when diet and exercise alone aren't enough, i prescribe crestor. in a clinical trial versus lipitor, crestor got more high-risk patients' bad cholesterol to a goal of under 100. [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone. like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking. call your doctor right away if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of rare but serious side effects. ♪ is your cholesterol at goal? talk to your doctor about crestor. [ female announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. we don't let frequent heartburn come between us and what we love. so if you're one of them people who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... block the acid with prilosec otc and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn.

so every now and then, there are sports plays that are unlike anything you have ever seen before. this had a lot of people talking on the newsroom. check out this play made by a north carolina state baseball player. it looks like the batter has an easy double, but outfielder brett williams dives full speed. wait for it. and actually flips in the air as he makes that spectacular catch. clearly a one-of-a-kind kind of a catch. wolf, do you think you can pull that off? >> no. that is a great, great catch. that's a top play. >> it looks not real. >> that's a top play. >> that's a top play on "sportscenter." >> guess how many steps i did today? >> this is wolf's new thing. >> 13,000. >> i've got -- >> 13,000. >> i've got 14,000 steps today. that's it for us. thanks very much for joining us. you can follow us on twitter.

erin burnett outfront, she starts, guess when? >> right now. outfront next, just hours from the deadline, it appears the dreaded forced spending cuts are going into effect. are we over the cliff or just a little roll in the hay? and controversy over horse meat found at a taco bell, but there's a plan to sell it at restaurants in the united states. and imagine sleeping in your bed when the earth begins to swallow you up. it happened to a florida man and you'll hear from his brother tonight. let's go outfront. a good friday evening, everyone. i'm erin burnett. outfront tonight, the hatchet about to fall, or is it? so for weeks the president has been warning that we're going to be facing financial doom when the $85 billion in cuts take effect in less than five hours. here's the president last week. >> so these cuts are not smart, they are not fair, they will hurt our economy, they will add

hundreds of thousands of americans to the unemployment rolls. this is not an abstraction. people will lose their jobs. >> all right. that sounds terrible. like we're going over another cliff, just like thelma and louise. there we are. but as the click ticked closer to dooms day, the president started to change his tune. here's obama this week. >> this is not a cliff, but it is a tumble downward. >> okay. it's not a cliff, more like a tumble. we're just rolling down a hill like wesley and buttercup in "princess bride." >> oh, my sweet wesley, what have i done? >> i want to watch that movie again.

but after it was abundantly clear that nothing would stop these cuts from kicking in, the president softened his tone even more. >> now, what's important to understand is that not everyone will feel the pain of these cuts right away. >> if we're not going to feel the pain, what is all this bickering about? outfront tonight, steven morris, senior economics writer and daniel altman. thelma and louise, wesley and wurtcup or what the heck was all this about. >> wall street is not that concerned about it, the dow is hitting its all-time highs but average people are going to suffer here. even if it's just 3% of the federal budget or 4% next year, that hurts a lot of people because the federal government affects so many people. i always say when you think about unemployment, hey, the unemployment rate is 8%. that means 92% of people have jobs. take out 4% of the federal

budget. maybe there's 96% left but a lot of people will feel it. >> steven, is that a fair point? >> no. i think we've lived through this before. i worked for president reagan in 1987. we did a sequester. it wasn't as big as this one but it was about a 4% sequester. you know what, life went on. we actually did reduce the budget deficit and most americans realized, you know, these agencies can cut their budget. i just think americans are getting a little sick and tired of this idea that these agencies can't find way waste inefficiencies in their budget. whether it's travel, paper clips, we know agencies are wasting a lot of money. i live in washington, i see it every day. >> i guess that is the frustration a lot of people have. we don't like these cuts because they do hurt some of the most vulnerable and we've talked about that before, you don't want that to happen. but there is all kinds of junk going on that they could cut. >> sure. but we should cut waste any time we can. the point is that the sequester was supposed to help us to cut our debt so that we'd be in

better shape with the credit markets. but we could double the interest rate on every single outstanding treasury security and our interest payments would still be less than they were in the reagan or bush years. we don't have that problem right now. so we have these stupid cuts going into effect which might cut some fat but they might also cut muscle and bone. that's what we need to avoid when unemployment is 7.9%. >> republicans love to do one thing, waste money and spend more of it. they all do. stephen. >> my question would be why can't they cut the waste? this is what a business would do, erin. you come from a business background. a business isn't going to cut its most vital services. it's not going to cut the air traffic control system or close down schools. by the way, i live in virginia. people on my street probably will be furloughed one day a week but the private sector went there as you know, erin, three years ago. >> well, we've been seeing so many job cuts in the public sector and now we're probably going to have more. we know that we're going to have

