaign, and now you're moving toward education and putting funds towards that. are you softening your stance on same-sex marriage? >> not at all. it will be even stronger and more vigorous. one of our discoveries in 2009 was that really, many of our catholic people in maine could use a bit more profound understanding of how the church has understood marriage for 2,000 years. so i decided, while we will

certainly be in close contact with our allies who will lead the political battle, we intend to focus on the education and formation of consciences of our people. >> let me ask you, bishop. according to the public relation research institute right now -- this is a recent survey that was conducted -- catholics are more supportive of legal recognition of same-sex relationships than members of any other christian tradition and american overall. it reports 43% of catholics nationally favor gay marriage. is that why you're taking a different approach here? >> well, you're on to something here, kyra. to the extent that we can trust that those numbers are accurate -- and that's always a question for us -- that proves exactly the motivation for the approach that we're taking. we're taking no chance that's our people will not have a really accurate understanding of what marriage is. and to the impact on society should anyone try to change that definition of marriage.

>> so, bishop, times are changing. views are changing. you're changing your tactics even. or your -- i guess you say your strategy. so why not get on board with the 43% of catholics? >> the 43% who -- >> who have no problem with gay marriage. >> their thinking is outside the realm of catholic teaching for 2,000 years. and those are the folks that we want to focus on so they'll perhaps be able to have what i would call an intellectual conversion about a very key building block of society, that is, the nature of marriage as the union of one man, one woman. >> bishop richard malone, thanks for your time. >> thank you. well, he doesn't have nearly as many delegates as mitt romney or rick santorum. yet newt gingrich is determined to stay in the race. has his time come and gone to get out? plus mitt romney says it would take an act of god to prevent romney from becoming the

nominee. is he right? that's all fair game next. first, though, a quick question for our political junkies. when was the last time a democrat won mississippi and alabama in a presidential election? be first to tweet the right answer @kyracnn. [ nadine ] buzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz, you know, typical alarm clock. i am so glad to get rid of it. just to be able to wake up in the morning on your own. that's a big accomplishment to me. i don't know how much money i need. but i know that whatever i have that's what i'm going to live within. ♪ ♪ only hertz gives you a carfirmation. hey. this is challenger. i'll be waiting for you in stall 5. it confirms your reservation and the location your car is in, the moment you land. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz.

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before the break i asked, when was the last time a democrat won mississippi and alabama in a presidential election? the answer, 1976. jimmy carter won both states. it's been all republicans ever since. congratulations to jared from athens, georgia, who was the first to tweet the right answer. let's talk more politics, southern style this time. newt gingrich and mitt romney are in mississippi, and rick santorum is spending the day in alabama. both states holding primary on tuesday. it's all fair game with lenny mcallister, republican analyst?

san antonio and ed espinoza in texas. a romney aide said it would take, quote, an act of god to prevent romney from being the nominee. here's santorum on that. >> what won't they resort to to try to bully their way through this race? if the governor thinks he's now ordained by god to win, then let's just have it out. >> ed, lenny, both of you are now god. who's right? ed? >> it might take an act of god for mitt romney to get more than 50% of the vote in any of these primaries. so long as there's three candidates in the race, he does a little bit better. he doesn't need 50%. i think that, in this case, gingrich is playing spoiler. he alone is prolonging this process and preventing it from being competitive between two viable candidates. and for democrats like me, i

love newt gingrich. i think he's making this primary a lot more entertaining. >> lenny, do you agree? >> no, i don't, but if the mitt romney camp's looking for acts of god, they'd better ask god for more support from the conservative base to get behind mitt romney, and they'd better ask god for independents to start shifting back towards mitt romney. those are the acts of god they need to be focusing on. other than that, they're going to continue to gain delegates. the other two are going to have a hard time catching them as long as there are three people actively choosing at the delegate race in addition to mitt romney. as long as there's an enthusiasm gap and president obama is starting to get the independents back on his side, he's going to need to do some praying to catch up in the overall national polls. >> newt gingrich called off kansas, the site of saturday's caucuses. ed, what does that tell us? >> i've worked a lot of presidential campaigns. i've worked caucuses. i've worked primaries. caucuses are very difficult to organize. they're generally just for one election for the president. you have to get your hard-core

supporters out. you have to get them to vote. and there's nothing else on the ballot. it takes a stronger campaign organization to win in a caucus state or even compete in a caucus state than it does in a primary state. gingrich has super pacs who can put up commercials in primary states, and people will show up and do the work for him. not so in a caucus state. >> lenny, you agree? >> i agree with that, and on top of that, newt gingrich doesn't have anything to really give him momentum going into caucuses for people to speak up on his behalf. let's say there were a debate on thursday like we've had through most of this campaign. if there were a debate on thursday where he could do very, very well, he could invigorate people going into those caucuses. he would have more of a shot doing something and doing more damage there. however, at this point in time, the way everything's structured, he might as well stay down south, make sure he wins those two southern states on tuesday, and can claim more momentum moving through the rest of the month. >> while i've got you both, i wanted to ask you about obama. go ahead, ed. >> excuse me. gingrich is much better at winning debates than he is at

