season. >> reporter: corolla wants in, and this season, she's one of the lucky ones. >> it was such a great feeling. it was like butterflies in my whole body. it was really, really great. >> reporter: carola also walks the diane von furstonberg show on sunday. suzanne, the very people who decide whether images of carola will make their way into the magazines. and that's the next step in a model's career. suzanne? >> thank you, alina. "cnn newsroom" continues right now with ali velshi. >> thanks very much. i'm ali velshi. it is news when the president of the united states and the leadership of iran agree on anything. but they both support the rights of egyptians and people elsewhere to rise up against oppressive regimes. unless, of course, it's the oppressive regime in tehran, where citizen demonstrators trigger lawmaker tirades like this one.

those are iranian parliamentary members chant iing, they must b executed. two former presidential candidates, are now the twin faces of the opposition. both, we believe, under house arrest. you should know that gathering news in iran is extraordinarily difficult. reporters living there are barred from covering protests. cell phones and internet often don't work. this bit of video did reach us here in the outside world, from an attempted demonstration yesterday in the capital. amateur video posted on youtube seems to confirm reports of security forces on motorcycles trying to break up or run down protesters who were trying ostensibly to show kol dar ti with egypt.

cnn's reza sayah is watching from as many sources as possible in pakistan. tell us what you're hearing about what's going on in iran. >> reporter: well, ali, if you want more drama in the middle east, you have it. and this time it does look like it's in iran. today we saw in tehran how iran's hard line leadership plans to respond to the comeback of the opposition movement, especially the two opposition leaders that called for the protests yesterday. you showed the video earlier in parliament today. dozens of angry, seething lawmakers, fists in the air, calling for the execution of the two opposition figures. also, calling for the execution of a reformist in the circle of those opposition figures. clearly this tension, this rivalry between tehran's hard line leadership and this

opposition movement, this green movement has ratcheted up. now all eyes on the government. will they heed the calls of the lawmakers? will they go after and arrest these two opposition figures? ali? >> you were covering so much of it, do you remember the protests in iran in 2009, the attacks on protesters, the death of one protester caught on film, really galvanized the protesters against the government. not to any success in the end. have we heard of attacks or any deaths in these protests so far? >> reporter: yeah, we certainly saw attacks and got witness accounts of attacks throughout the day yesterday. according to state government media, there was one death. it's not clear who that person was. but certainly this was a comeback for the opposition movement yesterday in tehran. and the question remains, what happens from this point forth. does the opposition movement continue its street protest, does it find a way to do

something beyond street protests, and where does the government go from here. does it go ahead and arrest these opposition figures and risk building momentum even further. >> we'll stay on top of it with you. reza sayah joining us from is m islamabad. the president and many in congress agree, from the fiscal year starting this coming october, they're deeg with it now for a budget that starts in october, the president would spend about $3.7 trillion, cutting or eliminating more than 200 programs, while sparing or boosting relatively few. those do include education, clean energy, and research. the president's plan would bring the deficit down to what economists call a sustainable level by 2015. in dollar amounts, the red ink, the deficits drop from $1.6

trillion this year to just over $600 billion. but then it would tick up again, largely because of the interest on the debt. and the so-called entitlement programs, social security, medicare and medicaid. in a news conference, you may have seen this morning, the president was asked about those. >> on the budget, what my budget does is to put forward some tough choices, some significant spending cuts, so that by the middle of this decade, our annual spending will match our annual revenues. we will not be adding more to the national debt. so to use a sort of a analogy that families are familiar with, we're not going to be running up the credit card anymore. >> not going to be running up the credit card anymore. if you decide not to run up your credit card anymore, you may still end up with more debt because if you've got a balance,

the interest on that balance continues to grow. so that was the tricky part behind what he says. i love this graphic, by the way. it's from the white house website. this is kind of interesting. the budget has a collection of boxes, or cubby holes. the biggest boxes, medicare in the top, social security right below it, things like that, the biggest boxes are -- by the way, interest is another big box -- let's look at the little boxes as we get into the bottom right corner, these are a lot of the things that are in the budget that the president is trying to cut. but they're so small compared to the much larger stuff. just in case they're tempted, by the way, from a poll that showing roughly eight in ten americans believe that sparing entitlements, medicaid, medicare, social security, more important than taming the deficit. still, a lot of people believe the deficit should be the number one priority. we all agree creating jobs is really the biggest deal. more on that later. first, checking other big stories, protests are spreading

in the wake of the revolution in egypt. in yemen, anti-government rallies are demanding the ouster of the u.s.-backed president there. at least ten people have been injured in rioting. in bahrain, demonstrations turned deadly. a security police fired on a funeral procession where mourners were honoring a protester who was killed yesterday. one man died in today's violence. meantime, in egypt, the new transitional leaders met today with an independent panel of experts giving them ten days to put together constitutional reforms. the country's current constitution was suspended after president hosni mubarak stepped down last week. here in the united states, cnn has confirmed one of the daully llama's nephews was killed monday when he was struck by a car in northeast florida. reports say he was taking part in a walk for tibet. the driver of the vehicle was not charged. a major merger deal in the

financial world today. the parent company of the new york stock exchange and deutscha borse would exchange for stocks and derivatives. the companies will have a combined revenue of $5.4 billion. if you're looking for a job, home depot is looking for you. it plans to hire more than 60,000 workers in anticipation of a springtime customer rush. the company says many of these are seasonal jobs, for february and march, but they say they are adding some permanent positions as well. everybody do a collective, ah. that adorable baby panda born at zoo atlanta, in november, finally has a name. i don't know what took so long. he was named after the character voiced by jack black in the movie "kung fu panda." the actor was on hand at the naming ceremony today.

the name by the way is po, the only giant panda born in the u.s. so cute. all right. drinking and drugs have brought his career to a screeching, if maybe temporary halt. so why is charlie sheen giving advice about smoking crack socially? i'll have that for you next. we want to know what you think. kkk leader and confederate general nathan bedford forest could soon be recognized on a specialty license plate in mississippi. the naacp is opposed. the sons of confederate veterans support it. head to my blog, cnn.com/ali. leave your comments. you can also post them to my facebook and twitter accounts. i'm katie and this is george. i'm allergic to cats.

