today. will it be chaos again? from beijing to the big apple the chinese activist in the middle of the fight between the united states and china lands in the united states. he is now free to speak and we'll tell you what he is saying. plus a failure to launch. facebook falls flat and opens the trading week where it started on friday. could the stock be a total bust? plus, mick jagger channels another iconic lead singer and nails it on "saturday night live." it is sunday, may 21st. "starting point" begins right now. good morning. welcome everybody. let's get started with some breaking news on what could become very soon new charges of rape against the former imf chief dominic strauss-kahn. let's get right to christine romans for some details. hey, good morning. >> good morning to you, soledad. he could soon face charges in the alleged gang rape of a belgian prostitute. this happened during a party at her hotel in washington, d.c. almost two years ago.

that's a story at least the french prosecutors are investigating, launching an investigation into this. a french newspaper says these allegations came from statements that two escorts made to belgian police. dsk held one of the most powerful positions in the world of course as imf chief. you may also remember he was arrested after a new york hotel maid accused him of sexual assault. he was cleared on that charge after her story fell apart. soledad? >> all right. christine, thank you for the update. we're watching that story obviously. it has been chaos in chicago as thousands of protesters against the war in afghanistan are at the nato summit. demonstrators were clashing with police who were wearing riot gear yesterday. they were voicing their opposition to the war. police arrested at least 45 people. the protests happened just blocks away from where world leaders are meeting to talk about the end game in afghanistan. this brings us to ted roulands

who was in the middle of that chaos. >> there were 40 arrests and several injuries one of the protesters standing close to me had a few teeth knocked out. another was bleeding from the head but there were also police injuries. according to the police department four police officers were injured. one officer apparently stabbed in the leg. the big question today as the sun rises in chicago what will the city be in for? there as large protest scheduled at the boeing corporation today a few blocks from where we are downtown. protesters say they plan to shut down boeing. police are going to be out in force. most businesses have told their employees to stay home today to avoid what could be a very chaotic day here in chicago. >> as far as i can see you have two groups of protesters right? you have the protesters who for the most part are relatively peaceful. then you have the black block protesters wearing black with the black bandanas around their

faces. how many of those black block protesters are we talking about? >> just a handful. when you say there are two groups you're absolutely right. there are the groups that are for their protests and marches and have been following the letter of the law all week long. there have been events. then there is the fragment groups, these are the folks causing the problems. usually around the scheduled protests like yesterday. all of that melee happened following a scheduled protest when police said the time is up. please move on. that's when the chaos started. that's really the problem here. it's just a handful of people. but they are causing all of the problems. >> it's been really interesting to see. i think the focus on sort of two pieces of videotape, one we were just showing a moment ago, which was the police using their batons to fight back that crowd. another one that i thought was very interesting, ted, was this police van. there it is right there. look as they're pushing a guy out of the way. he is trying to slow the truck.

watch the fwi in the black. he is going around the back of the car, stabbing the tires. you see it there. now you're going to see him right here, he is wearing black shirt, running back out to the crowd. i guess he has stabbed the tires of that truck. the guy who apparently the truck was pushing was able to move out of the way. that is the slow mo version of that guy. give me some more sense of just how violent these protests have gotten because certainly on tv i got to tell you they look really rough. >> yeah. it was violent yesterday definitely and the case with the police van, you have two separate stories here. immediately after that incident there was an alert out by the protesters saying one of our people has been hit by a police van. well, talked with the police and they say we had a police officer assaulted. in fact, the most serious injury in that incident was to the driver, the police officer there had a concussion because he was struck in the head during that

situation. they say he was moving that van to get out because he was in danger. so the answer to your question how violent, in pockets it's very violent. when you see the batons flying and people getting hit, it's pretty intense. but for the most part, and this is what the main demonstrators are concerned about, for the most part these demonstrations have been peaceful. it's just this video is so dramatic this really is the lasting image that people have so far from the protests here. >> remarkable to see. ted rowlands, thanks. i want to bring in the illinois lieutenant governor sheila simon joining us now. nice to see you. thank you for being with us. how comfortable are you with sort of the visuals that you are seeing? how often are you talking to the chief of police and how do you feel about the strategy in dealing with both sets of protesters that we were talking about, the more peaceful protesters and some of those folks you're seeing on tv with

more violent protests? >> i'm obviously saddened that there's violence involved that police have been injured, that protesters have been injured, but what i'm pleased with is that for the most part thousands of people have been able to express themselves, have been able to state their opinions about war, about nato, and chicago has shown a capability to respond to be a global city and i'm pleased with that. >> garry mccarthy is the superintendent of police and he was asked about that use of batons. we've seen that in a couple shots and here is what he said. >> have you authorized officers to use batons? >> absolutely. to overcome an assault? absolutely. >> you said you were concerned about the image but ultimately the batons did come out and it is not a pretty thing. >> no but ultimately the officers were assaulted. they don't have to stand there and take an assault. >> are you concerned that many

of the conversations that have been taking place over the weekend and probably will continue to take place today are about the violence and not conversations about what's really happening at this summit? >> i am concerned about that because i think those small images, those few images do form some kind of impression. i think though for the most part people who were participating and i have a staff member who was on the scene said that for the most part things were very orderly, that there were plenty of law enforcement officers around to make sure the people could express themselves, that there were legal observers, medical staff, and that it was really an effective use of a democracy where we have to tolerate and appreciate all opinions. >> i know that the protesters have said that they're going to try to, quote, shut down boeing today, which is based in chicago and obviously makes gear for

defense and aircraft as well. what's the strategy for protecting or i guess keeping the protesters if there is one from boeing? >> well, i think the strategy has been all along to work with all of the different law enforcement agencies in concert and i think for the most part they've been doing a fantastic job of making sure that people are protected and free speech rights are protected as well. it's a tough balance to get but i think they're doing a good job. >> quick question for you about financial costs. the estimates that i have seen are about $55 million for security. a chunk of that is paid for by the feds but the upside i've also read is somewhere around $128 million potentially by some estimates being made in, you know, sort of housing and hotels and restaurants, etcetera, etcetera, for the city. do you think it's been worth it? >> i think on balance it's a very positive thing for chicago, for the state of illinois.

