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>> he is going to file a theft report today. he also has people looking for the woman using facial recognition software. he wants that ipad. >> we don't know if she found it, if she bought it. but it's her picture. i'm christine romans. >> have a great weekend. "starting point" begins right now. good morning, everyone, i'm john berman. >> good morning, happy friday i'm brooke baldwin. soledad is off. >> well hello. our "starting point" point is a cnn exclusive. conservative ohio senator ron portman makes a stunning reversal on gay marriage and he's talking to only our dana bash. >> and then, not just one, but two carnival cruise ships in trouble this morning. folks, this is the fourth time the company has had problems in a month this morning we're asking are the ships safe? also a developing story, a suspect in that deadly attack on

the u.s. consulate in benghazi from september, this morning behind bars. could we finally learn more about what sparked the violence that killed four americans? and a disturbing video of a 4-year-old attacked by a dog and terrifying moments all caught on camera. >> plus it's now a 10-day winning streak for the dow. not just markets seeing a boost, it's turning more americans into millionaires. >> it is friday, march 15th, and "starting point" begins right now. our "starting point" is a cnn exclusive. the gay marriage movement getting an unexpected lift from a most unlikely backer. one of the leading conservative voices on capitol hill, republican senator rob portman of ohio is reversing his position on the issue after his son revealed that he is gay. >> cnn's chief congressional

correspondent dana bash landing this exclusive tv interview with the senator. she joins us live from washington this morning. dana bash, a lot of questions for you. let's just begin with the fact that this wasn't easy for the senator, i imagine. >> it was not. i can tell you that for sure it was not easy. but this kind of thing happens all over america all the time. even in conservative homes. sons and daughters come to their parents and reveal that they're gay. the difference here, of course, is that this father is a u.s. senator with a megaphone and a vote to try to give his gay son more rights. he invited us into his office yesterday to tell us this dramatic news. >> governor mitt romney! >> reporter: you probably recognize ohio senator rob portman from his tireless campaigning for mitt romney. even on romney's short list for vice president. he's been a leading republican voice on the economy for four decades. >> we need to spur economic growth and create more jobs. >> reporter: now the prominent conservative from ohio will be known for something else, changing his hard-line position

against gay marriage, which he revealed to cnn. and the very personal reason behind his reversal. >> i'm announcing today a change of heart. on an issue that a lot of people feel strongly about. and it has to do with gay couples' opportunity to marry. i've come to the conclusion that for me, personally, i think this is something that we should allow people to do, to get married, and to have the joy, and the stability of marriage that i've had for over 26 years. i want all three of my kids to have it, including our son who is gay. >> reporter: that unexpected revelation came from portman's 21-year-old son will two years ago. >> my son came to jane, my wife and i, told us that he was gay. and that it was not a choice. and that, you know, he -- that's just part of who he is and he's been that way ever since he could remember. >> what was your reaction when he told you? >> love. support. you know, 110%. >> reporter: surprised? >> surprise, yeah. >> reporter: you had no idea?

>> no idea. yeah. and, you know, again that launched a process of rethinking the issue. >> reporter: until now, all this was secret to most, but not everyone. you were vetted to be a vice presidential candidate. did you tell mitt romney that your son was gay? >> yeah, of course. >> reporter: and how did he react? >> i told mitt romney everything. that process is intrusive, would be one way to put it. but no, yeah, i told him everything. >> reporter: you think that was a deal breaker? >> no. no. i really don't. >> reporter: how can you be sure? >> well, because, you know, they told me. >> reporter: portman was never outspoken on gay marriage, but he consistently voted against it. supporting a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, the defense of marriage act, and a bill prohibiting gay couples in washington, d.c. from adopting children. what do you say to a gay constituent in ohio who says i'm

so glad that he changed his position but why did it take him learning that he has a gay son? why didn't he as my representative care about my rights before that? >> well, i would say that, you know, i've had a change of heart based on a personal experience. that's certainly true. i'm on the budget committee, the finance committee for reasons. those have always been my -- my primary issues and my focus. so, now it's different. you know, i hadn't expected to be in this position. but i do think, you know, having spent a lot of time thinking about it, and working through this issue personally, that, you know, this is where i am for reasons that are consistent with my political philosophy, including family values, including being a conservative who believes the family is a building block of society. i'm comfortable there. >> reporter: you know, a cynic might look at this and say, he's a politician.

why is he doing this now, when he found out two years ago? >> well, two things. one is i'm comfortable with the position. and it took me awhile to, you know, to rethink things and to get to this decision. >> reporter: the second reason, the supreme court. which will soon hear a pair of gay marriage cases, and portman expected that to generate some questions about his position. >> and i thought it was the right time to let folks know where i stand so there was no confusion so i would be clear about it. >> i asked senator portman whether he is going to go beyond this public announcement and actually become an activist lobbying his republican colleagues to support gay marriage, too. he said probably not. he'll probably stick with the economic issues that drove him into public office. but, brooke and john, he also said that he may not have to say much more than he has. at least to make his conservative colleagues think twice about their opposition to gay marriage. >> this was so interesting. ron portman is a senator, really one of the best on his feet in the entire congress but he looked a little uncomfortable there, even nervous talking

about it, and i understand he has spoken to many people over the last two years, sort of helping him through this evolution, including dick cheney? >> he did. dick cheney, of course, famously has a gay daughter. he was the highest ranking republican ever to have a gay child. and, the two of them have been friends for a long time. and i asked him about that. he said not only did they speak he went to go see dick cheney, talk to him, ask him for advice, and cheney's advice was follow your heart. he said that's exactly what he's doing. >> we talked a lot recently about the evolution of different members of congress, and also recently bill clinton on a different, you know, when do you ever have a former president asking the supreme court to overturn something you signed being doma, and he cited the interview how chelsea clinton and her gay friends helped him evolve in his stance and here you have senator portman with his son who you mention two years ago came out so this is really personal for a lot of

these politicians. >> it is. it just is a reminder that politicians are people, too. but also the fact that, you know, that society obviously is evolving. and frankly, in the past couple of years, it sort of happened in warp speed, obviously people in the gay community think that they have a lot of work to do, still, but the fact that you have somebody like rob portman, who you mentioned he's a little uncomfortable. he was. he not with talking about how proud he is of his son but just talking about such a personal issue. he is a midwestern guy with midwestern sensibilities, and the idea of talking about anybody's sexuality, never mind his son's, in public, was something that was very odd for him and you could tell. he's very press savvy and he was -- he was nervous. understandably so. >> dana bash, great interview. we thank you so much. we'll talk a little bit more about it at the top of the next hour. >> great interview. seven minutes after the hour. our other top story this morning, not one, but two

carnival cruise ships having trouble this morning. can you believe it? at this hour the carnival "legend" is experiencing propulsion problems in the caribbean, and cannot operate at full speed. >> and the carnival "dream" is stranded at port. this is in st. maarten, with generator problems there. those passengers are waiting to be flown home. cristina puig live in miami with the developments there. cristina, good morning. >> good morning, brooke. that's right. delta chartered flights are scheduled to begin flying out of st. maarten with 4300 of those passengers on an hourly basis. one of the first flights scheduled to land in orlando around 10:00 a.m. as you might imagine, many of those passengers are just anxious to get home. for some passengers, it was a cruise that didn't live up to their dream. and to some of us their plants sounded a note of deja vu. clogged toilets. interruptions to elevator service, power outages.

