ahead of cnn's presidential debate. the final debate before the state's crucial primary. a lot on the line tomorrow night. we'll be in jacks tomorrow out front. meantime, "anderson cooper 360" starts right now. thanks very much. good evening, everyone. we begin with the fight for florida. with the punches that mitt romney and newt gingrich throwing in english and spanish and new polling that shows how close the bat sl right now. they'll face off in another debate tomorrow night right here on cnn with rick santorum and ron paul. it's the race between governor romney and speaker gingrich dominating coverage. new cnn/orc polling tonight shows a statistical dead heat, 36% to 34% romney to gingrich. well within the five-point margin of error. that's from sampling of monday, tuesday and wednesday. in other words, after saturday in south carolina. but if you isolate just tuesday

after governor romney's sharp attacks in monday night's debate, there's a nine-point advantage for him over the former speaker. you can expect the numbers to change. expect tomorrow night's debate to move the needle, as well. also, expect more of what we saw today. each candidate hammering the other. [ speaking spanish ] >> the gingrich campaign today stopped running the radio spot accusing mitt romney of being, quote, the most anti-immigration candidate in the race. they took the ad down after florida senator mark rubio who's cuban-america took strong exceptions to it calling it inaccurate and inflammatory. the romney campaign meantime also angling for the latino vote slamming speaker gingrich for being the ultimate washington insider, specifically the relationship with freddie mac. romney consistently described him as a former lobbyist and today the speaker heard from a

heckler about it. listen. >> newt, you work for freddie mac. >> i'm glad you asked that. i work for the people. of course, i work for the people. now -- and by the way -- >> get out of here! >> wait. >> get out of here! >> now, now. this is a free country and people are allowed to come and be noisy. it's part of the american tradition. i just want to say for the record, i don't know that this lady wants to listen but i will say to the rest of you for the record, if you go to the july 2008 "new york times," you will see the only reference to my talking to congress about freddie mac. i told the house republicans to vote no on giving them anymore money. i was opposed to them getting anymore money. and that is a fact. >> keeping them honest tonight, though, was he a lobbyist?

two members of congress say he was and lobbied them. tonight we have details of the contract with freddie mac. listen how he described the role in november. >> i have never done any lobbying. any contract written in the period when i was out of the office specifically said i would do no lobbied and i offer advice and advice as a historian saying to me we're now making loans to people who have no credit history and have no record of paying back anything, but that's what the government wants us to do. i said at the time, this is a bubble. this is insane. this is impossible. >> it's a consulting firm paid $25,000 a month for years by freddie mac. romney ridiculed the price for advice. the gingrich campaign released the 2006 portion of the contract with freddie and notably vague about the services. last night we got the 1999 contract which goes in to much more detail.

on page 14, it described a wide range of services to provide. the two that stand out are, quote, to serve as adviser to freddie mac in the areas of strategic planning and public poli policy, also to engage in discussions with mitchell delk and other senior officers of freddie mac relative to strategize on approaches to freddie mac business opportunities and challenges. mitchell delk is the senior vice president of freddie mac for government relations, in other words, their chief lobbyist. according to open secrets database, he was a registered lobbyist for freddie mac. the contract specifies activities at the intersection of freddie mac issues and public policy and he's being specifically hired to work with freddie's head lobbyist. whoever drew up the contract recognizes that people could get the impression it's lobbying except but in the name. there's this on the same page. nothing herein is or shall be construed as an agreement to voluntary ride lobbying services

of any kind or engage in lobbying activities. kevin madden joins us, still a romney supporter and a pollster and senior advise tore the gingrich campaign. kevin, could it be a mistake for the romney campaign to push the freddie mac attack when the campaign might be caught in the crossfire? >> i think it's an important part of the contrast before vote earls in florida. right now, i think voters will have to decide whether or not they want a nominee for the party and whether or not they want a president of the country who's been somebody who's been a washington insider, made their career in washington, d.c. or whether or not they want someone like xwofr nor romney who built his career outside of washington, d.c. and as a successful governor and somebody who headed the olympics in 2002. so, those kind of contrasts at a time where voters are making that critical choice in florida and through the course of considerations that voters go through the rest of this primary calendar, it's an important distinction to make and let the