kids getting kicked out of head start. we know we'll have drawdowns in some public services because we didn't know whether the sequester was going to happen, we thought it probably would happen, we thought politicians would avert it. how many planning do you think those agencies have done for these cuts? they're going into effect tomorrow, supposed to be permanent the next several years. this is all happening a little too quickly for some of these agencies that haven't been able to prepare. >> arne duncan said, oh, they're going to lose jobs at the school in virginia. we called the school and they said it didn't have to do with the sequester. they couldn't come up with examples. stephen, republicans are congratulating themselves. they said, look, you signed a deal on cuts. a republican congressman said i think friday is an important day that shows we're finally willing to stand and fight for conservative principles and force washington to start living within its means and that will be a big victory. once people start feeling this, though, that may not be a victory. >> well, but republicans have to

show that they're willing to cut the budget. this is $50 billion out of a $1 trillion deficit. if we can't do this. if we say this is too hard, we can't cut $50 billion, how are we going to get the other $950 billion reduced? i just see this as a baby step i understand actually as a conservative, i think if republicans back down, a lot of conservative voters are going to say there's no difference between these two parties. either of them wants to cut the budget. >> well, there is no difference between the two parties, neither one of them can get anything done. before we go, i have to play this because i love it so much. this is -- this is proof that the president owns this debate because we all use his words. here's a way to describe what's happening in just a couple hours. >> well, the problem with a spending freeze is you're using a hatchet where you need a scalpel. >> it's a hatchet, not a scal l scalpel. >> hatchets and scalpels. >> it's not a hatchet, it's not a scalpel, it's a q-tip. >> the right way to do things is taking a machete as opposed to a

scalpel. >> a scalpel and not a machete. >> the scalpel. >> the machete. >> scalpel. >> butcher's knife. >> meat cleaver. >> meat cleaver. >> meat cleaver. >> meat cleaver. >> the meat ax. >> meat cleaver. i like saying it. >> i call it tweezers. >> but this economy is struggling so much, why -- why with this economy struggling so much would you hit it with anything? if it's a meat cleaver, an ax? >> even a q-tip. why would you do it? you can wait two or three years. >> it's good for the economy to get the government spending down. >> you opposed stimulus and now you're opposing -- we know the story you guys tell. >> we did have a stimulus and it didn't work. it didn't create jobs. >> you know what, you look at the counter factual and then tell me if that's really true. >> they said the unemployment rate would be 5.5%, today it's 8%. >> that doesn't mean that it wasn't worth stimulating the economy. if you don't think we should have done any stimulus, then

maybe you should be on a different show. >> i love erin's show. by the way, erin, "princess bride" is my favorite movie. >> i love that movie. we can leave it on a point of agreement. i'm assuming, daniel likes "princess bride" too. >> oh, yes. >> all right. thanks to both and just a few hours away the hatchet or the q-tip or the meat ax or the meat cleaver or whatever you want to call it is going to drop. still outfront, a plant to open a horse meat processing plant in the yoous and a celebrity chef who says he eats horse meat and likes it. plus the u.s. scores a major victory in the war on terror. the president with a big win tonight. accusations that a show dog at westminster was intentionally poisoned and died. you know how to mix business.. with business. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price.

i could get used to this. [ male announcer ] yes, you could business pro. yes, you could. go national. go like a pro. yes, you could. oh, hi thehey!ill. are you in town for another meeting? yup, i brought my a-team. siness trips add to family time. this is my family. this is joe. hi joe! hi there! earn a ton of extra points with the double your hhonors promotion and feel the hamptonality. [ babies crying ] surprise -- your house was built on an ancient burial ground. [ ghosts moaning ] surprise -- your car needs a new transmission. [ coyote howls ] how about no more surprises? now you can get all the online trading tools you need without any surprise fees. ♪ it's not rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. ♪

i don't want any trouble. i don't want any trouble either. ♪ [ engine turns over ] you know you forgot to take your mask off, right? [ siren wailing in distance ] ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing the all-new beetle convertible. now every day is a top-down day. that's the power of german engineering.

