we've got much more ahead with cnn's saturday morning, which starts right now. anyone that was directly involved with adam pretty much lived in fear. >> that from the brother of adam mayes, the man suspected of kidnapping two girls and killing their mother and sister, who is now dead. new details in the dramatic conclusion to a massive manhunt. and today we put same-sex marriage in focus. what president obama's new stance on the issue means for his campaign and what critics are saying. and we have reed alexander, the nickelodeon star, who is using his fame to fight childhood obesity with a new mission and a new website. good morning, everyone. i'm randi kaye. it's 8:00. thanks for waking up with us. let's get you caught up on some morning headlines. president obama's support of

same-sex marriage is paying off for his re-election hopes. a democratic source saying the president raised $2 million in the first 24 hours after making his remarks. that comes as a new usa today/gallup poll shows that a majority of americans, 51% of the approve of the president's position. let's bring in athena jones, where a law allowing same-sex marriage is taking effect next january but opponents hope to stop it from becoming reality. good morning to you. give us a little more about the voter reaction there to president obama's comments. what are you hearing? >> reporter: good morning, randi. there's going to be a farmers market later today so we're hoping to be our stwoeinformal polling here but the first national poll since the president made his remarks on wednesday shows that 51% of people approve of the

president's position on same-sex marriage, 45% disapprove so that's still fairly evenly divide e. but if you look at it by party, you'll find that 71% of democrats approve while only 23% of republicans approve. and independents are a little more evenly split at 53%. now, there's been a lot of discussion this week about whether this will impact the president politically, whether it will help him or hurt him. whether it will help romney or hurt romney, the fact that he is against same-sex marriage. the gallup people asked that question as well. they found when asked if the president's position on same-sex marriage makes people more likely to support him or less likely, just 13% said it made them more likely to vote for president obama. 26% said less likely. but 60%, which is mat joethe ma said it would make no difference. governor o'malley signed a law in march that would legalize same-sex marriage in january but there are people trying to get a

measure on the ballot to get people to vote down the law and keep it from taking effect. hopefully today we'll get a chance to talk to some people out and about and see how they feel. >> we know it's early but there's been a lot of talk about the impact of the president's decision on black voters and now several black leaders have sent this open letter to the president. have you had a chance to review that letter and what it said? >> reporter: i have. it's really interesting. this came from the reverend al sharpton and the president of the naacp and several others. they are really calling for unity in the black community. they understand this is an issue that many have said can cause division in the black community. they said as leaders in today's civil rights movement, we stand behind the president -- between president obama's belief that same-sex couples should be allowed to join in civil marriages. but they also go on to say in this letter that people can disagree about this but we can still have a civil debate about this and still work together on

other issues facing the black community, such as unemployment, education, those matters. interestingly enough, i interviewed a black couple yesterday for a story tomorrow who talked about the fact that there's a lot of talk about whether blacks will punish the president or abandon the president but they say that maybe it takes president obama himself, as the first black president, to be the one to voice this opinion and to maybe get more people in the black community to look at this more closely and to be able to understand so there won't be as much -- many people against it so he'll help to bring people together in the black community around this issue. we'll see what happens, randi. >> athena jones, thank you very much. mitt romney travels into the heart of christian conservatism today. he's giving the commencement speech sat liberty university, that is the university founded by jerry falwell. the speech will focus on personal responsibility and hard work and the issue of same-sex marriage will come up. we'll bring you that speech live

in our 10:00 hour here on cnn. newt gingrich will be among friends when he makes his first campaign pitch for mitt romney. the former candidate will speak on romney's behalf next week. gingrich was a long-time congressman from georgia and won the primary earlier this year. jpmorgan chase scrambling in the wake of a massive $2 million trading loss. they face a credit downgrade much like the one that this country got last year. the bank's ceo admitted it was a major mistake by the bank. shares for jpmorgan dropped around 10% but the market as a whole was pretty quiet, actually. three more people have been taken into custody for allegedly helping adam mayes evade police. mayes killed himself in the woods near alpine, mississippi, this week as soon as police were starting to close in on him. next to him at the time were the two sisters he had kidnapped after killing their mother and

older sister. authorities say the girls are still shaken. his wife has been charged with two counts of murder in the case as well. it's been a rough year for birds in south america. more than 7,000 birds, 7,000, have turned up dead in chile and peru. 5,000 alone in peru. at least 2300 along beaches. we're waiting for reynolds wolf, who's supposed to join me to talk a little bit about this. reynolds, are you coming? >> absolutely, i am here. kind of an unusual event to see. bird kills do happen. in fact there was a bird kill back in 2011 in arkansas. after they did some studies on the bodies of the birds, they found out many of them had died from concussion. they believe concussion due to noise. still a big mystery as to how they may have perished along peru and the chilean coast. >> are the numbers going to keep going up? >> they're going to have to take

the bodies of these birds. many of them show signs of death due to damage from net, which is kind of unusual. birds do often die in nets. the sea-faring birds eat some of the anchovy and it's not unusual to have them die. however, this number, this many, over 5,000, that's a little extreme so it's going to be interesting to see what pans out to get some results back on some of the autopsies they'll perform on these birds. but very unusual to say the least to see this madness. very unusual. >> and last year, i mean who knows if this is related, but 3,000 dead birds were found in arkansas. >> that's right. >> is there possibly -- could there be a connection? >> the ones that died in arkansas many people believed, it got really crazy for a while. there were some people blaming ufos, perhaps thunderstorms. actually they think it was done by concussions due to fireworks. now, in this case kind of similar, the location is very

different. but in terms of what the autopsies will show on these birds, who knows. i would say the number one thing to really check out is basically what they're eating. this is the time of the year where you have a lot of the fish that live and really flourish in those cold currents. they tend to leave the area. could there be some contamination there. that's something that remains to be seen for the time being. >> reynolds, thank you for the up date. appreciate it. some critics say president obama could lose support after his support for same-sex marriage, but could he actually gain some from the other side of the aisle? next iem talking to a gay republican for his take on the president's historic announcement. first, we want to wish a very good saturday morning to all of our viewers, folks in washington, d.c. it looks like not a bit of wind there. the flag just laying low. 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. the health of our cells plays a key role throughout our entire lives. ♪ one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin, designed for many of men's health concerns as we age. ♪ it has more of seven antioxidants to support cell health. that's one a day men's 50+ healthy advantage.

