>> if convicted of those charges in the latest incident, galliano faces fines and even jail time. but perhaps for one of the most famous and successful designers in fashion history, it is not the loss of his freedom, but of his reputation that will be hardest to recover from. >> after we filed this report, natalie portman, who is jewish and just won the award, said she is quote deeply shocked and disgusted by the video. she says she will not be in association yas with him in any way. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com delusional. that's what susan rice said about libyan leader, moammar gadhafi after this interview.

>> they love me all. my people. no, no -- >> if they say they do love you, then why are they capturing bengha benghazi? >> to guide them. i guide. yes. >> now i want to take you here, the border of libya and tunisia. that green flag flying in the background, that's libya. all these people, about 75,000 people trying to cross into tunisia currently crammed in a no man's land, not being able to enter because the refugee camps are full. the refugee agency is warning that a crisis hearing, these people won't have water, sanitation needs or proper shelter. overnight, opposition leaders tell cnn that gadhafi's forces

tried to retake the town of zawiya. they say the town is calm now, but troops remain outside the city. and today, secretary of state hillary clinton told the house foreign affairs committee that there quote no options off limits. should the u.s. intervene? joining me for today's two at the top is the washington correspondent for "time" magazine. it's critical for the u.s. to handle this right. if they do intervene, what is doing it the right way? >> well, they're trying to figure that out at the moment. it's been a long time since the u.s. did active mail temilitary interventions for humanitarian purposes. they did it in the 1990s after the fall of the cold war in places like somalia and vulcans. iraq in the post 9/11 era, made

doing that kind of thing much harder because u.s. intervention was seen as the form of aggression. they're trying to strike a balance between the demands to launch humanitarian assistance backed by some form of u.s. military protection and broader international protection with the danger of crossing the line into what might be seen as a more aggressive military intervention into an arab country. >> the europeans have a big stake in this as well. there's a huge investment in oil fields there. there could be, there can be unilateral attempts at doing this, right? what are the chances of our allies here, offices of the u.n. or another? >> right. the u.n. is always hard. it's been striking how quickly the security counsel has been able to move in concert on a couple of issues, but it's

unlikely that the u.n. would back any kind of forceful military intervention. a lot of the language you've seep in the last couple of days has been talking about the legitimacy of the gadhafi regime and that is as one senior u.s. administration official told me is designed to lay the predicates for military action outside the u.n. security counsel, so a lot of this is figuring out on which side of the legal bright line you have to be in order to validate a military support for humanitarian intervention in libya. >> thanks, washington correspondent for "time" magazine. now to central florida where rain is bringing some relief for exhausted firefighters and weary residents. this was the wall of fire and flamed firefighters battled overnight. thick winds only soaked the flames.

torched more than 10,000 acres. flames and smoke so severe nearly 20 miles of i-95 had to be shut down. thankfully, that stretch of highway has reopened today. let's bring in chad myers to see how long the rain's going to be around. >> well, it's over. what you see is what you get. probably a good half inch in most of the areas that had the fire, 10,000 acres. not just one fire in one big circle. it has spread to many different spots, but as the rain came through last night, it's well south. and there you go. there's the rain. right over that fire area in orlando or east of orlando. we still have our affiliates out and about. wxtv is live there showing you what was left yesterday. clearly some type of mobile vehicle. propane tank did not explode there. a shocking sight to think of how hot that was.

hopefully those were empty, but what i've noticed from the live shots and i've seen them for about 15 or 20 minutes, there's not as much smoke today. the texas or florida department is only saying 10% in the way of containment, but i believe there's probably more than 10. that's because what the fire did yesterday, what the rain did. there was a lot of rain in other places that didn't need it. every county that's green has something out of its bank. a creek, stream, river, whatever. couple of hundred counties across the midwest, flooding. they could use more rain in florida to put that fire out, but at least they got some. that helped the firefighters quite a bit. >> thanks. are you ready for $4 gas prices? they're here. more than $4 a gallon for premium unleaded at a gas station in los angeles today. ben bernanke acknowledged consumers are feeling the pinch with higher gas and food prices,

but he says not enough of a pinch to hurt the economy. he did warn though that sustained higher costs could make a serious impact. it's d day in wisconsin. scott walker set to unveil his new budget later today after weeks of protests. his proposal cuts a billion dollars in state spending to local communities and school districts. it also slashes collective bargaining rights for collective workers. hundreds of protesters remain inside the capital. activists are also crowding the state house in columbus, ohio today. they're rallying against the proposal by governor casic that restricts union bargaining rights. ohio senate could vote on that bill tomorrow. a hearing is scheduled for this afternoon. it's the first attempt to test nfl players on a consistent basis for concussions. details on new sideline evaluations for player who is take hard hits on the field. that's next.

home to the lateste depadeal making technology. our highly advanced thingamajigs and whatchamacallits are constantly gathering intelligence on the best deals for you. with name your own price, they're yours for up to 60% off. but we're always looking to improve. for instance, what does this have to do with finding hotel deals? we're not sure. yet. with heart-related chest pain or a heart attack known as acs, you may not want to face the fact that you're at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke. plavix helps protect people with acs against heart attack or stroke: people like you. it's one of the most researched prescription medicines. goes beyond what they do alone by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking and forming dangerous clots. plavix. protection against heart attack or stroke

in people with acs. [ female announcer ] plavix is not for everyone. certain genetic factors and some medicines such as prilosec reduce the effect of plavix leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. your doctor may use genetic tests to determine treatment. don't stop taking plavix without talking to your doctor as your risk of heart attack or stroke may increase. people with stomach ulcers or conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines, including aspirin, may increase bleeding risk, which can potentially be life threatening, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. tell your doctor all medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than two weeks after starting plavix.

time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze. but with zyrtec® liquid gel i get fast, 24-hour allergy relief. so i feel better by the time we tee off. zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®. 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. the nfl is introducing a new test to evaluate whether a player has been hit too hard to return to the game. at least 100 nfl players suffer

concussions within a season and there are still concerns about what led dave duerson so kill himself last month. he became a successful business man and radio host. he shot himself in the chest because he said in text messages he wanted his brain to be studied for science of brain damage for the many hits he took on the football field. dr. gupta has more on what these tests can and can't determine. >> one thing i want to point out is there have been various sideline exams for some time. but this is a new exam. it is supposed to ensure consistency across all the -- >> all right, we lost that segment from dr. sanjay gupta about concussion tests. a very passionate and sad story really after the suicide of duerson just recently.

shooting himself in the chest to preserve his brain so it could be studied. we're just getting word now of hundreds of arrests targets gangs. jeanne maserve has more. [ woman ] nine iron, it's almost tee time. time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze. but with zyrtec® liquid gels, i get fast, 24-hour allergy relief. so i feel better by the time we tee off. zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®.

until the combination of three good probiotics in phillips' colon health defended against the bad gas, diarrhea and constipation. ...and? it helped balance her colon. oh, now that's the best part. i love your work. [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health.

hundreds of airgs arrested have been made targets gangs across the country. immigrations and customs are making the arrests. >> that's right, in association with law enforcement partners all across the country. john morton just announced that 678 individuals from 133 different gangs were arrested during this operation which began in december of last year and continued through february. these people were involved in a number of different sort of things including human smuggling, weapons smuggling and drag trafficking. there were a lot of questions about the i.c.e. agent killed in mexico a few weeks ago.

