tv CNN Newsroom CNN March 24, 2012 12:00pm-1:00pm PDT
12:00 pm
harold waller reportedly had one pistol and a holster, and three in his carry-on bag. police found more guns and ammunition in his parked car. he is being held without bail and face as rather long list of charges. ♪ this is the place of a child >> country duo sugarland will not have to give depositions next week in the indiana state fair stage collapse investigation. the band asked for more time to prepare, because they're getting ready for a new tour. the judge says they must submit video depositions by mid-april. sugarland was about to perform last august at the state fair when the stage collapsed under high winds. seven people were killed. in politics, the republican presidential candidates are going head-to-head today in louisiana. the state is holding its primary right now. the latest polls show rick santorum with a double-digit lead over mitt romney and newt gingrich. and hundreds of
12:01 pm
demonstrators rallied against the health care overhaul today. near the u.s. capitol building. on monday, the u.s. supreme court will hear arguments about whether the health care reform act is constitutional. demonstrators including former presidentialened r candidate herman cain insistent the act is illegal and say it infringes on their freedom. >> freedom to choose our own doctors. freedom to choose our own health providers. freedom to choose our own treatment. freedom to choose our own health insurance plan. this isn't just about repeal of obama care, which it is. but this is about getting our freedom back to just be free to make our own decisions with our lives. >> so monday the u.s. supreme court will begin hearing
12:02 pm
arguments on the health care overhaul. kate bolduan has a look how the case may unfold. . . >> reporter: march 23, 2010, president obama signs into law the signature achievement of his presidency. the affordable care act. the landmark and controversial health care overhaul. >> after all the votes have been tallied, health insurance reform becomes law in the united states of america. [ chanting ] >> reporter: within hours states across the country filed lawsuits challenging the law. >> this is salve liberty. it's not just about health care. >> reporter: led by florida, 26 states argue the law's central provision is unconstitutional. the so-called individual mandate. it requires almost every american to purchase health insurance by 2014 or pay a penalty. opponents say the constitution's commerce clause does not give
12:03 pm
congress the power to force individuals to purchase a commercial product like health insurance they may not need or want. paul clement is arguing on pa behalf of the states before the supreme court. >> these issues are central whether the federal government will regulate anything it wants to. >> reporter: the government defenlds the sweeping reforms arguing medical care is not a choice, that every american will need health care at some point in their lives and also say that tens of millions of uninsured americans are costing everyone else more. $43 billion in uncompensated costs in 2008 alone, according to government figures. >> no one is saying there's a right to freeload off one's neighbor when you decide not to choose health insurance. >> reporter: the stakes only grow larger with the supreme court taking the case just monthing before an election. >> we're getting rid of obama care and returning to freedom. >> reporter: and the election year blockbuster has again turned the spotlight on the
12:04 pm
justices themselves. [ chanting ] >> reporter: as with the bush v. gore case in 2000, will the justices be criticized for letting politics creep into the courtroom? >> the health care cases have huge political overtones. obviously i think the justices will probably put them to the side. the legal stakes are so high that i don't think they'll pay attention that much, if at all, to the fact that it's occurring in an election cycle. they've just got to get the case right. >> reporter: what we're talking about four separate issues argued for six hours over three days. that rarely happens and shows just how important this case is, but even after these marathon public sessions we still won't know the final outcome for likely three months. kate bolduan, cnn at the supreme court. all right. there are several possible outcome following the health care argument. the supreme court could throw out all of the law, or keep only parts in place. that includes the possibility of tossing out the individual mandate and keeping the rest of
12:05 pm
the law as-is. the court could also decide to hold off on making a ruling altogether. u.s. supreme court is expected to issue its decision by late june. all right. turning to the national fury that is growing over the shooting of an unarmed african-american teen in florida. protester are turning out in cities across the country. this is tampa a short time ago. they are calling for the arrest of a neighborhood watch captain who claims he shot trayvon martin in self-defense. also under fire, florida's stand your ground law. florida's governor rick scott, is now calling for a review of that law. but the florida state representative who co-authored it argues there is nothing wrong with the law. dennis baxley says it should not have applied to this shooting. >> in the case in sanford that this doesn't apply. there's nothing in this statute that provides you the authority to pursue and to confront people on the street. >> we get a different
12:06 pm
perspective from dan gelber who voted against the stand your ground law when he was in the florida state senate, and is now calling for its repeal. earlier today i asked him if the trayvon martin death is a kind of case that he had feared would happen. >> prior to 2005, we had a perfectly good self-defense law. or had been treat understand fairly. in 2005, governor bush signed into law a bill that essentially have took out of the law any requirement that a person in broad daylight, outside of their home, as this case suggests, has to de-escalate a situation, or walk away, if he can. >> so what precipitated this law, then? if you said everything seemed to be fine and then this new law came into place. what was impetus for it? >> i think really the nra, who has really won every major battle in florida.
