the women are being exploited, posted someone. ridiculous, says frankie. mac n cheese, that's how dottie and frankie feel about their voyage to cyberspace. >> oh dottie, dottie. >> i got to throw it to freddie now. cnn "newsroom" continues with frederiricka whitfield. >> hello, everyone. i'm fredricka whitfield in fr kyra phillips. we have a very busy hour ahead. let's get to the news. newark, new jersey, mayor cory booker is being hailed as a hero today. booker ran into a burning building and helped carry one woman to stafty. booker says two newark detectives got most of the family out before the mayor arrived on the scene, but one woman was still trapped in the back of the house.

here's how booker responded a short time ago to someone who referred to him as a super hero. >> there are people that do this every day. the police officers that i was with showed really quick action and got into the building really quick. they're firefighters that do this every day. i'm a neighbor that did what most neighbors would do, which is to jump into action to help a friend. i consider all of us lucky. there was a time i was searching for her. it was a really frightening experience for me. i didn't think we were going to get out of there. i feel grateful and lucky o be with you here today, and it's over the top. i think i did what most other people would do to help their neighbors out. and perhaps you notice the bandage. he suffered second-degree burns. the woman was also burned. arizona has enacted one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation.

governor jan brewer signed the controversial measure into law. she says it falls in line with her personal views on abortion. the law bans most abortions past the 20th week of pregnancy. there are allowances for medical emergencies. the new law also requires an ultrasound 24 hours before the procedure. in the spy business, secrecy is everything. and now a former cia officer is accused of breaking the cardinal rule. john kereocu is charged with revealing classified information to journalists. among other things, he revealed the identity of a covert operative. he was an intelligence officer from 1990 to 2004. george zimmerman remains in

jail for shooting trayvon martin while some members in the community continue rallying. more than 75 pastors are converging to address the racial tension there. zimmerman made a brief appearance in court yesterday. no bond was set. but a bond hearing is set for april 20th at 9:00 a.m. his arunment is set for may. now a look at the prosecution's version of what happened the night trayvon martin was killed in it. investigators say trayvon martin was profiled by george zimmerman. we'll get more into this and learn more about the man hired to defend zimmerman in a few minutes. an ex-nfl great is tackling the toughest problem he's ever faced, dementia. after his playing days, he turned to acting. you may remember him as the adoptive dad on webster. he blames it on the head

injuries that he suffered. now he has a lawsuit against the nfl filed by other ex-players aimed at making the game safer by reducing head injuries. he says the league isn't doing enough to protect players. the u.n. security counsel is meeting to talk north korea and the botched miss lg launch. experts are concerned that north korea will try to recover from the embarrassing failure with a nuclear test or military move. it broke apart shortly afternoon launch and then fell into the ocean yesterday. but north korea is heralding the launch as a, quote, inspiring deed, an event of historic significance. end quote. the general services administration is being hammered by republicans today for even more of the top spending.

it includes miranda warning $300,000 dlrsz to relocate an employee from denver to hawaii and fake awards, including a jackass award used as an exclus to hold lavish dinners for employees all fupded by taxpayers. republicans say the information comes from a report by the gsa inspector general. over 20 states have introduced bills that would limit out of pocket payments by patients for expensive drugs. especially those used to treat life threatening diseases. supporters of the bill say the federal health care law is still in an uncertain territory, and this would help fill the gaps in the meantime. u.s. stocks opened lower today amid slowing chinese economic growth and big bank earnings reports. jpmorgan chase, the first mega bank to post first quarter results. earnings fell 3.1%.

this overshadowed the bank's revenue, which was higher than expected. wells fargo earnings beat expectations. its stock also fell. the dow is down 86 points at 12,900. we'll keep watching the markets for you. tsa out with a new technology to make sure passengers are who they say they are. just last hour the tsa demonstrated a new boarding pass and identification authentication technology. it's designed to enhance the ability to identify altered or fraudulent documents at security check points. and jesse jackson says the recent tulsa, oklahoma, shooting show a pattern of attacks on blacks in the u.s., we'll talk with the reverend jackson live in tulsa next. man: 1939 -- my parents ran across an ad

for a hot dog cart. my mother said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america. they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner. let's see if we can buy the property." and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you." and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years. do about medicare and social security... security. that's what matters to me... me? i've been paying in all these years... years washington's been talking at us, but they never really listen... listen...it's not just some line item on a budget;

it's what i'll have to live on... i live on branson street, and i have something to say... [ male announcer ] aarp is bringing the conversation on medicare and social security out from behind closed doors in washington. because you've earned a say. from behind closed doors in washington. i'm one of six children that my mother raised by herself and so, college was a dream, when i was a kid. i didn't know how i was going to do it, but i knew i was going to get that opportunity one day. and that's what happened with the university of phoenix. nothing can stop me now. i feel like the sky is the limit with what i can do and what i can accomplish. my name is naphtali bryant and i am a phoenix.

was a shooting spree in tulsa a week ago a hate crime? here's what we know. three of the five victims shot dead were all african-americans. one of the shooters, alvin watts is believed to have killed two of them. along with this man, 19-year-old jake england who confessed to shooting three people. england posted a message on facebook page before the shooting to describe how a black man killed his father. police believe the shooting spree at four separate locations was random. and the tulsa county district attorney said prosecutors are reviewing the case to see if

hate crimes are appropriate. one man, reverend jesse jackson says he's disappointing the shooting spree hasn't already been labeled a hate crime. he joins us right now from tulsa. good to see you, reverend jackson. >> indeed. >> so what do you hope to accomplish today during that meeting with officials? >> you know, we're meeting with officials, legislators from around the state and mayors and pastor scott here at the st. john first baptist church because in your own community, as random, revengeful killings, it creates anxiety and fear. the good thing is the mayor and the police chief moved quickly. they were able to get these two men in custody. the bond is so high they cannot reach the bond. but the pain lingers. we're going to a funeral of one of the victims. the people are very unsettled.

the role of the fbi and and the popular justice mast u must be pronounced in the situation. >> so the d.a.'s office says it doesn't have any material that supports this is a hate crime thus far. if it were considered a hate crime in the state of oklahoma, it would be considered a misdemeanor, and in the past of those who have been convicted of hate crimes are facing, you know, just a few months in jail or maybe a fine. what is the danger in your view if this is not prosecuted as a hate crime on the state level? >> well the bar for hate is too high. you've seen 11 prosecuted hate crimes in the state. >> this that county just since 1999. >> indeed. in the case of trayvon martin, 30 blacks have been killed by police officers this year. 16 since trayvon martin. there is a pattern here where people are unleash their fears

with these laws of stand your ground and concealed weapons. a come by fact of these anxieties and fears are -- and the stand your ground laws and access to assault weapons, it raises the bigger question, the need for equal protection under the law. blacks are not being afforded that. >> so you are comparing this case and the trayvon martin case in florida. you are saying this does exemplify what you've been quoted as saying, a toxic environment that is rain doing. and this is why, too, you believe that the department of justice needs to be looking at this tulsa case, and this might be a microcosm of racially-tinted crimes across the country. >> last year 11-11-11, shot in the white house. forntly no one was there. 800 yards away. if someone had been on the back of the white house, they could have been hit. violence is on the rise.

and use of automatic weapons is on the rise. that's why we need a commitment to turn the pain to some commitment to remove the access to concealed weapons. remove the laws that encourage vigilanteism. provide a ban on assault weapons. this is really a struggle within our ring of what kind of nation shall we be? here in tulsa, people are coming together. hopefully white and black can find common ground. but to call the president stupid, to say he's not an american, he's not a christian, these are attacks at the highest level of those running for office on the president rains down. so there's an environment now that's kind of permissive towards the violence. this must give way to redemption and reconciliation. that will make us whole and lend itself to healing. >> weave reached out to the department of justice. we don't have a response if they are investigating this crime that took place last weekend in tulsa as a hate crime. what are you learning as to

whether the justice department would be involved? does this have the components of a case that would be investigated on a federal level? >> you know, that's been a reach out. and he was killed t department of justice was slow to reach out. in three weeks those who killed him could not identify the body. for 30 years the killer walked the street. that's a devaluing. we expect the department to be aggressive. it's fairly obvious they were attending to their own business. they were randomly killed by hate. there should not be a bar so high that hateful killers are allowed to get off with less charges than really is. this is a threat. no one is safe. anyone, any official could have been killed in this way. any child walking the street. we have reason to have anxiety.