voters make that decision. >> newt gingrich did work for freddie mac. romney did not. why keep this storyline going? >> you have to ask the romney people that. they picked this fight. after the wheels came off the inevitability train, they needed to go back to the playbook. he won one of three contests. he was the inevitable one. having broken the back of electability and we can beat obama the way romney can, we then wanted to have a level playing field on which to compete about the issues but now we're absorbing the incoming of freddie mac and now tknow the rs today. in governor romney's tax documents, they invested in freddie and frannie. >> is by tarring him with freddie mac that it nullifies what -- >> think it's pathetic to be frank with you. i don't think one job was created, one house was saved from foreclosure and one voter

out there learned much about anything. i have to laugh. kevin's an old friend and respect him greatly. if i see one more person with images of the capitol and washington monument and talking about the washington insider of gingrich. the job for president of the united states is washington, d.c. you have to have a relevant experience for that job. you can't parachute in. i noticed something by omission that governor romney and smart people like kevin do all the time. they never talk about the record of governor. the fact is he doesn't just have a back ground in the private sector and the winter games. he was govern nor for four years. >> kevin, we thought the race would tighten in florida. 23 points closer than two weeks ago. what happened to your candidate in your opinion? >> well, look. i think this always happens. kelly and i have been around enough campaigns to know that at the beginning we always know that no matter what you have of 22-point lead, 15-point lead, it turns in to a two, three-point lead. these things tighten going through the considerations.

we were not kidding as a campaign when we said very early on in this -- in this earlier part of this year that this was going to be a very close race. kelly ann mentioned the idea of inevitability. nobody in boston or working for governor romney believed it was an inevitable nomination. >> on your guy's website, i believe, it said about south carolina on tuesday, the presidential candidate will be selected. i remember -- >> there's not -- i tell you, too. there's another thing. anderson, there's never anything wrong with confidence. you have to send those type of messages to supporters. that is hard-fought race. the polls right now from cnn and others, they're reflecting that very close race and that's why everybody's down in florida working very hard to reach as many vote earls as possible to talk to them about governor romney's experience and also what he would do to fix the economy. that's what -- >> talk about the polls, too. gingrich has if you look at the

data closely has fallen off post monday night's debate. why do you think that is? >> well, i think in the previous program you probably showed the charts that showed how much negative advertising is being spent by which campaigns and superpacs. that is not a close race. not a tight race. governor romney's campaign is spending incredible amounts of money. not positive ads. you will understand why he doesn't want to talk about this. >> absentee votes are in and probably favor romney. >> they definitely favor romney. >> the tide that it was when the votes were made. don't you guy haves to do better than simply what you might otherwise be able to do on tuesday night? >> absolutely correct. absolutely correct. that's the calculation we have made internally and part of why governor romney benefited so greatly from those early voters is because everybody was pushing this narrative that he was the inevitable nominee, going to be over before south carolina so people just leaned in to what

they were told. he can win. he can win. anderson, the average voter doesn't ask himself who can win but who can lead. you're seeing a different and expanded definition. >> can mitt romney afford to lose florida? >> look. i think we'll do very well in florida and compete strongly there. i think that's going to be evident come tuesday but i think the campaign that's been built to endure the long haul. ultimately, this is a delicate fight and we need over 1,500 delegates getting to tampa. if we don't win florida, though i feel very confident about the chances there, this is still a campaign that goes on to arizona, nevada, all the way through the summer. >> not winning florida, there's shock waves through the campaign, no? >> look. i think that the focus will remain on winning delegates all the way to tampa. that remains the case. this is still a campaign that is -- has the organization, has

the right message and has the resources to continue on. >> kelly ann -- i appreciate your time. >> i can't emphasize enough we feel good about florida. >> kevin madden -- >> we feel even better. >> if romney doesn't win florida, that is huge? >> huge shock wave. they keep on making excuses for the states they don't win. it's florida more diverse, et cetera. more like the rest of the country. the fact is what will happen is an extension of 2010 which is when the voter themselves say, you know what? i won't be told who can win. >> i appreciate it. another quick reminder. cnn's hosting the next gop debate. tomorrow night, 8:00 eastern time followed by 10:00 p.m. with "360" and applause is allowed, i understand. let us know what you think. follow me on twitter. i'll be tweeting tonight. up next, promises the president made last night, a catch. they sounded an awful lot promises of three years ago in lowering the mortgage payments

and making sure lenders don't rip you off. bill maher, a supporter and critic of president obama. first, let's check in. >> anderson, it's perhaps the ultimate family tragedy. three sisters dead. their brother and parents charged with murder. the killings allegedly in the name of god and honor and a twisted interpretation of islam. crime and punishment when "360" continues. cut. cut! [ monica ] i thought we'd be on location for 3 days -- it's been 3 weeks. so i had to pick up some more things. good thing i've got the citi simplicity card. i don't get hit with a fee if i'm late with a payment... which is good because on this job, no! bigger! [ monica ] i may not be home for a while. [ male announcer ] the new citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries.

