it happened z in the rick santorum campaign. and a billboard implored them to check out the 15 best things about our pubic schools. if you study hard in pubic school you can get your graduate degree at the school of pubic affairs and then you're in charge of the presidential candidate's pubic schedule all because somebody forget the letter "l." it takes just one letter to change the world or the word as the case may be. thanks for watching. "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. outfront next, in search of someone to save us from the approaching fiscal cliff. tonight, we found two heroes you will just not believe. and mitt romney calling president obama a big spender. does it add up? and a 6-year-old boy stuck in an international tug-of-war, we're doing an investigative report on this. on an amazing custody battle. an outfront investigation. let's go "outfront."

outfront tonight, two heroes on the prowl. ♪ i need a hero ♪ i'm holding out for a hero until the end of the night ♪ ♪ he's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast ♪ >> yes, bonnie tyler, holding out for a hero. and yes, we think we found them. first stop, senate majority leader harry reid. today in an interview with "politico" he said the $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts set to begin on january 2nd should go ahead as is. come hell or high water. i am not going to back off the sequestration. that's the law we passed. we did it because it wouldn't make things easy for us. it made it so we would have to do something. of course we're in this position because democrats and republicans failed in the super fail super committee to reach a

grand bargain and deal with our country's debt crisis. but still what reid said was absolutely right. and he follows another hero on this front. his buddy ole pal john boehner, who says he doesn't want to wait for the election and put all talk off to be solved in the lame-duck six-month window. >> it took me eight months to get people interested in talking about talking about the problem. so -- >> so you're going early now? >> let's start now. why are we going to wait until after the election? >> boehner is dead right. and so is harry reid. we need to do this before the election and not mess around with shifting money from one side of the sequestration ledger to the other. that's a waste of time. now, of course the problem is that boehner and reid could end up like thelma and louise, they end up choosing death over compromise. >> you sure? >> yeah. yeah.

>> that was going out in a blaze of glory. of course, it ended in a fiery pit on the ground. harry and john are heading at high speed to america's great fiscal cliff. and the problem is that we, the people, are in the backseat. outfront tonight, a man who has made this the cause of his life, david walker, ceo of comeback america initiative. and john avlon. good to have both of you with us. david walker, let me just start with you. you have some really terrifying numbers here. first of all, you have a number for our overall debt obligations which makes the $15.7 trillion formal debt number look like peanuts, and you note our financial hole in this country is growing at the mere rate of $10 million a minute. >> that's correct, erin. if you look at the financial statements, the u.s. government for september 30, 2011, our total liabilities of unfunded promises for social security, medicare, et cetera, were $65.5 trillion. in addition, if you look at the

latest trustees report which came out two or three weeks ago, i expect that's going to rise to about $70 trillion by september 30, 2012. and when you do the numbers, the federal financial hole is growing by over $10 million a minute, 365 days a year. >> john avlon, is this something that they can do as john boehner heroically said before the election? is there any hope? because by the way, lame duck, six weeks after between then and the end of the year. come on. >> the whole reason they'll kick the can in the lame duck is because they're saying there is no way we are going to be able to do our jobs until election day. and think how absurd that is. that's an admission of failure, of impotence in the face of the political contest this fall. look what's been failing is a failure of political will. the problem is there's a bunch of gutless wonders in washington who are happy to demagogue deficits and debts before the election, but they're scared to death to deal with it. the problem is, they have to

deal with it. we all depend on them. >> david walker, why are they so afraid? when it is true we can argue around the margin of well, how much tax cuts do you want in there? how many spending cuts? everybody knows some of the major changes that need to be made to some of the entitlement programs in this country. they don't need now until election day. they don't need the six-week lame duck session. they could do it in a day if they decided they wanted to do it. >> here's the problem, erin, our politics today are dominated by career politicians who may or may not have had a job before they came to washington, but once they come to washington, they don't have a real job and they want to keep it for life. special interest groups have too much power. in addition to that, you know, you've got a situation where people think the politicians think that people can't handle the truth. they're wrong, the people are ahead of the politicians, they're tired of partisanship, they're tired of stalemate. they want progress. you know, people don't like change, but they love progress. and in order to get progress, we're going to have to have change.