it was the same cruise line, carnival. but a different ship than the one that left passengers at tea for several days with no air conditioning, and unsanitary living conditions. but the problems on the cruise liner "dream" were nowhere near as nightmarish as those aboard the "triumph" just a month ago. >> our toilets weren't working and the water rose up, like you would at home, if the toilet was clogged. the water would start to rise up to the top of the bowl. >> reporter: the carnival says the "dream" got stuck in port in st. maarten's when the backup emergency generator malfunctioned during a routine inspection. the company issued a statement that at no time did the ship lose power and the ship's propulsion systems and primary power source was not impacted. the statement also said all guests are safe and comfortable with only periodic interruptions to elevators and rest room services for a few hours. >> they thought it was something minor, ended up being something more complicated, which is why we're still here. as far as the power outages go,

i mean, i didn't notice at first. >> reporter: the latest aborted voyage comes on the heels of the debacle involving carnival's "triumph" cruise liner that spent five days adrift at sea. attracting worldwide attention as passengers posted picture after picture of the unsanitary and altogether unpleasant conditions on the ship. >> this is a management problem. they're doing something wrong with maintenance. carnival has so many working ships that to say that the fleet is in distress is maybe a little bit broad. but clearly something is not working right. >> reporter: ironically, just one day before "dream's" problems, carnival had announced it was conducting a comprehensive review of its entire fleet. the cruise line was quick to offer its "dream" guests a refund for the three days the cruise was cut short, and 50% off a future cruise. now this makes four ships altogether that have had problems in the last month. as we mentioned the "ologic end" and the "dream" on wednesday,

and on saturday, 9 "elation" apparently had some steering problems. and of course we all remember the "triumph" watching it be towed back into mobile, alabama, after those passengers were stranded at sea for five days. now carnival's ceo gary cahill, said yesterday that they do have comprehensive programs in place to inspect all of their flights, which consist of 23 ships. brooke? >> christina puig, thank you. as you point out, at least it's stuck in st. maarten. >> i guess it's not the worst place. but four ships, that sure seems like a lot in a month. the question is, what is going on with these carnival vessels? we're going to be joined by maritime lawyer jack hickey for his perspective on all these cases. now a jumbotron collapses at a popular festival? christine romans has that. >> this happened during plep rations for the ultramusic festival in miami. two people in critical condition this morning after that jumbotron fell on top of workers

trying to hoist it. in all four people were hurt. the festival is still scheduled to go on this afternoon. part of the park will be closed as investigators look into exactly what went wrong there. developing this morning, sources tell cnn a man suspected of being involved in the september 11th attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi is now being held in libya. the fbi has reportedly interviewed the suspect in the presence of libyan authorities. we're told the suspect's name is faraj al shibli. he was detained within the past two days and had recently returned from a trip to pakistan. president obama says iran is more than a year away from developing a nuclear weapon but that doesn't mean he's going to let it happen. in an interview with israeli television the president downplayed differences with prime minister benjamin netanyahu over iran's nuclear program. obama will meet with netanyahu next week during his first visit to israel since becoming president. >> what we're going to be doing is continue to engage internationally with iran,

understanding that we've set up the toughest sanctions ever. it's having a significant effect. if we can resolve it diplomatically, that's a more lasting solution. but if not, i continue to keep all options on the table. >> meantime the pentagon says an iranian fighter jet targeted an unarmed u.s. predator drone over the persian gulf this week. all right intense moments in a senate debate on a possible assault weapons ban. california senator dianne feinstein taking on texas republican ted cruz after she lectures her about the constitution. >> it seems to me that all of you should begin as our foundational document with the constitution. >> i'm not a sixth grader. senator i've been on this committee for 20 years. if you want to lecture me on the constitution, i appreciate it. just know i've been here for a long time. i come from a different place than you do. i respect your views. i ask you to respect my views. >> senator fine tine later

appeared on "the situation room" to discuss the situation. >> well, i just felt patronized. i felt he was somewhat arrogant about it. and you know, when you've come from where i've come from and what you've seen, and when you found a dead body and your put your finger in bullet holes you really impact the realize of weapons. >> a reputation for feisty behavior in committee hearings says no one doubts senator feinsteins asincerity or passion. looking live inside the vatican where pope francis is meeting with the full volage of cardinals including those who were too old to take part in the conclave. the pope offered a message of encouragement to his spiritual brothers. >> in these days we have noticed the effect and solidarity of the universal church, and also the interests of so many people who

may not share our faith. nonetheless, they respect it, and admire the church. >> the event included a misstep, literally. pope francis stumbled as he walked down steps to thank the dean of the college of cardinals, cardinal angelo sodano. >> that was a great -- >> i've done that like 10 billion times. >> last night the papal apartment was unsealed after francis celebrated a mass at the sistine chapel. there you go. >> here we go. >> i thought he handled that with incredible grace. >> absolutely. >> every step, every step is being watched these days as he begins his his his first days as pope. >> christine romans, thank you. ahead on "starting point," the triumph and the dream, carnival cruise facing a nightmare. so how liable is the company for all the growing troubles on these ships? >> we're going to talk about that. also a tenth record day for the

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regard to the carnival "triumph." because, you have to have two things under the ticket. you have to have negligence. plus you have to have either physical injury, or an exposure to actual physical injury. so we don't really, with regard to the "dream," it's really not the exposure to the actual physical injury like we saw on the "triumph." the people were exposed to days and days of raw sewage in the hallways, et cetera. here we have horrible conditions. here we do have the toilets backing up, once again, but apparently not offer the entire ship. >> this has got to be getting pretty expensive for carnival, though. flying all the people home from st. maarten. canceling the next cruise on this vessel and reimburse all those people. at what point does it become a real dollars and cents problem? >> right. now that's a very interesting thing. what's happening here is because this contrast this with the triumph. isn't this what they should have

done with regard to the "triumph"? they could have gotten everybody off from the "triumph," they could have gotten everybody off in cozumel and flown them back. but they took a risk and said we'll have everybody stay on, save some money flying them back. we'll have everybody stay on and then they realized, whoa, everybody's covering this. i mean, frankly, i think that's what happens. and so, yeah, i think you have to contrast this whole situation. because it really is comparable, isn't it? i mean, you have -- you have generator failure here, and industry insiders have told me that so much of it has to do with poor maintenance procedures. >> but, jack, despite the pictures, despite the stories, you talk to people who are cruisers and they cruise no matter what's happening. it seems like, the industry is pretty resilient. >> the industry is pretty resilient. i'm not -- you know, i'm not here to say it's a bad product. it can be a very good product. and it could be -- and it can be

a good value. you know, for the money. but it's just that there's such a lack of transparency here throughout the industry in regard to, okay, what's really wrong. i mean, really, carnival has not come out and said much about the triumph, have they? but you're right that the industry is pretty resilient. i think people are still going to cruise. although, we are getting a lot of inquiries and we're seeing on the internet a lot of people saying, look, you know, i wanted to cancel my next carnival cruise and they won't give me back my money, et cetera. so there is some, at least, immediate fallout with regard to carnival. >> all right, jack, maritime lawyer. suddenly a very busy, busy man. our thanks to you. >> thanks, guys. >> still ahead, the dow on a roll. not only setting records, it is turning people, as john berman wishes himself, into millionaires. christine romans explains next. 22 minutes past the hour on a friday. [ rosa ] i'm rosa and i quit smoking with chantix. when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok...

