26th. thanks for watching "around the world". "cnn newsroom" starts right now. "cnn newsroom" starts right now. have is a great afternoon. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com right now, president obama only minutes away from giving an important speech on the economy in north carolina. that state's democratic senator notably absent from today's event. has the president become a campaign liability this year. i am not a bully. chris christie said it and apparently new jersey voters believed it. new polls show an improvement in the governor's rating. and michelle obama gets ready for her 50th birthday and opens up about plastic surgery, botox and one day becoming a grandma. hello, i'm wolf blitzer, reporting from washington. president obama is expected to

walk to the podium in north carolina at any moment now, there to talk about the economy and the white house's push for new manufacturing, jobs and hubs. the first of those hubs, by the way, will be there, the research triangle in raleigh and durham, north carolina, where the president is speaking today. we're going to bring you some of the president's speech once it gets under way. stand by for that. there will be one noted absence at the president's speech. the north carolina democratic senator, kay hagen, her office says she stayed in washington because the senate is still in session. let's bring in our chief political analyst, gloria borger. she is also up for re-election. there is a lot of suspicion she decided to stay in washington, not welcome the president in her home state of north carolina, because she doesn't necessarily want to be photographed with the president. >> sure. notwithstanding what her staff said, it's very clear that there are about a handful of red state democrats up for re-election, who don't want to be photographed an awful lot with president obama, who is seen as a political liability in their

state, particularly after the obamacare rollout. so right now they just want to keep their distance, and not give their opponents anything to use in the campaign ad against them. this certainly would be. she is not the first democratic senator to do that. mary landrieu of louisiana also did that. and i think, look, it's completely understandable. she has an excuse. there's business in washington, but believe me, if she wanted to be there, she would have been there. >> mary landrieu is up for re-election this year, as well. so when the president went to louisiana a few weeks ago, she was notably absent. i wonder if this trend is going to continue. it's happened with the republican presidents who weren't necessarily all that popular. it's happened with other democratic presidents who weren't all that popular. so it's not unusual. >> and by the way, this is something the white house would say, do what you have to do. you know. if this is going to help you get re-elected, we need to keep you in the senate. so do what you have to do to get re-elected. >> let's talk about chris christie, the governor of new jersey, right now.

he's going out this weekend, fund-raising. chairman of the republican governor's association. he's going to be in florida with governor rick scott, among others. tell us how this is going to play out in the aftermath of the week-long scandal now. >> he's got a job to do as head of the republican governors association. he gave a state of the state last week. he's got to be governor and chairman of these group of governors. he's got to do his work, wolf. and move on. he has to show the american public not only in the state of new jersey, but also nationally, because he wants to be a presidential candidate, obviously. that he has the right temperament to be president of the united states. and i think there are a lot of questions about that right now, given the pettiness of the george washington bridge controversy. so i think one way he could do it is by -- is by moving straight ahead. so in the end, he may be judged, not only by the scandal itself, but how he handled the scandal. >> and potentially could help

him. >> it could help him. >> telling the truth, too. >> don't forget, there is a lot of layers to this onion that have yet to be peeled. so there are going to be subpoenas issued. there are going to be witnesses who are going to testify. there are going to be documents that the legislature is going to get. and chris christie has said he did not know about it. nor did he have anything to do with it. and we're just going to have to see how that plays out. >> there is a new quinnipiac university poll asked this question, is chris christie more of a bully or a leader? 40% said bully. 54% said leader. that's still pretty good. >> that's pretty good in his own state. there is a question of how it plays nationally, and i think what we see, there is some contradictions in the polls, some of the polls we looked at say he doesn't have the right temperament to be president. so i think people are kind of taking stock of this. not everyone has been paying really close attention to it. so there's the controversy. he's reintroducing himself right now to the american public who

