years old. you know, there was a lot of thought at the time as you well remember, wolf, in a lot of people were asking, would he open up the country? would it become more western because he went to school in switzerla switzerland? so far that is not proferring to be true and it is really concerning to a lot of people watching this closely. >> thank you very much. we're going to continue our special coverage, obviously, but stay with us. the news continues next on cnn. "outfront" next, living in fear. weeks after a district attorney and his wife are murdered, there are no new leads. and a community is on edge. plus, everyone is bashing president obama's new budget plan including the president. and new tensions in north korea as the country loads up a second missile that has the range to strike an american territory. let's go "outfront."

hello. i'm jake tapper. erin burnett has the night off. "outfront" tonight, fear and anxiety in texas. no new leads, no new suspects, and no end to the uneasiness in kaufman county, texas, over who gunned down their district attorney and his wife. a shakenmourned the loss as the couple was laid to rest. their murders are part of a troubling trend across this country, a spike of violence against law enforcement officials. mcclelland's d was killed two months ago. his killer remains at large. colorado's prison chief was murdered last month. the man suspected in his death was killed in a shootout by the police. authorities are still looking for a member of a white supremacist group that might have been involved and a west virginia sheriff shot to death while eating lunch in his car. his killer is in the hospital after being shot by police. out front, george howl is in kaufman, texas, with this small community that is very much on

edge. wreaths on store fronts and in fronts of the courthouse. a community now in morning as the kaufman county district attorney and his wife were buried friday, couple shot nearly one week ago in a brazen attack inside their own home with no new leads in the case and so many unanswered questions, residents here are on edge. >> i've got a rifle that i keep loaded in our bedroom now. just because, you know, just to be prepared if something, you know, happens at our house. >> reporter: and that's different as of this week? >> yes. very much so. i mean, we were talking about it the other day. he said i'm going to go get the gun and go ahead and load it. you don't know what's going to happen. >> reporter: until the killer or killers are caught, people worry about what could happen next. the private funeral for mike and cynthia micclelland is the secod time they come together to bury

a prosecutor. his assistant da was shot walking in the courthouse in january in broad daylight. it's unclear whether the cases are connected, law enforcement is stepping up its presence, some public officials are even requesting around the clock security as texas governor rick perry explains to wolf blitzer. >> are you beefing up security for other law enforcement personnel in texas including yourself? >> well, obviously, the prosecutors in the state of texas and all people who are elected officials, we ask them to always pay attention to their surroundings, to be cognizant of their security needs. if there are individuals who are requesting beefing up, you will, of security, we will address that each situation by itself. >> the day before mcclelland was killed, even he was concerned about security. this video obtained by cbs news shows mcclelland checking out an antique gun at a local gun store.

the store owner tells cnn he wasn't there to buy a gun for himself, but was worried about security for his colleagues. >> he was in there friday asking about what he should get his co-workers as self protection. i recommended the .38 smith and wesson snubnose. >> so he was concerned? >> he was concerned for them. for himself, he was at ease. >> reporter: and it's his concern for others that people best remember this tough talking texas prosecutor, a dedicated steward of the law who stood up for what he believed to be right regardless of the risks. for "outfront," george howl, kaufman, texas. >> thanks to george for that report. i want to bring in kaufman county judge bruce wood. he was good friends with mike mcclelland. thank you for being with us. i know they held a funeral today for your friends.

it must be in addition to being heartbreaking, it must be frustrating that will are no real leads in the investigation right now. is it? >> well, i know the law enforcement groups are working extremely hard to find who did this. and this includes national state and local law enforcement and i'm really not adviced on where the investigation is at this point. i do know and i feel very secure that every effort that possibly can be made is being defined who did these heinous acts. >> so, sir, by now we've seen the video of mike mcclelland in the gun shop and he was shopping for co-workers because he was concerned about their safety. is that characteristic of mcclelland? he is the kind of man'worried so much about himself but worried about others? >> absolutely. mike was what you see on mike or what you watched over the last