primaries. lenny is right on with that. >> you guys are agreeing. >> not down south. down south he's been doing pretty l well. >> let's talk obama. you're probably going to disagree on this. he's got this 17-minute video that is out now, and it's narrated by his huge supporter tom hanks. take a little listen to this. i've got a question for you guys. >> our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decision, that time has surely passed. >> his advisers would ask where to begin? which urgent need would he put first? >> here's what's interesting. it's slick. it's dramatic. it goes back to that historic day, right, where president obama broke so many barriers. he won the presidency of the united states. as you both know, there's been a lot of disappointed people with the president. do you think this video will have any impact, this push, on those that have been disappointed with obama and

maybe might see this and think, oh, yeah, that's right. that's why i sloet voted for him in the first place. i'm coming back. lenny? >> those that are caught up in the american idol style of politics will get caught up in this. those that are looking at pink slips and watching the unemployment claims rise this week, those that may be watching the unemployment rate either stay flat or continue to rise through the rest of 2012, they will not be swayed by this. this still goes back to jobs. when you have a president that says, hey, things are getting better. unemployment's only at 8.3%. hey, african-americans, unemployment is getting better. your unemployment rate is 12%, 13%, that's not enough. if you're caught up in the things that give you a thrill up your leg, like chris matthews likes to say, yes, this is great for you. if you're living in america nowadays and you're looking at the unemployment rates, you're looking at the angst, you're looking at the tension, this say feel good thing for 17 minutes, and that's it. >> ed, are you getting a thrill up your leg, as len yny put it?

>> this is the thing. 23 straight months of job growth. higher than expected job growth in february, close to 1 million jobs in these months. you look at the record of accomplishment in the past three years, and this administration has had a lot of historic landmarks. but we live in a chat, twitter world in an area of high speed media where information comes in bits and fragments. it's helpful to have videos like this that tell the whole story because we don't always get the whole story. >> ed espinoza, lenny mcallister. guys, thank you very much. that's fair game. michigan is strapped for cash. somehow this lotto winner received state benefits, food stamps. is she beating the system, or is the system broke? coming up, the lawmaker trying to prevent this from happening again. first, a study you may not want to take at face value. scientists from new zealand and canada showed 200 women photographs of 19 men with beards. then they showed them the same men cleanly shaved.

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you like that, boys? that's called the keys fishing, baby. homestead. everglades national park. >> put the anchor in the boat. that's a good size snapper. jack's having all the luck. >> reporter: unless the weather's bad, there are always folks out here, and always dolphin swimming nearby. tough to catch on camera, teasing us today. so we're heading in. had a great day out here on the water. and now everybody knows my favorite spot and the kind of fishing you can do out here. so the only thing i ask, don't tell everybody. >> but it's out. john zarrella taking advantage of a little work time for our travel insider. other cnn'ers are putting together their favorite places to visit l as well. we're going to air them each thursday on the cnn news room. ncaa march madness is almost here. selection sunday just days away.

yes, i'm filling out a bracket. are you? if you are, test your bracket skills against mine, will you? visit cnn.com/brackets to join the march madness cnn group. who do you think is going to be in the final four? let me know your march madness picks. go to my facebook page @kyracnn. she won $1 million but still collected food stamps. is she bilking the system, or is the system broken? the lawmaker trying to prevent this from happening again. michigan state representative dale zorn. ah, but my carrots have that crunch. it's my milk in the rich sauce coating the chicken and the pasta. boys! don't you think stouffer's steam perfect bag should get some credit? my carrots. my milk. my carrots. my milk. [ female announcer ] new from stouffer's. farmers' harvest steam meals for one in the steam perfect bag seal in all the goodness. they taste so good, we'll bet the farm on it. nestle. good food, good life. carrots! creamy! you'd chose an intel core i7 processor

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whether it's housing, schools, employment, michigan has been devastated by this recession, which is why what we are about to tell you will probably outrage you. 24-year-old amanda clayton hit a $1 million jackpot last fall. there's the check. after taxes, she banked more than $500,000. here's the outrage, according to affiliate wdiv, amanda was getting $200 a month in state welfare. that's right. still collecting welfare. your taxpayer money, after she won the lotto. that is, until the story went public. we just learned the state has now cut her off. but this is a woman who used her lotto money to buy a new car, a second home, yet she can't buy food? michigan representative dale zorn trying to get that law changed to prevent this from happening again. representative zorn is with us from lansing, michigan, via skype.

representative, we're going to get to clayton in just a minute. how could the state not know that she hit the state the lotto? >> there hasn't been any law set in place to make the connection between the lottery bureau and the department of human services. >> why is that? it just doesn't seem to make sense when you have so many people on welfare receiving money and then a big a story as winning the lotto, how could that connection not be made? don't you run the name and the social security number and get all that information? >> there's a loophole that provides for a person when they win the lottery to receive it either in a lump sum --

