know what was happening -- courtney in that clip. right there. now i wonder if she was just thinking about her shopping list. all those sexy, sexy vegetables. courtney, you keep on doing whatever it is you do all day long. really, i have no idea what you do all day long. don't listen to critics. we relish all your new endeavors. good morning to you. welcome to "early start." i'm zoraida sambolin. >> and i'm kate bolduan in for ashleigh banfield. a threat to president obama or simply a loud mouth? the national journal and others say the secret service plans to contact rocker and proud nra member ted nugent regarding comments he made about the president.

the white house standing by the men who took a pledge to take a bullet for the president. this morning new details in the secret service prostitution scandal, agents being offered a lie detector test now. she got a ride home from the bar and hasn't been heard from since. the family of a ft. bragg soldier saying she may be in danger this morning. >> she's loved by all of her friends and family, and we all just really want her to come home. >> cnn spoke to her mother and her sister. we'll have the latest coming up. and it is here. take a look. some drivers already paying $6 a gallon for gas. president obama feeling the pressure and promising a new crackdown on the oil markets to reel them in. >> we can't afford a situation where some speculators can reap millions while millions of american families get the short end of the stick. >> but is it just the same type of political ploy that he mocked a few weeks ago? >> good question. the war of words in the race for the white house heating up, and it's only april.

the national journal and others report -- and the secret service is getting involved after some over the top comments made by mitt romney supporter ted nugent. >> the rock star and nra supporter tells cnn he is standing by his statements. alina cho is going to break it all down for us. >> good times. >> oh, my gosh. >> good times. inflammatory words. >> 6 1/2 months away from the election. good morning, everybody. the self-described motor city madman is ted nugent. always outspoken, no stranger to controversy. but his most recent comments have people on both sides of the aisle saying this time he's gone too far. nugent spoke on saturday at the national rifle association's annual convention in st. louis. during a radio interview, he slammed hillary clinton, the attorney general, the vice president, supreme court justices. but it is these comments about president obama that's creating a firestorm.

in this clip, he started with a rant about the four liberal justices on the supreme court, then directed his anger at the president. >> and if you want more of those kinds of evil anti-american people in the supreme court, then don't get involved and let obama take office again. i'll tell you this right now, if barack obama becomes the president in november again, i will either be dead or in jail by this time next year. >> now, as we mentioned earlier, the national journal and other publications say the secret service is aware of his comments and are following up on it. nugent didn't stop there. here's how he rallied people to support mitt romney in november. >> and if you take that animate we the people defiance -- we're americans because we defied the king. we didn't negotiate and compromise with the king. we defied the emperors.

we are braveheart. we need to ride into the battlefield and chop their head off in november. >> i think those are inflammatory remarks by any measure. >> it's incredible. >> with that said, he is a mitt romney supporter. he's not a spokesman for mitt romney. what is mitt romney say about this? >> no formal connection, but did endorse and support romney. obviously, the romney camp is not happy about this. they're looking to distance themselves from the controversy saying, "divisive language is offensive no matter what side of the political aisle it comes from. mitt romney believes everyone needs to be civil." and democrats are outraged. congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz says, "mitt romney must condemn nugent's violent and hateful rhetoric immediately as it has no place in discourse in a political campaign." and nugent called a surrogate for romney even though, as i mentioned, there is no official connection to the campaign.

he simply endorsed him. >> is there any chance that he will apologize? >> zoraida, what do you think? >> so far, i think all indications are no. in fact, nugent just spoke to cnn contributor and tea party activist dana lash on her show yesterday. listen to what he said. >> wasserman schultz is such a brain dead soulless, heartless idiot that i could not be more proud that this soulless, heartless idiot feebly attempts to find fault with ted nugent because i am on the right track, and she just encourages me to stand stronger. >> he called the president and other members of the administration coyotes. he called them criminals. and this little gem here, "i'm a black jew at a nazi clan rally, and there are some power abusing corrupt monsters in our federal government that despise me because i have the audacity to

speak the truth." he stands by what he says and says it is 100% positive. >> it's mind boggling. it leaves you speechless. >> this is the wonderful thing about a democracy, freedom of speech. >> you have to know that he knows he was going to get this kind of attention obviously. he's no stranger to controversy. he's made these kinds of comments before. >> he welcomes it. at least at the moment he's standing by it. i don't think anyone will say this helps the political discourse in an already hypersensitive environment. >> thank you for that, alina. we appreciate it. six minutes past the hour. just in, gas prices down half a cent in the past 24 hours. the national average is $3.90 a gallon for unleaded. prices much higher in some parts of the country. $6 gas spotted at a station in furnace creek, california, near death valley national park. the cost of gas has soared this year, up 20% since the start of

2012. >> we'll be following that. minding your business this morning, gas prices in an election cycle couldn't be more political. president obama made a huge push yesterday to limit speculation in the oil markets to help bring gas prices down. that's not something that can happen overnight clearly. he's been trying to make clear that over the past few weeks, that there really is no summer fall. >> there is no such thing as a quick fix when it comes to high gas prices. there's no silver bullet. >> what i have also said about gas prices is that there is no silver bullet. >> there are no short term silver bullets when it comes to gas prices. >> there are no silver bullets short term when it comes to gas prices. >> there's no silver bullet for avoiding spikes in gas prices every year. >> there are no quick fixes or silver bullets. >> it doesn't poll well to say, you're just going to have to take it.

i can't do anything about it. >> this is what the president is trying to do. he's trying to find some things that are going to look good in an election year that may help on the margin. it's very difficult to find the difference between speculation and manipulation. those are different things. the president said yesterday, he said he'd like to raise the criminal penalties for people who manipulate in the oil futures market, something that's difficult to prove, something that, by the way, the futures exchange say, hey, we already go after that. you also have the commodity futures trading commission, the cftc, to go after that as well. and john boehner and the republicans are like, come on. this is a political ploy. you've got the tools, mr. president. if you see manipulation in the markets, go after it. i want to show you what another republican senator, mitch mcconnell, had to say about speculation in oil prices. >> i can only quote warren buffett. when asked about that a few years ago, he said, it's not

about speculation. it's about supply and demand. so it looks to me like the president only quotes warren buffett selectively. >> which is what the republicans are talking about another gimmick in an election year, to tax people 30% who make $1 million or more in a year. let's talk about why gas prices are up. you've heard me say this a million times, demand, demand, demand. the world is using more oil than ever before. we keep using more oil than ever before. if you want gas prices to go down, use less of it. and the u.s. is using less gas. but the rest of the world is gobbling up crude oil for all purposes to develop, just as the u.s. did many years ago. but this is an election near, and people say, i want my gas prices to go down. >> it needs to be the focus not only in an election year.

