tanner's seizures used to come every day or so. after two months of couple.rness, he has hadly a ♪ ♪ in good times, in bad times, i'll be on your side forevermore ♪ >> they are pretty much inseparable at this point. >> reporter: in this case, love really is blind and blair keeps tanner on a short leash. jeanne moos, cnn. new york. lovely. thanks very much for joining us. i'm wolf blitzern "the situation room." the news continues next on cnn. i'm candy crowley in for john king. tonight, the unemployment rate drops to a three-year low but it is primarily because so many people have stopped job hunting. we'll look at how today's numbers affect the president's chances of keeping his job. also are the emerging outline of a deal that could get a chinese dissident and his family out of harm's way and safely to the united states. and, the woman at the center

of the secret service prostitution scandal goes public with lurid new details. sh he says the scandal has ruined her life too. we begin with today's much anticipated update on the economic recovery. the numbers say the recovery is still alive but barely. the unemployment rate ticked down to 8.1%. mostly because thousands of people left the labor force. employers added 115,000 new jobs in april. tens of thousands fewer than most experts predicted. any way you or the presidential candidates look at it, the numbers could be better. >> there are still a lot of folks out of work, which means that we have to do more. if we are going to recover all the jobs lost during the recession and if we are going to build a secure economy that strengthens the middle class, we are going to have to do more.

>> anything over 8%, near 8%, anything over 4% is not cause for celebration. this is a sad time in america when people who want work can't find jobs. >> all right. our chief business correspondent, ali velshi and chief political analyst,loria borger are here. i want to start with you, ali. the labor department says 342000 left the labor force. what does it mean? >> this is the labor department's estimation of how this works. first of all, i have been saying for years, we have is to pay less attention to the unemployment percentage and pay more attention to jobs created. 342,000 left the labor force, baby boomers that are leaving the labor force. younger people, a lot are staying in school because they know jobs are not available to them, the slowing pace of women entering the workforce. since the '60s, every year, we

have seen an increasing proportion of women getting in the workforce. women are now more than 50% of the workforce in the united states. here is an interesting one. this comes from the labor department. i have not researched this as fully as i would like to. they say more hispanic women have entered the population but they are taking care of three generations in their own homes and are not entering the workforce, the formal workforce as a result. that's the labor department's explanation of this. the republicans explanation of this is that people are getting ec they can't find it. as a result, they are leaving the workforce. they are not counted in the proportion. that's why the unemployment number has been reduced, candy. >> so we know that -- how many joerddedisstk it gains during the entire term of president obama is he in the black or red when it comes to jobs? >> it is very interesting you asked that. if you go back to january of 2009 when president obama took office, from about 4

million jobs have been lost and about 4 million have been regained as of this morning. that leaves 572,000 to be regained if you want to look at what was lost under president obama. in order to get to a zero point, with he need to create 95,000 jobs per month. this may be a little math that doesn't make sense to most people. if president obama is facing the accusation that under his presidcy, the has be a net loss ojobs, which is something republican candidates have levied against him, he will be by election day have the ability to say, no, under my presidency, all jobs lost have been created. he is 30,000 private jobs away from saying more have been created than lost. politically, while this was not a great jobs report for the president. it enls him closer to being able to defeat one republican accusation about more jobs being president. >> i want to bring in our gloria

borger. i remember so well when the first president, george bush, was defeated in a large part on the economy, which we found out later was actually beginning to improve at the time he was defeated. so the problem here is it is all how the public perceives the economy is. >> it is. what you want is a public that feels optimistic, that feels hopeful, that feels that things are headed in the right direction. the obama administration doesn't have that right now. they have a majority of people who believe that things are headed in the wrong direction. they don't feel optimistic about the future of the country. and, pulse also shows that when you ask the question about who is better able to get us out of the economic ditch we have been in, president obama and mitt romney are at about parity. clearly, if you are part of the romney campaign, you are taking

a look at these numbers and saying, this could be helpful. you have to be pretty nuanced about that, candy, because you can't seem to be rooting against an economic recovery. >> exactly. it also occurs to me that really what happens is we ought to take really close looks at the economy in some of these battleground states. >> we should. particularly the president is really doing the official, formal kickoff of his campaign in the state of ohio this weekend, candy. the unemployment rate in ohio, you see it there, 7.5%. that's, of course, lower than the national average. columbus unemployment, 6.8%. cleveland, 7.1. so you see that he is starting out in a state where he actually has a very good story to tell and, of course, as you point out, it happens to be one of the most important battleground states which both campaigns are going to really like to win. >> they would, indeed. gloria borger, ali velshi, let's

