>> i will have to change my life. i will start on trying to have a regular schedule. tough things to do sometimes. thank you so much. i really appreciate it. you can see more of my interview with the doctor on my face boork page. cnn "newsroom" continues right now with fredricka whitfield. >> you have a great weekend. >> thank you. hello, everyone. it's 1:00 on the east coast and 10:00 a.m. out west. let's get straight to the news. it's spring training time in major league baseball and no player has more spring in his step than outfielder ryan braun. last year's national league mvp. he's the first player ever to successfully appeal a suspension over a failed drug test. the league ordered braun to sit out 50 games in the upcoming season but yesterday an arbitration panel reversed that call reportedly on a technicality involving handling

of a urine sample. we understand that there will be a press conference under way. you can see right there with the live cameras. they are awaiting the player, mr. braun, to come out. when that happens, they are out of marryville park in phoenix. we will take you there. grass prices keep on climbing. national average jumped another three cents overnight. this is the 17th consecutive increase. here's a look at how the price jump is impacting the nation. prices per gallon range between $3 and $4.28. is this a result of supply and demand or something else? coming up, texas gas and oil executive t.b. pickens explains the price. and with the arizona and michigan primary just days away,

mitt romney is trying to febd off santorum. romney who was born in detroit is wrapping up a speech there. they are still trying to recover from the recession there in michigan. things are looking up for romney in arizona. the arizona republic, the largest newspaper, endorsed romney today saying that he was the most prepared of all the candidates. all right. i want to take you straight back out to arizona to phoenix at maryville park and there is ryan braun. let's listen to him. >> the player's association for supporting me through this situation and challenge. i want to thank the entire milwaukee brewer's association starting with who truly represents everything that's good about our game today. i want to thak my teammates, many of who are here today who have supported me through this entire situation. i want to thank my family, my friends, a lot of other players

around the league who have supported me, who have been there for me and who have stood by me through the biggest challenge i've ever faced in my life. i also want to thank athletes in other sports who have stepped up, shown their support, and been there for me. i want to take a moment to especially thank the fans, all the fans who have supported me as well as the fans who withheld judgment as i respected the confidentiality of this case. you know, as i've previously stated, this is, without a doubt, the biggest challenge that i've faced in my life and it's made it much more challenging that i've had to deal with the public. but i also view it as an opportunity. i've tried to respect this process even though the confidentiality of the process was breached early on. i've tried to handle the entire situation with honor, with integrity, with class, with dignity and with professionalism because that's who i am and that's how i've always lived my

life. if hi done this intentionally or unintentionally, i'd be the first one to step up and say, i did it. by no means am i perfect but if i've ever made any mistakes in my life, i've taken responsibility for my actions. i truly believe in my life and would bet my life that this substance never entered my body at any point. i've always had tremendous respect for the game of baseball and part of the reason that i've kept quiet throughout the course of this ordeal and part of reason why i won't be allowed to get into all of the details today, is to put the best interest of the game ahead of the best interests of myself. it hasn't been easy. there were a lot of times when i wanted to come out and tell the entire story, attack everybody as i've been attacked. you know, as my name has been dragged through the mud as everything that i've ever worked for in my entire life has been called into question, there were

a lot of times that i wanted to come out, tell the entire story and i believe in is best for the game of baseball and ahead of myself. i could never, ever envisioned being in this position today discussing this subject with you guys but i truly believe that everything in life happens for a reason. i learned a long time ago to stop questioning life. i believe that everything that's thrown at us, we're able to handle and that there's a reason for it. i've yet to figure out exactly what the reason for this is but i don't question that. i have always stood up for what is right. today's about everybody that has been wrongly accused and anybody who has ever had to stand up for what is actually right. today's not just about me, it's not just about one player, it's about all players, all current players, future players, and everybody who plays the game of baseball. despite there's been many