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basic. preferred. at meineke i have options on oil changes. and now i get free roadside assistance with preferred or supreme. my money. my choice. my meineke. we all remember whitney houston's infamous take on crack, it's whack. rehabbing actor charlie sheen called into a sports radio show yesterday recounting his pep talk to the ucla baseball team. he might have been joking. maybe he wasn't joking. either way, he scores today's "sound effect." >> i said, stay away from the crack. which i think is pretty good advice. unless you can manage it socially, dan. if you can manage it socially, then go for it. but, not a lot of people can, you know. >> did you think you could? >> sorry? >> did you think you could? >> yeah. but that kind of blew up in my face.

like exploding crack pipe, dan. sorry. >> it's okay if you can manage it socially. we want to talk to sanjay about this. everything i've heard is that the problem with crack, not only what it does to you, but that it's not actually something you can manage socially. it's about addiction. sanjay gupta, our chief medical correspondent. >> you know, it's interesting, most people will seek rehab when they've absolutely hit rock bottom. we did a documentary on this a few years ago. that was one of the characterizing things about a lot of the celebrities especially. he's been in and out at least seven times that we can document. what's interesting now is i think doctors are trying to figure out with crack, with all these various substances that might be involved, is what exactly is happening here. is this just a lack of will power, or is this something that's going on in the brain? this is one of the things we talked about specifically. there's various parts of the brain that are probably involved in addiction. i don't want to get too much into it here, ali. this area is sort of the frontal

lobe, responsible for judgment, you have another area sort of in this area, which is the area responsible for your ability to handle stress. can you handle daily stress without using substances? some people can't. there's the other area that is the reward center. you take a drink, take a substance, you get a euphoria. >> that's the problem with crack, it offers a bigger reward in exchange for the fact that you want more of it. >> that's right. the euphoria is remarkable. and if you don't get it, not only do you not get the euphoria, but what you typically refer to as withdrawal. physical withdrawal, the sweats, you don't feel good, headaches, all of that sort of stuff. >> this is your area of specialty. you know a lot about a lot, but you really know a lot about the brain. is it true, because there are other addictive substances, like alcohol, like tobacco, that some people can manage socially. have you heard of people managing crack socially? >> no. >> when i say socially, i mean casually without it being an addiction, something you just do

for fun without physiologically needing it, or mentally. >> probably not. with crack, there's less evidence as with drinking, for example. most of the rehab focuses on the fact that you cannot manage this socially. this isn't something you can do from time to time. it's not to say they can't measure success by someone cutting back dramatically. it's not the all or nothing mentality in rehabbing somebody. if you consider the stats, about one in four people first time in rehab actually succeed. most people don't. but there is enough evidence to suggest that more than half of people start to cut back, and with time, they can actually become addiction-free. >> so this is judgment. this is the ability to handle stress. and then there's the reward center. >> correct. yes. >> if one of these things is out of whack and i'm addicted to something, let's say i drink, or i'm addicted to smoking, does that mean i'm likely to be addicted or get addicted to other things? >> that's a great question. sort of being able to substitute addictions. people have said, even with

gambling, or eating, could that happen. there's been a lot of evidence to suggest that's possibly true. what i think is fascinating is that, could you target these areas of the brain for all kinds of addiction. for example, there's a medication in trials out there, diminishes the reward centers anyone gets from any sort of addiction. you get some sort of thrill, but you don't get the euphoria that i have to keep doing this over and over again, eating, gambling, taking substances, whatever it is. >> the jury is still out. it doesn't sound like it made sense what charlie sheen said, but it's not 100% one way or the other. >> i think what he said, about managing crack socially, i think most people, as divisive as the world of treating addiction is, most people would say that's something you can do. >> very good. great to see you. >> nice to see you, too. >> by the way, charlie sheen did say he's 100% clean. we won't use that word sober, because he associates with the 12 steps. we'll stay on this. >> thank you, ali. have you noticed higher

prices on just about everything lately from cereal to clothing to household appliances? you're right, if you have. i'm going to tell you why on the other side of this break. [ female announcer ] sometimes you need tomorrow to finish what you started today. for the aches and sleeplessness in between, there's motrin pm. no other medicine, not even advil pm, is more effective for pain and sleeplessness. motrin pm.

a live picture of the east room at the white house. you can just sort of see in the bottom of your screen there, barbara bush, former first lady of the united states, wife of george h.w. bush, who will be one of the recipients of the medal of freedom, which will be presented in just a little while. 15 people will receive the award, given by the president of the united states. and we are going to bring that to you live. they've just seated former first lady barbara bush, which indicates that this thing should be getting under way fairly shortly. we will bring it to you. it's quite a ceremony and we'll have it live. when you go to the mall or grocery store, every day commodities like cereal, clothing, toothpaste, appliances are starting to cost more. prices for raw materials are increasing. companies are looking for consumers to share that burden. they pass it on to consumers. how does it affect your wallet and the decisions you make? christine romans joins us live

from new york. we've been talking about the trend at a cerebral higher level for several months, the actual traded commodity prices of various things increasing. now it's really hitting people. >> reporter: yeah. now this is hitting the pocketbook, in the grocery cart, at the mall. now you're hearing from the companies they've been absorbing these costs now, now you'll see them passed on. meat, dairy, produce, we saw a freeze in mexico that probably means tomato and cucumber prices going up. a lot of the things that you use to make dinner are moving higher here. look at that kellogg's cereal there. you could see cereal prices moving higher, or maybe the cereal prices don't move higher, but there aren't going to be as many manufacturers' coupons. maybe the packaging will shrink a little bit. the higher grain prices will be passed on here. let me talk about t-shirts. cotton prices, these are at record highs. $1.90 now for a pound of cotton. think of this, it was about

$1.89 back in the civil war. these are record high commodity prices for cotton. apparel makers have been able to keep prices pretty low for some time. they've moved factories overseas, very low labor costs. now labor costs are rising, cotton prices at a record high, shipping costs are rising. you're going to see everything from shoes, underwear, t-shirts, apparel will likely be moving higher. refrigerators, lg and whirlpool have recently said that they have higher commodities prices, steel, metals, the things they use to make fridges, refrigerators, washers, dryers, those will be moving higher. palm oil and other ingredients in toothpaste, beauty supplies, those will be moving higher. soap as well. from starbucks to mcdonald's to haines to nike, they're going to be raising prices.

>> they say they can pass this on, investors like to hear, if my raw material price goes, i'll either shrink the packaging or give them less or not have a coupon. but ultimately the consumer is going to make some choices. >> that's right. that's why the companies like nike said they're going to be strategic. they have the ability to be very strategic. surgical price increases is the way one company called it. they know where they can raise the prices and where they can't. they have to be careful. it's a very delicate balance here, because as you know, while consumers have frugal fatigue, they're not idiots. they have family budgets that are stretched. but these commodity prices, some of these rallies have been epic. this is why you're seeing riots in the streets in the middle east in some cases. you have food pressures that are really adding into a lot of pain and suffering for people and for governments, and you're going to see it in your own grocery store as well. >> christine, a pleasure to see you. >> welcome back. >> you can see christine on this

show every single day, or on your bottom line each saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. eastern. see me seven days a week, too, "your money" airs saturday 1:00 p.m. eastern and sundays at 3:00. we talk about your money and investments and all sorts of things like that. president obama is set to recognize a special set of individuals in just a few moments. you can see the east room at the white house is filling up now. it's the presidential medal of freedom. the first president bush, george h.w. bush, is among the honorees. before we go to ed, we want to test your knowledge, since it was established in 1945, which of these former presidents never got the medal of freedom. is it dwight d. eisenhower, richard nixon, or bill clinton? the answer in just a couple of minutes. so you get the same coverage, often for less. wow! that is huge! [ disco playing ]

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musial. i want to take you live inside the white house. well, let's take you right now. that's the east room. you can hear beautiful music being played right now in preparation for the presentation of the medal of freedom. the presidential medal of freedom to this year's impressive lists of honorees. i want to talk momentarily about the budget that was unveiled yesterday. the president took questions on the plan during a news conference that wrapped up just a little while ago. let's bring in our friend ed henry as we do every day this time for the stakeout from the white house. ed, if i could reach out and hug you, i would. i've missed you, my friend.