doesn't know him. obviously, he has a clear shot at turning this around. but he's got to go straight ahead and do, you know, do his job. >> he's got to do the job of governor of new jersey and leader of the republican party. >> and in the meantime, the investigations will have to unfold. he said yesterday that he is going to cooperate with them. and he's -- that's on a separate track. so he's going on one track, and the legislature is going on another. >> got to be transparent, open, tell the truth and potentially can overcome this current standing. >> right. >> gloria, thank you. >> and show that he's learned from it, by the way. big thing. >> very important. there is new information today on the traffic scandal investigation. our own john king reporting that the special investigative committee is expected to name a special counsel today. could start serving subpoenas as early as tomorrow. the new jersey assembly is scheduled to vote tomorrow in approving subpoena powers for the committee. governor christie's senior staff likely will top that subpoena

list. the senate here in washington is at a stalemate over extending long term jobless benefits. votes yesterday failed to move the issue forward, meaning no immediate help for the 1.3 million americans who lost benefits at the end of the year. and anxious moments ahead for the more than 1 million who will lose those benefits in the first half of this year. our chief congressional correspondent, dana bash, is joining us right now from capit capit capital capitol hill. what's at the heart of the current standoff? >> reporter: several things, wolf. it boils down to the fact that those 1.3, 1.4 million americans who don't have benefits right now are the victims, the latest victims of dysfunction here in the senate. one of the things is the issues is policy, of course. democrats believe that these jobless benefits should be extended, should be done without necessarily being offset by our budget cuts. and if they agreed to those offsets, they wanted to be long-term, through almost the end of the year. republicans, on the other hand,

say that they believe that it should be a shorter-term kind of extension, and the kinds of cuts that they propose democrats didn't like. so there are lots of differences policy wise. but then, of course, there is process. and in congress, process is all about politics. and you have a lot of fighting over the number of amendments that republicans were in the minority would be allowed to have or not. and the vote threshold they would be allowed to have. so these are lots of differences they have. lots of talks going on, but never got to the point where they came even close to having a real deal. people out there listening to this are scratching their heads, i'm sure, saying are you kidding me? i'm here without unemployment benefits. i've been unemployed for 26 weeks-plus. and this is what talking about here in washington. probably a lot of frustration. >> not just 1.3 million individuals who are losing those benefits aren't going to get anymore benefits, but they have another 2 or 3 million children, dependents, who are going to be suffering as a result of that, as well. the majority leader in the senate, harry reid, says they're

in what he calls a cooling-off period right now. what does that mean? is it going to come back any time soon? >> reporter: the translation that i will give to you for cooling off period, senate speak, that's senate speak for it's just as good as dead for now. they're not giving up hope completely. but in the near future, it's hard to see this coming back up. we're told that it's on the back burner, and as you well know, most things that end up on the back burner end up dying there, wolf. the only question mark, though, is because we are talking about so many people, because we're talking about such a palpable and powerful issue for many people really suffering out there, perhaps this is one of those things that will come back up. never mind the fact that the democrats run the senate and they have made clear from the get-go, along with the president, this is issue, income inequality and helping people still hurting from the bad economy -- what was a bad economy, that's atop of their agenda, wolf. >> and remind me, dana, why the

democrats in their negotiations with the republicans over the budget compromise that was passed, the paul ryan-patty murray compromise that went through. in the end, the democrats on that house senate conference committee, they failed to mandate that these extended jobless benefits would be included at part of that deal. remind me why that wasn't included. >> reporter: the main reason is because of what we're seeing right now. it is a very divisive issue. not just whether to extend those unemployment benefits. and we should say, there are lots of people up here elected to congress who don't believe they should be extended. it is an emergency system, emergency fund, that is on top of the regular unemployment benefits that people get. so that's really the main reason, is because it was so partisan, and the whole goal of patty murray, the democrat in the senate, paul ryan, the republican in the house, was to find compromise. and this is something that probably would have held it up. but i think your point is exactly right. there were a lot of democrats who were very unhappy they didn't put this into the larger

must-pass budget compromise, and then this may not have happened. but it would have been very, very difficult to do. >> a lot of people looking back now, scratching their heads. the democrats specifically saying, you know, i think they -- i think we could have pushed a little bit harder to make sure there was a deal. the republicans say they'll support it if you pay for it. you pay for the 5 or $6 billion for a three-month extension or the $25 billion for a year-long extension. but the argument is, how do you pay for it. democrats have one idea. republicans have a very different idea. that's the big problem right now. >> right. exactly. for example, there are eight republican senators who were working very hard this week on trying to find a compromise. they did come up with one. it was to extend these emergency benefits for three months. but the way they propose paying for it was a nonstarter for democrats. because they would effectively increase the cut on many of the government programs democrats say, that are supposed to go to these same people who need the unemployment benefits.