>> a comprehensive multiyear strategy the whole country is behind. china has a very, very significant comprehensive energy strategy. they're leading in solar. they're leading in renewable energies. they'red leai eleading in clean their environment because they're making their environment very dirty. the country thinks on election year cycles, on on 50-year cycles. >> when we started with the $6 a gallon, they said, well, wait a minute. it's going down. and you actually agreed. >> we probably peaked in gas prices. you're going to see $6. you're going to see places around the country where it's very different. it depends where you are. i filled mimi ainminivan this w $57. i've never seen that before. and new jersey is one of the low tax states. we've peaked. that would be good for the president, but we'll see. >> the politics of it will continue rising. thanks, christine. >> you're welcome. >> see you soon. billionaire investor warren

buffett, we have learned, has been diagnosed with stage one prostate cancer. >> he will undergo daily radiation treatments for two months beginning in july. the 81-year-old buffett says he feels great and his energy level is 100%. the world's third richest man writing a letter to his berkshire hathaway shareholders telling them his condition is "not remotely life-threatening or even debilitating in any meaningful way." buffett going on to say, "i will let shareholders know immediately should my health situation change." we wish him well, but when you're running a company that big, it's important to know about your health. >> that's a big announcement. 11 minutes past the hour here. police say a ft. bragg soldier missing since saturday may be in danger. army private first class kelly bordeaux was last seen in a fayette bar saturday morning. a bar employee gave her a drive home. she never reported for work monday, and her sister says she's not the type to go awol. >> she joined the military

because she knew that was going to better her life. she did the best she could. she wanted to make her family proud. she knew joining the army was going to do that. she's loved by all of her friends and family, and we all just really want her to come home. >> bordeaux joined the army one year ago and reported for duty at ft. bragg in november as a health service specialist. the white house is coming to the defense of the secret service and its director despite this embarrassing prostitution scandal that continues to unfold. 11 agents being investigated for allegedly bringing prostitutes to their hotel in colombia two days before the president's arrival at a summit. heading up the investigation, the director of the secret service. white house spokesman jay carney insisting the secret service does not have an issue. >> director sullivan acted quickly in response to this

incident and is overseeing an investigation as we speak into the matter. >> as many as ten members of the u.s. military are also being questioned about their possible involvement in the scandal. 12 minutes past the hour. ahead on "early start," police slap the cuffs on a 6-year-old kindergarten student in georgia. that's her right there. this morning they are standing by that decision. plus money, it turns out, might buy happiness after all. just how much will it take, though? a new study is putting a number on it. you are watching "early start." ♪ ♪ and i never thought i'd feel this way ♪ ♪ the way i feel about you [ male announcer ] it's time to clean out your garage for a car that's worthy of being the 2012 motor trend car of the year. the volkswagen passat. that's the power of german engineering. ♪ it must be love

♪ love, love there's another way to help erase litter box odor. purina tidy cats. only tidy cats has new odor erasers... making it easy to keep things at home... just the way you want them. new tidy cats with odor erasers. durn'it, this thing's runnin' slow. bet you think you're pretty quick? yeah, i guess it is pretty quick. jesse?!? jesse? jesse?! much obliged. suddenly, everything else seems old-fashioned. ultrabook. inspired by intel.

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. welcome back. 15 minutes past the hour. time to check the stories making news this morning. we are so happy to have you back, miss christine romans. >> thank you. let's talk about the big story in the news. they figured out all kinds of

schemes to stick taxpayers with the bill. the general services administration taking another beating from a house committee, all over that $800,000 shin dig in las vegas. the inspector general giving us new details about those so-called jackass awards they made up to justify free meals. >> it was a running joke in region nine that, in order to get food, you had to give out awards. and many of these awards were silly awards. one of our witnesses characterized them as, i guess, fake awards and jackass awards, and things of that nature. >> coming up at 6:30 eastern, we'll talk to committee chairman jeff denham who says the corruption, the fraud, the waste, it may go far beyond what we've heard so far. osama bin laden's two daughters and three widows could be deported from pakistan today. earlier this morbning, the judg ordered the women returned to their countries of origin after

serving a 45-day sentence for living in pakistan illegally. that sentence expired last night. yemen has already agreed to take in one of the widows. the other two are from saudi arabia. it's not two whether the country will agree to let them return. police in houston say a newborn baby boy is safe and sound just hours after his mother was gunned down. 28-year-old kate golden was fatally shot as she was leaving her pediatrician's office. police say she had an argument with a woman who took off with a 3-day-old infant. they're working to reunite the baby with his father. police in milledgeville, georgia, defending their decision to arrest and handcuff a 6-year-old kindergarten student who threw a tantrum at school. they say she was cuffed for her own safety after she allegedly damaged school property and an officer was unable to calm her down. >> she may have misbehaved, but i don't think she actually misbehaved to the point she

should have been handcuffed and taken downtown to the police department. >> our policy states that any detainee transported to our station in a patrol vehicle is to be handcuffed in the back. there's no age discrimination on that rule. >> police say the girl will not be charge the because of her age. dramatic video of rescue crews are racing to save a whale tangled in a fishing net. the 40-foot gray whale is stuck near a nuclear power plant off the coast of california. workers are now tracking it with buoys until they can cut away the line. it looks like money does buy happiness, and it doesn't have to be millions of dollars. a marist college poll found an annual salary of $50,000 was enough to make people feel happy and satisfied with life. how did they arri that number? researchers asked people to rate the level of satisfaction in key areas of their life, including family, friends, and work. as you know, some of the research that i've gone through too shows that it's not how much

money you make but how much debt you have. if you make $30,000 and don't have debt, you are happier than if you make more than that and have a lot of debt. debt is very important in this equation too. >> i still don't get the $50,000. >> they asked people how happy they were. they found that people with $50,000 seemed to be -- that was the point where they seemed to be happy with all of these things in their life. >> shouldn't we be pushing the mantra that money doesn't buy happiness? >> happiness buys happiness. 19 minutes past the hour. actually, it's 20 minutes past the hour. it was nascar day at the white house, president obama welcoming sprint cup champ tony stewart along with all the top 12 drivers of 2011. they brought a little hardware. look at that. two chevy impalas. president obama hoping he would be able to take one of them for a bit of a spin. >> it's good to see number 14 on the south lawn. every year i try to take a lap. nobody lets me do it. but i am still holding out hope

that at some point i'm going to be able to get behind the wheel. >> really? he can't take it for a ride? >> that's a national security issue. talk about a lover of nascar, rob marciano is back in town with the latest on the weather. >> are you really? >> come on, yes. who isn't? are you kidding? >> who isn't? >> forgive me. >> do not mess with nascar and rob. >> i would not mind having the number 14 car in my backyard although that chevy impala looks nothing like the chevy impala i learned to drive on. a couple of things that are good news. eastern texas, western louisiana, your drought over. natchidoches, louisiana, your drought is over. texas seeing 6.5 inches. the eastern part of the u.s., a decent amount of rain this morning.

we'll take it across parts of georgia, sliding up parts of the carolinas and into the northeast as well. that will continue throughout the day. a little pulse coming through parts of the midwest. here's your rainfall across the southeast. riding the spine of the appalachians. slightly cooler air behind this. this will get it up towards the northeast in new york city. you could use some rain as well. everybody begging for it on the eastern half of the country. some will get it sooner than others. guys, back up to you. >> all right, mr. marciano, thank you. still ahead, piers morgan turns on the british charm for betty white. the legendary funny lady celebrating yet another milestone. the capital one cash rewards card gives you a 50% annual bonus. and who doesn't want 50% more cash? ugh, the baby. huh! and then the baby bear said, "i want 50% more cash in my bed!" phhht! 50% more cash is good ri... what's that. ♪ you can spell. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card.

the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? ha ha. ♪ 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. this reduced sodium soup says it may help lower cholesterol, how does it work? you just have to eat it as part of your heart healthy diet. step 1. eat the soup. all those veggies and beans, that's what may help lower your cholesterol and -- well that's easy [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. to provide a better benefits package... oahhh! [ male announcer ] it made a big splash with the employees. [ duck yelling ]