chicago is a city with a global influence and now we can demonstrate a global impact. we have lots of advantages in the ability to put something like this together well. >> sheila simon is the state's lieutenant governor. nice to see you. thank you for talking with us. appreciate it. >> thank you. time for a look at the rest of the stories making news this morning. christine has a look at those. >> good morning, soledad. newark, new jersey mayor cory booker is now backing off some surprising comments he made criticizing president obama for attacks on mitt romney. booker told nbc's "meet the press" yesterday he was uncomfortable with president obama attacking romney's record at bain capital. >> you look at the totality of bain capital's record. they've done a lot to support businesses, to grow businesses, and this to me i am very uncomfortable with. >> now booker says romney's record at bain is fair game. in a new youtube video booker says the president is, quote, reasonable to scrutinize

romney's business record. >> i believe that mitt romney in many ways is not being completely honest with his role and his record even while a business person and is shaping it to serve his political interests. >> booker says his earlier remarks were meant to express his frustration with negative campaigning over all. booker, a democrat, is supporting president obama for re-election. the lockerbie bomber will be buried today. al-megrahi, a former libyan intelligence officer, was the only person ever convicted in the bombing of pan am flight 103. 270 people died when that plane exploded over lockerbie, scotland in 1988. al-megrahi died sunday nearly three years after he was freed from a scottish prison on humanitarian grounds because he was said to be gravely ill. it is sentencing day in the rutgers web cam spying case. the defendant could get ten years in prison for hate crimes against tyler clemente. a jury convicted him of spying

and intimidating his gay roommate. clemente jumped off new york's george washington bridge and hanged himself after ravi used a web cam to spy on him with another man. incredible pictures of yesterday's solar eclipse. millions looking into the skies to catch a glimpse of the ring of fire. this eclipse, the first of its kind in 18 years, created a golden ring around the moon's silhouette and it was visible on the west coast and in asia. the next one will happen in 2023. robin gibb of the bee gees has lost his battle with cancer. gibb founded the group which included his two brothers. they sold more than 200 million records and together they helped turn disco into a global phenomenon writing much of the music for the iconic film "saturday night fever." robin gibb was 62. soledad, a voice of a whole generation. >> my goodness. no question. remember my mother used to think that more than a woman was bow-legged woman and she'd run around the house singing ♪ bow-legged woman

. thank you for the update. still ahead his daring escape from house arrest sparked a diplomatic crisis. and really angered china. now activist chen guangcheng has landed in america. he's already exercising his freedom of speech. and the greatest spectacle in racing, the indianapolis 500 is this weekend. there is controversy. new cars, they say some people slower. drivers marco andretti and jared hildebrand are going to join us. our panel will be talking about that and much more. nice to have you guys. welcome. how are you? in the latino communityr retirement. the word that we use is jubilation. as you're getting older, you should be able to do the things that you love.

welcome back everybody. it's been a harrowing seven yoi journey for a chinese activist and has ended in freedom in the united states. chen guangcheng arrived on

saturday evening at newark airport in new jersey. then he made his way to new york city where he is going to be beginning a fellowship at nyu school of law. now, through a translator mr. chen changed the u.s. government. also offered praise for beijing. >> translator: i am very gratified to see that the chinese government has been dealing with the situation with restraint and calm. >> mr. chen was arrested back in 2006 for his work against his government's enforcement of mandated birth quotas and was then sent to prison, put under house arrest in april before he was able to escape his captors arrived at the u.s. embassy in beijing on april 26th which was just days before the secretary of state, hillary clinton, was scheduled to get there for a big economic talk with china. it became a very tense diplomatic situation and mr. chen was eventually sent to a state-run hospital where he

remained until suddenly his arrival here in new york. joining us this morning is congressman chris smith of new jersey. he helps facilitate mr. chen's arrival. he has been really working on his case for more than ten years now and was there to greet him at newark airport when he touched down. it is nice to have you. >> thanks very much. >> my pleasure. you saw him and we've certainly gotten a chance to see him as he made his brief statement. >> he looked very weak. his ankle was broken. in the escape. totally jet lagged. had a little car sickness. you know, he is going to have to have some time to heal and recuperate because he has been through a trauma both physically and emotionally as well as his wife and children. and his extended family as we all know who are still at grave risk. they're being retaliated against. they shifted they being the chinese government from going after him and beating him routinely to beating his family especially his nephew and brother. >> he has come to the united states with his wife and two children, a 6-year-old and a 10-year-old. >> yes. >> but as you point out there is

lots of concern about the family members, his nephew, his brother, his mother who have all stayed behind. what is the situation with them right now? >> it is very, very bad. the situation is hard to get information because we only get it by way of people who phone in and give up dates but the police have cordoned off a number of his family members so while the chens are free here, the other christens chens are not. that goes equally for a number of the people, the woman who helped him escape. she has already been beaten around the face and sexually molested. then there is a whole group of other people including lawyers, one of them who was actually a visiting scholar in 2009, i had him in a hearing. he went back. he is the man who defended chen in 2005 in the court as part of a group of lawyers. he was beaten so badly trying to reach chen at the hospital that he may have lost hearing in one of his ears. this is a brutal dictatorship. most americans i think, you

know, they get the happy pictures of beijing and perhaps shanghai, maybe even if they go there on vacation they come away with a false impression that belice whb belies what is going on by the secret police. >> how safe is mr. chen here in the united states? we know that nation's reaches don't stop at their borders. >> a great question. you know, we've learned from many dissidents who finally got here and got asylum or protection that they are tracked, followed, harassed. there will have to be an extra layer of protection. >> who? new york pd, fbi? >> i think the new york university might be on the short term sufficient but i think it has to be watched carefully because they do things like car crashes or something happens that is made to look like an accident so we have to keep a

very, very sharp focus. >> you see pictures in the newspaper like mr. chen sitting in washington park this weekend. it makes you -- when you bring up things like this -- >> i was going to ask you, actually, congressman smith, i know that part of the reason that chen is under fire in china is because of the fact -- i want to ask you coming from a pro choice perspective if this is something where you feel the pro life and pro choice communities could work together because it is about forcing women to make a choice they don't want to make. >> ulf, we haven't. you un, i offered the first amendment in the house of representatives in 1984 to defund any organization implicit in these crimes against women. chen is i believe one of the greatest defenders of women in the world. he took on an issue that some of the human rights groups have looked askance and literally put aside, perhaps out of ignorance or for whatever reason and women have been forcibly aborted since 1979. chen has a second child only

because some disabled persons, he is blind as everyone knows, do get an opportunity to get a second child but by and large forced abortion is absolutely pervasive. there is missing maybe on the order of a hundred million girls because of sex election abortion and there are many women a day in china who commit suicide. this is the worst human rights violation ever and now we have missing girls, the current problem of sex trafficking. i wrote the trafficking protection act in 2000 to prevent modern day slavery. china is becoming the magnet for that. >> mr. chen has said he wants to go back right? as you list all of these things pretty much from the start of our conversation to now, why? why would he possibly go back? he is not going to be safe and it looks like there's not been a tremendous change in the human rights issues people have been protesting as you say since the late 1970s. >> it has gotten worse. >> what is the likelihood that in fact mr. chen after he studies and gets his law degree at nyu will head back to china

to do the work he wanted to do? >> i think the short and intermediate term it is very slim. if he goes back that target on his back that is already there here, the chinese government very aggressive lly foments following and harassing people who speak up for human rights even in this country especially if they're chinese. if he goes back he and his family will be the cross hares of retaliation -- the crosshairs will shift toward him. right now it is his family that every one of us has to continue our focus as never before. >> we appreciate your time this morning. still ahead this morning on "starting point" what our eyes caught in the morning papers. including occupy my wedding. a bride goes completely crazy of course because you know you're so on the edge when you're the bride anyway when nato protesters crash her party. we completely understand that. don't forget you can watch us live on your computer and mobile phone while at work.

cnn.com/live. guess what? i'm back on twitter at soledad underscore o'brien. i kind of got off a little bit. this is will cain's play list. you're watching starting point. we'll take a break. [ son ] mom, computer's broke! where's i.t. mom? she quit. [ male announcer ] even with technology -- it's all you. that's why you've got us. get up to $200 dollars off select computers. staples that was easy. to your kids' wet skin. neutrogena® wet skin kids. ordinary sunblock drips and whitens. neutrogena® wet skin cuts through water. forms a broad spectrum barrier for full strength sun protection. wet skin. neutrogena®. for full strength are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule.