inaccurate and completely fabricat fabricated stories regarding this issue, i've maintained the integrity of the confidentiality of this case. i've never had an std, many of the stories that were erroneously reported by the initial network continue to live on and it's sad and disappointing that this has become a pr battle and people continue to leak information that is inaccurate. i will continue to take the high road because that's who i am and that's the way that i've lived my life. we won because the truth is on my side the truth is always relevant and at the end of the day the truth prevailed. i am a victim of a process that completely broke down and failed in the way that it was applied to me in this case. as players, we're held to a standard of 100% perfection regarding the program and everybody else associated with

that program should be held to the same standard. we're a part of a process where you're 100% guilty until proven innocent. it's the opposite of the american judicial system. this is not innocent until proven guilty situation. if we're held to that standard, it's only fair that everybody else is held to that exact same standard. with what is at stake, this is my livelihood, my integrity, my character, everything i've ever worked for in my life being called into question. we need to make sure that we're going to get it right. if you're 100% guilty until proven innocent, you can't mess up. today is about making sure that this doesn't happen to anybody else who has played this game. the system in the way that it was applied to me in this case was fatally flawed. the initial test result in question was on october 1st. it was a playoff game. i was made aware of the positive result on october 19th at which point hi a conversation with the

players association. i expressed to them that i have not done anything that could have possibly led to this test result. i told them that i promise you on everything that's ever meant anything to me in my life, the morals, values, virtues by which i've lived in my 28 years on this planet, i did not do this. i told them that i would be an open book. i told them i'd be more than happy and willing to take any and every test to prove that i did not do do this. you know, the entire process has really been frustrating for me. it's been an extremely difficult, challenging time of my life but at the end of the day, i know the truth, my friends, family, teammates, many milwaukee brewers association and anybody that knows me knows that i told the truth. they told me that the test result was three times higher than any number in the history

of drug testing. we've had this program since, i believe, 2003 or 2004. i don't know how many tens and thousands of tests there have been but the fact that there's a single number that's three times higher than any number in the history of drug testing made me question the validity of the result. at that point i was able to prove to them through con tem contemporaneously documents that i did not gain a poubd pound. i was able to prove that i didn't gain any pound. our times are recorded every time we run. down the line, first to third, first to home, i literally didn't get one-tenth of a second faster. my work outs have been the same. i didn't work out any more often, any more additional power or arm strength. all of those things are documented contemporaneously and if anything had changed, i

wouldn't be able to go back and say that it didn't change. i took a human nis stick approach. i'm 27 years old. i'm entering my prime. i have a contract guaranteed for nine more years. i've been tested 25 times over the course of my career. >> calling himself a victim of the process. milwaukee brewers outfielder, now reporting for spring training. that 50-game suspension now lifted after now it appears that there is some problem in that original testing of positive, a high level of test toast roan. he says today is about anybody who has been wrongly accused. it's been the biggest challenge of his life but he wanted to speak up now because for a long time he wanted to speak up knowing that those positive test results were false but had he to wait it out. again, that 50-game suspension now lifted for failing that drug test back in october. now apparently there were some

real mix-up in his urine sample so he is now able to begin spring training for the milwaukee brewers. all right. gas prices are going up and up. we're going to talk a lot about that as a result of supply and demand, right? how that may not be the case. business mag named t.b. pickens who is no stranger to oil. he'll be back to explain. [ male announcer ] if you think tylenol

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upward trend and if you try to figure out why, it's even more frustrating. aaa says the national price is $3.65 a gallon, up 12 cents in a week. the mountain west pays quite a bit less and oil prices are the biggest factor in gas prices. when there is plenty of oil and demand for gas is low, prices drop. and vice versa. high supplies and high demand means higher prices. but guess what, oil supplies are not tight. the u.s. alone produces six million barrels of oil a day, the most since 2002. and the demand is the lowest since 2004. we even export to other country, roughly 600,000 gallons a day. so clearly other forces are at work here. market speculation and world events programs? my next guest knows all of the