that's just one example of the point you're making, wolf. really big differences over not just whether to offset the cost, not just whether to extend these benefits, but how to do it. one last point i should make, we're talking about the senate right now. never mind the house, which, of course, run by republicans and john boehner and other house republican leaders have made very clear, it is -- they really have no desire to bring this issue up. the only way they would do it is if it were fully paid for but they had other caveats, other requirements which would be difficult to meet. >> dana bash on the hill, thank you very much. other news in washington, the national security agency reportedly has bugged about, get this, 100,000 computers around the world. not only that, the nsa has the ability to access and change the data on those computers in places like china, mexico, russia, elsewhere. and even without an internet connection. the story in the "new york times" is the latest example of the nsa's global reach in the name of national security.

president obama is considering some 46 specific recommendations to reform the nsa. on friday, this coming friday, he'll reveal which ones he plans to adopt. our chief national security correspondent, jim sciutto, is here with more on what's going on. so are there specifications you're checking with your sources on how the president will, quote, rein in the nsa? >> i think the headline here is the biggest bulk collection of the phone meta data, the one that's caused most controversy since edward snowden's revelations tharksz going to stay. the "new york times" reporting today the president won't ask phone companies to hold on to this data, which had been one of the recommendations of that panel, something the president said a couple weeks ago he was going to consider. but -- and we reported earlier, the phone companies had been reluctant to do so. so looking at that big program, it's going to stay. and the panel, to be fair, had not recommended it go. but that had been one of the key changes they had recommended. that's not going to happen. other things he's considering, putting a public advocate on this foreign intelligence court so that you don't just hear in

effect the government's point of view. you have someone from the other side to say hey, wait a second, make the argument to justify why you're accessing this particular data. >> the critics say this fisa court is a rubber stamp. >> it's not like any other court is set up, right? only advocates from one side. so the president putting an advocate for you and me, in effect, on that court. other things, limits on access to the conversations of foreign leaders, as well as developing agreements with our allies to say, hey, this is okay in terms of gathering data, because we all spy on each other. but this isn't okay. things like that. i spoke just a short time ago to senator bernie sanders, one of the chief critics of this program. you'll remember, he made headlines, because he asked the nsa director, hey, wait, does the nsa spy on congress? didn't get a straight answer, still hasn't got a straight answer. he told us, this is not anywhere near going far enough in terms of what the president is considering based on what he's heard so far. these are very modest changes s. and i think you'll hear that kind of thing from a number of critics. >> totally unrelated, new

information about an american captive held for five years in afghanistan, bo bergdahl. what are you learning? >> that's right. we're told by u.s. military officials there is a new video, a proof of life video of sergeant bo bergdahl, held since taken captive in afghanistan in june 2009. it's believed by the huh khaki network, california ban aligned network inside pakistan he's being held. details from video. one, it shows some sort of time reference to december 14th this past year, just a month ago. so in that sense, there is some good news here. >> this is not the video, by the way. >> this is -- >> previous video. >> the last video we had of him is three years ago. so this would be the first time in three years we have seen evidence in video form he's still alive. this new video, which i should again say is not this particular video, we don't have it, but do have deals details, shows him in diminished health. he has been in captivity for five years. that would be expected. and remember, when these videos come out, you'll have military doctors poring over it for signs of their physical state and what

i'm being told, it shows he has shown physical decline since then. so, you know, there's some good news here. you now have proof he was alive until a month ago. the harrowing news, he is showing the effects of all this time there. and really, there's been a lot of frustrated efforts to release him. i was told by a pentagon official, listen, we have not let up the pressure here. we're working every available asset and ability to try to get him free. >> five years as a captive in afghanistan. that's way, way too long. >> no question. >> hope he's out soon. thanks very much. once again, president obama is in north carolina right now, getting ready to talk about his economic plans for 2014. also right now making some introductions, thanking folks who showed up. we'll go there live. stay with us for that. a 12-year-old boy, meanwhile, may have delivered a message to some students before he allegedly opened fire at a school. we'll have that story. that's coming up, as well. [ female announcer ] season after season,