do this again next month. thanks so much. >> to the slowly emerging outlines of the deal that could get chen guangcheng and his family to safety. the chinese government says cheng can study outside the country once he files the paperwork. new york university confirmed it is inviting him to be a visiting scholar. in beijing, secretary of state announced even more good news over a bad sound system. >> i am pleased that today our ambassador has spoken with him again. our embassy staff and our doctor had a chance to meet with him. over the course of the day, progress has been made to help him have the future that he wants. we will be staying in touch with him. >> secretary clinton leaves china tomorrow. >> cnn foreign affairs correspondent, jill dougherty, is traveling with her and joins us from beijing along with our stan grant. where are we now in the process?

how quickly could chen actually leave the country with his family? >> she also expressed a note of caution. there is still a way to go here. the chinese have opened the door and said, yes, like other chinese, cheng can apply for a passport and seek a student visa for a trip to study in the united states. 300,000 or more students in china do that each year. there is a process there that is in place. they can follow. let's recall, candy, there was already another deal in place when cheng walked out of the embassy a couple of days ago. he thought he was safe and free then. he thought the u.s. and china had worked it out. within a matter of hours, he quickly went back on that. he has been lobbying ever since to try to get out of the country and find a means to circumvent this process. he is close. right now, we have to remember he is in a beijing hospital, still getting treatment and still surrounded by a heavy

contingent of chinese security. >> stan, explain to me why the u.s. embassy staff was allowed to visit chen in the hospital? it seems to me yesterday they were not allowed in there to see him. today, they were allowed to get in. at least our time today. his wife also sfoek wipoke with embassy staff outside the hospital shall which wasn't allowed before. what happened to an abrupt turnaround. >> i would characterize it as baby steps while the doctor was able to get in and independently check him and see the health treatment that he is getting and see if he is getting the right treatment. the ambassador has not been able to. he has been able to reach him by phone and they have had a lengthy discussion. you recall that his wife met with officials. she had to come out of the hospital. it is interesting as well, candy, when you look at what's going on around the hospital itself. there is a very, very strong presence of security.

they have been very vigorous in approaching this no-go zone. they have been dragged away overnight here in beijing. dozens of journalists have been called in. they issued a very stern warning by officials here. if you overstep the mark and go to the embassy, you could have your visas terminated. one of the ways i have been characterizing this, the outcomme be better than the actual process ilts self. remember the united states had this man in their care. they had him under their protection. they turned him back to the chinese, who see him as an enemy of the state. for china's part, its human rights is still so bad. they are continuing to lock people up. chen doesn't feel safe here. a lot of problems to be resolved. >> jill, yesterday, chen called into a congressional hearing here in washington and is he, i really want to meet with secretary clinton. i want to thank her face to face. how important was her involvement and her being in china at this point been to chen's fate? >> you know, candy, if you look at it from the outside, she was

very quiet. in fact, it was -- there were no comment for quite a long time. behind the scenes, she was doing a lot. a lot of the strategic work, what do you have to do? she had to sign off on certain major decisions in this process. very fast-moving. there was one thing she did do very directly. that was in those meetings, top-level meetings at the big submit that they have been having about the economic insecurity. she talked to the president, hu jintao and win jiabao. that is more significant. win jiabao, the person who is more likely to want to support something like this. the person who is, i guess you would have to use the word loosely, the reformist wing of the reader shleadership. you make sure she made some type

of direct int verngss and talked with them about this. >> jill, quickly, as you could, secretary clinton takes off, leaves china. chin is still there. the government says, put in the paperwork. forgive me for being a skeptic. what are the chances that that paperwork and a way to get into the u.s. get into the system and his leaving the country is put on indefinite hold? >> that's what we have been talking about all day and certainly everybody else is. will china uphold its side of the bargain? the u.s. officials have said that up to this point in that previous agreement that china did uphold its side of the deal and that indications are now as you can ceta in the media, in china, they are now openly reporting on this. they are depicting it as mr. chen is going to be aplowed to apply for a visa just as others

can. they depicted it in a negative way. he goes to the united states. he is a trader. we are back here, the good guys that allowed him to go. they are preparing their people obviously for this step. one would have to surprise that it is likely to happen, although nothing ever i go guaranteed. >> i know. stan, you know that very well. stan grant, jill dougherty, thank you both very much. a u.s. citizen imprisoned in cuba since 2009 phoned wolf blitzer today. wolf is here next with details of his conversation with alan groves. later, what happened during this morning's closed-door meeting between mitt romney and rick santorum? >> he takes that endorsement very seriously and felt he had to have a one-on-one conversation with mitt romney about some of the critical issues he cares about.

