and then the heat's winning streak over. how the chicago bulls stopped them from reaching 28. security running high? cyprus as the banks reopen after 11 days of being shut down. how it will affect the u.s. market. it is thursday, march 28th. and "starting point" begins right now. welcome, everybody. our starting point is a mass i've landslide that left one community in washington state living on the edge, literally. developing story for you this morning. one home has been destroyed. more than a dozen others are in danger. look at the pictures. 33 homes in all were evacuated originally. happened overnight. 15 of them are, in fact, safe and they have given the owners permission to return. all this unfolding right now in the hillside community of coupeville in washington. dan simon is there for us this morning. dan, good morning. >> good morning, soledad. let me explain where we are.

a lot of the neighborhood has been sealed off by yellow tape. this was obviously very unnerve for residents. you had nearly three dozen homes under evacuation or in an area where the road literally crumbled away and they couldn't access their homes. they, too, also had to be evacuated. i want you to listen now to a couple of neighbors who describe the situation as it was happening. >> it was pretty scary. i got out there with a flashlight and then just kept hearing a rumbling and watching more and more of it fall? >> the portion of it was always eroding, but that much of it? no. no. i mean, i lost 50 -- over 50 percent of my yard. >> reporter: well, the concern now is that this land is still not stable that you could have more of this hillside literally vanish away. at this point, though, about 15 homes have been rendered safe. so some residents can return. but of course, you still have

many residents who are still under an evacuation order. soledad? >> dan simon for us this morning. thank you, dan. appreciate that update. can we so pop up the pictures again? you can see the distance between the edge and someone's backyard. that is just an incredible picture to see how big that is. >> isn't it crazy? and then you have to wonder, what do you do if you live in one of the houses that's been spared but the land is disappearing before your very eyes. are you nervous about going back? >> why do you think it is we're seeing so many stories of landslides, mudslides, sinkholes. >> i think that's the question so many people are asking right now. >> is it just more coverage or something is actually happening. i want to get to the central whidbey island fire and rescue chief. he's been dealing with the aftermath which is very unstable right now. nice to have you with us. we appreciate your time. what are you able to tell the folks who are coming back in and those who are t not able to come back in? what's the situation right now? >> as we gave a briefing to the community last night, all but

three of the homes above this slide, we've allowed the residents back in. as we've advised them, it's still an active slide. the ground is still moving. but based on a preliminary geotechnical, recommendationses from the engineer is we can allow these folks back into their homes. two of the homes above the slide are still significantly at risk. we kept all of the homes below the slide evacuated last night. and three of those are significantly at risk. those homes at risk will be evaluated further today by the county engineer and building official and geotechnical engineer to determine whether or not the occupants will be allowed back in to retrieve their possessions or whether they will be excluded from entry at all or whether they -- some

of them may be safe enough for the residents to return. >> i was going to ask you for those folks who it looks like their homes are just too close and are not safe, will they be able to grab their possessions? one would have to imagine they would want to do that. let me ask you a question about this area. is this typical? is this something that you've seen in other parts of this island or is this something that you have not seen before? >> no, this is fairly -- fairly common. this is much larger than the typical slides that we encounter. an area from bush point on the south of the island to about two miles north of here is an active slide area, particularly t in the springtime as we've had rains here throughout the winter and so forth, we do encounter slides. oftentimes they're fairly small and just require public works to clear the road. in other cases they do impact on homes. >> ed hardin joining us. thank you for being with us this morning. we appreciate it. also new this morning, the

former south african president nelson mandela rushed to the hospital. the 94-year-old antiapartheid leader is battlinge ing ing e i infection. good morning, robin. >> reporter: hi there, good morning. this is worrying for many south africans. this hospitalization is different, soledad, because the last four times he's been in hospital oifr over the past two years the government here has sought to sort of calm people down. this time they issued a statement saying he was taken to hospital just before midnight on wednesday night, indicating, of course, he was rushed to hospital. they say he's suffering from that recurring lung infection. as we all know, a 94-year-old man dealing with a lung infection is obviously cause for concern. what kind of lung infection is it? it could be as simple as having breathing difficulties or pneumonia. so a huge sense of concern here in south africa.

and i just want to also point out, i understand from sources close to mandela that in recent weeks his doctors have been very worried ability hout him pickin infection and they've been tight and closed about people coming to visit him at his home here in johannesburg because of the change of seasons. it's autumn here and the days have been very hot and the nights and mornings have been very cold and they've been worried about the change of temperature, perhaps bringing about some sort of infection. so i do know that the doctors have been concerned. in fact, they've kept him in his bedroom in his home and he wasn't allowed to be taken down stairs and just remember this bedroom is a high care facility essentially and he's surrounded 24 hours by medical staff. >> robyn, when i was in south africa in december people talk about mandela daily, consistently. he's in the national dialogue all the time about what's happening currently in politics.

how are people reacting to this news now that it sounds much more serious than previous hospitalizations? >> reporter: you know, i think there is a sense for many south africans, they are quite pragmatic. they know at some stage he is going to have to die. and they are aware of that. they are quite open about it. and i think they realize that all that he did, the frailer he gets, the more and more common these hospitalizations are becoming. and i think there is this deep resignation, this deep sadness, a lot of people saying, are we going to pray for him? i think there is at the basic, just a deep sense also of gratitude for this man who really did change the fortunes of this country. >> robyn curnow is in johannesburg for us. thank you. in south africa, just in to cnn, a judge is relaxing bail conditions fo in track star's pistorius' murder case. he can hang on to his passport

and he can travel if he wants to and needs to compete abroad. he has to give a week's notice. he has to submit his itinerary. the judge saying that pistorius is not a flight risk. now, pistorius is deny that he planned the murder of his girlfriend at his home. he says he shot her after he confused her for an intruder. there's new developments in the escalating war of words, if you will, between north korea and is united states. john has a look at that this morning and other top stories. >> new this morning, after weeks of escalating war rhetoric, the u.s. military announced it is sending two b-2 stealth bombers to south korea to take part in annual military exercises. defense secretary chuck hagel spoke with south korea's defense minister. happening right now, police outside every bank in cyprus as they reopen for the first time since march 16th. that's when a tough yooirp peen union bailout plan was announced that included taxing bank deposits. the news caused a run on atms as

people scrambled to get their money back before the government could tax it and now the plan has changed since then. there are some lines at banks this morning. so far it seems everything is remaining calm. new developments this morning in the death of colorado's prison chief. a young woman is under arrest accused of buying the gun that was used to kill tom clements who was shot to death at his home last week. the 22-year-old stevie marie vigil give the gun to the man who pulled the trigger. he was a convicted felon who could not legally buy a weapon. new this morning, the connecticut post says documents that will be released this morning in the newtown shooting will show evidence was taken from gunman adam lanza's home and car. the outage is two hours from now. authorities say much of this evidence already known but there may be some new details. victims families were briefed