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♪ when i was a young boy at the age of 5 ♪ >> all right. muddy waters. a mannish boy. >> on my list too. i want my image perfected here. >> i told him it's something we have in common. we're bonding.

we have on the right and the left coming together in harmony around muddy waters. got to be a good day. >> you cannot not like muddy waters. >> exactly. >> let's look at what is in the papers. welcome back. i've just come back from vacation so i am rested. >> you have a sparkle in your eye. >> i try every day. thank you. what do you got, will? you want to start? >> i'll start. you want to mess around protesting the 1% have your day but you don't mess around with a woman's wedding. >> yes. >> elizabeth potts and tim alberts walked out of their wedding. we have video. it was like jackson boulevard and salz street and she didn't like this. it interrupted her bouquet toss. her pitch nurse front of the wedding. it did not go over well with mrs. potts. do not occupy someone's wedding. >> no, no. >> was she getting married by herself or was there a groom involved? >> tim alberts. >> you saw him there.

he kind of ushered her off out of the way which is obviously -- figuring out his role fast. >> bodes well for their relationship. >> what do you have for me? >> well, i can't find which paper it was in. >> the paper doesn't have the kardashian sisters. >> the other one was definitely, sort of took the emphasis from the, from this story but $4.4 million, i think it's incredible. i think it stands people who are role models for generation after generation, you know, my husband comes from a baseball family. i haven't talked to him about this story yet. >> maybe he'd be like, honey? i bought something. >> what do you have? >> this is a little bit more serious from the "new york times", a-1 more men enter fields dominated by women. this is interesting because as

we have these profound economic shifts there's ban lag in terms of men getting involved in places where there are growth, health care, education, and so on. it is great to see men are adapting and trying out fields like nursing, education, health care and are not bound by the gender stereotype but are going by where the stability and money is. >> stability and money will always trump gender stereotypes which i think is probably a good thing. my only thing i'll point out is on page six. hello. miley cyrus, hang on. i have to place my hands appropriately over this picture. miley cyrus? she is not dressed appropriately. my children are huge fans, like 10 and 11. >> i think she is a grown woman now. >> not for my kids she's not. that's page 6. you're reading the front page of the "new york times." i'm in page 6. are we going to take a short break? still ahead we'll take a look at what is next for facebook and mark zuckerberg the man who

literally wrote the book on social media and the social media giant tells us what could be learned ahead. and mick jagger drops by "saturday night live" to take on steven tyler. hilarious. you're watching "starting point." stay with us. [ male announcer ] if you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air.

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look at that. i go on vacation. they have a whole new graphic set. i love that. what's going on with you? >> president obama and nato leaders are meeting in chicago spending a second day looking for an exit strategy in afghanistan. allies are expected to ratify the transition process which would bring the war to an end in 2014. police meantime bracing for another day of anti-war protests. things got violent this weekend as officers arrested at least 45 demonstrators yesterday. after shocks rattling northern italy this morning.

thousands of victims waking up in cars, tents, and schools after one of the worst quakes to hit the area in centuries. the 6.0 magnitude quake killed nearly -- killed seven rather and injured at least 50 people. a verdict could come any day now in the john edwards corruption trial. the jury was dismissed friday after a first day of deliberations. the former presidential candidate accused of using campaign cash to cover up his affair. he faces six counts of campaign fraud and conspiracy. and president obama visiting joplin, missouri today, one year after a devastating tornado destroyed a third of the city and killed 161 people. he'll give the commencement address at joplin high school. families in joplin still struggling to recover. hundreds are still living in fema trailers unable to rebuild their homes. tim tebow's digital self true to life. the creative director of the hugely popular madden videos game franchise tweeted that tebowing will appear in the next version of the game. it is unclear whether other

players will be able to tebow as well. tebow will be with his new team the new york jets when the game comes out on august 28th. you know, i asked about that the other day. i was interviewing him for something and i said how does it feel? people talking about the tebowing and sometimes even mocking the tebowing. he's like, i love it. anybody who wants to talk about people praying on the field i fully support it. i might love that man. he is a really sweet guy. i know. >> no, i like tim tebow. what is there not to like? >> i am happy he is in new york. facebook starts the day at almost the same price where it debuted at the company's ipo. just 23 cents above the initial $38 a share and some say it could have fallen lower except that underwriters like morgan stanley were coming in and buying and buying and buying and making sure at least it held that price. let's get to the author of "accidental billionaires" which was the basis of the movie "the

social network" which was wildly popular. good morning and nice to see you. thanks for talking with us. >> good morning to you. >> i'm going to ask christine, will you join our conversation? we can do it remotely. you know, we talked a little bit about the stock price. it went up to about 42 and change and then came back down. of course mark zuckerberg got married the day after the ipo so it has been a crazy week or weekend for him. talk to me a little bit about the culture. what do you think the reaction is for mark zuckerberg around sort of this, i don't want to use the word flop but certainly not a strong takeoff of the stock and kind of a busy weekend as well? >> well, i mean, i think the expectation for that, it was going to explode and not just the 23 cent soaring i guess. but overall there was so much press and so many people wanting to be a part of it that, i mean, they have to be happy that, you know, hundreds of millions of people were watching this and all tried to buy shares. the retail was out of this world

for something like this. on the one hand, it was positive. but, you know, everyone expected it to go flying. and it was just a tougher ipo than they expected, i think. you know, mark zuckerberg doesn't really care. >> he doesn't really? he is a ceo now. >> he has a swimming pool full of money. he's not a guy that cares that much about money. >> really? >> he never cared about money in his whole life. >> does he care about success? >> yeah. he wants facebook to be on everyone's computer. he wants everyone in the world to be part of facebook. what is important to him i think is that we all used it every day. so now that he's become an adult ceo of a major company, of course, he has all these people around him who, you know, have to care about this. but him personally? i think it's more about all of us wanting to use facebook. that's the important thing. >> can you divide those two things? he's now the 28-year-old ceo and now that job means running a successful business that has shareholders and also he is young and untested and he hasn't

really failed up to date. you know, on the other side of that you have sort of a very nonstrong opening day for your ipo. >> yeah. you know, listen. around him he's got really great people but mark, himself, he is a bit of a strange guy. i think his week was a good week. he turned 28. he made $19 billion, and he got married. this isn't a bad week for a guy. so overall you're right. you know, he has to become the ceo of this major company. he has to become a guy who wears a tie once in a while. right? but over all mark himself is only going to care if we stop using facebook. which i don't think is going to happen. >> let's talk about just for a moment one of the other facebook founders. tell me about the week eduardo salvin had last week. you wrote the book. you know these guys. we all know eduardo has renowned his u.s. citizenship just ahead