we've heard from multiple law enforcement sources that there have been arrested made in texas made yesterday of three individuals involved with the purchase of a firearm that was associated with the killing. we expect to get more information about that shortly when the indictment or complaint in that case is unsealed. i.c.e. director morton deflected those today saying he wasn't at liberty to talk about that yet. saying there had been good progress made on the case and he remained optimistic that the long arm of the law would each those responsible for the shooting. back to you. time to check other top stories we're watching. the navy has three warships standing by in the mediterranean in case they're needing for operations involved in libya. the obama administration says all options are on the table.

the crisis rose to thousands of refugees on the boarders after fleeing the violence. the house is expected to vote today on a new spending measure that could keep the government running past friday's deadline. it is a two-week extension, which means democrats and republicans still have to hash out a more permanent compromise. major highways are reopening in florida today as the danger of the fire seems to be lessening. rain has slowed the 10,000 acre fire, but hundreds of homes are still in harm's way south of daytona beach. a key advise e for the president is meeting with organized labor leaders. ed henry is standing by to tell us what that is all about. [ male announcer ] these keys open doors to opportunity... ♪ ...build communities... ♪

...and know how to have a good time. ♪ it's chevy truck month. get your keys. qualified buyers get 0% apr financing for 72 months on all 2011 silverado half-ton models. ♪ grab yours today.

of some of the annoying symptoms menopause brings. go it's one a day menopause formula. the only complete multivitamin with soy isoflavones to help address hot flashes and mild mood changes. one a day menopause formula. [ male announcer ] america's beverage companies are working together to put more information right up front. adding new calorie labels to every single can, bottle and pack they produce. so you can make the choice that's right for you. ♪

top cars of 2011. the magazine put 270 through the test. they narrowed it down to ten. all of them unveiled in the new issue coming out next week. earlier today, ali velshi checked out some of the cars. they started with an american car they put on top of their sports car list. the hyundai. >> this one came out a few years ago and it was a good car, but

each year, they've improved it. this year, it's a 2011, comes with a new five liter engine. it's veriable. >> the elantra, small car. >> the old one was in our ratings. this one has come a long way. 39 miles to the gallon. >> more efficient than some hybrids out there. >> it does. the nice thing about this car, $18,000, got a good amount of room inside. the interior is very nice. >> take a look inside this backseat. i don't know if you guys can get up this car. it's fine. this thing can accommodate a family quite nicely. >> really quick, there's a lot of features on the car. you would think you'd have to pay extra for, but comes as standard.

>> 29 in the city, 49 on the highway. you want something bigger, the altima. this has made it to the top of the family sedan. >> it gets 25 miles to the gallon overall. it's got a good amount of room inside. the interior fit and finish is very nice. the handling overall, just a very nice package overall. >> this ranges from about 21,000 to 34 which means there are a lot of options. >> there are. but when you look at 25 miles per gallon, that's as good as some small cars. you get a big car for the same as a small car. >> this is another car completed with its much more expensive competitors on fit and finish. you can sit in here and feel like it's more expensive. >> here has come from many years

ago, it has really improved. a three-row suv. >> little tight with that third row. once in a while you're carrying a bunch of people. >> kids don't really care. you put them in and say how comfortable is it and they say it's fine. >> all you can do, put that down. if you need to carry some people or kids, that works out pretty well. can carry up to seven. this has got a v-6 engine. >> but we found the fuel economy was the same on the six and four might as well by the six. all these cars we have here, very value orient ated. earlier today, secretary of state hillary clinton said that all options are on the table for libya. presumably that would be military and diplomatic. ed henry joins us at this time every day for our stake out.

nice to see you, ed. president met with ban ki-moon yesterday. got his ear on libya today? who's? >> i think the bottom line is you mentioned about the military options, a heavy focus around the world because the u.s. and various allies around the world are looking at the situation in libya and saying a lot of the rhetoric hasn't worked so far. the violence there continues and that's why we're seeing u.s. warships moving closer to the scene. the pentagon has beening plans, but there are a lot of problems, too. one, how do you make sure you hit military targets in libya and don't hurt innocent civilians? that would be a propaganda bonanza for gadhafi to have either u.s. or nato allies

basically harming innocent people. number one, and number two, the last thing the u.s. wants as well as various allies is to have sort of u.s. fingerprints on what's going on in libya. in terms of all this talk about look, there's just an organic protest. the u.s., the west is not forcing this on gadhafi. the u.s. gets more heavily involved, that could backfire as well. >> i'm changing gears to the budget battle. an interesting meeting on david plouffe's schedule. that's what all about? >> i just caught up with him a few minutes ago on his way into this private lunch he's having with aflcio leaders here in washington. just down the street, the white house chief of staff bill daley, we're learning, is having a lunch and giving a speech to the u.s. chamber of commerce. this white house even as libya

goes on, is to focus on that jobs message. take a listen to david plouffe and i rell quick. >> what do you want to talk about today? >> creating jobs and how we're going to win the future. >> what about wisconsin and ohio? >> we're going to talk about a lot of things. bill daley talking to chamber of commerce, just trying work with people to make sure we're creating jobs and winning the feature and making sure the economy -- >> he would not talk about whether or not they're close to a budget deal. it appears they are moving closer with house republicans. jay carney just announcing that in fact, president obama a short time ago, called john boehner. they haven't spoken in a while, to try to move this along. i also asked about whether or not ohio and wisconsin some of the union protests will come up. you can bet it will at this meeting. maybe they'll talk about ali velshi with some of those cars.

he seemed pretty high on that ford mustang. >> he loves doing that. >> he loves those muscle cars. it boosts the ego even more. we love ali. >> of course. thanks so much, ed henry. christina aguilar spent part of the night in police custody. in phillips' colon health defended against the bad gas, diarrhea and constipation. ...and? it helped balance her colon. oh, now that's the best part. i love your work. [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health.

[ male announcer ] the inspiration for its shape was an archer drawing his bow. ♪ could that have also inspired its 556 horsepower supercharged engine? ♪ the all-new cadillac cts-v coupe. we don't just make luxury cars, we make cadillacs. now some stories you may have missed. a woman inif he canned with measles in europe may have exposed fellow americans with the disease. she arrived at dulles airport on

february 20th and remained in the d.c. area for two days. on the 22nd, she boarded a flight to denver where she transferred to a flight for albuquerque, new mexico. she is now recovering at home. people she came in contact with are at risk for the maze ls over the next couple of weeks. opening statements are being made in the anthony a sweat lodge trial. james arthur ray is charged with manslaughter in three deaths during a 2009 retreat. he led the ceremony. prosecutors say the lodge was heated to a dangerously high temperature and claimed that ray pressured participants to remain inside. a famed fashion house is getting ready to fire its head designer because of what it calls his deeply offensive statements. christian dior says it started termination proceedings against john galliano. a video reportedly made at a

paris cafe last year appears to show galliano praising hitler. negotiations continue today in a bid to prevent a pro football lockout. the current agreement expires thursday night. players say they expect to be locked out if there's no sign of progress. police took christina aguilera into custody this morning. she was a passenger in a car driven by her rumored boyfriend. he was booked for drunk driving. she was taken into custody for her safety and later released. your utility is about the same every month, then one day, you open the envelope and the balance due is enough for a nice car. the city says no, pay up. details next.