i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for because i'm raising two girls on my own. i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. but it's for them, so i've found a way. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. massmutual. we'll help you get there.

plarnal american alan rose says he is no spy but he is being held for smuggling communication equipment into the country. rose isn't allowed to use the phone very often but earlier

today, he called cnn's wolf blitzer from behind bars. here is some of the exclusive conversation. >> charged me with being a threat to the security and independence of the state, which it was laughable. if i weren't in this situation, i would be laughing about it, because i've got as much of a threat to the security in the state as my -- as the chair is that i am sitting on right now. >> wolf blitzer joins me now. so if he is not there for that, why does he think they picked him up and threw him in prison? >> he believes, and his lawyers believe, that the cubans were looking for some sort of pawn, because there are five cubans that the u.s. has convicted and are serving time in jail. one has been released. four others still in jail. he suspects that they are trying to get some sort of swap, release these five cubans in american prison for him and everyone can go on. the u.s. is not about to release

these four others. one has been released but the four others, the u.s. is not about to release. >> does he see any kind of sign that that kind of a deal might be in the offing? >> i don't think he sees that. i don't think his lawyers. i have spoken to his lawyers, see any such deal. he is trying to get released at least on humanitarian grounds. he has a 90-year-old mother who is very sick in texas. he would like to see her. she can't travel. before she passes away. the u.s. did let one of these cubans get out of jail and go back to cuba to see an ailing relative and come back to the united states. he says. he told me in this interview, he would come back to cuba if they let him go to texas and see his mom. he would come back. >> that was one of the most emotional parts of your conversation with him when he spoke about his mother. i want our listeners to hear that. >> i have a 90-year-old mother who has inoperable lung cancer. she is not getting any younger. she is not getting any

healthier. my lawyer and i have written on more than one occasion to the government of cuba requesting permission for me to visit her. i would return to cuba. you can quote me on that. >> the other thing that struck me out of this interview was that at one point, he called raul castro courageous. did you get the sense that you have to be nice to the folks that are holding you? >> he was praising him for some recent steps on the economy, on the cuban economy, some liberalization of some policies. he has been there for almost 2 1/2 years. what he is saying, obviously, i think he is trying to say things that would help him, maybe get released. you can't blame him. >> no, we certainly get that. we also get why they are trying to stir up some publicity here so we know he is down there. i was pleased the cubans allowed him to make this phone call. it wassen aencouragement.

>> wolf blitzer, thanks so much. fascinating conversation. some u.s. troops heading to afghanistan got an unusual warning this afternoon. it was delivered in person bisect of defense, lee on pan n net ta. >> the woman whose night with the secret service agent ended badly for everyone. great shot.

how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. are you guys okay? yeah. ♪ [ man ] i had a great time. thank you, it was really fun. ♪ [ crash ] i'm going to write down my number, but don't use it. [ laughing ] ♪ [ engine turns over ] [ male announcer ] the all-new subaru impreza®. experience love that lasts.

♪

welcome back. here is mary snow with the latest news you need to know right now.

hey, mary. >> hey, there, candy. despite reports of violence across syria, a spokesman for u.n. and arab league special envoy says the latest peace plan is on track. members of the syrian opposition report at least 37 deaths today, including three people who appear to have died from injuries inflicted by torture. >> one person was killed, nearly 300 wounded in protests in downtown cairo. protesters threw rocks at security forces that retaliated with water cannons. demonstrators are upset with egypt military leadership for delaying the transition to military rule. check out this stranded truck driver in flint, michigan. heavy rain bombarded the highway as brandon jennikins was drivin to a produce market. he climbed to the top of the cab patiently waiting for rescuers as they navigated the murky

waters. not sure if the potatoes had the same flight. co-founder, adam yauch from the beasty boys has died after a struggle with cancer. ♪ known to his fans as mca, had a tumor on his sal i vaer gland. he was 47 years old. >> wow, 47. that is very young to die. thanks so much, mary. we will see you later in the hour. coming up, the most detailed account so far of this morning's closed-door meeting between mitt romney and rick santorum. a live update as a week of dramatic testimony wraps up in the trial of john edwards. 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™.