. our second story outfront, where's the beef? it's a question americans may soon be asking if the u.s. department of agriculture approves a horse slaughtering plant in new mexico. this would be the first time since 2007 that horse meat,

suitable for human consumption, is produced here in the united states. now, a concern over horse meat tainted food has been growing in the fast two months. taco bell, burger king and ikea chains had to pull meat after finding it contained horse dna. the united states neither slaughters horses or imports horse meat but could it make it into america's food supply and is it that bad? it might be pretty wealthy. let me start, casey, with the big question, if the horse slaughtering plant gets approval, how concerned should we be about horse meat ending up in hamburger meat? >> reporter: well, when you talk to opponents like the aspca, they are very concerned about contamination, they say, by horse meat into the food supply in the united states. as it stands right now, there's only one slaughterhouse that is trying to get approval, and it's about 60 days away potentially from approval to go ahead and start slaughtering horses.

given what's happened in europe, opponents of this say they are very worried. >> those who are proposing these horse slaughter plants in many cases are talking about developing horse meat menus and horse meat options for american consumers, which is sending us in exactly the wrong direction. right now with what's going on in europe and all the confusion, outrage and dismay that consumers have over being exposed to horse meat accidentally, we really don't need to be bringing that industry here to u.s. soil. >> reporter: now, i spoke with an attorney for the slaughterhouse today and he says that this plant will only be slaughtering horses not other animals. there's no real chance for cross contamination there. also, at least initially this horse meat will only be for the export market. it will not be sold in the united states. but the attorney says that this slaughterhouse owner, if there's

a market that develops for horse meat in the united states among consumers, and some people are trying to push that, they will not rule out the possibility of selling it here. >> we'll talk to a chef who says how nutritional horse meat is may shock people. but how likely is it, casey, that this plant gets approval and goes ahead? >> reporter: the owner of the plant thinks it's very likely. he thinks they're one inspection away from the usda granting approval. the usda gave us a statement today saying they really have no other choice but to grant this approval, but they are calling on congress and some opponents are calling on congress to step in and reinstate in horse meat slaughter ban that expired two years ago. >> casey wian, thank you. i want to bring in mark murphy now, he's a familiar face to you from the food network and the chef and owner of restaurants landmark and ditch plains here in new york city. mark, you heard casey wian's report. people in the u.s. are up in arms about, oh, my gosh, horse meat is going to end up in my burger. you have a lot of experience

with this. is it really a big deal? >> i don't think it's a big deal. we have the usda, they control things and make sure that the food that's being bought is actually the food that's being sold. i think that's something that's important to remember. >> so you grew up in italy. >> i did. i was born in milan. >> born in milan. you recently saw horse meat was in baby food there. >> well, i was dravlitraveling y daughter when she was 3 years old and my wife said they're selling horse meat in baby food. i said, yeah. it's a cultural difference. i don't think we're used to seeing that. >> to your point about a cultural difference, i just had a little fun today. a viewer sent me a link to a story about camel meat craze ahead in the united arab emirates today. there was a headline about australia's kangaroo meat industry enters the chinese market so they're exporting the roo craze to russia and china and where whale steak goes well with greens.

people might be shocked people eat but they're delicacies. this is not unusual. >> my grandmother, she was french, i'm half french, when i was a kid i ate horse meat as a kid. it was served at the table. that's what we ate. i remember it being a very sweet meat and also it's very lean, which is obviously very healthy as well. >> ask a chef, let me ask you about this. we looked up the nutrition data. when you compare horse meat to other lean cuts of meat, double the iron concentration, more vitamin b-12, 50% versus 21%. and it contains more omega 3 fatty acids. 360 milligrams to 21 in a strip steak. >> so it's good for you. >> it sounds like it's something we want to eat. >> it does. but i think everybody has a horse as a pet and don't want to eat their pets so in this country we don't do it. >> you're the owner of several restaurants, a well known and respected chef. you say you've eaten it, it's healthy, it's a cultural thing. would you ever consider serving it? >> i don't think i would put it on my menu here. if i opened a restaurant in

france, i probably would. you have to serve the public. that's how we make our money, we have to please our customers. i think if i put it on the menu here, it would probably cause controversy and people wouldn't want to eat it. would i maybe make it for myself and some friends at home and i'm not tricking somebody into eating something they don't want, if they want to try it, absolutely. it would probably not be worth it financially to put it on the menu if nobody would eat it. >> perhaps you're eating people's minds up as not being as simple as you think. >> if you really want horse meat, take a vacation, go to france and eat some horse meat there. >> all right, mark, thanks very much. nice to see you. thanks. all right, up next, a florida man sleeping in his own bed suddenly buried alive. we have the latest on that story. and this picture, is it racist? plus, what the force is all this about?