>> you know, it's funny, john avlon, one thing bill clinton said at the fiscal summit last week, which was sponsored by another hero of the debt crisis. he said, people, generally when they get elected do what the people who elected them want them to do. and that's why you're seeing all these people say my way or the highway. that's what they were elected to do. in a sense, bill clinton said, look, this is the american people's fault. that it's so polemic in washington. >> it is part of the problem. the polarization of the parties reflects the base of each party being deeply divided. but to deal with this problem, we need principled compromise. people who approach it all or nothing have to understand they are part of the problem. and principled compromise is the way washington has worked in the past. we can get this done if they rediscover that concept. if they insist on all or nothing, we're going over that cliff. >> david walker, the total hold growing at $10 million, unfortunately, a minute, is $66 trillion. just about. but you know, robert kessler, a major investor, you and i both know him. he's done the math saying when you add all the wealth, take out

the debt that we have including all the public debt, you have $66 trillion in assets. slightly bigger than your sense of our obligation. is that something that optimism something we should at least say take a step back and say, look, it's still a great country, we've got a lot of wealth. >> it's a great country, and our future can be better than our past, but you can't spend more money than you make, charge it to the credit card and pass it on to our kids and grandkids. self-deal in your own debt and expect there's not going to be a day of reckoning. the only way we're going to solve this problem is committed, inspired presidential leadership and the first three words of the constitution, we the people, to be able to force members of congress to do what's in the interest of the country rather than their personal or party's interest. that's the only way, and it must happen in 2013. >> all right. final word. >> one more thing. no pledges. no pledges but the pledge of allegiance. this whole pledge to grover norquist, part of the problem, big time. >> thanks very much to both of

you. well john boehner and harry reid are the heroes tonight. they go on the list with tom warner. come on, more heroes come in and then we can get a deal. outfront next. president obama called out for being a big spender. do mitt romney's attacks add up? and new video of george zimmerman inside the sanford police station. what the video actually shows when he turns away from the camera. this is an angle that everybody has been looking for. we've got it. and an auction involving an item of ronald reagan's, an item is an interesting word. it sparked so much controversy that his family demand it be called off. it's not the most bizarre thing that's ever been auctioned. we know what it is. ♪ [ woman ] it's like a magnet. pulling us together for different reasons. music. games. photos. shows.

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our second story "outfront," mitt romney out with a new ad hitting one of the core themes of his campaign. that is president obama is an out of control spender. >> what would a romney presidency be like? day one, president romney announces deficit reductions ending the obama era of big government. >> can't keep buying and spending and passing on debts to our kids, and i'll stop it. i'm in favor of cutting spending it's high time to bring those principles of fiscal responsibility to washington, d.c. i'm mitt romney, and i approve this message.

>> calling the president a big spender is popular with the gop. polls show the label is sticking with independent voters too. but does it add up? reihan salam and jamal simmons are here. obviously there was an interesting article getting a lot of conversation that was pushed out by the obama campaign, but it was done independently by cbs market watch did reporting, saying that the president's spending record is -- well, it's grown the least of any president in the past 60 years, reihan. and in a lot of ways, this really does seem to add up. some other ways, debt is growing at 13.6% a year versus spending at 1.4%. so it doesn't -- there are some real issues here. one thing i thought very interesting, though. a lot of what the president wanted to push through failed because tea party republicans shot down his efforts to increase the spending in washington. ironically he gets the benefit of being the least spending guy in 60 years thanks to the tea party in a sense. >> there's that, and also the fact that in 2009 much depends on who you credit 2009's fiscal year to.

president bush passed -- he approved a continuing resolution that said we're going to keep spending at 2008. we're going to keep it on autopilot and then president obama signed a fiscal year 2009 budget in 2009. so there was a big gap of $3.1 trillion in president bush's proposed budget for fiscal year 2009 and $3.5 trillion in the budget that we eventually got. so i think that report from cbs marketwatch tries to kind of glide over that distinction a little bit. and there's also the fact that the cbo assumed that from 2009 to 2010 spending would go down considerably. and in fact, it actually stayed level. that was a big change. >> i mean, look, there's all kinds of ways you can cut it. but when you add those things in, the president has -- you know some real things he can point to on this front. i'm curious why the campaign hadn't made a big deal about this to try to push this themselves instead of waiting until someone else did it for them. >> well, i think the democrats recognize that the campaign is not really going to be about spending. the campaign is really about -- you look at every poll.