[ male announcer ] find out more at... [ duck ] aflac! [ male announcer ] ...forbusiness.com. ♪ ha ha! a living breathing intelligence bringing people together to bring new ideas to life. look. it's so simple. [ male announcer ] in here, the right minds from inside and outside the company come together to work on an idea. adding to it from the road, improving it in the cloud all in real time. good idea. ♪ it's the at&t network -- providing new ways to work together, so business works better. ♪ welcome back. it is 25 minutes past the hour. it's time for an early read on your local news that's making national headlines this morning. we don't have the papers here. they're here somewhere. from michigan, new york, and

arkansas. we're going to start with the "detroit free press." an update on a story we've been following on "early start." 2,200 people have signed a petition urging the rehiring of a teacher fired over a trayvon martin demonstration. former teacher brook harris claims she was fired after she helped students organize a hoody demonstration in support of trayvon martin and his family. they were going to send the money to their family. parents signed the petition and voiced their support for harris at a school board meeting. the school says harris was not fired over trayvon martin but was let go over work rules. she wasn't supposed to do so without permission. hopefully, they're reviewing it. >> there's always two sides to that story, but we'll follow that as well. "the new york post" always good for a morning headline. sot-called king of all media gets knocked off his throne a bit. howard stern's $300 million lawsuit against sirius xm radio thrown out of court yesterday. it was a squabble over stock

options. stern says he was owed a pretty serious payout for the new subscribers being brought, and they beat their goal in new subscribers. the judge said stern couldn't count those in sirius acquiring xm. a tweet from howard stern's show says "howard is really bummed that a judge has dismissed his lawsuit against sirius. he plans on appealing." i'm sure we'll hear more about that. >> he's always fun to listen to. in the "denver post," the denver rockies are making baseball history. their pitcher jamie moyer is now the oldest pitcher to win a game. the rockies beat the san diego padres 5-3. pitcher jamie moyer is so old, how old is he? he's 49 years old. his first major league win came back in the summer of 1986. ferris bueller had just come to the theaters. let's put it in perspective for you. moyer is just 80 days older than

the last player to hold that record. that was jack quinn of the brooklyn dodgers, who set the record in 1932. >> i do love that baseball is back in season. i love baseball. >> so do i. who is he kidding? he can't keep up with her. talking about piers morgan, of course. piers morgan getting a little flirty with the legendary betty white last night, who was inducted into the national association of broadcasters hall of fame yesterday. take a look. >> my wife's last words to me tonight before i came down here were watch yourself with betty white. she said she is the ultimate cougar. >> i am. i am. in my own head, not any place else. but in my head, i'm the ultimate cougar. animal lover that i am. >> animal lover that i am. i love it. she's a very sweet lady. 28 minutes past the hour here. ahead on "early start," the latest on the prostitution scandal at the secret service. does the agency need leadership

change? what they're saying at the white house about that. and a michigan woman charged with fraud for allegedly collecting food stamps after winning the lottery. you might remember the story. we've got an update. sometimes, i feel like it's me against my hair. [ female announcer ] weak, damaged hair needs new aveeno nourish+ strengthen. active naturals wheat formulas restore strength for up to 90% less breakage in three washes. for strong, healthy hair with life, new aveeno nourish+ strengthen. omnipotent of opportunity. you know how to mix business... with business. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i could get used to this. [ male announcer ] yes, you could business pro. yes, you could. go national. go like a pro.

i worked at the colorado springs mail processing plant for 22 years. we processed on a given day about a million pieces of mail. checks, newspapers, bills. a lot of people get their medications only through the mail. small businesses depend on this processing plant. they want to shut down 3000 post offices, cut 100,000 jobs. they're gonna be putting people out of work everywhere. the american people depend on the postal service.

32 minutes past the hour. welcome back to "early start." i'm kate bolduan in for ashleigh banfield. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. rocker ted nugent raving about president obama at an nra convention. the secret service now looking into it. nugent saying, if barack obama

becomes the president in november, he will either be dead or in jail by this time next year. and the secret service battling problems of its own. the prostitution scandal in colombia. the white house says president obama has confidence in the secret service chief. now the exact number of women involved is unclear. barbara starr with new details in just a few moments. and mitt romney going all hillary clinton on us. explain, blaming a vast left wing conspiracy in the media for trying to derail his campaign. a new poll shows people may be warming up to mr. romney now that he is, quote, unquote, mr. inevitable. the summer olympics in london now just 100 days away. finishing touches being put on a giant set of rings. you're looking at them there. and doubts being put to rest that london is ready. big preopening ceremonies planned for today. we are going to take you there live. the white house and the republican chairman of the house homeland security committee are coming to the defense of the secret service and its director

despite this embarrassing prostitution scandal that continues to develop. 11 agents have been stripped of their security clearanceclearan are under investigation for allegedly bringing prostitutes to their cartahena hotel rooms. representative peter king is supporting the director of the secret service. >> i'm not holding mark sullivan responsible at all. he's begun an immediate investigation. the investigation is very intense. having spoken to director sullivan, let's leave it at this. he is incredibly angry, furious, and he's going to do all that he possibly can to make sure this never happens again. >> pentagon correspondent barbara starr is live with the latest this morning. >> reporter: here at the

pentagon, they're also con duthidut conducting their own investigation through the u.s. southern command about the military involvement. it appears that military members from all the branches were involved in these allegations, and they still are allegations, of the use of alcohol and possible soliciting prostitutes. the numbers are in flux a little bit, kate, because people may be getting cleared of the allegations. other people may be undergoing questioning. we are told by officials that at least two marines involved as well as members of the air force, the army, the navy, possible people involved in bomb disposal activity. all of these military people there as part of the support to the president and the support to the secret service during his visit to colombia. they might have had a peripheral role, but equal embarrassment here at the pentagon. >> talk about they might have had a peripheral role.

taking a step back to reare mmir viewers, how specific is that a security breach? >> reporter: this is a question, and people may be in disagreement about all of this, but anybody involved in a presidential visit on that level would have some knowledge of the president's schedule, his day-by-day, his minute-by-minute movements, and that puts him at risk. if they were involved with prostitutes, they could be at the risk of blackmail or threats or victims of violence. this is the kind of thing that concerns the secret service, that concerns the pentagon. members of both units, the secret service and the military, are always warned about not getting involved with prostitutes because of this very risk. so they may not have had direct access to the president himself, but they had information that could make it a security concern. >> still a lot to develop on

this story. thank you so much, barbara. talk to you soon. 36 minutes past the hour here. now on to campaign politics. he is a republican nominee in waiting. with the divisive primaries now behind him, it appears americans are seeing mitt romney in a more favorable light. does he jeopardize that good will with comments like this? rebooting an old hillary clinton line to attack his critics. >> there will be an effort by the, quote, vast left wing conspiracy to work together to put out their message and to attack me. they're going to do everything they can to divert from the issue people care most about, which is a growing economy that creates more jobs and rising incomes. that's what people care about. >> so meantime, there is good news for romney in the latest polling. a cnn/orc poll shows his favorable rating at 44% now, seven points higher than last month, and a ten-point jump from february. cnn political editor paul

steinhauser joins us live from washington. paul, i never thought i would be doing this, but i come in in the morning and pore over these crazy polls. yesterday we were talking about the bad news for romney. you have good news. coupled with some bad news. let's do the good first. >> you just showed the headline. the primaries over, the attacks with newt gingrich, pretty much done now. mitt romney the consensus nominee. that's why his rating is starting to rise. he still has a way to go compared to barack obama. his favorable rating compared to barack obama's is 12 points down. president obama had a 56% rating, and romney at 44%. but when asked is it worth a second look for mitt romney? the answer there is yes. a majority say yes, plan to give him a second look. 4 in 10 say i know enough about mitt romney. 45% say no. this is happening at a good time

for mitt romney now that we're getting past the primaries and the general election battle. >> that's the one i was referring to. i think that 52% is high and good news for him. even though president obama has a stronger favorability rating than mitt romney has, he still has reason to be a little nervous, we understand. it has to do with his approval rating. can you share some of that with us? >> the approval rating is how is he doing? how is his job as president? take a look at the number. it is at 49% approval, 48% disapprove in our brand new cnn/orc poll that went up over the weekend. how does that compare to previous presidents who won re-election? it's a little bit lower and under 50% compared to them at this time. you can see former president bush, former president clinton and reagan all in the low to mid-50s. president obama right on that line there where former presidents would have cut into the favorable rating in the years they were elected. zoraida? >> not a big difference, paul. we're going to take a look at