>> dear mr. president, i am so proud of you today. >> thank you for taking a stance, for not wavering, for not being neutral and trying to play both sides of the fence. >> all morning long we're focusing on the evolution of gay marriage. you'll recall when president obama came out in support of same-sex marriage on abc news, he said his position had evolved over time. according to recent polling, the nation's views are evolving as well. in 1996 just 27% of americans supported gay marriage. that number has now risen to 50%. the president's endorsement this week was historic, but some political experts say it is a huge gamble as well. they say it could cost him support from catholics and southern democrats. but here's a question, will it win him any support across party

lines? clark cooper is the executive director of log cabin republicans, a group of republicans who support same-sex marriage. clark, good morning to you. >> good morning, randi. >> so you had a negative reaction to president obama's support of gay marriage calling it cold comfort, offensive and callous. mitt romney doesn't even support civil unions, much less marriage. is that not offensive to you as a gay man as well? >> oh, it certainly is an issue. by the way, the president did say the right thing. looking at context to when that rollout occurred was also on the heels of what happened in north carolina with the passage of amendment 1, the constitutional amendment that's going to take place down that that would preclude any recognition of same-sex relationship in that state. there's also the factor, look what happened this week. was there a pink washing of the president's economic record? probably. you had stimulus and hollywood this week with the fund-raising that he did, but at the end of

the day, yes, same-sex marriage is an issue that is moving forward. you showed those polling number. the trajectory shows regardless of people's party affiliation, some sort of official relationship recognition is being more and more accepted across party lines, be it civil unions, which governor chris christie supports in new jersey, all the way up to full marriage equality as what the president just came out for. so, yeah, it is an issue. of course we have advised republicans regardless if it's mitt romney running for president or a congressional candidate or gubernatorial candidate that running on marriage or running against marriage is probably not a wise strategy at this point. >> let me ask you about north carolina because you mentioned it. you say that obama's announcement was calculated because it came of north carolina. but if he had endorsed gay marriage before the election last week, wouldn't republicans have then said that was calculated? >> possibly. we're looking at what's happening on the macro plane on

politics right now. this wasn't an evolution in the sense that it's more of a flip-flop. he was for it, he's against it, now he's for it again. it is the right thing to say, by the way, so i'm not taking away this is the most senior voice we've had on this and for years the most senior voice we had on marriage equality was dick cheney. so it has raised the needle, it has turned up the dialogue and we're also in a place where if someone is running for office at this point, they do need to figure out where they lie on this. are they for same-sex marriage or freedom to marry? are they against it? because voters are going to look at that. but it's not what voters are going to the polls for. people are voting for the economy. it is about having a j-o-b. >> i understand. i'll talk about those polls in a second but i want you to hear this, because andrew sullivan says that he too at first had the cynical view of obama's announcement but then he said this, he said, vote, and then i watched the interview and the

tears flooded. there is something about hearing your president affirm your humanity that you don't know what effect it has until you hear it. i think of all the gay americans over the centuries who never heard that, never believed it could happen. i have to say i'm proud of this president for doing what he did. >> as i said at the top here, yes, he said the right thing to say. >> are you proud of him? >> of course. but again, this is only one issue. so if one is just going to look at the lens of the prism of marriage, and most americans don't vote on one issue. again, let's go back to the polling. it is about the economy. >> let's go back to the polling. >> everybody needs a job, randi. i need a job. >> let me show you some recent polling. 65% of democrats support it, 22%, that's less than a quarter of republicans do. for the millions of gay americans who don't understand how you can be gay and vote

republican, do me a favor here, help them understand. do you not feel isolated and ostracized even within your own party? >> not at all. remember, there are corollaries of importance for voters. if you're a conservative voter, regardless if you happen to be gay or straight, things like a balanced budget amendment may be important to you. things like reduction of the size of government spending may be important to you. national security, probably important to you. having the right to bear arms, probably important to you. private property rights. these are things that are corollaries for conservatives. there's a famous phrase that is very applicable for lgbt conservatives within the republican party and that's the reaganism of my 80% friend is not my 20% enemy. if i can get a fellow republican, you know, like a paul ryan to say i support employment nondiscrimination protection, then i'm not going to walk away with him because he may not see eye to eye with me on the issue of marriage. same with don't ask, don't tell. there are a number of

republicans that helped advance the bipartisan passage of repeal of don't ask, don't tell that don't support marriage equality either. >> let me jump in because i want to share with our viewers at home some of the applicators for the lgbt community that occurred under president obama. he repealed don't ask, don't tell. he signed the matthew shepherd hate crimes prevention act. he extended benefits to same-sex partners, extended domestic violence protection and his administration has stopped defending doma, the defense of marriage act. so would you see this kind of progress for the lgbt under the romney administration or under administration for that matter? >> i do see there's progress advancing on both sides of the aisle. one thing that's been recognized not only by this president and by a number of republicans who have moved to a point on issues would be labeled as freedom issues or equality issues, yeah.

there is no going backwards, regardless of who the next president is. so in that sense employment nondiscrimination probably a bigger issue that affects more americans than marriage. obviously i support marriage equality, but again it goes back to the economy and jobs. when it comes to the lgbt portfolio, more gay americans are affected by their concern or fear of losing their employment based on their orientation. so, you know, i think room to grow for someone like governor romney or any other republican candidate is just that. it's employment, workplace protections. that's something that falls square with the jobs agenda in the house leadership and the senate leadership for republicans and it falls squarely within the economic platform as well. >> just very quickly, yes or no, does the president's now affirmation of gay marriage, does it change how you might vote? >> well, no. in the sense that everyone has to look at multiple issues. so on a personal level, there's

more than one factor that plays in. marriage is not the only issue for me. it's not the only issue for many americans. again, he did the right thing by saying that marriage and the freedom to marry should be afforded to all americans. you know, as dick cheney said, freedom means freedom for everyone, not just some. so said the right thing. and has mitch daniels has said before, good man, good father, doesn't mean he's a good president. >> appreciate your time. thank you. catching a really, really big wave. we'll show you what probably looked to most people like a tidal wave crashing ashore, but for one guy, well, it just looked like pure fun. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain.

tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. an accident doesn't have to slow you down.