>> i could somehow, you know, do a jedi mind meld with these folks and convince them to do what's right. ♪ [ construction sounds ] ♪ [ watch ticking ] [ engine revs ] come in. ♪ got the coffee. that was fast. we're outta here. ♪ [ engine revs ] ♪

tens of thousands of dollars in hidden fees on their 401(k)s?! go to e-trade and roll over your old 401(k)s to a new e-trade retirement account. none of them charge annual fees and all of them offer low cost investments. e-trade. less for us. more for you. it's part of what you slove about her.essing. but your erectile dysfunction - you know, that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours.

if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial.

our third story outfront, a

florida man swallowed by a sinkhole. this is a bizarre story. it happened inside this home. jeff bush was sleeping in bed when the ground opened up underneath him. then he just fell into the earth. he screams for help, it was heard throughout the house. police tonight say there is no sign of life in that sinkhole. the victim's brother spoke to cnn. >> jeremy, i'm so sorry for what you're going through. what happens now? i mean what -- >> there's a picture of my brother right there. there's a picture of my brother right there. the man i love, the guy i always -- he's my brother, man. he was everything to me. that was him. >> john zarrella is there. john, obviously just a shocking story. the recovery effort is under way right behind you. i know we just said there hadn't been signs of life. what's the latest that you know? >> reporter: no, that's exactly

right, erin. and in fact they're treating this as a recovery operating now. what they are doing, you can see behind me, that's a ground-penetrating device. what they're trying to do is get a handle on the exact dimensions of this sinkhole. how wide out does it spread. they do not want to send anybody in, they do not want to go near the house for fear that other people who they send in could ultimately be swallowed up at any moment if this thing would collapse. you can see the men working there, they are wearing harnesses, there are cables attached to them so that if something happens and the ground collapses, they can be yanked out. that's how concerned they are about all of this. but of course for the family, it is -- they are very distraught tonight and there are some 911 call that came out last night that really gives you an indication of how suddenly this hit them and how panicked they were. >> i need an ambulance -- stuck underneath the house.

the house just fell through. >> okay. and what happened to the house? >> uh, the bedroom floor just collapsed and my brother-in-law is in there. he's underneath the house. >> okay. hold on one second. let me connect you to ems, okay? >> okay. >> now, the first responders -- the first responders that got here, the first responder that actually got into the house pulled jeremy out, the brother, because he was down there with a shovel trying to dig his brother out. pulled him out. they got everybody else out of the house and it was immediately deemed unsafe. erin, no one has been back inside since. >> john, i know that there are -- there's been sinkholes in many places around this country, but also in the state of florida. you've covered stories like this before. but how extraordinary is this situation? >> reporter: this one is very extraordinary for a couple of reasons. yeah, there are sinkholes all over. florida is built on literally 3,000 feet of limestone, which at any time can become very

permeable and then a sinkhole can open up. what's happened here is they had a collapse, then another collapse. the walls are very steep according to the engineers. they expect that the sinkhole will continue to widen because those walls cannot support being that steep and that is why they are taking this much time. they are saying that this particular sinkhole is very, very unique in how it has opened up and how it is continuing to deepen. 25, 30 feet and getting deeper. >> that's amazing. john, thank you very much. up next, a major development in the war on terror. a potentially huge victory for the united states. and was this prized show dog murdered? hi joe! hi there! earn a ton of extra points with the double your hhonors promotion and feel the hamptonality. the battle of bataan, 1942. [ all ] fort benning, georgia, in 1999.

[ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve 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. your doctor will say get smart about your weight. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes.

that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have six grams of sugars. with fifteen grams of protein to help manage hunger... look who's getting smart about her weight. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. that your mouth is under attack, from food particles and bacteria. try fixodent. it helps create a food seal defense for a clean mouth and kills bacteria for fresh breath. ♪ fixodent, and forget it.