i'm glad the two who did this killing are behind bars. but those of that spirit are still on the loose. >> now we know there's a new attorney representing george zimmerman. there's a bond hearing we've just learned moments ago. that will be for george zimmerman. and an arraignment that will take place later on. what are your views thus far on the process? on his arrest and on these pending courtroom actions? >> after global protests and 45 days, he's now -- george zimmerman is in jail. that's a first down. not a touchdown. it's not a victory. it's just a relief. a touchdown, you remove these, in 24 states, these laws of stand your ground. these self defense laws. that triple the amount of

killing since they've been in place. that must be challenged. we must provide better assault weapons. you don't hunt with them. you only kill people. and we have become the most violent nation on earth. the most homicides. a million americans. we must lift the tone and go to higher ground. but right now, mr. zimmerman is in the judicial process. but the movement now to revive the ban on assault weapons in the stand your grounds laws must be heavy lifting and will take some time. we'll be fully engaged in that. >> thank you, reverend jackson for your time. i know you have a busy day. you'll be going to the funeral of the first victim that took place last week. you'll hold a news conference 2:30 eastern time in tulsa to further discuss the shootings. stay with cnn for our continued coverage. all right, george zimmerman, his arrest, second-degree murder

charge, are just the start to what could be a very long legal battle. what we know about the man who is defending zimmerman, and what an affidavit reveals about the night trayvon martin was shot. that in just two minutes. ♪ it's tax time, and with the hundreds i saved on my car insurance with progressive, i'm out here, giving a little tax relief. are you guys touring? we are. we're going to need some savings. oh, you certainly will. [ laughs ] forget tax season -- it's saving season. what do you do for a living, sir? i work at a green grocery. there's a little green for your grocery. thank you. absolutely.

and as part of my saving stimulus package from progressive -- this can go in my wallet. that can go in your wallet. 30 bucks. whoo!

this morning dozens of pastors held this press conference in sanford, florida, after holding a three-hour assembly. the racial tensions in the community is the focus of that as george zimmerman now sits in the 67-square-foot cell charged with second-degree murder. his first appearance on thursday was brief. no bond was sit. his arraignment is scheduled for

may 29th. the debate still centers around what really happened the night george zimmerman shot and killed trayvon martin. we're now getting a look at the prosecution's version. march martin savage is here with more. >> this is known as the probable cause affidavit. and essentially what it is, it's a thumbnail sketch of the prosecution as to why they are going after george zimmerman, and it's pretty straight forward. it's because the state of florida maintains that george zimmerman was the instigator in all of this. take a look at one specific paragraph. it's talking about trayvon martin. and we remember from the night of february 26th he was walking back from a convenience store when this all began. martin then walked back to and entered the gated community when he was profiled -- and that's the keyword you'll hear more of --. martin was unarmed and was not committing a crime. that in a nutshell is saying that's how this all began. with george zimmerman making the

decision to profile and as we know, call 911 and several minutes later trayvon martin was dead. fredricka? >> martin, now what? >> now comes bond. and we just learned a short while ago that there's going to be a hearing that's been tentatively scheduled for one week from today where the attorney mark o'mara will be trying to get george zimmerman out from the correctional facility behind us here where he has been. the next step after that is to refute everything that the state has just outlined in the affidavit. in other words the defense will begin to fredricka. >> and earlier we saw pastors gathered in sanford. george zimmerman is now in jail and a new attorney that's also been attached to him. how would you describe the mood? what are people saying, talking and feeling in sanford? >> reporter: of course, for the past couple of weeks sanford has been at the epicenter of what been a pretty emotional story. now with george zimmerman taken

into custody, the legal system is starting to take its course. there is a sig of relief and a hope that cooler heads will prevail, that some of the emotion can be drawn down a bit. that's exactly what the religious leaders were saying. there was some good that came out of this. they did motivate and move on a specific issue, and as a result, important dialogues were held. people started talking about issues that need to be spoken of. >> martin savage, thanks so much in sanford, florida. all right, this is just the start of what could be a long legal battle. days after his legal team stepped aside, shooter george zimmerman is now represented by this man, mark oh o'maro'mara. what might be his defense strategy? to give us insight, let's bring in legal analyst sunny hostin from our sister network, trutv. what do you know about o'mara?

>> he's been an attorney for 30 years. he was a former prosecutor, and many believe that former prosecutors make the best defense attorneys because they know the system. they know how prosecutors work. he's considered to be fearless in the courtroom, but measured. and that's the perfect combination for an attorney. especially one that has to speak in front of the media. i think we saw that. we saw someone that was even tempered. was measured. was cautious. but we saw a different person in the courtroom. he took control in the courtroom, asking for records to be sealed, representing his client, clearly vigorously. so we also know, fredricka, which i found fascinating, is he was a television legal analyst like myself. he commented on the casey anthony case, and before being retained by george zimmerman, commented on the trayvon martin matter. >> in fact, most recently on our

affiliate wkmg, let's listen to what he had to say. this was before his representation of george zimmerman. >> can you confront someone, shoot them, and get away with that? >> well, under certain circumstances with our laws the way they are today, the answer would be yes. >> with this law on the books, it sounds like people have a license to kill. >> other people call it the license to murder statute because it doesn't require actions to avoid the confrontation. >> now that's interesting. he does attribute that to other people call it this shoot to kill, shoot to murder, et cetera. but you have to wonder how he will defend george zimmerman when george zimmerman himself said for a very long time through the representation of his other attorneys, stand your ground is exactly what was going to help him in his defense. >> yeah, well, of course mark o'mara was very cautious in that interview. he was very measured.

and i don't think anything that he said would be inconsistent with his defense. he talked about the fact that stand your ground eliminates the sort of duty to retreat. because a lot of places have self defense laws, but part of it is you have to retreat if you can. you have to run away if you can. you don't confront and stand there. so we know that george zimmerman told his brother apparently and may have also told the police that trayvon martin attacked him. and that he was defending himself. and therefore had no duty to retreat. so this is going to be a significant issue at trial. who was the first aggressor? who starrted the confrontation? when you look at the affidavit by the prosecution, it's clear that they have completely disregarded that version of events. they do not believe he was the initial aggressor or confronted george zimmerman. they seem to say the opposite happened. >> we don't have the full story

to what started the separation. we know the other team said publicly they couldn't find their client. then in the end investigators say they always news where george zimmerman was. what does this say about george zimmerman that he would now attach himself to this highly respected, highly regarded florida attorney? >> you know, it's a smart move in a case like this. and i think we see a very different type of attorney. the two former attorneys were very aggressive. they had sort of just a different defense style. and i've seen both styles be successful in a courtroom. but this is very interesting that this new attorney, well, well respected in the community. and what i also noticed in the courtroom with angela corey, there was a wonderful beginning of a relationship between angela corey and mark o'mara.