the campaign is about jobs and the economy. the spending and the deficit argument is far, far, far down in second place when it comes down to it. when you look at these numbers, what they found, independent organization, media organization, what they found is that the president's spending went up about 1.4% every year under president obama what had gone up over 10% under president bush. and that means it was basically flat. you do have the problem of the deficit going up because tax revenues went down because of the recession. so it's not -- you've got to really play with these numbers to see. what we do see, though, there hasn't been the explosion in spending that romney has been saying. >> no, and i don't want to get into the details of the numbers, but they also found federal spending under obama as a percent of gdp is higher than most of the past 60 years and the obama health care plan isn't even included in any of these numbers. so i understand numbers can be made to look a lot of different ways. but i think one thing to take away from this is the president's story on this is

much better than a lot of the american people give him credit for. i just don't understand why he wouldn't make more of a stink about it. i mean instead of talking about war on women or gay marriage. this is something he can tout. >> well, there is one really important reason. i will push back against jamal a little bit. when you look at the spending issue and the deficit issue, it's not the big issue in most of the battleground states, but in a state like new hampshire, and also iowa and virginia. these are states where the unemployment rate is relatively low yet you have a ton of voters who are actually very concerned about the size of the deficit. so the thing is that mitt romney has to make an appeal based on jobs but he also has to make an appeal based on spending and deficits because that does resonate with a lot of voters who are concerned about the future trajectory of the country. >> i'm curious how in the debates this will play out. people do have a perception. it's not backed up necessarily by reality. you get a good conversation. as we're heading into memorial day weekend, though, jamal, michelle obama today said that

if she were able to trade places with anybody in the world she picks beyonce. that's what she told "people" magazine. what do you think? >> i guess i could understand it. i mean, look, beyonce's got a lot of money, she's got a great family, looks like. so, you know, why not have a little fun and be beyonce and have a good time. >> i guess i ask that question -- i put you in an awkward position, jamal. >> what am i supposed to say? beyonce, are you kidding me? >> good lord. >> no, reihan, what i like about this is the fun that the obamas have. why can't mitt romney come out and pick somebody cool or fun or somebody he wants to be like -- >> you and i both know the answer to that question. no one would believe him. if he said he wanted to wake up tomorrow morning and be beyonce, you would be confused, possibly alarmed. in a beautiful weave, it could actually suit him. bring out the highlights in his eyes -- >> would be able to compete in miss universe -- >> and that would be a whole other revelation. is he actually an american

citizen? or is he a secret transsexual canadian, erin? i think the answer is no, but that remains to be seen. >> wow. >> i'm going for george clooney. >> yeah, he could get away with that. transsexual canadian, okay. i didn't know this was going there. thank you. ahead, an international custody battle gaining the attention of another person a lot of people would like to wake up and be, angelina jolie. and a major development in the search for michelle parker. florida mom who disappeared six months ago and hasn't been seen since. [♪...]

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our first third story outfront, a dramatic custody battle. both american citizens, they're just eight days away from being forced to return to italy where leo's father lives. calder fled italy with her son in 2010 because she said she

felt threatened by her ex-husband. the case has gotten attention by celebrities like angelina jolie. our miguel marques went "outfront" to investigate the story. >> it's my worst nightmare coming true. >> lura calder, an american fighting for her 6-year-old son leo two years ago she fled parma, italy, and an italian husband she grew to fear. >> you feared for your life? >> i feared for my life and my son's life. >> neither parent wanted to show leo's face when calder left italy with leo who was born there and then filed for legal separation here in california, her italian husband filed charges of his own. kidnapping. >> i'm not a bad mom. i didn't damage my child. i was protecting him. i was protecting him. and all i did was come to my family. you know -- i don't have a right to come to my own family for help? >> calder claims her husband physically and emotionally abused her and sexually abused their son and may have even hired a hit man.