welcome back to the second half of "outfront." we start with stories we care about and focus on our reporting from the front lines and begin with new developments in the case of james holmes. authorities for the aurora theater shooting suspect indicate that holmes may plead not guilty and may plead by riern of insanity. they're asking a judge to declare part of the state's insanity defense laws

unconstitutional. holmes' lawyers also don't know if the prosecution will seek the death penalty and that they say is directly affecting all their decisions. he has been charged with 24 counts of first-degree murder. now an outfront update on the mysterious hanging death of shane todd in his singapore apartment. we told you this story yesterday. we told you the singapore police said that he committed suicide but his family told us it was anything but. questions have been raised about whether shane's work for a government research firm made him a target and today the todd family tells us that the fbi has been invited to take part in the investigation. it's not clear, though, how much of a role the agency will have. well, tonight we have learned the estimated cost of the christopher dorner man hunlt is $550,000 and that's just for resources provided by the san bernardino sheriff's department, not counting the fbi or the lapd, just san bernardino. spokeswoman cindy bachmann said obviously it was unavoidable. luckily this is the county, not

the city which filed for bankruptcy last august. bachmann says they're keeping good records of the manhunt in case there's a chance of being reimbursed even partially by federal taxpayers. as the dust is just settling on benedict's historic resignation as pope, the race for the next most important catholic is on. but before the official meetings begin in rome, there's a period of what is fair to call schmoozing, even though it doesn't sound so faithful. cardinals as we speak are sizing each other up and forming alliances before they choose the date for the secret election in which they will choose the next pope called the conclave. we were talking about it today. think of it as the vatican's version of "survivor." in the movie "magnolia" you probably saw it raining frogs. in guam it is going to be raining mice. guam has a snake problem. it's causing power outages and wiping out native birds. i don't know why the power

outage, maybe it eats the cords. the usda has a $1.3 million solution. dope up dead mice with acetaminophen and dump them over the islands. they'll dump out all the mice, the snakes will eat the toxic mice and die within 72 hours. they tell us that the drug causes renal and liver failure so it could take weeks for the snakes to die. they call that a needlessly agonizing ending. the first drop is expected to take place in april or may. it's been 575 days since the u.s. lost its top credit rating. what are we doing to get it back? if growth continues to slow in china that, could hurt. manufacturing fell, barely expanding. that could be a huge story for us. our fourth story outfront, victory in the war on terror. there was a major al qaeda leader who is dead tonight. we have learned that a senior commander of al qaeda was killed in an air strike in mali.

does it back up this kind of tough talk from the president? >> we achieved our central goal, which is -- or have come very close to achieving our central goal, which is to decapasitate al qaeda. >> former second of defense under the bush administration and wesley clark. general clark, this was a significant kill, right? >> it is. i think it is significant when you decapitate organizations. you take out the knowledge, the skills, the contacts, the relationships that people like this man have built up over 20 years. >> peter, do you think it's fair to say that the president has said that al qaeda is on the run and we, along with many others, when that didn't appear to be true called him out for it. is it true tonight? >> i don't think so. this is significant, i agree

with you and the general, but it doesn't mean it's fatal to al qaeda. france still has a lot of work to do. they're very concerned about potential for attacks in europe because so many of these folks in formal colonies coming back and forth to france. there's also this muktar who was involved in a gas plant incident that may be rising to the fore as the number one leader for al qaeda and the islamic magra. so a prediction is tough, especially about the future. but i'm cautious at this point. >> general clark, people have been sort of watching the situation in mali. everyone was worried whether the u.s. would have to be involved. france is involved and sort of mired in northern mali and not necessarily leaving and saying they don't know when they'll leave. is this problem going to become a sore, a sore that the united states has to deal with? >> no, i don't think so. i do think we have a good close

relationship with forces there and are providing them intelligence support and maybe some logistics support, which i think is appropriate and they need to stay there and finish up the problem. there's no single victory in these fights. taking out a leader or two helps but you've got to stay with it and beat the organization down. this is a long war against these people. >> peter, there was a magazine -- there is a magazine, an english language magazine. it's called "inspire" and it is a magazine produced by al qaeda. now, this may surprise a lot of people. they have a magazine and put it out in english. obviously they want the people in the west to read it. it has a lot of propaganda articles in it, how to torch cars and kill people. how concerning is this? they now have a new edition calling for lone wolf attacks across europe, mass killings like the one we saw in norway. >> erin, it's been a concern for a long time. in fact the american-born yemeni