with better car replacement, if your car is totaled, we give you the money for a car one model year newer. liberty mutual auto insurance. oh, no. i see a little bit of -- a few little raindrops there possibly on our tower cam with our lovely view of atlanta this morning. it's still a little gray, but a lovely view nonetheless. all right, so here's a question for you this morning. what would you consider a big wave? 15 feet? 35 feet high perhaps? how about this? 78-foot wall of water. that is a big wave. now think about trying to ride that wave. that's what a surfer did and that got him into the guinness book of world records. the wave popped up off the coast of portugal late last year.

isn't this amazing to watch? mcnamara said the world record wave was one of the smaller waves he came across that day. look at him go. wow! we're following the drama in two big legal cases this morning. first the latest on the kidnapping and murder case of adam mayes. then john edwards' defense team takes the wheel in his trial. holly hughes will be along with us to help us all make sense of it. this is the smith family. we asked them to bring in their favorite dvds because we want to show them something new. you guys ready? yea! let's go go go! walmart can now convert your favorite dvds from disc to digital. no kidding. cool. ♪ now you can watch them on your laptop, tablet, phone... any time, anywhere. like here. or here. or here! psshew! watch movies anywhere! the best part is it's only two bucks per disc. cool.

that's the walmart entertainment disc to digital service. see for yourself. bring in your favorite dvds to your local walmart photo center to get started.

and waiting in line. i don't have to leave my desk and get up and go to the post office anymore. [ male announcer ] with stamps.com, you can print real u.s. postage for all your letters and packages. it gives you the exact amount of postage you need the instant you need it. can you print only stamps? no. first class. priority mail. certified. international. and the mailman picks it up. i don't leave the shop anymore. [ male announcer ] get a 4-week trial plus $100 in extras including postage and a digital scale. go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again.

welcome back, everyone. two young girls are back with their dad this morning following a terrifying ordeal. two weeks after alexandria and kyliyah bain disappeared, police found them in mississippi where their kidnapper had them hiding in the woods. the rescue ended the nationwide manhunt of adam mayes. he's accused of killing their mother and sister. mayes took his life as police closed in. >> mayes pulled a semiautomatic pistol from his waist band and shot himself in the head and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. other agents moved in to rescue

kyliyah and alexandria who were lying on the ground nearby. the girls were hungry, thirsty and dehydrated. >> and criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, holly hughes, is here with us. so let's talk about this case. i want to talk about the john edwards case too with you in a moment. but you have mayes dead. you have his wife charged with two counts of fist-degree murder. his mother also charged, conspiracy to commit especially aggravated kidnapping. where does this go from here? does this even get to trial? >> i think that we'll probably see the wife, teresa, will take a plea and the mother may force it all the way to trial. that's mary, the mother of the dead fellow here, because we know for a fact that the wife, teresa, is the one who gave statements to police. now that she's hired a lawyer, it's after the fact. she's already said what she said, so they're stuck with this

confession, as it were, where she admits to participating in these crimes. >> she said she was actually in the garage when mayes killed mrs. bain and her oldest daughter. >> exactly. and the additional charges is she transports these dead bodies and the two little live girls who, thank god, we found alive. they all ride together in that vehicle. and it's important to note too, i think a lot of people think how do you kidnap a dead body? but if you force the mother and older daughter from the kitchen into the garage, that's where the kidnapping lies. if you move anybody the slightest distance against their will, that's the kidnapping. so that's why four kidnapping charges. >> so what would be her defense, though? if she goes on trial, the wife in this case, because she has admitted to all of this. >> she has. >> she said she was there and helped. >> what she has said also is she was scared, she was in fear for her life. that adam mayes threatened her, threatened to kill her. >> he can't defend that,

obviously. >> that's exactly right. we've also heard her sister, bobbi, had done an interview and perhaps intimated that perhaps she's a little mentally challenged, maybe she suffers from some kind of disability, so we might see like a diminished capacity offense as well as a fear. i was in fear, i was under duress because he threatened to kill me if i didn't help him. let's talk about john edwards, that's also getting a lot of attention this week. the prosecution rested. the defense is picking it up. edwards team is now asking the judge to dismiss the case against him, saying that the prosecution didn't prove anything. >> right. >> is that common? >> absolutely. >> will they have any luck with that? >> no. that's the bottom line right now. it happens in every criminal trial. basically what you're saying to the judge is the prosecution always has the burden, proof beyond a reasonable doubt. so at that halfway point when the state says, okay, that's all we have, the state rests. that's when you go to the judge and say they didn't give enough to the jury to even have a

question about reasonable doubt. so we're saying, judge, you just need to direct a verdict. you need to say not enough evidence. reasonable minds couldn't even differ about this. happens in every trial. it's almost denied in almost every trial. >> rielle hunter, we've talked about her, the mistress in this case. >> yes. >> there was a lot being made she was going to take the stand. the prosecution never called her. do you think that was a mistake? >> no, they don't need her. basically what they're alleging is that john edwards did something illegal with the campaign contributions that were given to him, i.e. instead of using them to finance his campaign, he used them to hide his pregnant mistress. they don't need her to testify to anything, because at this point it's all about the money trail. and quite frankly, based on what we've seen and some of her behaviors of the past, she's a bit of a loose cannon and i don't think the prosecution wanted to take a chance. >> it might have been risky. >> it would have definitely been risky. >> so if you were heading up his defense team, come monday what

was the best thing, strongest thing they can come out of the gate with? >> there's two things they need to do. they need to acknowledge my client might be a cad, he might have cheated on his wife when she was terminally ill. however, he did not knowingly participate in this scheme to defraud his investors, so to speak. so they're going to have to bring up witnesses who will say i -- you know, john edwards didn't know, he didn't participate and that may be edwards himself. he might take the stand and say, hey, you know what, i didn't deal with the money. i'm the guy in front of the cameras. i hire other people to do that. if they did something with it -- >> it's going to be a tough challenge because the prosecution had all those people saying that he did know, he was in the room and heard these conversations. >> that's exactly right. yes, exactly. >> so it's going to be really interesting to see who the jury believes. >> a fine line about knowingly participating. >> all right. holly, thank you. >> great, thanks, randi. mitt romney takes his bid for president to one of the nation's largest christian universities this morning and it is causing some controversy.

will students welcome him or will they walk out? a live report from the campus of liberty university. at aviva, we do things differently. we're bringing humanity back to life insurance. that's why only aviva rewards you with savings for getting a check-up. it's our wellness for life program, with online access to mayo clinic. see the difference at avivausa.com. the health of our cells plays a key role throughout our entire lives. ♪ one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin, designed for many of men's health concerns as we age. ♪ it has more of seven antioxidants to support cell health. that's one a day men's 50+ healthy advantage.