few weeks and especially this last week during the interviews that he's given, he is a very up front guy. he was in the military for many years. that was his life. he was a major. and that was his operating style. but he was a fellow that was bigger than life. and he wanted to make sure that whoever did a crime was punished and i do know he was very concerned about his staff and was always looking for ways especially after mark hasse was killed, he really ramped that up and looking for ways to make sure that his staff could be protected. >> there still is this aura of fear in kaufman county. there was a bomb threat last night at the public visitation for the mcclellands before laid to rest. today they had to such the grounds before the funeral. wolf blitzer talked to governor

perry about beefing up security. >> i'm comfortable that the department of public safety and the security that they provide is adequate for myself and my family and for the legislators and the other individuals in the state who they provide security for. >> now, sir, as a judge in the community, you are receiving additional security? you are confident that you and other members of law enforcement are getting everything you need in terms of protection? >> i certainly am. i feel very secure. i believe the other elected officials and other positions in the county that might be in harm's way, i know other protection is being provided. and i feel very safe. we're all very cautious. nobody wants to put themselves in harm's way and we're all more cognizant of what happened and really watching ourselves and we have very capable people taking care of all of us.

>> another example of the unease in texas tonight, security has been ordered for a dallas county criminal court judge after family photos were taken out of the frames from the judge's bench over the weekend. is this just the new normal for people in your profession, especially in texas these days? >> well, i certainly hope not. we've had these several instances in our country over the last few weeks and certainly what's happened here in my county and kaufman county is nothing that we ever experienced. whatever happened in dallas county i saw the report on that, i'm not sure of the details of that. but i hope it's not the new normal in our country. and if it is, it's something that has rapidly needs to be squelched and whoever are doing these kind of acts, they certainly need to be found and punished as quickly as possible. >> all right. kaufman county judge bruce wood, thank you so much for joining us

this evening. >> thank you, jake. >> still to come, republicans and democrats finally agree on something. president obama's budget plan is not the right plan. and the president, he thinks so, too. plus, hopope francis called for action in child abuse. it is just talk? and an iraq war veteran said he lost the will to live. he'll tell us why. ♪ [ indistinct shouting ] [ male announcer ] time and sales data. split-second stats. [ indistinct shouting ] ♪ it's so close to the options floor... [ indistinct shouting, bell dinging ] ...you'll bust your brain box. ♪ all on thinkorswim from td ameritrade. ♪

budget bashing. nobody is wildly enthusiastic about president obama's new budget plan including president obama. >> the offer that president made to speaker boehner which is

incorporated in the president's budget is not the president's ideal approach to our budget challenges. >> for once everyone in washington agrees. of course, the plan includes tax hikes which republicans call a nonstarter. the president is also calling for cuts to social security and medicare which many progressives call a nonstarter. they call it far worse names. does the new proposal stand a chance or is it just a colossal waist of time? out front, hugh hewitt and jim kessler, co-founder of third way. both of them friends of mine. i'm excited to you have here. thank you so much for being here. jim, i'll start with you. the president's plan will be released in full next week. it's a few months late. but we won't begrudge him for that. we don't have the details. parts are similar to the final compromise that the president offered house speaker john boehner when negotiating before the budget talks fell apart. john boehner, nonetheless, slammed the proposal today

saying "if the president believes these modest entitlement savings are needed to shore up the programs, there's no reason they should be held hostage for more tax hikes. that's no way to lead and move the country forward." so, jim, tell me, why do you think president obama is making this pitch? why is he going back down the same road that as we know led to stalemate the last time around? >> thanks, jake. i feel very lonely in this town. i actually think it's a very, very good budget. and actually whether i go back to last 20 or 30 years, i can not recall any president in any era putting forth a budget that actually reached more to the middle and did not speak to his base. i think that's very significant. and, look, will they be able to reach a budget deal? who knows? this was a serious attempt at a first negotiating position and i think the president deserves some credit. >> hugh, president obama angered the left by proposing in this

budget what is called chained cpi. basically, inflation formula that would reduce the cost of payments for social security and other social programs. the liberal group moveon do t.o said millions of moveon members did not work night and day to put president obama in office so he can propose policies that would hurt our most vulnerable people. earlier today on my show "the lead," i spoke with gene sperling. >> one of the things that speaker boehner and leader mcconnell have said were necessary to breakthrough gridlock, they asked for is this change in the cpi. and the president has been willing to agree to that as part of an overall agreement. >> so, hugh, the president put something on the table that his own base hates. they say it's a show of good