>> representative zorn, i'm having a hard time hearing you. i'm wondering, is it possible you can come a little closer to your computer. i know it's skype. this is always tough. is there a way you can adjust a little bit. let's try again. >> please repeat that. i apologize. >> there has been a loophole that's been found when the winners collect their winning prizes, and that loophole, if they collect it in one lump sum, it becomes an asset. if they collect it by the month or other payment methods, it becomes an income, which is caught by the department. it's assets, when they collect it as one lump sum, they do not catch that. >> what are you propose to go do so others cannot abuse the system like this? >> the legislation proposed is a

two-package bill. my legislation provides that the lottery bureau will notify the department of human services, which will then by the second bill in the package, will provide an asset test to that winner to determine if they're still eligible to receive public assistance. >> all right. so final question. i'm sorry that our connection is so bad. we're going to try to get one more in here. we reached out to the michigan department of human services, and i want to read you this quote. under dhs policy, a recipient of food assistance benefits must notify the state within ten days of any asset or income change. dhs relies on clients being forthcoming about their actual financial status. if they are not and continue to accept benefits, they may face criminal investigation and be required to pay back those benefits. michigan dhs does not currently have the ability to verify a person's lottery winnings in determining benefit eligibility.

so what clayton did, was it legal or illegal, and could she face criminal charges? >> well, i'm sure that every individual deserves a right to go through a fair investigation, and if there has been any fraudulent activities, i'm sure the department will do all they can to make that discovery and deal with it appropriately. but all people in the state of michigan deserves a fair investigation. >> representative dale zorn, your state is in a tough, tough time. sure hope that something happens after this story. appreciate it. millions of bucks just thrown away. the money was supposed to dress hundreds of low income job seekers. instead, an audit shows it only helped two people. ed by balsa wood airplanes since i was a kid. [ mike ] i always wondered how did an airplane get in the air. at ge aviation, we build jet engines. we lift people up off the ground to 35 thousand feet.

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time for stories making news at street level. for all the kids out there. wait just a second before you decide to light up that cigarette. the surgeon general's latest report says sbak companies are targeting youth and young adults with their products, and advertising them in convenience

stores like candy. flavored cigarettes, especially menthols, are being made especially for young smokers. here in atlanta, georgia, an attorney for whitney houston has filed her will in probate court and her judge validated it. the late singer's entire estate goes to her daughter, bobby kristina. the money will be placed in that trust in until the 19-year-old turns 21. houston's former husband bobby brown is mentioned, but he gets nothing. remember joe the plumber who made headlines during the 2008 race? now he's on the campaign trail. we were watching mitt romney and rick santorum battle it out in ohio on tuesday. joe the plumber, made a fellow republican in his race for congress. now he's up against a strong candidate 15-term incouple want marcy kaptor. take a listen to his defense

anti-gay remarks. they have jobs. that's what it comes down to. i'm allowed to have my opinions. the left becomes very intolerant when you have an opinion other than what they state. >> let's head to columbus, ohio, where the city's schools are going after participaents for l money. you heard me right, lunch money. and we're not talking junk change. parents owe more than $1 million to the school lunch fund. after two years of trying to get parents to pay up, the school district is turning the delinquent parents over to a collection agency if they owe $50 or more. >> down to san antonio, texas, where a little boy saved his best friend's life by performing the heimlich maneuver. the amazing part is this is just

a kind kindergarntner. >> nicholas was choking. he was choking on a big cheetoh. >> thanks for saving my life, buddy. >> in detroit in city's department of human services, they found evidence the department owes millions of dollars. it includes an $11 million grant meant to dres aup four low income job seekers. that money only helped two people over 11 months. the audit found they failed to safeguard the money, among other series sures. heading back east, fall river, mass. an 85-year-old boater learns disturbing news when she went to vote in the massachusetts primary. 84-year-old marie went to her

polling place on super tuesday. and according to an affiliate, poll workers told marie she couldn't vote because she was dead. clearly, that's not the case. she's pretty lively. she jokes about double checking the obits in the paper. >> first thing i look at is the obituaries. i said, i didn't even find my name on the obituary page. >> luckily the big step was fixed. maureen got to vote after a hour of waiting. the u.s. wants the armed forces to pull the plug on rush limbaugh. and he's not just any senior. can you name the last democrat to win a tennessee senate seat?

tweet the right answer and i'll give you a little cred after the break. tory at firstcarstory.com. courtesy of the 2012 subaru impreza. experience love that lasts. ♪

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i hear the rush limbaugh controversy made it all the way to the pentagon, at least one senator is hoping. tell us what's going on. >> rush limbaugh can't get away. the remarks are echoing throughout the country. ted barrett caught with carl levin on capitol hill. i'll tell you what carl levin told ted barrett. i would hope the people that run the american forces network, which is seen all around the world by our servicemen and servicewomen that they could see how offensive this is, and they would drop it on their own fruition. rus rush limbaugh is heard all around the world, and carl levin -- >> start again, mark.