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>> wages and incomes were flatlining, so even if you had a job, you didn't see your standard of living going up very much. meanwhile, the costs of everything from college tuition to groceries did go up. so when i took office, we decided to focus on the hard work of rebuilding our economy on a new foundation, for growth and prosperity and to make sure that everybody had a chance to get ahead. and thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of the american people, the good news is, the economy is growing stronger. our businesses -- our businesses have now created more than 8 million new jobs since we hit -- since we hit bottom. because of an all of the above strategy for american energy, for the first time in nearly two decades, we produce more oil here in the united states than we buy from the rest of the world. that hasn't happened in a very long time. we now generate more renewable energy than ever before.

more natural gas than anybody on the planet. we're lowering energy costs, reducing pollution. health care costs are growing at their slowest rate in 50 years. for the first time since 1990s, health care costs eat up a smaller chunk of our economy, and part of that, yes, has to do with the affordable care act. and so over time, that means bigger paychecks for middle class families, bigger savings for companies looking to hire. and along with all this, since i took office, we have cut our deficits by more than half. so we have made progress. and that's what i mean when i say this can be a breakthrough year for america. the pieces are auto there. all there. to start bringing back more of the jobs we have lost over the past decade. a lot of companies around the world are starting to talk about

bringing jobs back to the united states, bringing jobs back to places like north carolina, partly because we've got cheap energy costs, the best workers in the world, we've got the best university systems in the world. and we've got largest market in the world. so the pieces are there to restore some oh of the ground that the middle class has lost in recent decades. start raising wages for american families. but it requires us to take action. this has to be a year of action. and here in north carolina, you're doing your part to create good jobs that pay good wages. congress has to do its part too, because restoring the american dream of opportunity for everyone willing to work for it is something that should unite the country. that's what we should be aspiring to. that everybody has a shot if they're willing to work hard and take responsibility. so not short term, congress

could listen to the american people and restore the unemployment insurance for americans who need it. and let me just make an aside here. north carolina still has a higher than average unemployment rate. so this is important to this state. folks aren't looking for a haughty. they're not looking for special treatment. there are a lot of people who are sending out resumes every single day. but the market, the job market is still tough in pockets around the country. and people need support. a little help so they can look after their families while they're looking for a new job. so congress should do the right thing and extend this vital lifeline for millions of americans. of course, that's just short-term. long-term, the challenge of making sure everybody who works hard can get ahead in today's economy is so important that we can't wait for congress to solve it. where i can act on my own without congress, i'm going to do so. and today i'm here to act.

to help make raleigh, durham and america a magnet for the good, high-tech manufacturing jobs that a growing middle class requires and is going to continue to keep this country on the cutting edge. so we have already got some success to build on. manufacturing is a bright spot in this economy. for decades, we have been losing manufacturing jobs. but now our manufacturers have added, over the last four years, more than 550,000 new jobs. including almost 80,000 manufacturing jobs in the last five months alone. so we want to keep that trend going. we want to build on the kind of work that's being done in places like nc state to develop technology that leads to new jobs and entire new industries. so a little over a year ago, we

launched america's first manufacturing innovation institute in youngstown, ohio. and what it was is a partnership. it includes companies and colleges. they came up with a joint plan. they were focusing on developing 3-d printing technology, and training workers with the skills required to master that technology. now, that was a great start. we got one going, and some of the folks from youngstown are here today and we congratulate them on the work they're doing. in germany, they've already got about 60 of these manufacturing innovation hubs. so we've got some catching up to do. i don't want the next big job-creating discovery, the research and technology, to be in germany or china or japan. i want it to be right here in the united states of america. i want it to be right here in north carolina.