imagine opening your water bill and it's more than your mortgage payments. that's been happening to a lot of folks in atlanta. kyra phillips is here with her investigati investigation. it has the highest watt e rates in the city. >> entire country. and residents are outraged and confused to why they're suddenly payi paying hundreds of thousands of dollars every month for water. >> we're mad! >> atlanta residents have had enough. >> if you to expect us that 4 million gallons of water is leaking on our property and not

showing up is mind blowing. >> we were taking a shower every day and now, we're skipping sometimes because we're trying to save the water. >> for more than three year, atlanta, a city of more than a half million residents, has been bombarded of complaints of outrageous water bills. similar complaints are popping up around the country in places like cleveland, charlotte, tampa and brockton, massachusetts. but the water bill war is nothing like in atlanta. just ask wilda cob. she lives by herself in this 1800 square foot home. her water bill averages 30 to $40 a month. until it began going up. more than $1200 in november. her december bill, nearly $6,900. cob know owes more than $10,000.

and city inspectors found no leaks. >> for me to have to take the time to do this -- >> and then there's debbi scarborough. her water bill shot up more than $3,000 after two months of huge spikes last summer. she even hired two plumbers to prove there was no leak. five years ago, the city hired a company to replace its ageing water meters with automatic reading devices. all city workers have to do is drive by and electronically collect the data, but it hasn't gone as smoothly as it looks. as early as 2007, problems arose when city auditors found they were unavailable to verify electronic reads for 13% of the meters that were tesed. then in 2009, another audit

found a high number of accounts that don't get actual meter readings because of errors, equipment failures or human failures. peter amon is the chief operating officer for the city of atlanta. >> when these automated meters were put in, obviously the subcontractors for the city who did this work did an absolutely horrible job in a number of cases. >> bah loney. >> and residents are getting more and more angry. >> he tells us 1% of the meters sampled were not properly installed. a mistake that could cause a water bill to double. >> at this point, just looks like good old fashioned incompetence. >> he showed us how the meters register. didn't even fit properly. >> when these two components don't match, and they're

labeled. this one says three quarters, this one has a one. >> you wouldn't get an accurate reading. >> that would be a totally inaccurate reading. >> we repeatedly tried to interview executives of the company that manufactured the meetings and the providers of the billing system, but they refused to comment. he says there's no evidence the companies that are at fault, but says the company that installed the meters should be held accountable. that company is khafra based in atlanta, which teamed up with another firm in pennsylvania to carry out the $40 million insulation contract. the president -- >> for the three years we worked on that project, we satisfied all concerns with respect to that contract. >> so, you think a successful

contract includes 1% of the meters not operating properly? >> and those 1% were fixed prior to our leaving and turning over the warranty to the city. >> so you're saying right now, all your meters are installed properly? >> yes, ma'am. >> bates said repairs were completed last year on 968 meters that had a mismatched base and said he was not aware of additional issues identified by the city. >> if they were installed incorrectly by the contractor this way -- >> but we showed him what amon said. he's saying that is still a problem and causing a number of of the bills to double. >> i can't speak to what it is, but all the ones that we were no notified of when we did our own internal audit and the audit done by the city, we took care of those problems. >> but residents say there is more to the prop. our water bill would be enough

for a large olympic pool to be filled. i'm at my wits end and ready to have a nervous breakdown. this smells like a scam. do the majority of the people that have complained about high water bills, do they have leaks? >> the majority of the people who complain have some issue that's not associated with the meter. many, many of them have either leaks or increases in usage through irrigation or pool filling that they didn't fully understand the impact of. >> but don't tell that to debbie or wilda. you have a $3,000 water bill -- >> and my meter is working fine. >> the city is now monitoring usage at her home. as for wilda, the city says something must have happened to cause the bill to shoot up

dramatically. >> literally, this can't be real. she knows something about water issues. ironically, she's an attorney with the environmental protection agency. >> as a person, i know something's wrong here. as an attorney, what can i do about it? but i don't think it takes a lot for me to say you know, $7,000 for a month use of water by one person in a small home. it's just crazy. >> where do things stand now? >> lawsuits. as you can imagine. residents and commercial properties have filed class lawsuits against thety and contractors and so far, no resolution. but the previous management team at watershed management, it's out and the new administration says it's making progress on the problem. last year, close to a half million dollars was refunded to residents who appealed their

bills. now here's a pretty interesting twist. the city of atlanta, its own water bill has nearly doubled to $12 million. on top of that, no evidence of leaks and no issues with the water meters. >> for the attorney, she can fight. she has the tools to fight. i worry about the people who doept have the tools and don't know how to get it fixed. >> a point well made because it's affecting people all across the city of all incomes. a lot of the folks you see at the town halls, they can't afford to pay these bills. >> thank you so much. to learn more about the water bill fight, go to cnn.com. while you're there, you can see the cost of water across cities in the u.s. and yours and find tips to lower your bills. pro gadhafi forces as the u.s. steps up plans for possible intervention, next. to help revie a neighborhood in massachusetts,

restore a historic landmark in harlem, fund a local business in chicago, expand green energy initiatives in seattle. because when you're giving, lending and investing in more communities across the country, more opportunities happen. her morning begins with arthritis pain. that's a coffee and two pills. the afternoon tour begins with more pain and more pills. the evening guests arrive. back to sore knees. back to more pills. the day is done but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. just 2 pills can keep arthritis pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lara who chose 2 aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels.

the maix obama administration sends warships and warplanes closer to libya. one specific measure being considered, a no fly zone to keep gadhafi's planes on the ground and to knock out his air defenses. here's what secretary of state hillary clinton told lawmakers on capitol hill this morning. >> we are taking no options off the table so long as the libyan

government continues to turn its guns on it own people. >> on the ground in libya, rebels say they -- forces trying to regain control of zawiya. it is just west of tripoli. another major concern what the u.n. calls a refugee kris es. tens of thousands desperately trying to cross into tunisia or egypt. agencies say they're overwhelmed. to yemen now, tens of thousands antigovernment protesters jammed in the streets today demanding their president step down many demonstrators are outraged over high unemployment x lack of political freedom and poverty. yemen has been a key u.s. ally in the fight against al-qaeda, but for the first time today, blame the unrest on washington and israel.

elsewhere in the capital, thousands of pro government protesters packed the main square. no reports of violence unlike deadly clashes last week. amnesty international says 27 people have been killed in recent attacks. the new ipad, google's new search parameters and a major overhaul to facebook's like button. coming up after the break. and i'm like, "oh, promise mommy you'll never ever pick up a cigarette." i had to quit. ♪ my doctor gave me a prescription for chantix, a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] chantix is a non-nicotine pill proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these symptoms or behaviors, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away.

tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. if you develop serious allergic or skin reactions, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some of these can be life-threatening. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. dosing may be different if you have kidney problems. until you know how chantix affects you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. ♪ my benjamin, he helped me with the countdown. "ben, how many days has it been?" "5 days, mom. 10 days, mom." i think after 30 days he got tired of counting. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about chantix. and now through march 31st, get a limited-time money saving offer and see terms and conditions at chantix.com.