last night. new controversy in the trayvon martin case stemming from a tweets from robert zimmerman jr. he is now apologizing. in one tweet he compares trayvon martin to one of the two suspects in the shooting of a georgia baby. he wrote this. facebook pics of 13 month old antonio santiago's alleged killer and trayvon martin side by side is, #uncanny. both teens are seen making obscene gestures. a picture speaks a thousand words. another tweet, liberal media should ask if what these two black teens did to a woman and a baby is the reason why people think blacks might be risky. so zimmerman now admits the twitter was probably not the best forum to express himself. he did that in the exclusive interview with cnn's piers morgan. >> i don't think twitter is the place to make points about what you recall a year ago because the recollections that i have or that we have as a family

specifically are very different from what can be portrayed in 140 characters. i realize they were controversial and offensive and i did publicly apologize for them. i don't think it was the right thing to do that way. >> not the right thing to do that way. interesting. he was trying to make the point that he thinks the media has been dishonest in its portrayal of trayvon martin. last story right now. the heat is off. lebron james, miami heat, losing last night to the chicago bulls. 101-97, snapping a remarkable 27-game winning streak. heat will not reach 28. at least the heat six vekryes short of an all-time record held by the lakers. lebron james had 32 points. this is the first time miami has lost since february 1st. that's a really long time. >> always next year. >> they have a new streak, one. >> yeah, see. >> losing streak. >> that's terrible.

we can start again. trust me. they're going to make the street. that's sad news, though. i was so sure they could do it. >> i'm sorry. >> no, you're not. ahead, he represented the plaintiff, edie windsor. what does she think the justices will decide? we're going to talk to roberta kaplan next. [ penélope ] i found the best cafe in the world. nespresso. where i never have to compromise on anything. ♪ where just one touch creates the perfect coffee. where every cappuccino and latte is only made with fresh milk. and where the staff is exceptionally friendly. ♪

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the nation's highest court heard arguments yesterday over the constitutionality of the defense of doma. many say this morning that the definition of marriage is a union between one man and one woman should be on shaky ground because it denies them the same benefit. the president weighed in on the court battle. cnn's brianna keilar has more for us this morning. >> reporter: on day two of supreme court debate over same-sex marriage president obama said this to spanish

network. >> i think it's appropriate for the court to weigh in on this issue. obviously public opinion has shifted dramatically just over the last several years. and my hope is, is that we will come to the place where everybody, you know, is treated fairly and treated the same. >> reporter: 83-year-old edie windsor challenged the defense of marriage act after her wife died in the irs hit her with a tax bill because she wasn't considered a surviving spouse. >> i think it was great. i think it went beautifully. we were very respected, and i think -- i think it will be good. >> reporter: in the argument over the defense of marriage act, chief justice john roberts sharply criticized obama for calling the federal marriage law unconstitutional but continuing to enforce it. >> i don't see why he doesn't have the courage of his convictions and execute not only the statute but do it consistent with his view of the

constitution rather than saying, oh, we'll wait until the supreme court tells us we have no choice. >> reporter: roberts' irritation comes on the position on the law that denies federal benefits to legally married gay couples. the spokesman said the administration has the responsibility to enforce all federal laws, even those it disagrees with. >> section three is unconstituti unconstitutional. that is a position, broadly speaking, that a lot of republicans agree with. it's not unprecedented for an administration to take that position. >> reporter: during arguments on wednesday, a majority of the justices appeared to express skepticism about the constitutionality of the law, which was passed under president clinton two decades ago. and the court's swing vote, justice anthony kennedy, said this is a matter for the states to decide. >> you are at real risk of running in conflict with what has always been thought to be

the essence of the state police power which is to regulate marriage, divorce, custody. >> reporter: now, clinton did sign doma but he recently reversed himself and is now calling on the supreme court to declare the law unconstitutional. soledad, that's what everyone was buzzing about, all the supreme court watchers yesterday was that five of the justices asked poignant questions that made it seem as though they do agree. >> thanks. appreciate it. let's get right to roberta kaplan, she argued against the doma yesterday. give me a sense. nice to have you with us this morning. what was the atmosphere in the court like from your perspective. you heard what brianna had to say about the questions. how does that feel to you? >> there was really no surprises from our perspective in the court yesterday, soledad. the justices were very well prepared. it's their job to ask tough questions and they did. and i hope very much that they

were satisfied with our answers. >> i don't feel like you're giving me a sense of how you think it's going to go then. did you feel that you did well enough to sway them or do you you really not know? >> i'm going to quote my client, edie windsor, who you just heard from on your broadcast and say that it was a good day. >> okay. so here's a little bit of an exchanges that i want to play for everybody. it took place between you and justice roberts, talking a little bit about the political environment around all of this. listen. >> you don't doubt that the lobby supporting the enactment of same-sex marriage laws in different states is politically powerful, do you? >> with respect to that purpose of the terms, i would, your honor. >> really? >> yes. >> as far as i can tell, political figures are falling over themselves to endorse your side of the case. >> what did you think of what he was asking you there? >> yeah, one of the issues in this case has always been, it's

a factor for constitution alal analysis whether or not a certain group has political power. it was an argument made very much by the other side of the case. we expected the question. i think the discussion between myself and chief justice roberts was about what is the source for the -- that vur much of the change in understanding about who gay couples are, what their relationships are, and the fact that they're really no different than the relationships of straight couples. the discussion we were having we were having as to whether that's just political power or, as i was suggesting, it was about a change in the moral understanding of who gay people are and what their relationships are really like. >> so peter baker in the "new york times" says that in and of itself can be a problem, right, because if there is this momentum for gay rights in the world it could limit any momentum legally speaking and that, you know, if it looks like the democratic process, if you will, is playing out.

what do you think about that? >> yeah, i don't agree with that and i don't think it will. my client edie windsor is 83 years old. we believe that she is owed a refund from the united states government for a tax she had to pay contrary to the united states constitution. she doesn't frankly have time to wait for the political process to work its way out. she will be 84 in june. and i think both the court and everyone else realizes she's entitled to get a ruling on her claim which two courts below agreed with her on. >> roberta kaplan argued against doma in the supreme court yesterday. nice to have you with us. appreciate your time. thank you. >> thank you so much. still ahead this morning on "starting point," they're bad at their job and they love it. a study shows the low performers are the happiest people at work. of course they are. we've got details ahead. morning, brian! love your passat! um. listen, gary. i bought the last one. nice try. says right here you can get one for $199 a month.

