phillips'. love your passat! um. listen, gary. i bought the last one. nice try. says right here you can get one for $199 a month. you can't believe the lame-stream media, gary. they're all gone. maybe i'll get one. [ male announcer ] now everyone's going to want one. you can't have the same car as me, gary! i'm gettin' one. nope! [ male announcer ] volkswagen springtoberfest is here and there's no better time to get a passat. that's the power of german engineering. right now lease one of four volkswagen models for under $200 a month. visit vwdealer.com today. for those nights when it's more than a bad dream, be ready. 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. how did i know? well, i didn't really. see, i figured low testosterone would decrease my sex drive... but when i started losing energy and became moody... that's when i had an honest conversation with my doctor.

we discussed all the symptoms... then he gave me some blood tests. showed it was low t. that's it. it was a number -- not just me. [ male announcer ] today, men with low t have androgel 1.62% (testosterone gel). the #1 prescribed topical testosterone replacement therapy, increases testosterone when used daily. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or signs in a woman, which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are or may become pregnant or are breastfeeding, should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting.

so...what do men do when a number's too low? turn it up! [ male announcer ] in a clinical study, over 80% of treated men had their t levels restored to normal. talk to your doctor about all your symptoms. get the blood tests. change your number. turn it up. androgel 1.62%. welcome back. we just got some news in from south africa, our bureau in south africa. 24 people according to police were killed in a bus crash. this is in the west province. it was a double-decker bus. the driver also killed when he lost control of the vehicle as he was approaching a curve. there were 67 passengers all part of a church group apparently. 24 people killed. we'll have more on that as we get it. meanwhile, that's it for me. thanks for watching "around the world." you're going to carry on however. >> that's right. we have much more straight ahead. thanks so much, michael. have a great weekend.

>> you too. welcome to the "cnn newsroom." i'm fredricka whitfield. mitt romney will be speaking this hour at the conservative political action conference. his first major speech since the presidential election. live pictures right now outside of washington, d.c. in maryland. so would you also believe that there's trouble on another carnival cruise ship? yes, the second day in a row. and u.s. senator rob portman makes a stunning aboutface on same sex marriage after learning his son is gay. this is the "cnn newsroom." i'm fredricka whitfield in for suzanne malveaux. topping our news day two at the conservative political action conference near washington and some of the republican party's biggest stars are speaking. congressman paul ryan talked about the federal budget. and donald trump had a word or two about immigration. >> when it comes to immigration, you know that the 11 million

illegals even if given the right to vote, you know, you're going to have to do what's right, but the fact is 11 million people will be voting democratic. >> historically we've paid a little less than one-fifth of our income in taxes to the federal government each year. but the federal government has spent a lot more. so our budget matches spending with income. >> again, mitt romney is to speak this hour. his first since losing the presidential race. we'll go there live as he starts talking. but first let's bring in our brianna keilar who is at the conference in maryland. so, brianna, this is romney's first speech. highly anticipated. >> reporter: highly anticipated his first major speech, fredricka, since his loss in november. we saw him give an interview recently to fox news channel. but as you can imagine it's very different i think sitting down one-on-one with someone versus

being here in an auditorium of so many people, literally could be thousands of people watching him here in national harbor, maryland. we're told by a source familiar with what he's going to say that his comments will be personal and that they will be forward looking. obviously his campaign -- he and his campaign weathered a whole lot of criticism for the loss in november. so it will be really interesting to see how he deals with that. because the theme of this whole conference even though we're seeing a little looking back with mitt romney being a speaker and sarah palin being a speaker tomorrow, the whole idea is conserve etism and specifically the future of the republican party. we'll be looking to see what his comments are on that, fred. >> so, brianna, i wonder what the conventional wisdom is about mitt romney appearing there and speaking because he's already said that he's going back into private practice particularly with his son. but this would seem like another political move. so which is it? >> reporter: i don't think for him personally this has -- this