every day rs we do a segment called the big eye about new ideas and innovation. remember the super computer that took on humans in jeopardy? its latest opponent was the united states congress. last night, some brave members of congress squared off for an informal battle of the minds. in the first roud, rush hold and a republican from louisiana, they competed with a slightly slower version of the computer. he is a five time jeopardy champion. after beating watson, he expressed admiration for the machine saying the technology

has the potential to be extre extremely useful. in other news, we've got a grab bag of innovations. here to help us, senior editor of "wired" magazine. apple's big ipad two announcement. what are they expected to say? >> that's right. it's expected to be more of a revision. it will probably be a little thinner, lighter and a faster processor, but other than that, it's going to be the same ipad. >> google out with new parameters when it comes to searching. they're going to put the less useful results at the bottom of the list. what does this mean for you and me and our google searches? >> they periodically update its algorhythm. usually they do it below the

radar and people don't know abt. this time, they actually announced it and made a big deal out of it. the reason is because there's been a rise of something called content farms, sites that sort of reverse engineer popular searches into contents. for instance, if a drug called charlie sheen is a popular sheen right now. someone can write an article based on the term so that when anybody searches for the term, it will come up whether google its al gore ij imto punish those results. >> that's good for us. hopefully it will save time from having us be led astray on our google searches. >> that's the idea. that's the idea. let's take about facebook. they've expanded "like." if you go for instance to cnn.com and click the "like"

button, it posts a link on your personal page. is there any issues here? >> basically, what used to happen when you hit "like," there would be a small announcement that says jason tanz likes "true grit," for instance. that's all you would see. then you would get results that whenever there's an update to "true grit," you would get it in your personal feed. what they're changing is, if you like something, it will also include a little blurb about the "true grit" page and include a url to that page. basically facebook is trying to get us to share information, their m.o. the more information we share, the better it is for facebook. this is increasing the amount of data we're sharing with each other with the touch of a single button. >> thank you, jason tanz. i learned so much today. lots of big innovations today. we're big fans of "wired" mag

zeeg. we'll link that to you on ali's blog. and they're off. the 2012 republican presidential race, it may have its first horse. is it a thoroughbred or a nag? unexpected. and unlike any hybrid you have ever known. ♪ introducing the most fuel-efficient luxury car available. ♪ the radically new, 42 mile per gallon... ct hybrid from lexus. ♪ welcome to the darker side of . i have clients say it's really hard to save for the future and they've come to a point where it's overwhelming. oh gee, i'm scared to tell you i've got this amount of credit card debt or i've got a 15-year-old and we never got around to saving for their college. that's when i go to work. we talk, we start planning. we can fix this. when clients walk out of my office

they feel confident about their retirement. [ male announcer ] visit ameriprise.com and put a confident retirement more within reach.

now for a cnn political update. just a short time ago, cnn learned that newt gingrich will announce thursday he's forming a exploretory committee for a

possible 2012 run. that's the first step for candidates. how does he stack up right now? jessica yellin is here to take a look. hi, jessica. >> hey, christine. newt gingrich as you know burst onto the national scene when he became speaker of the house in the mid-'90s. as you'll recall, he had a controversial stewardship of the house of representatives. he became a hero of the republican party for giving them their first majority in 40 years. during that time, we saw something that sounds so familiar these days. remember? two government shutdowns. it was all over spending. so in some ways he was a man before his time. he had -- he also oversaw the house during president clinton's impeachment hearings and was quite critical of the president, saying they were on on obstructioni obstructionist. >> reporter: newt gingrich has been called the conservative movement's philosopher king, a

bomb-thrower, even crybaby during the government shutdown. he's best known as architect of the 1990 contract with america which help eed propel the republican party to the majority in for the first time in 40 years. the gop clashed with the clinton white house over spending cuts which led to two shutdowns. the public turned its rage obl the gop, much to his surprise. >> it's difficult to work with a president who seems to be driven by his advisers to engage in stunts. >> reporter: during the impeachment of president clinton, then-speaker gingrich lashed through the white house. >> what you have lived through for 2 1/2 long years is the most system is attic, deliberate obstruction of justice cover-up and effort to avoid the truth we have ever seen in american

history. >> reporter: what he didn't mention? at the time he was having his own extramarital affair with a congressional staffer. he's now on his third marriage. ethics problems dogged speaker gingrich and he resigned leaving congress in some disgrace. but then a comeback. gingrich spent a decade writing books, opinionating on fox news and pushing his endless stream of policy ideas. sometimes nosed ideas square with tea party values. >> i think you have to migrate to a system that is social security based on personal contributions. >> reporter: but not always. >> in order to have an american energy policy, we need to replace the environmental protection agency with a new fundamentally different environmental solutions agency. >> how does this affect others considering getting into the race, jessica? >> hey, christine. well, it doesn't necessarily

affect them. this is one of the latest series of entrance we've seen in the presidential cycle recently. people were in by this time last time around. i reached out to folks with the mitt romney campaign. they say, this doesn't affect them at all. they have no plans to get in anytime soon. tim pawlenty has said he's not announcing until later around april. haley barbour and mitch daniels say not until their legislative sessions are out. everyone is trying to take it slow, not gingrich. we'll see if he gets in. >> thank you so much. your next update from the best political team on television just about an hour away. delusional. that's what susan rice the u.u.s. ambassador to the united nations said about moammar gadhafi after this interview. >> they love me, all my people. they love me, all. >> but/they --

>> they will die to protect me and my people. >> if you say they do love you, then why are they capturing benghazi and they say they're against you? >> they're not my people. they're -- they come from outside. >> i want to take you here, the border of libya and tunisia. that green flag you're about to see in the background is libya. all these people are just some of about 75,000 trying to cross into tunisia. they're currently crammed into no-man's-land not being able to enter because the refugee camps are full. it's similar to the east. some fear these people won't have water, sanitation needs or proper shelter. overnight, opposition leaders tell cnn pro-gadhafi forces tried to retake the town of zawiya by attacking it.

the libyan government it turning against them. arwa damon joins me from tunisia for today's "two at the top." arwa, you just rurnled from the tunisia/libyan border. what do you see? >> reporter: christine, it really is a tragic and desperate situation there. thousands, if not more, are trapped in no-man's-land between libya and tunisia, so desperate to get across they were literally trom pelling on top of one another. suitcases being passed overhead. tunisian authorities put up a metal gate. people were climbing over. we saw one man collapse under

the crush of people and suitcases. as he was being revived by the medics, he said to them, you're safe, you're in tunisia. everything is going to be okay. but he was so hysterical that he could not even tell anyone what his name was. people there increasingly highlighting the fact that this is not just a humanitarian crisis, but, as the u.n. said, it risks turning into a humanitarian catastrophe within days. this effort to try to help people coming across has largely been led by the tunisians, the military, the police. but also by and large by tunisians ngos, volunteers coming forward, bringing in food and water, but they simply cannot handle the flow of people. yesterday, monday, saw 14,000 people crossing in the span of just 12 hours. the u.n. was expecting that same number, if not a higher one, coming today. when these people reach the tunisian side of the border they quite simply don't have anywhere to go. we've seen tenlts going up.