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you're always there for me. shh! i'll get you a rental car. i could also use an umbrella. fall in love with progressive's claims service. good morning, again, i'm christine romans. watching your money on wall street this morning, history in the making. the dow a record high. today could be maybe the 11th straight win. futures indicate a lower open but only by about two points so it remains to be seen. a gain today will mark the dow's best rally in 21 years. that's right. 21 years. it isn't just the dow. the s&p 500 is within two points of its record high. that valley so good right now that new millionaires are being minted every single day.

spectrum group says there are now 8.9 million households with net worth over 1 million in this country. that's pretty close to a record high. so what's the secret? they buy stock, they stayed in the market during the recession, when less wealthy investors bailed or people quite frankly who couldn't afford to be in the mark market. also housing is recovering and that helps the wealthy because they tend to own more property. a scathing senate report blaming jpmorgan chase for ignoring signs that led to a nearly $6 billion trading loss. the senate conducted a nine-month investigation of the so-called london whale. bad trade that led to huge losses for jpmorgan. report said jpmorgan ignored limits on risk taking, dodged oversight and misinformed the public. they also blame regulators for missing warning signs. jpmorgan says its senior management acted in good faith and it never had any intent to mislead anyone. one thing so interesting about this whole story is after what happened during the financial

crisis many people were saying how could you have a $6 billion loss at a bank? smaller bank or a different kind of loss, maybe that could have really been a problem for a big bank. it wasn't for jpmorgan, they absorbed the loss. but it could happen again is what made so many people very, very unhappy. jpmorgan ceo jamie dimon is by many is considered the smartest banker in america. >> they will get an earful from politicians. 28 minutes after the hour. ahead on "starting point," 18 days on the stand. jodi arias finally is done testifying. we're going to be joined by famed attorney jose baez. the criminal defense attorney who worked for casey anthony. he will join us and tell us what happens next. >> also ahead a terrifying moment caught on camera. this little girl attacked by a dog, those details coming up. [ male announcer ] if she keeps serving up sneezes... [ sneezing ] she may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec®. powerful allergy relief for adults and kids six years and older.

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arias claims it was all in self-defense. she ended her testimony thursday, kind of a showdown with the prosecution over her everchanging story about the knife. >> it would have taken time to actually look for it, wouldn't it? >> i guess under that theory. >> sure, under that theory. it would take time, right? >> yeah, i guess. >> needed to go get that knife at that point. correct? >> it's possible travis grabbed the knife first. >> you never told us he had any knife there, did you? >> no, i wasn't asked. >> the drama goes on and on and on. the judge and attorneys will meet today for an evidentiary hearing regarding testimony of a defense psychologist. if found guilty jodi arias could get the death penalty. >> let's talk about this. let's bring in criminal defense attorney jose bea ez who successfully defended casey anthony in 2011 and following the jodi arias case since day one.

welcome. lot to talk about. i want to talk about the one issue where you say this is the smoking gun, these photographs. we know this camera was found in the washing machine, and there were multiple pictures with timestamps, that the time, the date, here on those photos, some of which actually captured this bloody, gruesome attack. why do you say these are key? >> well, if you ask any prosecutor they'll tell you of dream cases when the murder is caught on tape. this is probably the second-best thing you can get. which is, you know, you have photographs of them beforehand, and you have photographs of him alive, and then 62 seconds later, you have a dead -- i photograph of him bleeding, or dying at that point. so, i think it's -- it's as much of a smoking gun as you're going to ever get after a video, of course. >> so jose, jodi arias finally done on the stand. and yesterday we heard from the first time from dr. richard samuels, psychologist who started talking about ptsd.

let's listen to what he said. >> people who suffer from stress producing trauma will frequently not recall what happened for a certain period starting at the beginning of the trauma until sometime thereafter. which could be measured either in hours, or even days, and -- >> now we get the ptsd defense trying to explain the gaps in her memory or the inconsistencies in her answers. you think this might hold water with the jury? >> well, this is what you're seeing now is the actual defense of this case. they had to put jodi on in order to put these mental health experts on, otherwise they wouldn't be able to testify as a matter of law. so they went through these 18 days, and i guess they came out, they may feel they survived it or not, but it's all going to depend on how convincing these mental health experts are going to be. what a lot of people don't realize, this is a death penalty case and the first thing you do in a death penalty case is try to save the client's life.

so, that sometimes will conflict with the guilt or innocence stage, and you know, at this point it really is about trying to save a life and nothing more. >> having talked to attorneys they say this is why this is going on for so long. it started in january. you really don't want to leave any stone unturned in a case that involves somebody's life for sure. it's interesting, jose. you mentioned the word surviving. so survived the stand for 18 days. a lot of back and forth. especially with those juror questions which is so unique in the state of arizona. how do you think she's done? >> well, it's -- it's really a double-edged sword here. in one sense, i think what the defense was doing was trying to humanize her with the jury. and she spent 18 days talking to them directly, having interaction with them through the questions. so, in that sense, they probably accomplished that goal. however there was one question that i really didn't like as it related to the death penalty and

that's when one juror asked, you mentioned you were -- thought about committing suicide multiple times. what stopped you? if i'm a defense lawyer, sitting at that table, i'm cringing at that question. it does not look good if the rest of the jury feels that way, too. >> every lawyer also has to be something of an amateur psychologist. jose baez, thank you. >> thanks for having me. >> christine romans. >> good morning. happy friday the alleged victim could take the stand today in day three of the steubenville, ohio, rape trial. two high school football players are charged with raping the 16-year-old girl last summer. the case exploded on the national scene after pictures of the girl looking as if she was passed out were posted on the internet. so far the prosecution's case has focused on those cell phone pictures and text messages from the defendants. new this morning a grand jury in florida is reportedly investigating new jersey congressman robert menendez. according to "the washington post" the fbi has interviewed several people in a probe of the

democrats' role in advocating for the business interest of his wealthy friend who is also a major political donor. last year menendez wrote a check for $58,000 to reimburse that friend for a trip to the dominican republic. tsa director john pistole defending his decision to congress to allow passengers to bring small knives on planes even though the entire airline industry opposes pistole's idea. he's refusing to back down. >> the small pocket knife is simply not going to result in catastrophic failure of an aircraft, and i provide explosive device will. and we know from internal covert tests in searching for these items which will not blow up an aircraft and distract our security officers from focusing on the components of an ied. >> the new rule allowing passengers to bring knives on planes takes effect on april 26th. check out this dramatic video of the rescue of a hiker who fell into a gorge in arizona. the man was hiking with a friend this week when he fell off the canyon wall plunged 70 feet,