is really a political move. at this point we know that mitt romney is sort of out of politics at this point. he's taken a job at his son tagg's investment firm. and really the son says that it will be -- on his political career. i think more than anything it will be interesting what he gets into especially here before this audience where you remember he made a bit of a stumble last year at this conference talking about how he had been severely conservative. so it will be, i think, interesting to see exactly how much he kind of looks back. how reflective is he? does he talk about some of his regre regrets? in that interview recently he said those 47% comments, he said he didn't articulate them as he meant to. he said they were very damaging in his campaign. i think that's one of the things i'll be looking for is just how much reflection there is. is he sorry? does he express any regrets for

some of what happened during the course of his campaign? >> and of course when we comes out of course we'll go to his comments live. brianna keilar live at national harbor, maryland, at the cpac convention. in the meantime a republican u.s. senator who voted against same sex marriage says he's had a change of heart. why? because he learned his son is gay. you may remember ohio senator rob portman was on the short list to be mitt romney's running mate. portman's office actually called our dana bash exclusively to tell her about it. dana bash joining us now from washington. so how did the conference go? >> very interesting, fredricka. first of all, just the idea that senator portman was going to come out and talk about something so personal and then obviously so difficult for a conservative politically to say that he was going to change his position on gay marriage, i have to tell you that he is somebody who is very press savvy. and he was very nervous. he clearly was uncomfortable for a lot of reasons. i think mostly because he was a dad and wanted to do right by

his son. but i think one of the most fascinating parts of the conversation we spoke for almost 30 minutes was when he told me about the conversation he had with his son when his son first told him that he was gay. >> my son is very close to me and to my wife. and he -- he had worked on the campaign. so we got even closer during the campaign. and he came to me as a, you know, college freshman, and said after the campaign was over after i was already elected to the senate that he wanted to tell us that there was something about him we didn't know as well as we thought we knew him. and it hasn't of course changed our view at all of him. >> what was your reaction when he told you? >> love. support. you know, 110%. >> surprised? >> surprise, yeah. >> you had no idea? >> no idea. yeah. and, you know, again, that

launched a process of rethinking the issue. and talking to him, you know, i also have gay friends and gay neighbors as most people do. and, you know, going through this rethinking of it, you know, led me to do a lot of reading. and again some time with folks who i respect, my own pastor and other religious leaders and just thinking about it and 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 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. >> and one of the questions that i had is what he would say to a gay constituent in ohio who says this is great that he's sort of come our way on this issue, but where was he before he knew that his own son was gay? what about my rights no matter what senator portman's personal

family issues are? and he said, you know what, i probably should have thought about this issue before. the one thing that's interesting about him is that he has voted consistently against gay marriage and all other issues relating to that. but he hasn't talked about it much. he's not one of those people who is very outspoken against gay rights issues. he's much more of a fiscal conserve tiff. and fredricka, he said he's going to stay that way. that's what brought him into public life, brought him into politics. he calls himself an economic wonk and he's going to stay that way even though he's obviously made a very political public splash with this reversal. >> and, dana, what about the timing? why now did he want to reveal his thoughts about this and his conversation with his son and reveals very personal details? >> it's a great question. because his son told him that -- told his parents that he was gay two years ago when he was a freshman in college. now he's a junior in college. and i asked that. and his answer was that it took

him, the senator, a while to get to this place where he of course understood his son and loved his son from the beginning, but in terms of this policy issue, get to this place where he feels comfortable reversing himself. he spent a lot of time talking to his pastor and reread liviticus where they say should oppose on the sexuality. and so he finally got to that place which i think a lot of people can relate to because you see this around the country. but the other thing he said is that there are going to be a pair of supreme court cases before the supreme court in the next couple of weeks. and he knows he'll be asked about it. >> all right. dana bash, thanks so much in washington. there's more to dana's conversation with senator portman. you can catch it this afternoon on "the situation room" starting at 4:00 eastern time. hear why portman says he sought advice from former vice president dick cheney about his son. that's 4:00 today. "the situation room."