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lifelock-- relentlessly protecting your identity. call 1-800-lifelock or go to lifelock.com today. president obama made fresh promises in his state of the union speech to go after fraud and provide relief for homeowners. he outlined a new agency. >> and tonight i'm asking my attorney general to create a special unit, a federal prosecutors and leading state attorney general, to expand our investigations in to the abuse of lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. this new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many americans. >> the president also pushed for a way to give homeowners a break. >> i'm sending this congress a

plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage by refinancing it at historically low rates. no more red tape. no more run around from the banks. >> but keeping them honest, both proposals on mortgages and financial fraud don't just sound familiar, nearly identical to promises made and programs he's already launched. take a lock. >> the plan i'm announcing focusing families that played by the rules and acted responsibly. by refinancing loans for millions of families in traditional families who are underwater or close to it by modifying loans for families stuck in subprime mortgages they can't afford as a result of skyrocketing interest rates or personal misfortune. and by taking broader steps to keep mortgage rates low so families secure loans with affordable monthly payment's think's president obama in 2009

saying -- here's the attorney general eric holder the same year unveiling the justice department's new financial investigation unit. >> i'm pleased today to announce the launch of an interagency financial fraud enforcement task force to combat financial crime. the task force is to strengthen our efforts with the state and local partners to investigate and to prosecute significant financial crimes relating to the current financial crisis. to recover ill-gotten gains an ento ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes. >> sounds pretty familiar, right? the mortgage refinancing program promised to lower monthly payments for 3 million to 4 million borrowers. instead about 1.9 homeowners have been offered lower payments but 675,000 offers are permanent and as for the unit, critics say it raises questions of the ability to deliver on promises.

jessica yellin is reporting on that side of the story and joins us from arizona traveling with the president. the administration, jessica, created the task force in 2009 to investigate and prosecute financial crimes s. the creation of the new unit an acknowledgment that that task force wasn't very effective? >> reporter: anderson, it's an attempt to appease critics of the administration, liberal critics, who have been outraged from the beginning of the administration that not a single high level executive has been jailed for blowing up the housing market and for abusive mortgage practices and show the base some fight so today i spoke to one source who's in the know on all of this who said because of this new task force you will see charges brought by the end of the year. i spoke to another source who said, really? what the heck took so long? only he didn't use the word heck, anderson. >> it is an election year. eric schneiderman is critical of the administration dealing with

big mortgage servicer servicers. was his appointment done to silence critics? >> reporter: so here's what you need to know about eric schneiderman. he is one of a handful of states attorneys general who has been reluctant holdout on a deal that the department of justice is trying to cut with some of the big banks over bad mortgages. and these attorneys general have not liked the way -- this handful did not like the way the deal is going and schneiderman has been one of the folks saying, i'm not willing to sign on if you're going in that direction so either he's cut a political deal with the administration and he'll soon sign on to this thing in exchange for the political appointment, or he and the administration are about to be in a very awkward political position if he ab stains and we just won't know until this deal is announced, anderson. but what his fanls say is that

he's actually using the government so that he can get access to the tools, investigative tools at the irs and s.e.c. to go after more banks in his state in new york which he gets access to through this new posting so we have to wait a little bit long tore see how it plays out. >> jessica yellin, appreciate that. comedian and political xheen taylor bill maher isn't one to mince words. bill maher live from silicone valley. shown live on yahoo! on february 23rd. got plenty to say about the republican field but he's a self described liberal. doesn't shy away from criticizing president obama either. i talked to the host of hbo's "realti "realtime" today earlier. when you heard the announcement, is that a devicisive move or election year appeasing? what do you think? >> i think it was a breath of fresh air to find some reality on my television. i mean, i've been doing nothing