see lioutdoors, or in.ight. same great taste. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe, even a little better. experience life well lit, ask for transitions adaptive lenses. visit your local jcp optical today to learn more about authentic transitions brand lenses that fit your life and start seeing what you've been missing.

this half hour, a 101-year-old heiress who donated $100,000 to john edwards says she hates the way the cash was spent hiding the pregnant mistress. mitt romney and rick santorum finally sat down together. i would like to be a fly on the wall while they talk. what does santorum want? get ready to be moon struck or more like supermoon struck.

when you will be able to gaze at the biggest, brightest moon of the year. a columbian proos ststitute the center of the secret service sex scandal is finally telling her story, lots of alcohol, lots of flirting leading up to a now emfamiliar must fight over the bill. here is drew griffin with cnn's special investigation unit. >> danielle suarez casually recalled her infamous night with secret service agents in cartagena, columbia. she said it began somewhat innocently. her girlfriends at a bar. with unwas attracted to the agents. she said, we had no idea at the time, they were, quote, unquote, obama's agent. >> translator: my friends nor i, we didn't know they were agents, obama's agents. we left and we went to this

place to buy condoms. then, we went to the hotel. >> who went? >> translator: well, my friend. she is not really a friend. she is an acquaintance, the agent who was with me and the other one, the four of us. then, my friend went with him, because she liked him. now, i don't understand. because she liked him. it wasn't the same thing i was doing. >> suarez says what she was doing was making money as an escort. she says she and the agent she was paired up with had an agreement. she would receive an $800 gift if she spent the night at the hotel carib with him. she went in at 1:30 in the morning, spent five hours inside the hotel room. she would not give details of what happened inside. she will say how it ended. >> i told him to wake up and give me my gift that i asked him for. he says, no, just go -- i'm not going to pay you.

then, he just put out 50,000 pay s pesos for the taxi. i was in shock when he said that. 50,000 pesos is about $30. she was in shock and demanding payment. she said, for the next three hours, she tried to get that payment. she went into columbian police that came into the hotel and tried to negotiate some settlement. was able to get together $250 pooled together by other secret service agents and left. at no time, she says, did she know or realize these were u.s. secret service agents. if she had known that, she would have never gone to the column boo columnbee an police. leon panetta is telling his troops to behave after a string of problems in afghanistan. >> reporter: after a series of

high-profile incidents of troops misbehaving, defense secretary, leon panetta, went to ft. benning, georgia, on friday, to say, enough is enough. >> the few who lack judgment, lack professionalism, lack leadership, can hurt all of us. >> reporter: in afghanistan alone, one scandal after another. in january, video of marines urinating on dead insurgents. in february, marine snipers posing with a flag with ss initials. the nazi overtone sparked an investigation. then, riots broke out after u.s. troops inadvertently burned korans. last month, soldiers posing with dead insurgents. ft. benning's speech was broadcast to the entire u.s. military warning bad behavior can lead to instant international headlines. >> those headlines can impact the mission that we are engaged

in. they can put your fellow service members at risk. they can hurt morale. they can damage our standing in the world. >> unfortunately, we are dealing in a situation where the image is everything. it is no the all the good that we have done, which has been considerable in a lot of these places about you it also boils down to the fact that there are so many things that are perceived because of one bad image. >> the investigation of a dozen service members in potential misconduct involving alcohol and prostitutes during president obama's trip to columbia brought the issue an even higher profile. >> we are embarrassed by what occurred in columbia. >> remember, zero tolerance. zero. >> military broadcasts like this have warned troops for years about excessive drinking and soliciting prostitutes. >> by patronizing prostitutes can lead to dishonorable