another programming reminder to watch chief washington correspondent jake tapper's new show called "the lead" starting monday 4:00 eastern time right here on cnn. all right. now, a p.r. disaster that just keeps growing for carnival cruise lines. yes, yet another carnival ship is having problems now. this is the second one in just two days. this one is the legend cruise ship. it's having technical issues that are affecting its speed. because of that a scheduled stop in grand cayman in the caribbean, well, that's being scrapped. and the boat is now headed back to port in tampa, florida. this comes just a day after carnival's dream ship got stuck at port in st. maarten. an emergency generator gave out causing a few bathrooms to overflow and elevators to stop working. passengers are being given partial refunds and being flown back to florida now. some actually left today. others are waiting to be flown out from st. maarten. chris anders, wlo is a passenger and television news anchor from

memphis is looking on the positive side of things. he was on that ship. >> we're stuck in st. maarten. it's absolutely a beautiful day. we're overlooking gorgeous turquoise waters, we have full amenities. we have electricity. we have working toilets, hot food, running water. i mean, there's nothing wrong with the ship. in fact i talked to some senior carnival officials who flew in on board yesterday and they said, look, the ship is fine. the ship works fine. what it is it's the emergency backup system. all of their systems are operational, it's the emergency backup system that's having the problems. and they, for obviously reasons, didn't want to risk going out into the ocean without those emergency backup generators and systems not working properly. >> last month a fire on board carnival's triumph stranded thousands of passengers at sea in horrible conditions for almost five days. all right. here's what we're working on for this hour. white house press secretary jay carney joins me live to discuss the president's handling of

forced spending cuts and his upcoming trip to israel. plus, the stunning reversal -- actually, we're going to tell you also about more of the stunning reversal of thought and opinion on gay marriage from senator portman. >> and later, the adoption of a 32-year-old man that's got all of us talking and why it took so many years to happen. i have low testosterone. there, i said it. how did i know? well, i didn't really. see, i figured low testosterone would decrease my sex drive... but when i started losing energy and became moody... that's when i had an honest conversation with my doctor. we discussed all the symptoms... then he gave me some blood tests. showed it was low t. that's it. it was a number -- not just me. [ male announcer ] today, men with low t have androgel 1.62% (testosterone gel). the #1 prescribed topical testosterone replacement therapy, increases testosterone when used daily. women and children should avoid contact with application sites.

discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or signs in a woman, which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are or may become pregnant or are breastfeeding, should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. so...what do men do when a number's too low? turn it up! [ male announcer ] in a clinical study, over 80% of treated men had their t levels restored to normal. talk to your doctor about all your symptoms. get the blood tests. change your number. turn it up. androgel 1.62%.

[ 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. [ all kids ] twooooo! [ moderator ] you sure? i am absolutely positive! [ little boy ] two times is awesome. the thing i can do is wave my head and wave my... that's amazing. i've never seen anything like that. look i can do -- hold on -- i'm watching this. i'm getting dizzy... [ male announcer ] it's not complicated. doing two things at once is better. and only at&t's network lets you talk and surf on your iphone 5. ♪

...and we inspected his brakes for free. -free is good. -free is very good. [ male announcer ] now get 50% off brake pads and shoes at meineke. addressing american independence on fossil fuels, the sky high deficit and peace in the middle east, all of that is on president obama's plate this week and next week. joining us from the white house, white house press secretary jay

carney. jay, good to see you. >> great to see you. thanks for having me. >> so a very packed schedule for president obama with a lot of critical issues to sort out. let's begun with the talks that he's been having on capitol hill this week with republican lawmakers. that charm offensive as it's been called to reach a deal on the deficit and the budget. so many overtures by the president to reach the other side, whether it be a lunch or dinner, yet there remains criticism that it's too little too late or he isn't being genuine or that he's aloof or even cool. what is the president saying about that kind of criticism? >> well, the president has enjoyed very much his meetings on capitol hill this week. he met with house republicans, senate republicans, house and senate democrats, following up on a series of meetings and conversations he's been having over the last several weeks with lawmakers. and focusing especially on those republicans who have expressed interest in finding common ground on a host of issues including our budget challenges. and, you know, what he's looking