but a lot of them are forced to sleep on the sidewalks, on the pavement. not exactly sure how they're going to get back to their homeland. a lot of them egyptians. we also saw a number of bangladeshis and other non-arab nationals that were stuck in this no-man's-land holding up signs saying help, help, help, begging for the united nations to step in. one man on the verge of tears, he said, we just have one message, save us. >> thanks, arwa. be safe. now to central florida where rain brought some relief for exhausted firefighters and wary residents. this is the wall of flames firefighters fought overnight before rains moved through. stiff winds only stoking the flames that scorched more than 10,000 acres. flames and smoke so severe that nearly 20 miles of i-95 had to be shut down. thankfully that stretch of highway has reopened today. let's bring in chad myers to check on the situation right now. hi, chad. >> hi christine.

sometimes when we see a large fire, especially a forest fire, we can actually see it on radar. doppler radar looks for things in the air, raindrops. if it bounces back in the smoke plume, it can see the smoke plume as well. it was so evident yesterday, right here from that little spot i have marked as a hot spot, all of the smoke blowing offshore. right just a little bit south of what would be new smyrna beach. today? no smoke on the radar. we don't think they're out because really florida is only saying 25% contained. but an inch to half an inch to rain, plus or minus, in that area overnight really helped. the flames were amazing where the trees tops were on fire. a lot of times you'll see a fire and it will burn the pine straw, below the trees. the tops, the crown on fire this time t. was a very large event. you take a look at that, how dry it's been in florida and you

take a look oot this, where 200 counties under flood warnings of some sort, a creek, a stream, whatever flooded across parts of the midwest all the way from missouri up into chautauqua county, on into buffalo. it's been a crazy couple of days, warm on one side and cold on the other. well, sure, orlando was 88 degrees setting a new record yesterday, even birmingham, alabama, at 81. not quite so warm today. >> let's go back to ohio. what's causing all that flooding there? just a lot of rain? has it been dry and now there's rain? is it the spring melting? why is there so much flooding? >> yes and yes, actually. we had snow on the ground in many areas. the rain fell onto the snow. the snow melted so that added to how much rainfall had to run off because there was more water there. and below that, below that, snow on the ground two inches below is a frozen soil. frozen soil doesn't allow water to go down to the aqua fur

eventually. so this frozen soil, the snow on top and very hard rainfall, two or three inches, all ran off and the water went up dramatically. there were high water rescues yesterday, cars flooded, homes flooded. it's one of those things that doesn't go away quickly either. when water goes up, it stays up for quite a long time. >> it makes such a mess. those people are going to struggle with that all spring trying to get it fixed up. chad myers, thanks. okay, are you ready for $4 gas prices? they are here. take a look at this. more than $4 a gallon for premium unleaded at a gas station in los angeles. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke who testified before the senate banking committee today acknowledged consumers are feeling the pinch with higher gas and food prices but he says not enough of a pinch to hurt the economy. he did warn, though, that sustained higher costs could have a serious impact. it's d-day in wisconsin. republican governor scott walker is set to unveil his controversial new budget later today after weeks of protests.

that proposal cuts $1 billion in state spending for local communities and school districts. it also slashes collective bargaining rights for public workers. hundreds of protestors remain inside the capitol. activists are also crowding the statehouse now in columbus, ohio, today. they're rallying against a proposal by governor john kasich that restricts union bargaining rights as well. ohio's senate could vote on that bill as early as tomorrow. an assembly hearing is set for this afternoon on that. it's a story that has our blog buzzing. a new nonprofit that's offering scholarships to white men only. is it merely helping a group of students in need, or is it going tool far? we want you to join the debate to share your thoughts on the controversial scholarship program. you can go to ali's blog or facebook and twitter. with soy is to help address hot flashes and mild mood changes.

one a day menopause formula. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, helps cover some of the medical expenses... not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... with all you need to enroll. put their trust in aarp medicare supplement insurance. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. the prices are competitive. i can keep my own doctor.

and i don't need a referral to see a specialist. call now to get a free information kit. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. and the advantages don't end there. choose from a range of medicare supplement plans... that are all competitively priced. we have a plan for almost everyone, so you can find one that fits your needs and budget. with all medicare supplement plans, there are virtually no claim forms to fill out. plus you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare. and best of all, these plans are... the only medicare supplement plans endorsed by aarp. when they told me these plans were endorsed by aarp... i had only one thing to say... sign me up. call the number on your screen now... and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. you'll get this free information kit... and guide to understanding medicare, to help you choose the plan that's right for you. as with all medicare supplement plans, you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare, get help paying for what medicare doesn't...

and save up to thousands of dollars. call this toll-free number now. college scholarships are offered for all sorts of things from sports and academic achievements to a service group. a new group in texas is offering a scholarship to a demographic that may surprise you. white males. that's right, white men only. it's called the former majority association for equality was started by colby brohanan. i talked with him about why he started this program.

>> this is a very abrasive subject in america. one of the first things we wrote on our web site, we wanted to state clearly we do not promote any racial big tri-or white supremacy and we don't take money from people who do. if you're part of a white supremacist group, keep your money. we don't want your money. that's our stance on that. we don't have any political agendas or any message we're trying to send. i've had dozens of questions about affirmative action. we're not saying anything about anything except for helping poor white males who are trying to go to college and need a little help. >> this is a story that has our blog buzzing. in just 24 hours that story has become the most looked at story of the week and one of the most looked at so far this year. what are your thoughts about scholarships exclusively for white males? the overwhelming majority of you supported the idea. travis said -- there is nothing wrong with this idea. the fact that someone has finally realized the problem is a great step forward.

nelson wrote -- i am a proud hispanic. i don't see anything wrong with an all white male scholarship. i've heard of every type of scholarship out there to help every race. it is only fair. rick blogged -- i got a scholarship for being left-handed chblgt i think private groups should be able to fund scholarships for any reason they choose. this is a free society. j. patton commented -- this organization is taking this country back 50 years instead of moving us forward. we want to know what you think. head to cnn.com/ali to join this discussion. you can also post on facebook and twitter. she fought the irs and won. we'll tell you what somebody named chesty love was able to deduct. if you haven't guessed already, you can imagine. and some other unexpected things you might be able to itemize on your tax return. it's dif - t adththod easy-to-swallow petes.

of. >> we are just getting words of hundreds of arrests targeting gangs and drug traffickers across the country. homeland security correspondent jeanne meserve joins us. this is home immigration and immigrant custom agents, right? >> right. 193 law enforcement agents across the country announced the arrest of 678 individuals affiliated with 133 different gangs, 46% of the people they arrested associated with drug organizations associated with mexican cartels.

a lot of these people have violent pasts in addition to drugs. some of them traffic and weapons, some of them in human trafficking. so a wide array of people arrested in this particular roundup, which started back in december of 2010. now, a lot of questions today for the director of immigration and customs enforcement about whether this roundup was related to the killing last month of i.c.e. agent jamie zapata in mexico. in fact, this roundup started before then, an official tells me. there's no direct tie to zapata's killing. however, on that front, there is a new development. law enforcement sources tell us that three individuals have been arrested in texas. they were picked up yesterday. they are people who are associated with the purchase of weapons that are then smuggled to mexico. one of those weapons now associated with the death of zapata. back to you. >> jeanne, it's interesting. if this group wants to pursue

comprehensive immigration reform down the road, these are the kind of raids and enforcement they're going to have to show they're trying to crack down on the drug trafficking group that's are operating within american cities, aren't they? >> they are. they've been trying to do a lot in that regard, really focused on removing the criminal aliens. i.c.e. has put a special emphasis on that. and i would say the arrests today bring to over 20,000 the number of gang members who have been arrested since 2005. so part of a much broader effort here to deal with this problem. they say they're trying to deal with it aggressively. of course there are plenty of critics particularly on capitol hill and some of the border staits saying they're still not doing enough. they have to spend more effort getting this criminal effort under control and hopefully out of the country. >> incarcerated or out of the country, depending on whether they're convicted.

jeanne meserve, thank you so much. this year's deadline to file your taxes is april 18th, and a lot of folks are going to spend those three extra days looking for extra deductions that mite apply. the irs sees plenty of i guess you could call it creative accounting, but there actually are some valid deductions you'd never, ever expect. senior correspondent alan chernoff joins us with some of the best deductions you've ever seen. hi there, alan. >> hi, christine. well, if you have a non-traditional job, you can come up with some very, very unusual deductions because the tax code says if you are spending money that helps you to earn taxable income, then those expenditures can be deductible. >> please welcome chesty love! >> reporter: yes, those are deductible. as exotic dancer chesty love told jerry springer, she fought the irs and won.