as most people have for the last many months but watching republicans debate each other. inside this bubble of ir reality they live in. so, to finally see somebody talking facts, yes, i mean, maybe it is a little too late but at least we're living in a world unlike mitch daniels portraying where it's not haves and have notes it's haves and soon to be haves. you know? this fantasyland, the carrot they're always holding in front of people. at least obama is living in the world of reality would be my answer. >> you said, though, in the past in recent past, you have been terribly disappointed with him and said the magic is gone with obama. do you still feel that? >> well, you know. this is what us liberals do. we carp and complain and we lose a little perspective sometimes. yeah, there are ways in which obama has been disappointing. but he always seems to come up

on the bottom of the ninth and hit it out of the park like i thought he did in the debate and nothing focuses the mind so much as seeing republicans. i'm sorry but when you see newt gingrich and rick santorum -- and mitt romney, standing together, it makes obama look pretty good. it really makes me run back in to his arms screaming. >> you are optimistic for the election, no matter the republican candidates, you think obama will win? >> definitely. my money is on mitt romney to get the nomination and then obama is going to beat him like a run away sister wife. yes i do. >> a run away sister wife? what -- i haven't heard an flds punchline in quite a while. >> oh, you should come to my stand-up show. >> okay, all right. why? why do you think romney can't

win? >> well, first of all, he's a rich guy in an environment now that is very poisonous for the wealthy. he's got a lot of baggage. you know? i mean, even his own base doesn't really like him. you know? some people in this country will not vote for a mormon. he's got that going against him. but basically, he just -- he's a flip flopper. you know? it's interesting, the republicans ran against john kerry in 2004. remember, he was a flip flopper. they hated him for flip flopping. well now they have the biggest flip flopper of all. they have to flip flop on flip flopping. and i think, you know, again, we have only heard the republican side. for so long. these endless debates. too many. anderson, really. >> you think? >> i know you have one coming up but too much. >> i think they've been really interesting. >> i do, too. i made the point on our show friday night that the debates have been a good thing even though people complain about

them. for example, we would have never found out that rick perry was an idiot. you know, he was the guy that everybody was banking on for a while because he was just a mystical figure of texas. didn't know much about him. looked like a president. standing tall in the saddle. a little sound bite. and then he got a chance to open his moutd. well, you know, it is like the cute guy in the bar. the girl's all excited and then talks to her for two minutes and like get me away from this guy. i can't even do it. that was from the debates. but look. there's a point where it's just too much. why do we need two daeblts? florida? two days apart? it is like any television series. you love it. you love it. you love it. but at a certain point it hits a peak, jumps the shark. and then we're looking for something else. i think that's where we are with this debate. monday was a bad episode. it was a bad episode of the series. >> we will have applause and sha cheering i believe in the upcoming debate. >> newt gingrich needs the mob,

i think he said he wouldn't participate without the crowd making sounds in the upcoming debate. you know, he was throwing out the red meat and the lion was just laying there. there's no good for him. that's what he depends on. that's a demagogue ri and better for the viewer, for the fan. for the fan of this reality series. i like to newt be the candidate. he is more beatible. obama's beating him in texas in the polls. texas. so if they want to nominate newt gingrich, this is a great day for liberals. >> we have a question comes from shawn. is there a position on which you agree with the republican candidates? you said pretty much at least in terms of foreign policy i think you said you are on the same page as ron paul. >> absolutely. but ron paul certainly doesn't express the opinions of most republican voters, i don't think. you know? >> that's for sure. >> they look at -- or at least

the audience when ron paul -- i got to say, you know, ron paul has some crazy ideas. like getting rid of the fed. yeah, let's go back to the wims of the mining industry and the gold standard. stuff i don't agree on. what he said about health care. we should just go back to neighbors helping out. just loonny. but when it comes to the drug war and foreign policy, this guy is so great. also, when i don't agree with him, he's honest. at least you get the feeling this is an authentic person saying what he believes. and as far as what he says about foreign policy, the guts to stand up there, debate after debate, while they boo him or look at him like he's got three heads. the others just stare at him like, what are you talking about? the golden rule? please, ron paul. this is the party that loves jesus. what are you doing, quoting the golden rule. >> bill maher, good to have you on. thank you. >> okay, anderson.