she won her first case, but a california appeals court in december found only the claim of emotional abuse credible and ordered that she return leo to italy and let the courts there sort it out. >> i don't see myself as a child abductor. i see myself as a person who saved her child. >> reporter: calder's husband used international law, the hague convention, to compel his son's return. he claims the abuse came from her and in taking their son to california, she went too far. >> she break the law. she did bad things. she claims a lot of stuff that weren't true, you know. >> but calder has support from high-powered celebrities like angelina jolie whose foundation believes haig convention rules are being abused by vindictive spouses. >> all of it has been taken away from him. for what? to go back to an abusive man? >> i'm ready to care about his needs, you know. and i will -- with all my patience all my love --

i want the best for leo. you know? >> calder and leo will return to italy june 1st. upon landing in rome, leo will go home with his father until a full custody hearing two days later. calder fears that separation could be devastating. >> my son has never spent a single night ever alone with this father in his entire life. >> a bitter custody fight. a 6-year-old boy at its heart. leo's fate soon in the hands of an italian court. >> miguel, a powerful story. could lura be arrested, tried for kidnapping? she talked about potentially that happening when she arrives. could it? >> it is possible. her husband has dropped the kidnapping charges, but the prosecutor there just like the american system says that he can bring those charges back if he wants. but talking to her lawyers in parma, they say she stands a pretty good chance of getting him back, it's just going to take time and a lot of patience.

>> and miguel, what about this abuse claim? that was -- i mean she's claiming he sexually abused the son. obviously no one's sure if that's true or not. but if she was abused, how could this happen? >> well, the haig convention has two parts to it, two tests. one, they have to prove there's an extreme reason she can't go back to that country. that the abuse has to be completely proved and it also has to be the case they're being sent back to a country that doesn't have the ability to deal with it. in this case, italy has a child care service, they have prosecutors in courts and specialists there that can help deal with this. so in the case of italy, she doesn't meet both of those tests. >> and, miguel, obviously we've all seen the high-profile cases, a difference between u.s. and italian law. but when do you think this will be resolved? i know she's planning on staying there until it is. how long could that be? >> she's going to have to get an

apartment there, prove to the courts she can support leo. if she has to stay there. her work visa there may have expired at this point. she may need some help from the u.s. consulate there. it's going to be a very long difficult time. it could take months before this is all sorted out. >> all right, miguel, thank you very much. and still "outfront" in our second half, new video of george zimmerman. what it shows when you're actually going to see the back of his head. plus, mitt romney says he'll make china play by the rules. you know what? we'll ask his former opponent, an ambassador to china, jon huntsman whether that's smart or stupid. ♪... ♪... choose the perfect hotel

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just in, the trainer of kentucky derby winner and preakness winner i'll have another trying to go for the triple crown has been suspended for 45 days in california for a violation with another one of his horses. ed lavandera is on the phone covering this story. and ed, how does this affect his bid for the triple crown? >> well, the quick headline is that it will have no effect. and this is not only will doug o'neill the trainer of i'll have another, he will participate fully in the belmont stakes and go for the triple crown, but his horse, i'll have another will also participate. so that's the quick headline.

and what this california racing board has decided here today is that doug o'neill and this is dating back to a violation they were investigating dating back to 2010 will be suspended for 45 days starting no sooner than july 1st. well past the date of the belmont. and this all has to do with accusations of a violation of suspected milk shaking, which we've talked about. and this is this kind of concoction that is apparently used in horse racing that -- a concoction that is injected through the nose of a horse to help them build up stamina and keep them -- keep horses from getting tired. what's interesting, erin, in this ruling is that the california racing board has said they found no evidence and agreed with doug o'neill, no evidence in this particular case that the horse in question had been milk shaked. kind of a mixed ruling for doug o'neill, vindicated on the milk-shaking charges, but the big headline is that doug o'neill will be able to participate in the belmont. >> thank you very much to ed

lavandera. those watching for i'll have another will have their chance at belmont. and now to other stories we care about and we're focussing on other stories from the front lines. and we do have breaking news in the case of etan patz. police have made an arrest. the new york boy who was the first missing child to have his face on a milk carton. police have arrested pedro hernandez for etan's murder. ray kelly detailed hernandez' confession just a couple of moments ago. >> hernandez described to the detectives how he lured young etan from the school bus stop. at west broadway and prince street. with the promise of a soda. he then led him into the basement of the bodega, choked him there, and disposed of the body by putting it into a plastic bag and placing it into the trash. >> etan disappeared 33 years ago tomorrow. the state department is

battling al qaeda on the internet. there's a case al qaeda had posted anti-american ads on yemeni tribal web sites. so the u.s. decided to replace them. >> within 48 hours, our teams plastered the same sites with altered versions of the ads that showed the toll al qaeda attacks have taken on the yemeni people. >> we are told that the cyber domain offers some opportunities via new platform of action and attack for al qaeda. well, nuclear talks with iran ended today and nothing happened except for there'll be another meeting. in an interview with cnn, iran's top negotiator said the negotiations show both sides are serious, the meeting between iran and five other western countries, the next meeting will be held in moscow. art keller is a former cia spy and he tells us that the location is important because it's in the territory of the one member of the u.n. security council that's most consistently in iran's corner on the nuclear