for is, you know, agreement on the principle that if we go for a bigger deal to reduce our deficit, that we need to do it in a balanced way, the way the american people say they want it done. and that means additional spending cuts and savings from entitlement reforms, as the president has proposed coupled with savings from tax reform by closing loopholes and special tax breaks for the well-off and well-connected and using the revenue generated from that to help pay down our deficit. that's the way we should be doing it. that's the way the american people want it done, not just democrats and independents but republicans outside of washington. and he's at least hopeful that engaging with republicans on this issue with those who say they're interested in finding common ground, we might be able to produce acompromise. and that would be a good thing for the american economy and a good thing for the american middle class. >> are there any indicators at this juncture that there are some come grounds being found?

>> i think you saw with the dinner with the group of senatoring saying they would be willing to consider a balanced approach, consider revenue from tax reform coupled with, you know, a savings generated with entitlement reform and that's essentially the president's position and what he's put forward in his proposal. we'll see. the gap is wide. we saw with the house republican budget proposal presented this week by chairman paul ryan that there are -- there's a huge chasm in terms of at least the president's view and the view of a lot of folks in the country and also in the senate versus the house republican view, which is basically to have all the burden of deficit reduction be bourn by senior citizens, by voucherizing medicare, by families that depend on assistance for education and assistance for helping their elderly parents and nursing homes, basically ask all of those folks to pay for deficit reduction while giving a $5.7 trillion tax cut most of which goes to the wealthy. i mean, not only does the

president think that's a bad idea, the american public overwhelmingly thinks it's a bad idea. and the american public thought it was a bad idea last year when the republicans campaigned on it and were defeated in the polls on november 6th. >> all right. both domestic issues and international affairs on the president's plate. he's off to israel next week. his first trip there as president. you've already said he'll not present any new middle east peace initiatives, so what is the primary objective? >> well, he very much looks forward to his visit to israel to the west bank where he'll meet with palestinian leaders and to jordan where he'll meet with the king. and in each case he'll be also engaging with israelis and palestinians and jordanians because he needs to talk to the leaders about the issues that confront them and that includes regional issues like the challenge and threat imposed by iran and the situation in syria as well as the need for the palestinians and israelis to take steps towards peace. steps that would hopefully lead

to a re-engagement of direct negotiations over the issues that divide them. you know, this is an important trip. and it's true there's no new peace proposal here because our position, the president's position has been that the sides need to come together in direct negotiation to resolve the differences that divide them. and we're going to continue to press that case. >> and also in the region you mentioned syria, a senior rebel spokesman is telling us that about 300 rebel fighters have just completed training in jordan from u.s. military and contractors in -- with the use of weapons like antitank, antiaircraft and other systems, the u.s. has been stressing nonlethal aid. so is this training a step forward in the work with the rebel groups? where is this leading? >> well, we do not provide lethal aid to the syrian opposition but we do provide assistance that has continually ramped up. and we've been talking about that. and we're constantly reviewing our assistance programs to the syrian people through

humanitarian aid and to the syrian opposition. you know, we are doing everything we can with our international partners to help bring about a post-assad syria, assad has the blood of his own people on his hands. he is in no way can be a part of syria's future. and the syrian people have spoken on that issue. and the syrian opposition has gained traction. and, you know, we are working for a day with the syrian people and with our partners when the syrian people get to decide their future, a more democratic, more prosperous future. this is a difficult challenge and we constantly review our approach to syria to make sure we're doing the right thing to help bring about a better future for those people. >> white house spokesman jay carney, thanks so much. >> thank you. i appreciate it. the mystery continues for this louisiana teacher who vanished without a trace after a night out with friends. a live report from new orleans next. [ male announcer ] julia child became a famous chef at age 51.