the polls a little later in the 6:00 hour. thanks for that. a 25-year-old michigan woman is facing two felony fraud charges for continuing to collect food stamps after winning the lottery. we probably remember this story. there was quite a bit of outrage when this came to light. amanda clayton spent monday night and was arraigned yesterday. prosecutors say she failed to inform state welfare officials about her lottery winner and cashed in on more than $5,000 in food stamps after collecting a lump sum lottery payment of $735,000. here's amanda's mom defending her daughter. >> when i spoke with her, she said she called the welfare office, and they don't return your phone calls. so what are you supposed to do? >> so she tried to report -- >> she tried to report it. >> amanda clayton has pleaded not guilty. her lawyer plans to ask for all

charges to be dropped at a hearing next week. check the phone record, folks. check the phone records. >> that's an interesting one. high school in wassau, wisconsin, is banning bumping and grinding at the prom. in fact, they're making kids sign a no dirty dancing pledge if they want to attend. the dance code of conduct says each student cannot have any body against body dancing, no groping either, and no provocative dancing, including grinding. that's a lot of rules. >> we had a lot of girls complain, and we've had a lot of parents complain that that makes them feel uncomfortable. this is a safety measure for students as well that feel that they can't stand up and say, i don't like this. >> so students are caught not keeping it pg, they can be kicked out of the dance, and the penalty could get more severe depending on how close they actually get. imagine the chaperones at that one. >> it would be like a foot apart.

>> for us, right? >> i never danced close to a guy. >> you're going to say that with a straight face. >> i'm just curious. >> i went to an all girls catholic high school. >> i was a wall flower. i'm sure all of you believe that. only 100 days until the olympics, and the celebrations have already begun. coming up, a live report on all the preparations, all the festivities happening in london as we wait for the games to begin. ♪ [ female announcer ] introducing new nature valley protein bars. 100% natural ingredients like roasted peanuts... ♪ ...creamy peanut butter, and a rich dark chocolate flavor. plus, 10 grams of great tasting protein in every bar. so it's energy straight from nature to you. new nature valley protein bars. find them in the granola bar aisle.

good morning, atlanta. >> we need the good music. >> just jumped too early. looks a little rainy. we're looking atlanta because this is the host of the 1996 olympic summer games. later on today, we're going to get more rain, high of 62.

good morning, everyone. wake up, wake up, wake up. the final countdown to the start of the summer olympics in london, we're just 100 days out now. while the games haven't begun just yet, the party is already getting started. the first celebrations are kicking off this morning in london. jim bolden is live in trafalgar square with the details. good morning, sir. >> reporter: good morning. a few hours from now, some of the leading lights of the west end theater, the stage, will be here to celebrate. and out at heathrow airport, they revealed flowers in the shape of olympic rings. if you're flying over heathrow, you can see those rings. you can see behind me, about 10 hours, 50 minutes until the opening ceremonies. you may also be able to tell i'm wearing gloves. it's freezing. it's raining. let's hope that's not the kind of weather people see when they come to london. >> london is known for its famous underground.

so many people coming for the games, are they concerned at all about transportation getting there? >> reporter: the thing is they're ready. not much of the infrastructure is ready, but you can't do much about the victorian era underground. they have modernized it, but they're telling us, the people who live here, you may take a lot longer to get to work. i saw signs that said, you may need to walk to work. they're talking about people staying later. one piece of advice from the underground system is stay at work, go to the pub, have a few drinks, and then try to go home after all the tourists have gone back to the hotels. >> that is, i think, very interesting advice. >> that's great advice. >> thank you very much. we appreciate that update. it is 47 minutes past the hour. time to check the stories making news this morning. here is christine romans. good morning. >> good morning again, ladies. the white house this morning defending the secret service and its director mark sullivan despite an embarrassing prostitution scandal. the administration says it still has faith in the agency even though 11 agents are under

investigation for allegedly bringing prostitutes to their hotel in colombia last week right before the president's arrival in the country. warren buffett is battling stage one prostate cancer. the billionaire investor confirming this diagnosis in a letter to his berkshire hathaway shareholders. buffett says he feels great. he insists this disease is not life-threatening and will not limit his day to day activities. he'll be undergoing radiation treatments for two months beginning in july. ted nugent said he'll be, quote, dead or in jail, if president obama wins again. that got the attention of the secret service. the rocker going on a rant at an nra event saying, this administration is vile and evil. brutal takedown of a car robbie suspect via police dog. a man allegedly carjacked a woman at a grocery store. he led police on a chase across several counties.

when police finally caught him, the dog pounced and would not let go. police had to cut through the suspect's shorts just to get the dog to release him. the suspect was treated for bite injuries at a hospital. new details about an air canada flight that left 14 passengers and 2 flight attendants hurt when the plane took a violent nose dive. a new report released earlier this week describes what happened. apparently, the copilot was disoriented after waking up from a nap during the flight. he saw the bright glow of the planet venus and mistook it for an oncoming plane. he panicked and took the plane down hard. >> i was literally violently thrown out of my seat and slammed into the ceiling. i was in a window seat. and so i hit the top of the ceiling and fell back to the ground. after that, it was just kind of chaos. >> the flight captain quickly brought the plane back on

course, and it landed safely. ladies? >> i cannot imagine that moment in time, right? >> there's so many scary airplane stories these days. >> i know. >> i don't know how long that flight was, but the nap part. venus, of course. still ahead, the batmobile is a big wheel. police let a sick little boy become batman for a day. look at that. they went all out. this is a touching story you don't want to miss. ♪ ♪ ♪ and i never thought i'd feel this way ♪ ♪ the way i feel about you [ male announcer ] it's time to clean out your garage for a car that's worthy of being the 2012 motor trend car of the year. the volkswagen passat. that's the power of german engineering. ♪ it must be love

♪ love, love hey, it's sandra -- from accounting. peter. i can see that you're busy... but you were gonna help us crunch the numbers for accounts receivable today. i mean i know that this is important. well, both are important. let's be clear. they are but this is important too. [ man ] the receivables. [ male announcer ] michelin knows it's better for xerox to help manage their finance processing. so they can focus on keeping the world moving. with xerox, you're ready for real business.

52 minutes past the hour. time to take a look at what is trending on the web. it is bat boy to the rescue. >> batman, you just try to stop me. >> wow, look at that. the arlington, texas police department made a little boy with leukemia's dream come true. they let him be batman throughout the day. the department set up little crimes all across the city for the boy to solve, including a bank robbery, and a phony scheme by the riddler. they even gave him the key to the city for saving the day. >> that's fantastic. you really can't top that story. another story that is trending, we just saw tupac in a

hologram perform at coachella. maybe not the last. kurt cobain? i guess we'll have to see. a friend of the nirvana front man says that cobain was working on a new solo track that transcended anything he'd written so far, saying it would have been his white album, referring to the beatles album that inspired all kinds of new sounds 40 years ago. do these songs really exist? will we ever hear them? >> that tupac thing is really amazing >> but is grunge coming back? oh, no. "early start" nerd now. it makes a brainiac's head explode. a star trek convention is set to unite all five captains on the stage for the first time. william shatner, captain picard, captain cisco, kate mull grew,

and captain archer. they will all attend destination star trek london. it's expected in october, and they're expecting thousands of trekkies from all around the world. can you imagine that as you're walking through the streets? >> trekkies unite, and just in time for their world tour, which starts tonight, five guitars stolen from tom petty and the heartbreakers have been recovered. the guitars were taken last week from an l.a. recording studio when the band was rehearsing. petty had offered a $7,500 reward for their return, no questions asked. police say the group is thrilled to get the guitars back. >> all of these have a very special value to mr. petty. if you take a look at these guitars, each and every one of them has been responsible for creating one of his greatest hits in the last 30 years. >> 51-year-old -- there's his picture right there. darrell washington, a private security guard, has been arrested for grand theft. police were able to identify him after he sold one of the guitars at a hollywood pawn shop.