i recalled being a prosecutor and defense attorneys not starting out on the right foot with me. and that does change the dynamic of what is the adversarial process. this was a smart move by george zimmerman or george zimmerman's family to have someone so even tempered, so well respected. >> it's also important dynamic that as a legal analyst he's media savvy. that could bode well for him as they move forward in what will be a very highly publicized legal process. you did something with all the media that mark o'mara did, he's clearly very media savvy, although, frederirickafredricka we may see a gag order in the case. many don't want the case tried in the court of public opinion. this is a very new judge that's

been assigned to the case. but i wonder if we'll be hearing from the attorneys as this process continues. >> all right, sonny hostin, thanks so much. always good to see you. all right, adopting can be a tough road for any wanna-be parent. but it's especially hard for the gay community. one man is working to change that next. [ man ] when i went to get my first new car, my dad said to get a subaru because they last. ♪ he drives a legacy, but i'm nothing like him. i got the new impreza. maybe i should have picked a different color... [ male announcer ] the all-new subaru impreza. experience love that lasts. ♪ who have used androgel 1%, there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62%

is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or, signs in a woman which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are, or may become pregnant or are breast feeding should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting.

talk to your doctor today about androgel 1.62% so you can use less gel. log on now to androgeloffer.com and you could pay as little as ten dollars a month for androgel 1.62%. what are you waiting for? this is big news. what are you waiting for? greetings from the people here sure are friendly but some have had a hard time understanding my accent. so to make sure people get every word of the geico savings message i've been practicing how to talk like a true chicagoan.

switching to geico could save you hundreds of dollars on car insurance... da bears. haha... you people sure do talk funny. geico®. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. anyone who has gone through the adoption process knows how hard and long that journey can be. and if you're gay that road becomes even harder. this week's cnn hero struggled for more than a decade to fulfill his dream of being a parent. so david started families like ours, a nonprofit that helps lgbt families navigate the system.

>> i was adopted, and i felt that i wanted to adopt a kid that needed a home. my son was in foster care for four years. from the minute michael and i met, i knew right away that we were going to be a family. i thought everything was going great, but after a month, michael was removed from my house. i was instantly cut off from him. >> finding that family for that child, it's nothing short of a miracle. >> let's go. need to get ready for the horses. and sometimes families are faced with barriers because of a myth or a misunderstanding, causing the kids to stay in the foster care system longer. being a gay or lesbian individual or couple makes it much harder. my name is david wing-kovark. i adopted from the foster system. now i help other gay and lesbian

individuals help realize their dreams of becoming parents. i want to make sure you have the family to family kind of support. i've worked hundreds of cases, side by side social workers. we covered a lot of information last week. i've trained thousands of foster parents. it doesn't matter if you're gay or straight, and we do it for free. >> he figured out how to get us over that finish line. our family wouldn't have adopted each other if it hadn't been for david. >> i'm fighting for the right of that child to have that family. >> daddy, is tonight movie night? >> it's why i keep doing it every single day. >> on remember, cnn heros are all chosen from people you tell us about. to nominate someone making a difference in their community, go to cnnheros.com. your nomination could help them help others. all right. it's been a rather violent 24 hours in this country. a town with just seven police officers lost one of its own just days before he was set to retire. plus, in another city, gunfire

erupts inside a popular family restaurant. we'll be right back with more on those stories. ♪ [ acoustic guitar: slow ]

[ sighs ] [ announcer ] all work and no play... will make brady miss his favorite part of the day. ♪ [ upbeat ] [ barking ] [ whines ] that's why there's beneful playful life, made with energy-packed wholesome grains... and real beef and egg. to help you put more play in your day. beneful. play. it's good for you.

it's been a violent 24 hours for police officers in this country. we begin in new hampshire. just days before retiring, a police chief was shot and killed during a drug bust late last night. it happened in greenland, a small town of just 3,500 with a police force of just seven. michael maloney served as greenland's chief for a dozen years. he was a married father. a new hampshire attorney general says the community is in mourning. maloney and officers were part of a drug task force that suddenly came under officer. four other officers were wounded, two are in intensive care. all were trying to arrest collin mutree. general attorney michael delaney now. >> they attempted to gain entry into the residence when they

arrived. as they attempted the to gain entry into that residence, gunshots were fired, and the officers were struck. following the accident, tactical teams arrived, and attempted to begin negotiations with the individuals inside the residence. the tactical team was able to initially gain brief contact with mr. mutree and had some brief conversation with him. that conversation ended shortly thereafter, and for a long period of the evening there was no contact with the individuals inside the residence. >> and that led to a standoff. it lasted hours. early this morning a robot camera found them dead. it looks like murder/suicide. many want to know why a man so close to retiring would take part in such a dangerous operation. no one knows, but this has hit the community hard. >> the law enforcement community

in new hampshire is certainly grieving this morning, but they have come together, federal state and local agencies to do the job that law enforcement officers do every day, secure the safety and protection of our citizens. >> chief maloney was only 48 years old. in madesto, california, a sheriff deputy was killed with another man as they tried to serve eviction papers. the neighborhood looked like a war zone. deputy robert paris served 16 years with the sheriff's departme department. the sheriff says he lost his life protecting the citizens of the community. the gunman barricading himself inside the home after police tossed in a grenade, the house caught fire and was destroyed. officers haven't yet moved in, but they believe the pun gunman is dead inside the burned out home. in ohio, a disuppondant fatr

shot and killed his daughter while at a restaurant celebrating her birthday. he killed his daughter and wife and wounded another daughter before leaving the cracker barrel restaurant. he was killed by police outside when he refused to drop the gun. in a 911 call just before the shooting allen's wife said she had just told him she was leaving him. all right. back to the trayvon martin case. there have been cries of racism against george zimmerman and the san tord police department. there's one high profile and well respected african-american who says the argument is a mistake. bill cosby. he sat down with our candy crowley to talk about the trayvon martin case and the issue that he says he should be talking about. zl so you saw more a gun issue than a race issue. >> how are you going to solve a race issue when it becomes he

says, she said, or he said/he said? and the other question is, what is solved by saying he's a racist? that's why he shot the boy. what solves that? this. and what is he doing with it, and who taught him and told him how to behave with this? >> and you can see more with candy crowley on cnn's state of the union sunday, 9:00 eastern time. george zimmerman is facing a second-degree murder charge. some have said it seems harsh given the circumstances, but it comes as no surprise to those who know the special prosecutor in the case, angela corey, who is known to be a tough prosecutor with more than 20 years experience. a closer look at miss corey's record from cnn's george howell. >> today we charge george

zimmerman with murder in the second degree. >> reporter: a stiff charge from a prosecutor who has built a reputation for being tough. that's exactly why angela corey's biggest supporters say she's the perfect fit in the controversial case against george zimmerman. >> it's governor scott who appointed angela corey after discussing it with me. she's ethical. she's honest. she's tough as nails. she's compassionate. >> corey was the first woman elected as state attorney for florida's fourth circuit court. before that she spent more than two decades working as a prosecutor. tom falace says she's a seasoned prosecutor who stands firmly by her values. >> she's hardcore right wing republican conservative. which is, you know, plays very well down here. i, you know, obviously disagree with her on probably every political thing we could ever

bring up, but that doesn't take away from the respect that i have for her as a lawyer. but then there's the study from the university of north florida. >> defense lawyers are not big fans of angela corey. >> hallit found hur aggressive style has had a profound impact on the number of prison sentences. >> one criticism is she was too aggressive on first time offenders. >> the most egregious example, say her critics, the case of 12-year-old christian hernandez, accused of killing her 2-year-old brother. corey was criticized for dieting him as an adult for first-degree murder. and while crime and arrest rates are down in florida, jacksonville jails are more full than they have ever been. >> we found the answer to that is basically angela corey. corey's style is to seek the

highest charges possible. but corey says her objectives are clear. to protect the victims. >> those of us in law enforcement are committed to justice for every race, every gender, every person of any persuasion whatsoever. they are our victims. we only know one category. that's at "v" for victim. that's who we work tirelessly for. >> george howell, cnn, jacksonville, florida. and a real footloose story. one town says no to dancing in skating rinks. [ leanne ] appliance park has been here since the early 50s. my dad and grandfather spent their whole careers here. [ charlie ] we're the heartbeat of this place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i came to ge after the plant i was working at