12:07 pm
does these fringe issues, where they really don't have anything to do with a real victim, and we asked every proponent of the law, just give us that single person who was unfairly prosecuted, unfairly convicted or acquitted who shouldn't have been, and nobody could point to a single person in the state in that category. >> so is it your view this is a shoot-first law, because i heard those words from urban league's who said this is a shoot-first law and ask questions later? and in this case, he and others are exemplifying not enough questions are being asked? >> well, listen, i don't want to throw red meat into something that's not fair. i don't think people do stupid or malicious things because of this law. but people who do stupid and malicious things have a defense that they should not be entitled to because of this law. i mean, mr. zimmerman is going to have the ability to muddle up the waters in this because of this law, and he shouldn't have. he clearly did something wrong.
12:08 pm
he clearly, if that young man's life means anything it means that justice has to be done here, but he's going to be able to have a defense in this case, or at least start one, and apparently the detectives initially believed he had one because of this law. >> so now that former governor jeb bush has weighed in and says that this is not the intent of the law. it didn't appear based on all of the public accounts, eyewitness accounts that george zimmerman was being pursued by trayvon martin, but instead it was the other way around, and that this law may have been misused in this case. do you believe that that is impetus enough for a real movement to try to repeal this law, and if so, what will it take? >> well, i think the stand your ground part of the law has to be repealed. we didn't need that law. it was unnecessary. it was a solution in search of a problem. >> join cnn's don lemon at serve cynthia tonight fserve cynthia
12:09 pm
one-hour special. one group in particular caught our attention. mothers. hear their unique perspective and advice they give their children in hopes they don't end up dying young. also you'll hear from neighbors and friends of both trayvon martin and the admitted shooter. it's a "cnn newsroom" special report with don lemon. the trayvon martin killing, tonight, 7:00 eastern time. president barack obama hitting the road. destination, south korea. he is talking nuclear security there, but will -- a visit by one of the world's most powerful men, also, attract the wrong kind of attention? [ male announcer ] this is genco services --
12:10 pm
mcallen, texas. in here, heavy rental equipment in the middle of nowhere, is always headed somewhere. to give it a sense of direction, at&t created a mobile asset solution to protect and track everything. so every piece of equipment knows where it is, how it's doing or where it goes next. ♪ this is the bell on the cat. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ my son and i never missed opening day. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler
12:11 pm
for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better, and that means... game on! symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. [ whistle ] with copd, i thought i might miss out on my favorite tradition. now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing. today i'm back with my favorite team. ask your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or click to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.