issue. and we have new video of george zimmerman in the days following the shooting death of trayvon martin. it shows zimmerman at the sanford police department three days after the shooting. watch it carefully, the arrow shows where he is. it appears the back of zimmerman's head -- that's it right there. the back of his head was bandaged. we also have a follow-up to a story we brought you last night about the e-mail that zimmerman sent to the sanford police chief last year. the spokesperson says he has never met zimmerman and the e-mail zimmerman sent was not unique adding based on comments that mr. zimmerman has reported to have made in a public forum before chief was hired, it was not likely that mr. zimmerman would have endeared himself to members of the police department. well, it's been 294 days since america lost its top credit rating. what are we doing to get it back? well, you know what, rates are still cheap. that isn't reason to be complacent, but rates for a 30-year mortgage hit another record low. 3.78%. housing is important to the economic recovery, crucial, the

number one reason we can get out of this mess and a declining rate helps. our fourth story outfront, mitt romney ready to take on china. now, according to his new campaign ad, he's going to do it. he's got this new one from day one, from day one, here's what he's going to do on day one. >> what would a romney presidency be like? day one, president obama stands up to china on trade and demands they play by the rules. that's what a romney presidency will be like. >> all right. china obviously is an economic challenge to the u.s., but there are serious diplomatic issues. blind chinese dissident chen guangcheng causing a huge rift between the two countries is now in new york city. today he told anderson cooper his suffering at the hands of the chinese government was beyond imagination and he detailed the abuse inflicted right now on his nephew who remains in china. >> do you worry about what will happen to them now? >> translator: they injured his

head and made him bleed for three hours. his clothes were shattered and the sticks they used to beat him were bent. >> jon huntsman spent two years as the ambassador to china. we're lucky to have him outfront tonight. you heard chen guangcheng talking about his nephew in a situation where he's been beaten so much. that the sticks used to beat him were bent. is this the sort of thing that happens to chinese dissidents? how they treat them? >> there are stories like this in many parts of china. i think the good news with chen guangcheng, number one, he's here, and he'll be studying at nyu for the next year or two. i think that's a good outcome. second, people are learning about his journey and about the challenges he faced and what it was like dealing with the brutal regime. problem with all of this is he still has family behind. he has his brother who made his

way from the shendong province all the way to beijing in a similar fashion to chen guangcheng. they've got family members, i believe three or four other brothers in the family, they have kids. and it seems many of them are in harm's way. that's the challenge going forward. and i would say the chapter has not been finally written in this whole saga until we know they're all out of harm's way. >> and one thing about this that's so fascinating is if they're doing all these things and he talks about the way he was treated himself as unimaginable. he didn't go into detail. he didn't want to talk about some of the details. would the chinese government really have let him go if they thought he was that much of a threat and lose face in that regard? that's one thing i don't understand. >> they had to do the analysis in realtime. and that is by keeping him in beijing in the middle of the house in the u.s. embassy. how does that play out in terms of the way you're seen internationally. how does it at affect foreign investment and trade. how are you seen in the eye of the international community? that's a tough thing to endure. they wanted to get him out.

they figure out a way to send him over here with a student visa. >> right. >> knowing full well once he was here, he was likely going to talk about these issues. >> right. >> and i think it's a healthy thing. what we're seeing in china is unlike what i've seen in any other year and that is that the airing of all of these cases -- >> a lot of dirty laundry out there right now. >> all in the run up to leadership changes in october. it's spelling out the inadequacies of the communist party is what it's doing. and this is a conversation worth having for the chinese people. >> we just played mitt romney saying he would go tough on china in his day one series of ads. he said he called them a currency manipulator on day one, he said that in the past. here's what you said about mitt romney on china at the abc debate in january. >> it's important to note as they would say in china. he doesn't quite understand the situation. what he is calling for would lead to a trade war. it makes for easy talk and a nice applause line, but far different from the reality in the u.s./china relationship.