cleric who's no longer with us due to a drone strike was behind this. it's something of great concern. you're right, it has articles in there how to build a bomb in your mom's kitchen sort of things. and because of the pervasiveness of the internet, the transnational nature of the internet, people become self radicalized without ever going to a training camp which makes it very tough for law enforcement, intelligence officials to track them. they can also learn these terrible black arts of the terrorist trade that they can use. so, yeah, this is very, very concerning. and the biggest concern of our fbi is the lone wolf terrorist. the one who's building the bomb in the basement who doesn't associate it. you know, at heritage foundation, for instance, we've tracked -- there have been more than 50 terror plots in the united states since 9/11, and that includes something like ft. hood, where that major, that army major was self radicalized and was in contact with terrorists overseas via the internet. >> general clark, you were

saying there's threats every day. >> every day. we're still being probed and still being tested. so this is a long way from being over, but i think we've definitely turned a big corner when we took down osama bin laden and we've got effective means of going after these organizations. it's just that it's continuous. >> well, thanks very much to both of you. we appreciate it. as we said, one of the big leaders for al qaeda in northern africa dead tonight. also outfront, a potential westminster murder mystery. the dog show world has been rocked by the death of a white samoan nad cruz. he died just after competing at this year's competition in new york. now there are claims of foul play with some pointing the finger at animal activists. mary snow is outfront. >> reporter: this was cruz, a 3-year-old at the premiere canine competition of them all. new york's westminster dog show held in february. days later, the dog died in

colorado. a vet there determining rat poisoning was one possible cause of death. but his owner suspects something more sinister, that someone deliberately gave the dog poison that wouldn't kill him right away. >> some deranged person, i mean they're out there and they do horrible things all the time. you know, it was somebody that they don't -- maybe they don't agree with people that raise and show dogs. maybe they're just crazy. >> reporter: lynnette blue has no proof. she doesn't believe the doggin gested rat poison on his own since he was closely watched. her purebred pet always flew coach. he stayed with his handler at the "new yorker" which says it doesn't use rat poison. it even offers spa packages to show dogs. blue says she isn't ruling out animal rights activists who protest the shows. >> there's no excuse for animal abuse. >> reporter: people for the ethical treatment of animals calls any hint of suspicions

hurled their way outrageous. >> peta has long been protesting the dog show. we're opposed to dog shows because of what it does to these poor dogs and we think that definitely all cosmetic surgeries on dogs for dog shows should be outlawed. >> reporter: in cruz's case, he had a procedure done on his vocal cords to quiet his bark. a man during the westminster show called it cruel. but the westminster kennel club downplays the likelihood of deliberate poisoning, saying none of roughly 2700 dogs at the show had any problems. adding, we have never, to our knowledge, had an incident at our show where a dog has become ill or was harmed as a result of being poisoned. back in 1865, "the new york times" reported that eight dogs were poisoned the morning before the westminster competition. the motive? jealousy. what happened to cruz may never be known since the owner declined a necropsy leaving questions unanswered.

the owner didn't have further testing done because she was upset at the time and she was advised tests probably wouldn't have shown anything if the dog was poisoned days pr. so the answers of what really happened will never be known. next, a controversy about how this model is portrayed. take a long look at it. african queen. and then take a look at her face. and the white house gets its full geek on and makes a death star sized faux pas. for over 75 years people have saved money with gecko so.... director's voice: cut it! ...what...what did i say? gecko? i said gecko? aw... for over 75 year...(laughs. but still trying to keep it contained) director's voice: keep it together. i'm good. i'm good. for over 75...(uncontrollable laughter). what are you doing there? stop making me laugh. vo: geico. saving people money for over seventy-five years. gecko: don't look at me. don't look at me.

bob will retire when he's 153, which would be fine if bob were a vampire. but he's not. ♪ he's an architect with two kids and a mortgage. luckily, he found someone who gave him a fresh perspective on his portfolio. and with some planning and effort, hopefully bob can retire at a more appropriate age. it's not rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. it's just common sense. with the bing it on challenge to show google users what they've been missing on bing. let's bing it on. [fight bell: ding, ding] how many here are google users? what if i was to tell you that you would actually like bing way more than google when it came to the results? prove it. let's look up some taco places. i like the left side. yeah? okay, do we need to find out what the waves are like down at the beach? what side do you like better? i like the results on the right. i'm gonna go with the one on the left. oh! bing won! people prefer bing over google for the web's top searches. don't believe it? go to bingiton.com and see what you're missing.