>> bill maher. ahead, the dramatic rescue of two aid workers. one an american held in somalia. details on the mission ahead. plus, emotional day in washington. congresswoman gabby give fords cast her final vote and said good-bye to her colleagues. mid grade dark roast forest fresh full tank brain freeze cake donettes rolling hot dogs bag of ice anti-freeze wash and dry diesel self-serve fix a flat jumper cables 5% cashback right now, get 5% cashback at gas stations. it pays to discover.

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and stock up and save on our exclusive bedding collection at our white sale. only at the sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699. two kidnapped aid workers are free and out of somalia tonight. the hostages, one american and a dane held captive for three

months. the american is women jessica buchanan. last night president obama called jessica's father to say his daughter was rescued by u.s. military. the father said he was quote flabbergasted to get the call and even though it didn't break until later we got an indication something was up when the president greeted secretary leon panetta. here's chris lawrence digging deep. >> reporter: just second in to the president's arrival at the state of the union speech, the first hint something had happened. >> good job tonight. good job tonight. >> reporter: at the moment rehe congratulated the secretary, they were wrapping up a mission. the u.s. military and fbi had been searching for the humanitarian aid workers since october when kidnappered abducted american jessica buchanan and paul fested. now they found them more than

100 kilometers away. they had specific intel, where the hostages were and who was holding them. but a sense of urgency was building. >> jessica's health was beginning to decline. she is a young woman in the 30s. we wanted to act and they did. >> reporter: president obama green lighted the mission monday night and the weather was perfect for a tuesday night assault. as secretary leon panetta monitored the situation, special operations forces parachuted in to the area, among them s.e.a.l. team 6, the same unit that killed osama bin laden, if not the same men from the mission. they confronted nine kidnappers with guns and explosives nearby and killed all nine. they found the hostages in an outdoor encampment and then hustled them on to helicopters and out of somalia. >> just incredible, this operation. chris joins me live from the pentagon. you mentioned that jessica buchanan's health was beginning

to decline. do we know how she's doing now? >> reporter: that's what white house and pentagon officials say is one of the main reasons they went on this mission, exactly when they did. same day as the president's state of the union address. but they won't comment specifically on her medical condition because of privacy laws. now, an official with the aid group with whom she work says she wasn't that sick. she may have needed some medicine at some point and any event, they're both doing okay and the families are traveling to meet them now. >> you said the s.e.a.l.s are part of the team that killed bin laden. do we know anything about them? >> reporter: the thing you know most about them is we'll never know them. only about 300 operating in the world now. this was the same team, the snipers, that took down those pirates on a rocking boat out at sea when they had the captain captured on board his ship.

there were about 17 s.e.a.l.s killed in a chinook helicopter crash last year in afghanistan. anderson, ironically, the man that sort of founded s.e.a.l. team 6 said he made up the name to trick some other countries in to thinking that the united states had more specific operations forces than they really did at the time. >> there are a lot of hostages from other countries still being held in somalia. any other hostages from the u.s. still being held there as far as we know? >> reporter: you are right. hostages from senior citizen, india, we were there's an american being held by another pirate group. the thing is, you know, there's been so much emphasis of cracking down on pirates they have gone to land to try to target some of the aid workers but, anderson, you have worked with some of the aid groups that the ironic thing is they're on shoe string budgets many times and can't begin to afford the millions of dollars in ransom

that is these pirates want. >> i think there's a french national held in mogadishu. not sure if he's found yet. the white house released a picture of the president calling jessica's dad after delivering the state of the union. do we know when she comes home? >> reporter: well, we don't believe she will come home to the united states. she was married. she had been working as a teacher in nairobi so she lives overseas with her husband and we believe that her family is now on their way to europe to meet up with her. >> oh, well, we wish her the best and remarkable the precision of the teams, so glad they're able to come home safely. thank you very much. ahead on the program, accusations of a so-called honor killing in canada. three sisters allegedly killed by their own family. but first, the "360 bulletin." thousands of egyptians packed tahrir square on the one-year anniversary of the protests. at times, the mood was joyous.

other times, tense. with fear that protesters would clash with the military. legendary penn state football coach paterno was laid to rest today and thousands of fans and students lined the funeral procession to say good-bye. a public memorial honoring paterno will be held tomorrow on campus. joe paterno died sunday at the age of 85. anderson, talk about a fashion statement. a golden cape made of silk extracted from spiders goes on display at london's victoria and albert museum. to make it, handlers spent seven years collecting more than 1.2 million golden orb spiders like this one. what do you think? >> you like your clothes. >> i'm mystified. it's a golden cape made by spiders? >> it is a golden cape. there you see the cape there. >> yes. >> a golden color, i suppose. not made out of gold.