closed after 33 years. ge's giving me the chance to start back over. [ cindy ] there's construction workers everywhere. so what does that mean? it means work. it means work for more people. [ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country. ♪ hanging over us. hindering economic growth. it's time for some common sense -- people in congress who'll come together and put partisan politics aside. not with radical schemes that gamble with america's future. but with a plan that requires washington to balance the budget the right way -- protecting the priorities of america's families. tell congress to pass a common sense balanced budget -- now. sign the petition at center-forward.org. i'm a wife, i'm a mom... and chantix worked for me. it's a medication i could take and still smoke,

while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. my inspiration for quitting were my sons. they were my little cheering squad. [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. do you really think brushing is enough to keep it clean? while brushing misses germs in 75% of your mouth,

listerine cleans virtually your entire mouth. so take your oral health to a whole new level. listerine... power to your mouth. time now for stories making news at street level. in milton, washington, a courageous act by a couple of kids riding on the school bus saved everyone's lives. this is video from the security camera on the bus. it shows the driver suddenly losing consciousness. when one of the kid realizes something was wrong he jumped up and steered the bus to safety. you can see a friend rushed over to help him out. unfortunately the bus driver died later. in north carolina a middle school student has been suspended for hugging his teacher. apparently it's against the rules. the student says after he hugged the teacher, she grabbed him by the arm and took him to another

teacher who wrote him up. the boy's family has filed a police report against the school and the teacher. school officials could not be reached for comment since it's spring break. on kodiak island, alaska, the fbi is investigating the shooting death of two coast guard members. officials say it looks like a double homicide. the victims were killed after they arrived for work yesterday morning at the communication station. no one has been arrested yet, but security has been increased at the base. in atlanta, 67 more public school educators have been barred from the classroom over a cheating scandal. and another 83 cases are being reviewed. the school system came under scrutiny last year under the same up roar. a state investigation found investigators, educators, rather, involved in a cheating scandal on a standized test. and in western florida, a real life story mirrors an on scream

drama. like in the movie "footloose." nightclubs and skating rinks have been permanently banned. the city council hopes to protect the quality of life for residents. several nightclub killings in recent years resulted in this drastic action. a democratic strategist sets off a political firestorm with moms at the center of it. but was the message manipulated, and is this the start of a nasty white house race? fair game next. ♪ [ piano chords ] [ man announcing ] what we created here.

what we achieved here. what we learned here. and what we pioneered here. all goes here. the one. the accord. smarter thinking from honda.

a political analyst's words have morphed into a campaign issue for the presidential race.

was it a slam on women who don't work outside the home? or a statement about romney's wealth? well, it's become fair game in the campaign. let me bring in democratic strategist keith boykin and republican strategist boris epstein. hilary rosen has since said she misspoke. did the meaning of her message get manipulated for the sake of politics? mr. epstein, you first. >> it didn't get manipulated. it was clear as day what she said. it's both a women's issue and a wider social class issue. what hilary rosen was saying is women who don't work outside the home don't work. i wonder what her opinion of martha washington, jackie kennedy is. it's a clear dig at the social classes of america. it's a disdain, it's social

warfare. it has no place in politics and it's honestly wrong. >> keith, how do you see it? >> well, i remember when hillary clinton back in 1992 made a comment about not sitting home and baking cookies and everybody made a big stink about that. this is more about class and not about gender. it's a comment from one person and she's basically making a statement that i think a lot of people could understand if it's not take be on out of context. my mom started working when she was 18 and worked until she retired. a lot of women, particularly women of color, have never really had a choice about whether they could stay at home or not. they have been forced to have to work and never had to be able to do one or the other. i think most american voters aren't going to be persuaded by this, most women aren't going to be persuaded at this. they're not going to say this is a guy who couldn't even make a decision about the equal pay act. he's going to cut spending for

planned parenthood. >> except some women will argue that many women who stay at home, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's because the family can afford, that that is a luxury. that it may be the case that they can't afford daycare or other measures that it would cost to take care of the kids so somebody has to stay at home and it's an issue of it's a one income family but it's not necessarily they're fighting. >> again, a line has been taken by the left, talking about people who have a choice or don't have a choice. some families make a decision for the mother, for the woman to stay at home and work at home to bring up the kids and raise the kids. that's a decision that cannot be disdained. it's a decision that should be respected. hold on, keith. let me finish. we live in america. and in america families and people have the right to choose

whatever is best for their family. we shouldn't criticize, least of all should anyone go after a woman like ann romney who has battled cancer,m s, who is an example for all of us. >> this is exactly the point. the republicans have been suppering from the gender gap for decades. they're going to try to make an issue out of this and try to show this is somehow reflective that the democrats don't care about women and nobody believes that. that's the reason women have abandoned the republican party for decades and they still are. i don't see how the republican party can win an election if they continue to alienate more than a majority of the population. >> i appreciate -- >> quickly -- >> -- your concern about us winning the election but we won plenty of elections and '08 was a fluke thanks to a bad economy and that's why obama won. >> so real quickly, so the mitt romney camp is running away with it. just take a look at this latest

campaign statement as a result of what was said yesterday. so stand with ann. you know, very quickly, however, the obama administration from the president to the senior adviser also came out quickly, said that the words were inappropriate. in fact, this is what the president had to say during interviews yesterday about this very matter. >> there's no tougher job than being a mom, and when i think about what michelle's had to do, when i think about my own mom, a single mother raising me and my sister, that's work. >> so, gentlemen, is this being blown out of proportion? keith, you first? >> yes, it is being blown out of proportion and there's a good reason for it. there's an 18-point percentage gap between the obama supporters and the romney supporters among women. women just don't believe mitt

romney. they don't trust mitt romney. they don't like mitt romney, and, yes, he's going to try to put ann romney out there because she's a humanizing face to make people like him more. at the end of the day people are not going to vote for the first lady or the family. they're going to vote for the man and mitt romney is not the candidate they're going to vote for and it's not because of this issue, it's just because of mitt romney. >> boris, last word. >> keith, the democrats should take a point from the president. the president knows hilary rosen stepped in it with this issue. the president knows it's a bad point for democrats. while keith is right the democrats have had an advantage among women, something like this, statements like this against women and honestly social warfare do not play well for the democrats and it's the reason they will lose in 2012. >> keith, boris, thanks so much, gentlemen. appreciate that. you all have a great weekend. something tells me we'll still be talking about this possibly into the weekend. thanks so much, everyone, for watching. the cnn "newsroom" continues right after a short break. gary tuchman will be on the other side in for suzanne malveaux.

[ male announcer ] citi turns 200 this year. so why exactly should that be of any interest to you? well, in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. like the transatlantic cable that connected continents. and the panama canal that made our world a smaller place. we supported the marshall plan that helped europe regain its strength. and pioneered the atm, so you can get cash when you want it. it's been our privilege to back ideas like these, and the leaders behind them. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping people and their ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours.