[ female announcer ] roc® retinol correxion max. the power of roc® retinol is intensified with a serum. it's proven to be 4x better at smoothing lines and deep wrinkles than professional treatments. roc® max for maximum results. ♪ i don't want any trouble. i don't want any trouble either. ♪ [ engine turns over ] you know you forgot to take your mask off, right? [ siren wailing in distance ] ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing the all-new beetle convertible. now every day is a top-down day. that's the power of german engineering.

try align. it's the number one ge recommended probiotic that helps maintain digestive balance. ♪ stay in the groove with align.

we are back with tonight's outer circle where we reach out to our sources around the world. tonight we go to south africa where eight police officers have been arrested in connection with the dragging deaths of a man in police custody. video captured the man being tied to the back of a police van and then pulled him over the roadway as crowds watched. the incident has drawn worldwide condemnation. i asked what prompted the dragging and what it says about south africa. >> reporter: erin, the victim in this incident, a 27-year-old taxi driver from mozambique allegedly parked illegally and resisted arrest. that preceded what we see in the

graphic video. what we know is hours after that video was shot he was found dead in his cell after sustaining injuries to his head and internal bleeding. that's what south africa's police watchdog is saying. in fact it's this entity which made the arrest on friday of the eight police officers involved. they also tell us those police officers could be seen before a judge as early as monday. now, while everyone is condemning the behavior in the video, it is raising questions on how to fix what appears to be a culture of violence here in south africa that could possibly be seeping into the police force. erin. >> thanks. and now our developing story tonight. in a little over four hours, the $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts are going to kick in. the president hasn't signed the legislation that puts those cuts into effect but he will be signing it. jessica yellin at the white house. jessica, obviously, you know, he's going to do it behind his back in a room with no windows or something, right? >> reporter: well, they're not

going to call a whole lot of attention to it, you're right, erin. they'll do it in a private -- in a private event. i expect they'll probably release a photo, obviously, not a lot of fan fare around this one. the president could sign it any time now. the moment he does sign it, that is when the cuts go into effect. what we know will not happen, the locusts will not come, flood gates will not open. the office of management and budget will still be open because they have to send their report to congress detailing what all the cuts are. but we know they're not going to be, as the president said, dire or immediate. people across the country aren't going to be feeling them right away, so it's really more of a sort of slow ripple effect on the economy. and that's something of a political challenge for the white house, erin. >> it certainly is, because obviously he used such aggressive terms. he along with republicans to describe these and now has had to tone that rhetoric down a lot. that brings me to the question, jessi jessica, from here what happens? he signs the bill and it's in

effect. does that mean it's over? is he going to try to undo it? what happens? >> reporter: that's an excellent question, we'll have to see. right now there is no negotiating going on between democrats and republicans on this. there are no meetings set, no calls planned. and i'm told by sources here that the president is going to go on to focus on immigration reform, guns, other domestic priorities. he's not going to dedicate all his time to fighting this battle right now, because they want their agenda to stay alive. they don't want it to get swallowed up by a fight over another fiscal drama. but obviously this will have to be worked out and so it's a question of how long until people really start to suffer, feel it, and they put enough pressure on their members of congress to get something done. that will be the end game. >> we will see what these cuts really mean. thanks so much to jessica. now let's check in with anders anderson. >> we've got a really emotional interview. you're going to hear only on 360. a grieving brother shares the moment-by-moment details of that sinkhole that swallowed his

brother alive. jeremy bush said he heard what sounded like a freight train in their florida home. heard his brother, jeff, scream. ran to his brother's room. the room was gone, so was his brother. officials are saying a sinkhole of this size is unprecedented, saying it continues to grow deeper and wider by the minute and the instability is making it impossible to have search and rescue efforts to try to get his brother back. my conversation with jeremy bush ahead. also, law makmakers as you' been reporting leaving town, leaving behind the unfinished business of solving the budget mess but there was one last round of finger pointing. i talked about senator john mccain who admits there's plenty of blame to go around and i'll ask him what changed in washington, why compromise is now a four-letter word. those stories and a lot more. the latest on the jodi arias trial, all that and more at the top of the hour. >> all right, anderson. 126 days congress works this year. artistic expression or hugely insensitive. this photo spread has touched

off a firestorm. you see it's african queen but look at the model. the model depicted as an african queen is white. today the magazine apologized for using a white model. the reporter also reportedly apologized. but is that enough or did they even need to apologize? buzz feed political reporter, andrew kaczynski, van jones and wendy murphy. van, let me start with you. looking at these, what's your take? >> well, you know, the backstory here is that there's a sense that there's just not enough actual african models being used. so you have to understand part of this is, hold on a second, if you want a real african queen, there's a lot of black models not being used. also this touches on some painful memories from the past where black face was used to make fun of black folks so i think this does touch a deep chord i think for some this does touch a deep chord for some people.