faith. should boehner and mcconnell now try to meet the president half way? >> absolutely not. the chained cpi is a given. anyone that is studying the social security mess for a long time understands there are basic steps that have to happen. whether or not move on.org ever cracks open an economics desk. it increases uncertainty at a time we're laboring under a sum of all fears economy. that jobs report today, it's a such a bad jobs report and it reflects the fact the president won't move on keystone. the epa is all sorts of new and costly proposals. we got the endangered species act running out of control and locking up development in the west. we've got all sorts of things. the obama care health care exchanges got postponed for two years. the president continues to posture as the economy stalls out. i'm sure jim would agree. the jobs number today, 88,000 jobs created was very underperforming what even

pessimistic people thought was going to happen. the president's got to get serious. he has to come back to wash, get off the campaign trail and go to work on a real budget with real solutions. because he's killing the economy. >> jake, that sounds like a campaign speech. look, i think that there are a lot of democrats and a lot of republicans who could be accused of, you know, seeing unicorns dancing across the prairie and saying we're not going to budge a single inch, not a penny. that what's some democrats say. and not a penny more in taxes. that's what a lot of republicans say. look, we just can't do this anymore. i mean this is -- we've reached a point where these positions are completely untenable. you know, i just want to say one thing about the obama coalition that got him elected. the majority of them are self identified moderates. and for moderates out there, this bill, this budget plan looks pretty good. and, yeah, not everyone's going to get exactly what they want. that's what needs to happen now to move the country forward.

>> hugh, i'll let you have the last word. >> that's just not true. that's just not true about moderates. moderates understand that the tax hikes the president got out of the congress at the beginning of the year have already injured the economy. they understand we knts raise more taxes. they understand obama care is a complete and utter failure thus far. >> but they elected him again. >> they did elect him again. he's a great politician. he is a great politician. but he has to govern now. >> moderates are intelligent and they know what they're doing. >> jim, the moderates are not with this bucket. thank you, jake. >> thank you so much. we really appreciate you being here. still to come, pope francis vows to punish pedophile priests but it is just talk? and president obama apologizes for comments he made about california's attorney general. did the president cross the line? and almost two months after cop killer christopher dorner was killed, the lapd announces major decision about that $1 million reward.

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pope francis is calling for decisive action in the case of sex abuse and he says that guilty priests would be punished. is it all just talk? "outfront" is father beck. nice to make your acquaintance not on twitter but face-to-face as it were. >> thank you. >> so i have a question for you. an organization for those abused by priests released a statement today saying big deal. actions speak louder than words.

one of the first actions pope francis took is to visit the most high profile, corrupt cardinal, father law. is this reason to doubt, i know he is infallible, but is this reason to doubt pope francis? >> jake, you know, i can understand, i guess, some of the cynicism. but let's look at the facts of this. he's been pope for three weeks. not three months. not three years. three weeks. symbolically, what has he done? we heard about he went to a prison. he didn't go to an adult prison. went to a youth prison. he washed the feet of adolescents. that's a symbol of service but also of reconciliation. then we saw that image in st. peter's square. he lifted up that disabled young man, embraced him, blessed him. these are symbolic gestures toward the youth.

we can't miss that. then today he calls in the head of the cdf, the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, the sex crimes prosecutor and says i'm going to make the bishop's counsels mark decisively and determinently with sex abuse as the issue. so these, i think, for three weeks i mean they're remarkable. it's no the just talk. it is gesture and action as well. >> i mean i take your point. and just for those of you at home who don't recall exactly when he washed the feet of the youth at that detention center, there were females' feet he washed which upset some traditionalists and muslims and other nonchristians. it was absolutely a very moving gesture to millions of people. but the issue with cardinal law, i think is one that bothers a lot of people. this is somebody that, you know, even his own successor has criticized him. >> he went to a church,