discharge, forfeit yur of pay and imprisonment. >> james amos told his commanders, recent widely publicized incidents have brought discredit on the marine corps. he called for an end to indisciplined and embarrassing conduct. >> the chief of staff of the army also went in saying this has to end. the navy has actually dismissed some 47 commanders from duty over the last 2 1/2 years for failing to meet standards. but, of course, candy, the majority of the troops do serve very honorably. >> they do, indeed. what's next now in this? that's the message from above and it is done or is there another step? >> well, it is the marine corps that really i think is taking the hardest line on this at the moment. general amos plans a series of visits to marine corps bases across the country and in afghanistan. he says he is going to keep on this message. time to behave. >> barbara starr, thanks so much. >> the jury in the trial of

former senator and presidential candidate, john edwards, heard from one of the middle men on the money trail. edwards is accused of illegally using campaign contributions to cover up a sexual affair. cnn senior correspondent, joe johns was in the courtroom and says the jury also heard from i allot of people edwards deceived. >> reporter: candy, the second week of the john edwards trial saw a parade of former associates and staffers of john edwards before the jury talking about how he lied again and again about his relationship with his mistress, real hunter. former adviser, peter surer recounting how he asked edwards in new york in 2006 whether he was sleeping with hunter who had been traveling around the country with edwards shooting web videos. he said, he warned edwards if he was having an affair, he sh you not run for president. he says edwards denied it. weeks later after finding out hunter was still traveling with edwards, surer recounted an

angry conversation. edwards told him to back you have a, he did not need a babysitter and told him to go blank himself. brian huffman, a friend of wealthy ben fact tore bunny mellon. he was the ben fact tore. she said she doesn't condemn affairs but thinks you should pay for your girlfriend yourself. huffman also said they did not know what the money was going for. we knew nothing about a girlfriend or a baby. all she wanted to do was make a president. that last statement could have helped the prosecution persuade the jury that edwards illegally accepted campaign finance money. however shall the jury didn't hear it because the judge had ordered the jury out of the courtroom. the prosecution is expected to wrap up its case by thursday. candy? >> it has been 24 days since

rick san fortorum ended his presidential bid. that's how long it took to sit down with mitt romney. they met this morning in pittsburgh for 90 minutes. no one else was in the room. joining me now is the man that lent his office. what happened in the meeting? >> i think it was, from what i could couch, a very friendly, yet certainly a very serious talk. i think both of them are very focused on how to defeat barack obama this fall. so i think much of the discussion, if you will, centered around that. i do know there was some issue discussions. senator santorum particularly wanted to talk about his manufacturing plan and how to revitalize manufacturing in america and bring jobs back from overseas. i think he also wanted to talk about some of the pro-family, economic ideas certainly that he has and about health care. i got the sense from spending a

little time with both of them that it was a very candid yet friendly meeting. >> candid and productive is state department ease for there was some disagreement. >> i don't know that. when i say candid i think they both respect each other's opinions and they didn't want it to be a simple 90 minutes of how are you doing? let's relive the campaign trail. i think it was very important to both of them that there was something that came out of this meeting, information, ideas. >> we know what's important to senator santorum. what i'm wondering is, did you get a chance to get a feel for whether he felt satisfied with the meeting? everybody is going to be beating you over the head about when is the endorsement? there is always this feeling that whatever went on in that meeting is certainly going to decide when and how he would

endorse mitt romney? >> well, i think you have to look at this a couple ways. first of all, rick santorum has been very clear that mitt romney is going to be our nominee. >> that's different from an endorsement. >> well, it isn't. that's where i am going with this. an endorsement is more than that. rick santorum takes that endorsement very seriously. he felt he had to have a one-on-one conversation with governor romney on some of the critical issues that he cares about. >> is he satisfied? >> i think he actually did leave thafr a there and feel that the questions he asked were addressed and addressed well by the governor. i think at least, if nothing else, he was given every piece of information that he needs to now be able to figure out what the next step is. but i do think that he feels it was very productive, very informative and that governor romney was very sincere in discussing these issues. >> so, as i understand, your feel for this meeting, granted you weren't in it but your feel

for it is that senator santorum came away satisfied and that you do believe there will be an endorsement sooner rather than later. do i sum that up correctly? >> i believe that the senator will take everything that happened today and give it considerable thought and decide what his next action is based upon that in the near future. >> you don't think that it hurts mitt romney to have people sort of looking as though they are dragging their feet and really not being all that enthusiastic? >> i think it is the exact opposite. i think that people will then understand that if rick santorum endorses the governor, that it really means something. it is not just somebody throwing out an endorsement with no purpose just to get it out of the way. i think people respect rick santorum for being so serious. if an endorsement does come, it has more weight and will be more helpful to mitt romney if, indeed, that happens. >> finally, john, in the phrase, sooner rather than later, how would you define sooner? >> i define that probably in the

next week or so. not in the next two months. >> terrific, john braybender, thank you so much, senior adviser to rick santorum. coming up, what new numbers has mitt romney fired up and dread ready to go? >> the april jobs report. its big impact on the presidential race. my mother sai, "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. 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. ♪ 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?