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.

[ male announcer ] ocuvite. you know, those farmers, those foragers, those fishermen.... for me, it's really about building this extraordinary community. american express is passionate about the same thing. they're one of those partners that i would really rely on whether it's finding new customers, or, a new location for my next restaurant. when we all come together, my restaurants, my partners, and the community amazing things happen. to me, that's the membership effect. welcome back, everyone. i'm randi kaye. thanks for starting your day with us. mitt romney's attempts to woo conservatives take him to liberty university where he will give the school's commencement speech in just a few hours, but the appearance is not without controversy. some argue that romney, who is a

mormon, isn't the right person to speak at one of the nation's largest evangelical schools. shannon travis is on liberty's campus for us this morning. good morning, shannon. tell me, what can we expect to hear from romney today? will he go there, will he talk gay marriage, do you think? >> reporter: yeah, we expect for mitt romney to not be so political in this speech, the campaign is telling us, randi. a few thousand people have already filed in. we expect for romney to come up on stage and send these graduates off to the next phase in their lives. for many of them obviously the first phase of their careers. but the campaign yesterday, they put out some excerpts of what romney is expected to say. i just want to read a few quotes to you and talk about them just a little bit. on the first one he's expected to say i'm not sure quite why, but lately i found myself thinking about my life in four-year stretches. and let's just say that not everybody has filled these past four years with as much achievement as you have.

you'll notice another strain of that in these quotes. for you and so many young americans, our current troubles can be discouraging. you are ready for jobs that were supposed to be ready for you. millions wait on the day when there are jobs for everyone willing to work and opportunities to match your hopes and goals, but don't lose heart because that day is coming. now, you'll notice that there was no mention of his opponent, president obama, but they were subtle digs about the economy. the campaign telling us, again, they will not drill down on attacks, political attacks as much, but a lot of references there. >> certainly not everybody is welcoming him to the campus there. i understand that the facebook page, the commencement facebook page actually had to be shut down, there were so many objections to him bowieing ther. are we expecting any protests there today, do you think? >> reporter: it's hard to tell whether there will actually be

protests here at the commencement itself. we'll certainly be watching. but you remember, randi, just last month when this was announced that mitt romney would be the commencement speaker, a lot of the students were loudly protesting, posting on their facebook pages and taking their protests public, basically saying because mitt romney is a mormon that inviting him here to speech at this school goes against the school's own teachings. liberty university bills itself as the largest evangelical university in the country, and they teach that mormonism is not a part of christianity, so that's not making a lot of students here happy. we'll certainly look out for if some of them show their public displeasure here today. >> well, if it's not going to be a big policy speech today, shannon, is this really then just about making a heart-to-heart connection with evangelicals? >> reporter: yeah, and that's really key what you're saying there, randi. he does need to make an even

stronger connection with these people, with christian evangelicals. you know throughout the primaries, there was some consternation and some feelings about mitt romney among that group that i think it's fair to say are not quite resolved. so, yeah, he's definitely courting to these students here. one key thing, gay marriage that obviously a lot of evangelicals are against, the campaign is telling us that he won't really talk about today. one other key point, rick santorum just last night spoke to an arkansas tv station and he actually said that mitt romney needs to use the issue of gay marriage as a, quote, potent weapon. so basically rick santorum coming out, even though he's endorsed romney, coming out and saying you need to talk about gay marriage more forcefully in this campaign. >> that is an interesting comment from him. shannon travis, nice to see you. thank you. celebrity food star and actor reed alexander is cooking up some recipes for healthier

living. he's probably one of the busiest teenagers i know. but he's taking some time to join me live. but first, as cnn employees, we want to share some of the places that we like to hang out just in case you want to hang out at them. one of the members on my team tells us about one of her favorite places to eat. >> reporter: working in a 24-hour newsroom makes me want to eat at unconventional times. that's why i love coming here to the r. thomas deluxe grill in atlanta. it's a 24-hour restaurant that serves healthy, organic meals any time of day or night. customers come for a unique dining experience. there's a mood-lit canopy and a wide range of organic, vegan and vegetarian dishes. free range meat options are also on the menu and breakfast is served at any time. at the heart is its owner and founder, richard thomas. he switched from managing fast-food restaurants 25 years

ago. now his motto is let your food be your medicine. outside the restaurant is a matchup of his passions. heating and cooling inside is powered by a water sprinkler on the roof. there is a garden and a collection of artwork. these breaks, debris from the tornados in alabama, serve as a memorial to the victims. thomas has been collecting birds for over 60 years and gets a kick out of showing them off. the kitchen and wait staff aren't allowed to play with the birds. the smoothies are a hit on the menu. the chef cooks with fresh ingredients bought locally. here we have one of the healthy dishes served here at r. thomas grill. this is the thai bowl served with tempe, vegetables and quinoa.

you know what's exciting? graduation. when i look up into my students faces, i see pride. you know, i have done something worthwhile. when i earned my doctorate through university of phoenix, that pride, that was on my face. i am jocelyn taylor. i'm committed to making a difference in people's lives, and i am a phoenix. visit phoenix.edu to find the program that's right for you. enroll now.

health officials aren't exactly crazy about the numbers now, but america's obesity crisis is expected to get worse in just a few years. about 42% of americans will be obese by 2030. that's according to new numbers released this week at the cdc's weight of the nation conference. it's also the title of a four-part hbo documentary that premieres monday night exploring the problem. here's a clip. >> i'm 5'10" and 242 pounds. >> i always say this is the biggest i'm ever going to be and i said that 20 pounds ago. >> a third of americans is obese, another third is overweight. >> obesity is the biggest threat to the health, welfare and furlt of this country. >> i have always within overweight. >> joining me is celebrity food star and actor reed alexander. you may recognize him from nickelodeon's popular tv show