traditionally popes pray in front of a shrine. so he met with him and talked with him. it wasn't that he's giving him approval for what he did. he's not going to ignore a fellow cardinal that he is going to visit the we should not take that symbolically as if he's saying good job. he simply met way cardinal. it's not that unusual. >> fair enough. you also think it's significant that the first latin american pope sees the sex abuse scandal as a priority. that's because this hasn't been really much of a scandal in latin america, right? >> that's true. so you have a latin american pope now who within the first three weeks of his papecy says i'm making this a priority. you'll remember that there were membersst roman corea who said this is an american problem. and, of course, they've been disabused of that notion. but for someone who it didn't affect much in latin america yet, that may still unfold. but for him to realize it's a

worldwide problem. this is not an american problem. that is important, i think. >> all right. father, edward beck, we'll have to have you on my show, "the lead." i look forward to that. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> still to come, north korea moves a second missile in range of an american territory. the white house would not be surprised if a launch is next. plus, president obama criticized for being sexist? we'll tell you what he said about dcalifornia's attorney general and another coach loses i had job due to a basketball scandal and now there is a lawsuit. ♪

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welcome back to the second half of "outfront." i'm in for erin burnett. we start the second half of the show with stories that we care about, we focus on our own reporting from the front lines. rutgers at ledgic director resigned. he was criticized for not immediately firing the men's basketball coach mike rice after seeing video of rice shoving and verbally abusing players during practice. crisis communications expert tells us his departure is justifiable. the administration should have anticipated that suspending and fining rice would not be enough of a punishment for his actions. a former team official filed a whistle-blower lawsuit against the university. eric murdoch alleges he was

fired after he reported the rice's actions to university officials. some disappointing news on the economy today. the u.s. added only 88,000 jobs in march, 100,000 fewer than economists were expecting and not enough to keep up with population growth. the unemployment rate fell to 7.6%. that is primarily because people dropped out of the labor market. economists we spoke to say the report was weak across the board. six people now died in china's bird flu outbreak. china's state run news agency reports authorities have killed more than 20,000 birds from a live poultry market in shanghai in order to combat the flu strain. an expert on outbreaks told us that killing birds like this is effective in the past and this is an excellent start towards controlling exposure. "outfront" update on the controversy surrounding the million dollar reward for cop killer christopher dorner, the former lapd officer led authorities on a massive manhunt after he killed four people in a vendetta against the police

department. during the manhunt, police offered a $1 million reward for tips leading to his capture. several people said they deserve the money. since their calls led authorities to dorner who died after a standoff. tonight the lapd tells us a panel of three retired judges will decide who, if anyone, will get that reward. it has been 610 days since the u.s. lost its top credit rating. what are we doing to get it back? the faa is postponing some of the spending cuts. it announced it will delay closing 149 air traffic control towers until june 15th. the towers were supposed to start closing on sunday. our fourth story "outfront," an ominous warning from north korea. north korea advised foreign diplomats in pyongyang to evacuate staff by april 10th, "in the event of conflict." and u.s. officials tell cnn that north korea has two medium ranged missiles loaded on to mobile launchers on that

country's east coast. >> at the white house, there was this comment. >> i would the nobody be surprised to see them take an action. >> with us, our guests. gentlemen, thanks for joining us. gordon, i'm going to start with you. two missiles loaded on mobile launchers, what do you sthi north korea's next move and when do you suspect that will happen? >> well, my favorite date for the launch of these missiles would be april 14th for a couple reasons. secretary of state kerry will be if tokyo. and if the north core evens are going to get them over ginza, clearly this would humiliate theitis. ut would intimidate japan. if you're in north korea, there is nothing better than that. you have to remember that april 15th is the 101st anniversary of the birth of the founder of north korea.

i think that a lot of these events that we've seen from dennis rodman to today have been stage-managed for this one big celebration for the north korean regime. >> and as you've suggested, of course, the north koreans are very much into anniversaries. one more for you. jay carney says the administration wouldn't be surprised by launch. do you think the obama administration is prepared for a launch? >> well, they're as prepared as they could be. we have a missile defense system which is somewhat reliable. you know, i think that we could have a better bhis wimissile de system. the obama administration has done everything they k but it's going to be insufficient diven the circumstances. >> nick, the british foreign office said in a statement about that warning from pyongyang, we're consulting international partners about these developments. no decisions have been taken. and we have no immediate plans to withdraw our embassy." if you were in their shoes, would you withdraw? and if not, when would be the right time?