>> stupid criminal files. jackass awards, interns, getaways, vegas bashes, lawmakers now looking at the leaders of a government agency who let them run wild. the gsa we're talking about here. >> that's right. still ahead, rocker and big time nra supporter ted nugent going off on president obama. why the rant could get him in serious trouble. [ male announcer ] if you have yet to master the quiet sneeze... [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] you may be an allergy muddler. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec®. love the air. [ sneezes ] and it hasn't been going exactly as planned. [ director ] cut. cut! [ monica ] i thought we'd be on location for 3 days -- it's been 3 weeks. so i had to pick up some more things. good thing i've got the citi simplicity card. i don't get hit with a fee if i'm late with a payment... which is good because on this job,

no! bigger! [ monica ] i may not be home for a while. [ male announcer ] the citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries. in here, great food demands a great presentation. so at&t showed corporate caterers how to better collaborate by using a mobile solution, in a whole new way. using real-time photo sharing abilities, they can create and maintain high standards, from kitchen to table. this technology allows us to collaborate with our drivers to make a better experience for our customers. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ a lot of people aren't really aware of it. water alone isn't a solution. dry mouth can have a profound effect. it can lead to bad breath, to tooth decay. it can lead to just general discomfort. i recommend biotene because it contains supplemental enzymes. biotene works really, really well. they make an oral rinse, a mouth spray, and toothpastes. biotene is specially formulated to make the mouth moist

and to really make your mouth feel comfortable. we have patients who really love biotene and who swear by it, which to me is the best recommendation. this reduced sodium soup says it may help lower cholesterol, how does it work? you just have to eat it as part of your heart healthy diet. step 1. eat the soup. all those veggies and beans, that's what may help lower your cholesterol and -- well that's easy [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm zoraida sambolin. >> and i'm kate bolduan in for ashleigh banfield.

let's get started. ted nugent's controversial rant against president obama, the national journal, and others, say the secret service plans to contact rocker and proud nra member ted nugent regarding comments he made about the president. the white house standing by the men who took a pledge to take a bullet for the president. this morning new details in the secret service prostitution scandal. agents being offered a lie detector test now. she got a ride home from the bar and hasn't been heard from since. she may be in danger this morning. >> she's loved by all of her friends and family and we all just want her to come home. >> cnn spoke to her mother and her sister. we will have the latest on that coming up. eggs almost four feet wide. scientists claiming they have discovered the world's largest dinosaur eggs and already seeing dollar signs. scientists are saying, though, not so fast. that's an interesting one. the war of words in the race for president heating up and it is only april. the national journal and others

reporting that the secret service is getting involved over the top comments made by ted nugent. >> but he tells cnn he's standing by his statements. alina cho is here to break that down and share some of those statements with us. >> yes, those gems. good morning. good to see you, again. good morning, everybody. he is the self-described motor city madman. ted nugent is always outspoken, no stranger to controversy, but his most recent comments had people on both sides of the aisle saying this time he has gone too far. he had spoke on saturday during a radio interview he slammed members of the obama administration, but these comments about the president that's creating a firestorm. listen to this clip. he started with a rant about the four liberal justices on the supreme court and then he directed his anger at the president. >> and if you want more of those

kind of evil, anti-american people in the supreme court, then don't get involved and let obama take office, again. because i'll tell you this right now. if barack obama becomes the president in november, again, i will either be dead or in jail by this time next year. >> the national journal and other publications say the secret service is aware of his comments and following up on it, but nugent didn't stop there. here's how he rallied people to support mitt romney in november. >> and if you take that adamant, "we the people" defiance. we didn't negotiate and compromise with the king. we defied the emperors. we are patriots. we are braveheart. we need to ride into that battlefield and chop their heads off in november. >> clearly, no stranger to controversy or inflammatory remarks. there's no formal connection with the mitt romney campaign,

but he is mitt romney supporter and he's out there talking and he is a celebrity. what is mitt romney saying about this. >> the romney campaign not happy about it, as you might imagine, kate. the romney campaign looking to distance itself from the controversy. devisive language is offensive no malter what side of the political aisle it comes from. democrats, of course, are outraged. congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz says this, mitt romney must condemn nugent's violent and hateful rhetoric immediately as it has no place in our political discourse or our campaign. >> he kind of crossed the line all over the place, right? any chance that he will take any of it back? >> i'm guessing probably not, right? probably not. so far, no. zoraida. and democrats, by the way, we

should mention released a video which went viral, basically, even though calling nugent a surrogate for mitt romney even though there's no formal connection there. but we should talk a little bit about what nugent has said about this because, obviously, making no apologies. in fact, he spoke to cnn contributor and tea party activist dana lash on her radio show. it happened yesterday. just listen to what he said about this. >> wasserman schultz is such a brain dead, soulless, heartless idiot that i could not be more proud that this soulless, heartless, idiot feebly attempts to find fault with ted nugent because i am on the right track and she just encourages me to stand stronger. >> in fact, he says he stands by his speech. he calls his comments, 100% positive. obviously, the white house was asked what it thinks about all

of this and the white house spokesman jay carney was quick to say, "look, we're not going to respond to every reporter's comments. the president is focused on the issues." >> there's not much you can say about this. i don't think a lot of people would agree. >> we talk about he's a celebrity, he's out there and in a lot of places, he said it before. but at some poent those inflammatory remarks, they reach a line. >> he had to know he was going to get this attention. >> he knew it. thank you so much, alina. >> you bet. gas prices down a half a cent in the past 24 hours. look at that. the national average is 3. $90 a gallon and gas much higher in some parts of the country. $6 gas spotted at fernance creek. the cost of gas has soared this year, up more than 18% since the start of 2012.

"minding your business" president obama made a huge push yesterday to limit speculation in the oil markets to help bring gas prices down but he made it clear over the past few weeks that there is no quick fix when it comes to gas prices and no silver bullet. >> there is no such thing as a quick fix when it comes to high gas prices. there's no silver bullet. >> what i have also said about gas prices is that there is no silver bullet. >> there are no short-term silver bullets when it comes to gas prices. >> there are no silver bullets short term when it comes to gas prices. >> there is no silver bullet for avoiding spikes in gas prices every year. >> no quick fixes or silver bullets. >> so, let's bring in christine romans and you were just saying -- >> there are no quick fixes or silver bullets to high gas prices. one place where he's the leader of the free world, but a huge global, 90 million barrel a day

energy market, oil market that is big and powerful and doesn't think in four-year election spans, quite frankly. look, a lot of public pressure on this president because of the high gas prices. you showed $6.01 in california, it's different around the country, but the average has been up here near $4 a gallon and the president trying to limit what he says is speculation in the market. manipulation and punish manipulation in the oil markets as a way we think to control gas prices. look, no silver bullet or quick fix. trying to crack down on ospeculators would likely have very little effect to bring down gas prices and republicans are jumping on this all as an election year gimmick. listen. >> i can only quote warren buffett. when i asked about that a few years ago, he said it's not about speculation, it's about supply and demand. so, it looks to me like the

president only quotes warren buffett selectively. >> the president quotes warren buffett when he talks about taxing the rich, another election year gimmick, republicans say, to try to appeal to progressives that don't like income inequality and don't like high gas prices and want the u.s. to do something about it. one thing i will say, that's how the market works. manipulation and speculation are two different things. how much is speculation driving up energy costs. remember in 2008 the record high prices? the st. louis federal reserve studi studied the markets and found 15% of that spike was oil. increased demand. i have talked to dozens and dozens of experts in the energy arena, right? demand from the rest of the world is huge and growing. even as the u.s. demand for the u.s. is going down and the rest of the world is driving the story here.