so what i said was, in my state of the union address last year, i said to congress, let's set up a network of at least 15 of these manufacturing hubs all across america. focusing on different opportunities where we can get manufacturing innovation going, create jobs, make sure the research is tied to businesses that are actually hiring. and those synergies are going to grow the economy regionally and ultimately across the whole country. and last summer, as part of our push to create middle class jobs, i said, you know, what let's not settle on 15. let's go ahead and do 45. republicans and democrats in the house and senate introduced bills that would get this going. that's good. but they vice president pass hat passed the bills yet. i want to encourage them to continue to pass the bills that would create 45 of these manufacturing hubs. in the meantime, i'm directing my administration to move forward where we can on our own.

so today, after almost a year of competition, i'm pleased to announce america's newest high-tech manufacturing hub, which is going to be focused on the next generation of power electronics, is going to be based right here in raleigh, north carolina. that's good news. that's good news. so -- that's good news. it's great. so just like the hub in youngstown, what we're calling the next generation power electronics innovation institute, is bringing together leading companies, universities,

and federal research all together under one roof. folks in this hub are going to develop what are called wide band gap semiconductors. now, i was just schooled on all of this. i'm not sure that i'm fully qualified to describe the technical elements of this. raise your hand if you know what it is. see, we've got some. for all you nonengineers out there, here's what it means in the simplest terms. semiconductors obviously are at the heart of every piece of electronics that we use every day. your smartphone, your television set these days, everything. public research helped develop them decades ago. and then that research allowed commercialization, new products, new services, and obviously not only improved the economy, but gately enhanced our lives. so we want companies to run with

the ball also, but first we've got to make sure that we're also doing the research in linking it up to those companies. wide band gap semiconductors, they're special, because they lose up to 90% less power. they can operate at higher temperatures than normal semiconductors. that means they can make everything from cell phones to industrial motors to electric cars, smaller, faster, cheaper. they're going to be still applications for the traditional semiconductors, but these can be focused on certain areas that will vastly improve energy efficiency, vastly improve the quality of our lives. and the country that figures out how to do this first and the companies that figure out how to do this best, they're the ones that are going to attract the jobs that come with it. so this manufacturing hub right here, focused in north carolina -- >> go pack!

>> go pack. this hub is going to make it easier for these wide band gap semiconductors to go from the drawing board to the factory floor to the store shelves. or not necessarily the store shelves, because what i just saw, for example, were these really big pieces of equipment that are attached to utility companies or help windmills translate the power they're generating actually get transmitted to where they're going to be finally used. it's going to bring together ship designers, manufacturers, with companies like vacon and delphi that stand to benefit from these new technologies. and this will help big companies, but it's also going to help small companies. because they're going to be able to use equipment they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford to test and prototype new products and, of course, american workers will be able to come right here to north carolina to learn the skills that companies are looking for.

and the next generation of manufacturing will be an american revolution. so in the coming weeks, we're going to be launching two more of these innovation hubs. we've already got them all planned out. one is going to focus on digital design and manufacturing. another is going to be developing lightweight metals that could transform everything from wind turbines to military vehicles. and together, they're going to help build new partnerships in areas that show potential. they'll help to lift up our communities. they'll help spark the technology and is research that will create the new industries, the good jobs required for folks to punch their ticket in the middle class. and that's what america is all about. you know, we have always been about research, innovation, and then commercializing that research and innovation so that everybody can benefit. and then we start selling our

stuff all around the world. we start exporting it. and we create good jobs. and middle class families then are able to buy the products that result from this innovation. and you get a virtuous cycle where everybody is doing better. and nobody is left behind. and that's what we can do, if we pull together the way those companies and universities have pulled together as part of this bid. now, this is going to be a long haul. we're not going to turn things around overnight. you know, a lot of jobs were lost. in the textile industry and furniture making and -- but the great news is that ultimately, because our people are good and smart and hard-working and willing to take risks, we are going to be able to start

bringing those jobs back to america. and that's what we do. when times get tough, we don't give up. we get up, we innovate, we adapt, we keep going, we look to the future. and i want all of you to know, north carolina, that as long as we keep working together and fighting together and doing what it takes to whiten the circle of opportunity for more americans, so nobody is left behind. if you work hard, you are responsible, you can go out there, get a skill, train yourself, find a job, support a family. if we work together and that's our focus, there's nothing we can't achieve. there's no limit to how far we can go. so congratulations, north carolina state. congratulations raleigh. let's get to work. god bless you. god bless america. the president there, north carolina state university. the wolf pack.