crews reached him. they stayed with him through the night. he was then airlifted out of the canyon and is being treated for several broken bones. surveillance video captures a dog viciously attacking a 4-year-old little girl in new york. before showing you this video we want you to know that this little girl is okay. the dog comes out of nowhere, darting across the street, attacking the girl while she's holding the hand of an adult. within seconds, seconds, good samaritans were able to pull this dog off of her. i know it's just chilling. the little girl amazingly suffered only puncture wounds on her right arm and leg. but i'm telling you, that's why kids are afraid of dogs. >> thank goodness those other people were there to help. >> i know. i know. >> frightening. >> all right. >> i can't believe it. ahead this morning, a compelling documentary. we want to show you part of this. you don't want to miss this. we have award winning filmmakers joining us here in studio to talk about, these are personal stories, emotional stories of families, kids, here in one

town, and the extraordinary measures they take to try to just make ends meet. >> and then, the 48-year-old boxer who just became the oldest champ to win a title. breaking his own record. bernard hopkins looking pretty good. he is here live just moments you're watching "starting point." . sore knee. blast of cold feels nice. why don't you use bengay zero degrees? it's the one you store in the freezer. same medicated pain reliever used by physical therapists. that's chilly! [ male announcer ] bengay zero degrees. freeze and move on.

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this morning we're talking about this new documentary with pretty unique look as to how one town, and a number of its families, are struggling just to put food on the table, make ends meet. >> for the makers of american winter spent months in oregon's 211 call center as people desperate for food, shelter, money, called there looking for help. here's a look.

>> thanks for calling 211. how can i help you? >> i need help with our electric bill. >> we just got an eviction notice. >> are you sleeping in your car? >> under a bridge, actually. >> yeah, and it's cold. >> i came home, no light, no nothing. >> it's been three days since the water got turned off. >> to get foreclosed on. >> not making the money to pay for our house. he's working his butt off to try to find a job. >> i went through the whole phone book, not one of them said they were hiring. >> i hear them saying we skipped dinner because we need to feed our kids. >> working for minimum wage you'll never achieve the american dream. >> forget dreams, how do we make it to tomorrow? tomorrow is the dream. >> it's so hard for me to listen to the kids talking about that. >> forget the dream, we just have to make it to tomorrow. >> american winter debuts monday on hbo at 9:00 p.m. eastern time. with us now are the award winning producers joe and harry, thanks so much for joining us. >> thanks for having us. >> the families you profiled

here and you really do tell some unique personal stories here, these are families that three, four years ago were all doing okay. they were comfortable, and now they have fallen on hard times. why did you decide to tell that story? >> well, we had seen a lot of films that had been done on the causes of the great recession. but very few about the results. the human space of the recession. that's what we wanted to do, tell the stories about the -- and it's in this country, almost the majority of the people, they say, are receiving some type of social services or close to the poverty line. so we wanted to tell the story from their point of view, and especially the kids' point of view. >> right, right. to hear the kids say i know my parents are skipping dinner so i can have a warm meal to eat at night. the next question, then, is so you all were sitting at this 211 call center, in oregon, where you call if you need help. so you're basically picking some of these families, you determine who you want to profile. obviously they all have in common this struggle.

but beyond that, what else sort of binds all these families together? >> so, listening to calls, and hundreds of calls are coming in each day, families who can't pay their water, their electricity, they're on the verge of being evicted, health issues, can't put enough food on the table, and then we started working with them. what i noticed is, the stress that these families are under. not knowing if they have to pay one bill or another, if they're going to be able to take care of their families, the stress is just overwhelming. and there's no quality of life. it's just morning till night worrying how they're going to make ends meet. >> the kids again, i can't get it out of my head. what's it like talking to these kids? ohio much do the kids actually understand? >> well, the kids, even though the parents do their best to shield them from the economic stresses they're under, it's impossible to do that. because if you come home and the lights aren't on and you're trying to study or there's not enough food on the table, it can't help but affect them. and they grow up very, very

quickly. they have to be -- take on adult stresses at an age when they should just be a kid. >> the lights not being on i just want to play one more clip. when you're talking to a man not being able to pay his electric bill. watch. >> talking to my dad, he tries to keep my head up. he'll help when he can. this last month, i had to call him up, and have him pay the electric bill. it's not easy. you're a 50-year-old man, and you have to call your dad to pay the electric bill. >> hmm. >> and john has a down sim drone child he raises. >> so you hear these stories, through tears, or children, and my next question is, so you have this film, but then what? i mean, it's privately funded grant, correct, private what was

it private donations, what's the takeaway? >> well, there's so many myths and stereotypes about the families who need social services. they're lazy, they're not trying hard, they made mistakes. this film really dispels that. these are hard-working folks. they've been working since they were teenagers and they want nothing more than to get some help and get back on their feet so they can be contributing members again in society. >> can i just ask quickly, is there reason for hope? has anything turned around since you finished filming this for any of these people? >> some of them have gotten into a better situation. but for instance a lot of them were working at jobs that are $20 an hour and they got rehired at jobs that were $12 or $13 an hour. the hope is the fortitude these families have, what it takes to survive in those situations thee are the heroes, and the takeaway is that the hope is in the love they have for each other, and hopefully, that the government will come around and fund the social safety net in a way that can help them get back on their feet because it's a lot cheaper to fund them before they fall

into abject poverty than to try to get them out of it. >> our hopes are all with them. joe gantz, harry gantz. thanks a lot. >> thank you. >> best of luck. >> ahead on "starting point," history in the ring. we're talking about 48-year-old bernard hopkins. he just became the oldest boxer to win a title and he did it by knocking out a guy like 17 years younger. he's here live to talk about that victory. you're watching "starting point." if youthen this willbrids arbe a nice surprise. meet the 5-passenger ford c-max hybrid. c-max come. c-max go. c-max give a ride to everyone it knows. c max has more passenger volume than competitor prius v and we haven't even mentioned... c-max also gets better mpg. say hi to the super fuel efficient ford c-max hybrid.