"icarly" or perhaps "will & grace." he's also the creator of kewlbites.com. reed, good morning to you. >> good morning, randi, hi. >> let me start with your personal battle with weight because that's something that i think a lot of kids who might be watching this morning at home with their parents might want to hear about. you said that you were a teen eating out of control. tell me about the moment, if there was one, when you actually realized, hey, i need to change something here. >> you got it. well, with poor eating habits, i was overweight, i was lethargic. i also have a family history of diabetes and heart disease so when a family relative passed away as a result of complications, i realized i needed to grab the reins, turn things around for myself before medical issues could pop up that would be unavoidable. i love cooking. i realized there was nothing out there with solutions from a kid's point of view.

so nutritious recipes, swapping out ingredients, at the same time making exercise less of a stranger. i lost 15 pounds, gained so much more confidence. while i was blogging to miefls and compiling strategies and tips and note, i realized that's what i wanted to share on kewlbites and it puts a fun spin on this serious top sglictopic. >> what kind of things do you eat now? you talk to kids about healthy eating and they lose interest. >> some of the things i love are apple pot pie, delicious and decadent. or homemade chicken nuggets that i sear in the pan and they're delicious and crispy. in fact i have a recipe i thought i'd share with you. these are my crunch bars. it's like my homemade version of an energy bar. >> can you hold them up a little higher? >> totally, yeah. packed with dried fruits and

nuts. i use almonds and nuts and they're easy to make in the oven. you know, it's just minus the store-bought wrapper. >> i love it. i love that you have wheat germ in a snack for teenagers. incredible. >> thank you. >> tell me a little bit about kewlbites.com. as we said teens can be pretty stubborn. eating healthy isn't always the first stop. how do you not only make it healthy, but cool too? >> i make it fun, i make it delicious. for me the fun comes in having friends and family over. we celebrate movie night or game night together. lots of healthy snacks on the table that don't sacrifice the yum factor. kewlbites with more than 100 recipes, an expanding library and tips and information and blogs and constant communication on twitter and facebook and e-mail, it's a really exciting conversation and i think it was timely as well. >> do you hear a lot from orchids who might be obese and

are struggling with their weight and don't know what to do? >> it's an issue i think a lot of people are grappling with. i hear from kids who are cooking with their younger siblings or asking what are easy exercises i can do. at the same time i hear a lot from moms and from teachers who are folding kewl bites into the curriculum and it really is a collective audience we need to talk to to mobilize adults and kids to understand the strategies and understand how to read a nutritional label, how to cook for themselves, how to have a well-balanced meal. >> i also know that you've teamed up with rachael ray and bill clinton, his foundation for the alliance for a healthier generation. >> yeah. >> what are you doing in terms of your work with him and them? >> it's a big honor. you know, the president has founded the alliance through his clinton foundation in tandem with the american heart association. i've been traveling around the country, meeting hundreds of students, having a conversation about health and fitness, seeing amazing changes in the cafeteria. we've launched a great new

campaign. a special set of my recipes through the clinton foundation and our alliance and our tools that we're providing are now available to more than 30 million students being cooked and served in more than 15,000 school cafeterias on a daily basis so we're really excited about this campaign. >> reed, it's great to have you on the show. you and i connected recently in an airport. we didn't have time for a meal, but maybe next time i'd like to see what you're eating for lunch. >> i'd love it. >> reed, great to have you on. it's kewlbites. reed alexander, thank you. waterbeds for cows. it may seem a bit strange, but reynolds wolf will tell us why we need them to help bring more milk to the table.

good morning, san francisco! what an amazing shot you have there, not too far from pier 39. it's going to be a nice day for you, a few scattered clouds but temperatures warming up in the 70s. should be a great day altogether. many of you might be waking up this morning and enjoying some juice, maybe coffee, perhaps even some cereal. believe it or not, some of the cows that produce some of the milk that goes in your cereal had a very nice night last night, they slept very well. this story will explain why. dean knows how to keep cows happy. he makes waterbeds for cows. >> i would imagine that in the beginning you were met with a bit of skepticism. >> yeah, they thought i was crazy, literally. >> reporter: he brought the water wbeds to the u.s. in 1999 and redesigned them for comfort. >> cows are very, very important to the dairymen. it's their livelihood.

the more comfort she has, the better health she has, the more she'll produce. >> reporter: cows lay down 12 to 14 hours a day. >> introduced the dual chamber waterbed. we put basically a pillow up in front. we're talking about a 1500-pound cow. it cushions her knees and her hips. >> reporter: wisconsin farmer craig had the waterbeds installed in his barn just last year. >> what changes have you seen, craig, since you've had these new waterbeds for cows? >> the comfort, the legs, the hocks, there's no swelling. >> reporter: farmers may still opt for the traditional sand or straw bedding. the idea is comfortable cows can focus on doing what they do best, making milk. hundreds of thousands of cow waterbeds have been installed in dairy barns in 19 countries, truly an international bovine luxury. >> you've got to love that, cow waterbeds. "time" magazine's new cover,

have you seen it? it is making some people uncomfortable. it features a mom breastfeeding her 3-year-old son. doctors say it's fine. other moms say it's gross. so we would like to know what you think. how old is too old for a mother to breastfeed her child? tweet me, sending me your comments. we will read some of them on the air as soon as we can. one kid with a taste for gum. well, he's not letting anything stop him and he is not alone. we're going in search of small kids in even smaller places. my mother made the best toffee in the world. it's delicious. so now we've turned her toffee into a business. my goal was to take an idea and make it happen. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. i never really thought i would make money doing what i love.

[ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com, we put the law on your side. 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. ♪ helping you do what you do... 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. (female announcer) most life insurance companies look at you and just see a policy. at aviva, we do things differently. we're bringing humanity back to life insurance.

that's why only aviva rewards you with savings for getting a check-up. it's our wellness for life program, with online access to mayo clinic. see the difference at avivausa.com. try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis. we are very busy here tweeting all morning, so we've all been told that crime doesn't pay, but it's hard to get mad when little kids try to get away with it, of course. for them, it's not about big money targets, instead it's about gum balls and stuffed animals. here's jeanne moos. >> reporter: this 2-year-old

wanted to chew some gum balls. instead the gum ball machine swallowed his hand, or as his dad put it -- >> i turned my back for one minute. they tried to get some gum out of the gum machine and his hand was stuck up in there completely. >> reporter: his cheeks were full of tears as the fire department came to the rescue. >> we were hoping that we would come in and it would be as simple as putting some oil or something on it and sliding it out. it wasn't that simple. >> reporter: turns out they had to break the plastic and disassemble the mechanism. you mean there were gum balls all over the floor? >> all over the floor. >> reporter: all over the floor, not counting the ones in terrell's hand. at one point during the rescue, the kid got some gum balls in his fist but he refused to open his fist and give up the gum balls. firefighters had to coax him so they could get his hand out. >> open your fist. open your hand. >> let the gum ball go. >> reporter: which he finally

did. >> there you go, buddy. >> reporter: no injuries to the hand. but the best kid stuck in a toy machine video efr features a girl who climbs head first into the door where the prize normally comes out in one of those claw machines, like the one in "toy story. ". >> i have been chosen. mayor well, my friends. so i go on to a better place. >> reporter: once the girl disappears up the hole, another kid tells mom. as mom goes for help, the little girl pops up amid all the toys. mom sent some time trying to retrieve her by the feet and knocking on the window but the girl keeps climbing the mound of toys. whatever you do, mom, don't try to shake her out. actually, this isn't so uncommon. there are other photos of kids trapped in the belly of a toy machine. eventually this little girl came out exactly the way she went in, exiting feet first with a little help from her mom.

it was as if the vending machine gave birth. did she leave without taking home a prize? the gum ball kid got to keep a few, to help him chew over the experience. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. copd makes it hard to breathe, so i wasn't playing much of a role in my own life, but with advair, i'm breathing better so now i can take the lead on a science adventure. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both

an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, take the lead. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com.

your bottom line is coming your way in about 30 minutes. christine romans has a preview of what's ahead for us. hi, christine. >> hi, randi. president obama announced his support for same-sex marriage. what will it mean in the fight for economic equality for same-sex couples. if you think willpower is the key to combatting obesity in america, a ground-breaking report says think again. and facebook set to go

public. we'll tell you what you need to know before you even think of buying a share of facebook. that's all coming up at 9:30 a.m. eastern. randi. anyone that was directly involved with adam, pretty much lived in fear. >> that from the brother of adam mayes, the man suspected of kidnapping two girls and killing their mother and sister, who is now dead. new details in the dramatic conclusion to a massive manhunt. and today we put same-sex marriage in focus. what president obama's new stance on the issue means for his campaign and what critics are saying. and mitt romney admits to a disturbing incident in his teen years. we ask our expert what is the line between hurtful prank and criminal bullying? good morning, everyone. i'm randi kaye. it is 9:00. thanks for waking up with us.

let's get you caught up on the news. president obama giving his support to the issue of same-sex marriage and that support is giving a big boost to his fund-raising efforts. a democratic source telling cnn that the president raised $2 million in the first 24 hours after making his remarks. and that comes as a new usa today/gallup poll shows that a majority of americans, 51%, approve of the president's position. let's bring in athena jones this morning. she's in silver spring, maryland, for us. athena, what are folks telling you there? >> reporter: well, we talked to half a dozen people here and they have all been in support of president's move. we thought we'd talk to a few more people on camera. i talked to chris earlier about what he thinks about the president's announcement on wednesday and what did you tell me? >> i basically was in support of it. i think it was about time that he came around and said it. >> reporter: does it change your -- the way you feel about the president? does it make you more likely to

vote for him? does it not change anything? would you have supported him anyway? >> yeah, yeah, i would have supported him. he had sort of hinted around it long enough that i think it was time that he came out and took a stand on it. >> reporter: do you think he went far enough? he still said it should be up to the states to decide on this issue. >> i do think that for now he did go far enough because i think it's a baby step process in that, you know, if he were to come out and say that an amendment should be made to the constitution or something, i think that would really be drastic and might turn a lot of people off. but in this instance he just came out and said i'm in support of it and i think that was enough for now. >> reporter: you mentioned that you have a son who's about to be 2 years old. the president himself said this is a generational issue and talked about his own daughters influencing his opinion on this, influencing his decision to come out. what do you think will be the case for your son's generation? will this be a nonissue in a few more years? >> i certainly hope so. i think that they'll look back on this in 20 years and say what was all the big deal about. >> reporter: that's just a

sampling of some of what we've been hearing as we talk to people around here. in the state of maryland governor o'malley signed in march a law that would legalize same-sex marriage starting in january. but there are opponents of the law who are trying to get enough signatures to get this issue on the ballot, to allow voters here in maryland to block that new law from coming into effect. so far we're in a pretty liberal area, the d.c. suburbs. people largely support president obama's move. but there's no telling really what will happen if that ballot measure gets on the ballot. >> very true. athena jones, thank you very much. mitt romney travels into the heart of christian conservatism this morning. he's giving the commencement speech at liberty university. that is the school founded by jerry falwell. romney's camp says the speech will focus on personal responsibility and hard work and, yes, the issue of same-sex marriage will come up. we'll bring you the speech live next hour. newt gingrich will be among friends when he makes his first campaign pitch for mitt romney. the former candidate will speak on romney's behalf at the

georgia state gop convention next week. gingrich was a long-time congressman from georgia and won the primary earlier this year. north carolina's governor is upset with voters who passed controversial amendment 1 this week. amendment 1 bans same-sex marriage and civil unions. >> people around the country are watching us and they're really confused to have been such a progressive, forward-thinking, economically-driven state. they are saying what in the world is going on in north carolina. we look like mississippi. >> that last part didn't sit so well in mississippi's governor. he said he's disappointed with the comments and said apparently north carolina anz are more in tune with his state's traditional values than when the values of governor perdue. today syria's prime minister is visiting the city where two deadly suicide bombings killed 55 people this week. he's claiming the attacks on

terrorists but opposition leaders say the government is responsible for killing innocent people. meanwhile protesters calling for regime change have been marching through the streets. cnn cannot confirm the authenticity of this video because of restrictions on journalists in syria. a human rights group reports more than a thousand people have been killed since last month's cease-fire. more than 7,000 birds have turned up dead in south america. officials say in peru alone, 5,000 birds have starved because warm weather has forced some anchovies and sardines south. at least 2300 birds have been found dead in chile. it's believed instead of migrating north, as the weather gets colder, they're sticking around to feast on the influx of fish from peru and that is what's causing them to get caught up in these fishing nets. she once thought it would be political suicide for president obama to come out in support of same-sex marriage, so how does emily feel about that now? she's joining me from toronto