>> reporter: well, i missed you as well. i almost got hit by a truck here -- >> i didn't know they had trucks back there. we were listening to the press conference earlier today with the president. it was about the budget. you were right there in the front. i want to ask you about that. the president was being asked about his cuts and the priorities in the budget. he used the expression, using a skal pep as oh possessioned to a machete. if you're one of those people seeing their taxes increased or not getting assistance on your heating, it feels like a machete. >> reporter: you might beg to differ, yeah. i think what's clearly going on here, when you take a step back, he kept going back to the very point you're hitting, he's trying to do a continuation of what he did coming out of that shellacking in november. he said, look, i laid out some details. he got pressed on the fact that he didn't lay out a lot of details on the big picture, big spending items like the entitlement of social security,

medicare, medicaid. but he said you've got people on the left that the cuts are too deep, and on the right who think they didn't go far enough. i'm in the middle with a scalpel, not a machete. and he's trying to carve out that middle ground. exactly what we saw him do right after the november election, went against the odds. he was able to get the tax cut deal with the republicans. not everyone happy with that one. he was safely in the center of the political action. he's trying to do that yet again in this budget fight. that's clearly where he's trying to position himself and he did that again and again in the news conference. >> the other big issue that the president is involved in right now, is what happened in egypt. and then demonstrations in other middle eastern countries. you asked him about that. tell us what you asked him about and what he said. >> reporter: well, i was trying to press him on the point of the fact that there are some people around the world, including some of the protesters in some of these countries, when you go beyond egypt, you've got algeria, jordan, iran, people rising up who feel maybe the u.s. has been a little slow

footed, not quick enough to embrace some of these protesters around the world. you see the president kind of bristled at that notion when i asked him, look, are you in favor, and do you support these protesters getting freedom, or do you support getting freedom if it keeps u.s. stability in the region? and there are some of the protesters who clear believe the u.s. has not spoken up enough. the president said he thinks he got it just about right. no surprise there. but he said moving forward, the u.s. does support peaceful protests, and that these governments involved can't be cracking down with violence. i thought he was pretty explicit in saying iran's reaction has been to beat people, murder people. pretty tough talk from the president. but we'll see how much he does get behind those protesters. and follows up on this in the days ahead. because you'll remember, when you were talking about this earlier, going back to 2009 when these protests started in iran, long before egypt, there was criticism of this white house

for not getting quickly enough behind it. >> do you have to move? or do you have to leave? that sounds crazy. that truck -- hey! >> reporter: i think i'm all right. the tires are a little large. they've got this big project going on, we call it the big dig here. >> you're right by the driver. why don't you tell him you're in the middle of a live news shot. >> reporter: yeah, we're in the middle of a live shot. he basically waved at me. he's got a job, i've got a job. what are you going to do, man. >> the presidential medal of honor, the medal of freedom, medal of honor is for military recipients. before the break, we asked which of these presidents was not a recipient of the medal of honor. do you know the answer to that? >> reporter: you know, i don't know. but i'm going to guess, i feel like there's a surprise here, so the answer is going to be eisenhower. >> the answer, this is a trick question, i shouldn't do this on our first day together after a while. none of them were actually honored.

>> reporter: none of them got is it? >> no. >> reporter: i was half right. because i said eisenhower did not get it. >> you were not wrong. for a guy who nearly got hit by a truck, i thought you were quite sharp about the whole deal. tell me what the medal of freedom is about. >> reporter: well, it's the highest civilian honor a president can give out. there have been other former presidents who have gotten it. former president george h.w. bush, met with the president earlier in the oval office. he's getting a medal of freedom. i saw jeb bush and barbara bush looking emotional. this is a big moment for them. he's closing in on 90 years old. i'm also interested in some of the sports heroes who are going to get the award. stan "the man" musial, that's a big deal to a lot of baseball fans. and bill russell, a pioneer not just as a baseball player, but any african-american coaches in any of the major sports.

it was said that one of his first news conferences as a boston celtics coach, there was a reporter who asked bill russell, can you be fair to the white players? are you going to be prejudiced toward white players? he said, the famous coach for the celtics was never asked whether he would be fair to the black players. it was sort of absurd. it gives you a sense of the times back then, and how courageous bill russell was to stand up not just as a player, but a coach as well. it's always fun to see some of these big, big celebrities and pioneers come here to the white house. >> maya angelou is going to be there, warren buffet. it's already been a busy day for you. thanks very much. good to see you. and we will be hanging out a lot more often. the medal of freedom ceremony is about to begin any minute. we'll bring it to you as soon as it starts.

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protesters in tehran yesterday. one person was reported killed. president obama is defending his fiscal year 2012 budget plan at a news conference a short time ago. he said program cuts and spending freezes, he's proposing, are based on tough choices. some democrats say the plan cuts too many critical programs, many republicans say it doesn't go far enough. the president is about to award the presidential medal of freedom to 15 people, including former president george h.w. bush. congressman and civil rights leader john lewis, baseball legend stan musial and cellist yo-yo ma. america's highest civilian honor. we'll join the ceremony live as soon as it begins. and if i'm not mistaken, it looks like it's about to begin right now. let's listen in. >> warren buffett.

the honorable george h.w. bush. jasper johns. gerda weissmann klein.

the honorable john lewis. elizabeth little, accepting on behalf of dr. tom little. yo-yo ma. sylvia mendez. stanley musial. william russell.

the honorable jean kennedy smith. john sweeney. ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and mrs. michelle obama. ♪ >> thank you so much. everyone, please be seated. and welcome to the white house.

some of you have been here before. this is one of the things that i most look forward to every year. a chance to meet with, and more importantly honor some of the most extraordinary people in america. and around the world. president kennedy once said during a tribute to the poet robert frost, that a nation reveals itself not only by the men and women it produces, but by the men and women that it honors. the people that it remembers. i heartily agree. when you look at the men and women who are here today, it says something about who we are as a people. when we award this medal to a congressman john lewis, it says

that we aspire to be a more just, more equal, more perfect union. when we award it to a jasper johns, it says we value the original, and the imaginative. when we award it to a warren buffett, it says we know life to be humble and wise, and maybe make a little money along the way. [ laughter ] and when we award it to former president george h.w. bush, it says we celebrate an extraordinary life of service and of sacrifice. this year's medal of freedom recipients reveal the best of who we are, and who we aspire to be. in 1970, john adams and a handful of unpaid attorneys and law students salvaged some old

desks and set up an environmental law firm in new york city. for 36 years john sat at the same desk. but the group he co-founded, the natural resources defense council, grew well beyond it. our first obligation is to the environment, john once said. if people want to protect the environment, we'll support their efforts. if not, we'll play hardball. with more than 1 million members, nrdc has won landmark cases and helped pass landmark laws to clean up our air and water, protect our forests and wildlife and keep our climate safe. the "rolling stone" put it best, if the planet has a lawyer, it's john adams. as a girl, marguerite ann johnson endured trauma and abuse

that actually led her to stop speaking. but as a performer, and ultimately a writer, a poet, maya angelou found her voice. it's a voice that's spoken to millions. including my mother, which is why my sister is named maya. by holding on, even amid cruelty and loss, and then expanding to a sense of compassion, and ability to love, by holding on to her humanity, she has inspired countless others who have known injustice and misfortune in their own lives. i won't try to say it better than maya angelou herself, who wrote, that history, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived. and faced with courage, need not be lived again.