let's start again. we're going to rewind here. rush limbaugh, getting it from the pentagon, or so says possiblily one politician. >> let's boil it down. the senate armed services chairman would like to see rush limbaugh dropped from the american forces network. so this limbaugh controversy continues on. >> it began with outrage from women's rights group. and then it got more political. it made its way all the way to the pentagon. you tend to wonder how far this is going to go. what's the buzz? he's really got himself in a lot of trouble this time around. >> he's got himself in a lot of

trouble. we've seen commercial radio stations in the u.s. dropped as well. if we start to hear more of this on capitol hill, there will be increasing pressure on the pentagon to drop his service. in some ways he's taking all this incoming and trying to turn it around and dismizing it. this is a controversy that will continue to go on and on and on. the senator that i mentioned, he is a democrat. democrats are raising money on this. so it goes on and on and on. >> mark preston, please get some sleep since tuesday night. cnn newsroom continues now with suzanne malveaux.

live from cnn headquarters in atlanta, it's 12:00 noon here. i'm suzanne malveaux. want to get you up to speed for thursday, march 8th. iran is appearing to be playing a dangerous cat and mouse game. two western diplomats telling cnn they are concerned about what's going on in the military base. the diplomats say they've seen satellite images that show iran trying to clean up before the site, before letting the inspectors in. the nuclear watchdog agency is worried that iran may be working on triggers for nuclear weapons. the head got to see for herself the shattered neighborhoods inside the syrian city homes. that's where at least 47 people were killed just today in fighting between the government troops and protesters. one argument on capitol hill

today, should the united states get involved in syria militarily and when? >> i tuns strain on military families. but i also understand the proudest part of american's history is when we have tried to help other people achieve the same goals that we so parentally articulated when we declared our independence. >> you have to lay some ground work. you can't just jump up and say let's drop bombs on the syrian tanks. >> the number of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time went up last week. that's 8,000 more than the prior week. economists actually thought that that number would be lower. democrats and republicans getting together? when the is the last time you heard that?

the house is expected to pass a bill to help jobs go public. it removes obstacles that get in the way of small businesses trying to get investors. oklahoma city, tanks of crude oil now furiously burning. the fire chief struck the oil storage tanks. now they're trying to pour on some foam. they're hoping to get the wind and help for smoke drifting above the houses miles away. so far the homes have not been evacuated. all right, you might not feel this right now, but we're getting clobbered by a major storm spit out by the sun. your gps might go haywire. your flight may be delayed. there's some good stuff, there's some bad stuff that happens in a solar storm. i'm going to have all that for

you. and there's an oscar winner inside the submarine. he's closer to attempting a daring dive. part research, part adventure. he's doing it. he's at the controls, and he is ready to go. >> i want to rook around at the image and bring it all back so people can see what's there. >> and he invited us into his research ship way out in the western pacific. we have a full report coming up. and what is iran trying to had two say iran is trying to clean up one of the nuclear sites before letting the inspectors in. the latest undevelopments are unfolding as all the world leaders are getting together.

they have agreed to restart talks with iran about the nuclear program. they've been meeting. matthew, tell us first of all about these reports now, about the military base. the site where they believe there's some movement happening there at the site in iran that might be trying to trick the inspectors that will be coming there shortly. >> that's the interpretation that's been put on the satellite images being viewed by the iaea. it's certainly the spin that's been put on it by various western diplomats about what we're seeing. they're interpreting it as the site being cleaned up.

this is a place where they suspect that research was carried out on nuclear explosive devices by the iranians. the iranians say all this talk is utterly false. take a listen to the iaea ambassador had to say about this. >> iran is not pursue iing a nuclear weapon. the truth is for the next couple of months, iran is testing a nuclear weapon, it's not correct. the truth it it does not have any effect on nuclear activities. in fact, it's targeting human

beings and the public. >> we don't know where, we don't know when, but hopefully the new negotiations will help bring clarity on the issue. >> just listen thog the ambassador, it's very clear these are polarizing positions. this is the opposite of what western diplomats are saying ch he's saying there's not a nuclear program. this is for energy. it's not for building a weapon. how do the sides come together? there seems to be no gray area here? >> yeah. it's a problem. the western governments have been grappling with for the past nine years or so since iran's nuclear program first emerged. there is a report that's current that's been compiled by the iaea. it lists all the questions that need to be answered by iran and to guarantee that the nuclear

program is for peaceful purposes. other things have to be done, like they want various scientists in the iranian program that they believe may have knowledge of what activities the iranians have carried out. none of that has been forthcoming. and it fueled suspiciousns heldy the west. that's the official position that iran does have a case to answer, and it's not telling the agency everything it needs to. >> all right, matthew, thank you very much. an intelligence analyst actually gives us some insight into what iran may be up to in the nuclear program. we're going to hear from her at the top of the hour. today is international women's day. are things really all that better for women now? here's the picture. right. women do two-thirds of the world's work, produce half of its food. but when it comes to payday,