12:12 pm
some stories making news outside the united states right now. pope benedict xvi is in mexico. the first full day of his trip to latin america. today the pope met with the mexican president calderon and leads a mass tonight and traveling to cuba on monday. way out in space the crew of the international space station took emergency precautions today. they jumped into their escape capsules when a hunk of space junk got too close for comfort. there was a slight chance the debris would have hit the space station. it didn't. it passed. all-clear. this boat is really far from home. a fishing boat that disappeared in last years tsunami in japan turned up this weekend off the coast of british columbia. it took a year to drift nearly 5,000 miles. and president barack obama is in the air right now. he's on the way to south korea where the main event is an
12:13 pm
international summit on nuclear security. but the president will also visit the heavily armed demilitarized zone that separates the two koreas. paula hancocks reports on why u.s. presidents feel the need to see the dmz in person. >> reporter: former u.s. president bill clinton described it as the scariest place on earth when he visited in 1993. ironically called the demilitarized zone, the border between north and south korea is actually the most heavily fortified border in the world. 2.5 miles, or 4 kilometers wide, much of the dmz is a no-man's-land buffered by watch towers and land mines. the joint security area is where the armistice was xined between the north and south, where negotiations take place today and it's the one place u.s. soldiers can see their north korean counterparts up close. it's a tourist site for visitors to south korea, and, of course,
12:14 pm
for american presidents. ronald reagan, the last american leader of the cold war visited the final frontier of the cold war in 1983. his assessment -- >> looks like a hollywood back lot. >> reporter: previous u.s. president george w. bush visited in february 2002, just weeks after he granted north korea as part of his so-called axis of evil along with iran and iraq. so why do presidents feel the need to visit one of the most tense borders in the world? >> there's the signal that's sent to north korea regarding u.s. resolve and the strength of the alliance. there's a signal sent to south koreans that the u.s. is reassuring them and that will fulfill their alliance commitments. >> reporter: in case you thought the v.i.p.s were just on the south korean side, the new north
12:15 pm
korean leader kim un visited earlier. ordering his troops to be on the highest alert. president barack obama visit to the dmz could well be seen as a provocation by north korea, but officials insist that this trip was planned long before relations between the two countries recently soured. paula hancocks, cnn, seoul. all right. if you're planning a spring break or a summer vacation our tech expert has travel gadgets to help you navigate through your next trip, next. whwheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! whwheeee! ! whwheeee!! whwheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
12:16 pm
ahah h heaeadsds u up. whwheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! evevererytythihingng y youou l , nonow w momobibilele.. dodownwnloloadad t thehe n nep totodaday.y. [ man ] mr. squeak. [ woman ] the shag wagon. [ male announcer ] you loved your first car. animate and share your first car story at firstcarstory.com. courtesy of the 2012 subaru impreza. experience love that lasts. ♪ have more fiber than other leading brands. they're the better way to enjoy your fiber.
12:18 pm
all right. it's spring break time and a lot of you are hitting the road. before you pack your bags, our syndicate the technology columnist marc saltzman has gadgets that will make your spring travel more fun and less stressful. a great combination especially for travel. marc, good to see you. start with the new ipad. >> right. this is the third generation ipad, of course, that debuted a couple of weeks back. it's great for traveling with even opposed to a laptop, because tablets are only a pound and a half, only a -- very super thin. turn on right away. a ten-hour battery life. they're great for reading e-books. although it is a premium price tablet that starts at $500, this is, in my opinion, the best on
12:19 pm
the market. the new ipad. however, there are tablets like the kindle fire for $200. there's this, some of the acer and samsung molds between $200 and $300. i think tact tablets are great e-mails, surfing the web, watching video. unless you need to do a lot of typing, you might consider bringing a thin laptop with you. >> oh, okay. and not necessarily an attachment to put with that little new ipad? no? >> yeah, you can. there are actually accessories fredricka. this is a case that i love. called the bluetooth keyboard case. not only protects the tablet, which i always recommend you getting something to protect your investment, like a case, but it also has a wireless keyboard right here. so as you can see, it's a keyboard not quite full size but built right into the case. so as you see, can you do some typing. word processor. it you are traveling for work,
12:20 pm
or if you want to respond to a lot of e-mails or maybe writing a travel diary, it might make sense to bring an accessory like that with your tablet, or bring a netbook or ultrabook with you. >> makes a lot of sense. now what about this new smartphone that you highly recommend? >> sure. so there's no shortage of great smartphone, but smartphones are great travel companions because they're like a digital swiss army knife. there's so many apps that are great for travelers like kirns convert currency converters, language translators. the samsung galaxy note. 5.3 inches, an idea how big it is subpoena p is. it's almost two inches bigger than the iphone. if you like to read digital magazines, watch video, hand it to a child to play game, the new "angry birds" on here. this is a great smartphone.