lift up your eyes upon the day breaking for you. give birth again to the dream. in 1942, an 11-year-old boy from omaha, nebraska, invested his entire fortune in six shares of city services preferred at $38 per share. the stock soon dropped sharply. devastating his holdings. but true to form, the boy did not panic. he held those shares until the stock rebounded, earning himself a small profit. things got a little bit better after that. [ laughter ] today we know warren buffett not only as one of the world's richest men, but also one of the most admired and respected. unmoved by financial fads, he's doggedly sought out value, put

his weight behind companies with promise, and demonstrated that integrity is not just a good trait, it is good for business. and yet for all the money he's earned, you don't see warren buffett wearing fancy suits, or driving fancy cars. instead, you see him devoting the vast majority of his wealth to those around the world who are suffering or sick or in need of help. and he uses his stature as a leader to press others of great means to do the same. a philanthropist is a lover of humanity, and there is no word that fits warren better. i should point out, he's so thrifty, i had to give him a white house tie. [ laughter ] the last time he came here to visit. his was looking a little shredded. so then when bill gates came, he wanted one, too. [ laughter ]

it has been noted that jasper johns' work playing off familiar images have transfixed people around the world. historians will tell you that he helped usher in the artistic movements that would define the latter half of the 20th century. many would say he is one of the greatest artists of our time. and yet, of his own efforts, he has simply said, i'm just trying to find a way to make pictures. just trying to find a way to make pictures. great artists before him, jasper johns pushed the boundaries of what art could be and challenged others to test their own assumptions. he didn't do it for fame, he didn't do it for success, although he earned both. as he said, i assumed that everything would lead to complete failure, but i decided that it didn't matter, that would be my life. we are richer as a society

because it was. and jasper, you've turned out fine. [ laughter ] when you are among the youngest of nine children, you develop a strong sense of empathy. when those children are the kennedys, you also develop a strong set of diplomatic skills just to be heard. both traits helped jean kennedy smith follow her siblings into public service. when her brother, president kennedy, visited ireland in 1963, he promised he'd be back in the springtime. 30 years later, it was left to jean to return for him. as president clinton's ambassador to island, jean was helping those to see past the scars of violence and mistrust and come together to forge a lasting peace. touched by experiences in her

own life, jean also founded the vsa program, helping people with disabilities discover the joys of learning through the arts, changing the lives of those it has served. and today her mission has spread to more than 50 countries and touched millions of lives. ensuring that the family business remains alive and well. by the time she was 21, gerda klein had spent six years living under nazi rule, three of them in concentration camps. her parents and brother had been taken away. her best friend had died in her arms during a 350-mile death march. and she weighed only 68 pounds when she was found by american forces in an abandoned bicycle factory. but gerda survived. she married the soldier who rescued her. and ever since, as an author,

historian and crusader for tolerance, she has taught the world that it is often in our most hopeless moments that we discover the extent of our strength and the depth of our love. i pray you never stand at any crossroads in your own lives, she says, says, but if you do, darkness seems so total, if you think there is no way out, remember never, ever give up. that's a quote that would be familiar to our next honoree. there's a quote inscribed over a doorway in nashville where students first refused to leave lunch counters 51 years ago this february. and the quote said "if not us then who who, if not now then w"

a question john lewis has been asking his entire life. that's what led him to the bridge in selma after he had been beaten within an inch of his life before. that's why time and again he faced down death so that all of us could share equally in the joys of life. that's why all these years later he is known of the conscience of the united states congress, still speaking his mind on issues of justice and equality. and generations from now when parents teach their children what is meant by courage, the story of john lewis will come to mind. an american who knew that change could not wait for some other person or some other time, whose life is a lesson in the fierce urgency of now. an optometrist from new york, tom little, could have pursued a lucrative career. instead, he was guided by his faithed and set out to heal the poorest of the poor in

afghanistan. for 30 years amid invasion and civil war, the terror of the taliban, the spread of insurgency, he and his wife libby helped bridge afghans literally the miracle of sight. last summer tom and his team of doctors and nurses were ambushed and senselessly murdered. today we remember an honor dr. tom little, a humanitarian in the truest sense of the word, a man who not only dedicated his life to others but who lived that lesson of scripture, greater love hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. yo-yo ma has been a concert cellist since the age of 5. despite being a late bloomer, he

went on to record over 75 albums and win 16 grammys, which means i'm only 14 behind him. while yo-yo could have just settled for being the world's greatest chelist, he said even greater than his passion for music is his passion for people. i can testify to that. very few people you will meet with the exuberance and joy he possesses. he spent his life traveling the world and training and mentoring thousands of students from lebanon to korea to the iraqi work orchestra. he has been named a messenger of peace by the united nations. in his words, when we enlarge our view of the world, we deepen our understanding of our own lives. for civil ya mendez, a lifelong

quest for equality began at 8 years old. outraged that hir daughter had to attend a segregated school, her parents fought, which would pave the way for brown versus board of education. the next year, when somebody said a mexican didn't belong there, she went home in tears and said she didn't want to go to school. her mom wouldn't have it. she said, didn't you realize that's why we went to court? you're just as good as he is. sylvia took that to heart and ever since has spread a message of tolerance and opportunity to children of all backgrounds and walks of life. growing up in communist east germany, angela merkel dreamed of freedom. and when the wall finally crumbled and germany was reunited she broke barriers of

her own, becoming the first east german and the first woman to be chancellor of germany. to america, chancellor merkel and the country she leads are among our closest allies. to me, she is a trusted global partner and a friend. to people around the world the story of angela merkel is an inspiration. everything is possible, she said. something the world has seen again in recent weeks. freedom does not come about of itself. it must be struggled for and then defended anew every day of our lives. chancellor merkel isn't here today. she'll be visiting me for an official visit soon. i look forward to presenting her the award when she comes. stan musial. his brilliance comes in fighting bursts, hitting five home runs in a single day double-heading. leading the league in doubles,

triples singles and rbis in a single season, three world series. first ballot hall of famer, worthy of one of the greatest nicknames in sports, "stan the man." my grandfather was stan, by the way, so i used s ed to call him man, too. stan made that brilliance burn for two decades. stan matched his hustle with humili humility. he retired with 17 records, even as he missed a season in his prime to serve his country in the navy. he was the first player to make -- get this -- $100,000. even more shocking, he asked for a pay cut when he didn't perform up to his own expectations. you can imagine that hatppening

today. stan remains to this day an icon, untarnished, a beloved pillar of the community, a gentleman you'd want your kids to emulate. i hope i've given baseball nearly as much as i've gotten from it, stan wrote in his memoirs, "knocking it out of the park one more time." when bill russell was in junior high, he was cut from his basketball team. he got better after that. he led the university of san francisco to two championships. in 13 seasons with the boston celtics he won 11 championships. a record unmatched in any sport. one, too, while serving as the team's coach.