they get just 10% of the world's income and own just 1% of the land. so how far have we come? talk back. what is the single most important thing that has to change for women? send us your thoughts? we're going to air them at the end of the hour. here's a rundown of the stories we're covering first. wells fargo is expanding checking fees. the goal, eliminate free checking all together. we'll add that up. and if you can believe it a 30-story hotel built in just two weeks. we got the pictures. then joe the plumber running for congress. this is a guy who threw a tough question at candidate obama. now he's getting a taste of his own medicine. >> in my dictionary, in everyone's dictionary from the 1970s, the word queer did mean strange and unusual. there was no slur to it. do you challenge that? i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes.

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all right. if you have a checking account with wells far go, get ready to pay more. the bank is eliminating free checking. wells fargo starting charging $7 a month for checking out west. now it's packing on the same fee in six more states. alison kosik is at the stock exchange. alison, i don't think people are going to like this. >> it's really become a normal thing these days. if you want a checking account, you're going to have to pay. if you want it with wells fargo,

you have to pay $7 a month. but you can really avoid the fee by doing a couple of things. at least at wells fargo, keep a $1,500 minimum balance in the account or use direct deposit. this is the direction wells fargo has been going in for a while. back in 2010 the bank got rid of free checking for new customers. last year it applied the fee to existing customers in a few western states. that was a test. now that the test is over, they said, let's add it to six more states. as of right now there's no word on whether or not more states will be added down the road. free checking has really become a thing of the past. 55% of checking accounts have fees now. compare that to 24% in 2009. >> and which states are we talking about? the six states. >> funny you should ask. wells fargo not saying which states exactly.

cnn spoke to wells fargo, which won't give details. and cnn has heard from customers who live in new york and georgia, and they say they've been notified that this fee is going to be tacked on. if you're affected by the $7 fee, you should be notified. if you're not sure, go to the local wells fargo branch to find out. give them a call. >> alison, you and i travel all the time. i'm sure you have points at various places. would you able to stay at a hotel just built in two weeks? >> two weeks? >> was it built with silly putty or cement? >> the pictures you're looking at, this is in china and it shows how it was being assembled. people were really amazed by

this. this video right now has more than 5 million views on youtube. but people -- it's got people asking whether or not this thing is even safe. >> do you want to be the dguine staying in there? >> the company says it's safe. these are real materials. you go to bed and there's wet paint or something. >> or you see the ceiling on top of you. that's good stuff. >> i would wait a while and let somebody else try that out first. >> i'm with you. >> all right, alison, we'll see you in a little bit. what is iran up to now? diplomats report suspicious activities that look like a possible cover-up at a nuclear site. my next guest says it's not the first time that iran has done something like this. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures.

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iran is not telling us everything. that's the assessment from the director of the international nuclear watchdog group. a particular concern is a military site where it's suspected that iran may be working on a nuclear trigger.

the chairman of the house intelligence committee was asked about the satellite images that apparently show iran trying to clean up this site. >> i do believe with a high degree of confidence that there were activities there that were related to the nuclear weapons program. what they were is still up for debate. clearly that's one site. there are several different avenues that they're per suing at the same time. enrichment being one. missile testing being another. how do you get the nuclear bomb to function? we think they may have been at a nuclear facility in richmond and others. >> iran is apparently playing hide and seek with nuclear sites. at the same time the iranians are saying they are ready to talk. i want to get perspective on what it means. director for the global intelligence firm stratford.

riva, thank you so much joining us here. you have world leaders reaffirming their support. they say we support a diplomatic solution to the iranian nuclear issue. that's the statement they released today. very significant symbolically, but does this statement have any teeth when it comes to changing iran's behavior? >> i don't think she can hear us. all right. we're going to bring her back. riva, can you hear us? >> yes. >> i want to talk about the fact that you have world leaders. they have an agreement. a stap l talking to iran about getting rid of nuclear ambitions. do you think this is symbolically important, but

doesn't have teeth? >> well, certainly there's a lot of concern over iran's efforts to get the nuclear device. the satellite before was showing vehicles moving around dirt, which you would assume is iran trying to remove soil contaminated by nuclear waste. that's something that we saw occur five years ago when they were inspecting for any signs of that. the concern is all about weaponization and whether iran is developing those twriggers. they're giving statements, but it's really just statements. that's a side show to a more important dialogue that we see taking place in the back channels between the united states and iran. and the supreme leader of iran made an interesting statement towards that effect today. >> and riva, tell us about the statement. what did the supreme leader say? it was very interesting at the president's press conference on