12:21 pm
$299 with at&t plus a stylist pen tucked into the back that let's you write and draw on the screen as well. don't forget, smartphones are also great for navigation. gps. >> neat stuff. so now when you're on a plane, you want to tune people out sometimes, whether it's the people who are talking or the baby crying, you've got something for us in that respect and also something quickly to kind of keep those gadgets charged up? >> i didn't hear. i was wearing noise cancelling ear phones. >> you didn't hear? la, la, la, la, la. >> great noise cancelling headphones. great for, you know blocking out engine roar or crying children. plug it into your music, or whether you are you don't, plugs into a cable, plugs into a smartphone. talk as well. a prishg phone on it. top of the line bose headphones. there are noise cancels headphones for as low as $50.
12:22 pm
and this is a power bag. a company that makes backpacks, slings, that charge up gadgets while on the go. if you're traveling, that's cheap. a little plug here that goes into the wall. you can see, press and hold. it shopws you's amount of power. all the connectors inside. connect your camera, your smartphone, and keeps it charged up. they're pretty cool looking as well. very comfortable. >> we're losing our power with you now, marc saltzman. thanks so much. we have to disconnect. >> all right. >> take care. thanks so much. so for more high-tech ideas and reviews go to cnn.com/tech and look for the gaming gadgets tab or follow marc saltzman on linked in. rent your home from your bank. it's never been done before, but one of the country's largest lenders is trying to prevent foreclosures. details, next.
12:23 pm
12:25 pm
12:26 pm
now one bank wants you to rent it. details right after the top stories. protesters are turning out in cities across the country this weekend to publicly show outrage over the shooting death of an unarmed african-american teen. trayvon martin was gunned down in sanford, florida, last month by a neighborhood watch captain. protesters are call forge charges to be filed against the shooter. in politics, republican voters head to the polls in louisiana right now. the state is holding its gop primary today. the latest polls show rick santorum with a double-digit lead over mitt romney and newt gingrich. and about 2,000 people who can't afford dental care are getting some help for free this weekend. a two-day free dental clinic wraps up in about three hours in connecticut. some patients started lining up thursday afternoon. more than 100 dentists and about 1,600 volunteers donated their time. patients say it make as huge
12:27 pm
difference. >> it would be a struggle. i already owe one dentist $700. i'm struggling to pay him. >> people really need the opportunity and access to care, and they don't have it, and it's just -- this line tells you they don't have it. >> all this two days before the u.s. supreme court takes up the arguments of health care and its constitutionality. all right. rent your home from your bank? it's never been tried before, but one of the nation's largest mortgage lenders, bank of america is offering the program as a way to prevent foreclosure. lisa sylvester shows us how it works. >> reporter: eric and didi chris bought their home in 2007 when housing prices were at their peak. now their home is worth only one-third of what they paid for it. they've tried refinancing with their lender bank of america, but so far no luck there. they've already received a foreclosure notice. it's been particularly hard on
12:28 pm
the couple's children. >> we try to hide it the best we can. it's, you know, it's hard on them, just because they have to change schools, and day cares and stuff like that. but, you know, there are times where they see mom crying, and stuff like that. they want to know why. >> reporter: for every story like this family's, there are millions more. but now bank of america is trying something new. instead of foreclosing on a home, allow the troubled home borrower to rent the home. in a statement the bank said, "this program may have the potential to further round out the broad set of solutions we offer customers in need of assistance. customers would sign away rights to the property, resident up to three years. their rents would be less than their monthly mortgage payment. initially the bank would be the landlord. eventually propertied turned over to private investors. the pilot program will be rolled out first in arizona, nevada and
12:29 pm
new york, with fewer than 1,000 homeowners invited to participate. but if successful it could be expanded throughout the country. this woman with the consumer rights coalition says for many it's a better alternative to foreclosure. >> for families what it does is it keeps families in the homes and particularly people with children it means you can stay in the school. you don't have to deal immediately with looking for a new place to live. you're still part of the community you've been living in for many, many years for lots of families, and for the banks, it helps them as well. they tonight have a vacant property they're supposed to cut the grass, you know, painted and keep up. >> reporter: but minnesota realtor josh palmer says many won't qualify for the program. still other families may be so sick of everything, they just want to walk awanchts it's can't hurt good to hear they're doing something about this mess, but a lot of people are just ready to be done with their house and move on with their lives.