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this video. this is history in the making. i'm talking about boxer bernard hopkins in the purple trunks, looking amazing and beating tamarus cloud, 17 years his junior. hopkins the oldest fighter ever to win a champion belt. he broke a record he knew something about. >> he is 48 years young, right? is that what we're saying, after the unanimous decision from the three judges. the title belt here on the table in the studio. watch the entire fight on hbo demand. we have the champion right here in person. bernard hopkins with the huge belt. hold it up. is it heavy? >> yes. it has some weight to it. 25 pounds. >> congratulations. >> i'm feeling great. thank you. i did a soft workout after the fight. >> define soft workout for me? >> jumped rope, shadowboxed with my coach and out of the gym in

the hour. >> but no one was pumping you. >> in boxing, you are much older at 48 than a lot of guys that are you fighting. how on earth are you doing this? >> outsmarting the guys, strategy is better. in the end, when you look at health and awareness we have in front of us, i took advantage of that early in my career, and really extended my career, health wise, and i'm playing it out. >> let's talk about the health. on the commercial break, you say, look, i walk the walk, i talk the talk. you have been doing this for 2 1/2 decades. you eat well, you work out, you are not out drinking. that is key. >> i don't drink at all. wine, nothing. >> nothing. >> well documented. >> if we do all of that at 48 we can look good and look like you? >> you got to start earlier in life. i tell people, you didn't get that way overnight and you are

not going to get healthy overnight. it's a process that take place. you have to take time, work your way up to as they say a championship level. i tell people that in life. you work your way up. don't try to asplish ccomplish two days, three days. >> not an overnight thing. >> yes. nothing is really that quick to progress. so you have to take time. put time in, and put work in. >> and you are boxing really smart now. boxing differently than you might have 20 years ago. >> part of that longevity. that extended what i've been doing for the last, you know, five years, or longer and being 40. once i hit 40, you know -- you know. >> oh, i do. >> most people saying today. >> she definitely don't know. but most people know when you are 40, you should be well out of boxing five years ago. 35 is normally the window where they really start writing you

off, hey, 35, fighting a guy that's 25. but i really superseded everybody's expectations to where i'm at. >> somebody said you get a second wind in your 40s. have you experienced that? obviously you have. >> i have my third wind. >> did she make you promise no more fighting after 40? >> she never wanted me to fight past the age where i couldn't protect myself. a mother of concern. she grew up in philadelphia, to joe frasers, people she knew in the neighborhood wasn't physically in great shape so any mother's care and love would say, don't fight past, you know, this date or this year or this birthday. at that time i was in my 30s, and so she was concerned about that. and it was a promise and, you know -- but i believe she's part of my success, protecting me with the boss upstairs at the

roundtable. i don't know how much time i've got, i have to get out of boxing sooner than later, but i extended my career way past my expectations. >> is this it? are you retiring? >> no. but i'm not going to fight until i'm 50 like it's said over the air waves. >> you look good, my man. bernard hopkins, congratulations. >> still ahead on "starting point," the stunning reversal on gay marriage by one of the leading conservative voices in the u.s. senate. reaction, pouring in this morning to the story from our chief congressional correspondent dana bash, getting this one-on-one, on why ohio republican rob portman is now a supporter. veronica mars coming to the big screen after devoted fans -- fans, coughed up more than $2 million to make it happen. the cult classic creator, rob

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now for aveeno®. good morning, happy friday. i'm brooke baldwin. >> i'm john berman. great to see you today. soledad is off. starting point, a really surprising change of heart. rob portman reverses his decision on gay marriage for a very personal reason. dana bash with the exclusive tv interview and the reaction that is really coming in quick. >> and you have to see this. we have this video. minutes ago, this wild police chase, through the streets of detroit. look at him going here. cars, slamming into one another before the police finally surround the driver.

that full story, coming up. more trouble for carnival cruise passengers. yes, more. one liner is stuck in port, another having heat issues. this the latest in a string of issues in the last month. >> and the dream coming true for john berman and millions of veronica mars fans. i don't know. we'll talk to rob thomas about this record breaking, i'm talking millions, in the kick starter campaign to get this film made. i'm just joshing with you. "starting point" begins right now. >> we will talk about all things, rob meyers, former spokesperson for young america foundation, and he is here, as is richard socarides, writer for

new yorker.com. our starting point, a cnn exclusive. ohio's republican senator, rob portman, reversing his position on same-sex marriage after learning his own son is gay. >> what an interview. cnn's chief congressional correspondent dana bash, landing this exclusive joins us live from washington. dana, you know, excellent back and forth. tell us about it. >> well, you know, it was very hard for him it was very clear. he admitted that. especially hard for midwestern guy, brought up not to talk about this kind of thing to do so. at one point, brooke, i noticed his hands were trembling. he wanted to make this announcement for his son and now for his constituents. >> governor mitt romney. >> reporter: you probably recognize ohio senator rob portman from his tireless campaigning for mitt romney, even on his short list for vice president. he's been a leading republican

voice on the economy for four decades. >> we need to spur economic growth and create more jobs. >> reporter: now the prominent conservative from ohio will be known for something else. changing his hard-line position against gay marriage. which he revealed to cnn, and the very personal reason behind his reversal. >> i'm announcing today a change of heart on an issue that a lot of people feel strongly about that has to do with gay couples' opportunity to marry. i've come to the conclusion for me personally, i think this is something that we should allow people to do, to get married, to have the joy and the stability of marriage that i've had for over 26 years. i want all three of my kids to have it including our son who is gay. >> reporter: that unexpected revelation came from portman's 21-year-old son will two years ago. >> my son came to jane, my wife and i, and told us that he was gay. and that it was not a choice,

and that, you know, that's just part of who he is. he's been that way ever since he can remember. >> reporter: what was your reaction when he told you? >> love, support. you know, 110%. >> reporter: surprise? surprise. yeah. >> reporter: had you no idea? >> no idea. and, you know, again, that launched a process of rethinking the issue. >> reporter: until now, all of this was secret to most, but not everyone. you were vetted to be a vice presidential candidate. did you tell mitt romney your son was gay? >> yes, of course. >> reporter: how did he react? >> i told mitt romney everything. that process is intrusive is one way to put it. but, no, i told him everything. >> reporter: you think that was a deal breaker? >> no, no. i really don't. >> reporter: how can you be sure? >> well, because, you know, he told me. >> reporter: portman never outspoken on gay marriage, but consistently voted against it,

supporting a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, defense of marriage act and a bill prohibiting gay couples in washington, d.c. from adopting children. what do you say to a gay constituent in ohio who says i'm so glad he's changed his position, but why did it take him learning he a gay son? why didn't he as my representative care about my rights before that? >> well, i would say that, you know, i've had a change of heart based on a personal experience, that's certainly true. on the budget committee, the finance committee, for a reason. those have always been my primary issues and my focus. so now it's different. you know, i -- i hadn't expected to be in this position, but i do think, you know, having spent a lot of time thinking about it and working through the issue personally, that, you know, this is -- this is where i am for

reasons that are consistent with my political philosophy, including family values, including being a conservative who believes the family is a building block of society. i'm comfortable there now. >> the senate might look at this and say he's a politician, why is he doing this now when he found out two years ago? >> two things. one i'm comfortable with the position, and took me a while to rethink things, when we get to this position. >> reporter: the second reason? the supreme court, which will soon hear a case of gay marriage cases and portman suggested that to generate questions about his position. >> i thought it was the right time to let folks know where i stand so there is no confusion, so i would be clear about it. >> reporter: senator portman penned an op-ed in this morning's hometown paper, "the columbus dispatch" to explain his reversal to his constitue constituents, many who elected him as a traditional christian conservative who won't be happy.