>> i was my own attorney. i represented myself. >> reporter: the u.s. tax court ruled her breast implants were a stage prop that boosted her income and therefore deductible as a business expense. >> my breasts are very, very much a part of my job. my salary as a dancer went up in direct proportion to the size of the chest. >> reporter: no matter how offbeat the profession, the tax code encourages us to earn money so the irs can collect more. so for those who earn a living as elvis impersonators, yes, the costume is deductible. business expenses can take many forms. there's the case of the junkyard that was infested with rats and snakes. the owner deducted the cost of cat food he put out each night to attract felines to take care of the pests. criminals are supposed to report their income from illegal activities. irs publication 17 says it goes on form 1040 line 21. so criminal enterprises are

allowed to deduct the cost of business expenses, like buying guns. >> a drug dealer should, under the regulations, report the cost of his inventory, the drugs that he's purchasing for resale, the cost of the guns to protect the inventory, the cost of the suitcases to carry it in. you would put all of that on the tax return. >> odds are you're not engaged in a illegal or bizarre activities to entrepreneur a li -- earn a living. even so, the same principle applies, money spent to earn taxable income can be written off. for example, if you have a home office that occupies, say, 10% of your house, 10% of the operating expenses, heat, electricity, even outdoor landscaping, can be written off. some taxpayers, though, have taken it a bit too far. the irs has disallowed attempts to deduct hot tubs and pools for those claiming the home office

deduction. and there are many other cases of taxpayers being a little bit too aggressive, including the recent case of a tv anchorwoman who tried to deduct the cost of her underwear. christine, perhaps if she had been an underwear model the irs might have said okay. christine? >> oh, my goodness. alan, how does the irs determine if the expense then is legitimately for a job? >> it's got to be something specifically for the job. for example, if i tried to deduct the cost of this suit, that wouldn't fly. i could wear this suit for many things. but say that cnn required me to buy a professional video camera. that would be deductible. >> interesting. so ms. chesty love, she was able to fight the irs. how do you do that? >> well, you can argue with the irs, and if that doesn't work, you can definitely go to court, just like chesty love did. and, in fact, there are three

different courts you can go to the regular federal court system, u.s. district court, you can go to the court of federal claims which sits only in d.c. that's for really big cases. then you can go to the u.s. tax court. by the way, the small claims division there, under $50,000, you don't even need a lawyer. it's quite informal. but if you lose, you can't appeal. >> allan chernoff, very eye-opening segment. thank you, sir. really appreciate it. cnnmoney.com has an entire section dedicated to your taxes with explainers, info on tax breaks, a whole lot more. please go to cnnmoney.com, click on taxes under the personal finance tab. 21 minutes after the hour, time to check other top stories. we're watching, the navy has three warships stamding by in the mediterranean just in case they're needed in operations involving libya. the obama administration says all options are on the table now. the humanitarian crisis is growing with thousands of

refugees massed on the borders after fleeing the violence. the house is expected to vote today on a new spending measure that could keep the government running past friday's deadline. but the new bill is only a two-week extension, which means democrats and republicans would still have to hash out a more permanent compromise to avoid a government shutdown. both sides still pretty far apart on proposed cuts as part of a more comprehensive spending plan. major highways have reopened in florida today as the danger from a fast-moving wildfire seems to be dying down slightly. u.s. 1 and i-95 are open again in east and central florida. rain slowed the 10,000-acre fire, but hundreds of homes still in harm's way south of daytona beach. next -- can you guess the most flirtatious city in the world? we'll give you a hint. it is not paris. ferently 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. [ inhales deeply ] i nipped my allergy symptoms in the bud. omnaris. ask your doctor. battling nasal allergy symptoms? omnaris combats the cause. get omnaris for only $11 at omnaris.com. the one time of year red lobster creates so many irresistible ways to treat yourself to lobster. like our new lobster-and-shrimp trio with a parmesan lobster bake,

our decadent lobster lover's dream with both sweet maine and buttery rock lobster tails and eleven more choices, each served with a salad and unlimited cheddar bay biscuits. come celebrate lobsterfest right now at red lobster. so i wasn't playing much of a role in my own life. but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now, i've got the leading part. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition

or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, take the lead. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. from tornadoes to wildfires, the southeast has been just hammered by extreme weather the last couple of days, chad. >> it was a brutal day yesterday. tornadoes -- i have some tape out of tennessee, major tornado on the ground. haven't seen numbers yet, but i'm thinking at least f-3, which means 135, 140 miles per hour as that storm flattened literally that house. there was a man killed in that house. daughter and granddaughter got out safely, unbelievable. the cold front through atlanta, flights not even making it to atlanta yesterday. airports doing very well right

now. 5,700 planes in the sky. the good news is when i show this to visitors in the weather office, i always tell them, the good news planes are not that big. otherwise, we would never see the sunshine. the sun would never come out. orlando, there's the rain and the snow and all the fires. the rain helped the fires. >> i-95 is open. >> it's 25% containment, although the fires are knocked down. i-95 open. more than a half inch of rainfall from buffalo all the way back down into missouri, arkansas. every county that's green has a flood warning of some sort, either a creek, a stream, a river. something out of its banks at this point. hot on one side, cold on the other. that makes severe weather. columbia, south carolina, all-time high. the cold and warm like to mix.

>> let's go "off the radar." we teased the most romantic city in the world. >> it's athens, greece. they're among the big top winners. there are other big winners, too. rome, of course, and all that. but moscow number two. wouldn't get that. rome 8. so the city of love and the city of lights, paris, 38? >> look at new york, 89. dude, get out of my way. >> you know why? new yorkers don't flirt. they literally are going from one avenue to the next of. >> we're very direct in new york. >> this is actually all put together by badoo.com. how many people on their web site per day or per month are flirting with someone they actually don't know. >> interesting.