12:30 pm
>> reporter: under the program the rental rates will be at or below market rates, but this is a special program. at this point bank of america is selecting the initial participants so it's not something people be apply for. lisa sylvester, cnn, washington. all right. people in parts of louisville, kentucky are spending the weekend cleaning up. a tornado ripped through their community yesterday. the storm destroyed at least one home and damped about half a dozen others. police say no injuries were reported. in jefferson county, illinois, a 60-year-old woman was killed when a is spected tornado blew through her trailer taking it across the road. bonnie schneider in the weather center subpoena lots of severe weatherthe horizon? >> right. earlier today we were talking about a tornado warning just to the east of charleston, south carolina. that tornado warning expired but the threat of severe weather continues. you can see, heavy thunderstorms
12:31 pm
slamming into charleston. we have now four watch boxes in effect. so on the wider scale, the severe weather threat is extended all the way into west virginia. now northward. these storms are really getting powerful going through the afternoon. that's because the heating of the day tends to make the atmosphere more unstable and likely to get more severe weather. this means we could see large size hail with the system and a threat of candidates may exist possibly late other than. look at the line coming up across florida. jacksonville, your weather, intermittent in terms of rain, but we will see heavy downpours along i-10, into your region for the remay finder of the day today. severe storms working in advance of the cold front. seeing slightly cooler air. not much difference. incredibly warm temperature ace cross the south and midwest and even the northeast. as we kind of look further to the west, pointing out a brand new weather featuring we're monitoring bringing snow to the higher elevations of northern california as well as areas of the pacific northwest. a really cool seize sewn fo far.
12:32 pm
temperatures milder. in the 40s in seattle most of the week. climbing up to 60 today. you can see mild conditions across much of the east. washington, d.c., 65 degrees. a great day to you. the cherry blossoms. >> a good idea. view the cherry blossoms. may have to have an umbrella. this is a beautiful time of year generally in the washington, d.c. area. look at the gorgeous, oh, my gosh, petals along the tidal basin there. they look in full bloom, reportedly they're not quite in full bloom. right? >> that's right. and they're actually not quite at the peak season, but the cherry blossoms have started to develop a little earlier because of the mild weather. typically the festival that people come from around the world to see begins march 20th through april 27th with the peak of it being more towards early april. so we're seeing a nice teaser of what's to come. hopefully it will last and be this gorgeous straight through april. you lived in the d.c. area. i can imagine the beauty that's already getting a nice early
12:33 pm
start there. >> oh, so gorgeous. i love trying to get home whenever it is, cherry blossom season. a chance to see it for myself hopefully in a couple of weeks. bonnie, appreciate it. the health care law. very complex. lizzy o'leary uses children's characters to explain, next. is all we humans get. we spend them on treadmills. we spend them in traffic. and if we get lucky, really lucky, it dawns on us to go spend them in a world where a simple sunrise can still be magic. twenty-five thousand mornings. make sure some of them are pure michigan. your trip begins at michigan.org. constipated? phillips' caplets use magnesium, an ingredient that works more naturally with your colon than stimulant laxatives, for effective relief of constipation without cramps. thanks. good morning, students. today we're gonna continue...