ins and outs. t.b. pickens in s a texas oil man mr. pickens, good to see you. what do you make of the high gas prices? what's at the bottom of this? >> well, it's going to go up because you -- the gulf supply for oil is tight. and so we import 12 million barrels a day. it's in the gulf of mexico. so two points i'd like to focus on is the staud dees who claim to have 2.5 million of barrels a day spare capacity. they were opening up an oil

field and they are going back to open up the oil field that's been shut in for 75 years. why? >> because you would see them opening up the field? >> the result? they are trying to get more oil. they need it. the market needs it. the market is tight and so there's not an oversupply of oil. >> but you said it was crappy oil? >> that's right. that's what they have left. it's low gravity. high sulfur crude and they would have opened that up. that means that that is what they are down to. >> so how great a role are the speculators making as to why we are seeing a spike in gas prices, particularly here in the states.

of course, around the world we may be at the lower end of gas prices that we're experiencing at the pump. however, some people are very uncomfortable with $4 and near $5 in some parts. what is behind it? >> well, blame it on the speculators. that's what the politicians will do. speculators don't have anything to do with it. we have the cheapest energy in the world in the united states. our oil is 15% under crude which is a global price and our natural gas is $2.50. natural gas in beijing is $16. in the mid-east, $15. europe, $13. we have the cheapest energy in the world in the united states. >> president obama has commented on this quite a bit this week and he says, anyone who tells you we can drill our way out of this problem doesn't know what they are talking about or just

isn't telling you the truth. how much of what he is saying do you agree with? >> well, i saw his speech yesterday and it was -- you know, it was -- it had a lot of amusing remarks in it. he opened up with, you want to have better insulation in your house and you want to cut -- conserve the oil and all. well, focus one more time. 70% of all of the oil used every day is transportation. it doesn't have anything to do with your house being better insulated. i'm for saving, conserving any kind of energy but you've got to go to the problem where the problem is. and the problem is transportation fuel. >> okay. as a result, because of transportation fuel, that's why you're a big advocate of natural gas as motor fuel.

how do you see its future potentially? >> well, natural gas is $2 a gallon cheaper than diesel. so i think, you know, that that is exactly what is going to happen. you're going to use natural gas for heavy duty trucks for sure. so all the energy -- >> how far away is that? >> this is moving for today. you're moving now from diesel to natural gas and it will probably take you about five years. >> t. boone pickens, thank you so much for your time. good to see you. >> thank you. the space shuttle "challenger" blew up more man 26 years ago. now rare home video has surfaced from that horrific day. the man who recorded this

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all right. new footage capturing the disaster of the "challenger" has surfaced.

>> you'll remember a big moment in u.s. space history turned to tragedy back in 1986. the challenger broke apart 73 seconds into the flight. bob carmen and his family were on the way home from a family vacation in orlando. they didn't realize at the time that they were recording a horrifying accident. all seven crew members died in that explosion. carmen's daughter who now works for the new science magazine recently published the video. had you all forgotten about this videotape and, if so, when and how did you locate it? >> it happened as part of my retirement plans. and i was switching over my vhs

tapes into digital and from there it happened to be a video sensation. >> no one -- it sounds like no one knew that this challenger was breaking up. instead, you heard a lot of oohs and ahhs. at the moment that you were taking pictures of this, did you know that this ex em pli fied tragedy? >> they happened to ask me what i was doing and i told them to look over there, you'll see the space shuttle taking off. i had a sense in viewing it that something was wrong but it wasn't until the pilot announced the tragedy that occurred. >> and at that moment what was your feeling and what was the feeling of the people around you? >> well, people were just devastated. most of them were returning from family vacations, a pleasant time at disneyland.

and to hear this news, the rest of the flight was somber. >> when you look at these images again, are your emotions different? given you've got a lot more detail about what tragically happened that day and these pictures have been squirrelled away for so long. >> yeah, it's amazing. the tragedy that occurred, but it's just reinforcing the bravery of these astronauts going up in space and how our space program, even though it stopped for a short period of time we got back right into it and it became the success that it is today. >> and for a long time there was thinking that there may only be one home video documentation of this and now to come to find out that yours is the other one? >> yeah. i had gone online and did a little research on it and found out that one was shot out of a beta max video out of florida and apparently i have the only

copy of this event. >> bob karman, thanks so much for sharing these images and your story and what it meant to you that day and all of these years. >> thank you very much. >> appreciate that. >> if you want to see that video again, go to cnn.com/lightyears. all right. tv networks want to reach more latinos but are having trouble figuring out how. maybe the new show rob about mexican is the answer or could it perhaps be the cosby show? that is next in "i am america." in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better.