of the ipo. what do you make of that? >> i spent a lot of time with eduardo and i know him pretty well. i don't think he thought it through or realized how upset people were going to get about this. this is a kid born in brazil who only came here as a teenager, spent some time here and lives in singapore. saving a bit of money on his taxes he lives in singapore and is an international guy. i don't think he realized people would get as upset as they have. you know, he is going to save money but he is doing it because he is an international guy and feels like he'll live in singapore the rest of his life. >> let me ask you a question about sort of the financials. if you look at this at a couple fronts, they had this issue i guess with the nasdaq which called itself, i think we have a graphic. >> use a kind word. >> and maybe kinder apology was we're humbly embarrassed. >> yeah. >> what happened? >> you know, there was some problem, a technology flaw, and you couldn't get canceled orders and people put orders in and it

wasn't until almost 2:00 in the afternoon they found out if their orders were canceled or in and were on. i mean, it was a mess. so that was an embarrassment. then morgan stanley also probably, i mean, no doubt stepping in having to buy up a lot of these shares. because it was priced too high. demand wasn't as good as they thought it would be. on two fronts you had some embarrassments and it was the worst week for stocks in a year. so it was like kind of a three reasons why it was a really tough day for facebook shares on friday. >> but as ben just said he is a billionaire, got married, turned 28. a good week. let me give ben a final question. what kind of ceo do you think mark zuckerberg will be? describe him for me, couple words. >> i mean, he's going to be strange. he's different. he is an odd guy. he is very socially awkward. we'll keep seeing photos of him looking really strange. over all i think his belief in facebook will be a good thing for the company. over all i think he'll be a good ceo. >> a the talk about his hoodie and it's morgan stanley and the

nasdaq that failed this opening. >> ben, thank you. appreciate having you. still ahead on "starting point" mick jagger closes out "snl's" season and is hilarious with his take on steven tyler. also, popular past member says good-bye. we'll tell you who it is. what's it like to hit more than 200 miles an hour in an indy car? we'll talk with drivers marco andretti and j.r. hildebrand. there they are. they'll chat with us up next. people with a machine. what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ? ally bank.

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♪ as she was as you were as i want you to be ♪ >> welcome back everybody. you're listening to nirvana. what happened? he is usually mr. country music. a lot of banjo generally. now you change the graphics on me. well i like the notes. very good. welcome back everybody. this sunday, 33 drivers are going to take 200 laps two and a half miles each in the 96th indianapolis 500. i guess it's really the 101st

anniversary but they took some time off during world war ii so it is the 96th technically. this weekend drivers raced around the indianapolis motor speedway oval trying to get their positions for the upcoming race in a brand new car that has been redesigned for this year, two companies behind the engines in those cars say it could make for the most competitive race yet. j.r. hildebrand and marco andretti join us this morning. nice to see you gentlemen. >> thanks for having us. >> it's been advertised, new car, new engine, new drivers. love that you're wearing your suits. >> marco too. he said it is so natural for us to walk around in race gear. >> i love it. i'm so glad you wore them coming in. >> we sleep in these. >> really? >> great jamies. >> you can tell. >> tell me about the new year and also the practice and sort of the trying to get the pole position yesterday and the last couple days. >> well, i mean, it's basically qualifying. we trim these cars out and what i mean is we make the rear wings

basically to make the cars go as fast as possible. and they're really trimmed out and tough to drive because they lose a lot of the down forcing grip. we try to make them go as quick as possible for four lapse for a four-lap average. >> how fast were you able to go? >> i was a mid to high 225 average so that put me fourth. >> we had a mechanical issue and we were 224ish. >> that's miles per hour, people. >> very sensitive things going on here. but you mentioned the new cars. that's fun and new for us this year. both marco and i are driving for chevrolet this year which they came back into the series because sort of the engine rules changed for this year to make it a little more relevant to street cars. so that was part of what drew them back in. so it's been kind of fun i think for all the teams and drivers to have something new to work with both on the engine side and with the chassis like the race car

itself. >> how old are both of you? >> 24 or 25. >> so you had a great year and a rough year last year. i know you've seen this crash video. >> for sure. >> i want to show a little bit of that crash. i know you've seen it a million times. this is you trying to kind of get in front and you hit the wall. >> yeah. as you see it here, basically we're coming down to the last lap and there was a car that was running -- >> you were winning. >> yeah. we were in the lead. a car was running out of gas and with these race tracks before you kind of saw that you can see a sort of black groove around the race track and, you know, if you have to get outside that groove we get up into what's called sort of the gray and the marbles. there is all of this stuff from the tires and this kind of thing out there. so coming into the last corner i kind of had to make a split second decision with this car all of a sudden going as much slower, you know, than i was as it was either jam on the brakes or try to make the pass and get around. so being that it's the indy 500,

kind of a bigger go home kind of moment and we ended up coming in second with three wheels on it instead. >> it was dan weldon who won and he ended up dying not long after in a crash. i know there is a movement to honor him in this indy 500. what are they going to do? do you know? >> i think we just got to -- there is nothing specific. i think he's always on our minds not just at indy so i think we'll all be driving with heavy hearts. obviously he is a defending champion there. but, you know, as j.r. said in the earlier interview i think we just have to think of what a happy person he was and how much he loved the sport and indy in particular. and so we'll just go out and do our jobs like he would and kind of -- he is the type of person that would be making fun of us if we're stopping so you just have to think about that. >> are you good drivers like in real life? i mean, are you great parallel parkers? when it's not 225 miles an hour but like 70 on the highway.

>> 55. >> oh, whoops. >> come on now. >> there are some highways i'm sure where technically it is 70. but you know, is driving like a regular person anything like driving on the indy 500? >> no. >> you obviously had long family connections to open wheel racing. how did you pick open wheel racing over say nascar? >> i grew up in northern california, a lot of road racing and that kind of stuff out there so i went to all kinds of races when i was younger and to me it was plain and simple that indy cars were the fastest cars and that's what i wanted to do. so it sounds very like ricky bobby. you definitely, i mean that's the long and short of it to be honest with you. >> we're really excited for both of you. good luck over the weekend. on sunday the 101st indy 500. great to have you. appreciate it. really love the suits. i really do. coming up next on "starting

point" mick jagger hosts the final night of "saturday night live" and features a tearful farewell to a very popular cast member. we'll bring you some of the highlights and the low lights i guess cow cayou could call it. 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. ♪ mcallen, texas. in here, heavy rental equipment in the middle of nowhere, is always headed somewhere. to give it a sense of direction, at&t created a mobile asset solution to protect and track everything. so every piece of equipment knows where it is, how it's doing or where it goes next.