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.

aarp. from beautyrest40% and posturepedic.ets save hundreds on floor samples and closeout inventory. but hurry, the beautyrest and posturepedic closeout sale ends soon at sleep train. ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪

two high school football players are on trial for rape in ohio. they're charged with raping a female classmate who was too drunk to say no. a teenager testified today that one of the accused boys recorded

the sexual assault with a cell phone. prosecutors say the football players took advantage of the girl during a night of heavy drinking. defense lawyers say any sexual activity was consensual and the teens didn't commit a crime. there was no jury in this trial, just a judge. and a verdict could come this weekend. and it's been almost two weeks since terrilynn monette joined friends at a new orleans bar to celebrate her nomination as teacher of the year. well, police say she told friends that she was going to sleep in her car before driving home because she had been drinking. well, she has not been seen since. nick valencia is in new orleans with more on this. nick, any new developments in the search for her? >> reporter: fred, there are a lot of questions we have that we're not getting answers to because quite frankly police have nothing to say. there's no new leads and no information. in less than 24 hours it will be two weeks since terrilynn monette disappeared. she was last seen at the parlay's bar in the lakeview area of new orleans. yesterday about 75 people showed up to a very solemn prayer vigil

hoping to bring attention to this case. organizers passed out these fliers and buttons. and at least in the area where she went missing, fred, these fliers are everywhere. now, in terms of the search, the search resumed earlier this morning. teams are back out searching the bayous and waterways for any signs of terrilynn or her car. so far that search -- those searches have not come to fruition. now, equusearch, that independent search and rescue team based in texas, they came out here earlier this week. they're using a sonar device to comb the waterways. on sunday they're expected to bring in a higher powered, higher resolution sonar device. now, they found a handful of cars in the bayou, but none of which have matched the description of terrilynn monette's vehicle. also, fred, state police and u.s. customs have provided helicopters for aerial searches but still no sign of terrilynn. >> nick, it seems a bit strange, does it not, that friends would say that she wanted to go to her car and sleep because she wanted

to be able to drive and that friends would allow her to do that? i mean, what more is being said about these friends' account of events that night? >> well, we try to get friends to talk to us on the record. and so far that hasn't happened. but we were told by the bar's manager who was told by witnesses that night that terrilynn's friends left and terrilynn wanted to stay. now, cnn has been unable to independently confirm that information because there's a lot of people that aren't talking to us. a lot of tight lips on this surrounding this investigation. and we're trying to get to the bottom of it, fred. >> okay. all right. and the search for the car continues as well. >> yeah. that's right. that black two-door honda, the 2012 two-door honda, they're combing the waterways looking for the vehicle. they focused their search in the buy yayou st. john area and searching lake pontchartrain, but no signs, no developments. and this family is just

struggling to hold onto hope. we're coming up on two weeks now, and every day that passes is just a little less hope that fades away. >> yeah. so mysterious and heartbreaking for the family. nick valencia, thanks so much from new orleans. a 32-year-old man gets adopted by his foster parents. ahead, the emotional reunion and why it took so long. [ male announcer ] this is kevin. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap. our largest selection of lobster entrees, like lobster lover's dream or new grilled lobster and lobster tacos. come in now and sea food differently. visit redlobster.com now

for an exclusive $10 coupon on two lobsterfest entrees. a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods.

nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. don't take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling theor face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history. and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion.

maurice griffin is living a dream 32 years in the making. he's finally being adopted by his foster mother almost two decades after the legal process first began. paul vercammen has the story. >> reporter: a son's true love is wonderfully stubborn. >> i love you. finally going to get it done, huh? >> yeah. >> i love you so much. >> reporter: maurice griffin, 32 years old, is headed to court,