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welcome back to "starting point." mind your business, stock futures mixed. dow is up a fraction. should be a light day as we approach a holiday weekend. in about an hour we're going to have a read on gdp in this country. watch for that data.

low performing workers, they're the happiest people in the office. >> i love this story. >> they find that 42% of companies, the office rock stars are unhappy. they're less motivated, less engaged, they don't enjoy work as much as the people who are the lower, the middle performers p that suggests that many companies are not holding employees accountable for their work. they're allowing the work to coast by. according to the research it also finds that topper formers are doing two and three jobs to they're just trying to get ahead. >> want to get something done, give to it a busy person. >> apparently the people who don't get anything done are very happy. >> of course. >> now you know why i have a big smile on my face every day. >> there's a moral in there somewhere. search about how you can find happiness on work. >> it puts the blame on bosses, by the way. >> right. makes perfect sense. still ahead on "starting point", the brother of the man who killed trayvon martin is now apologizing for a controversial

tweet that he sent. we're going to get both sides of the reaction by zimmerman's attorney and the law for the martin family will join us live. restaurants have added lots of healthy options for their kids but are those meals still up to par? and then one sneaky little bandit, video of a toddler who can already pick locks. the future is a little scary for this kid. you're watching "starting point." back in a moment. i'm a conservative investor. but that doesn't mean i don't want to make money. i love making money. i try to be smart with my investments. i also try to keep my costs down. what's your plan? ishares. low cost and tax efficient. find out why nine out of ten large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing.

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welcome back. you're watching "starting point." our team this morning, ron brownstein is back, cnn senior political analyst and abby huntsman is with us, host on "huff post live." we begin this half hour with a pretty downing study about kids meals at restaurants. calorie count is staggering. even at restaurants that have so-called healthy meals on the menu. let's get right to cnn's medical correspondent elizabeth cohen. good morning. >> good morning, soledad. soledad, this report from the centers of science in the public interest lays it out there scathing on the restaurant industry. they say that 91% of these 50 big restaurants they looked at, 1% don't follow the kids nutritional guidelines set out by the national restaurant

association. so let's take a look at some of the meals that they dislike the most. for example, take a look at this meal from chili's. pizza, fries, chocolate milk. 1,120 calories. that's more than twice as much as some kids are supposed to get in one meal. so in one meal they're getting twice as much as they're supposed to get in an average meal. and so let's take a look now at this one. this is from dairy queen. you get your chicken fingers and fries and ice cream bar, sauce, and one of these arctic slurpee drinks. more than 1,000 calories. again, twice as much as most kids are supposed to get in a meal. thirdly -- yes? >> is the issue size, like those portions? you look at that ziz a, that is huge. no kid should be eating that whole thing. or that it's deep fried and just bad for you? >> soledad, i can tell you're a very experienced mother of four because both of those things. it is both of those things. it's the portion sizes and it's also the fact that you've got french fries with everything.

you've got the fried chicken group know what i think happens with kids and it happens with us, too, soledad, is that you see that portion and you think, i'm supposed to eat that. kids think that is normal. this is not a normal apartment of pizza or fries with everything. >> fries with everything. >> fries with everything. right. i tell my kids that all the time. i say you're getting the apple slices. they get mad at me. i'll be on nesz, right? they want the fries. everybody wants the fries. fries are just so full of fat. and really not very high in nutrients. there are so many better options. >> someone told me they should be classified as their own terrible food group. fries are inherently awful for anybody. >> no one eats the apple slices. they put them in there as a nice -- >> my kids, too. >> really? >> i think the environment actually change. elizabeth has four kids, too. i think she would agree. kids, if you make them, they will eat apple slices. >> the old wisdom. >> it's true. if you don't give your kids the option, i tell my kids, we're not getting fries, we're getting apple slices. i wanted to get in here with what the national restaurant

association had to say. they said that restaurants nationwide are providing innovative haleful children's options. applebee's and chili's said the same thing, you don't have to get the pizza and fries. we have other options on the menu. >> the parents have the responsibility of not ordering -- whoever is paying has the responsibility for not paying for or ordering fries. thanks. appreciate that. i'm hungry. >> someone once said never eat anything bigger than you head. >> good advice. >> right, for a kid, crazy. other news and john haes that for us. >> movie theater shooting suspect trying to save his own life. court documents show that james loems offered to plea guilty and spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole if he can avoid the dealt penalty. prosecutors have not accepted this offer. holmes is accused of killing 12 people and wounding 58. the next court hearing is monday. it looks like there will not be a judd jer sus mcconnell

throw down in kentucky. ashley judd tweeting, quote, my responsibilities and energy this time need to be focused on my family. the actress and active democrat flirted with challenging mitch mcconnell in 2014. mcconnell along the karl rove had already spent thousands of dollars on ads attacking her. john edwards' daughter speaking out for the first time act the affect that john edwards' affair had on her. he was angry, disappointed and devastated when she learned the news. her mother died of cancer less than a year after the couple legally separated. kate was with her father every day when he was tried last year for using campaign funds to keep his pregnant mistress a secret. the charges did not stick. she spoke to nbc in her first public comments since the trial. taking a look now at some of the weather. some rain expected around the northeast and pacific northwest and freezing temperatures in the south. jennifer delgado is live at the cnn center. >> john, it says warming trend on the way.

it should be average warming trend on the way because good news is we're t not going to see the below average temperatures as we head into the upcoming weekend but this morning we're still dealing with a freeze warning as well as frost threat through parts of the south. anywhere in blue it's still rather chilly. we're going to see the lows in the 30s as well as the upper 20s even in some spots. right now look at the numbers. 33 in birmingham. 36 degrees in jacksonville. 33 in tallahassee. and 31 degrees in charlotte. so, yeah, we are going to see a warm-up. as i said, we're going to get to average. for areas like dallas, as well as chicago. you're just going to be a couple degrees above average for this time of the year. and as we go through the next couple of days, we are going to see a return of cold air and that starts to arrive on monday and then spreads over towards the east. as it does, that means we'll be below average through thursday of next week. back over to you. >> jennifer, i think we're all wait for spring here.

thank you. look at this amazing video. youtube video of a very cute and clever thief has gone viral. mom's camera is rolling on the 2-year-old boy as he he slips out of his room to get in his sister's room. finding the door locked he uses fingernail clippers to pop over the lock. he emerges a few seconds later with the fruit of his labors, a pillow pet. mission accomplished. he heads back into his own room. there he goes. the crime complete. the perfect crime. >> easy how he can pop that lock. >> yeah. just think, though, they would not have known that. never imagine. >> you would not know that your son is a criminal. >> i could never get away with that. >> no. the age thing makes a difference. so a story that we've been following obviously for the last more than a year now, the brother of the man who shot and killed 17-year-old trayvon martin is now embroiled in c controversy of his own. he sent a series of tweets that some people found con tro verse

shul. zimmerman posted side by side images of trayvon martin and one of the teenagers arrested in the shooting of that baby that 13 month old baby in florida. so in those pictures, both of the young men are making the same obscene gesture. middle finger. and so he writes in his tweet, a picture speaks a thousand words and then says, any questions? zimmerman posted several more inflammatory messages before he later apologized. we're going to hear from the attorney for trayvon martin's family in just a moment. first, mark o'mara. thanks for being with us. >> good morning. >> the next -- >> great to be here. >> appreciate that. one of the tweets that robert zimmerman also tweeted was this. and he was -- he also added, michael scolnik has been vocal. liberal media should ask if what