>> 108 million people on this web site flirting back and forth or dog whateving whatever it is do. >> on badoo. oh, boy. >> there you go, athens, greece. i think plato, socrates, they all knew that. >> thank you so much. christina aguilera spent part of the night in police custody. what happened there? the only complete multivitamin with soy isoflavones to help address hot flashes and mild mood changes. one a day menopause formula. and go everywhere. to help revitalize a neighborhood in massachusetts, restore a historic landmark in harlem, fund a local business in chicago, expand green energy initiatives in seattle. because when you're giving, lending and investing in more communities across the country,

more opportunities happen. over a million people have discovered how easy it is to use legalzoom for important legal documents. so start your business, protect your family, launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. 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. now some stories you may have missed. a woman apparently infected with measles in europe may have exposed fellow americans to the disease. officials say she arrived back in america at dulles airport

outside washington on february 20th. she remained in the d.c. area for two days. on february 22nd she boarded a flight from bwi airport to denver where she was transferred to a flight for albuquerque, new mexico. she was hospitalized in new mexico and is recovering now. people who she came in contact with others. ray supposedly pressured participantsty sweat lodge to stay inside. a famed fashion house is getting ready to fire a designer. christian dior says it's started termination proceedings against

john galliano. a video reportedly made last year appears to show galliano praising adolf hitler and making antismem ick comments. bids continue today with the national football league, the agreement expires thursday night. players expect to be locked out if there's no sign of progress toward a new agreement. police took christina aguilera into custody this morning after a traffic stop. the pop star was a passenger in a car driven by her rumored boyfriend. the driver was booked for drunken driving. police say aguilera had been drinking and was taken into custody for her own safe city. she was later released.

the obama administration considering military options as a means of protecting the libya people and forcing moammar gadhafi from power. warships and planes have been moved near libya and a specific option is a no-fly zone to keep gadhafi's planes out of the air. joining me is cnn international anchor and reporter michael holm holmes. what do you think about the possible moves by the u.s.? >> i think it could be saber rattling. it puts pressure on him, but it's a complicated thing to set up. there's a lot that goes into setting up a no-fly zone. the nato wouldn't want to do it without a u.n. resolution. would the uk and u.s. go it alone on this scenario? they've done it in iraq.

we're back to the thing where u.s. doesn't want to look like it's putting its stamp on a revolution in the other country. >> what do you have on the rebel forces? >> they're not an organized group per se. this is not an army that's about to go marching on tripoli, though there is talk of some of these forces wanting to do so. they're not that organized, certainly in the east there's a lot of social organization going on. there have been, as i said, some reports that some advance on the capital hasn't happened yet. there would be serious doubts about their ability to take on gadhafi's forces militarily in the sense of a traditional sort of assault on the city or anything. it has to come from within probably. >> the trouble here is letting this thing drag on for too long. what are the ricsks? we're hearing people saying you've got to ended bloodshed quickly. >> it seems the bloodshed has closed down. we've heard about stalemates. it makes me want to say, hang on a second. it's only been a few days. this is not that long really

when you think about revolutions that can go on for months or even longer. i think we tend to be a little bit impatient when it comes to these sorts of of things. the momentum has slowed in tripoli for sure. let's remember there's always the scenario here that gadhafi could have negotiations with the opposition, bring in a u.n. observer group. he could get through this, you know. that is an option. it doesn't look like at the moment, it could happen. >> what about ald qaeda? what kind of influence are they having? everything that's happening in the region must be a huge blow to the power of al qaeda, people are backing democracy in their own rights, not the al qaeda-style middle east. >> couple of things, al qaeda missed the boat on this just like those on the west. they'll be wanting to jump in on this. coming late to the party, but they'll want to get involved. it's worth remembering that none of these uprisings have sorted themselves outs yet. we don't know what new governments or leaderships are going to look like. it's going to be a very

different middle east. and what the danger is, i think, for the west is al qaeda will take advantage of any sort of prolonged instability. and any disappointment by populations that not enough is being done quickly enough. so they're ready to pounce. it's just -- nobody knows how all of this is going to shake out. >> we talked to arwa damon from the border of tunisia and libya. she said people are desperate. they're saying, we need help. what about that crisis there and what they're doing with the refugees? >> tens of thousands of people pouring into tunisia and going over into egypt as well. aid groups are saying it is at a crisis point and food is getting in but it's a huge concentration when a very small part of tunisia, in particular, and they need a lot of help, a lot of things like shelter. food is getting in, but it's a crisis developing. >> let's turn now to i guess a somber kind of marker. a week now since the tragic

earthquake in christchurch, new zealand. what are they doing today? >> they did mark it, christine, with a two-minute silence, to really pay homage to those who lost their lives. 155 dead is the total so far. it is going to go up. there's still 100 or so missing there. interesting, you don't see this happen in many countries. because of the forces there, the rescue operations being so stretched thin, 330 australian police officers have actually been sworn in to the new zealand police force. >> oh, really? >> yeah. to help out with law and order and keep things running in the city, which is pretty extraordinary. you don't see that happen very often. >> no, you don't. >> there is a bit of frustration now a week into it. a lot of people want to get to their vehicles, get to their businesses. large chunks of the city still cordoned off. it really rocked a beautiful, beautiful city. >> is there still worries of aftershocks.

it's not rescue anymore. it's recovery. >> no. there's aftershocks going on. there's an expensive suburb outside christchurch. a lot of people, dozens of people, had to evacuate that area because of aftershocks. there were fears -- it's on a hill -- that it could all break away. >> a lot of people still missing. you have folks that want to put closure to this whole thing. at the same time, still very much in it. >> they're watching disease as well because of course that's always a worry when you have bodies lying around. >> yes. thank you, michael. you're paying a lot more for gas so someone is making a lot more money, right? but who? up next, we'll talk about that. who has a million things to pick up each month on top of her prescriptions. so she was thrilled that her walgreens pharmacist recommended a 3-month supply and would always be there to answer questions about her health. now mary gets 3 refills in one and for 3 months, she's done.

more or less. ask your pharmacist about a 90 day supply and get a free gift. walgreens. there's a way to stay well. at a university with 20 years of experience combining classroom and online teaching. and a 15 to 1 student to faculty ratio... to make learning more... personal. today, she runs a thriving tutoring company that offers kids the same individualized attention she had. my name is beatrice hair, i teach hundreds of kids one on one, and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] learn more about the college of education at phoenix.edu.

with gas prices back in the news and back in the sky-high range, it's easy to get fuming mad when the stations are selling gas and it feels like robbing you blind. but they're not the ones to blame and they're certainly not the ones making a big profit. in today's "big breakdown," i want to show you where your money is actually going when you fill up your tank, first, gas prices average $3.17 a good in january. that's a 14% jump from last

year. when the price was around $2.75 a gallon. they keep going higher. what's driving the increase and where is all that money going? well, most of it, 67%, goes directly to the crude oil suppliers. this amount is determined largely by the organization of petroleum exporting countries or opec. the amount of crude oil produced by opec decides the price of a barrel of oil. then the refining cost, about 11% of the cost of a gallon of gas. crude oil goes through the refining process in order to become gasoline. then comes the distribution and marketing. it's shipped to distribution poip points and then to the gas stations. then they are promoted with advertising. that is 9% of the gallon of gas. finally, the tax. the u.s. government taxes gas and so do state and local governments. together, those taxes are 13% of the cost. got all that? when the gas final lip makes it

to your town, the local gas owner makes just a few pennies per gallon. something to think about the next time you fill up. that's today's "big breakdown." every day we have a segment called "you choose." we give you three story hid lines and you vote. first, tsa agents actually searched passengers after they arrived at their destination. second, a teacher is fire ford aif bumster sticker on her car. finally, a good samaritan goes extra measures to return a stolen car. we'll bring you the winning story in ten minutes. go to cnn.com/ali to vote. our blog is being slammed by viewers interested in this story. a group in texas is offering scholarships exclusively to white men. we're tackling the controversial issue with our stream team. that's next, don't miss it. [ male announcer ] america's beverage companies are working together to put more information right up front.