♪ and the next great idea could be yours. today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities. siemens. answers.

live from cnn headquarters in atlanta where it's 12:00 noon, 9:00 a.m. on the west coast, i'm gary tuchman in for suzanne malveaux. i want to get you up to speed for this friday, april 13th. yes, friday the 13th. north korea's long-range rocket launch was a big failure, but world leaders are worried about what could come next. the u.n. secretary-general

believes north korea may try to save face bidoiy doing a nuclea test or making some sort of military move. cnn has a crew in pyongyang. a report coming up in a minute. firefighter in new jersey got some people from an unlikely source, the city's mayor. he saw smoke coming from his neighbors home and rushed in. >> there are people that do this every day. the police officers that i was with showed quick action and got into the building really quick. there were firefighters that do this every day. i'm a neighbor that did what most neighbors would do, which is to jump into action to help a friend. >> the neighbor and the mayor. booker suffered second degree burns on his hand and smoke inhalation. a police chief days from retirement was shot to death in the small new hampshire town of greenland last night.

chief michael maloney was killed when officers tried to serve a search warrant in a drug investigation. four other officers were wounded. there is only ten officers in the whole police force. his death comes on the heels of a new report that shows the number of police officers killed in duty is the highest in almost 20 years. so why are police deaths so high? next hour i'll talk to the president of the major cities chiefs association, philadelphia police commissioner charles ramsey. president obama and vice president biden have released their family tax returns for 2011 as tre try to turn up the heat on mitt romney over what he pays in taxes. the obamas had an adjusted gross income of $789,000. they paid more than $162,000 in federal taxes, about 20.5%. the bidens earned $379,000 and paid almost $88,000 in federal taxes. george zimmerman has a bond hearing next week and could get out of jail. he's charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of trayvon martin. zimmerman says it was

self-defense. the affidavit says he, quote, profiled the teenager and disregarded a police dispatcher's order not to pursue him. zimmerman's attorney tells cnn he's not only focused on the legal side of this case but also on the emotions surrounding it. >> i truly want to try to bring down the level of anger, animosity, just frustrations, emotions that are in the case or outside the case but affecting the case. so my hope is that we can just be a bit more sensitive to what's happening outside the case but still focus on what we need to do within the case. >> we'll have more on this in a few minutes. somehows of syrians shouting against the government are testing the cease-fire that went into effect yesterday. day two is relatively calm so far. we are hearing about small clashes and some civilian casualties but syrian forces and rebel fighters are for the most part keeping their promise to stop shooting at each other.

it's the hour's top story, north korea's space mission that went absolutely nowhere. all of asia and much of the west watched nervously as north korea went ahead with its plan to launch a long-range rocket. whether it was a satellite project like they said or a weapons test, we don't know for sure. but the rocket fell apart after blastoff and pieces of it scattered into the ocean. and in the their eternally optimistic style north korean officials called the launch an inspiring deed and an event of historic significance. the rocket failure at least publicly hasn't put a damper on a week of celebration in north korea. stan grant is one of the very few outside journalists in pyongyang today. >> reporter: well, this is the scene of triumph here in north korea despite the abject failure of the rocket launch. you can see the fireworks going off behind me here, and over my shoulder those massive statues of kim i wil-sunil-sung.

when kim jong-un walked out onto the stage there was an enormous roar from the crowd. this is how north korea is trying to sell the message to its own people. the rocket launch has failed but they are still trying to say they're a strong, prosperous and powerful country. what this country runs on is a personality cult ruled by the kims, and they must be able to show their people they are invincible, that they can withstand any attack from the outside world. just listen to this noise here. the fireworks starting to fade down now. but, of course, there has still been no real response to the rocket failure itself. the news agency here did respond admitting to the failure saying they're now investigating it, but this is where we've been brought by our government minders here. they don't want to hear about the rocket. what they want to do is show

their adulation to their leaders past and present. stan grant, cnn, pyongyang. >> north korea's a very surreal place. the north koreans may be putting the best face on a spectacular failure, but countries nearby and the u.s. are taking the whole incident very seriously. i want to bring in elise labbot, oush foreign affairs reporter. u.n. officials are saying launch failure or not, this rocket project did the north koreans no good in the world community. why do they say that? >> it was never really about the launch per se or whether the u.s. -- whether north korea could launch a satellite into orbit. it was about the fact that the u.s., the international community doesn't want north korea to be able to continue to do these missile tests so they can acquire eventually long-range missile technology. so it was never about the test itself, but about the fact that they could continue to perfect its technology. that's why u.n. security council

meeting today to probably draft some resolution that condemns north korea for violating its commitments and u.n. res lations that say they shouldn't be doing it. >> what are we hearing from the white house? >> the white house came out with a tempered statement condemning the action but saying the president would engage if north korea met its commitments. today a statement from ben rhodes saying north korea has to understand they have only deepened their isolation by going down this road. if they continue to take additional provocative action, we will look at ways to tighten sanctions and place additional measures on the regime. on one hand the u.s. still trying to get north korea to adhere to the commitments, that food deal that was on the table with north korea in exchange for food aid, north korea was supposed to suspend its enrichment, uranium enrichment program and allow iaea international inspectors back to

the country to monitor its program, but certainly ben rhodes saying, and other officials saying that that deal is halted right now. no food aid coming to north korea right now. >> what happens now to u.s. relation was pyongyang? >> senior u.s. officials are telling me it's less about engagement right now and more about containment. let's not forget, gary, we're in an election season and mitt romney, president obama's presumed challenger in the november election, is calling him an appeaser of north korea. so officials are saying they can't imagine, there's really no appetite now for engagement. those six-party talks with the other countries in the region are going to be off because north korea really gave a slap to the face of these diplomatic efforts. it's going to be more about containment, sanctions, putting in measures to curb north korea's program so that it doesn't develop any further. but not that much diplomacy going on right now certainly. >> okay. very interesting. elise labott, thank you for

joining us. >>. here's a rundown of some of the stories we're covering today. the man who shot down trayvon martin is staring down the possibility of life in prison. we'll tell wau could come next for george zimmerman. then everything from the election to your family budget may be riding on the price of gasoline. we'll tell you why the worst of the pain at the pump may soon be over. later, there could be a new twist in the story of the titanic. 100 years exactly after the ship went down. [ mujahid ] there was a little bit of trepidation,

not quite knowing what the next phase was going to be, you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been doing. you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. that's my world. ♪

now, i wear it every day. because damaging uv rays are everywhere with olay daily complete uv, its possible to block 92% of harmful rays for naturally beautiful skin in any light. olay daily uv. with odor free aspercreme. powerful medicine relieves pain fast, with no odor. so all you notice is relief. aspercreme.

the man who shot trayvon martin could get out of jail as early as next week. a bond hearing has been set for next week for george zimmerman. there may be a status hearing as early as today. our marty savidge is outside the evangelical in sanford, florida. how likely is that zimmerman will get that? >> reporter: it's a good question and it redepends on who you speak to. mark o'mara believes there's a very good chance. after all, he says his client is not a risk to flee, and he also says his client willingly turned himself in. so all of that shows he has good intentions and would be in court when told to be in court. there are others who say, no, look, it's second-degree murder he's been charged with here. it's an extremely serious offense. then there are the issues of his own safety. george zimmerman, of course, while he is in prison in the jail behind us, he is safe because he's in isolated confinement. once he got out on the street there, is some concern about his safety. so there are people who will give you two sides to that particular story.

by the way, the hearing is scheduled 1:15. it is said it's going to be a short hearing to deal with some minor matters. we don't know, details of some sort. we'll find out, as soon as we know we'll bring it to you. >> do we think zimmerman might be at this hearing, marty? >> reporter: no, i think the word we have is he will not be there. we're not even sure if either someone from the prosecutor's office or even his attorney will be present. this could be something handled over the telephone. however, transparency here in the state of florida. they will allow a pool camera to be present so we should learn something from what happens. >> what can you tell us about zimmerman's time behind bars? >> reporter: you know, you get a lot of detail, and we have been told now by the corrections facility that he is inside of a prison cell that is 67 square feet. it is designed to hold two people. it's got two beds, but there's only one person in it, and that's, of course, george zimmerman. and then beyond that we know his routine. breakfast at 4 dhi:30 in the

morning, lunch at 10:30 a.m. and he gets dinner at 4:00 in the afternoon. they are served about 3,000 calories a day. he gets to exercise three hours a week. we also know that beyond that he's had some access to the c e commissary and he did stock up on some things. root beer barrels and jolly ranchers. he spent $79.84. apparently he thinks he's going to be there a while. >> a lot of detail there. it's very interesting. the special prosecutor angela corey released the affidavit yesterday. what does it tell us about probable cause in this case? >> reporter: this is, as you point out, the probable cause affidavit. it's a thumbnail sketch of the prosecution's case, and they pretty much lay it all on george zimmerman beginning with what they say was george zimmerman profiling 17-year-old trayvon