>> i think it's outrageous. i don't think -- i mean, what were these people really thinking? do they not have people working pr for them? there are plenty of teenagers, plenty of people. the model is a teenager, i believe, and there are plenty of people who are coming up who are black models, and they're that young. when you see someone who is getting that job over you, what do you think they're doing? it's terrible. >> wendy, are critics being too sensitive? >> yeah, i think so, and by the way, i think they have very good pr people, and this is probably part of the campaign. look, we're talking about it. it's controversial enough to make us talk. i think when you get too sensitive about this stuff, you can build more distance. in a sense, be more racially divided when you say this differentness matters at that level. you know, sometimes this kind of issue matters a lot, and sometimes it doesn't. temporal context matters. black face was a very long time ago, and there's lots of black

people in this country, blagrea black people, and if we're going to imitate them and imitation is a form of flattery, it might be offensive to dress up like a black person you love and keep your white face on. it's not the same airy as when black face was around. >> one of the things we have remember, too, lena horn, my dad loved lena horn. he grew up in segregation, poverty. she was not allowed to be cleopat raw in the movie done by elizabeth taylor. you have this long history of african-americans not being able to play black roles, let alone white roles. we haven't come so far that we can kind of do this kind of stuff without any conversation about it at all. >> couldn't they have been trying to make a point that color is only skin deep and the soul of a person, it doesn't matter what your race is? is it possible it was an artistic statement? purposeful but not insulting. >> i disagree with that

completely. i think the argument that this was a long time ago doesn't work. i mean, we're looking at it right now, they're looking at the voting rights act in the supreme court, and some of the arguments from the conservative justices is this is a long time ago and we don't need that in place. that can be used to rationalize all sorts of things. i don't think it was so long ago that it's not a problem anymore is something you should be saying. >> i don't think this guy meant any harm. >> when you complain too much, it's almost like saying there's something ugly about this woman. she's gorgeous. people love brown skin. brown skin is beautiful. to say this is offensive is to suggest that her brownness is ugly. i think that's just cruel. >> i think you're missing the point. >> that's a racist statement right there. >> no, no. >> before we go, when you talk about how long ago it was with white people, black face, beyonce appeared in rolling

stone last year in black face. >> yes, she did. are you going to show the picture? >> yes. you found it -- >> very good. i was -- beyonce rules the world. if you're watching beyonce, love you to death. that was a bit too far. i think that kind of stuff playing around with it the way she was doing there, it brings up a lot of stuff. she's very light skinned. you have dark skinned women who don't have a chance to have those shots. i don't think this artist was trying to be offensive or hates anybody. i think it was just a question of not really understanding some of the context here and the back story. i also don't think it's about brown skin is ugly. to the opposite, i think brown skin is beautiful. let's have some actual brown skin people get some of those jobs. that's what's going on. >> brown skin is beautiful. having white skin, i know your skin is much more beautiful with all our freckles and wrinkles and everything else. thanks to all three of you. up next, the president makes enemies of fan boys everywhere.

one that's always eluded me. thought i had it in the blizzard of '93. ha! never even came close. sometimes, i actually think it's mocking me. [ engine revs ] what?! quattro!!!!! ♪ picasso painted one of his master works at 56. doris taerbaum finished her first marathon at 50. not everyone peaks in their twenties. throughout their lives. passion keeps them realizing possibilities. an ally for real possibilities. aarp. find tools and support at aarp.org/possibilities. the people of bp made a commitment to the gulf., and every day since,

we've worked hard to keep it. today, the beaches and gulf are open for everyone to enjoy. we've shared what we've learned, so we can all produce energy more safely. bp's also committed to america. we support nearly two-hundred-fifty thousand jobs and invest more here than anywhere else. we're working to fuel america for generations to come. our commitment has never been stronger. executor of efficiency. you can spot an amateur from a mile away... while going shoeless and metal-free in seconds. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. now this...will work. [ male announcer ] just like you, business pro. just like you. go national. go like a pro.

[heart beating] [heartbeat continues] [heartbeat, music playing louder] ♪ i'm feeling better since you know me... ♪ announcer: this song was created with heartbeats of children in need. find out how it can help frontline health workers bring hope to millions of children at everybeatmatters.org.

the president today must have lost a few fans or should i say fan boys? frustrated he couldn't make a deal on the forced spending cus, he said this.