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it's a blowout season finale for "snl," "saturday night live." the host was mick jagger. he was doing his impression of a fellow rocker steven tyler as a judge on so you think you can dance at an outdoor festival. >> our guest is the "american idol" and weird burger king commercials, we are lucky to have her, steven tyler!

before i start, i would just like to thank all of the reptiles who gave their lives for this jacket! yeah! >> this is so funny. then in the middle of it he does like jingles because, of course, trying to make the point that they all become very, very commercial as they are doing their song. >> making fun of each other. >> he they are both -- >> a classic piece. >> mick jagger is 64. steven tyler is older. he is 68. >> i thought mick was older. >> i did too. >> hard living congressman. >> kind of sure. research says it. but i'm not really, really sure. >> he seems older is all i can say. then, again, i realize i'm over 50 so i'll just stop here and i guess we are all -- >> it opens a whole new thing.

kristen wiig, she left. it was sort of a tearful good-bye. >> i totally teared up. the amazing thing about kristen wiig -- >> i have a tissue to give you. >> it's okay. i had two days to recover. she is such a comedienne. she so inhabits everything she plays. they had this last sequence where everyone was dancing we are and you could see she was tearing up. it was this moment instead of her leaving "snl" in this blowout of humor it was her being authentic and emotional and connected to the people she was working with. >> very, very sweet. you often don't get dramatic like that, you know? >> yes. >> it was very moving. >> she is great. she is really good and also great is jason sudakis. >> but it hasn't been confirmed.

chaos in chicago. protesters clashing with police in the nato of summit in chicago. we will take you live to chicago with the latest on that. this strange story. a man locked up in bolivia. an american businessman and jailed almost a year and not charged. the prison is more like a village than a prison and it's run by the fellow inmates. 3,500 prisoners. we will talk to the man's wife about the effort to try to free him. you're watching "starting point." we are back in a moment. to being a different kind of communications company by continuing to help you do more and focus on the things that matter to you.

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the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. welcome back. our starting point this morning, war and peace. and protest. protesters battling with police in chicago where today nato will be signing off in an exit from afghanistan. also locked up in bolivia. crazy story about an american businessman from new jersey jailed almost a year without charged. he has lost his money and freedom. i'm going to talk to his wife about what the u.s. government

is doing to try to get it back. school is nailed with an enormous fine for what they are selling. we will tell you what it was. they might have to cut programs too. it's monday, may 21st and "starting point" begins right now. ♪ any time it's mary j., it's me, right, will? >> that's right. >> welcome back. let me introduce you to our panel. will cain is us. a cnn contributor. and columnist for the blaze.com. mary is with us a republican congressman from the state of california and joining us as well for the first time is irin carmon. we usually start in my house when i used not to come here this morning and getting kids ready for school and no more drama. everybody, take a deep breath, get it together.

our starting point this morning is the closing day of the nato summit that is happening in chicago and many people expect that it's going to be more protests and probably violent protests like we saw yesterday where dozens of people were arrested. clashes with police happened on sunday n sunday near the summit meeting site. they say they will march to the boeing headquarters today. ted rowlands, what are they saying they are going to try to do at boeing, ted? >> reporter: the plan is to shut down boeing. what they are doing is they are going to surround the buildings, the very large building in downtown chicago here. they are launching that in the next hour here in chicago and they say they are going to be there all day long. now, boeing is pretty much shut down anyway because of this threat. they put up fences around the building and have told their

employees to work from home. they will be out there again today and at it last night until after midnight. 40 plus arrests and several injuries yesterday. several injuries to protesters. also to police officers. four police officers were injured, according to the chicago police department, one officer stabbed in the leg. in fact, last night, the superintendent of the chicago police came out and said if there is any finger pointing after looking at this video, those fingers should be pointed squarely at the protesters. my officers, he said, were protecting themselves. >> in some of the pictures, ted, we see the police, obviously, sometimes with their batons out. you know, kind of smacking it at the protesters. i think you see a couple of different groups of protesters. you see folks dressed in black with black bandanas and black block. you see other protesters who seem to be more peaceful sort of carrying signs and sometimes marching silently through. tell me about the two different teams of protesters. >> reporter: yeah. and the vast majority of the

protesters who are in chicago this week are the ones that are here for a specific issue. we had a number of nurses, thousands of nurses here on friday. we had some iraqi and afghanistan war vets here yesterday carrying signs, trying to deliver a message to the nato leaders and they have been following the rules. they have had permits for all of their protesters. then there is the small group, the very small group of agitators who have been defiant and who have ignored police commands to move off of certain areas and that is where the trouble really is. >> ted rowlands for us this morning. thank you. appreciate it. let's talk a little bit more about actually why everybody is in chicago for the summit. damon wilson is a former top aide to the nato secretary-general and also the executive vice president at the atlantic council and they are hosting a conference for young leaders at the summit today. nice to see you and thanks for talking with us. obviously, the focus of the conversation, afghanistan is the focus of the conversation. that's tough on a number of

fronts. first, you have troops, then you have some of the financial commitment, then you have sort of long-term relationship commitment conversations to be had. what is the main focus or is it sort of all of the above that has to be discussed today? >> you know, it is all of the above. this is a focus on afghanistan. and, frankly, the summit has been a forcing event for president obama, the nato secretary-general, to help sort of bring back the coalition and focus it on a way forward in afghanistan where there are la lot of questions about a tough war. you're seeing keep the allies and members of the coalition on the same page with the strategy that keeps the nato mission through the end of 2014. but recognizes builds in milestones in 2013 to transfer lead responsibility to the afghans and afghanistan. this is part of a real effort to unify the partners in afghanistan at a time when there are a lot of questions raised about the way forward. >> a lot of questions being raised and we are in the midst of a big financial crisis.

certainly european nations may not want to commit to anything financially until 2024. how big of a problem is that going to be? >> well, certainly i think this whole summit is characterized by how is nato operate in an age of austerity when defense budgets are tight. you have to accept that reality. when you think about where we have come from. partners in afghanistan fighting this war for over a decade. that is a pretty remarkable accomplishment. what the summit is doing it lock everyone in the next two years and try to fulfill the mission in afghanistan in a that doesn't let al qaeda and the taliban return to create problems in afghanistan again. so the financial aspect is huge. it's a serious issue, but what you're seeing is the ally signing up to a plan that does commit to end the war, leads them through a path of gradual draw-downs and transfers the responsibility to afghans. the allies will remain rather than in a combat role more in a

training and advising and assist role, most cheaper role as well. >> damon, this is will cain. the europeans may not be president obama's biggest problem at these nato meetings. the supply routes from pakistan and afghanistan has been shut down, what is the relationship between the relationship between president obama and president of pakistan the next few years? >> nato has taken the point of view as long as pakistan was blocking the supplies to forces in afghanistan, it was not helping the operation, really working to undermine the nato mission to the alliance held out until there was a prospect for a breakthrough on the negotiations. it's been a difficult relationship. it's been -- it will continue to be a difficult relationship. i think the alliance -- >> is the tenor of the meeting between president obama and president of pakistan to make

this more intense? i've heard they won't meet in person to put the pressure on the president of pakistan. >> secretary clinton has had a long session with the president of pakistan but that is the focus. if you come to a nato summit and be a part of the community to help the two countries to succeed pakistan needs to come to the table to conclude a deal to allow the resupply for forces in afghanistan. as long as pakistan prevents that, it really does have a real drawback effort to undermined the mission. i think they are close to an grooermt and i think why you see sudari here. he is sitting here around the table with the other nations trying to help afghanistan succeed and that is a good thing. >> question for you while we are talking about the president's relationship with various leaders, i understand that in contrast to the relationship with zardari improvement with relations with hamid karzai.