>> you still feel that way? >> well, it's a complicated relationship. it's no surprise during a campaign season you're going to have people use china as an issue. bill clinton did it when he talked about the butchers of beijing. ronald reagan did it in 1980. i traveled as part of in the -- i traveled as part of ronald reagan's delegation in the 1980s. he brought a hopeful message to the chinese people after a fairly brutal campaign of 1980. >> you think mitt romney's being negative to campaign? not that he would be irresponsible as a president? >> i think -- this is a typical trajectory where during a campaign season you're going to talk about china in ways you're hearing today. we have seen that in election cycles gone by. then you get in office. i think romney has prospects of doing that which is most important for the u.s. general relationship.

strengthening our own domestic economy and given greater confidence to the class. and getting back on our feet. it starts right here at home and it starts with a stronger economy. >> one of the things china seems to be doing because of the stress of the u.s. relationship and how it will go. it's building up its military. more than than 11% increase in the spending, and they have a drone that went down over iran. it has the special paint that you can can't see it. how serious is the defense build-up in china? how big of a threat is that to this country? >> we need to take it seriously. they're spending probably $100 billion a year. we're spending about $650 billion a year. they're focused laser like on their maritime capabilities. submarines, for example, and the missile systems are getting very, very sophisticated. that means the united states should do what we've always done well. you should track the development of their systems, stay a step ahead in terms of counter measures and ways to deal with that.

and we should remember that the 21th century, erin, is going to be about the pacific theater. not afghanistan, not iraq. it's going to be about trade and commerce and security in the pacific region. >> before i go, i was reaching behind you. do you know you and george clooney have something in common? >> i can't imagine what. >> you were both voted one of the sexiest men alive. did you know that? i'm just watching your face. one of the sexiest men alive. robert f. kennedy jr. is on this, les moonves. and you. >> the first thing that came to mind is i've got new leverage over my kids. >> that's right. they said they're proud? >> yes, of course. they always think their dad's pretty much a dweeb and now you can roll out new leverage. that's a good thing. >> i'm most sexiest man alive. there you go.

great to see you, sir, as always. and ahead, florida police have just made a major announcement involving the search for michelle parker, the mom we've been telling you about has been missing now for six months. her mother, her sister "outfront" next. exas. in here, heavy rental equipment in the middle of nowhere, is always headed somewhere. to give it a sense of direction, at&t created a mobile asset solution to protect and track everything. so every piece of equipment knows where it is, how it's doing or where it goes next. ♪ this is the bell on the cat. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪

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so a lot of ronald reagan loyalists go to great lengths to honor the president. they visit his presidential library in simi valley in california. they have jelly belly jelly beans or maybe watch a little bedtime for bonzo, and there are the fanatics who might want a vial of his blood. the vial of the blood supposedly following the assassination attempt of the president was canceled today after complaints from the late president's family who thought it was morbid and tacky. but it's not the first time we've seen macabre items like this auctioned. the hearse that carried john f. kennedy's body to air force one sold for $160,000 in an auction earlier this year.

and in 2008, there was an auction of lincoln memorabilia that included lincoln's blood-stained shirt, cuff, and collar, a portion of the pillow slip, and a bit of a bandage. it even included the syringe set used at his death bed which sold for $31,000. our number tonight, two. this is the second time this particular vial of blood has been up for auction. the person who is actually trying to sell it this time is sort of flipping it. they actually bought it at an auction in february for $3,550. bidding this time was up to 30,000 before the auction was scrapped. the vial will be donated to the ronald reagan presidential foundation. wow, there are some weird people out there. and now let's get to our outer circle where we reach out to our sources around the world and go to argentina tonight where the body of a man who disappeared 36 years ago has finally been identified using dna testing, solving a mystery for his daughter. victoria montenegro's parents disappeared when she was a few days old.