it so happens he also was the first african-american ever to hold such a position as a coach in a major league sport of any sort. more than any athlete of his era, bill russell came to define the word "winner." and yet whenever someone looks up at all 6'9" of bill russell -- i just did, i always feel small next to him -- and asks, are you a basketball player, surprisinsurprisingly, this more than you'd think, this question, he says, no. he said, that's what i do, it's not what i am. i'm not a basketball player. i am a man who plays basketball. bill russell the man is someone who stood up for the rights and dignity of all men. he marched with king. he stood by ali. when a restaurant refused to serve the black celtics, he refused to play in the game.

he endured insults and vandalism but he kept on focusing on making the teammates who he loved better players. and made possible the success of so many who would follow. and i hope that one day in the streets of boston children will look up at a statue built not only to bill russell the player but bill russell the man. the bronx-born son of irish immigrants, john sweeney, was shaped by three things, his family, his mother was a maid, his father a bus driver, instilled in him that fundamentally american idea that through hard work we can make of our lives what we will. the church taught him our obligations to ourselves and one another. and as a child he saw that by banding together in a union we can accomplish great things that we can't accomplish alone.

john devoted his career to the labor movement, adding working folks to its ranks and fighting for fair working conditions and fair wages, as the head of the aflcio he was responsible for dozens of unions with millions of working families. family, faith, fidelity to the common good. these are the values that made john sweeney who he is, values at the heart of a labor movement that has helped build the world's greatest middle class. and finally we recognize our last recipient, not simply for the years he spent as our 41st president, we honor george herbert walker bush for service to america that spanned nearly 70 years. from a decorated navy pilot who nearly gave his life in world war ii to u.s. ambassador to the united nations from cia director

to u.s. envoy to china, to the vice presidency. he his life is a testament that public service is a noble calling. as president, he expanded america's promise to new immigrants and people with disabilities. he reduced nuclear weapons. he build a broad international coalition to expel a dictator from kuwait. when democratic revolution swept across eastern europe, it was the steady, diplomatic hand of president bush that made possible an achievement once thought impossible, ending the cold war without firing a shot. i would add that, like the remarkable barbara bush, his humility and his decency reflects the very best of the american spirit. those of you who know him, this is a gentleman.

inspiring citizens to become points of lyight and service to others, teaming up with a one-time political opponent to champion relief for the victims of the asian tsunami, the hurricane katrina. and then, just to cap it off, well into his 80s, he decides to jump out of airplanes. because, as he explains, it feels good. these are the recipients of the 2010 medal of freedom. so now it is my great pleasure and my great honor to present them with their medals.

>> john h. adams. john h. adams. at a time when contaminated water ways and polluted air threatened too many of our communities, john h. adams co-founded the natural resources defense council to encourage responsible stewardship of our natural resources. a staunch defender of the wonders of our planet he served as executive director and later president of the nrdc, challenging americans to live up to our responsibilities to leave something better to our children with an urgency matched by few others. john adams, decades-long commitment to safe guard the earth has left our air purer,

water cleaner and planet healthier for generations to come. dr. maya angelou. out of a youth marked by pain and injustice, dr. maya angelou rose with an unbending determination to fight for civil rights and inspire every one of us to recognize and embrace the possibility and potential we each hold. with her soaring poetry, towering prose and mastery of a range of art forms, dr. angelou has spoken to the conscience of our nation. her soul-stirring words have taught us how to reach across division and honor the beauty of our world.

>> war even e. buffet. as a world-renowned investor and philanthropist, warren e. buffet's business acumen is matched only to his dedication of improving the lives of others. he is a co-founder of the giving pledge, an organization that encouraged wealthy americans to donate at least 50% of their wealth to philanthropic causes. warren buffett's example of generosity and compassion has shown us the power of one individual's determination and

inspired countless women and men to help make our world a brighter place. >> the honorable george herbert walker bush. from his time as a decorated navy pilot to his years in the white house as the 41st president of the united states, president george herbert walker bush has led a life marked by a profound commitment to serving others. as president, he held the american value of liberty during

a time of renewal and promise. as a private citizen, he has united americans in times of crisis, lending his tireless efforts to men and women whose lives have been upended by disaster. over the arc of his life, president bush has served our nation for a tremendous source of good and we roisz him for his devotion to our country and our world. >> jasper johns.

bold and iconic, the work of can jasper johns has left lasting impressions on americans. with nontraditional methods he has explored themes of identity, perception and patriotism. by asking us to reexamine the familiar, his work has sparked the minds of creative thinkers around the world. jasper johns helped shape the pop, minimal and conceptual art movements and the united states honors him for the profound influence he has had on generations of artists. .

>> gerda weissmann klein. gerda weissmann klin's life is a proven tenacity. she was sent to a series of nazi labor camps. in 1945 she was one of the few survivors forced to undergo a 350 mile march. from tragedy to triumph. she and her husband started eye foundation to promote tolerance, respect and empowerment of students throughout the world. by sharing her stories and encouraging others to see themselves in one another, gerda

klein has helped to promote understanding among all people. >> the honorable john r. louis. -- lewis. from his activism in the civil rights movement to his nearly 25 years in the house of representatives, john r. lewis has dedicated his life to shattering barriers and fighting injustice. the son of share croppers from alabama, he rose with courage, fortitude and purpose to organize the first student sit-ins in the earlier freedom rides. the youngest speaker at the 1963

march on washington, a fearless advocate and a distinguished member of congress, john lewis has earned our lasting gratitude to a lifetime dedicated to the pursuit of equality and justice for all. >> elizabeth little accepting on behalf of her husband dr. thomas emmitt little. dr. thomas emmitt little was an optometrist who devoted his life and skills to those in need. starting in the 1970s, dr. little and his wife lived

largely in afghanistan in order to provide vision care to the people of that nation. even as they dedicated their lives to healing others, dr. little and nine of his team members were murdered in afghanistan in 2010. our nation mourns the loss of these humanitarians who paid the ultimate price in pursuit of their ideals and we look to dr. little's example of generosity and good will so we can better know the meaning of sacrifice and the necessity of peace. >> yo-yo ma.

recognized as one of the world's greatest musicians, yo-yo ma's talents know no boundaries of genre or culture. since performing at the white house for president kennedy at the age of 7, he has recorded more than 75 albums, won more than a dozen grammy aed wards and established himself as one of our nation's most acclaimed and respected artists. his music has bound us together and captured our imagination and the united states proudly honors this prolific cellist and ambassador for the arts. >> sylvia mendez.

sylvia mendez was thrust to the forefront of the civil rights movement when she was just a child. denied entry to the westminster school because of her mexican heritage, she sought justice in her subsequent legal case effectively ended seg ra gaigsz as a matter of law in california. the arguments in that case catalyzed the desegregation in our schools and began the landmark case of brown versus board of education. she continues to share her story and advocate for equality in classrooms across america.