do you see that holding up? >> you know, i think folks, what i've heard from many of the delegates that folks are pleased with the altitude that president karzai has come to this sut mitt with. one of the big concerns. nato knows the real success in afghanistan has to come from responsibility to karzai and afghans in terms of corruption and the president has been on message and president karzai is saying the right things here in chicago. i think the test is whether he can continue to deliver good go go governance. that sets the right tone, i think, here in chicago from the afghan part. >> i just wanted to ask the question that the president really needs to take the opportunity right now, especially with these protests, to reinforce our commitment to nato and really talk about the importance of really retaining

the leadership role. do you think he is coming at all through the american people? because i don't. i think he really needs to make the case that it is important that we maintain a strong alliance, that it's much cheaper actually to be strong than it's going to be if we lose our strength in the world and i think the president has projected a lot of weakness there. is he pushing at all to the american people an graenagenda strong leadership role for america? >> i think he is. when you heard the president yesterday he was talking about the multipler for the united states. the fact that the united states is hosting this summit is a real testament and demonstration of u.s. commitment to the alliance. you're right. for the american people who have been watching the war play out in afghanistan for a decade and questioning whether europeans are ponying up their fair share of the burden in alliance, the public diplomacy is important.

the united states is really the leader of the alliance and that is playing out here in chicago and i think you'll continue to see more of that today. president obama's statements about how the alliance helps the united states succeed in the world is the right message for the american people, particularly at a time when defense dollars are tight and having 40,000 european troops with us in afghanistan is 40,000 fewer american troops and that is a good thing for the american taxpayer. >> david wilson is joining us this morning. thanks for your time and good luck with you your panel today. i know you'll be talking with a lot of young leaders and interesting to see how they think the way forward is as well. >> thank you. christine has an update on the other stories making news today. it is decision day in the web cam spying case. darren robi could get ten years in prison for hate crime against tyler clementi. a jury convicted him. clementi jumped off a new york bridge killing himself after

robbie used a spy can to spy on him. thousands of victims waking up in cars and tents and schools after one of the worst quakes to hit north italy in century. it killed seven and injured 50 people yesterday. the quake knocked down a clock tower and reduced buildings that have stood for hundreds of years to rubble and destroyed 65 million dollars worth of cheese in a region known for its parmesan production. dominique strauss-kahn could soon face charges in the alleged gang rape of a belgian prostitute during a party at her hotel in washington, d.c. almost two years ago. french prosecutors are launching an investigation. a french newspaper says the allegations came from statements two escorts made to bulgian police. you may remember he was also arrested after a new york hotel maid accused him of sexual assault last year. he was cleared on that charge after her story fell apart. he not a republican ticket not yet but marco rubio going

after president obama attack dog style this weekend. >> a man occupied the white house and running for president is a very different person. we have not seen such a divisive figure in modern american history as we have over the last three and a half years. >> a dnc spokesman said back. let's check in on the markets. u.s. stock futures poised for a rebound after closing lower on friday. stocks had their worst week of the year last week. mostly because of concerns about greece and its future. commodities are cooling, by the way, oil prices down to $19 a barrel right now. bee gees singer robin gibb died on sunday after a long

battle with colon cancer. rob robin gibbs death comes after another legend, donna summer. >> donna summer too, right. i was on vacation when that happened. that's so sad. christine, thank you. still ahead on "start pointing" he was arrested dozens of times and beaten into a daze while trying to end segregation in the south. this morning, civil rights hero the congressman from georgia john lewis is telling his story. it's all congress people all morning on "starting point." we have congresswoman bono mack with us and john lewis joining us in a moment. a school shutting off vending machines after getting a big, giant junk food fine. tell you what they have to pay when we come back.

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this might be the first time we have had the staples on "starting point." this little light of mine is from john lewis playlist. i said mick jagger was 64, i have to make a correction. he is 64. i flipped the ages. >> i still thought he was over 70. you're in a better place with him than i am right now. >> i'm closer by an inch. congressman john lewis endured attacks from angry mobs and more than 40 arrests in the name of civil rights. he was 25 years old when he led the march across a nonviolent attacks. he shares the lessons that were

learned from that era and the ways to apply them today in a new book which is called "across that bridge life lessons and a vision for change." so nice to have you and thanks for talking with us this morning. >> thank you so much. i'm clited and very pleased to be here and see my colleague, it's wonderful to see you. >> thank you. it's great to see you too. >> we are so glad we could bring you together here. >> i like that. >> absolutely. >> you need to know, this is this is man all the time on the floor of the united states house of representatives he is always a gentleman and really epitom e epitomized what is right about the congress. it's an honor to be here with you today. >> an honor to be with you too. i believe in nonviolence and truly believe we must respect and the worth of every human being. >> is it getting harder to pitch that message? we were talking earlier about sort of the angry messages, whether it's through sometimes social media and watching pictures all morning of the protests in chicago.

it's about 150 protesters in that block group. so small number compared to the bigger number of the protesters but very violent protests. is it hard to get the message of nonviolence out today? >> i still think we have an obligation, a mission to teach people the way of peace, the way of love, the way of nonviolent. you may disagree with someone, but respect that person and my book is all about moving away from violence and conflict and living a life of peace and creating a community of peace with themselves. >> 42 years ago, you did that. you put a march together was specifically about or had a message of nonviolence. as you see what is going on in the nato movement in chicago, what do you do to keep those who co-oped your movement or introduce violence into your movement out?

was it the message that kept them out or did have you to do anything pro active? >> before anybody could participate in a march or sit-in or stand-in at a theater you have to attend a nonviolent workshop and steady and prepare yourself and prepare what what martin luther king jr. was about and study civil disowe be -- obedience. >> you had no running water in your home. you grew up in poverty. you had three people you knew who were assassinated and nearly arrests that were subjected to. you rose out of all of that to become a congress person. your book is very optimistic. do you feel optimistically about the state of the nation today? one must be optimistic and one must be hopeful.