one of my favorite names for any college going on, going forward. the president making his pitch for a year of action right now. says it's time to open new businesses, create new jobs. he's got some specific ideas to make sure that the country does so, stays ahead of the curve around the world. we're going to get some reaction to what we just heard from the president. he's out there in north carolina right now with the wolf pack. we'll watch this crowd celebrate the president of the united states. by the way, his introduction, he did note that the democratic senator from north carolina, kay hey again was not there. he said the senator couldn't be here today but wanted to thank her publicly. her office said she decided to stay in washington because the senate is still in session. newt gingrich, the former speaker of the house, co host of the new "cross fire" is standing by and we'll get reaction from him when we come back.

we heard president obama just a few moments ago, setting up his economic agenda for what he is now calling his year of action. this year, 2014. let's discuss what we just heard from the president and more with newt gingrich. he's one of the hosts of cnn's "crossfire." mr. speaker, very much for coming in. let's talk a little bit about this year of action. what do you make of the president's new proposals that he just outlined to create jobs,

create new businesses, to make sure the united states remains at the top, the cutting edge of new technology? >> well, look, i think the general idea is right. the rhetoric is right. the particular hubs he is setting up may actually have a positive impact. but the fact is that the amount of red tape, the amount of regulations, the amount of taxation that are hitting small businesses has really dramatically changed the rate at which we're creating new jobs. and i think until we have a small business liberation act and people understand how much all of this bureaucracy is crippling small business, obamacare is a piece of it. but there are a layer upon layer from the environmental protection agency to the department of labor. on a list. and i just talked to an expert this morning who pointed out that we used to have 100,000 new small businesses annually that survived. we have created about 500,000, about 400,000 would disappear.

we now actually have a net loss of small businesses, about 100,000 a year. that's very worrisome about the future of job creation. unfortunately, from the president's side, he believes in bureaucracy, he believes in red tape, and he believes in higher taxes. all of those kill job creation at the small business level. and that's a real problem for america. >> he also made it clear that he believes, though, in extending the unemployment benefits for 1.3 million americans right now. americans who have maybe another two or three million kids or other dependents who rely on this money. it would cost, what, about 5 or $6 billion to extend those benefits for three months, $25 billion for the year. what's wrong with that, during these tough economic times, to help these folks, all of whom used to work, they paid into the system, and they paid into that -- into those unemployment benefit insurance programs that supposedly would help them during these emergencies. >> well, no, look. there is nothing wrong as a

general principle, if you just add in two pieces. i think any extended unemployment compensation ought to come attached with a learning apprenticeship, online education component. if people can't find a job in the initial 26 weeks, then anything beyond 26 weeks, they certainly should be signed up for job training to have new and better skills. i hope the republicans in the house and senate will insist on attaching a job training component. that turns it into the largest labor training program in the u.s. that's a good thing. second, there's no reason that we can't find offsets. senator ayotte of new hampshire had a perfectly intelligent offset that both paid for on the unemployment compensation and paid for restoring military pensions. and all it did was require that we eliminate people who are frauds, who are illegal, from getting certain benefits by simply requiring them to identify who they are. why the senate democrats object

to us stopping crooks from taking money from the american people is beyond me. you literally would save enough to both restore the military pension, which should be done, and to pay for the unemployment compensation. she had a very good amendment. they ought to -- harry reid ought to make it an order. i think it will pass and i think it meets all of the core standards. those two things. pay for it and turn it into a trainer -- training program for workers. i would totally and enthusiastically endorse. >> let me get to your quick thought on chris christie, the governor of new jersey. you believe him? >> yeah, sure, i'm inclined to believe him. he's a smart guy. look, if another shoe drops and turns out he knew this, then i think he's toast. but if, in fact, he had some overzealous staff who did a stupid thing, he has been a lot tougher than barack obama. let's be clear here. chris christie fired several people who are very, very close to him. despite obamacare, despite benghazi, despite all these