>> i think every country has to use its best judgment. what may be hang here is the north korean regime is trying to intimidate and pressure a lot of allies of the united states into saying things and doing things that look like panic. i think the obama administration handled this very effectively. they've been firm. they've showed that we have much greater military power. we the south koreans and japanese than do the north koreans. but they haven't overreacted. i think that really is the right answer here. what has to happen now is that china needs to get involved. china has as much influence as anybody does on north korea. they've taken a backseat. they're not leaning. they've tried to say that people on both sides should calm emotions when it's only north korea making the propvications. it's interesting how china is very weak, very passive and not a very good report card on china's rise to global power when they're not playing an important role here. >> nick, as i mentioned

secretary of state john kerry is heading to china, south korea and japan next week. do you think this trip is the right move right now and after nick, gordon, jump in. >> it certainly is. you know, secretary kerry made the first trip to europe and the middle east. it's very important that he signal u.s. interests in asia. we have an alliance system. it's arguably an economic and strategic and military terms the most important part of the world now. so it's absolutely right thing to do for secretary kerry to go there. and obviously, he'll have to have important conversations, especially with the chinese on what they can do to help us with the north korean situation. >> gordon? >> yeah. we need conversations. but they got to be really tough ones. the chinese have been selling, for instance, mobile missile launchers to the north koreans which help them increase their capacity to wage nuclear war. you know, up to the chinese but apply some pressure. what we've been doing over the course of decades really has not worked. and i'm afraid that secretary kerry by going to beijing is

really feeding the chinese self importance which is already inflated. we need to have a new approach to the chinese. clearly with the north koreans and chinese working together, this is not a good situation. >> all right, nick burns and gordon chang, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> days after the 9/11 attacks, 22-year-old thomas young was motivated to enlist in the army as were so many young men and women. three years later while serving in iraq, a bullet severed young's spoin paralyzing him. the shooting turned him into one of the most vocal critics of the war. after nine years and a number of medical setbacks, his body failed him. thomas young said he lost the will to live. we have the tragic story. reason the moment after he was shot, thomas young tried to pick up his rifle. when his arnls wouldn't move, he realized it was bad. >> i knew something was terribly

wrong. i screamed, take me out. somebody kill me. >> instead, doctors saved him and sent him home, paralyzed. now the soldier once willing to lay down his life for his country only wants to lay down and die. >> i watch my body deteriorate. >> the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon. >> young enlisted just days after 9/11, wanting to fight those who attacked america. >> i was nothing but proud. my son was going to go defend our country. >> but instead of afrg, in 2004, young found himself in iraq, a nation that did nothing against the u.s. and on just his fifth day, the bullet severed his spine. >> there it is. >> from his wheelchair he became an outspoken critic of the u.s. presence in iraq. >> it bothers to see how he is handling the war but the problems we face don't seem to get through to them. they don't seem to care. because they don't have any

personal investment in the war. >> by 2007, his life was a documentary called "body of war." but that sniper's bullet continued to take its toll n 2008 a blood clot travelled to his lung affecting his brain. >> whether he woke up from coma, he had lost the ability to speak. >> since then, thomas' life has been on a downward slide. he seldom leaves his bed, can't swallow food, a tube feeds his stomach. last year his colon was removed, now he wears a bag. his bed sores penetrate to the bone. he takes more than 30 pills a day. >> every so often they have to increase the dose because the pain starts to get worse. >> this is a roller coster. i mean this has been impossible journey. much harder for him than it is for me. but i have to simply bear witness which is very hard. >> his wife claudia says it's

not that thomas wants to stop living. he just wants to stop suffering. unable to swallow pills, unable to pull a trigger, unwilling to implicate anyone else. thomas plans to starve himself to death. >> i support his decision. and the woman who gave him life understands. >> a lot of what thomas was and who thomas was is gone now anyway. i've already mourned that. so i'll just pick up the pieces. sympathy. >> but not everyone agrees with his choice. since announcing his decision, some of those religiously opposed to it literally beat a path to his door to try to stop him. >> they feel like they have the right to impose their view on our unique human lives and situations. >> young has still to choose an exact date when he will start to carry out his plan. but with so many gravely wounded vets returning home from back to

back wars, he is certain he won't be the only one looking to find the right day to die. cnn, kansas city. we'll be right back. [ male announcer] surprise -- you're having triplets.