he said i wrestled with how to reconcile my christian faith for my desire for will to have the same opportunities to pursue happiness and fulfillment as his brother and sister. ultimately, it came down to the bible's overarching themes of love and compassion and my belief that we are all children of god." he even went back and read the passage of he will wileviticus,y site cite as their source of opposition to homosexuality. he thought it was most important to support the institution of marriage for everyone. that was paramount. >> what about his son, will, dana. he is reacting to this public acknowledgment this morning, isn't he? >> reporter: he is. he sent a simple tweet. especially proud of my dad today. the two of them will go -- it's will portman's spring break, and they'll go on an annual trip of whitewater rafting. he said it was perfect timing

for them to be able to bond after this public discussion about his son's very personal life. >> hang on for a second. i want to bring in our panel. richard, have you been working on gay rights issues a long time. i could see people in the gay rights movement look at this decision by rob portman and say this is what we've been saying all along. it's a personal issue. issues for people in their families, they want to make decisions based on themselves. we've been telling you this all along. is it frustrating that it takes something like this for them to come around? >> i'm not frustrated at this point. i think this is a beautiful story and beautifully reported. dana did a beautiful job with it a family coming to terms with something that's important to one of their kids. he handled it beautifully. everyone is entitled to their own journey on this particular issue. no one starts out reporting on

gay marriage. i think everybody has to come to it. he has come to it through a classy way and personal experience. that question he answered when dana asked him, i've changed my views based on a personal experience i've had. is very honest and really quite courageous of the whole family. >> ron, what do you think? >> i think this is -- in the conservative movement on this issue, u.s. a very complex issue. personally, i think marriage is too important and too divisive as an issue left to the federal government. we should be having this discussion at a local level. all change starts locally, and it's a deep discussion we need to have. and it's a touching story and i hope it opens the minds of a lot of conservatives. u.s. a touching issue. a lot of people have strong religious feelings. people have strong views in favor of gay marriage, those shouldn't be ignored. and having the federal government say you are right, you are wrong, probably isn't the best choice. >> conservative argument in

favor of gay marriage. >> depends on the state level where you stand. >> thank you. stick around, dana bash, thank you. i want to get to another big story, another day, another carnival cruise ship in trouble at sea. at this hour, the carnival "legend" having serious propulsion problems, stuck in the caribbean. can't operate at full speed. cancelling the scheduled stop in grand cayman and limping home to tampa. on wednesday, the carnival "dream" stranded in st. maarten. stuck four hours and flown directly home and christina has the latest. >> reporter: for some passengers, it was a cruise that didn't live up to their dreams. and to some of us, their complaints sounded a note of deja vu. clogged toilets, interruption to elevateors, power outages, same cruiseline, carnival, but a

different ship than left people at sea several days with no air conditioning and unsanitary living conditions. the problem on "dream" wheere n wear near the "triumph" a month ago. >> the water rose up being like you would at home, the water would rise up to the top of the bowl. >> reporter: carnival says the "dream" got stuck in port at the caribbean island resort at st. maarten when the backup generator failed during a routine inspection. at no time did the ship lose power and the ship's propulsion systems and primary power source was not impacted. they said all guests are safe and comfortable with only periodic interruptions to elevators and restrooms for a few hours. >> they thought it was minor, something more complicated, which is why we're still here. as far as power outages go, i didn't notice it personally.

>> reporter: the latest aborted voyage on the debacle involving "triumph" that spent five days adrift at sea. attracting worldwide attention as passengers posted picture after picture of the unsanitary and altogether unpleasant conditions on the ship. >> this is a management problem. doing something wrong with preventive maintenance. carnival has so many working ships that to say that the fleet is in distress is maybe a little bit broad, but clearly something is not working right. >> ironically, one day before "dream's" problems, carnival announced it was conducting a comprehensive review the entire fleet. "dream" gue "guests were offere refund on the three days it was cut short and 50% off a future cruise. delta chartered flights will transport those 4,300 stranded passengers beginning this morning on hourly flights, first

scheduled flight is supposed to arrive in orlando around 10:00 a.m. and will continue to do so throughout the day tomorrow, saturday, until everyone is home. everyone is anxious to get home. with this latest "legend" casualty, that makes four ships this month alone, the "legend," "dream," "elation" with steering problems and "the triumph" who had to be towed back to port last month. the ceo has issued a statement saying they have comprehensive programs in place to inspect the entire fleet, which contains 23 ships. >> christina, thank you. i wanted to get to the story at the top of the hour. this wild police chase in detroit. christine romans has that. >> let me show you the video. a dramatic ending to an erratic police chase. this is from wdiv affiliate.

after a dangerous pursuit. three police vehicles barricaded the car. several other responders immediately followed and the driver arrested ultimately. unclear why he was running, but running he was, and a dramatic ending there. sonar equipment brought in to find missing teacher terrilynn monnette who disappeared almost two weeks ago. equusearch has recovered more than one vehicle submerged in the lagoons and waterways in the city park. none of them is the missing honda accord. last seen at a bar on march 2nd, celebrating her nomination as teacher of the year. missing two weeks now. wall street, dow at a record high. today, could it be? the 11th straight win? quite a winning streak. it could be close. futures down a couple points. any gains will be remarkable. it will mark the dow's best rally in 21 years. the s & p 500, many mutual funds

track the s & p 500, within two points of record highs. analyst sam stovall says this is like water torture for bulls and bears. bulls worried momentum could slow, bears are spooked. a man under arrest after going on a parking lot rampage outside a home depot store outside riverside utah. >> he can't do that. >> he sure did. he made a scene before running down the row of storage sheds. they arrested this guy, dave ar ivey, found two handguns, three rifles, all loaded in the truck. that's not all. before the camera started rolling, he struck a stop sign and then a light pole. a very, scary, busy day alleged for dave. too bad for the storage sheds. >> a lot of aggression on storage sheds. >> i would say so, yeah. >> a lot of aggression driving this morning. >> it's friday. what's going on? >> beware. ahead on "starting point,"

conservatives gathering for the annual c-pac conference. next, house speaker newt gingrich here live. we'll get his reaction to the story we've been talking about all morning. senator rob portman's gay marriage reversal. >> and president clinton gets photo bombed. his locker room antics. coming up. [ man ] i've been out there most of my life. you name it...i've hooked it. but there's one... 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!!!!! ♪ quattro!!!!!

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for the times you need to double-check the temperature on the thermometer, be ready. for high fever, nothing works faster or lasts longer. be ready with children's motrin. welcome back, everyone. one of the previews much the 2016 election in full swing. cpac a proving ground of sorts. two rising gop stars, marco rubio and rand paul gave speeches that sounded like a preview to an election.