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all right. primetime television has a long road ahead to accurately reflect america's diversity. broadcast networks wants to reach the booming latinos but

doesn't know how to do it. behind the scenes it's a very different story. 10% of writer are people of color but that may be starting to change. cbs just presented a show called "rob." in real life, his wife is mexican and on the show he marries a latina and into her large family. some people say it perpetuates stereotypes. others at the very least say it's a start. michelle turner has today's "i am america". >> reporter: the new cbs show "rob" is a hit. loosely based on the real-life marriage of rob schneider to a latina. the show has been a top ten sitcom. >> in the show you meet your new wife's family and it's like oil

and vinegar at the beginning. was it like that in real life? did you have to kind of really work? >> this was her idea. she said, you should have a family and meet and cbs liked the idea and shot it. >> reporter: in reality, his wife's family does not speak english and live in mexico. on the show, they live in america. >> i believe it's called guacamole. >> impressive. you know your stuff. >> reporter: but for many, rob's fish out of water humor lacks authenticity. >> i would give them a c. >> reporter: she has been reporting on the show and watching it closely. >> this is a big family because you're all catholic. the greatest concern, stereotypes from the overt to the more subtle. >> i can wait until we're spending time together, sharing our deepest secrets.

$7200. >> the stare row types that have offended people are the mexican because they don't want to do anything and he may be illegal or undocumented. i think that that hurts people. >> i'm visiting mexico for the weekend. >> it's nice. >> schneider admits he knows some would find it offensive. >> for me it's trying to make ourselves laugh and people might be offended by it. >> for their part, cbs tells cnn, "rob" is based on his real life experience of marrying into a large hispanic family. one of those groups praises the show's casting saying it's not often that we get to see so many talented latinos on a primetime

television show and adds, the show has potential, telling cnn the key to the long-time success will be the voice of the latino writers are heard by the producers and show runners. they are also thrilled to see latinos in primetime and wishes the show success but hopes it finds way to make people laugh without laughing at stereotypes. michelle turner, cnn, hollywood. >> and for more of what it means to be american, go to cnn/iamamerica.com. there seems to be nothing that radical islamists can can do to get barack obama's attention in a negative way and he's consistently apologizing to people who do not deserve the apology of the president of the united states, period. >> should the president have apologized or is gingrich out of line? that's next in "fair game." [ male announcer ] this was how my day began.

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president obama is taking heat for apologizing to afghanistan for burning of korans by american troops. protests have gone on for four straight days. the debate over whether he should have issued an apology is today's "fair game." robert zimmerman joins us from new york. good to see you. and columnist for "the hill" in washington is shari hill. let's listen to what newt gingrich had to say about this just last night. >> president obama surrendered twice today. and i think that deserves to be brought to the country's attention. there seems to be nothing that radical islamists can do to get barack obama's attention in a

negative way and he's consistently apologizing to people who do not deserve the apology of the president of the united states, period. >> who is right? who is out of line? newt gingrich or president obama? >> well, look, clearly i'm not speaks as a democrat, clearly it's an offense to all americans by newt gingrich to our servicemen and women in battle. there are some issues that used to be and should be above republican politics. for example, when president bush apologized because soldiers damaged a koran in during his administration. it was, one, because it was the right thing to do and secondly, most importantly, it protected the security and safety of our service members. that's why it's an important issue. and as far as standing up to radicals or the fact that president obama has taken out,