other things, not a single person in the white house has suffered anything for having failed the people of the united states. this is a huge contrast between chris christie's toughness with his own people and the president's unwillingness to discipline people when there are grotesque failures. and i would suggest the obamacare website and the benghazi disaster are both much bigger than the bridge problem in new jersey. and yet neither has led to the kind of cleaning house that should have occurred. >> you ran for the republican presidential nomination. by all accounts, chris christie would like to do the same thing you did. what does he need to do to fix this situation, to enable him, if you will, to run for presidency? >> i think chris christie wants to do more like mitt romney and win the nomination. which i didn't get to do, as you know, wolf. look, i think he has to focus and realize, as jake tapper said, and i think very wisely yesterday, this is an en dourrance contest. this is not going to go away in a week. it will eventually go away.

it will be embarrassing, but he's got a long year to heal things up. he's got a great position as head of the republican governors. his job is to run new jersey really well. and to go out and help elect republican governors around the country. he certainly will be one of the key contenders. barring something new coming out that we don't know about right now, chris christie will be one of four or five leading contenders. i think we're going to have several more governors. scott walker, john kasich, rick perry, bobby jindal, at least two u.s. senators in ted cruz and rand paul. it will be a lively race. but there is no reason christie -- at this moment should be counted out. he's a serious person and has a pretty powerful, compelling story to tell. >> what about jeb bush, the former florida governor? >> well, if general wants to run, jen is automatically a formidable national figure. he is one of the most creative figures in the last 30 years. i really admire him. i think he is the best politician in the bush family. although george p., his son, may

come along pretty rapidly and rival that. but jen is a great talent. if he decides he wants to win the race, he would add an enormous amount. that would expand my point. a bunch of very effective republicans running. meanwhile, the democrats have this challenge they have an over oh whelming front runner for whom there is no enthusiasm. and i think it will be interesting to see how secretary clinton overcomes that dilemma that she has been around since she was a field person in 1972. pretty tricky in this day and age to be on the scene 42 years and be a new face. >> why do you say there is no enthusiasm? i've seen' lot of enthusiasm among democrats for hillary clinton. >> well, i was just reporting on, for example, an article ought of iowa yesterday. in which everybody they -- the activists they talked to said well, i could be for hillary, but i'm not all that excited about it. >> there may be some like that. that was peter hamby, celebriex article on cnn.com.

but i can assure you, plenty of enthusiasm for hillary clinton, among democrats and the notion that she could positive leengs he be the first woman-elected president of the united states. that would be a pretty enthusiastic message out there for a lot of her supporters out there. but that's just me. we're going to see you in "cr s "crossfire" later today, right? >> right. i look forward to any chance to chat with you and exchange views. >> we will do that, 6:30 p.m. eastern right after "the situation room" when newt gingrich will be on "crossfire" thanks very much. your internet provider may start charge more for netflix, itunes or block them out completely. what is going on? we're going to explain when we come back.

netflix users could find themselves paying more to download movies or things that

use bandwidth, youtube, hulu and others, because the fcc's rules have been tossed out on internet providers. alison kosik is joining us with more. the courts seem to say all web content is not created equal. explain potentially what this means for millions of consumers out there. >> reporter: okay. so let me start with prices. because that's what everybody really cares about at this point. and, yes, prices could potentially go up, because internet companies like verizon could begin charging websites to have access to their network, and if they're charged, you know how that goes. they kind of -- it rolls downhill. consumers could wind up paying costs, as well. this is any site, netflix, google, facebook, amazon. the key with this decision is that internet companies could offer faster broadband to websites willing to pay. think of it -- i don't know, think of it like a toll road. you pay a fee, the snow gets cleared faster, the potholes get fixed faster. if you pay something, you have a