>> a golden hue. >> thank you. >> and the spiders spun the silk. >> how do you train them to do that? >> this is what they do. >> shoo -- >> faster, faster. then they would pluck -- now i'm all geeky again with you. pay attention. then they would pluck the spiders from their web. they would take the silk, return the spiders to the wild and spin their web again. >> itsy-bitsy spider. i'm baffled but amazing, i guess. do they get paid? >> move on. still ahead, this is a remarkable story, a family tragedy in the hands of a court. three sisters dead. their parents called it a horrific accident. investigators say, no, no. it was an honor killing, so-called. linked to their faith. plus, a "360" follow. mississippi authorities offering a reward for information on

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crime and punishment now. in a canadian courtroom, a trial is nearing the end. the prosecution says three young sisters were killed by their parents and brother. the defense says the girls and another family member died in an accident.

compelling evidence from wiretaps of the family's minivan. here's paula newton. >> reporter: in so many ways, the sisters were typical teens, smart, beautiful, they enjoyed going out with friends and flirting with boys. but that's what might have gotten them killed. it was during a family vacation in june 2009 when the car carrying a 19-year-old, a 17-year-old, 13-year-old and the woman they knew as auntie mistier sli plunged in to this open canal drowning all four. the girls' parents tearful interviews explained it was a horrific accident during a pit stop on their trip back from niagara falls. the parents said the girls took the car out for a spin while the rest of the family remained at the hotel in kingston, ontario. but even as their bodies were taken out of the water, as the

vehicle was being dragged up, police said they learned something very different of what went on here that night and more importantly what was going on in the household. suspicious police bugged the minivan. what they heard they say evidence of first-degree murder. investigators claim hours of wiretapped conversations reveal how and why parents along with their son planned the murders. they also learned the so-called auntie was in fact mohammed's other wife, co-wife in a secret polygamist marriage. mother, father and son were charged with murder in the summer of 2009. now, they're on trial. they've all pled not guilty. prosecutors are relying heavily on the bugged conversations. in one, mohammed says in the

afghan language -- i say to myself, you did well. would they come back to life a hundred times, you should do the same again. in another, may the devil defecate on their graves. this is what a daughter should be? would a daughter be such a whore? >> i think that the wiretaps are extremely damaging to all three of them. >> reporter: columnist christie blanchford sat through the evidence, every wiretap, every witness. she's an advocate to the witnesses. >> we're treated to them saying may you said may the devil [ bleep ] on their graves, what did you mean by that? what other possible explanation but that is there for this? >> reporter: interrogations never uncovered a motive. why would a mother, father and brother kill four members of their own family? the prosecution contends these

were honor killings. carried out by parents from a very conservative afghan background to punish relel you, increasingly westernized daughters. sabra married a pakistani man her parents hated. little geti failing in school and calling social workers to get her out of a violent home. auntie rona was their advocate. exactly how they died is also a mystery but the prosecutors say they have clues. the shattered headlight on the family lexus matches the damage on the rear bumper on the girls' car suggesting it was rammed in to the canal. police also believe the victims may have been killed or beaten unconscious before the car hit the water. that would explain why they didn't escape, even though their seat belts were unbuckled and the canal was only seven feet deep. in one of the most chilling conversations recorded, mohammed

labels his daughters dirty whores, steadfast, he says, my conscience is clear. prosecutors are trying to prove to that to the family, honor was more important than life, even if it meant killing their three daughters. >> completely warped idea of honor. we have seen it in the islamic world and turkey and pakistan and afghanistan. to see it in canada, they finished if closing arguments, what did the lawyers put forward to try to dispute the wiretap evidence and prove reasonable doubt? >> reporter: you know, this case, anderson, is still circumstantial. what the prosecution doesn't have is an exact time of death. the defense tried to say, look. they didn't have any time to kill their family. these were not women who were being led like lambs to slaughter. they would have fought back. this could not have possibly happened. but, you know, to your point earlier anderson about the fact of honor killings, the defense