not just osama bin laden but the al qaeda leadership shows his commitment in leadership in fighting terrorists around the world. >> sheri, you are shaking your head. >> do you a agree? >> this president, first and foremost, two americans were killed and he's out there apologizing trying to protect a religion when he just showed great disrespect for the catholic religion by forcing catholics to pay for and have insurance to pay for birth control and abortion-inducing drugs but he's willing to do that to the catholic religion but out there protecting another religion. more importantly, this is an all voluntary military that we have. americans have deep affection and loyalty and are extremely grateful for what our troops do. to have this president go out there and two american troops were killed, i think he really miscalculates and it how loyal

are american troops. i think what this president has done is shown that he's not qualified to be a commander in chief. >> all right. let's talk about -- he under estimates the impact. >> let's talk about a republican contender the white house and his speech in detroit taking place within the last hour or so. anything strike you, robert? mitt romney? >> i think this is the second or third economic speech or second or third economic plan but at the end of the day it's really not about what i think or what cheri thinks when you speak to the independent experts. a bipartisan coalition, when they did their analysis, they pointed out that mitt romney's program just accelerate our federal deficit and in fact santorum and beginning rimp balloon it even more so. at the end of the day, all mitt romney is doing is agendas through the failed economic record. that's where this election is going to be about.

do we want to follow the romney strategy which has been endorsing bankruptcy for detroit, saying that federal government should not be interfering in the foreclosure of american homes? or do you want to keep it on track? there are many areas that i would differ with the administration. >> i want to make sure that we get equal time here. cheri, let me ask you this. there is a lot at stake for mitt romney in general but particularly in the three southern states as we come up on super tuesday where delegates in georgia, tennessee, oklahoma are handed out proportionately. how in trouble is mitt romney if he is able to clench those southern states come tuesday? >> he's got to do well and he's got to be protecting his own turf in florida, as we know. some people don't consider that the real south. he's going to have to have a good showing in the south. i want to saying in about his economic speech. any republican is going to do

better than this president and this president now is very happy to have the focus be on the republicans because what we know from the new gallup survey, we are still at 9% unemployment. the numbers that dipped down to 8.3 were because of the holidays. the president doesn't want to be accountable for the 9% and when the bureau of labor statistics come out with those numbers, he can't blame republicans. he promised us no higher than 8%. >> just so we offer clarity on that, cheri, robert, thanks so much to both of you. >> thank you, fredricka. >> thank you. >> lert. and that's "fair game". 23 million americans battle with drug and alcohol addiction. that's one in ten people over the age of 12. with addiction being a big problem in the u.s., cnn has devoted the entire week into finding solutions. coming up, we'll talk about the

misconceptions and treatment of addiction. , back to more pills. the evening showings bring more pain and more pills. sealing the deal... when, hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. it can relieve pain all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lois... who chose two aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. [ female announcer ] and try aleve for relief from tough headaches. in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪

all right. all week we've made it our mission to tackle drug addiction. it's one of the most costly health problems we face in the united states. before you say, not me, listen to this. a staggering 48% of the nation in one way or another is affected by addiction and the

risk of substances that threaten their health. think about that and nearly every other person might be involved there. but there's still a lot of confusion and misconceptions about drug addiction. for many the problem is not just about addiction but their mental health. the doctor for control substance center is joining us. you're in a rather unique position. you're a board-certified medicine addiction specialist and psychiatrist. what is it that perplexes a lot of people about addiction? >> you know, everybody's talking about -- especially with celebrity deaths, everybody is talking about addiction and the prescription pill epidemic. that's obvious. the question is, what do we do about it? we're hearing people that blame the doctors and say doctors need to stop prescribing all of these medications that can get people in trouble. it's easy to blame the doctors.

it's also easy to blame the families. why didn't the families jump in? but this is a much bigger problem and much bigger epidemic than just blaming doctors but just blaming doctors and family members -- >> what you're explaining there, you're making the parl legal of family members and doctors. that it's as much their fault as somebody is addicted as to the person who is addicted. you're saying that's all wrong? >> i'm not saying it's wrong. it's much bigger than that. the problem is the drugs themselves. we can put doctors on trial that are shady doctors. we can definitely do that. and there's three types of doctors that are problematic. there's shady doctors, naive doctors and people-pleaser doctors. because some doctors just get manipulated left, right, and center to the point of describing these meds. that definitely happens.