and i'll ask her just that. at aviva, we do things differently. we're bringing humanity back to life insurance. that's why only aviva rewards you with savings for getting a check-up. it's our wellness for life program, with online access to mayo clinic. see the difference at avivausa.com. where we switched their steaks

with walmart's choice premium steak. ♪ this is really good. like what i grew up with. only one out of five steaks is good enough to be called walmart choice premium beef. can i let you in on a secret? you're eating a walmart steak. no kidding. noooo! i promise. it's very tender. you could almost cut it with a fork. it is delicious! we need to start buying those at walmart. walmart usda choice premium steaks. try it. tell us what you think about it on facebook. it's 100% guaranteed. olaf's pizza palace gets the most rewards

of any small business credit card! pizza!!!!! [ garth ] olaf's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! put it on my spark card! [ high-pitched ] nice doin' business with you! [ garth ] why settle for less? great businesses deserve the most rewards! awesome!!! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? or double miles on every purchase, every day! you know what's exciting? graduation. when i look up into my students faces, i see pride. you know, i have done something worthwhile. when i earned my doctorate through university of phoenix, that pride, that was on my face. i am jocelyn taylor. i'm committed to making a difference in people's lives, and i am a phoenix. visit phoenix.edu to find the program that's right for you. enroll now.

just a few tweets there from celebrities weighing in on obama's speech about same-sex

marriage. his evolution, if you want to call it that. you'll recall when president obama came out in support of it this week on abc news, he said his position had evolved over time. according to recent polling, the nation's views are evolving as well. in 1996, just 27% of americans supported gay marriage. that number has now risen to 50%. last hour we talked with the executive director of the log cabin republicans, a group that supports same-sex marriage but not president obama. but my next guest supports both. emily s emily sallers is a singer and songwriter and one-half of the indigo girls. thanks for joining us this morning. i know this is an issue that is near and dear to your heart. you said back in 2009 that it would be, quote, political suicide for a president to come out in support of gay marriage. do you still feel that way or do you think that the nation has changed in just these last few

years and the nation is ready for it? >> well, i think, obviously, it's not political suicide for obama or else he wouldn't have come out and publicly about it even if his heart was in the right place. politics is all about strategy, we all know that. i'm not row romanticizing that anymore. there have to be legislative and tactical changes obviously for us to get our full civil rights, but the fact that he has come out in support of same-sex marriage is huge. he's on the right side of history in my opinion. >> some people have said that they'll always remember where they were when they heard the president approve of same-sex marriage and say that he supports it. do you remember where you were? what was your reaction when you heard this announcement? >> i was home in atlanta. we thought we heard an interview was coming.

we ran home and started getting texts from our friends. i literally stood there, i was at my partner's desk, and we read the news. then i went online to look for snippets of the interview. you know, it's goosebumps, it's a sense of this is a moment in history, i'm thankful to be alive, i'm thankful for all the people who paved the road for us up to this point. just a tremendous moment, i'll never forget it. now we just need to see the rest of the changes being implemented. >> let's talk about some of the accomplishments for the lgbt community under president obama. he repealed don't ask, don't tell. he signed the matthew shepard hate crimes prevention act. he stemmeded benefits to same-sex partners, he extended domestic violence protection and his administration has also stopped defending doma, the defense of marriage act. so the thing is, though, despite all those accomplishments as some might see them, there are some in the lgbt community that say the president hasn't done

enough. do you feel the president should have gone a step further in his statement, perhaps saying that marriage for gays and lesbians is protected under the equal protection clause of the constitution, that it is more than just a state's issue, or was this enough? >> you know, for me it's enough for today. i understand politics, i understand that you can't shove change down people's throats. if you look at the history of civil rights and any particular movement in the united states, first there had to be the belief system, then came the implementation of the rights. you can't take this to a popular vote. if you ever did, we'd never get anywhere as far as the advancements of civil rights for people in the united states. so i'm very pleased and proud of our president. you know, it's like i'm very thankful for him to come out and make this statement. and the fact that he doesn't want to have doma any more is huge. once doma is gone, then we can really move forward with federal receipts. i think it's very easy to be a

naysayer about how far we haven't come, but i'm taking the tack this time, this is huge. we've come a long, long way. we have a lot of people we're to be grateful for. this is my president, president obama. i can't wait to get out there and vote for him, can't wait for work for his campaign. i feel very, very excited. >> let me ask you then about mitt romney. he doesn't support same-sex marriage or civil unions. do you have a message for him and maybe the gop on why you might think republicans should consider their stance? >> well, as we all know and as you've reported, attitudes are changing about same-sex marriage. we are in the midst of an evolution of beliefs. you know, i feel saddened for people who can't see the necessity for civil rights, for gay people in the united states. i think there's a lot of political fear with christian conservative, other religious conservative groups that affect how republicans run their campaigns generally speaking. and all i can say is deep in my heart i believe that obama is on the right side of history and

those who want to legislate oppression are on the wrong side of history. time will prove that to be true, that's what i believe. so i wish romney were for same-sex marriage. i'm sure years down the road he'll regret it. if he's still alive to tell. i don't mean that in a dark or twisted way, like ted nugent. >> i would never compare you to ted nugent, don't worry. >> thank you. thank you very much. i didn't mean anything weird about that. >> on a personal note, do you hope to one day get married? >> yes, i do. i'm speaking to you from toronto, ontario, canada. my partner is canadian. we haven't been able to get married for fear of immigration repercussions. we will definitely be married by god's grace, and i look forward to that. i would love to be able to get married in my home country and i would love to not have to move to another country simply so that i can live my life out with

my civil rights protected with the person that i love and have a family and have all the things that heterosexual couples are able to enjoy. >> emily salliers great to talk with you this morning. thank you so much. >> thank you so much. mitt romney apologizing for something he's accused of doing when he was a teenager. was it bullying? or a harmless high school prank? (female announcer) most life insurance companies look at you and just see a policy. at aviva, we do things differently.