12:34 pm
12:35 pm
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. all right. on monday, the u.s. supreme courts argument whether
12:36 pm
president obama's health care reform act a constitutional. first the gateway issue. the court will look at whether making people pay for insurance is actually a tax. the law says it can't be challenged until the tax is paid. so bottom line, the court may not even have the authority to decide the case. and still, the justices will have to rule whether opponents can sue. don't look for quick decisions. a decision could be delayed for years. the high court's decision could affect how every american gets and pays for health care. lizzy o'leary explains in a storybook form. >> reporter: meet jack and jill. they're married with two kids and together make $49,000 a year. about the middle american income. but like 15 million people with similar incomes, they don't have health insurance. not good in you're worried about falling down the hill. under the new law, jack and jill
12:37 pm
are winners. they can buy private insurance from what's calmed an exchange starting in two years. the idea is that lots of people buying at the same time would get a better price. and the plans have to meet minimum standards set by the government. jack and jill would also get a subsidy to help them buy their plan. mary only makes $13,000 selling little lambs. she's also a winner. she can get insurance under an expansion of medicaid. 17 million americans like her will be eligible for that. and about 51,000 kids with pre-existing conditions, like hansel and gretel are also winners. they can't be denied coverage and all kids stay on parents insurance until 26. that brings us to the losers. the roughly 19% of american whose have high cost gold-plated health care plans. like prince charming here. starting in 2018, that fancy plan he gets from her job at the
12:38 pm
castle would be taxed a at 40%. he will see his payroll taxes go up try 3 million other american whose make more than $200,000 a year. also on the lose end companies like fairy godmother industries that employs more than 50 people making glass slippers. so it has to offer insurance or pay a fine. 94% of similar-size companies already do, so only a small number would pay more ounlder the new law. we end the story way toss-up. insurance companies would both win and lose. they'll have to paper the government more than $8 billion a year, but they get up to $40 million new customers, like jack and jill, who by law must get insurance or pay a penalty. lizzy o'leary, cnn. earlier i spoke with our legal guys to get perspective on what the court will take up this week. here's how they see it. >> the justices have to actually
12:39 pm
decide whether they have the authority to decide this case. explain. >> that's exactly right. the first of the three days of argument will be whether or not an 18. >> -- 18th century law bars courts from having a frame like this. the big deal on this and i'm so excited about these arguments, on tuesday, we're going to get -- >> you're a constitutional lawyer. >> that's what i do. yeah. that's the big day that will deal with the big issue, whether or not this laundry list of powers given to the congress by our founders under article 1 section 8, the commerce clause can properly hold this law requiring an individual mandate, individual responsibility, the power to hold the law constitutional and that's where this case is really going to turn. the first question you'll ask, fredricka, very legitimate, but the focus will be on tuesday.
12:40 pm
>> okay. and that's when we talk about the individual mandate. richard, you say, if it indeed becomes the case, or the argument is successful, that this tax penalty comes with this individual mandate, then that really could mean the demise of the entire health care provision. yes? >> it could be, fred. and, you know, with a 5-4 republican man jort majority, think it's a shoo-in to get blown away. that's not going to be the case and i would be shocked if the supreme court turns down this health care. you know, with roberts and kennedy being the swing votes here, and if you look at some of the earlier decisions that they've made, and we look recently to the d.c. court of appeals which upheld a sixth circuit case addressing health care, now these supremes look very seriously at the d.c. court of appeals. i believe they're going to uphold this legislation, you
12:41 pm
better bleevts an improper grant of congressional power and i don't think the supremes, they have not since fdr got themselves involved in cases like this one. they're going to say, congress -- congress should be the ones to remedy his statute. >> absolutely. >> catch our legal guys every saturday, noon eastern time. so who tweets the most? you're not looking at her. republicans or democrats? that's the question. the social media leader coming up next. [ male announcer ] this is lawn ranger -- eden prairie, minnesota.