tuesday where he said, you know there's rumblings that they're serious about talking to the united states. >> if you look at the past week, we see a ton of war rhetoric on iran. the narrative you saw is israel is ready to strike, whether or not the u.s. is. but in reality we see things are very different. the iranians know they have to do little to spike the oil prices up every time they mention the word hormuz. so the obama administration has been putting out diplomatic feelers to iran since the beginnibegin ing of the year. we've seen the gestures being made on both sides. today the supreme leader expressed his pleasure in obama's statements over the week, in which he stressed the diplomatic over the military

option. we have to see where the talks go. those are occurring in the back channel. they're difficult to track in the open source. >> you say there's all this war talk. twhi do you suppose that's happening with israel? do you think this is for domestic consumption that folks are trying to appear strong for re-election prospects? certainly there's a lot of political angles to this see. you can see how they can try to make the obama administration appear weak when it comes to israel and counterring iran. you can see the israelis are trying to play this up for their domestic constituency. they can't afford isolation from the united states and they're not able to perform a military strike on iran and deal with the consequences of that strike alone.

so we have to put that into political contest. the war rhetoric was inevitable. >> and riva, is anybody clear about what's taking place on the ground in iran? that that facility was about? whether or not they're really close to a new weapon? >> i think the concern is the research that silty has been known to be a military complex. so if there's suspicion that nuclear activity is taking place there, then they're worried about weaponization for a potential nuclear device taking place, or at least attempts to do that the iranians learned well from the lessons of iraq and the strike by israel. these are dug-in sites. intelligence here. even if you're contingency

planninging against iran for a military strike, how dug in are they? is anybody, particularly the united states, prepared to deal with the consequences of conflict in the strait of hormuz for which you have the crew passing through every day? >> thank you so much for your per spect i. thank you for coming on the show. international women's day. this time last year women in cairo, egypt, were being spat on for marching to mark the day. have things improved? we're going to go to find out. [ female announcer ] goodnight gluttony, a farewell long awaited. goodnight, stuffy. goodnight, outdated. goodnight old luxury and all of your wares. goodnight bygones everywhere. [ engine turns over ] good morning, illumination. good morning, innovation. good morning unequaled inspiration. [ male announcer ] the audi a8,

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texas school bus home. that's right. we're going to tell you what happened when police found them living inside. and later joe the plumber making a bid for congress. this guy makes a name for himself asking candidate obama some tough questions. hear what happens to him when he had to answer some pretty tough questions himself. but first, take some circus performers, musicians, add a couple computer programmers, whoa. i don't know. what do you get? a group of art enthusiasts, and they're on cnn's next list. >> we're a group of people from various disciplines who come together to create really fun and interesting, innovative art. what is the unofficial motto here? >> well, there's a couple. we've also been called a drinking club with an art

problem. >> the fast club called us the league of extraordinary nerds. some people express themselves through science. some people express themselves through art. this is a meeting place where it all comes together. look at our route map... and what do you see? clean lines connecting city to city. the map shows you where we go... but not how we get there. because in this business... there are no straight lines. only the twists and turns of an unpredictable industry. the passengers change... the gates change. government regulations change... oil peaks and plummets. and let's not even get started on the weather. the fact is: no two flights are ever the same. no matter how many times we've accomplished them in the past. the eighty-thousand employees at delta... must predict the unpredictable. anticipate the unexpected.

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police in montgomery county, texas, found two children living in this old school bus in what they call deplorable conditions. they say the bus smelled. the children were left to fend for themselves for much of the day. they're just 5 and 11 years old. their great aunt had been carrying for them after their parents went to jail on wild fraud charges. there are no signs of child

abuse, but the kid are in foster care. the d.a. has not decided on whether or not to file charges. check out a train derailment. one of the train's cars was leaking a hazardous chemical. it's now contained. no one was injured, fortunately. it's not clear what caused the train to go off the tracks. people in henryville, indiana, are working fast to rebuild their schools after last week's deadly torrents. they can restore the elementary and the high schools by the start of the school year this fall. what is the single most important thing that has to change for women? christine says it would be really great if women didn't have to feel obligated to be the mom, the breadwinner, the maid and the cook all rolled into one. there's no such thing as having it all. more on your responses up ahead. time for the help desk where we get answers to your financial

questions. joining me this hour, the president of consumer education with smartcredit.com. lynn net is a personal finance author and founder of ask the money coach.com. your question comes for jim in pennsylvania. jim has a 30-year fixed mortgage. he got it in 2009. he has an interest rate of 5.25%. he wants to know at that rate if he should refinance. >> we talk about 5.25 not being optimal. it's about 150 base points higher than the best. absolutely. there's a cost involved in refinancing. if you plan on staying in a house more than fife years it's going to work out in your favor. especially if he has good credit. he can probably get a rate close to 3.75 now. >> wow. and your question comes for chris in california. chris wrote in i want to open a 529 for my kids, a college savings plan, what happens to the account if my children attend an out of state school? does it matter? >> here's the great thing about 529 plans.

it doesn't matter at all. i have them for my three kids. they're portable and they're transferable in many ways. let's assume whatever state you live in you can buy in california, michigan, the texas, utah, it really doesn't matter because if your kid goes to a school in, say, arizona or michigan, the 529 funds can transfer and go along with them. if your oldest kid johnny, decides i don't want to go to college. i want to travel and find myself, you can transfer them down to his sister. so it's a really flexible way to save for college and a great resource. >> thanks so much. send us an e-mail any time. people with a machine.