if you get lost in a sea of despair, you would give up. the book is about never ever giving up or giving in. you have to keep the faith. and you have to take the long hard look that a struggle not a struggle that lasts one day or one week or one congressional term or one semester. it is a struggle a lifetime but we all must play a role and do our part. >> what has been the best moment of your life? if you had to pick one moment of your life, what has been the best? >> meeting martin luther king jr. when i was only 18 years old changed my life forever. set me on a different path. made me a better human being and from that point on, i committed my life to a way of peace, a way of love, a way of just finding a way to get in the way, because my parents had told me, my

grandparents and great grandparents don't get in trouble and don't get in the way but i was inspired to get in the way and get in trouble. it was a good trouble. necessary trouble. >> you want to jump in here? >> yes. i wanted to ask you about the civil rights cause of our time, specifically marriage equality which i know you've come out and support of and the president of the naacp recently. i'm wondering if you think people constantly say the african-american community, the religious community within the african-american community is opposed to gay marriage? i'm wondering if you think that the naacp, your support, the president's support, is that going to move the needle in terms of support in that community? >> and is it true sf is that even true? i'm curious about that. >> should we be debunking that? >> i don't think the great majority of african-american, whether they be religious leaders or political leaders or opposed to marriage equality, i think that it's something that i very much think is misleading. many of us take a simple lesson from dr. martin luther king jr. dr. king used to say over and

over again, when people asked about interracial marriage, he was a racist on falling in love and get marriage. individuals fall in love and get married. if two men or two women want to fall in love and get married, it's their business. it's not the business of the federal government or the state government. you cannot have equality for one group of people and not for another group. you cannot build a wall. >> i know one thing that -- one of the things you were fighting about in the civil rights movement were voting rights and there has been a lot of concern about states passing laws that many were able to restrict voting rights. what can we do about that and what is happening on that front? >> i happen to believe is there a systemic deliberate effort to take us back to another period, make it harder and more difficult for young people, for seniors, for the disabled community, for minority to participate in a democratic process. >> the book is called "across

that bridge life lessons and vision for change." so nice to have you, sir. >> thank you. always good to see you. thank you. >> we have to take a break. we are back in a moment. going to tell but a junk food fine, did it go too far? a big chunk of change that now high schools are looking to ways to pay it. [ male announcer ] at home, you play a lot of roles. [ son ] mom, computer's broke! where's i.t. mom? she quit. [ male announcer ] even with technology -- it's all you. that's why you've got us.

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here's a way to make your vending machine much expensive. davis high school in kaysville, utah, vef gotten a $15,000 fine for violating a federal law that bans the sale of soda during

lunch. the school turned off all of the soda machines located in the lunch room during the lunch period but forgot one in the school book store and they got fined. to pay the fine, the school says they probably have to make some cuts or could make cuts in the that is right a theater and music program and debate program because i guess the selling of the soda funds those programs which is horrible when you think about it. those programs of kids should get anyway funded on the backs of paying effort soda. any school that receives funding for the federal school lunch program has, obviously, certain nutritional guidelines that they have to agree to. one of the guidelines is no soda sold during lunch and no carbonated beverages. the school's principal says the law is filled with loopholes. the kids can go around the corner to the convenience store and buy soda so it doesn't make

sense. we can't sell starburst and can't sell soda and can smell ice cream. the poor principal whose name is d. burton from davis high school sounds utterly perplexed and mad. if you think they are paying like $5,700 per student. $15,000 fine. >> it's a silly law. >> that's a lot. >> i don't want my kids drinking sweets and coke at school but this shows the absurdity of washington, d.c. dictating what is going on in a vending machine at some school, where did you say? somewhere in the united states? >> in utah. >> impossible! >> it's a contorted regulation. if they can sell snickers bar there is something wrong with the way this has been written. like who is funding what? it sounds like they could simplify is. >> yeah. not have a federal law involved at all. >> the bigger picture is why do you have a theater program based on selling soda?

ultimately at the end of the day, you're pushing kids to buy soda so you can have a theater department, a debate team and a music department. >> that's wrong with having the federal government involved at all. they just don't -- >> they are funding it and i would say if you fund it, you have to have healthy foods. >> let the school board decide. >> if they had the chance to decide, what -- >> i'm all for healthy eating for our kids, but silly laws out of washington, d.c. aren't going to make it any better. >> i don't know. >> it's impossible. thousands of miles away, here is your money but here are the strings. figure them out if you can. >> we shouldn't sell soda to fund the debate team is wrong! i have to get to the tease. everyone is yelling at me. still ahead. a crazy story. have you heard about this guy from new jersey? businessman jailed in bolivia has not been charged. they don't have to charge you there for 18 months. we will tell you why he has been locked up for 11 months in a prison that is more like a village. look at the pictures.

it's like a village prison. his wife is fighting for his release and talk to you ahead about what is happening there. newark's mayor, corey booker, on the attack against president obama's negative campaign ads. he is backtracking a bit this morning and we will tell you why coming up. americans are always ready to work hard for a better future.

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together for your future. ♪ ♪ welcome back, everybody. let's get right to christine romans who has a look at our top stories this morning. >> hi there. chinese activist chen the chinese government tracks down dissent who run to the united states. >> they are tracked.

they are followed. they are harassed. there will have been to be an extra layer of new york. they do things like car crashes or if something happens made to look like an accident. we have to keep a sharp focus on him. >> chen says he plans to eventually return to china. newark, new jersey, mayor corey booker is now backing off surprising comments he made criticizing president obama for attacks on mitt romney. booker told nbc "meet the press" yesterday he was uncomfortable with president obama attacking romney's record at bain capital. >> he looked the totality of bain capital's record they have done a lot to support businesses to grow businesses and this to me i'm very uncomfortable with. >> now booker says romney's record at bain is fair game. in a new youtube video, booker says the president is, quote, reasonable to scrutinize

romney's record. >> i believe mitt romney in many ways is not being completely honest with his role and record even while a business person and shaping to shore his political interests. >> booker says his earlier remarks were meant to express his -- oil prices are pulling back. gas prices have dropped 18 cents a gallon since april but president obama may soon tap the strategic petroleum reserve. over the weekend the summit said they would release oil from their strategic reserves if a strain on supplies. that way prices can be kept in control if the nuclear program escalates. $3.69 a gallon over the weekend and falling over the weekend. other commodities their bubbles appear to be deflating as well.

sugar and coffee futures down last week and kraft food announced lowering prices on many u.s. coves including maxwell house and j.m. smucker says it's slashing prices on folgers and dunkin doughnu dunk >> sounds like there is a decent drop. thank you. this is incredibly strange story to tell you about. an american man is sitting in prison in bolivia and like no prison you have ever heard places like a village. it has 3,500 inmates and they run the place and charge rent for a cell. that american man is 53-year-old jacob ostreicher who has been languaishing in that prison for 11 months. in bolivia you can be held without charges for 18 months. he worked in construction when

that business went bust, he invested in bolivian rice farming. he is now being accused and being involved in money laundering and recently did an interview with abc news. >> it's an absolute nightmare. i feel all alone. i am begging the american people to try to help me. >> he is now on a hunger strike and trying to draw attention to his plight. his wife marion unger is bus. part of your message is get the message out. tell us a little bit about this prison that is a village. what is it like? it looks horrific. >> it is. it is run by prisoners. and the prisoners that are the bosses in this prison are the ones that have the longest prison terms. this is seniority. there is an average of one month. classified as suicide. people falling under the knives. it is true that you can get

anything that you need there with a right amount of money. but part that have is what is dangerous that you can also -- you have to buy your security and the shakedowns are normal there. and jacob doesn't speak spanish. this is another thing he is there alone even though he is with $35 iii,500 people he spends 22 hours a day in a cell. he tries to stay away from everyone. the worst part he is an innocent man. he didn't do anything wrong and he proved that in a court of law. >> in the court when went before a judge, the judge said that he was free to go. >> yes. >> and then within days, they had actually put him back in prison? >> yes. >> what happened? >> we don't know. basically, the judge was ordered to explain his actions and what he said was that he overstepped his boundaries by commenting on the evidence submitted by the