these two black teens did two a woman and baby is the reason people might think blacks might be risky. what do you think about that? >> many team, robert does not represent george or the defense. not because of what he did this week but just because we've always said the defense has to have one voice and it's through my office. having said that, i'm not sure where his heart was, but i've always said to the past year that we have to have a conversation about race and the zimmerman case has brought you the forefront, particularly the way young black males are treated in the system. these type of tweets, these type of comments were insensitive to that and the opposite of what i hoped the conversation would be to try and figure out what's wrong with the system and maybe a good way to fix it. >> he tweeted eventually, i'm sincerely sorry. my tweet offended many. i made an error in the way it could convey and understand why it's offensive. but when he was brought on peers morgan' show to talk more about what he tweeted, here's what he

told piers. >> i made a tweet about here with two images of two individuals, two, one accuse of a crime, one who in our minds would have gotten away with a crime had my brother not saved his life. >> let's read the last part. two individuals, one who in our minds would have gotten away with a crime had my brother t not saved his life. i'm curious, do you think, what the impact on your case could be with something like this? >> well, i think what robert was saying maybe as he actually said it was that the evidence seems to support that george was, in the, fighting for his life and we do have the facial injuries, the back injuries, we have the screaming. so i think what he was suggesting was that trayvon martin is aggressor and because of the injuries that seems to be supported. i'm concerned with the way it came across at a time when we have to be much more sensitive to the real conversations. >> i thought what he was saying was like here's one black thug here's t another black thug.

one of them being trayvon martin and let's connect the two of them when actually in real life they're just connected because they're both teenage boys and they're both black. >> the only real connection we know about is they have blacknd they have middle fingers. not the connection to make in a very, very serious conversation. >> do you worry about it affecting your case at all? is this something that you're concerned about? >> absolutely. i worry about everything and how it may affect the case. everything that happens in this case is, if not overblown, hyper focused upon, so that everything that george says or does is important. everything that ben crump says or the family says on the martin behalf is focused on. and certainly, when a family member from my client says something that comes across as insensitive, if not much, much worse, is going to have an effect and now we have to deal with it. >>. appreciate your time with us. thanks so much. let's get to ben crump, attorney for the trayvon martin family. what do you think of the impact

that you heard mark say that he is concerned that there's -- anything that happens in this case could affect, you know, his specific client and robert zimmerman is not his client? >> soledad, mark o'mara said yesterday when speaking about robert zimmerman's twitter rant that you can't judge a person's heart by reading a tweet. and he and i agree on that point. but when it comes to trayvon, they attempt to posthumously judge a dead teenager by his tweets and his social media. and that is the problem here. you cannot know what is in a person's heart by reading a tweet and it's irrelevant because george zimmerman did not know what trayvon martin's twitter persona was when he got out of the car, profile pursued, and shot him in the heart.

and it is very important that we hoep hold people to their words on that point. we don't know what's in a person's heart by what they tweet out, but yet this is what they are attempting to do by seeking to introduce evidence abili about trayvon martin's social media account. that's not right. >> there's a witness, called witness number 9, who has sense been revealed to be a 26-year-old cousin of george zimmerman. and one of the things that this witness said was that the family, the zimmerman family, had issues with black people. i want to play a little bit of that first and ask you about what that could mean in the case. >> yes, ma'am. >> let me read it to you because i think it's important. i'm sorry. we don't have the audio clip. growing up they always made, him and his family has always made statements that they don't like black people if they don't act like white people. they like black people if they

act white. other than that they talk a lot of bad things about black people. that's witness number 9 who later turned out to be a cousin of george zimmerman. what -- is this something that's going to be admissible in court and do you think that this is something that's going to be relevant or important to your particular case? >> well, soledad, that's the reason why i have an attorney for the martin family talking about robert zimmerman's tweets. it's not to prove or disprove somebody is racist because being a racist isn't illegal. however, his tweets bolster if testimony of potential witness number 9, which, in fact, is his cousin, soledad, his family member who within 72 hours after trayvon was murdered called the sanford police department and says she knows george zimmerman, she knows he's confrontational, she knows he doesn't like black people. she said his father, mother,

sister, doesn't like black people. so if you look at these tweets of robert zimmerman which says verbatim, liberal media should ask if what these two people did to a woman and a baby is reason people think blacks might be risky, he didn't say trayvon martin, he said blacks. meaning that entire black race. that tweet tends to be very consistent and support what his cousin said when she first called the sanford police department. and the jury would have to make a compelling decision on how much weight to give that if that witness is called to the stand. >> interesting to hear what the jury has to say about that. ben gentleman man crump, thank you. still ahead, the sweet 16 kicks offer tonight. our bleacher report will take a look at the bracket up next. and it's been called a needed response. a new video shows young men what

to do if they find a girl drunk at a party. we're going to meet the students straight ahead. 4

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. three ohio police officers spring into action to save a driver who was seconds away from a fiery death. look at this. crazy. the man's truck burst into flames after crashing into a building. one officer used a knife to cut the driver's seat belt out and pull him to safety. the man was treated for smoke inhalation but he's okay. >> not rescuing but filming.

>> they got the guy out, which is the good news there. the sweet 16 starts tonight. march madness. tournament darlings, florida gulf coast eagles got a hero's sendoff yesterday. the dunk city left ft. myers and headed to texas. they play florida friday night 10:00 p.m. eastern at cowboy stadium. the egg ales, of course, very first 15 seed to make it to the sweet 16. tonight's games, marquette and miami, arizona and ohio state, sister network cbs. sar kus and indiana, lasalle and wichita state, also on tbs. >> who are you rooting for now? >> i have louisville winning it all in the pool. i don't actually want them to win the whole thing. >> the tournament darling in washington, d.c. where i come from. point that out. >> the best story on the planet right now. >> i was asked the gulf coast game and when i first heard who was playing, this game is not going to be good. the energy in the arena was incredible.

it's a cinderella story. you can't help but love them. i'm kind of rooting for them. >> the way they play is out of control great. so much fun. >> that's your pick? >> i want them to win. they're never going to win but i want them to win. >> hey. >> that's what's good about march madness, pretidpretickabl video taking off on the internet shows a young man. girl passed out. the guy says here's what i'm going to do. we all think we know might be the answer. it's a different ending than what you might think. [ male announcer ] the lexus command performance sales event has begun. ♪ featuring the lexus gs and is performance lines. because control is the ultimate expression of power. ♪ get great values on your favorite lexus models,