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us as second class citizens and/or property. will says more women in government. i can't wait for the day to rule the world. what's the single most important thing that has to change in the rush limbaugh mentality. wow. keep the conversation going online. going to have more responses in the next hour. so they call the guy joe the plumber. he's the guy who had pretty tough questions for then candidate obama. now samuel rosenbacher is running for congress and he's getting a taste of his own medicine.

sparking revolutions throughout the middle east as protesters took to the street, and a key factor in the protest, women. many of them risking their personal safety to make their voices heard, but graphic images like this one last year in cairo show the brutality that women faced as they tried to improve their lives and future generation. now one year later, in people are asking a key question, are the women in the region any better off? joining me is somebody who has been on the the front lines of

the protests as well as seen the violence firsthand, egyptian journalist in cairo today. it's good to see you. first of all, people should be reminded. you were a part of the protests. you received beatings. you were sexually assaulted. you know what's going on on the ground there. do we have reason to celebrate today? how are things for women where you are? -- not hearing mona. >> -- and the biggest point we wanted to make is that women have been integral to the revolution from the very beginning, and that without women's rights and without women's participation, this revolution h will not work. another important point we want to make this sticker i'm wearing here, which is the demand that 50% of egypt's committee be comprised of women.

so those were very loud messages that we were chanting as we were walking to parliament house today. >> what is the tone like? what is the mood like there? because previously when you were marching on the streets, there was a lot of fear, and there was a lot of violence. >> well, you know, today last year when women tried to hold a similar protest in support of women's rights, they were beaten. they were sexually assaulted, and they were chased down the street. and the violence got worse and worse. because tomorrow, march #th, is the first anniversary of the date when the egyptian army broke out in tahrir square, arrested activists, tortured and beat them and gave the female activists so called virginity tests. which comes down to sexual assaults. i was beaten. my arms were broken. i was sexually assaulted. this climaxed with that image of

a woman being dragged into the square, stripped down to her underwear. thousands marched through and said egyptian women are the red line. that caused the one and only apology from the egyptian supreme military counsel that runs the country. that was the one and only time they apologized. i spent most of the time walking to parliament with a woman who was suing the military if for the the so-called virginity tests. >> where is that now? you have an apology here. where is that particular case. are they still carrying out these so called virginity tests? >> well, that apology was very area. what's happening now in that case, it ended two things. it ended once and for all the so-called virginity tests. they used to be standard procedure. but, two, i've seen the way people react to this young

woman. she's only 26 years old. she's a 26-year-old egyptian woman who is standing up to 19 generals in our military and saying i demand justice. her case, unfortunately, because it's so sensitive, he's been delayed, he's been delayed. they were supposed to have a verdict yesterday, but it was postponed until march the 11th. i can tell you, that young woman is very determined young woman. she knows why she and other women were subjected to these sexual assaults. as she said, the egyptian military and security think they will silence us and shame us into going back home. we will not be silenced. we will not be shamed. >> thank you very much, mona. obviously some progress is made as brave women come forward. there's a lot of progress to go. thank you very much, mona. you may remember him, joe the plumber. he's the ohio man who became famous back in 2008. he asked president obama who was then a candidate about the small business tax plan. well, joe the plumber's real

name is sam yell roselbacher. earlier today he talked to my colleague, and she asked him about a comment he made about homowallty in years back. >> you made comments about gay people. queer means strange and unusual. it's not like a slur. like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. you've also said i had friends that are actually homosexual. and i mean, they know where i stand and they know i wouldn't have them anywhere near my children. but at the same time, they're people, and they're going to do their thing. have you changed your positions on this at all? >> so, this is tmz. this isn't cnn? >> of course, it's cnn. these are things that you said. i would like to know if you still standby them or if you have changed your positions on them? >> no, i want everybody to have a job.

americans. >> but what about the comments that you made? what about the comments that you mad? do you standby these comments? >> in my dictionary from the 1970s the word queer meant strange and unusual. there's no slur to it. do you challenge that? >> no, i'm questioning whether or not i still stand on the positions on homosexuality. what context are you use sng. >> >> it's not a gotcha moment. and i think people voting for you need the opportunity to understand whether or not you have changed your position on the two issues. >> i have spoke with jimmy at go proud. i'm in an agreement that i'm going to work towards all americans, homosexual, straight, they want jobs. i'm allowed to have an opinion. the left becomes very intolerant when you have an opinion other than what they state.