defense. a few weeks later, the judge was promoted to the appellate court. so, i mean -- >> do you have a sense of what it is they want? is this a bribery situation or have they asked for money? >> i can tell you the fact of what happened. i cannot speak ill of the bolivian government or their country. understand my husband is still in prison over there and tlrge repercussions for nap the fact of the case my husband went to bolivia to run a rice business. there was 15 million pounds of rice produced in the first harvest. when he had to go purchase the bags to store the rice, he needed thousands of bags and this opened eyes to people who have never heard of a company in bolivia needing that many bags. an investigation started and during the investigation, they used -- they confiscated 15 million pounds of rice with the excuse that one of the parcels

of the land was purchased by a man that was wanted in brazil 20 years ago. that was the excuse for putting jacob in prison. the suspicion was elicit gains and criminal organization with absolutely no proof. >> when you went to court and we talked about going before the judge, you showed all of the paper work that was tracking the money for every single thing that was purchased and this is the reason your husband was freed the first time. >> yes. >> we know that the u.s. ambassador to bolivia was kicked out of the country. the president removed the ambassador. what happens now? what do you want? do you want congress people and secretary of state to step in? >> we want jacob to come home. besides what is being done to him is injust. he is not doing well. he's on a hunger strike since april 15th and he is not the same person that he was before and the state department has their limitation as to what they can do when you go by diplomatic channels. i believe that this has to be taken in a much higher level. secretary of state hillary clinton needs to get involved

here and i know that she can help my husband. he needs to come home. he is ill and he's -- there will be irreversible damage if this is not escalated on a higher level. >> you and your husband have five children? >> we have five children and 11 grandchildren. >> you've been down to the prison and visited him, is that right? >> i was there for five and a half months. i refused to leave him. i gave an interview to cnn in early september and after that interview, they started a process of obstruction of justice against me and i had flee the country. >> we wish you the best of luck. please let us know and we will continue to follow this story. >> yes. i would like to tell the american people that my husband never, ever asked anyone for any help, ever. we are the kind of people that are hard working people and we come from hard working parents. this is the first time that we are reaching out to the american people and to the american officials to please help us. we have no other channels. there is a website that people can visit freejacobnow.com where

they can sign a white house petition that we started and to contact official and put pressure on anyone in america that can help my husband. >> thank you for telling us and sharing your story. >> thank you. >> it's so odd and horrific. we appreciate that. we have to take a break. still ahead this morning, we are going to talk about the future of education and what they call the gap year. dr. steve perry is going to join us with that straight ahead. we're back in a moment. i love cash back. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time.

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look at our new member of our pan chitchatting as we come out of commercial. i want to chat with you. you have a new i guess, leadership role in the sort of a

unity conference that is happening in the republican side of congress. tell me about that. >> it's the republican women's policy committee that we have created for the first time ever which is really great. we are trying to make sure the voices of republican women in the congress are actually heard on the national level. there are a lot of women who serve and do the job of a member of congress and work very hard and very capable and they need to be seen a little bit more. i think that our party doesn't do a good job of pushing them out in the forefront. my goal is to have a lot of my female colleagues on the republican side out there talking about their vision for america. i'm so glad there is a big debate in the country about women and the women's votes. it's about time. >> do you think is there a war on women or do you think this is a media thing where someone comes up with a headline and it becomes a story when it's not a story or it's a plilt story with headline? >> it's pure politics. not a separate set of women's issues i'm aware of.

really we care about the same thing. >> ever since the new congress came in, there have been so many restrictions and regulations that relate to reproductive rights and a committee here specifically about -- those are women's issues. >> they have won law that has been passed. >> some of them passed the house but they can't pass the senate. i guess to me i sort i wonder why a big focus on women's reproductive rights. >> what women care about when i'm home in my district or throughout the country they care right now it cost them $60 to fill up their gas tank and care more about that and care about it costing a lot more, you know, to drive their kids to school, to get to work. women care about the economy, they care about jobs. >> is there a bipartisan women's caucus? >> there is but not given -- the women, by and large, on both sides of the aisle, get along very well. we talk about our families, our commutes. we get along so well. i wish america could see a little bit more of that because

we don't bicker and fight the way most of people think. >> great. we got to take a short break. ahead on "starting point," we will talk about the gap year. should students take a year off after they graduate from high school? sounds relaxing. steve perry will join us to talk about that. some people say if they take a year off, they will never go back. we are back moment. i love cash back. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most.

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this is off steve perry's playlist. thousands of high school seniors are graduating. i love this time of year. many parents are happy to see their kids go off to college. maybe not happy to pay for it but happy to see them go. other kids are taking what is known as the gap year. time off between high school and college to volunteer or intern or travel or gain a skill. there are some pitfalls to that. steve perry is cnn's education contributor. do you like this gap year or not? >> i absolutely do not like it. >> why? oh, gosh. >> because. >> it's going like that? hostile interview phase. yes. why? >> right. how about that? we have overdiagnosed and over pam perred this generation enough. i mean, for god's sake! you want a gap? it's called summer. get over it! spend your time doing an internship during the summer and one during the fall and do what you have to do. we know that there is a

persistence issue, and last thing we need to do is engage them in a lifestyle that is not school. once you're out of practice you're out of practice. many people tell how hard it is to get back in the swing of things. >> i agree, i think certain people should not do a gap year who are thinking about not going back and they are waffling. if you want to do something and it's mapped out, when i took time off before i graduated from college you know what? you spend a little time in the real world and see what things cost and pay for your meals as opposed to having your parents pay for things, i thought it was a great lesson. >> i feel like i need to stand up here. do you feel like if we are so pampered as mill lineals isn't it important for people to get out in the real world. >> you're not getting out in the real world. you still live with your parents. if you want to get out in the real world, homee, get out in the real world and get a job! >> i believe some gap years are better than others.

staying at home is one thing and volunteering and that is a real character building. >> in this economy that kids are graduating from college and there are no jobs to go do. if there is no job to go into you have your bachelor's degree and now it's hard for the kids to find a job. is it still bad for them to take a year off? really their options now are travel abroad for a year or go to grad school but hard for them to find a job right now. >> one of the things that is important to understand is that nothing is for everyone and there is no single solution for any group. but i do know that overwhelmingly when i'm working with children, i'm telling them to go and do what you have had to do which is go on to college. all of the things you mentioned can ab chefed in other ways. you could do a semester abroad while in college. other ways you can engage in something that is not collegiate during the process. making sure that the persistence remains. because in america, our persistent rates have decreased.

think doing this only adds fuel to the fire for people to stay home. you get a job as a bank teller or doing something else and engage in that lifestyle than a lifestyle as a student which are very different. >> i don't know if i agree with you on this one but i still like you. >> i like you even more. taking time off from harvard to spend some time is different from taking time off when you don't have a college degree. >> i realized how much that tuition was when i was paying for it myself! no question about that! i figured that out really fast. steve perry, we have out of time. great to see you and thanks for talking to us. "end point" is the panel is up next.

♪ last 40 seconds. will cain, what you got? >> yes, ma'am p.m. congressman john lewis talking about