12:42 pm
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. ♪
12:43 pm
not financially. so we switched to the bargain detergent but i found myself using three times more than you're supposed to and the clothes still weren't as clean as with tide. so we're back to tide. they're cuter in clean clothes. thanks, honey. yeah. you suck at folding. [ laughs ] [ female announcer ] just one dose of tide original liquid helps remove food stains better than an entire 40 load bottle of the leading liquid bargain brand. that's my tide. what's yours? are you guys okay? yeah. ♪ [ man ] i had a great time. thank you, it was really fun. ♪ [ crash ] i'm going to write down my number, but don't use it.
12:44 pm
[ laughing ] ♪ [ engine turns over ] [ male announcer ] the all-new subaru impreza®. experience love that lasts. ♪ tonight we gather to offer the best humanity hey to offer. >> if you join us, we'll be unstoppable. >> cnn heroes it looking for everyday people changing the world. how do we find these extraordinary people? with your help. nominate someone at cnnheroes.com. maybe your hero is defending the planet by protecting the environment.
12:45 pm
>> i want to. >> helping people overcome obstacles. >> there will be no man left behind as long as we are this nation. >> finding a unique approach to solving a problem. >> whatever their cause, nominating a cnn hero is easy. go to cnnheroes.com. click nominee. we ask basic information about you and your nominee and what makes your hero extraordinary. >> who likes a pasta? it >> it's important to write from the heart. don't gnome nominate yourself. against the rules. we read each and every nomination. really, we do. be selectives. these are heroes truly dedicating their lives to serving others. after you've submitted nor hero, clit submit. it's that simple.
12:46 pm
nominate someone deserving today. >> thank you so much for this incredible honor. this has been the greatest night of my life. the invention that i came up with is the hot dog ez bun steamer. steam is the key to a great hot dog. i knew it was going to be a success. the invention was so simple that i knew i needed to protect it. my name is chris schutte and i got my patent, trademark and llc on legalzoom. [ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com, we put the law on your side.
12:49 pm
actually talking and members of congress are using twitter in new ways and one party in particular is leading the chart. josh? >> people didn't see this coming. a lot of people didn't see it coming. new studies behind us, called adelman. they looked at more than 60,000 tweets over months and looked at more than 450 lawmakers. the big finding, gained the most attention, republicans use twitter more effectively than democrats. >> interesting. >> yeah. they said, one of the examinations of this, a lot of people probably think the left is more involved with this, since president obama took it on so early on. but they're saying in congress, it's the republicans doing a lot more. from adelman, p.r., attracts information about the digital world. what they did. look at who's most effective, looked at factors like who's getting retweets, amplifying the messages. engagement. who's replying. when people are sending out the messages. also found republicans in congress received twice as many replies as democrats and that
12:50 pm
republicans have more substantive tweets. 3.5 times as likely to mention specific legislation. i follow a lot of people on twitter. sometimes you see attacks going back and forth. one of the things i like about this study, hall of the tweets in which someone in congress mentioned someone collaborative and not critical. far fewer were critical. this is something lawmakers are working on, how to use the new media, including twitter to try to reach a lot of people. they're saying in 2011, twitter became a political power house, and they pointed to what happened around the world, and also pointed to president obama's twitter town hall not too long ago, and let me show you these, the lawmakers who want to succeed on twitter, the ones who were mentioned the most, tweeted earlier in the day, later in the week, and were more likely to tweet on weekend. and this study suggests people should tweet while they're on the house floor. while things are going on.