martin as he was making his way back from the convenience store and, of course, he had no weapon, he had every legal right to be there. beyond that they also start talking about how george clearly began to follow, frightened trayvon martin, and also at one point confronted trayvon martin and that led to some sort of altercation in which the fatal shot was fired. it's very much a narrative that favors to the family of trayvon martin. this is what they had maintained happened all along. it does not seem to take into account anything that george zimmerman said, which was that he was attacked by trayvon martin, that they got into a life and death struggle, and to save his own life he had to shoot the young man. so that in a nutshell is the case that the prosecution has put forward and why they say they went after second degree murder which many people thought would only be manslaughter. >> a lot more to come including a status hearing about one hour from now. marty savidge from sanford, florida, thank you very much. by all accounts george zimmerman will face a tough as

nails prosecutor. angela corey has tried hundreds of cases, including many involving florida's stand your ground self-defense law. george howe looks at corey's aggressive file. >> today we filed an information charging george zimmerman with murder in the second degree. >> reporter: a stiff charge from a prosecutor who has built a reputation for being tough, and that's exactly why angela corey's biggest supporters say she's the perfect fit in the controversial case against george zimmerman for the fatal shooting of trayvon martin. >> it's actually governor scott who appointed angela corey after discussing it with me. she is ethical, she's honest, she is tough as nails. she's compassionate. >> reporter: corey was the first woman elected as state attorney for florida's fourth circuit court. before this she spent more than two decades working as a

prosecutor. tom thi >> she's hard core republican conservative which plays very well down here. i obviously disagree with her, you know, probably on every political thing we could ever bring up, but that doesn't take away from the respect that i have for her as a lawyer. >> reporter: but then there's the study by criminology and criminal justice professor michael hallet at the university of north florida who examined corey's ten tour as state attorney. >> defense lawyers are not big fans of angela corey. >> reporter: he found that her aggressive style has had a profound impact on the number of convictions in her district. >> one of the criticisms she's even doured prior to the trayvon martin case was she was too aggressive on first-time offenders. >> reporter: the most agregregi example, the 12-year-old accused of killing his brother. he was criticized for indicting him as an adult for first-degree

murder. while crime and arrest rates are down in florida, jacksonville jails are more full than they have ever been. >> we found that the answer to that is basically angela corey. >> reporter: he says corey's style is to file as many charges as she can against defendants and to seek the highest charges possible, but corey says her objectives are clear, to protect the victims. >> those of us in law enforcement are committed to justice for every race, every gender, every person of any persuasion whatsoever. they are our victims. we only know one category as prosecutors, and that's a "v." it's not a "b," it's not a "w," it's not an "h," it's "v" for victim. that's who we work tirelessly for. >> reporter: george howell, cnn, jacksonville, florida. after a tough few months at the pumps, the price of gas may finally be falling. we'll tell you what it could mean for the economy and your family's budget. security. that's what matters to me... me? i've been paying in all these years...

years washington's been talking at us, but they never really listen... listen...it's not just some line item on a budget; it's what i'll have to live on... i live on branson street, and i have something to say... [ male announcer ] aarp is bringing the conversation on medicare and social security out from behind closed doors in washington. because you've earned a say. from behind closed doors in washington. today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities. siemens. answers.

for all of you frustrated by the amount of money it costs to fill up your car these days, we've got some good news. gas prices have been falling for the past seven days. and it's prompting some analysts to say prices may have peaked for 2012. patricia wu is at the new york stock exchange with details. is it too soon to say that gas prices have topped out for the year? >> well, gary, it's too soon to say for sure, but we are hopeful. cnn money says that prices may have peaked, and here is why. oil prices are falling, and since 70% of gas prices are dictated by the price of oil, if oil prices are falling, you see that transfer. and oil is traded on the open market, so it fleck waiuctuates

today it's around $103 a barrel. the tensions with iran have eased. iran has decided to negotiate with the u.n. over its nuclear program. gary? >> well, here is a question though about iran. if things fall through with iran, things go bad politically, if there's a big hurricane season in the united states, hurricane season begins on june 1st, what happens to the prices then? i know you don't know for sure but likely they'll go higher, right? >> absolutely, gary. all of those factors could drive prices higher. in fact, one analyst said that the conflict with iran is bigger than we think, so it certainly could become an issue. but on the flip side, there are things that are pressuring oil prices as well. the chinese and the u.s. economy are slowing. that means less demand because we're using less oil. at the same time areas like saudi arabia, canada, the north seas, they're not making as much oil as they could, so they could boost production and supplies at any time. bottom line though, gary, oil is a commodity, so it's volatile. a lot of factors involved. so no one can say for sure.

>> it is volatile, no question about that. nice seeing you patricia wu, and thank you very much. >> sure. so was it just a slip of the tongue or a war on moms? we will take a look at the political fallout of the sound bite that's dominating the news cycle. but first, what are the worst jobs in america right now? take a look. the career website career cast ranked these jobs. fourth place, oil rig worker because of the physical dangers of the job for relatively low pay. third place, enlisted military soldier. second place, dairy farmer. what is the worst job in america? the answer coming up in a moment. . a more fuel-efficient turbocharged engine. and a completely redesigned interior. ♪

the 2012 c-class with over 2,000 refinements. it's amazing...inside and out. ♪ the c-class starts at just $34,800. but not how we get there. because in this business, there are no straight lines. only the twists and turns of an unpredictable industry. so the eighty-thousand employees at delta... must anticipate the unexpected. and never let the rules overrule common sense. this is how we tame the unwieldiness of air travel, until it's not just lines you see... it's the world.

at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car, and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness,

where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer a hassle-free lifetime repair guarantee, where the repairs made on your car are guaranteed for life, or they're on us. these are just two of the valuable features you can expect from liberty mutual. plus, when you insure both your home and car with us, it could save you time and money. at liberty mutual, we help you move on with your life, so get the insurance responsible drivers like you deserve. call us at... or visit your local liberty mutual office, where an agent can help you find the policy that's right for you. liberty mutual insurance, responsibility -- what's your policy? before the break we showed you some of the worst jobs of 2012. but what's the worst job of all?

the job that paul bunyan made famous, lumberjack. it's among the most dangerous jobs in the world. you want to see how your job ranks right now, go to careercast.com for a complete list. here is a rundown of some of the stories we are working on today. next, she says she misspoke, but the romney campaign is accusing one democrat strategist of waging a, quote, war on moms. then 100 years after the ship went down, a new theory about what may have sunk the titanic. and later, got a bad habit, want to kick it? we'll tell you how. the dust is starting to settle from the fury set off by a democratic strategist over her comment about mitt romney's wife. hilary rosen has apologized for

saying ann romney never worked a day in her life. rosen got it from all sides, but are there any winners and/or losers from all this? lets bring in our cnn political panel, cnn contributor maria cardona and republican matt lewis, senior contributor for the daily caller. thank you very much both of you for joining us. >> thanks for having us. >> matt, republicans have seized on this. romney's team sent out a fund-raising e-mail saying if you're a stay at home mom the democrats have a message for you, you've never worked a day in your life. referring to rosen as an obama adviser and asking recipients to send in $6 for a butcher stimpe. there are voters out there saying i don't think barack obama cares about stay at home mothers? >> yeah, actually i think it could. let me preface this by saying i think it's entirely silly. i think the motion there was some sort of republican war on

women was bogus and it was ginned up by the democrats. i think the notion there's some sort of democratic war on moms just because some strategist said so on tv is equally bogus. but having said that i think it can resonate. i think it was a very good day for mitt romney. and i think the fact that the republicans and mitt romney seized on this and have been able to really make it an issue i think is probably a signal that they really actually could win this election because they're willing to play dirty like the other side. >> let me ask you, maria, i mean, hilary rosen does not work for the white house, but even the president weighed in to declare his support for moms. he talked about his own wife and mother. listen to this for one second. >> there's no tougher job than being a mom. and when i think about what michelle's had to do, when i think about my own mom, a single mother raising me and my sister, that's work.