>>. >> april's job creation numbers

far less than anyone predicted put president obama on the defensive. >> next week, i am going to urge congress as they start getting back to work to take some actions on some common sense ideas right now that can accelerate even more job growth. that's what we need. my message to congress is going to be just saying no to ideas that will create new jobs is not an option. >> will his warning to congress help jump-start the recovery or do the anemic numbers put mitt romney one step closer to 1600 pennsylvania avenue? joining us to discuss this democratic strategist, penny lee and republican campaign strategist, terry holt. thank you both. let me give you mitt romney's take first on the unemployment numbers today. >> the unemployment rate has dropped to 8.1%. normally, that would be cause for celebration. but, in fact, anything over 8%,

anything near 8%, anything over 4% is not cause for celebration. >> that is called setting the bar high. i don't think we are going to see 4% employment between now and november. there are so many numbers out there. we clearly see they can be turned in the direction of whichever campaign you want. if you were to look at one thing you think turns this race when it comes to the economy, what is it? >> it is also voter confidence. that is something that is going to be watched throughout this race. you are starting to see it as far as personal likeability. that has always been to barack obama's favor. it is also in the confidence they have. you are also seeing it in some of the state polling that he can bring this economy forward. 25 steady months of increased jobs growth but it hasn't been at that rate. that's what you are going to hear the republicans say, it is no the quite at the rate that the american wanted wanted to see. the administration can hang on the fact that it has increased

and unemployment has gone down since the stimulus. >> if you have been trying to find a job for eyears now and you are not even in these unemployment numbers, this is not a message. it sounded to me like obama fell into his own trap of process. blaming congress for not creating jobs. it is time now for him to get on with being accountable for this agenda. >> one number that is actually key. over 4 million jobs were lost in the private sector until the stimulus but 4 million have been recovered. >> the question candy asked was whether or not the american -- what's it going to take for the american people to think that the next president has his finger on the trigger and knows what to do? i think the personal attributes here. newt gingrich fell out. the republicans are gathering now. mitt romney actually took the opportunity this week to emote a little bit, to talk about how the country is.

we have barack obama with an, i'm going to blame congress, because you are not working. that ain't going to wash with the american people. >> the president is held responsible in a re-election bit. terry is absolutely right. since you brought up the idea of the republicans gathering around, i agree with you that they are gathering around but, boy, there is an enthusiasm gab there. when you see newt gingrich just talking to braybender and rick santorum, does that hurt mitt romney? >> no. this is the time when it has to happen. he is reaching out to these people and checking all the boxes with the former candidates. they are organizing in the party. some of these targeted states like ohio and florida are close. this is a sitting president. this election is going to be decided in target states that were all in obama's column last time. that's why they have the momentum even though this is a period of time where it is a little wishy washy about who is in front.

>> it is. he is just not that into you kind of that book. >> this isn't mono y mono. >> i do think it is telling like that book, he is just not that into you. there is something about mitt romney that just hasn't been able to -- >> i don't buy that. i see voters, republicans, the o defeat barack obama, because at the end of the day -- >> isn't that the great unifier? >> it is. >> for the republicans. >> this is going to be a referendum on the obama presidency, and mitt romney has the personal attributes -- >> last 70 years -- >> strength, determined leader, economic background to be a g d good, be a good person to turn to when you want change. >> well, in some of these constituencies he has serious problems. gender graphs. you want to talk about? >> let me show you the poll numbers which i think are sort of -- it's in three battles. florida, ohio and pennsylvania.