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welcome back, everybody. a video response to the rape of an ohio girl redaled on social media has gone viral. the rape took place in steubenville, ohio, discovered after students posted pictures and videos, outrage over the case and it prompted two college students to post what they call a needed response. take a look. >> hey, bros. check her passed out on the

couch. guess what i'm going to do to her? real men treat women with respect. >> the video already has more than 1.5 million hits and made by samantha stendal and aaron blanton. are you surprised you had so many hits and it's gone viral? >> absolutely. >> yes, very surprised. >> you know what i thought was interesting about that. 26 seconds long and it makes an impact in a way that a lot of the conversation around this case hasn't had an opportunity to make an impact. why do you think that is? >> it's blunt. to the point. i mean, that's all there is to it i think really, and it's

common expense. >> you know what's interesting? the shocking part, right? as you look at it, you go in and expect the guy do something else. the whole turn is what's interesting and it made me realize watching it for the first time how cultureated we are to assume the other thing. >> absolutely. >> very true. >> when did you realize you wanted to make this video? this is a case we have all been following. when did you died decide you wanted to do this? >> i was studying for finals, came up with the idea on monday or tuesday. he got right on it, and shot it by wednesday, edited by thursday and up on the web friday. >> that's technology today. >> samantha, why was this particularly important to you? why did this become a bit of a passion project for you? >> i mean, really just seeing all the victim blaming that was going online and the general

rape culture and seeing the negative responses that this female was getting in this case, i wanted something out there that was positive toward a victim of rape. >> can i ask you? you said you are surprised when something goes viral and you got a massive response. who were you making this for? what was your intended audience? >> i think the intended audience is exactly what the audience ended up being. speaking for miss, i didn't think we would actually reach it. the fact that we did is pretty extraordinary. it's a discourse that really needs to happen. >> congratulations, samantha and aaron. film students and a really powerful 26 seconds. great, great job. thank you for talking with us. we appreciate it. >> you bet. >> still ahead, a landslide 1,000 feet long left dozens of homeowners in washington state literally living on the edge.

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we're ready to help. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa. welcome, everybody. "starting point "this morning. a developing story with homes on the edge. a massive landslide taking place in washington state. new this morning, a health crisis for the former south african president, nelson mandela, rushed to the hospital overnight with a serious lung infection. breaking this morning, a court victory for oscar pistorius. the olympic blade runner can now

travel abroad. we'll take you live to johannesburg on both of those stories. and supreme court justices look at the federal definition of marriage. >> you are saying well there, are two kinds of marriage, the full marriage and then this other. >> senior legal analyst jeff toobin here to break down the arguments for us. swallowed alive. a sinkhole opens up right beneath a man in china. all captured on video. march 28th. "starting point" begins right now. welcome, everybody. our team this morning, ron brown is back, senior political analyst and editorial director at "national journaly" and abby huntsman, host on huff post live. nice to have you with us. really it feels like the sinkhole/landslide story getting out of control. i wonder why? you hate to use that word, but

it feels that way. we're talking about that. that's our "starting point." and this landslide in washington state has left a dozen homes at risk of flipping right into puget sound. a nail-biting morning in whidbey island. more than three dozen homes had to be evacuated yesterday. and overnight, 15 of them determined to be safe. look at the pictures, how close the home is and the -- the backyard really is to falling right off the cliff. all happening 50 miles south of seattle. dan simon is reporting for us this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, soledad. let me explain where we are. as you can imagine, a lot of neighborhood sealed off. a lot of yellow tape like you see behind me. we are standing in somebody's driveway. 100 yards behind me is where this landslide occurred. the concern today is that more

of this could crumble. they feel like they have a grip on the situation. they think they know what they are dealing with. two houses they believe are sort of in "imminent danger" of crumbling, but right now, as many as 36 residents have been evacuated. and, of course, crews keeping an eye on the situation. not really quite sure why this occurred. perhaps because the ground was saturated with water from the winter, but they didn't have rain in recent days. so still a misery in terms of why this occurred. geologists coming out today and inspecting. soledad. >> dan simon for us. thank you. the pictures are amazing. let's get to what exactly causes landslides. is it an epidemic. from a way, from the reports, jennifer delgado, it seems like we hear more about landslides and sinkholes. >> we're really just more aware of this, soledad. we can see landslides and sinkholes pop up anywhere around the world.

in the pacific northwest this is not an uncommon thing. keep in mind, this area gets a lot of rainfall. let's show you the location of the landslide. this is whidbey. this is what it looks like before the sland slide happens. you can see vegetation and terrain, just kind of holding things up. but when you get periods of heavy rainfall, maybe rapid snow melt, eventually gravity will take its toll, the ground gives way, and we've seen a collapse. wept all across the roadway. you can also see how far along this cliff is. when we talk about landslides, keep in mind, not just talking about weather, when we talk about rain and snow, we can see these triggered by earthquakes. here is a very interesting feature we want to point out to you for whidbey. there is a localized faultline called the whidbey island fault line. there could be a possibility

that the ground was weakened because of the faultline. really very fascinating. a lot of people are more aware, what happened with florida, and the sinkhole. but they can pop up anywhere around the world. >> fascinating if you are a meteorologist and terrifying for everybody else. >> swren fehr delgado, thank you, we appreciate it. john berman has a look at other stories making news. the u.s. military has announced its sending two b-2 stealth bombers to south korea to take part in annual military exercises. defense secretary chuck hagel spoke with south korea about boosting anti defense missile systems. and prosecutors in connecticut will release new information on the newtown massacre at 9:00 eastern time. state police say much of what is contained in the documents is already known, but state police do say there may be some new details. the families of the victims were briefed on the new release last night. president obama expected to

see an immigration reform bill on the floor of the senate in april. talked about the legislation yesterday during interviews with spanish language broadcast networks and says the senate bill is focusing on what he calls key points. >> they are paying attention to border security. they are creating a pathway for people to earn their citizenship. they are improving the legal immigration. >> the president also says he is planning to visit mexico and costa rica during the first week of may to discuss trade issues and border security. two big stories out of south africa. success for blade runner oscar pistorius and his defense team. the track star's bail conditions have been relaxed, ruling he will be allowed to travel and another big story. nelson mandela rushed to the hospital a few hours ago, battling what we're told is another lung infection.

robin kurnow following both live from johannesburg. >> busy day, isn't it? let's start with nelson mandela. he is still in hospital, we don't know which one. what is key and important about this latest hospitalization of the former south african president is that the government has issued a statement saying he was taken to hospital just before midnight wednesday, essentially admitting that he was rushed to hospital. previous hospitalizations had statements saying these are routine tests, trying to calm people down. they say also that he's suffering from a recurring lung infection, whether that meansith bronchitis or pneumonia, either way, medical experts tell us he would probably be having trouble breathing. now, i must also stress, i have been speaking to sources over the past few weeks and i understand mandela's doctors have been concerned that he

would pick up an infection, because it's -- it's change of season here, of course, in south africa. going from summer into autumn. very hot days and then the temperature plummets and they felt that was vulnerable. vulnerable to picking up infection. that kept him in his bedroom. high care facility in johannesburg and limited visitors, despite precautions, he has picked up something and the lung infection is serious enough to warrant him rushing him to the hospital literally in the middle of the night. >> a high level of concern, robyn. tell us about the oscar pistorius case. a new level of bail now. >> absolutely. one more step in the saga, isn't it? oscar pistorius' lawyers went to the high court here in -- in south africa looking for his bail conditions to be basically made more lenient, and the judge -- basically agreed with