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now let's check in with anderson coop we are a look at what's ahead on "ac 360." you probably heard the hanging with mr. cooper joke a million time. i won't make it. >> oh, my god, i never heard that. that's crazy. because there used to be a show, "hanging with mr. cooper." >> so when viewers hang with anderson cooper -- i didn't even do it right. when viewers hang with mr. cooper later today, what will they be treated to? >> well, let me tell through mr. tapper. ahead on the program, my interview with kristina foreman, the daughter of mike and cynthia mcclelland. kristina says people need to follow in her parents footsteps and not let fear keep them from doing the right thing. also what slif like in north korea. tonight on this program, a side

of north korea that almost no one hears about. tens of thousands of people, 100,000 doing hard labor in prison camps, essentially concentration camps and it's not just people accused of crimes against the state. ti it's their children and their parents. entire families locked away over multiple generations until they die. tonight my interview with a man born in one of the most toughest camps and managed to escape to tell the story of all those left behind. that and a lot more at the top of the hour. >> i'll be watching. sounds great. thank you, anderson. our fifth story "outfront," a compliment or crossing the line. what do you think? president obama is getting heat for his comments about the california attorney general in a fund-raiser. he said, she's brilliant and dedicated, tough, she also happens to be by far the best looking attorney general. the president went on to say and it's true, come on.

well, some called the comments inappropriate. others said they were just plain sexist. others saying lighten up. still, less than 12 hours later -- >> he called her to apologize for the distraction created by his comments and, you know, they are old friends and good friends. and he did not want in any way to diminish the attorney general's professional accomplishments and her capabilities. >> "outfront" tonight. democratic strategist and cnn contractor, anna navarro and political comedian dean obidala. thank you for being here. ann, i'll start with you. i have this unscientific internet poll that i'm going to read to you that says that 72% of our blog readers say the president's comments were not offensive. ann, you disagree?

>> they were inappropriate. and proof that they were inappropriate, jake, is the fact that the president called her and apologized. if he didn't think they were inappropriate, he wouldn't have done that. i have a feeling when he got home, michelle told him, you know what? that was inappropriate. and he knows. every woman in america knows -- every prorvegs aprofessional wo america knows we get talked about when it comes to hair, jewelry, makeup, weight, you name it. and women want equality. what does equality mean? you get treated like the men. you get judged on qualifications and your merits. you're getting judged on your resume. and i think he understood. he put his foot in his mouth. you know what? as mit romney taught us, anything you say behind closed doors, even in a fund-raiser can and will be used against you. >> jake, but you know what?

this is clearly become completely overblown. yes, there is a time for things. there is a place for things. i can guarantee you president obama will never make a comment like this again. but you have to look at the context. the context is that they were very good friends. they are very close. and the fact of the matter is that he did start with her qualifications and how good she was as an attorney general. you also have to look at context in terms of the person saying it. his or her record. if this had been a politician who was awful on women's issues, then i would say, yes, it was sexist and offensive. but what was the first thing president obama did when he walked into office legislatively? he signed the lilly ledbetter act. i'm glad he apologized. >> i can say one thing, first of all? this is the best looking panel by far ever. jake, you're the best looking one because you're the host and i'm sucking up to you. but you know what?