>> stanley f.musial. stanley f. musial represents the best of american sorts icons. his name is synonymous with the st. louis cardinals, the team on which he played for his entire 22-year career. aif perennial all-tar, he won accolades as a player and championships as a teammate. nicknamed "stan the man" he played with decency and values and remain an example to all young americans to this day.

>> william f. russell. basketball was a different sport before william f. russell donned a uniform. with unmatched skill, he led the boston celtics to an unparalleled string of titles and earned the division of being named the nba's most valuable player five times. he broke down barriers on and off the court, become being basketball's first african-american coach and serving as a passionate advocate for civil rights. bill russell can reflect with pride in helping change the culture of a sport and the course of our nation.

>> the honorable jean kennedy smith. the eighth of nine children to joseph and rose kennedy, jean kennedy smith join the family business of helping her fellow americans and improving our world. in 1974, she founded very special arts, a nonprofit organization that promotes the artistic talents of young people living with disabilities. on the international stage, jean kennedy smith played a pivotal role in the peace process in

northern ireland while serving as the united states ambassador to ire landz. with intelligence, compassion, and grace, jean kennedy smith has contributed volumes to her family's outstanding legacy of service to our country. . >> john j. sweeney. as a champion for the american worker, john j. sweeney has strengthened our families, our economy and our country. the son of irish immigrants, he worked his way up in the labor

movement serving as president of the service employees international union and president of the american federation of labor and congress of industrial organizations, all the while reaffirming our nation's commitment to awarding the enduring values of hard work and responsibility. the united states proudly honors john sweeney for a lifetime of courageous service on behalf of working people. >> i know that people try to observe decorum when they're here in the white house, but i'd welcome everybody to stand and acknowledge these extraordinary men and women, the 2011 medal of freedom honorees.

>> all right, everybody. now you can see why i love this day, and i hope everyone has a wonderful time during the reception. thank you so much for your attendance. and again to our honorees, thanks for setting such an extraordinary example for all of us. thank you very much. >> there you have it, the president of the united states in the east room of the white house having just present 15 presidential medals of freedom

to various recipients including former president, there he is, george h.w. bush. maya angelou, warren buffett, various other recipients. the president is now leaving that room. it's been a busy day for him. earlier today he held a press conference about the federal proposed budget for fiscal 2012. when we come back, we'll talk a bit about that. we have a lot of other news for you as well. we'll leave you with this president of the preside-- pict president in the east room.

okay, we spent a lot of time on the medals of freedom. we want to bring you up to speed on the news you may have missed. president george h.w. bush is among the recipients of the medals. the former president along with 14 others were awarded for their contributions in culture, world peace, other national interests, by president obama himself. other recipients included poet maya angelou, civil rights leader john lewis, billionaire businessman warren buffett, the medal of freedom is the highest civilian award. busy day for the president. at a news conference earlier today, president obama defended his fiscal 2012 budget proposal that adds $7.2 trillion to the national debt over the next ten years. he says the program cuts and spending freezes that he's proposing reflect the tough choices needed to move the country forward.

many democrats say the cuts go too far. many republicans say they don't go far enough. iranian lawmakers calling for the execution of two opposition leaders for -- listen to this -- inciting demonstrations. those are parliamentians are seeking their execution. both are reportedly under house arrest. thousands took to the streets of tehran to protest the government, particularly president ahmadinejad. dozens were retained, one person reportedly killed in the zmon straigss. at one point tear gas was used. egypt's military rulers are taking important steps in putting the country back together. the military announced today it wantss to see a constitutional reform plan in ten days. the constitution was suspended on friday after the military took control of egypt from president hosni mubarak. a report out today says there is no definitive source of the anthrax letter mailings of

2001. the news comes two years after the fbi said army microbiologist bruce iechbz was allegedly behind the anthrax attack that killed five people. i'vens who knew he was under suspicion by the government committed suicide in 2008 before any charges were filed against him. anthrax-laced letters were mailed to several news organizations. members of congress as well, causing widespread panic. this was just weeks after the 9/11 terror attacks. man versus machine. human versus robot. guys versus gadget. it sounds like a blockbuster movie but it's happening right now on jeopardy. we've got the human who is currently tied with ibm's watson supercomputer. live after this break. i got into one of the best schools in the country!

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the hard way means never taking short cuts. the hard way is how lexus inspires absolute confidence. this is the pursuit of perfection. see what it takes at lexus.com/thehardway. you want to know how valuable the human brain is? take all the computing power in the world, in the entire world, and it will equal the computing power of one human brain. that's according to a study that was reported in wired magazine this month. i'm going to post it on my blog by the way because i wasn't even sure, i had to read all the way through it. go to my blog and i'll tell you about it after this as well. the power of supercomputing is now at war with the human brain

in jeopardy. it's also in the "big i." jeopardy is pitching guy versus gadget. a supercomputer named watson finished round one last night tied with one of his had human competitors and ahead of the other. look at this. >> jeopardy, the ibm challenge. >> a split personality. >> who is michael phelps. event horizon. >> yes. >> yes. >> what are the '20s? >> yes. watson. >> what are the 1920s? >> no. ken said that. >> brad? what are the 1910s. >> that puts you into a tie for the lead with brad. >> and live and here to tell us about being tied with a computer, jeopardy contestant brad rudder. he joins us live from our new york studios. he by the way is the highest money winner ever on jeopardy.

brad, good to see you. thank you for being with us. how does it feel to be tied with a computer? >> it feels pretty good, especially seeing how fast watson got off at the start. ken and i were way behind, then we made a comeback then watson tied me at the end. >> i'm sure you've read about this, i've read about it. what makes this ibm computer competitive with a brain like yours? >> they figured out alga rhythms in a way with the way the human brain does. it's fascinating. watson picks up certain words and figures out why they would be in proximity of each other and comes up with a percentage of confidence in miz answer. this is what a human does as well on jeopardy, but i never thought about it. it's all automatic to me. >> but sometimes watson makes mistakes that the human wouldn't make. there are some things that you

are asked that don't work with algorithms. >> right. the one thing they haven't come up with watson is the common sense gene. when one of the practice games there was a question about jamie foxx learning to play the cell low for his role in the sol loist. he rang in and said beethoven. i can see why beethoven is associated with cellists and the common sense says beethoven is dead. he doesn't care about embarrassing himself. >> tonight is the final game of this matchup. where did you think you'd be today? did you think you'd be tied with watson? that watson would win, you'd be ahead? >> i didn't really know what to expect. i'm always confident when i go on the show and i always expect to win. i was a little disappointed that i was only tied instead of in front after the first episode aired. >> brad, you are what we think of in popular culture as smart. you know a lot of stuff. that's why you do well on

jeopardy. we all like to think we're smart. tell me your impressions of watson. is this something -- fine, maybe watson can be competitive in jeopardy. where else can this go? >> well, ibm likes to emphasize the health care aspects of of it. for instance, if you have symptoms you can call up a watson-type machine, tell them the symptoms and they can get possible diagnoses to a doctor. what i'm waiting for, though, is for customer service, like say i call up my cable company and ask them why my cable cuts out every sunday night, i can finally get a straight answer for that now. >> without any attitude. right. you are up in this game with ken jennings, also a faimous contestant. tell us what happens behind the scenes, what happens in commercial breaks that's different than what normally happens when you've competed in the past? do you chitchat with watson? are people coming and tinkering with him? what happens? >> not that we could see. what you see on the screen is basically just an avatar.