them, they said he could travel overseas, if he wanted to. basically his passport could be handed back to him. also, he could go back to his home, the crime scene essentially and also they said that it's not necessary for him to report to a police station. so oscar pistorius now essentially can come and go as he pleases. obviously within sort of a certain framework. very much good news, no doubt, for oscar pistorius and his legal team. >> much more lenient for oscar pistorius. terrifying video. a security guard in china swallowed up by a massive sinkhole. the 25-year-old man can be seen recently in the foreground. walking with an unbrehma in the rain before the ground just opens up underneath him. chinese media reports that the sinkhole is 52 feet deep, 16

feet wide. heavy rainfall may have been a factor in the formation. people living in the area say there have been tremors from a construction site nearby. >> what happened to him? >> i assume he got him out. >> 54 feet. can you imagine falling off the sidewalk 52 feet now? >> anything that happens on the planet now that is not videoed? it's amazing. >> today is holy thursday, the newly elected pope will celebrate with mass and perform ancient ritual. washing the feet of prisoners at a youth detention center. we'll talk about the significance of the mass with ben wedeman and the significance of what he is choosing to do. >> certainly it is significant, soledad. normally the pope washes the feet of 12 retired priests. in this case, it will be at castel del marmo, where he will

wash the feet of 12 inmates. out 5690 inmates in the prison are not italian. some from egypt, tunisia, other parts of europe and a high probability that many of those participating in the mass are not even catholic. so it's certainly the latest in a series of moves by pope francis to show he will do things his way. he's moved out of the papal apartment, living in a simple residence, he doesn't take his limousine. rather, the bus, so this is doing it his own way. >> coming back, right? with the basic message of jesus. simplify, deal with the poor and those who are without. i just think it's so stunning to hear that. >> he is bringing back kind of a social gospel side. >> ben wedeman, thank you for the report. amazing. i want to see the video from that. wouldn't that be amazing? still ahead, the nation's

highest court heard arguments concerning the constitutionality of the defense of marriage act or doma, that was yesterday. how will the justices going to react? jeff toobin, senior legal analyst, joins us next. taking the fight to the streets. teachers and parents protest the closure of schools in chicago. we'll talk to the ceo and president of the teachers union. you're watching "starting point." we're back in a moment. [ male announcer ] this one goes out to all the allergy muddlers. you know who you are. you can part a crowd, without saying a word... if you have yet to master the quiet sneeze... you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts... well muddlers, muddle no more. try zyrtec®. it gives you powerful allergy relief.

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side of the case. >> every aspect of life, you are saying no, there are basically two kinds of marriage. the full marriage and then this sort of -- marriage. >> we have jeff toobin in washington this morning. >> good morning. >> can you tell from the debate going back and forth which way the court might be leaning on this? >> soledad, as you may know, i'm the world's foremost authority on incorrect predictions. >> i have been there with you, yes. >> i want to offer that appropriate caveat. but it certainly did seem there were five votes to overturn doma. there were different theories, the four democratic appointees, ruth ginsberg, steven briar, ellena kag ann and sonia sotomayor thought it was discriminatory and had to be

struck down. the fiftha anthony kennedy suggested that it appeared to him, that doma, defense of marriage act was violation of state's rights. it interfered with an area of law, meaning, which has been traditionally allowed only to be regulates by the states and he thought it was unconstitutional for that reason. put them together, though, and it means the end of doma. >> everybody is watching, of course, justice kennedy. considered to be the decider on this whole thing. here is a little bit of what -- excuse me. what he had to say. i want to get a sense if you feel like you can interpret what he says here how he is going to rule. listen. >> the federal government is interdefined with the citizens' daily life. are you you are at real risk of running into conflict what is thought to

be state police power. >> his focus state's rights, state's power. what do you make of that? >> that's a big theme of his juris prudence for many years. he made that comment and other similar comments was that doma was unconstitutional, because it attempted to tell states what to do in an area that the constitution reserved to state power. so in that -- for that reason it would be unconstitutional. it's a different theory, but still leads to the end of doma. if he joins with the liberals. >> jeffrey, that's a little chilling for gay rights advocates to hear justice kennedy making that argument. it implies he would be very reluctant to establish in any case, a nationwide constitutional right to gay marriage that would override decisions in the states, wouldn't it? >> that is -- that is -- i think

one lesson of the two cases back to back is that the court really did seem very reluctant to get involved in the california decision -- in the california proposition 8 matter, that the -- the -- that at least for the time being, they were inclined to let states decide same-sex marriage on their own. that they were certainly not ready to impose a 50-state solution in the way that there was a 50-state solution to stopping racial intermarriage in 1967 in the case of loving vs. virginia. leaving it up to the states, good for doma if you support same-sex marriage. not so good on proposition 8. >> everyone trying to predict what they will do until they rule. >> end of june. >> thank you, jeffrey toobin. a woman loses her camera on vacation six years ago. just turned up on a beach 6,000 miles away.

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welcome back. here are stories that are trending. the miami dolphins have changed their team logo. a look at the old logo on the left. the new logo on the right. feature nos helmet on the dolphin. a little color change to reflect the original aqua and orange color scheme. the new logo unveiled april 25th at the start of the nfl draft. >> aren't they talking about more player safety? and in court suggesting the help

let? i'm just saying. >> it's a dolphin, people. >> it sends the wrong message. six years ago lindsay lost her camera on a nighttime dive in hawaii. halfway across the globe, it was found on the shores of taiwan and made it his mission to return the camera to her. it was covered in barnicles but the memory card intact. these are vacations of six years ago, 6,000 miles later, able to relive her hawaiian vacation. >> sure it wasn't jack and sawyer who found it? breaking bad star bryan cranston had a top-secret script from one of the final episodes stolen, a thief broke into his car near where the series is shot in albuquerque. a suspect under arrest and police are releasing cranston's 911 calls to police. >> i need to report a breaking and entering into my automobile.

they broke my passenger window. >> can i get your name, please, sir? >> b-r-y-a-n cranston, c-r-a-n-s-t-o-n. >> the script is still missing. it could be a major spoiler. it returns for the final eight episodes. a big deal. >> i wonder if someone broke in and took whatever and have the script. >> why would someone steal a script? >> it's shooting in a park near where they are shooting the series, the final episode. >> final episode sunday of "walking dead," pointing it out. just saying. >> sometimes on ebay, they think they will sell it for a hefty price. >> they might have to change it. still ahead, protesters marching through the streets of

chicago, trying to keep more than 50 public schools open there. why are the schools even closing? we'll talk to the school system's ceo and president of the teacher's union. watching "starting point," back right after this. for over 75 years people ...with geico... ohhh...sorry!. director's voice: here we go. from the top. and action for over 75 years people have saved money with gecko so.... director's voice: cut it! ...what...what did i say? gecko? i said gecko? aw... for over 75 year...(laughs. but still trying to keep it contained)