is trying to hone in on motive. they claim there was no motive. this family would have never wiped out these women in such a cruel, malicious way. you know, the mother even getting on the stand and saying i have never heard of honor killings. they're really trying to say that, look, if they have to call them liars and the defense did it point blank today, they were very blunt, they lied to social workers, they lied to people saying they were abused in this family. why? so that they could get their way and do what they wanted with the family. nothing going on. >> the mom actually got on the stand and said she'd never heard of honor killings? >> reporter: absolutely she said it twice. >> i mean, that's -- i mean, hard to believe. i think anybody who's traveled at all in any part of the world has heard of them. paula, appreciate the reporting. we'll continue to follow this. up next, an emotional day on the house floor as congresswoman giffords steps down. when bp made a commitment to the gulf,

we were determined to see it through. here's an update on the progress. we're paying for all spill related clean-up costs. bp findings supports independent scientists studying the gulf's environment. thousands of environmental samples have been tested and all beaches and waters are open. and the tourists are back. i was born here, i'm still here and so is bp.

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on the house floor today krn gi congresswoman gifford cast a last vote. after vote, an emotional scene as colleagues paid tribute to her and she said good-bye in a letter read by her friend. here's dana bash. >> reporter: gabby giffords emotional final morning began with a labored last walk to the

house chamber. and ended with a behind the scenes moment captured by cnn, a hug from one of the many workers she encountered during her five years here. on the floor, moving tributes. she has brought the word dignity to new heights by her courage. [ applause ] >> reporter: as each person spoke, giffords turned in her seat to face them. >> gabby, we love you. we have missed you. >> i missed you. [ applause ] >> reporter: occasional wave and a mile to husband mark and mother gloria and barely a dry eye in the house. >> no matter what we argue about here on this floor or in this country, that there is nothing more important than family and friendship. and that should be held on high above all else.

>> reporter: debbie lent her friend gabby her voice. >> always i fought for what i thought was right. but never did i question the character of those with whom i disagreed. never did i let pass an opportunity to join hands with someone just because he or she held different ideals. i have given all of myself to being able to walk back on to the house floor this year to represent arizona's 8th congressional district. however, today i know that now is not the time. i have more work to do on my recovery before i can again serve in elected office. >> reporter: with that, a dramatic climb to the speaker's chair to personally hand a tear ri john boehner the letter ending her service in congress. dana bash, cnn, capitol hill. >> emotional day. now the latest on other stories. aisha is back. anderson, a bloody day in syria.

actists said 24 people were killed nationwide including at least 4 in homes where shelling was heavy and attacks. protests said an official and priest among those killed today. a follow. mississippi authorities need help tracking down a convicted murderer. offering reward for tips. osmond, one of four convicted murderers pardoned this month. apple became the most valuable publicly traded company in the world. one day after reporting the best quarterly results in history for a tech company. its stock rose 6.3% to more than $447 a share. apple on top, anderson. >> certainly is. thanks. coming up, a new way to read a classic in the bathroom.

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time now for the "ridicu-list." we have a story of light bathroom reading.

someone is selling six rolls of toilet paper on ebay. this particular toilet paper just so happens to contain the entire typewritten text of "moby dick." the entire novel. one of the greatest american novel ever written plus about a fifth of a roll for the epilogue. now, the seller that goes by the moniker the hep cat writes this a friend made a bet that he wouldn't or couldn't type a novel on a toilet paper. an entirely flushable moby dick. what more could you for more other than it unfurling? >> for as it eventually turned out he cared not to consort for five minutes with a stranger captain except he could contribute some of that information he so absorbingly sought. >> yeah. we chose that passage because it

contained the phrase "absorbingly." the scrolls can be yours for $999.95. sounds like a lot but just imagine if this is real, the time and effort involved here. not six the captain is there pinpoint focus on such a grand task. think about it. it contains about 211,000 words, assume a average typing speed of 40 words per minute, there's 88 hours typing it, probably more because i can only imagine how carefully to spool it in to typewriters. are there typewriters in the world? sadly, there's 0 bids on the auction but i don't think the seller should be discouraged but true vision. there's so many great works of literature that led them to this repurposing. "lord of the flies." "the call of the wild." "gone with the wind." all would be tremendous on toilet paper."