it's a completely separate program. watson is fed the answers from a different room 20 feet away from the set. it was weird because ken and i are great rivals but we're friendly, too. it was almost like we were on the same team, team humans versus team machine. we were in between the commercial breaks always chatting about, wow, i can't believe watson got that. i expect he would have missed something like that. it was a strange experience. >> finals tonight. we'll all be watching. brad, good to talk to you. what an exciting history-making thing you're involve with. real pleasure to have you here. >> thanks, ali. it's a lot of fun. >> brad rutter, a contestant against watson and ken jennings, the highest money winnings ever on jeopardy. go to my blog and i've linked you to the article about the computering power in the world

adds up to the computing power of one human brain. fascinating. it's a date italy's controversial prime minister wants nothing to do with, but he has no choice. we'll tell you about a judge's ruling today and why silvio berlusconi is fighting mad. i can't get rid of these weeds, or these nasal allergies. i know what works differently than many other allergy medications. omnaris. omnaris. to the nose! did you know nasal symptoms like congestion can be caused by allergic inflammation? omnaris relieves your symptoms by fighting inflammation. side effects may include headache, nosebleed and sore throat.

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shouts for the head of iran's two main opposition leaders raj out in the iran

kwlan parliament today. lawmakers vented their rage at the two. demanding they be prosecuted and sentenced to death for -- what did they do -- sparking a massive pro-democracy demonstration in tehran and other iranian cities yesterday. joining me with his take on this, cnn international anchor and correspondent my friend michael holmes. not the response you would think you'd be getting around the middle east after the events of the last month. >> yeah. i thought the great irony of this was when egypt was unfolding. the iranians came out and compared it to the 1979 islamic revolution. >> which in their opinion was a good thing. >> of course. but what was happening in egypt was nothing to do with islam. it was a popular movement on the streets. >> right. >> and so they were praising what the egyptians were doing on the streets. then when they're own people come out to protest in supports of the egyptians, big crackdown. >> they're calling for the

execution of two opposition leaders who we believe are under house arrest. >> they are. they're unable to get to the protests themselves. what's interesting about that -- >> this is the parliament, these guys chanting. >> they're chanting for these guys to be executed, opposition leaders. these guys have been around in the opposition movement for some time. a vote, 220 out of 290 basically voted to call these guys corrupts. now, being a corrupt in iran has a death penalty attached to it. >> interesting. >> very different to egypt in of. >> in the last two years we've seen such development in egypt. it feels like a story that's pass us by. what is happening? the military is now in control and they've suspended the constitution. i'm trying to weigh, is this good or bad? >> it's good. the opposition, the protestors we saw on the streets that eventually led to the downfall of hosni mubarak, they've been asking for this to happen. what's interesting about the speed of it, some think it's too

fast they want the constitution reforms sorted out in ten days, then put it to a referendum. they're trying to show they're going to give it back to the people and they're moving with some pace. a lot of the opposition groups are going to have to be happy with that. >> right. when you protest for change and now change is upon you -- >> there are still protests going on. it's a holiday at the moment in egypt but there are strikes. >> governing is always more complicating than protesting. >> yes. >> speak offing of which,there are no protests in italy over the leejdz behavior of berlusconi. >> this guy is a character. this is a prime minister. he's facing up to 15 years in jail. what it's about is he's been accuse of having sex with an underage prostitute. she was allegedly 17 at the time. she's now 18, ruby. ruby the heartstealer. but the more serious political charge he's facing is abuse of power because after the event she gets locked up for theft, allegedly, and he picks -- she calls him on his cell phone, and

he calls the cops and says, let her out. that is allegedly abuse of power. >> wow. >> that carries a 12-year prison sentence. in all, he could get 15 years for that. you saw 100,000 women on the streets of rome on the weekend calling for him to be thrown out and all the rest. but he still has mrit cal support in his coalition. he's not going anywhere. what's interesting is the trial on these charges has now been fast-tracked. it will start april 6th. he denies all of this. >> in some countries a sitting head of government or head of state doesn't have to answer subpoenas and doesn't have to go to trial. >> exactly. >> in his case, he has to show up. >> he himself said, i think back in 2009, that he had made something like thousands of court appearances. this isn't the first time he's been in trouble. nothing has stuck but the prosecution is pretty confident in this. ultimate irony, the three judges ruling on this case, all women. >> huh! >> yeah. >> we'll following that one very

closely. michael, great to see you. >> you, too, stranger. every day on this show we have a segment called "you choose." we give you three story headlines and you vote on which one you want to see. first, a man is killed over an auto-corrected iphone text. your second option, want to get married at mcdonald's? and finally a huge hidden object right here in our own solar system, a planet larger than jup i ter. head to my blog to vote. we'll bring you the winning story in ten minutes. cnn.com/ali. big story, getting a lot of play on social media. controversy is brewing in mississippi all over a proposed license plate. some are saying it honors a man who dishonors the country with ties to the kkk. we'll talk about it with our stream team up next. with fresh salads and biscuits. your choice of entrees. and an appetizer or a dessert to share. ends soon, at red lobster.

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[ ding ] [ in korean ] how may i help you? do you have something for pain? oh, bayer aspirin? oh, no, no, no... i'm not having a heart attack. it's my back. trust me. it works great for pain. [ male announcer ] nothing's proven to relieve pain better than extra strength bayer aspirin. it rushes relief to the site of pain. no matter where you're hurting. thanks for the tip. [ male announcer ] for powerful pain relief, use bayer aspirin. and to fight pain and fatigue in the morning, try bayer a.m., the morning pain reliever. okay, is this a salute to a historic american leader or a slap in the face to

african-americans? that is the debate surrounding a campaign launched by the sons of confederate veterans in mississippi to recognize confederate general nathan bedford forest on a specialty license plate. let me give you a little background on forest. he's a popular but controversial confederate general who's probably best known after the civil war as one of the first leaders of the klu klux klan. now, forest left the dkk after less than two years with the group, supposedly because it was getting unorganized and violent. his short stint with the kkk gave it credibility, though. the sons of the confederate veterans say they want to honor forest's spirit and leadership during the civil war and his affiliation with the kkk has nothing to do with it. mississippi naacp leaders say the license plate honoring a man with ties to the kkk sends the wrong message to people across the country. they feel forest was a "terrorist whose acts were immoral and unconstitutional" and honoring him with a