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ready to change your routine? ask your doctor about once-a-day xarelto®. for more information including cost support options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com. welcome back. you're watching "starting point." anger in the streets of chicago. where supporters shut down the streets of chicago. they are angry about the consolidation plan that will close 54 schools by the end of the year. >> good morning. a very heated issue here on the heels of icon tentous strike that shut down schools for more than a week. teachers and parents angry about the consolidation plan are at odds with mayor rahm emanuel. more than 100 protesters escorted away from the nonviolent protest.

hundreds of teachers, parents, and students, took the streets of the windy city by storm wednesday afternoon. dozens cited for civil disbed yens, showing fierce opposition to school closures, parents and school employees say the cuts will impact some of the most impoverished neighborhoods. >> we need to protect our children and save our schools. >> reporter: protesters held signs, saying keep your hands off our schools and school closings equal one-term mayor. many wore red in a show of solidarity. >> i feel like none of the schools are safe. >> give the resources to the neighborhood schools, to the real public schools. >> reporter: mayor rahm emanuel seems unwilling to negotiate, and closing the 54 underenrolled schools, the largest school consolidation in u.s. history, is necessary to deal with a looming $1 billion budget gap. >> having been a product of the

civil rights movement and done exactly as the people are doing today, i get it. it's a part of the democratic process and i respect it. >> school closures are nothing new, but they are increasingly seen as a politically charged issue, revolving around race and poverty. >> this is a message we won't be moved from the old negro spirituals. >> safety, security for our children. >> beyond the expected teacher layoffs, many are also concerned about the added cost of transporting their child to a new school. mayo the mayor says that the time for negotiations over. the board of education votes on the plan in late may and it is expected to pass. >> because they are appointed, so expected to pass because they have been appointed to the board. let's talk about the issue.

motions and tensions running high. barbara bennett, ceo of chicago public schools and karen lewis, president of the chicago teachers union. nice to have you, both. barbara, there were other options, you didn't have to choose the option of closing the school. why close the school? >> actually, for too many years, so many of our children have been trapped in underutilized and under-resourced schools this is really about providing a quality education for all of the children in chicago, regardless to where they live. so the option is to consolidate schools, to ensure resources are redistricted and ensure our children get the highest quality education they can receive. >> that's the argument. but some people sort of picture the various parts of that. let's start with the stat sheet. right now, chicago has a gang problem and a serious one. kids have to travel to different schools which means crossing

into different gang territory, potentially. aren't you just increasing the risk for some of these students? >> we are particularly concerned, starting with high schools, high schools came off the list. none of the high schools will be consolidated and we took a very, very careful look at the schools did i list to the board. no student will travel more than two blocks from where they currently attend. we are working with faith-based organizations and neighborhood-based organization to ensure there is safe passage on the route to and from school. that plan is augmented, enhanced, increased, and the safety and security of our children is first and foremost in our minds. period. we want to make sure our children are safe. >> you closed schools before, closed them in 2009, in 2010. there is no indication that the schools closed in 2010 was successful.

many were transferred from a failing school to another failing school. >> what's different this time, i guaranteed that no child will go to a school that's lesser performing than the current school they are in. of the 54 schools we are proposing to the board for consolidation, the students will go to a school that is higher performing. to go to a lesser performing school, it would defeat the purpose. >> historically, that's what has happened. i'm sorry. go ahead. >> that's the difference with this procedure and preface. we recognize and i recognized what happened in the past and we ensure that will not occur. our implementation plan is solid and we have been thoughtful and listened to community throughout the three months prior to the listing promulgated and two additional months of community input. >> let's bring in karen lewis, president of the chicago teacher

union. one of the arguments i didn't go over with barbara byrd-bennett that we are just talking about, the money that will be saved. we're talking about a fair amount of money. $560 million over ten years. that's not even counting the 43 million a year in operating costs that would be saved. that sounds, you know -- when you are talking about buildings that half empty, that are failing academically. why is this a bad proposal? >> well, buildings don't fail academically, and 5$500 million over ten years is $50 million. we have a $6 million budget. so $50 million is not that significant of amendment when you are talking about what -- what the big picture is. the big picture is we have a very serious safety issue in chicago and we have an issue that, yes, we would love for our children to have a quality education, nobody is against

that. where we have a problem is that you cannot just pick a number out of the sky and say this is the number of schools we want to close. this is what happened. mayor rahm emanuel went around town talking to anybody who would listen to him, he wanted 50 schools closed. >> but essentially those schools are failing. those are failing schools. >> right, but -- well, it depends on how you evaluate that. >> proficiency of students. >> proficiency of students depe depending on what? some of these schools have very large special ed populations. you do not use the same evaluation method for special ed students that you use for -- for general ed students. >> that's true. >> but there are some general ed students who are not proficient. some of those 50-plus schools are schools that are failing

students, right? >> but the issue is the schools are not what's failing. we need to look at what we're talking about. we're talking about an entire microcosm of our society. everything that comes together fits in a certain purpose and changing children from one building to the next won't ensure that their education is going to be that much better. >> that's true. i think historically in chicago that has not been the case. >> absolutely. >> and my question, are you an educator, how do you argue against not closing a school that is failing students? you are right, the context can be, is it going to work, it's happened before. but some schools, the children, you know them better than i know. they are failing the students. >> no, they are not failing the students. let's stop with that rhetoric. the issue is we're not talking about people failing children. what we're talking about is an environment and a building if we want to talk about buildings, that have been under-resourced.

on the purpose for years, and yet we want to now blame the very people who have been the victims of lack of resources. in addition, i want to get back to the safety issue. >> but -- >> why are you interrupting me when i talk about safety of our children? >> because i want to focus on the thing just said. i am so happy to talk about the safety of children. let's go back to what you said. the buildings have been under-resourced. >> yes. >> so what is the solution? is it putting money in a school system that doesn't have any money? how do you fix it? if the kids are failing in the schools, how do you fix the problem in a budget that there is no space in choosing money? why not cut some of the schools and consolidate? >> the issue is that looks good when you are talking about a spreadsheet. but when you are talking about children who are living in an environment where we have minimally 59 gangs in this city.