>> so by chance, maria, do you agree with matt and did this controversy hurt the president and democrats with women voters? >> i don't think it's going to hurt the president or the democrats. i agree with matt that this whole thing is absolutely silly, and i don't blame the republicans for jumping on this even though what they're using in their fund-raising e-mail is actually a lie because hilary rosen is not an obama adviser and she apologized and said she misspoke, and the underlying issue here, gary, and the reason why republicans are so desperate to obfuscate from the issues is because they have no positive platform for a working mom, for stay at home moms, for women in general. that's why the gender gap exists. when you look at what mitt romney wants to do in terms of health care, he wants to repeal the health care act which will actually help women gain health care coverage in addition to their children. if you look at what he wants to do through the mitt/ryan plan in terms of education, he wants to gut education, wants to gut teachers. he wants to gut anything, any

economic program that will actually help middle class mothers, whether you're stay at home or whether you're working, and any other women in this country, he will gut any of those programs and any of the initiative that is will help them move forward economically. that's why the gender gap exists and they're desperate to do anything to obfuscate from that issue. >> let's shift gears from ann to mitt. he has struggled to win over social conservatives, but now several major groups are backing him, the susan b. anthony list and the national right to life organization have both endorsed romney citing his anti-abortion stand. is this the beginning of social conservatives starting to rally around mitt romney? >> i absolutely think so, and i think, look, this is going to be a very negative election. nobody is going to vote for barack obama. they're going to vote against mitt romney because barack obama is going to try to scare them that mitt romney has this war on women, and we just heard that. and i think the same thing is true on the right. i don't think anybody is going

to vote for mitt romney. nobody loves mitt romney, but if you see what barack obama's done, never mind the economy, that disaster, but if you look at things like the hhs mandates where they actually i think went after religious institutions, maybe there's a war on religion, i don't know. so i think conservatives and social conservatives are going to rally around mitt romney not because they love mitt romney but because they absolutely must defeat barack obama. that's what they think at least. >> and do you think the same thing, maria, we're going to see robust enthusiasm from conservatives? >> well, i think the romney camp desperately hopes so because they're bleeding support from independents in general. they're bleeding support from women. they're absolutely in the gutter in terms of support from latino voters. that's a coalition that you can't win without. so clearly they're desperate to get the support from conservatives which up until now have not been enamored whatsoever with mitt romney. what's going to be interesting to see is how much more to the

right is he going to have to go in order to coalesce that conservative support, which is going to make it that much more difficult to gain the support of the coalition that he's going to need in the general election, which he does not have right now. >> we have a different kind of story to talk about. newark, new jersey, mayor cory booker runs into a burning house this morning to rescue a neighbor. the neighbor is fine. cory booker is fine. does he also leap tall buildings in a single bound? you can imagine this stuff being used for a political commercial down the road. the question i want to ask you, he's been talked about as a perspective future presidential candidate. what is your reaction to the mayors heroics? >> i love it. this is one of my favorite stories, gary, and i have been a huge fan of the mayor ever since he started tweeting personally asking people to tell them where they are when there was a snowstorm in his city and that he would personally go and help them. that was heroic right there. running into a burning building? oh, my god, there should be possible heads with cory booker and a cape and a mask and a

little slogan that says, with corey you have no worry. >> matt, do you think we'll see him running for president some day against one of your republican candidates? >> it wouldn't surprise me. i think chuck norris probably wears cory booker pajamas at this point. the guy is a rock star. >> i agree. >> tremendous admiration for him. the tweeting, and getting out there in blizzards, running in and rescuing. the guy, it's amazing. this is a good public servant. he's a great politician. and i think he could some day make a great presidential candidate, absolutely. >> maria mentioned possible heads. that's all been my dream or was my dream. to be a professional baseball player and have a gary tuchman bobble head but it hasn't happened yet. >> we'll work on that. >> nice talking to both of you. >> thank you. this sunday will mark 100 years exactly since the titanic sank. [ man ] may ford. hi, yeah. do you guys have any crossovers that offer better highway fuel economy than the chevy equinox?

no, sorry, sir. we don't. oh, well, that's too bad. [ man ] kyle, is that you? [ laughs ] [ man ] still here, kyle. [ male announcer ] visit your local chevy dealer today. right now, very well qualified lessees can get a 2012 equinox ls for around $229 a month. are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers.

a transatlantic crews with a 100-year backstory. maybe you have heard of it before. this modern day cruise ship ported in nova scotia yesterday. it retraced more or less the same route the titanic was supposed to take a century ago. it had the same number of passengers on board, most of them history fans dressed up in outfits from 1912. this version of the story not tragic. everybody is safe on this side of the atlantic. chad myers is here now to talk to me about this new titanic theory. some researchers and weather experts say that it wasn't just the iceberg, that there might have been a freak weather condition. >> if you can imagine, we are still researching this crash, this disaster will not ever leave our minds because what happened to the people there. but now there are a couple new theories. there's a new book and a new show coming out about how an

astronomical high tide may have lifted icebergs that actually were run aground for a very long time. this tide that they had just a couple weeks before the crash was the highest high tide in 1,000 years. the moon was as close and the sun was as close as it's ever been so the high tide may have lifted the icebergs. that's why there were so many in the water. then as the boat travelled into the halifax area down into a colder current, sometimes the light will bend, and those other boats that may have saved the people never even knew that that was the titanic. >> that's amazing. >> let me show you how this occurs. we'll show you a picture of what a boat looks like even on lake superior. so let's go into this. what happened that night and even we'll back up a couple weeks. typical path of the icebergs, come off here, come off greenland and they come down and all the way into the shallow area just to the east of newfoundland. they kind of lodge themselves

there. but what this amazing high tide now that they have found as they back their computers up and said what happened. maybe a foot or two higher water may have lifted some of these icebergs and moved them along the current and that's why so many icebergs in the water where the titanic was running. something else occurred, too, as the titanic ran into that cold current, we know the cold current was there because the icebergs were there. sometimes you can get inversions to make boats look a little bit crazy. now, let me show you this. this is a boat on lake superior. there's the bottom of the hull. this is just a freighter. that's what it should look like. because the air is so cold, we're actually seeing an inversion. we're seeing another part of the ship above it that doesn't really exist. this is literally a mirage up here. this mirage may have been what the california was seeing when it thought it was seeing a different ship than the titanic and said i must not be very close to the titanic.

we're very close to this other ship. if you can imagine what the captain was thinking when he saw possibly a ship turned upside down, not really realizing that that was just an inversion, a mirage he was seeing, so when the fireworks were going off, they weren't very high compared to the ship. they said there's no way that could be a distress flare because those flares would be going much higher. it's called inversion. called the superior mirage. you can look it up. it's pretty cool pictures when you see kind of boats that look like they're floating upside down. >> we always talk about 100-year floods. now we talk about 1,000-year tides. >> that's exactly right. when the water is floating those icebergs and they're in the way. >> thank you very much. >> clearly an iceberg did create the crash. >> you made that clear. >> we didn't change that. >> that's a beautiful graphic. did you do that all yourself? >> they did it at soiemen international. dozens of military homes covered in mold. >> i don't feel safe in these

houses. i have never not felt safe in a house. ♪[music plays] ♪[music plays] purina one beyond. food for your cat or dog. 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. ♪

dozens of military families are living in hotel rooms in virginia because of a mold crisis on their base. a crisis that's been going on for a long time. cnn's debra faye rick investigates. >> reporter: norfolk naval base in virginia is the largest in the world, home to the u.s. atlantic fleet, but it's facing

a crisis. >> i'm in essence combatting a war on two fronts. >> i don't feel safe in these houses. >> reporter: a crisis that has turned dozens of military families, their children, and pets into virtual refugees holed up in cramped hotel rooms for weeks at a time. they call this hotel wing the mold wing. >> she was hospitalized. >> reporter: displaced families who tell us they or their kids are sick after living in rotting homes and being exposed in some cases to unhealthy levels of mold. jarro bliss runs lincoln military housing, a private company that took over navy family housing seven years ago. under the terms of the contract within a two-year period, all homes were supposed to be brought up to a suitable level. was that done in your opinion? and by suitable i mean all of them liveable. >> yes. i believe it was. under the terms of our agreement with the navy.