we get oil from a global marketplace, which there are buyers, sellers, producers, speculators in this huge market and prices are going, recently i talked to the fedex ceo. he consums more oil than you do, boys and girls. this is the way of the world. he doesn't see how the gas and oil prices keep going up. they want to grow middle classes and those middle classes will drive and use gasoline. >> we point out with the $6 gallon of gas that we showed and there has been a drop, actually, consistently, we've seen a drop and you believe it has peaked. >> wow, you're going to put me on -- i think you might have seen. if you don't have any problems in the middle east and you don't have any problems with iran, maybe this is the spring peak right here heading into the election. i think that, wasn't it joe biden who recently said gas prices are going to go down either in six months or a year. they will go down. gas prices go up and down. they're volatile. a market set by a lot of

different factors. >> they're talking about the election year. only slightly more people blame president obama for high gas prices than they blame republican policies. majority blaming oil companies. mitt romney is looking at this. >> republicans want to drill, drill, drill, drill. but just that won't solve the problem either. i mean, a lot of people that i talk to say that both parties have the full picture of how to handle this. and maybe the u.s. can't handle lower gas prices. the only way to pay less for gas is to use less gas. the world is using more and more and more. >> we're using less and less and less. >> thank you. so, some news on billionaire investor warren buffett. he will undergo two month of daily radiation treatments beginning in mid-july. this after he was diagnosed with stage one prostate cancer. the 81-year-old buffett says he feels great, though, and his

energy level is 100%. the world's third richest person writing a letter saying his condition is not remotely life threatening or debilitating in any way. and he would let shareholders know immediately if his health situation would change. >> we'll talk to elizabeth cohen about that diagnosis and what it means for him. concern is growing for a ft. bragg soldier who has been missing since saturday. police say she may be in danger. kelli bordauex was last seen saturday morning. she never reported for work on monday and her sister says she's not the kind of soldier who would ever go awol. >> she joined the military because she knew that was going to better her life. she wanted to make her family

proud. she is loved by all her friends and family and we want her to come home. >> she joined the army one year ago and reported for duty in ft. bragg in november as a health service specialist. despite an a embarrassing prostitution scandal that continues to unfold, the white house is coming to the defense of the secret service and its director. 11 agents are being investigated for allegedly bringing prostitutes to their hotel in colombia two days before the president's arrival for a summit. mark sullivan is heading up that investigation. the president spokesman jay carney insisting the agency does not have a leadership issue. >> the president has confidence in the director of the secret service. director sullivan antibioticed quickly in response to this incident and is overseeing an investigation, as we speak, into the matter. >> as many as ten members of the u.s. military are also being questioned about their possible involvement in that scandal. the denver rockies making baseball history last night.

their pitcher jamie moyer is now the oldest pitcher to win a game in the major leagues. the rockies beat the san diego padres, 5-3. how old is pitcher jamie moyer? he is 49 years old. he first joined the major leagues back in 1986. he got emotional talking about his record-breaking win. >> it's a special night for me. a lot of emotion. it's been a long time since 2010. it's only three games, but, you know winning my first game as i said earlier, i kind of feel like it's my first game and it's pretty much all i know and pretty much all i've done my whole life and i'm still able to live the dream and i still believe i have the passion for the game and, you know, a special night for me. >> that is fantastic, isn't it? >> sweet. >> i misspoke. it's the colorado rockies.

moyer is just 80 days older than the last player to hold that record. jack quinn who set that record back in 1932. >> he's not old, people. maybe in sports terms. >> in baseball terms, right? ahead on "early start" police slap the cuffs on a 6-year-old kindergarten student in georgia. this little girl right here this morning they're standing by that decision. they say eggs this big have never been found before. geologists claiming they discovered the largest stash of dinosaur eggs in history. are they too big to be true? you're watching "early start." ♪ dave, i've downloaded a virus. yeah. ♪ dave, where are we on the new laptop?

it's so slow! i'm calling dave. [ telephone rings ] [ male announcer ] in a small business, technology is all you. that's why you've got us. at the staples pc savings event, for a limited time get up to $200 off select computers. staples. that was easy.

for a limited time get up to $200 off select computers. 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. 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. ♪

i tell you what i can spend. i do my best to make it work. i'm back on the road safely. and i saved you money on brakes. that's personal pricing. it is 17 minutes past the hour.

time to check the stories making news this morning with christine romans. >> they figured out all kind of schemes to stick taxpayers with the bill, a big bill. taking another beating from a house committee. lawmakers trying to figure out how this agency was allowed to throw an $800,000 shindig in las vegas and run wild for so long. the inspector general giving us new details about those so-called jackass awards that were made up to justify free meals. >> it was a running joke in region nine that in order to get food you had to give out awards. most of these awards were silly awards. one of our witnesses characterized them as, i guess, fake awards and jackass awards and things of that nature. >> how about the official had to take eight trips to vegas to scout out the location for the upcoming conference. eight trips. i can tell you right now what will happen in vegas.

we'll talk to jeff denham who says the corruption fraud and waste may go far beyond what we heard so far. police in houston have recovered a 3-day-old baby after his mother was shot and killed yesterday. a woman shot the boy's mother's outside the pediatrician office and then took the baby. the newborn is now safe and sound. at least one person of interest is being questioned. police in georgia defending their decision to arrest and handcuff a 6-year-old kindergarten student who threw a tantrum at school. they say johnson was cuffed for her own safety after she allegedly damaged school property and an officer was unable to calm her down. >> she might have misbehaved, but i don't think she actually misbehaved to the point that she should have been handcuffed and taken downtown to the police department. >> our policy states that any detainee transported to our

facility in the back should be handcuffed. >> the girl will not be charged because of her age. geologists in chechnya discovered the largest dinosaur eggs in history. close to four feet wide, but some scientists say this team may have egg on their faces. since no dinosaur ever laid an egg that big and they wouldn't lay them in an area with so many mountains, they would be hopping around. for an expanded look at all these top stories, head to our blog cnn.com/earlystart. >> more details on that little girl. johnson has been tearing items off the office walls and she knocked over a shelf and injured the principal. her mom says she does have mood swings. you wonder how you handle a s situation like that, right? >> the law enforcement thought handcuffs were appropriate in

the back seat of that car. >> thank you. 20 minutes past the hour here. up next on "early start" a stunning announcement from war aen buffet. he's battling stage one prostate cancer. you're watching "early start." coffee doesn't have vitamins... unless you want it to.

splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart ways to sweeten. same great taste. splenda® essentials™.