but we need to put the drugs on trial, the prescription pills on trial. there are five major medications that are abused more than any others. xanax, oxycontin, and that's causing people to die. we need to change the way that they are prescribed. we need to put a warning. >> are you also saying that they shouldn't be distributed at all because some people are not clear as to whether their doctor is going to be the one who says, you really don't need this. there are alternatives. or, your doctor is going to be one of the three doctors that you described as not being a good doctor. so doesn't the fda approve all of these medicines hoping that there is a discretion, good judgment of a doctor who is going to prescribe these things? >> yeah. so fredricka, in medicine with the fda, we have schedules that the dea and fda are looking at.

there are schedule classes of these medications. schedule 1, 2, 3, and 4674. and what happens is you are dictated by what schedule that drug is in. so there are some schedule drugs that you can prescribe all day long. you can take 180 of these pills per month and do your thing. there are others where you can't give them refills or only prescribe so much of that drug at one time. >> and are you saying that many of those drugs where there are refills, you're saying that the rules need to be changed, that there should not be a refill so there's greater control over these prescription drugs? we're not talking about street drugs because that's a whole other problem. >> yeah. i don't think we should be controlling cocaine and say give them one refill. but with regard to prescription pills, yes.

we can regulate them and cut down on the abuse implications. >> let's talk about treatment and how effective it might be. are we talking about treatments that then lead to this kind of prescription drug addiction or are we kind of prescription drug abuse, or are we talking about treatment that helps to curb these prescription drug habits? >> what we don't know, what most people aren't aware of, is if you look at the research, 60 to 70% of people that come into treatment for addiction problems or addiction-related problems have a diagnosable mental health disorder. and an axis i or axis ii mental disorder. the real way of treating people with addictive problems are both mental health treatment and addiction treatment. it's a biological, psychological, social and spiritual disease. so basically what that means is that we have to change brain chemistry biologically with medication and with other treatment modalities. we have to look at the

psychological aspect of addiction. and many of these people have depression, anxiety, adhd, ocd, some underlying trauma. we have to look at the social aspect of the disease. how does it impact the family, the spouse? how do they deal with express str -- stressors and we have to look at the spiritual aspect of the disease. most of the people that come to my office for treatment have no sense of self, are super destructive and don't like themselves. >> no easy fixes. dr. karim, thank you very much for your time. i appreciate it. google, the search site seems to know everything. did you know it also knows everything about you? every time you search on google, you are being watched. but there may be a way to block google and other search sites from following your moves. google's privacy settings, next. and how much the people in your life count on you.

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reacting to the oscar snub. actually, his ego is being sn snubbed. the academy took away my right to free speech. i warn you, if you do not award my sanctions and give my tickets back by 6:00 p.m. sunday, you will face unwanted consequences! >> he was warned not to be a character on the red carpet. he is still invited but only as himself. cohen is one of the stars of the best picture "hugo." he has pulled red carpet stunts before, like showing up as a gay oscar superstar bruno at the mtv awards. keep it right here for big oscar news. "showbiz tonight" will be all over the red carpet sunday. several internet companies, including google, will soon have

a do not track button. it's supposed to prevent web sites from keeping tabs on our every move on line. it comes after outrage over some big privacy violations by internet companies, since most of us have a very active cyber life. it's comforting to know that companies can no longer watch our every move, but is that really the case? dan is joining us now. so, dan, does this mean this button can really prevent companies from keeping tabs on all of us? >> the answer is no, fredricka. this is a good step, but if you're worried about privacy, this really does not do a whole lot. let's get to the background here. the backbone of the internet economy is advertising. it is significant that there is a button available on browsers where you can block your data from going to advertisers so they can't target ads against you. let's go through the things this button will do. companies can't use your data for anything pertaining to