juvenile court, to finally be adopted by his one-time foster mother. they were pried apart almost two decades ago, completely lost contact, but not hope for reunion. >> i just feel like this makes it official. and we don't have to keep explaining it now. >> i didn't fight for all those years to not finish this. i didn't fight for no reason. that's why it has to happen. i never let anybody get close to me again. i hurt a lot of people. and it was a rough road. >> reporter: the long road to redemption first took a happy turn when lisa saw maurice at an orphans ranch near the sacramento home she shared with her african-american husband charles harris and their two biological sons. >> back in the early '80s, interracial relationships weren't as common or accepted as they are today. and the fact that maurice was biracial and we were a biracial family and we were already raising boys, i think made us a great profile. >> reporter: maurice moved in

with the new family when he was 9, bonded to the two younger boys. >> we were best friends. we run around and did mischievous things and fun things. it was a good time. >> reporter: but they say at 13 maurice was forced to leave before he could be adopted after a dispute over spanking. >> the foster care system, which i believe is this way, you can't use corporal punishment, you can't spank foster children. and maurice very much wanted that. and we wanted him to feel like the rest of our kids. and there was a difference of opinion with some supervisors. >> reporter: lisa says officials threatened to take her biological sons, maurice was eventually removed and lost touch. >> it was just a ten-year emptiness. i couldn't talk with anybody about it because nobody was there. i couldn't call somebody and, you know, and say remember this or that. it was just a void. >> reporter: but they never stopped trying to find each other. lisa's husband died in 1998. she remarried, changed her last

name, complicating the search. but she found and messaged maurice on myspace six years ago. maurice responded. >> she said, hey, baby. i said, i got to call you back. >> awe, such a nice story. we're going to take you to national harbor, maryland, there. mitt romney there at the cpac convention, the conservative political action conference, to give his first speech since losing the run for presidency. >> uncommon courage and conviction and her principles guide her governance, we need more governors like nicki haley. and thank you for your support from the very beginning. you were there from the very start, made a difference for me, your campaign gave me the early boost, you worked on the front lines promoting my campaign, you made calls i owe each of you and

appreciate your help and support through that campaign. with the help of so many of you, i had the honor of becoming the nominee of our party for the presidency of the united states. i was given the -- [ cheers and applause ] -- i was given the great privilege of experiencing america in a way that ann and i never anticipated we'd get to do. our fellow citizens opened our hearts and homes to us. of course i left the race disappointed that i didn't win, but i also left honored and humbled to have represented the values we believe in and to speak for so many good and decent people. we've lost races before in the past. but those setbacks prepared us for larger victory. it's up to us to make sure that we learn from our mistakes and my mistakes and that we take advantage of that learning to make sure that we take back the

nation -- take back the white house, get the senate and put in place conservative principles. [ applause ] now, it's fashionable in some circles to be pessimistic about america about conservative solutions, about the republican party, i utterly reject pessimism. we may not have carried on november 7th, but we haven't lost the country we love. and we have not lost our way. our nation is full of aspirations and hungry for new solutions. we're a nation of invention and re-inventing. my optimism about america wasn't diminished by my campaign, in fact it grew. it grew as i saw the people of america and heard their stories. i've seen american determination in people like debbie somers of

las vegas, she runs a furniture rental business for conventions there. when 9/11 hit and when the recession hit, why that tanked her convention business. but she didn't give up. she didn't close down the business. didn't layoff her people. instead, she taught her people how to make furniture. and her business thrives. i've seen the perseverance. harold hamm drove a truck for ten years so he can afford to go to college. he majored in geology. he was studying some geological surveys concluded there must be oil in north dakota, went to north dakota and drilled a well, dry hole, and told it costs $2 million to drill a dry hole. he drilled 16 more. they called it harold's folly up there until the 17th. the backen range he discovered is estimated by some to have as many as 500 billion barrels of

oil. i'm seen risk taking. the flagging lumber business and mounting losses convinced the international paper corporation that they needed to shut down their mill in new hampshire. the plant manager and sales manager borrowed and invested in every thing they could find to save the business, they saved their job and the jobs of 30 of their colleagues and grew sales from $5 million a year to $50 million a year. i met people of great faith. the honor of being in the home of billy graham and the cardinal dolan. i've met heroes in our armed forces. men and women who have resigned with the national guard after multiple tours of duty in afghanistan knowing that if they resigned in all likelihood they would be at another tour in the future. i met heroes in the homes of the