anna, if he just said you're the best attorney general because you're the hottest one in the country, i'd be on your side. but he talked about their talents. and each other on their looks? >> yes, we are in that situation, dean. >> i can't say you look great? >> i'll tell you why, because you're not president. >> i can't say that, though? i lose that right? >> look, whether we like it or not, when you are a politician, particularly when you are the highest ranked politician in the land, you have to be politically correct. that's why it's called politically correct. so -- [ speaking simultaneously ] >> let's get this panel to weigh in on this comment from mitt romney back in 2009 on cnn. >> anyone who picks up "time" magazine this week and sees the 100 most influential people will see sarah palin and rush

limbaugh. is that helpful, hurtful, indifferent? >> was that the issue on the most beautiful people or the most influential people? i'm not sure. >> sexist. horrible. horrible. >> terrible. >> mitt romney making a joke there, was it the most beautiful people or the most influential, i'm not sure. he was criticized at the time by some for suggesting that governor palin should be on a most beautiful. look, i can't interpret that joke. i don't even know what he was trying to say. >> mitt romney's jokes were never lent themselves to interpretation. >> i guess the question is, i understand that you also bring to this a question about what are the politics of the person making the remark. >> correct. >> if the person is in your view, pro-woman, in your view, then you -- >> he gets a little more leeway. >> politicians can't say anything. is that really fair? >> i do think it's fair, jake, because you have to look, again,

context is everything. but i'll say what mitt romney just said really doesn't bother me. i agree with ana that he was never the best joke teller out there at all, but you know what, what he said i think was just completely innocent and a lot of people would say that sarah palin is very attractive. i think she's very attractive. there's nothing wrong with that. i do agree with ana that we are living in a hypersensitive, completely over the top politically correct society and president obama does need to think about that, and that is why he apologized. there happen to be some liberal women who cringed when he said that and some did take offense which is why it was right that he apologized. but i still believe it's completely overblown. >> what if the attorney general said president obama's my friend and he's the best-looking president in history of this country? would anyone be offended by that? i certainly would not. i would love compliments. >> she didn't say it because she knew it was inappropriate.

>> i just want -- we have to take a closer. one time i went to a dinner and governor jennifer granholm was there and she gave a speech. it was a joking speech. she said governor palin ruined things for her demographic, hot governors. i thought that was a funny comment but it was at herself. in any case, thank you so much, all of you, for being with us tonight. "outfront" next fashion icon diane von furstenburg tells erin about her new project. and the lowest middle class income tax rate in 60 years... and a billion dollars in tax breaks and incentives. new opportunities for business. over 250,000 new private sector jobs were created over the last two years. and 17 straight months of job growth. with the most private sector jobs ever. lower taxes, new incentives, new jobs, now that's news. to grow or start your business in the new new york visit thenewny.com great first gig! let's go!

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defying the gender trap. for many women outside the u.s., danger lurks at every turn. one in three women in her lifetime will be beaten, raped or abused. it's a stunning statistic. the women who rise above these challenges deserve our attention and appreciation and tonight, fashion designer dianne von furstenburg is honoring two such heroes. at the fourth annual dvf awards, erin spoke with them earlier this week. >> reporter: be the woman you want to be. that has been diane von furstenburg's mantra from the moment she shook up the fashion world with her wrap dress in 1974. working women had been wearing boxy suits and basically trying to look like men, but the wrap dress changed everything, becoming a feminine symbol of

power and independence for generations of women. decades later, she is empowering women in a totally different way. the dvf awards. she created the dvf awards three years ago to recognize strong and courageous women around the world. >> i really got to meet all these incredible women, you know, who not only have the strength to fight and the courage to survive, but then they have the leadership to inspire. >> reporter: some of the women are famous. hillary clinton and oprah winfrey. >> this is some of the most important work being done anywhere in the world. >> reporter: and some of the women are simply inspiring. senetha is one of those women. at the age of 15, she was raped in india by eight men. she was abandoned on railroad tracks, left to die. her intestines found outside her body. >> one of the things i faced as a survivor of gang rape myself

was the absolute ostracizing and stigma. it is not very correct to depend on others for emotional support. you need to see the power inside you. >> reporter: now, she helps other women who have gone through unspeakable tragedies. she's rescued more than 4,600 women and children from sex trafficking brothels and has made it her life's work to help women and young girls who are abused. anesha is also remarkable. as a child she moved from one refugee camp to another. she couldn't even find water, all outside her home country of afghanistan. she now works with children in afghanistan and pakistan whose lives have been torn apart by never-ending war. afghanistan alone, more than 600,000 children sleep on the streets and she is trying to help as many as she can, providing shelter and most important, giving them an education. >> the $50,000 we will