specialty license plate promotes racial violence. greg stewart joins me from mississippi, a member of the sons of confederate. then we have a member of the mississippi naacp. then our own roland martin. greg, you're proposing a series of plates over a few years with which lieutenant general nathan bedford forest would be honored in one of those years. tell me the thought about this. >> yes, sir. in 2014 is when his plate would actually come out. we've already had the first plate with boef wau, jefferson davis' home on the coast here. it's already out in 2011. but the one image that seems to be getting a lot of interest is nathan bedford forest. >> let's ask derek johnson, the president of the mississippi

naacp chapter. derek, your first response was, wow, you're a little stumped they're doing this. >> well, i was shocked to hear the news because we think that nathan bedford forest should be treated like a domestic terrorist, timothy mcvaeigh. members of the confederate soldiers should also be viewed in the proper light as traitors to this nation. it's our position that the governor should stand up and denounce any attempt by any group to honor individuals who terrorized stit cite zens of this country. >> derrick, okay. roland, is that a fair way to look at the civil war? is it fair to look at somebody like nathan bedford forest as a domestic terrorist as derrick

says? >> it makes sense to do that because we cannot sit here and ignore history. ali, i'm coming to you live from the ohio state capitol in columbus, ohio. justs outside the state capitol here they have a sign marking the importance of ohio when it came to the national underground railroad. so it is important for us not to ignore history. this is mississippi. this is the place where if you're the senior senator from the state of mississippi you actually use the desk of jefferson davis. jefferson davis is considered to be the greatest traitor in the history of the united states. we can sit here and dance around it and say, oh, they were fight forge the common man and it was about helping their southern gentlemen out. but they wanted to protect slavery and the right to slavery. so absolutely should never, ever of honor a person like this. >> hold on, roland. greg stewart, is this honoring slavery? is this honoring somebody who was a traitor to the united states of america?

>> no. it was never intended to be. we've had these plates out for the last eight years and we've raised over $100,000. what we've done with the money is take the flags at the state of ohio and the state of indiana and state of illinois over the years and brought back to us as a gesture of reconciliation. but they've been in storage for many, many years and they're breaking down now. so it's all part of taking care of the flags that the union army and the union states brought back to mississippi. we've spent the money well and we think -- well, we know that fla nathan bedford forest is second only to general lee in popularity as far as books and material. and he has most of his military success occurred in north mississippi. and were it not for him, we wouldn't have had a stick of furniture left when the union army was through. >> he was a tennessee yan originally. derrick, is there something

about forest that makes himg more objectionable than a license plate honoring robert e. lee. >> we reject that. at the ind of the day this country must make a decision. do we respect the constitution of this nation, do we honor the past and what we've gone through? do we respect all of the citizens, or are we still going to allow our racist past and individuals who traited upon this country to continue to define history? history revisionist as it is should not be a place to honor on a state license plate nor should it be something that we lift up when we know in fact that those individuals committed atrocities against citizens of this country, and that should not be respected. 50 years from now, 100 years from now, will we be talking about a license plate for timothy mcvey or osama bin laden? i don't think so. we shouldn't be talking about it today. >> does that bother you, the fact you're being called a

racist and nathan bedford forest is being compared to timothy mcvey or osama bin laden? >> it is a testament to the misunderings and misperceptions that nathan bedford forest in particular has suffer. he has been maligned and smeared unfairly for many, many years. it would be very easy for us, mr. johnson, to pick something that everybody likeed, i suppose. but our charge as confederate veterans is to defend the good name of the confederate soldier and certainly nathan bedford forest was a confederate soldier who served his country well and then came back after the country came back together and served as a united states citizen. so we have no problem with it. i wish you would see it differently. i'll tell you now that the last plate that we're considering, the fifth year is for a black confederate from mississippi. i would hope you wouldn't have any objection to that.

but we'll see. >> we're going to hold that thought. we'll have this discussion again. that's an interesting point to end up, greg stewart. greg stewart is with the mississippi sons of the confederate veterans. derrick johnson is with the mississippi naacp. then, of course, our own roland martin. >> time for a political update. paul steinhauser joins me now from washington. busy political day, paul. what have you got for us? >> hey, ali. here it is, one year away from the new hampshire primary. remember, that's the first one of the presidential primary season. a brand new poll in the granite state shows that mitt romney indicates the favorite to win that primary four out of of ten voters in a poll. romney thinking about running again. another person who's thinking about running again, former arkansas governor mike huckabee. this is what he says about aborti abortion. he says it trumps all other issues. telling an anti-abortion group

that it transcends all the other issues. let's talk about the battle for the senate. two new polls show that orrin hatch and bill nelson both could face tough reelection battles next year. back to you. >> paul, you listened to the president today at his press conference. really sort of indicating that this budget proposal is the first salvo, it's not -- even he doesn't believe that the final budget is going to look like what he proposed. >> right. this is a first step in a long, long process. we'll hear a lot, see a lot of changes. it will be an interesting battle. we'll follow it all the way. >> good to see you, paul. your next update from the best political team on television is just one hour away. we're still taking your votes on the "you choose" story of the day. you can choose from a man killed over an auto-corrected text message, getting married at mcdonald's, and a huge hidden object right here in our own solar system. head to cnn.com/ali to vote. i'll bring you the results onts other side.

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now back to our "you choose "segment where you vote on the news. here's the winner. there's a huge hidden heavenly body right here in our solar system. evidence is mounting that either a brown dwarfed star or a gas giant plan eliminaet is lurking yourt most reaches of our solar system. according to the british newspaper "the independent," the oblt is four times the size of

jupiter. the massive object could explain why a barrage of comets comes from that direction. we'll post the story about the au auto-correct murder, which i thought would win, and mcdonald's weddings at cnn.com/ali. time for the "xyz" of it. president obama submitted his federal budget proposal for 2012 and the battle begins. the budget is a reflection of the president's priorities for the year going forward. what he wants to spend more on, what he thinks the country can spend less on. earlier he told reporters "the federal budget has to do two things, live within its means and invest in the future". the president's proposal and for now it is just a proposal takes a big bite out of some domestic spending. the idea is to slash federal deficits, that's the difference, the shortfall, between what the government takes in and what it spends by over $1 trillion over the decade. now, he plans to do that through a combination of spending cuts

and tax increases. but here's the problem. his proposal doesn't do anything for the biggest chunks that the government spends on, so-called entitlements like medicare, medicaid, social security. why isn't he dealing with those? basically because the budget proposal is an opening al sorrow in a long fight. the final product will likely look very different. go to cnn.com/ali or to my facebook or twitter pages and let me know what you think the budget should include or should cut. i'll read through everything you send me, compile it and give you some of the feedback that i get as this crucial debate continues. that's it for now. my friend randi kaye about to take it over with "newsroom". we're just getting new video from inside iran, a look directly inside the iranian parliament as its leaders react with venom toward the protests. the iranian power are so threatened by the demonstrations they are yelling and chanting and calling for the excuse of