nation. single moms who are working two jobs so their kids can have the same kind of things other kids in school have. dads who don't know what a weekend is because they've taken on so many jobs to make sure they can keep the house. what a patriotic people. the heart of america is good. our land is blessed by the hand of god. may we as a people always be worthy of his grace and his protection. [ applause ] like you, i believe that a conservative vision can attract a majority of americans and form a governing coalition of renewal and reform. now, as someone who just lost the last election, i'm probably not in the best position to chart the course for the next one.

with that being said, let me offer this advice and perhaps because i'm a former governor, i would urge us all to learn lessons that come from some of our greatest success stories, and that's 30 republican governors across the country. [ applause ] they're winning elections, but more importantly they're solving problems, big problems, important problems. governor nathan dheel in georgia secured an amendment for charter schools. governor rick snyder got in place right to work legislation in michigan. a number of these republican governors were able to secure tort reform and a whole horde of republican governors inherited budgets that were badly out of

balance and have replaced deficits with surpluses. look, these governors have shown that they're able to reach across the aisle, offer innovative solutions and then willing to take the heat that you have to take to do important things. we need the leadership and the ideas and the vision of these governors. we particularly need to hear by the way from the governors of the blue and purple states because those are the states we're going to have to win to be able to get back people like bob mcdonald, scott walker, john kasi kasich, these are the people we've got to listen to and make sure their message is heard loud and clear across the country. [ applause ] now, we can also learn from the examples of principle and passion and leadership that we've seen during these last few weeks here in washington, d.c. by our republican leaders. i may be a little biased, but i applaud the clear and convincing

voice of my friend paul ryan. [ cheers and applause ] now, if i were to offer advice to any person who was or became the president of the united states, it would be this. do whatever you can to keep america strong, to keep america prosperous and free and the most powerful nation on earth. it's no secret that the last century was an american century. and it's no secret that over this span of the coming century that is not written in the stars. america's preeminent position is not guaranteed. and the consequence if america were to become surpassed by another nation would be devastating. why do i say that? it's because the other leading contenders for world leadership, china, russia, the jihadists,

not one of them accepts freedom as we understand it. only america and american strength can preserve freedom for us and the world and the people we love. freedom depends on america. and american leadership depends on a military so strong, so superior that no one would think to engage it. and our military strength depends on economy so strong that it could support that kind of a military. and our economy depends on the people that are so strong, so educated, so resolute, so hard working, so inventive, so focused on providing a better future for their children that the rest of the world looks at america with admiration. that's the america we grew up in. and that's the america our

children deserve. >> all right. just a couple days after celebrating his 66th birthday, mitt romney there at the conservative political action conference there in national harbor, maryland, spelling out his hopes and visions still for an america. and also making it very personal saying how he expressed his gratitude for being the nominee for the republican ticket in the race for the white house. all right. the u.s. defense department is about to make a major announcement. a live report from the pentagon right after this. i know what you're thinking...

transit fares! as in the 37 billion transit fares we help collect each year. no? oh, right. you're thinking of the 1.6 million daily customer care interactions xerox handles. or the 900 million health insurance claims we process. so, it's no surprise to you that companies depend on today's xerox for services that simplify how work gets done. which is...pretty much what we've always stood for. with xerox, you're ready for real business.