welcome back to "early start." 24 minutes past the hour here. warren buffett is battling prostate cancer. it's stage one prostate cancer and the disease has been

detected early, as well. buffett and his doctors beginning radiation treatments in mid-july. elizabeth cohen joining us from california this morning. stage one caught early, what is his prognosis. >> his prognosis is excellent. if you look at men with stage one prostate cancer it means the cancer is well contained within the prostate and not even close to spreading outside and that means that these men have a 99% chance of being alive five years later. of course, that accounts for men of all age as, not just warren buffett who is 81. a 99% five-year survival rate. matter of fact, such a slow-growing cancer that that is really the reason for that high survival rate, unlike other cancers. prostate cancers take a really long time to grow. >> he says he's feeling really good. what kind of treatment is he going to be getting? >> he opted for two months of radiation treatment. what that means is about five

days a week he'll go in and get a very short treatment and it doesn't take very long. a short treatment of radiation. various ways of doing it and we don't know exactly how he's going to do it. usually it doesn't have that much of an effect on people. many people work and have their regular schedule through this course of radiation. it can and sometimes it can cause impetimpotence. >> the treatment that he has elected. regular treatment for prostate cancer? >> there are a lot of options. an interesting cancer in that way. various things you can do. some men elect to have surgery. they elect to have the prostate removed and other men elect for radiation, as he's done. other people will elect for something called watchful waiting and that, believe it or not, means doing nothing. keeping a careful eye on that cancer and doing nothing. sometimes the treatment is actually worse than the cancer. very difficult to make these

decisions. if you go to cnn.com/empowerpatient, you can see all the different choices that men have and how to go about making that decision. it's a tough one. >> elizabeth, i want to use this as a learning opportunity. at what age should men actually go to get tested for prostate cancer? >> you know what, zoraida, i wish i had an easy answer for you. this is probably the most controversial area in cancer prevention. some men elect not to get any screening there are doctors who say i don't want to get screened because you'll find this slow-growing cancer because i don't want to worry about something that is never going to hurt me. it's not like mammograms where at age 40 we say women should get mammograms. this is a controversial one and a decision made between a man and his doctor. >> elizabeth cohen, thank you so much for that. >> thanks. coming up next on "early start" the secret service shaken by a prosus itution scandal.

♪ hey, dad, you think i could drive? i'll tell you what -- when we stop to fill it up. ♪ ♪ [ son ] you realize, it's gotta run out sometime. [ male announcer ] jetta tdi clean diesel. the turbo that gets 42 miles per gallon. that's the power of german engineering. ♪

that's the power of germa[siri]neering. cit's off your calendar. good, 'cause it's date night. find me a store that sells organic mushrooms for my risotto. [siri] this organic market looks pretty close to you. how many ounces in a cup? [siri] this might answer your question. oh, i knew that. and remind me in an hour to put the gazpacho on ice. [siri] here's your reminder. shall i create it? yeah...unless you like hotspacho. siri? [siri] sam. you can take the night off. [siri] if you say so. with these new depend real fit briefs,untry and today we are surprising pro football all stars. there's wes, clay and demarcus.what's up guys. now i know you don't need one, but would you try these on for charity and prove just how great the fit is? seriously? no way for charity? let's do it! yup... they're doin it. the best protection now looks, fits and feels just like underwear. let's go drive, use the legs... nice teamwork! they tried on the new depend real fit. get a free sample so you can too.

music never gets old. 30 minutes after the hour. i'm kate boldaun in for ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. >> after the prostitution scandal that started in colombia. now the exact number of women involved is unclear. barbara starr with new details in just a few minutes. the general services administration and its $800,000 spending spree in las vegas. two house committees already grilling leaders about how the agency was able to run wild for so long with your money. mitt romney taking a chapter from hillary clinton playbook blaming a vast left-wing conspiracy for trying to derail

his campaign. people may be warming up to mr. romney, more on that ahead. the very first time, we'll tell you why they're going where no man has gone before. and despite a devastating prostitution scandal, the white house and the republican chairman of the house homeland committee are coming to the defense of the secret service and its director. 11 agents have been relieved of security clearance and under investigation for allegedly bringing prostitutes to their hotel rooms, two days before the president's arrival. there have been calls for the resignation of secret service director mark sellvullivan but white house is backing him and so is peter king, whose committee oversees the agency. >> i don't hold mark sullivan responsible for this at all. i think he has acted very effectively and begun an immediate investigation. the investigation is very intense and i can also tell you

from having spoken to director sullivan, let's leave it at this. he is incredibly angry, furious and he doing all that he possibly can to make sure this doesn't happen again. >> ten members of the u.s. military are being investigated, too, where do things stand? >> the pentagon has that military investigation going on in parallel with the secret service. what we now know is that at least some members of each of the military branches are being questioned in regards to this sca scandal, potential allegations and they are just allegations right now, of course, about prostitutes while they were in colombia all part of this situation that is being investigated by both elements, the secret service and the military. we know now at least two u.s. marines being questioned as well as members of the air force, the navy and the army. these were people all in colombia as part of the support

function to the secret service to the president's trip. some of them were dog handlers, explosive experts, that sort of thing. so, they may not have had direct contact with the president, but, still couldn't be more embarrassing for the pentagon, kate. >> barbara, the white house, the administration made clear that the president was never in any danger, per se. so how serious are these concerns that we're hearing about this being a security breach? >> that's very interesting question. he may not have been in direct because they were at nightclubs, allegedly, engaging in these activities. these are people who have the access to the president's minute-by-minute, day-by-day schedule when he's on the road. that is some of the most classified information. they could have left themselves oepen to the threat of blackmail, threats of violence or being victims of crimes and that is the concern that they

let themselves be vulnerable to this wider arena of threats and that that could have posed a threat to the president and the u.s. troops there. kate? >> that vulnerability that is a real concern, absolutely. barbara starr at the pentagon, thanks so much, barbara. more scrutiny for the schedule plagued general services administration. trying to determine how the agency's management could have failed so greatly wasting taxpayer money on a lavish las vegas conference for 300 employees. on tuesday the house transportation committee held its hearing on the matter. congressman jeff denham made it clear he was looking for answers. >> if we continue to see that you're not giving us the information on a bipartisan level to show us how these expenditures are happening, i am prepared to systematically pull apart gsa to the point where we will make it a question to the american public on whether gsa

is needed at all. >> tough words there. joining me now chairman jeff denham. thanks for joining us, again, we appreciate your time. yesterday did you uncover anything new? >> well, we laid out for the american public how this is just a systemic problem. this is a culture of corruption and fraud within an agency and this is the agency that is supposed to set the standard for all agencies in government. and, so, we laid it out that it wasn't just this las vegas vacation where they spent a million dollars. they had nine preplanning trips but, actually, went on and on, even when they had already been doing a report. >> but did you actually uncover anything new yesterday that surprised you? >> it surprised me how early the administration and the white house knew about this. certainly, you know, we knew that the senator obama had a

person that he appointed within gsa that was the liaison to the white house. martha johnson who resigned the appointee of the president said how far she laid it out to the white house and how long it actually took before fired or resigned and how many trips went beyond when the white house knew. >> yesterday the whistleblower in this case testified, as well, susan britta. >> you notified the regional administrator, ruth cox, about the upcoming junket and expressed concern, right? >> i did. >> and what happened? >> i expressed concern and asked her to review the plans and make sure -- >> that called it off a, didn't it? no. >> were you surprised that she was ignored. >> yes.

yeah. i mean, she should be praised for being a whistleblower for coming out and putting her job on the line when all of this was going on throughout the entire agency, but after the inspector general was involved and after he issued his first report a year and a half ago, she was fighting the same uphill battle trying to put a stop to and getting ignored, from all the way from the top. >> you mentioned president obama and his administration in this particular scandal. are you looking at past administrations, as well, to see if this is ongoing for quite some time? >> absolutely. in these video wheres they're bragging about the issues here, not only take on president obama a, but take on the previous chair of this committee who has been trying to look at this area for quite some time. this is a public building's fund that for the last many years has spent money and been uncontrollable. >> so, there was one wince thtn that did not appear at the hearing and we have a photo of

him during that las vegas conference that everyone is talking about. he appeared monday at another hearing and he invoked his fifth amendment rights during his testimony. any plans to attempt to hear from him, again? >> right now we don't have any more legislative hearings planned, but this has been referred to the department of justice and there will be people that will be tried criminally and we expect that there are going to be people that go to jail over this. >> based on what you heard yesterday, do you think that we still need the gsa? i know you mentioned earlier when we talked to you about a week ago, that you were not sure if it should exist. >> i laid out the question and i explained to them why it is needed and what areas are not covered by private industry. done a tremendous job of protecting our public buildings and we could put people back to work. they sold 82 properties over the last decade. so, it is an issue that has gone between republicans and

democrats no matter who is in charge, gsa has run wild and uncontrollable. >> congressman jeff denham, thank you for your time this morning, we appreciate it. >> you got it, thank you. >> kate, back to you. coming up next, some good news for mitt romney in some of the latest cnn polling on the campaign. we'll dig into those numbers ahead. but, first, a quick check of the weather with rob marciano. hey a, rob. >> much-needed rain spreading across the northeast and spreading across the appalachian mountains and eventually get towards the northeast. new york mainly dry for most of today. minneapolis to green bay and eventually to chicago and you'll see a shower, maybe a clap of thunder, as well. and west coast storm coming to california and southern oregon. temperatures in the 70s in the midsection and 80 degrees in dallas and new york city 65. that is a quick check on weather, it's 40 minutes after the hour. ♪