of those, we have about 650 different branches. we're talking about different gangs from block to block to block, and that's one of the problems that we're facing for our children right now. so it makes perfect sense in the theoretical world to come together and organize this. however, we have schools on the list where just this year, the parents from one school shot the parent from another school and killed a child at another school that they are talking about bringing together as a new school culture. this kind of transition is going to take time. what i am saying, this was done in a rush job. it was done secretly. the people who in charge of the safety planning did not even know the names of the schools that were on the list until the press did. that's a problem. >> and -- believe me, i think we would all agree that chicago schools have some serious problems and some chicago neighborhoods have even more serious problems. but i want to read something you

said according to cbs 2 in chicago. >> our schools are under attack. what do we do? fight back. let me tell you what you are going to do on the first day of school, you show up at your real school. you show up at your real school. don't let these people take your schools. you are basically telling kids in a school district where 4-10 kids will not graduation, you are telling them not to go to school. not to go to the actual school, right? >> we're talking about mass mobilization and civil d disobedience for unjust laws and practices. >> are you telling students not to go to school on the first day of school in the fall. >> i'm telling parents to take control. we have local school councils. the whole purpose is so we could have local control of schools and that has been usurped by

mayoral control. >> thank you to both of you for talking us with this morning. >> the back story, like all school systems, there is lots of trouble there. big reforms, you know, lengthing the school day and school year to a parent going k through 12 will have 2 1/2 more jeers of instruction, another big split with the teachers union. they are making big changes. >> you are operating in a context of poverty already, in a context of gangs, of a budget that cannot really support what they have. the problems are just so deep and myriad, and good arguments on both sides. big business news to talk about. >> final read of what the economy did in the fourth quarter. the economy grew 0.4%. that's the broadest measure of the economy, and you will recall that originally, we thought it might have actually shrunk, the final number there is 0.4%,

better than we thought, and a lot of economists looking forward and looking to the first quarter of this year. they expect 2% to 3% economic growth. they think things are accelerating in the first part of this year. really, really important for the economy. especially with the drags. you look in the gdp report, a drag from the government spending, but people are spending money and housing is helping economic growth overall in the country. quickly, a look at stock futures, they have turned positive. the market opens in a little less than an hour. last trading day of the first quarter. you can open up your eyes, everyone. awesome return. the dow up 11%. >> did you use the "a" word for awesome? >> guys this is the best quarter for stocks in the s & p and dow for 1998. best first quarter for stocks since 1998. >> the contrast, the

separation -- >> everyone is asking me, okay, do i take my money off the table? i don't know. >> oh, man. >> all right. christine, thank you. still ahead ahead on "starting point," in 20 minutes, we will learn more on the sandy hook school massacre. prosecutors release new documents as newtown families featured in a new ad on the gun debate. up next. a new diet book says eat for five days regular style and then fast for two days. seems to be working. the author will join us next. back in a moment. ♪ i am stuck on band-aid brand ♪ ♪ 'cause germs don't stick on me ♪ [ female announcer ] band-aid brand has quiltvent technology with air channels to let boo boos breathe. [ giggles ] [ female announcer ] quiltvent technology,

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welcome back, everybody. in just about 15 minutes, we're expecting an update on the investigation of the sandy hook elementary school shooting. meantime, hundreds of events across the nation will mark the national day of action. some sandy hook families are faced in new ads. >> jesse off in the morning, december 1 49. ga gave me a hug and kiss. said i love you, dad, and i love mom too. >> this is sponsored by group of mayors against illegal guns. hundreds will urge congress to enact stricter gun control laws. president obama will mark the day. it's interesting when you see how we are on gun control. >> the most impactful ad. politics is always local. if you want to get into the legislature's head, they want to win again, know what constituency cares about. if the constituency is watching

ads, thinking we have to hammer down on gun control and i want my legislature to hone down on that, they care about that. >> a few issues shows how structure shapes outcome. after newtown, a majority proposition. background check, 90%. two senators from every state. small, rural states have a very different view. >> politics all local, you are trying to take a local story, essentially really was a national story, and suck them back into the parents' pain and make them feel like it could be us. >> it comes down to the will of the people. >> look, have you connecticut, colorado, illinois, maryland, states like that, democratic leaning states moving forward on gun control. red states are not following, and you see the same kind of breakdown in congress. a lot of issues, gay marriage, abortion. states are pulling further apart. >> an interesting time, isn't

it? rights for the middle, see where the country is going. still ahead on "starting point," a real weight loss plan sweeping the nation, called the fast diet. eat normally five days and then fast for two days. we'll talk to the british doctor behind the fast diet. that up next, back in a moment. [ penélope ] i found the best cafe in the world. nespresso. where i never have to compromise on anything. ♪ where just one touch creates the perfect coffee. where every cappuccino and latte is only made with fresh milk. and where the staff is exceptionally friendly. ♪ nespresso. what else?

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called the fast diet. known as the 5: 2 diet. you eat normal and then fasting on two nonconsecutive days. the author is a british medical

journalist, dr. michael mosley. he discovered the diet, as he was working on a tv show as a human guinea pig. >> i agreed to behest tested. & monitored to find out what it takes to feel younger. look better and maybe even live longer. >> this is absolutely everything i have learned. >> the health diet and exercise focus science series comes to pbs exploration on wednesdays, premieres april 3rd. does it work? judge does it work? i don't know if you can hear me, dr. mosley? >> i am just hearing the other voice. >> bear with me. >> i am hearing you now. >> if you can hear me, why does it work? clearly you think it made a

difference for you. why does this diet work? >> i'm only hearing about one word this three. i'm overwhelming by the korean tension story. >> so sorry, sir. we'll see if we can fix it. >> much louder than you are. >> that's unfortunate. is this any better? >> no. >> all right. we'll have to obviously come back to you. my apologies, sir. we're having audio difficulties. we won't be able to talk to -- >> as much as we know. i was really fascinated by this. two days out of week, only allowed to eat 500 calories. the other five days, eat whatever you want. first thought, this sounds like a yo-yo diet, like a yogurt and a raisin essentially two of the days. i would probably pass out. probably health concerns. i would love to ask if we get him back. >> not eating at applebees. >> the thing interesting, what he is asking people two of the days, replace whatever they are eating with a really -- not just

locaw calorie, but very healthy. the meals they pro pose are sushi and cottage cheese. >> when they look to diet and fitness, they want to live a life-style that is repeatable. this is the antithesis of that. >> maybe this is more doable. >> pretty much ail diets, the difficulty is really sustaining it. >> interesting. we'll try to get our audio problems fixed. >> maybe if will work. everyone handles things differently. >> if what you are eating is working for you, you should stick with that. but what we'd rather be making are tee times. tee times are the official start of what we love to do. the time for shots we'd rather forget,

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yo, buddy! i got this. gimme one, gimme one, gimme one! the power of the "name your price" tool. only from progressive. ith time for end point. >> i think chicago school systems. i think what the mayor is putting through will make a difference. my real end point, i was there on the 31st day, and we have some questionable food choices like easy fries in new hampshire. and a great ride all the way through. thank you for letting me join you. >> this is not a walk down memory lane. >> my dad was running for new

hampshire presidential primary. i remember, my dad at a diner. we are talking a lot about doma. the freedom to marry, and it's interesting. it's an issue we have involved very quickly out of the last ten years and seeing almost every year, politicians on both sides of the aisle come out and support the freedom to marry. regardless of what happens with doma, we see overwhelmingly, where the support is of the machinery people. only a matter of time and i think sooner rather than later than an overwhelming majority of the country will be there. and it won't be a political issue. >> john berman. >> newsy end point. cnn has confirmed that thomas meninio of boston, massachusetts, won't run for another term. he has been mayor since 1993, and not a contentious race since 1983. a wide, wide open race. >> interesting, interesting news. >> thanks, guys, appreciate it. tomorrow from the