all right. welcome back. this just in to cnn. we've learned that in about two hours from now defense secretary chuck hagel is expected to announce that the pentagon is beefing up its ability to defend the united states from a nuclear attack by north korea. cnn's chris lawrence joined me live now from the pentagon. chris, what more can you tell us about this expected announcement in about the 3:00 eastern hour? >> that's right, fred. it's going to come in little over an hour. and officials are telling us that secretary hagel is likely to announce that the u.s. will deploy up to 14 additional ground-based intercepters on the west coast of the united states. these interceptors are specifically designed to shoot down incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles aimed at the united states and presumably they expect that those missiles would be coming from north korea. all of this is in response to north korea not only testing a

long-range missile, putting something into orbit, into space, but then following that up with its third nuclear test and then these very, very intense comments threatening nuclear action against the united states, the obama administration now expected to announce that it will put additional resources to protect the united states. the catch here, fred, is that it's going to take several years and costs about $200 million to open up some of these silos. some congressional republicans i was speaking with say they argued against closing down some of these silos a few years ago when the obama administration did so. they said at the time the administration felt there wasn't a needed threat, that they didn't need as many interceptors. now they're going back and having to reopen them. some of the republican congressional folks i've been speaking with say the threat was there, the intel was there and now it's going to cost a whole lot of money to get these turned

back on. >> all right. 14 more interceptors to be put in place. thank you so much. chris lawrence, appreciate that from the pentagon. i know he'll be briefing us later on as well. for all you tech fans, samsung's new galaxy s4 is here. we're previewing the features. and why you might be giving up more of yourself these days on facebook when you click on the like icon. zñç i'm only in my 60's... i've got a nice long life ahead.

big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs. to me, relationships matter. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and you never need a referral to see a specialist. so don't wait. call now and request this free decision guide

to help you better understand medicare... and which aarp medicare supplement plan might be best for you. there's a wide range to choose from. we love to travel -- and there's so much more to see. so we found a plan that can travel with us. anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. remember, all medicare supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you thousands a year in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is.

the smartphone wars continue. samsung unveiled its latest phone. its latest phone, the galaxy s-4 and with features like the big screen and hands free control, some analysts are already predicting it could be in the running for the best smartphone of the year. katie linendoll is the tech

expert. what do you think about this? how does it stack up against the iphone 5? >> it is crazy to be on the air and talking about a smartphone other than the iphone. i'm actually pretty excited about this one. i was at event last night. some of the features on the s-4 are amazing. the s-3, the prior model, was the best-selling android phone. so this is the next model in the lineup. i want to get right to some of the features because pretty dynamic in terms of what they were touting yesterday. 5 inch screen, 1080 p high def screen. the camera features were incredible. dual camera mode, both cameras, front and rear facing and eros mode. you can erase things out of the background. there is a translator on board, it will translate at anytime. awesome if you're traveling. there is an updated health feature on there. also there is things like smart

po pause. you can watch a video if you look away, the video will pause. phone works with gloves on. all these software features stacked up and hardware features make it a pretty powerful device. i'll tell you, the iphone 5 is the best-selling device of all time. in terms of global sales, samsung is the winner. grab some popcorn and let this play out. >> fun stuff. a lot of folks have smartphones and almost everybody is on facebook. tell me more about facebook when you click on that like button, you're actually revealing a lot more about yourself than you know. >> that's correct. so the university of cambridge over in london actually did a study on nearly 60,000 facebook users. and what they found in conclusion was that all of your likes that you're clicking can tell more about you than you might have realized, from your political values to religion to your gender, happiness and age. i don't know if i needed to survey 60,000 people to come to that correlation, but it is pretty powerful in terms of

again, we talked about facebook privacy. you have to remember that anything you like it going to be tracked somewhere. i talked to facebook yesterday and they said, yes, we do interest targeting. they said because advertising is their biggest revenue generator. anything you like is being tracked and anything on your timeline they are privy to. so something to think about. >> you're being watched. katie linendoll, thank you very much. we'll have much more of the "cnn newsroom" after this. this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much. i appreciate it. i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. your money needs an ally.

a streak is on the line tonight for the miami heat. the nba champs are going for their 21st straight win when they take on the milwaukee bucks. wednesday night, lebron james and company edged out the philadelphia 76ers, 98-94 for the heat's 20th consecutive win. and for you college basketball fans, ncaa march madness is just days away. and you can test your bracket