she never knew anything about her real father until today. but she's not alone. there are thousands of similar cases in argentina. i asked raphael romo why there are so many unsolved disappearances in that country. >> erin, this is a case emblematic of the atrocities committed in argentina during the so-called dirty war which lasted from 1976 to 1983, just like montenegro who went missing in early 1976, thousands of people disappeared during those years. a forensic team finally matched his daughter's dna with the remains of her father found ten years ago in an anonymous grave in neighboring uruguay. but she's one of the few lucky ones. thousands upon thousands of people whose relatives who went missing during the dirty war are still waiting for an answer. at least 13,000 people were killed or went missing during argentina's dictatorship. erin? and now our fifth story outfront. we have new developments in the

disappearance of florida mother, michelle parker. a so-called smart panel is looking at the case. parker vanished in november after leaving her 3-year-old twins at her former fiance's house in orlando. that's the same day that the couple appeared on "the people's court" in a dispute over the engagement ring. that former fiance dale smith has been someone that the police are looking at, but it's six months and there are no arrests and no michelle. her family has been relentless in its search for answers and today made this emotional appeal. >> i'm a mother. this is my first born child and i don't know where she is. and i don't know who did it for sure. i don't know where they put her. i want my baby back. and if somebody never goes to jail, i don't really care. i just want my girl. >> michelle parker's mother

yvonne stewart is outfront tonight along with her sister, lauren erikson and their attorney. i wish you weren't back on this show, because i wish this had ended before and that we knew where she was. but yvonne, let me start with you. i know the most important thing is to have her back. but you also said there though, if someone doesn't go to jail, so be it. you just want her back. what has made you feel that way? >> because living with this every second of our lives, it's just torment and it's just disrespectful to our family and to her children. we need to know where she is. >> yvonne, i know the twins turned 4 yesterday, right? >> yes. >> and i know they have been living with their father who's been labelled by police as someone they're interested in this case. obviously, no charges. you have visitation rights. is that -- is that relationship

working out? do you still feel that he wasn't -- >> there's not true. it's not true. i don't have visitation rights. there's no rights in the state of florida for grandparents. those laws need to be seriously looked at. >> have you then not been able to see them? >> hardly at all. three times this year and it's almost june. and i have had them every day almost since the day they were -- like 13 days old. yeah, it's a difficult situation. i try to walk a good line and, you know, be grateful for the time that i get. but it's not enough. i didn't get to see them on their birthday. they didn't get to see their mom on their birthday. >> i didn't realize that. lauren, have you seen them? i know when we talked last time, you were talking about trying to see them and how they were responding and still asking questions about where their mother was. >> whenever we do get to see them, we're all together. we take off work. we shut down whatever we have scheduled, whenever we have a

day. so whenever she gets to see them is the same time i do. i have only seen them three times this year. it is right next to them the whole time and absorbing every laugh and smile that we can when we're with them. >> matt, what are you going to be able to do about this visitation situation? i'm frankly shocked to hear that they have only been able to see those twins three times this year. >> and that's the unfortunate thing in the state of florida, grandparents don't have visitation rights. dale as the primary caretaker and biological father can say you can't see the kids. so what i have been trying to do is work with his attorneys to work out a peaceful agreement where visitation can go back and forth. we have tried it, one event didn't go well and then another. we are trying to get back on course. but for the time being, all we can do is just play nice and hope that dale awards some visitation for yvonne and her family. >> what is your view on dale

now? obviously he's the only person police have referenced to someone they're looking at. there have been no charges. i mine, does the way he's been treating you about the children change your view about whether he was involved in michelle's disappearance? >> i honestly don't want to believe that he's involved, but we have got nowhere else to go. >> that's -- there's been no other leads at this point, anybody? >> no. no. she disappeared like an hour and a half after that show. and -- >> we just don't know. there's been nothing else that has come in. to lead otherwise. but if something else does come in, i mean, the police are all for it. they're all for every tip if it's going to lead to michelle. so we are too. >> well, we hope that that day will come very much here. yvonne, lauren, matt, thanks to you. and in tonight's e-block, i'm going to remember my mentor and my friend. he died a year ago today. mark haines. [ male announcer ] this is corporate caterers, miami, florida.

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so someone very dear to me died a year ago today and i really debated all day about whether i'd acknowledge it on the air because i'm really uncomfortable marking a person's death. because instead, i think we

should focus on and celebrate their life, on their birthday, not their death day. especially a person who was larger than life in every way. like this man. mark haines. we were co-hosts together for more than five years and moments like you see there were the moments of our daily life. it was just so much fun. that was our last day together. mark gave me my first shot at hosting tv when came on that set together. i mean, his curmudgeonly he was going on vacation, we had the last read at the end of the show. he said, give her something to do there, sandy and they did. we became a team. the most unlikely team ever. but wow, what a team it was. i still see things every day that make me think mark would love the story. serious stories like the debt crisis where mark would come in with 300-page studies and pulled out zingers