>> i want to bring in dana bash. so dana, you and i are very familiar with joe the plumber. i was there when he took that question to president obama. and you covered john mccain when he really became this larger than life figure that mccain used. i want our viewers to go back and take a listen. this is what made him famous in the first place. >> good to see you, joe. >> i'm ready to buy a company. that makes about 250 -- $278,000 a year. >> all right. >> your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn't it? >> all right, dana, so it's kind of ironic at this point, where he's now facing tough questions of his own, and he's having a difficult time of it. paint a picture for us, if you will, of this race that he's engaged in now and how he's doing. >> it is ironic. i have to say i remember like yesterday the day i got a call from a senior mccained adviser.

it was less than 24 hours that he was on the campaign trail with john mccain. he's an interesting character to this say the least. after he told a group that he was speaking to, maybe giving a paid speech, that john mccain and sarah palin ruined his life because they used him. and now he is run for congress. and won his primary. and now he's got this important race and the very important state of ohio. so he's definitely a fascinating figure to say the least. this is going to be an interesting race because he's running interest marcy kaptor. she's the longest serving woman in the house of representatives. she's won and defeated 12 republican challengers and now joe the plumber is going to be the one to try to beat her. >> it seems like it's a pretty tough race. does he stand a chance? does anybody really give him the

odds favored? or how are they gauging this thing out? >> i spoke with marcy kaptur yesterday. she herself just won a very big, very intense, and bitter race against dennis kucinich, because of redistricting. the two democrats were pitted against each other. she won. and i asked her about the next race that she's going to have. here's what she said. do you consider it a real race? >> i am aware that there are forces around him that can direct money into advertising in our marketplace to try to probably embarrass the president and make life difficult for us, and we're going to stand up and fight for the people like we always do. >> you're taking it seriously? >> every race we take seriously. >> now, he has some pretty big money behind him. there was actually a super pac, they wept into the race. and marcy kaptur said she's

worried they'll have to come in with big money to help joe the plumber against her. the other thing fascinating to watch in this race, suzanne, is the fact that marcy kaptur is a high ranking democrat on the appropriations committee. she's been arguing that because she can bring home the bacon, and that she can stay in washington, that's flies in the face of the tea party. so if she can win, that will -- she can make that argument against someone like that, it will be different from what we've seen in terms of the friends lately. >> all right, dana. we're going to be following that race closely. i am surprised you can pronounce his name. it's tough one to say. >> i worked hard at that one. >> the latest political news, go to cnnpolitics.com. if you're clostrophobic, legendary film director james cameron is squeezing into a tiny one man submarine. he wants to take it seven miles

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james cameron is not happy just being an oscar winning movie director. no. he now has his eyes on a much more historic achievement, and he's actually risking his life to do this. james cameron is preparing for the world's deepest ocean dive. james carol went all the way to

western pacific to take a look. >> james cameron is on a mission, and what you're seeing is another step, or better to say, dive towards reaching it. >> it goes by fast. no, it does. it's so exciting. every second you're seeing something cool. i'm telling you, i'm wiped out after the dive. your brain is going 1,000 miles an hour. >> though cameron may be best known for directing the highest grossing films of all time, he's also known in the scientific community as an accomplished deep sea explorer. after working for several years, cameron and his team of scientists have created a technologically advanced sub to take him to the deepest known point on the planet. in a joint project with the narcotic geographic society, cameron sets his sites on challenger deep, some 36,000 feet below the surface, nearly seven miles down. >> i want to get down there and look around, and bring it all back so people can see what's there. i mean, it's the last unexplored

fror tier on the planet. >> cameron has taken his sub, aply named deep sea challenger on a series of test dives. already they've collected strange looking organisms at depths so extreme it would crush a man. it's a treasure-trove for scientists. on this day our cameras are invited for a key test dive. >> we're going to 26,000 feet. we meaning me and the sub tomorrow afternoon. no, you're not coming. it's a one seater. but the test at 26,000 feet, cut a little short. deep sea challenger made it to a little more than 23,800 feet, then had to come back. >> good news is it's now officially the deepest diving submersible in the world. the bad news is, never saw the bottom. got about five major system failures that prevented me from going on. >> but cameron and his team did

go onto reach a point beyond 26,000 feet. their next step, challenger deep. >> all right. jason carroll, back from the depths of the ocean, joining us from new york. hi, jason. so tell us about this. i mean, there's a big prize at stake, and obviously it's pretty dangerous. what did you learn? >> well, look, there's a lot of risk involved with something like this. cameron is not doing this for any prize money. he's not doing this for glory. he's doing this really because he has a love of exploration, something that he's had ever since he was a little boy growing up in canada; and he has a great deal of respect for the science community. that's why he's doing this. that's why you're seeing the test dive you see there. that's why he's going to attempt it before the month is out. >> and what did you notice? what did you see? >> well, what i noticed first and foremost, not just the technologically advanced sub that you saw there,bu