>> just because with believe all human life is worthy of protection of every stage of development. >> i will stand for our prosperity and our freedom and ask everyone who values liberty to stand with me. >> mitt romney and donald trump highlight today's cpac section. he is newt gingrich, former republican presidential candidate and former speaker of the house. good morning. >> good to be with you. >> let me begin with the exclusive interview that dana bash nabbed with very conservative midwestern senator rob portman and his changing stance on gay marriage. your stance has evolved as recently as december. what's your reaction? >> well, i haven't evolved. i observed in december we're faced with realities that are different than my personal

beliefs. i believe as the bible teaches, marriage is between a man and woman. marriage is between a man and a woman no matter what politicians decide. i don't think they have the power to change what is religiously inspired definition. but it's an objective fact that a number of states have legalized relationships between same-sex couples and that will create an american society, a great deal of complexity, and i think that whether you are for traditional marriage or somehow for changing it, we have to understand how complicated the next few years will be as we sort out just the practical legalities different than the moral principles are. >> specifically, i wanted you to react to senator portman now fully supports gay marriage. what do you make of that change? >> i'm not going to second guess rob portman. he's an old personal friend. when have you somebody in your immediate family who comes in,

you have three choices, could you say i believe my principles so much, i'm kicking you out. could you say i believe in my principles, but i love you. or you can say, gee, i love you so much i'm changing my principles. rob picked the third path. that's his prerogative. historically in the long run, i think marriage will be between man and woman, that's been the definition for thousands of years. >> let's change to cpac now, the conservative political conference. you will be speaking there. you have been invited. others not so much. chris christie, rob mcdonald. a lot of people have say, i don't know what cpac is today. it draws students, it gets a lot of attention. i don't know who defines who gets to come in and who doesn't get to come in my sense, the board not very clear and open on

what it's thinking. you go on and on. how concerned are you about -- >> first of all, i'm not particularly concerned. 23 people on the presidential poll ballot. very healthy. an openness. and governor christie and governor macdonald, they should have invited both to speak, both are remarkable reformers with great records. i was there talking and doing some things on radio row, you see 2,500 students signed up, you see thousands of people coming, some of whom have been coming since it was started 40 years ago, look at the diversity of speakers, governor perry gave a great speech yesterday. senator rubbo and senator rand gave good speeches yesterday, this is sort of like a giant county fair of conservative ideas, and i think that useful. >> chris christie wasn't welcome. a giant county fair where some people weren't invited. >> i said bluntly, i thought

that was a mistake. all i'm suggesting on balance, they get 95%, they don't get 100. the largest political ideas gathering in the country and if you look at the total number of speeches given, the workshops, et cetera, i'll be there tomorrow morning. speaking, and introducing one of the movies we've made with citizens united. it's a terrific venue if you believe in activism and ideas. >> mr. speaker, you mentioned senator rand paul's speech. let me play one clip for you. >> the gop of old has grown stale and moss covered. i don't think we need to name any names. >> stale and moss covered. on my show a couple months ago, he stayed he was fearful the party will become a dinosaur what do you think? is that a fear of yours. >> personally, that is a fear of

mine. i wrote a newsletter urging every conservative in the country to read "citizenville," a book by gavin newsom, the former mayor of san francisco and lieutenant governor of california. the best book on how the information age will allow us to go back to a citizen based society and get away from bureaucracy. when you end up with a liberal democrat writing the best book on dismantling democracy, you can tell there is something missing from republican dialog. have you a ted cruz, mike leigh, you just mentioned rand paul. and you look around the country at a whole new generation of governors doing very innovative things, i'll be following scott walker tomorrow morning. nikki hailey, suzanna martinez. i think we'll be fine in the long run, but the old guard of the party gets too crusty and a little too antiideas. i think that's unfortunate. are are stale, moss covered and

now crusty. >> thank you. thank you for joining us this morning. we really appreciate it. >> and ron meyer nodding his head yes. >> what rand paul says is exactly right on. we're seeing refreshing of the republican party. we need it. what's happening, we have forgotten our principles the last 20 years, what basically rand said and rubio said and echoed by someone more establishment. we have to look at a moral case, and say how balanced budget is the right thing to do and policies to change, good for community like detroit, portland, oregon, which we talked about on the show earlier, that can give the people the right to rise out of poverty. not rely on the government and stop focusing on just surviving and say what will i tell my kids in 20 years i apolished. i think we'll bring a lot more folks in the movement if we inspired that. >> the most interesting thing

that speaker gingrich said, of course, he said he was not going to criticize senator partmortma but when he described it, he said that portman abandoned his principles when he was gay. it doesn't sound like all will be as supportive. >> 25 minutes after the hour. ahead on "starting point," a lot of women love the duchess of cambridge. but one thing they really, really like about her. and apparently want. this is what is trending, i am dying to find out what this is. we'll tell you all about it, next. [ nyquil bottle ] you know i relieve coughs, sneezing, fevers... [ tylenol bottle ] me too! and nasal co [ tissue box ] he said nasal congestion. yeah...i heard him. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't.

much more ahead on "starting poi point," including moms taking on macaroni and cheese. >> and fans of veronica mars taking action. we will talk about the record-breaking campaign to green light it. and veronica mars movie. you're watching "starting point." >> i dislocated my shoulder. , b. for the times you need

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coming up, mothers behind a movement to get rid of the yellow dye from kraft macaroni and cheese. they will join us, telling us why they are taking on the foodmaker. >> first, christine romans and today's top stories. the defendant rests. je jodi ar ras on trial for murdering her ex-boyfriend, travis alexander. earlier, we asked casey anthony's attorney, jose baes, what he thought of her testimony. >> one question i really didn't as it related to the death penalty. you mentioned you thought about committing suicide multiple times. what stopped you? if i'm a defense lawyer sitting at that table, i'm cringing at that question. it does not look good if the rest of the jury feels that way too. >> if she's convicted, jodi arias could face the death

penalt penalty. matthew keys, accused of conspiring with hackers group amonday house in. he used to work as a web producer, fired just over two years ago this happened before he worked at reuters. pro football being asked to tackle discrimination when it comes to sexual orientation. the new york attorney general sent a letter to the nfl to restate the policy, after several college players say they were asked about their dating habits by teams during the scouting events last month all teams are required to follow federal and state employment laws. in philadelphia, girls can play youth football. 11-year-old carolyn is the first beneficiary. last year she was told she couldn't play, but the decision was reversed. caroline's mom credits an online petition which received, get

this, 110,000 signatures. you go, girl. >> love that. 33 minutes after the hour. something we've all had and could very well be on your shelves right now. kraft macaroni & cheese. i had a million boxes self. two women are taking on craft, asking them to change the food that so many people love. >> in an online petition, they say "we recently discovered that several american products are using harmful additives that are not usesed and in some cases banned in other countries. kraft macaroni and cheese in the u.s. contains artificial food dyes yellow number five and yellow number 6. these are not in kraft macaroni and cheese in other countries, including the uk, because they were removed due to consumer outcry. >> the petition was started by food bloggers. one a mom and aunt.