12:51 pm
obviously, the people's work comes first, but if you tweet it during it, it can humanize the process, make people feel involved on it. >> it's not going to be good if they're caught on camera and they're supposed to be listening and it's looking down at a pda. >> when we look at the live footage, you can see people. >> it doesn't look good. it doesn't look good, but we understand they're, you know, doing the people's work in some other capacity. there are certain members that appear to be active than others? >> yes, they looked at all of the hundreds of members of congress and said who is most influential. they punched new numbers for me yesterday. let's go to the screens. the five most influential twitterers or tweeters, according to this study, bernie sanders, who is an independent, then john boehner, then keith ellison, the one democrat in the top five, number four,
12:52 pm
representative darryl issa out of california, and number five, john mccain who is a republican. so he is another -- >> senator john mccain. a little boo-boo on that one. >> we'll fix that up. the idea here is that all of the people, hundreds of them are trying to use social media now. this is the best study i have seen that has looked at how well are they actually doing reaching people, getting messages out there, getting things, messages amplified and having involvement with viewers online and ultimately, with voter said. they're doing a good job on the gop side. >> very good. it's just beginning. >> just beginning. you can see everything i posted the whole study for you on cnn.com. facebook and twitter. i want you all to see it. is there value in it, how do you see it? >> i'm sure you will be deluged with messages.
12:53 pm
12:54 pm
12:55 pm
progressive saved me so much money on car insurance, this baggage fee is on me. did you check that bag? houston? well, welcome to savingsville. did you pay $25 for that bag fee? -yeah. -you did? with all the money i saved on progressive car insurance, i'll take care of that bag fee. you're so kind! thank you! you guys just landed in savingsville. [laughs] yes, we did! you made my day. do you want to pay our college tuition, too?
12:56 pm
the wife of the u.s. soldier charged with murdering 17 afghans have set up a legal defense fund. kari bales, wife of staff sergeant robert bales said his family can't pay the bills. she said she doesn't know what happened in afghanistan except what she was told by the u.s. government. authorities say bales left his outpost and went house to house, gunning down villagers. if found guilty, he could face anything from life in prison to the death penalty. meanwhile, another u.s. soldier's death in afghanistan is being investigated. cnn's deborah feyerick talked to the heartbroken family. >> like so many u.s. soldiers in afghanistan, major robert marchanti was serving his country. he came home too soon. laid to rest in aurrlington national cemetery this week. his death under investigation by the u.s. army and authorities. his grieving wife is stunned he
12:57 pm
was shot inside the heavily fortified army headquarters. >> murdered just for trying to help. it just doesn't make any sense at all. >> major marchanti and air force lieutenant colonel john loftis were with the team helping them to full afghan control by 2014. as kabul erupted in protest, the two men worked together in their office. >> i said, are you on lockdown? he said, yes. i said, okay, you know, i love you. you are my life. he wrote back, you are my life, too. and then we said good-bye. and that was our last conversation. >> less than 12 hours later, a knock on the door of the marchanti's maryland home. two uniformed officers came with the tragic news. >> he had died from a single gunshot wound to the het. >> it's still unclear how the gunman managed to leave the building and get past three
12:58 pm
checkpoints and multiple cameras. >> since it was a secure building, why wasn't it shut down so he was caught before he left. >> the gunman still at large was identified as an intelligence specialist working for the affcan blees. no notive has been identified. with so much focus on the actions of sergeant robert bales, marchanti's children are confused. >> there was, you know, there's always coverage about horrible things this man did, but what about the great things my father did over there for this country? and representing the army the way he did. to us, our dad was like superman. >> love him so much, so proud of him. i wish i would have told him more. >> hundreds turned out to honor major marchanti, a teacher who loved his family, his country, and the people he believed he was helping. >> my dad loved though people and i don't think they realize the loss they have had, the
12:59 pm
afghan people, as well as our people. >> that man walked in there with the gun, he had no idea what he was taking from so many people. and what he was destroying. it was just totally senseless. >> the family has received hundreds of letters and e-mails from around the world. but it's this last e-mail from her husband that peggy clings to. >> my heart is right beside yours. i feel you here. i love my life with you. >> a life that ended too soon with many unresolved questions why. and we continue to follow the growing public outrage over the shooting death of trayvon martin. protesters are rallying across the country demanding justice for the death of the unarmed florida team. the demonstrators are demanding police arrest george zimmerman. he was the neighborhood watch nt
171 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
CNN (San Francisco) Television Archive Television Archive News Search Service The Chin Grimes TV News ArchiveUploaded by TV Archive on