[ male announcer ] from our nation's networks... ♪ ...to our city streets... ♪ ...to skies around the world... ♪ ...northrop grumman's security solutions are invisibly at work, protecting people's lives... [ soldier ] move out! [ male announcer ] ...without their even knowing it. that's the value of performance.

northrop grumman. 14 clubs. that's what they tell us a legal golf bag can hold. and while that leaves a little room for balls and tees, it doesn't leave room for much else. there's no room left for deadlines or conference calls. not a single pocket to hold the stress of the day, or the to-do list of tomorrow. only 14 clubs pick up the right one and drive it right down the middle of pure michigan. your trip begins at michigan.org.

welcome back to "early start." mitt romney gearing up for the general election fight. yesterday he went after media critics and others he say are looking to derail his campaign, citing a vast left wing conspiracy. meantime, good news for romney in the latest polling from cnn. a cnn international poll shows his favorable rating at 44% now. seven points higher than last month and a ten-point jump from february. cnn political editor paul steinhauser is joining me from washington. some welcome news, paul, for the

romney campaign. >> here's why, kate. you remember the primaries back in february and march when it was pretty divisive. newt gingrich all battling each other. that will bring a person's favorable ratings down. that's why you're seeing romney's ratings going back to where they were before the primaries heated up. the battling among republicans is over and romney's perception among all americans is starting to rise a little bit. kate? >> can we talk, do you have this polling number i want to bring this up. this poll that we have that say that 53% of americans plan to give romney a second look, paul. how does that translate into the general election? >> this is so important. i am glad you brought this up. probably the most important number in our poll this morning for mitt romney because he wants to redefine himself, you could say. he wants to have a general election candidate and if a majority of americans, according to our numbers, say they want to give him a second look. give him a second chance to

voters who have seen him in the primaries and now they're going to give him a second chance and that's so important. kate, the favorable number we just showed on romney, he still has a deficit when it comes to president obama. 56% of americans have a favorable rating of president obama and only 44% with romney. president obama more likable than mitt romney. >> as always, a lot of numbers to chew through that we continue to do on cnn, all day. as always, paul, a lot depends on how you slice it. both campaigns will be coming out to talk about that. paul steinhauser in washington. thanks. soledad o'brien joins us with a look at what's ahead on "starting point." >> ted nugent's rant about president obama and ranted against supreme court justices and ranted against secretary clinton. some people are seeing this as a specific threat to the

president. nugent had an opportunity to apologize on dana loesch's radio show. exactly what he told her. also, he's getting his star on the walk of fame in just a few days. actor john cusack is playing edgar allen poe. if you like the work you'll love the movie. he'll talk a little bit about his upcoming role. also, is it tim tebow, adele, pippa, she's in the news lately, not for good things. "time" magazine comes out with its list of the 100 most influential people. you can go to our live blog at cnn.com/startingpoint if you can't catch our show this morning. otherwise we'll see you right at the top of the hour at 7:00 a.m. see you then.

to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. [ male announcer ] aggressive styling. 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. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services.

it is 50 minutes past the hour. ten minutes until the top of the next big show. let's get a check of stories making news this morning. good morning, christine. >> the obama administration is

backing the secret service and its director mark sullivan despite an embarrassing prostitution scandal. the white house says it still has faith in the agency, even though 11 agents are under investigation for allegedly bringing prostitutes to their hotel in colombia. last week right before the president's arrival there. ted nugent says he'll be "dead or in jail" if president obama wins, again. that got the secret services attention according to several news outlets, including the national journal. the rocker going on a rant at an nra event also saying this administration is vile and evil. police say a female soldier from ft. bragg who has been missing since saturday may be in danger. kelli bordeaux was last seen at a fayetteville bar early saturday morning. she never reported for work on monday. she joined the army one year ago

as a health service specialist. dramatic video of rescue crews racing to save a whale tangled in a fishing net. stuck near a nuclear power plant off the coast of california. workers are now tracking it with buoys until they can cut away the line. >> i'm hoping it gets free. >> i'm hoping they can save them. so sad. >> it's always so sad to see those images. >> love the whales. >> i know. thank you, christine. it was nascar day at the white house. president obama welcoming tony stewart along with all top 12 riders of 2011 and they brought some hardware. take a look at that. two chevy impallas. president obama hoping he could take one for a spin. >> it's good to see number 14 on the side and every year i try to take a lap, nobody lets me to do it. but i hope that at some point i'm going to be able to get behind the wheel.

>> another story we're watching -- we're talking about piers morgan on this one. getting a little flirty with the legendary betty white last night, who was inducted into the national association of broadcasters hall of fame yesterday. take a look. >> tonight before i came down here, watch yourself with betty white. she is the ultimate cougar. >> i am. i am. in my own head. not anyplace else. but in my own head. >> ultimate cougar, in my head, at least. >> very quick whit. 53 minutes past the hour. police let a it sick little boy become batman for the day and they go all out for this little boy. a touching story you don't want to miss. you're watching "early start." t [ rosa ] i'm rosa and i quit smoking with chantix.

when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ 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. it helps to have people around you... they say, you're much bigger than this. and you are. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

56 minutes past the hour. time to take a look at what is trending on the web. bat boy to the rescue. i love this story. >> it's adorable. >> the arlington, texas, police department made a little boy with leukemia. they let him be batman for the entire day. set up fake crimes across the city for little batman to solve and they had a phony bomb scare with the ridler. the man gave the 7-year-old boy a key to the city for saving the day. >> we wish you well. cute little buddy. grunnage is back p. cobain adding it would have been

his white album referring to the beetlatles album that inspired sounds 40 years ago. do these demoes still exist? will we ever hear them? a lot of people would love to. >> no kidding. early start new alert right now. a star trek convention in the uk is set to ignite all five captains on the world stage for the first time. patrick stewart, commander sisko and scott bakula. organizers say they will all attend destination star trek london. that is scheduled for october and they are expecting thousands of trekies from all over the world. i think it would be fun. just in time for their world tour, which starts tonight, five guitars stolen from tom petty

and the heartbreakers have been recovered. the guitars taken last week from an l.a. recording studio and petty offered a $7,500 reward for their return and no questions asked. police say the group is thrilled to get the guitars back, no kidding. darryl washington, got a picture of him, a private security guard hat been arrested for grand theft. police were able to identify him after he sold one of the guitars at, of course, a pawnshop. there you go. there you go. >> i wonder if they got the reward for turning them in. >> we will see. the police get the reward. there you go, put it to the city. >> the pawnshop owner. >> we'll see, we'll check on it. "starting point" with soledad o'brien starts right now. >> good morning, everybody. kind of head scratch fever. listen -- >> barack obama becomes the president in november, again. i will either be dead or in jail by this time next year.