we're bringing humanity back to life insurance. that's why only aviva rewards you with savings for getting a check-up. it's our wellness for life program, with online access to mayo clinic. see the difference at avivausa.com. you do a lot of no.aking? look i'm going through the rapids. okay... i'll take it. sync your card with facebook, foursquare and twitter for savings. that's the membership effect of american express. is as much about getting there... ♪ ...as it is being there. ♪ [ birds chirping ] away is where the days are packed with wonder... ♪ [ wind whistles ] ...and the evenings are filled with familiar comforts. find your away.

for a dealer and the rv that's right for you, visit gorving.com.

try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis. as we've been telling you this morning, "time" magazine's new cover is making some people uncomfortable. it features a mom breastfeeding her 3-year-old son. doctors say it's fine. other moms say it's gross. we wanted to know how old is too old for a mother to breastfeed her child. i asked and, yes, you answered. here are some tweets from the folks at home. heather tweets it's time to stop when kids get teeth. that's nature's way of letting you know. kevin writes a mother should be the one to decide when she should stop breastfeeding her child, not the world.

and katherine writes i'd say that once the child can verbally express hunger, it's time to keep the nursing bra on lockdown. we would like to hear what you think so keep sending those tweets in. i'm on twitter this morning. we'll read some more of your comments on the air. mitt romney has been apologizing this week for something that he's accused of doing when he was a teenager, so we wanted to know was it bullying or was it a harmless high school prank? [ male announcer ] a car is either luxury or it isn't. if you want a luxury car with a standard power moonroof, your options are going to be limited. ♪ if you want standard leather-trimmed seats, you're going to have even fewer.

♪ and if you want standard keyless access, then your choice is obvious. the lexus es. it's complete luxury in a class full of compromises. see your lexus dealer. the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years. what's it going to do to the planet? natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪ the health of our cells plays a key role throughout our entire lives. ♪ one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin, designed for many of men's health concerns as we age.

♪ it has more of seven antioxidants to support cell health. that's one a day men's 50+ healthy advantage. this weekend on cnn's the next list they call it urban bee keeping and it's getting a ton of buzz. >> it's bizarre. when a bee keeper goes into his hive, he'll find a queen, she's healthy, laying eggs. find maybe food, some honey, pollen stores. you won't see many signs of a disease outright, but the bees are gone. and it's so mysterious. where did they go? we just don't know.

that's what we call colony collapse disorder. my name is noah. i'm a bee keeper. >> that is the next list this sunday at 2:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn. check out our new mobile app. now you can use your phone to scan your car's vin or take a picture of your license. it's an easy way to start a quote. watch this -- flo, can i see your license? no. well, all right. thanks. okay, here we go. whoa! no one said "cheese." progressive mobile -- insurance has never been easier. get a free quote today.

mitt romney's apologizing for what he insists was a high school prank that he doesn't even remember. witnesses say as a teen in the '60s the teen and a group of friends held down a student who was thought to be gay and cut off chunks of his blond hair. one classmate told "the washington post" he'll never forget the look in the victim's eyes. i want you to meade jody blanco, a bullying activist and the author of "polilease stop laugh at me." jody, with kids today is there a clear line between being a prankster and being a bully? >> well, there's a difference between kids being kids and kids being cruel. what i always say as a survivor turned activist who travels to the nation's schools and speaks to student audiences all over the country is that too often the bully never remembers and the outcast never forgets.

i think that's what happened in the case of mitt romney and it happens in schools all over the place today. and it's not just the intention of the bully. so often these bullies don't mean to be cruel. i'm sure mitt romney wasn't necessarily trying to damage his victim for life. but the sad reality is that it does damage them for life. >> and you've actually written some op-eds for our website, cnn.com, about your personal experiences. let me just read a bit of one here. you wrote i was threatened, beaten, dragged across parking lots, burned with lit cigarettes, teased, taunted and spat upon at lunch, mocked in gym, snickered at in class, ambushed at sleepovers and spit balled on the school bus. my adolescence was a living hell. >> right. >> so what are the long-term ramifications? if you say that it stays with people into their adult life, what are the ramifications? >> well, first of all, the adult survivor of peer abuse is someone who was either bullied

as i was as a kid or just felt invisible, and they carry those insecurities and doubts into their adult lives. it makes them either overachievers, because you're constantly trying to prove to yourself that you're worthy, or it can be the opposite. you can never achieve all that you're meant to achieve. and i can tell you from experience there are millions of adult survivors of peer abuse in this country, like a ghostly population, that are afraid and insecure and doubt themselves because of how they were treated in school. if any are listening to this interview right now, i encourage you, see a therapist, get some support and help because otherwise your school years can haunt you deep into adulthood, as they have with mitt romney's victim from high school. >> so how do you recommend -- i mean for kids today, you got through it when you were younger. how about the kids, if they can't go to a therapist, is there anything that they can do?

is there any advice or anything that you might have for them? >> absolutely. if you're talking about kids in school today, if you're a parent and your child is struggling to fit in or feels invisible at school, find them a brand new social outlet. completely separate from school, through a park district or a library or a dance studio, where they can make new friends with new faces. it will give them more confidence, it will diminish some of their desperation for friendship and it will help them through the lonely school days. and it can literally save a life, because the hardest thing about being bullied isn't necessarily the abuse you take, but the loneliness and the isolation. so if there are parents watching, find your child a new social outlet. let them make friends outside of school. it can change their lives. >> that is really just change their environment, that is really great advice. let's talk about bullying. is bullying any worse today, do you think, than it was 30, 40,

50 years ago? i mean with social media and cyberbullying, or are we just hearing more about it? >> well, you know, it's funny, i get asked that question all over the country when i go into schools to speak. bullying is no worse today than it was 30 years ago. as we've seen in this story sweeping the nation about mitt romney. what's different is that the weaponry to achieve it is far more sophisticated. 30 years ago if someone wanted to start a rumor about you, they would write it on a piece of notebook paper and pass it around the class. today that same rumor can be uploaded to youtube or posted on a facebook wall for thousands and thousands to see. i mean imagine 30 years ago if they had the internet or 40 years ago if they had the internet. i wonder if this kid would have had a lot more happen to him than just have his haircut off. >> yeah, jodee, i appreciate your time. i could talk to you for hours about this issue. >> oh, thank you. >> it's important to me and a lot of our viewers, so we hope to have you