>> thank you. >> what made you get into this? >> bonnie and i are both food bloggers. i blog at 100 days of real food. and she blogs on food investigations. recently she looked into ingredients not used in other countries but used here. we were alarmed by what we uncovered. basically these companies, american companies using ingredients in our food that are not used, and in some cases banned elsewhere. we decided we needed to do something about it. we strategically picked kraft macaroni and cheese, an iconic food product, trying to get our message across. these dyes are for cosmetic reasons only and do pose risks and we'd like to get them out of our food. >> the fda said, based on the data reviewed, a casual relationship between exposure to color additives and

hyperactivity in children in the general population has not been established. however, for certain susceptible children with adhd and other problem behaviors, the data suggests their condition may be exacerbated by exposure to a number of substances in food, including, but not limited to artificial food colors. the dyes are for looks only. no nutritional value. what you are looking for, you want this taken out of all foods? i know are you focusing on kraft. >> absolutely. we didn't just pick kraft for no reason. they are the largest food company headquartered in the united states. they have the largest footprint to be the leader here. we have over 235,000 signatures on our petition right now and hundreds and thousands of letters calling for them to remove artificial dyes and have not responded to this mass amount of people to us. and we're wondering why they continue to exploit the fda laws to their advantage and basically, you know, eliminate

these artificial dyes that do pose risk. the funny thing is when you read these letters from moms and from aunts and uncles and from all of the american public that have sent those to us, and you read the dramatic results that have happened when they have eliminated artificial dyes from their children's diet or their diet, whether they stopped having explosive outbursts or exzema or asthma becaus of this, this is a real issue, and this is something the fda should address but honestly hasn't. they have been petitioned. it hasn't moved at all. >> let me read a statement from kraft. they say the safety and quality of our products is the highest priority and we take consumer concerns very seriously. we carefully follow the laws and regulations in the countries where our products are sold. in the u.s., we only use colors approved and deemed safe for food use by the food and drug administration. >> are there other products on the market that don't have this.

the version of the mac& cheese that don't have this on the shelf. if you have a child that has a behavioral delay, it is up to the parent to really be aware and let the free market work, go out and find products that doesn't have an additive that are you concerned about? >> well, certainly in an ideal world, but the average consumer is not versed on reading and understanding ingredient labels and might also not realize that the problems they see in their child is a result of these artificial dyes. we feel there are alternatives that are safer and better, already being used in other countries, but to be on the safe side, we're asking kraft to proactively remove those dyes. >> at my grocery store, there are 45 different kinds of mac& cheese. when i was growing up, there was one. now there are 40 different. organic, white cheese only, wheat noodles.

you guys are the food bloggers, there seem to be more choices so maybe awareness is working. >> they have about 14 products without these artificial dyes, but over 30 with them, and all the ones with cartoon characters, directly targeted toward children have yellow number 5 and yellow number 6 in them, specifically to the demographic harmed by the ingredient. in europe, they require a warning label. here we do not. kraft needs to be a leader and own up to the change. >> we have to leave it there. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> sign our petition at change.org/kraftyellow. >> thank you, ladies. >> 40 minutes past the hour on a friday. still ahead, this -- >> veronica mars fans rejoicing this morning after their kick starter campaign raised record funds to green light a movie. rob thomas will join us live with the status of that beloved project. stay with us.

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new life for veronica mars

is short lived. but the much loved cult tv series, after fans kicked in millions of dollars to green light the movie. veronica mars aired three seasons. but the series creator rob thomas took the quick start to raise money for the film. >> he figured it would take a month to raise $2 million he wanted, but fans did it in 12 hours. 12 hours. rob thomas joins us now from austin right now, sitting on a pile of cash, no doubt. rob, great to see you today. let me play a clip of how you launched this campaign. a kick starter pro month you put out. let's play that. >> okay. we all want to make the movie, the question is, how? >> we should ask rob. >> he's been pretty busy. >> think i ryan is right. rob will know what to do. >> fine. any suggestions, rob?

>> well, actually i do have a few ideas. i think we have the fans fund the movie. >> and fund it they are. tell us about this, rob. how -- 2 million bucks. >> and that number is rising. >> when i left the house this morning, we were at 3$3.2 millin mind blowing, beyond my wildest dreams. i was hoping that we would pass the $2 million mark, but this -- i never could have imagined we would do it in half a day. >> how exactly did this work? did you go to warner brothers and say hey, we want to make the film. you have to prove you have the fan support and the dow ugh to come along with it? how does this work? >> we had the kick start idea when we went to them. i went to warner brothers many years ago to try to do a veronica mars movie the standard way. but warner brothers is in the business of making $30 million

movies. and they weren't sure veronica mars warranted that kind of investment. when i saw bans raise money for albums and raising $10,000 or whatever, i thought maybe we could do this on kick starter, but it will take millions of dollars, and no one sought that kind of money at the time, and i took it to warper brothers and said what do you think? it took them a while to get their heads around it, but they gave us permission to give it a shot. >> you think the way you changed the way movies need to be made. a new type of venture capitalism. fans buy into the film. guess what? you get a double whammy of support there. other filmmakers will look at doing the same thing. >> well, i'm already hearing from other filmmakers. specifically hearing from other tv show writers of shows canceled before their time. shows that had cult audiences. >> pop rocks. >> really devoted fan base.

i have not heard from them yet. but i know that others are watching us very closely and seeing how we do with this. >> what i wonder, is what is the most that's ever been raised on kick starter, number one? number two, usually investors in motion pictures own rights to the motion pictures, right? but if you give money on kick starter, do people own a little piece of this movie? >> no, they don't own a piece of the movie, but they are buying rewards. they are essentially getting good value for the dollar. for example, like the most popular reward or price point that we have for a $35 donation, our backers get a download of the movie, veronica mars movie t-shirt and a copy of the script. so it's really -- it's good -- u.s. a good investment. you know, i studied a lot of the kick starter successful

fund-raising drives, and the ones that do the best, you know, including the project that went over $10 million, offers the product. they are selling what they are making, and what we're really asking fans to do is prebuy the movie. nothing more. we're not -- you know, we're not offering a $4 tote bag for a $100 investment. we think we're good value for the dollar. are you just buying it before it's made. >> $3.2 million and counting. and really sending shock waves throughout the industry. congratulations, thank you for joining us. >> thank you so much. >> maybe a little donating can get you a bit role on cop rock. >> tough thing apparently. it was one of the best shows ever. let's start raising money. >> i'll take your word on it. let's move on. a story you're waiting for berman. duchess of cambridge has something a lot of women want. not her hubby, not the duke.

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a look at what's trending this morning. bill clinton, you've been photo bombed.

the former president paid a visit to the louisville locker room after the cardinals 74-55 victory over villanova last night. shane bohannon posted these candid locker room photos and very quickly went viral. bill clinton's "got swag." >> and the new york daily news says that something that the duchess of cambridge has that american women really want. what could it be? her nose. a surge in women asking plastic surgeons for the kate middleton nose apparently. one new york doctor says he has 20 women scheduled to get the "royal treatment" over the next month, and about $7,000 a pop. >> she is lovely. >> you don't get the rest of the face, just that little part. >> gentlemen. >> i think i should invest. it comes to a point where --

worst thing for the royal family in america. we escaped from them for a reason. hey, if you want their nose, take their nose. >> she has a very nice nose. >> the middleton family and their anatomy. >> oh, berman! berman! >> "end point" is next. ♪ [ acoustic guitar: upbeat ] [ dog ] we found it together. on a walk, walk, walk. love to walk. yeah, we found that wonderful thing. and you smiled. and threw it.

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