florida and ohio, president up by about what is that? eight points. what does that tell you about the fall campaign? >> well, it tells me we're going to have big race where is we usually have them, in florida and ohio. come down to the last few weeks in the campaign. look at nevada, new mexico, virginia, north carolina. others, colorado. these are places where the president won last time, and if this race is fought on his turf, the republicans have an opportunity. remember, this is an indemocrat beindemocrat -- incumbent president and the challenger. >> he's got a fight on his hands? >> he does. we always knew a tough election going forward eve win the landslide everyone says he won in 2008, only 53 points percentage of the votes. he has a tough road but is battles strong. the one battle state of virginia, 53% actually prefer barack obama's vision over mitt

romney's. so fighting strong. >> we've got about five-plus months more to discuss it. thank you so much. there are full moons and then there are super moons. when you can catch a glimpse of the spectacular sky show. plus, rocker ted nugent spus out a strichk curse words during a v iran view. you will never believe the reporter question that set him off. >> i thought i'd start way musical statement -- recently, students from 31 countries took part in a science test. the top academic performers surprised some people. so did the country that came in 17th place. let's raise the bar and elevate our academic standards. let's do what's best for our students-by investing in our teachers.

let's solve this. homicide of young people in america has an impact on all of us. how can we save these young people's lives? as a police chief, i have an opportunity to affect what happens in a major city. if you want to make a difference, you have to have the right education. university of phoenix opened the door. my name is james craig, i am committed to making a difference, and i am a phoenix. visit phoenix.edu to find the program that's right for you. enroll now. to help protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye-care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. [ male announcer ] ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin

to help protect your eye health. now, that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health. ♪ ♪ one, two, three, four ♪ you say ♪ flip it over and replay ♪ we'll make everything okay ♪ walk together the right way ♪ do, do, do, do

agents, when it comes to insurance, people feel lost. that's a dead end. don't know which way to turn. this way. turn around. [ woman ] that's why we present people with options to help them find coverage that fits their needs. almost there. whoo! yay! good work. that's a new maze record. really? i have no idea. we don't keep track of that kind of stuff. well, you should. [ male announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers ♪ bum, ba-da-bum, bum, bum, bum ♪

tomorrow's full moon will be so big and bright it's earned a name upgrade. super plomoon. you're looking at pictures from last year. tomorrow's show is expected to be more stunning. explaining the scientist behind it. >> talking about the super moon. 14% bigger, 30% brighter than the moon normally appears to us. and other cool factoids about the super moon. it's actually during the place closest to the earth. 221,000 miles of earth. i mentioned, appear about 16% brighter than normal and very, very big, especially during the horizon, and lower, filtered by some of the volcanic dust, all kinds of things in the atmosphere that sometimes give it an interesting hue. last year it had almost like a reddish hue, quite beautiful. the problem is, no everyone's going to have a great shot of

the super moon. some places you'll be dealing with the morn plains, the eastern great lakes and even parts of the southeast, a decent shot. some places clear. partly cloudy across the southeast. sma cross the sen trap plains. partly cloudy and clear out west. again, northern plains you might be waiting for mothanother shott year. back to you, candy. >> our reynolds wolf. here's mary snow. >> hey there, candy. an update on the investigation into the sexual abuse of children by catholic priests in philadelphia. the city's archbishop says three suspended priests considered suitable, the others not reinstated. the finding or 17 others announced later. more than a decade after 9/11 facing a military judge. khaled sheikh pleading guilt any 2008. the legal process stopped while the obama add mministration

reconfigured. a british war ship narrowly maneuvers part of testing anti-terror operations for this summer london olympics. with the help of three tugboats, hms ocean was able to squeeze through the flood barrier with only feet to spare. it's the navy's biggest war ship and will act as a base for royal marine snipers during the games. yes, the kentucky derby is tomorrow and almost time get your $2 bets in. 20 horses compete. most of the 3-year-olds have a fair shot at winning but all eyes on the white colt. a lot of eyes on the hats, too, candy. >> stick around. courtesy of rocker/publicist ted nugent exploded a reporter saying nugent was not a moderate. talking about man who had to sit down with the secret service because he said he'd be dead or

in jail if president obama is elected. without further ado, nugent's bleep-filled response saying he is a moderate. >> call me when you sit down across from someone who has more families with dying little boys and girls who get a call to take them on their last fishing trip and life. call me when you reach someone who does that more than i do? because that's really moderate. you know what that is? that's extreme. i'm an extremely loving, passionate man and people who investigate me honestly without the baggage of political correctness ascertain the conclusion i'm a damn nice guy, if you can find a streaming process more powerful than that, than i'm [ bleep ] -- [ bleep ]. >> the reporter also asked about the secret service meeting. nugent called it "aab