adding new calorie labels to every single can, bottle and pack they produce. so you can make the choice that's right for you. ♪

time now for our "stream team." this is a story that has our blog buzzing. in just 24 hours the story has become the most looked at story of the week and one of the most looked at for the year.

exclusively white men only who maintain a 3.0 grade point average, the former majority association for equality was started by colby brahanan a veteran and student. i talked to him yesterday about why he started this program. listen. >> this is very abrasive subject in america, and one of the first things we wrote on our web site, we wanted to state clearly that we do not promote any kind of racial bigotry or white supremacy and we don't take money from people who do. if you're part of a white supremacist group, keep your money. we don't want your money. that's our stance on that. we don't have any political agendas or any kind of message that we're trying to send. i've had dozens of questions about affirmative action. we're not saying anything about anything except for helping poor white males who are trying to go to college and need a little help. >> let's bring in our "stream team" to discuss the controversial scholarships. eric ericson and white house

correspondent for the america urban radio network, april ryan. the vast majority of our comments on the blog support the xal orships, this is people of different ages and races. nelson wrote -- i'm a proud hispanic. i don't see anything wrong with an all white male scholarship. i've heard of every type of scholarship program out there for every race so it's only fair. april, you don't like it. >> once we start down this road, you may as well start back into saying whites only water fountains and whites only buildings again. i have an 8-year-old child saying, mommy, tell me about what happened back then. we're reverting insteld of going forward. he can say it's not about race. it's about race and gender. it's definitely targeting white men. what about a hispanic woman? what about a black man? not allowed. >> april, what he says is there's already scholarships for all those people. there's scholarships for people

with left hands, for people who are tall, for people who are lutheran, catholic. he's saying with the way -- he also says he's not looking to the past but the future. a future where the majority becomes the minority. and in texas that's already happening in some cases. april, do you see? he says there's a hole that needs to be filled and it's fair. >> our past determines our future. let's go back to brown versus board of education. they used that in the supreme court to correct a wrong. need i say more? now, this seems more social than it is anything else. and we're living in an era of inclusion. now, scholarships by themselves are a great tool, a financial tool, to move people toward in education and to gain middle class or upper income status. but when you talk about this and rely gaegating it to one sectio we're going back. if you want to do something, let's have a bridge grant for

all students, not just white males. this is it go being backwards to me. >> eric, let me ask you because our response to this is overwhelmingly positive. people who said, look, we need more money for college, we've got all kinds of different kinds of scholarships out there. there's even a scholarship for students who love "strar trar t" rick wrote on the blog -- i got a scholarship for being left-handed. i think private groups should be able to fund scholarships for any reason they choose. eric, isn't this in a multitude of different scholarships for different people. >> absolutely. if we're going to get rid of scholarships for african-americans and asians and hispanics and women, then let's get rid of scholarships. if we're not, then let's keep them. let's not forget that whites in appalachia are one of the poorest in the nation.

there are very few scholarships that cater toward them. this apparently would. if we're going to get rid of all of them, let's get rid of this one. >> but this is a little different. we have a history that's tortured and painful in this country that makes even today when you start talking about a white male only scholarship it makes people cringe because there was a time when white men frankly ruled this country and had all of the access and the reason why we have all of these -- >> absolutely. but they don't anymore. you can justify that, for example, a scholarship for african-americans given the history of this country. but can you for asians or hispanics and women? now we've reached the point in texas at least where the white men are no longer the majority in texas. >> april, go ahead, my dear. >> let's say this, e-rick. then-president bush gave a friend of the court brief to the

supreme court on the university of michigan case where they were dealing with prefer shall admission. he did not like that. he did not like legacy. he did not like preferential treatment for the students. let's level the playing field. >> i agree with you. but we're not going to get rid of those other scholarships. >> but let's make them fair. >> a passionate subject. go to cnn.com/ali. i appreciate it. join the debate. we want to hear what you have to say. go to the blog or facebook or twitter. time now for a cnn political update. cnn senior political editor mark preston and cnn deputy political editor paul steinhauser join me. mark, what's cross being the ticker? >> just in, here's the intersection of three major industries, business, politics and hollywood. the motion picture association

of america has just named chris dodd as its new head of its washington office. the mpaa is the trade group that looks out for all things politics here in washington for the sixth largest hollywood studios. chris dodd who served in congress from 1974 until he left just back at the beginning of this year will now head up those efforts. the big political story right now, christine, is newt gingrich. as peter hamby reports, he will form a presidential exploratory committee on thursday. newt gingrich, the former house speaker who stepped down 1998 has been active in conservative circles, run a bunch of nonprofit groups. but listen to what he said when he stepped down in 1998. it is time for me to move forward where i believe i still have a significant role to play for our country and our party. so right now, christine, it looks like he think thz is the time he's going to play that significant role. but what do americans think

about newt beginnigingrich? l let's turn to paul. >> we did a poll late in january, a horse race poll. we put out a bunch of names who may run for the presidential nomination. gingrich near the top, in fourth place right around 10%. christine, just about every poll that's been done nationally, gingrich is pretty high in the poll numbers, around fourth or fifth place in low double dij i digits. what do americans think specifically about gingrich? a majority of them almost six out of ten have a favorable opinion of gingrich. only about one in four have an unfavorable. not many are unsure of newt beginning rigingrich gingrich. why? most americans, republicans for sure, know newt gingrich. may help but also may hurt him if he formally declares running for the white house. >> on that list of names is not herman cain, someone getting a lot of press this week.

he's a business guy, the former ceo of godfather's pizza. is he still pretty much an outlier you think? >> he is not very well known to most americans. he jumped into the race in january by announcing a exploratory committee. at this early date, polls are basically a beauty contest. it really will matter in iowa, south carolina, new hampshire of. the early states. those will be the polls to look at later this year. >> i like that. political beauty contests. that's awesome. paul steinhauser, mark preston. thanks, guys. remember the supercomputer who took on humans in jeopardy? its latest opponent, united states congress. last night members of congress squared off with the computer. representative rush holt and representative bill cassidy in the first round competed with a slightly slower version ever the

computer. holt is a five-time jeopardy champion, in case you didn't know. after beating watson $8600 to $6200 holt expressed admiration for the machine saying the technology has the potential to be extremely helpful in situations that require tough decision making. your next update from the best political team on television just an hour away. we're still taking your vote on the "you choose" segment of the day. tsa agents, a teacher or a good samaritan story. head to cnn.com/ali to vote.

to our "you choose" segment, here's the winner. tsa agents gave what one man calls, quote, intrusive pat-downs to passengers including children who were getting off a flight. you can see the agents patting the kids down. gamble says he was among about 40 people getting off the train who were ordered by tsa agents to be searched. turns out there was a random search operation going on and the arriving passengers were accidentally roped into it. the tsa has apologized for any inconvenience. we'll post the stories about the teacher getting fired because of her bumper sticker and also the story about the good samaritan going to great lengths to return a stolen car. they'll be on cnn.com/ali. th