smoother ride. one analyst is actually calling this a game-changer, because now the internet is basically an open playing field. websites, they've got the same access to the same network. but because of this ruling, the quality of that access could be very different for different people. because of what they're willing to pay. now, those in favor of the decision say that internet providers, they spend a lot of money to speed up and expand internet service, so they should be allowed to do what they want with it. critics say, wait a minute, consumers could wind up paying more. wolf? >> is this decision final? what happens now? >> okay, soit not final. because the fcc could wind up appealing this decision. they say they're considering all their options at this point. but i want to be clear about something here. internet providers, they're not going to have free reign, because the court said the fcc still has some authority over the internet. so the fcc could still put new rules in place. if they fall within the framework of what the court will allow. wolf? >>

wolf? >> allison, thanks very much. big plans on the horizon for the first lady of the united states, michelle obama is gearing up to celebrate her 50th birthday. she has a special message for all of us. we will check in with the white house in just a moment.

first lady michelle obama is

prepared to celebrate a milestone. she turns 50 today and plans to have a big dance party at the white house this weekend. let's go to the white house. standing by, she gave an interview to "people" magazine and making news. she is sounding pretty upbeat about her life, herself, what's ahead. give us the details. >> hi, wolf. the first lady will be turning 50 and fabulous this friday. speaking to "people" magazine, she was asked specifically about whether she would consider plastic surgery or botox, the kinds of things women in their 50s or younger would consider. she said women should have the freedom to do whatever they need to do to feel good about themselves. right now i don't imagine i would go that route, but i have also learned to never say never. there is the first lady talking about botox or plastic surgery.

she also as you know is known for fitness and focus on healthy eating and station healthy and exercising. here's what she said on this subject. she said i don't obsess about what i eat. i make sure i am eating vegetables and fruit and i do exercise. i see myself shift from weight bearing stuff even though it continues to be important from running to yoga to keep me flexible. part of the reason for things like balance and flexibility is so she doesn't fall down and break a hip which is something that happens to a lot of people as they get older. a wide ranging issue talking not just about health, but how she hopes to day be the helpful grandmother to her children malia and sasha and to their kids as the kind of mother her mother is being. >> the kids are still teenagers,

but we will be watching. i saw her at the white house holiday party. she won't need botox or plastic surgery for a long time. she looks fabulous. thank you for that. don't miss the special. an extraordinary journey, official obama turns 50. her birthday is this friday, not today. our special airs 10:00 p.m. eastern here on cnn. the lighter side of the chris christie scandal as the governor gets an earful from the greatest rock 'n' roll hero, bruce springsteen. that's why there's ocuvite to help protect your eye health. as you age, your eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite is a vitamin made just for your eyes from the eye care experts as bausch + lomb. ocuvite has a unique formula that's just not found in any leading multivitamin. your eyes are unique, so help protect your eye health with ocuvite.

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we start with a little comedy at the expense of the new jersey governor, chris christie. >> governor, let me in. i want to be your friend. no partisan divisions. let me wrap my legs around your mighty rings, relieve your stressful conditions ♪ ♪ you got wall street masters cheek to cheek ♪ ♪ with blue collar truckers and man i really got to take a leak ♪ ♪ but i can't, i'm stuck in governor chris christie's traffic jam ♪

♪ one, two, three, four. ♪ ♪ jammed with this car driver with noplace left to go ♪ ♪ and they went on and on ♪ it was longer than one of my old damn shows ♪ ♪ some day, governor i don't know when ♪ ♪ till then you're killing the working man ♪ ♪ who is stuck in the governor chris christie's traffic jam ♪

♪ whoa, whoa, whoa ♪ i gotta take a leak. >> new jersey traffic jam. excellent, excellent music right there. thanks very much for watching. i will be back at 5:00 p.m. eastern. newsroom continues right now with brooke baldwin. >> thank you. i'm brooke baldwin. great to be with you at this hour. it's not clear if a 12-year-old boy will face adult changes for what happened at the school campus in new mexico yesterday morning. cnn is not naming him, but in all of seconds he allegedly terrorized the middle school and shot two students and surrender and he may have told others to stay away. >> preliminary information that possibly se