>> reporter: yet military spouses we spoke with tell a very different story. >> the second story was sinking into the first. >> reporter: a story of decaying homes and well-meaning but incompetent maintenance people. is it fair to say that lincoln was simply fixing the same problem over and over and over again? >> it's almost kind of like they just put lipstick on a pig. it's still a pig. >> reporter: lincoln knew it was inheriting hundreds of older poorly built homes. >> i understand why some of the families are frustrated in this issue. i'd be frustrated, too, with some of the things that went on. >> reporter: after a series of local news reports, town hall meetings have been packed with dozens of military families complaining of health problems. u.s. senator mark warner, who himself has a daughter with asthma, listened in disbelief. >> been 20 years in business. this is not a way to run a business. >> reporter: lincoln representatives were denying there was a problem. the navy was denying there was a problem. now all of a sudden there's been

a 180 degree reversal, and you guys are now acting on it. >> we've made mistakes, and we're not happy about what happened here. >> one of our lessons learned has been in this particular partnership and for the time being that we need to increase the amount of oversight that we provide sort of at the deck plate level. >> reporter: homes are now being patched. almost 90 have now been remediated for mold. lincoln and the navy are not doing this out of the goodness of their heart. they're doing it because they got caught. >> they got caught. >> deb feyerick joins me now. how long did this mold crisis go on before someone did something about it? >> you know what's so interesting, gary, is lincoln did not create this deteriorating housing crisis. congress knew it had a problem. it decided to outsource or privatize the housing in order to save billions of dollars and they thought by doing this with other companies they would be able at least to save that kind of money.

so lincoln knew the kind of homes it was getting, but whether they went in and really investigated, a lot of these families feel that the homes they're living in have suffered so much water damage, so much water penetration throughout the years, that it's just created unsafe living conditions. lincoln now -- now that this has sort of come to light, now they're doing the right thing and now they're trying to remedy the problems, but it's something that was supposed to have been fixed back in 2007, and it appears that it wasn't. >> so, deb, why isn't there any independent oversight? >> you know, that's a really good question. the navy is supposed to come in and oversee everything that's being done. new construction, all the renovations. they are supposed to sign off on it. it appears they developed a cozy relationship with lincoln because lincoln is building new homes and respectable homes, but the problem is they got a little bit too comfortable and now the navy realizes they do have to come in, they do have to insert oversight really just at the ground level so they can make sure their families who are

overseas fighting, that their families can be okay. >> it's disturbing, frankly very disgusting situation. deb, thanks for joining us. we really appreciate it. you can watch deb's full special on this case, cnn presents toxic home front this sunday night 8:00 eastern time. time now for the help desk where we get answers to your financial questions. joining me this hour, gary is a financial planner and president of objective advice.com. carmen wong ulrich is president. short and sweet question from marsha in idaho. is it better to keep a credit card i am not using or should i close the account? >> well, why close it? really? if it's just sitting there and you're not using the card, it's building some credit history. unless you have an annual fee you don't want to play, in that case you'd want to close it. but having access to credit and having it on your credit report can be helpful in many ways, it's the open credit line and in case of emergency you can always use it. >> closing it could hurt your credit. >> it could hurt you. even though it stays on your

record it will age itself out so it's still good to have it there. >> gary, your question comes from new jersey. i've got a 401(k) that i would like to roll over into an ira. would a variable or fixed index annuity be safer? >> i think none of the above is the choice. basically annuities are not a great deal generally speaking. the expenses are incredibly high. the investment selection isn't that great. if you were forced to pick between variable and fixed, fixed obviously is fixed, so it tends not to go down, but rarely would i ever buy an annuity, particularly in an ira account. so that's really -- i'd avoid those. >> not either of the two options. thank you very much, appreciate it. this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us.

thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense.

from stepping out for a smoke to an afternoon snack, bad habits can change the shape of our lives. now, the author of a best selling new book says he can show you how to take control of your every compulsion. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪

[ male announcer ] the cadillac cts sport sedan was designed with near-perfect weight balance from front to back... and back to front. ♪ giving you exceptional control from left to right... and right to left. ♪ the cadillac cts. ♪ we don't just make luxury cars. we make cadillacs. but one is so clever that your skin looks better even after you take it off. neutrogena® healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% saw improved skin. does your makeup do that?

neutrogena® cosmetics. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.

time now for bookmarks, our look at the big ideas and best sellers driving the national conversation. so cigarettes, snacking, even brushing that you are teeth. what do they have in common? they are habits. how do you take control of those compulsions? charles duhige writes for "the new york times" and he's the author of "the power of habit." he stopped by the cnned by to talk to suzanne malveaux about it. >> i have good habits, bad habits. explain to us in the most basic way what is a habit? >> a hint abit is a decision yo made at one point, stopped making, but continue acting on. in our last decade our understanding of habits has been completely transformed because of laboratory science. we've learned how to create habits and extinguish old ones

and change bad ones. >> how long does it take to form a habit? >> well, unfortunately, every habit is different and every person is different, but the way the habits change are exactly the same regardless of who it is. anyone can change their habit. what we've learn sd that a habit has three components. there's a cue, which is like a trigger for the behavior to start. a routine which is the behavior itself, and then a reward. if you focus on the cues and the rewards, that's how you can change or create new habits. >> so if you have a bad habit, how do you break down -- break a bad habit? >> you have to pay attention to what's triggering it. and more importantly what reward it's delivering. so, for instance, say you had a bad cookie habit like i did at one point. the thing you have to figure out are you eating that cookie because you're hungry or you want the sugar or because you need a break from work and it's just convenient to go up to the cafeteria in which case taking a

walk will work just as well. once you figure out the reward and what's trigging it, you can change any behavior. >> how much of our lives are we actually living habit to habit? >> it's amazing. there was a study done by a duke university professor who followed people around. she figured 45% of the behaviorings that we do every day aren't actual choices. they're habits. >> is there any habit that you can't change, that you can't kill, that you just got to try to work with or adapt in some way or live with? >> none. in fact, this is really the important thing of this science is that we know from laboratory experiments that any habit can be changed, doesn't matter how old you are, how ingrained the behavior is. once you understand how to take a habit apart, you can then reconstruct it whichever way you want. >> charles, talk a little bit about those habits, the bad habits, that turn into addict n addictio addictions. when you talk about alcoholism or smoking. >> that's exactly right. one of the really interesting things is most of the things

that we think of as addictions are for the most part habit dysfunctions. cigarettes is a great example. we know from medical experiments that you're only addicted to nicotine for about 100 hours after your last cigarette. once the nicotine is out of your blood system, there's no more physical addiction yet people crave a cigarette two weeks or two months or two years after they quit. they'll sit down with their morning paper and they just want a smoke. that's the hackett exerting itself. the key to changing that habit is to figure out what reward nicotine used to give you. with your morning paper it might have been the burst of energy that comes from smoking. and find something else to deliver that same reward like a double espresso which laboratory experiments have shown will help you quit. >> it's as simple as switching out the reward. i have a habit of running. i love to run but sometimes i'm a couch potato and i'm not really motivated. how do i strengthen that habit and say, okay, i'm going to go out and do this 1234. >> so number one thing to focus on is the cue. always try to exercise a