employment, anything pertaining to credit, health care, insurance, and customized ads, but they still can use your data for market research, product development and your record can also go to law enforcement. so as i said, this is a good first step, but privacy warriors, if you will, aren't going to be too happy about it. >> and when does this go into effect? >> this is going to go into effect in about six to nine months. we should add, this is a voluntary agreement between all the internet companies and the advertisers, so there's really no enforcement mechanism that the government has if these companies violate it in any way. again, this is a voluntary agreement and you really have to sort of twist their arms to do this thing, because when you're talking about blocking ads, that means less money for all these companies and it could dip into the revenues. >> it seems like in some way, shape or form, we've been talking about internet privacy off and on every other day.

what's really behind all this? >> well, if you look at a theme of early 2012, i think consumer privacy on the internet has really become a major theme in the news. and i think it has to do, because more and more of us are sharing our personal lives on line, and i think people want to limit who can see that information. of course, we're using social networks and everything we do on mobile is a big deal. you see here all these apps that are getting into our address books and getting some of our contact information and very sensitive data. and because of all that, you're seeing sort of a push-back from both consumers and privacy advocates to try to get some mechanisms in place that better protects our data. >> thanks so much, dan simon. we're all looking for ways to comfort and preserve our privacy. let's talk about mitt romney. on the stump today in detroit

pitching his economic plan. union members were demonstrating in the streets. and taking it all in, our political editor, paul steinhauser. paul, what did you get out of this speech? >> reporter: fred, he talked about a kcouple more details. he said he would limit the capital gains on those making under $200,000 a year. he said all these changes he's proposing would not add a single penny, he said, to the deficit. while he was talking inside to 1200 people in michigan, outside there was a protest against him by the auto workers and they were criticizing romney's lack of support in 2008 and 2009 for the bailouts of the big auto companies in michigan. let's talk about rick santorum briefly. remember our debate two nights ago? i think it's fair to say he got beat up a little bit in arizona. well, santorum is after it again

today in michigan. here's what he's going to say specifically, fred. mitt romney has criticized me for taking one for the republican team and we all know why, because mitt romney's teammates are all democrats. tough language to come from him. >> that's going to be his last word and yours, too. paul steinhauser, always good to see you. thank you so much. right now, more out of the newsroom with brooke baldwin. hi, brooke. >> fredricka, thank you so much. let's get caught on everything making news this hour. rapid fire. let's go. first up here, president obama apologized, but that is not enough to quiet all the fury in afghanistan. eight more people were killed today in violent protests all around the country after copies of the koran were burned in a garbage pile at a military base.

from syria today, rescue crews are start to go evacuate the wounded and sick women and children from the city of homs. this comes as powers meet am indonesia to discuss ways to end the crisis. hillary clinton is attending this group, and she spoke just yesterday from london. >> there will be increasingly capable opposition forces. they will, from somewhere, somehow, find the means to defend themselves as well as begin offensive measures. >> today we are hearing, for the very first time, that the arab nations has started supplying arms to the syrian rebels. every day getting more expensive than the last at the gas pump. it jumped three cents to about

$3.65 a gallon. it's way higher in some places, like orlando orlando. prices there approaching $6 a gallon. yeah, 6. gas prices have gone up for 17 straight days due to highest levels ever for this time of year. and when baseball season starts in just about a month, ryan braun will be part of the milwaukee brewers' lineup. a panel overturned his suspension for a failed drug test. this is significant for one reason because this is the first time a drug suspension has been successfully appealed in the league. sports illustrated says it's because urine samples didn't get to the lab on time, but braun sees it as a complete vindication. >> we won because the truth is on my side. the truth is always relevant, and at the end of the day, the truth prevailed. i'm a victim of a process that completely broke down and failed in the way that it was applied to me in this case. >> ryan braun in the last hour.

resign or pay for public education. that's a case lately involving student competency tests. he's trying to beat a may deadline that extends the contract of tenured teachers that have yet to be fired. >> i'm not intending on issuing contracts to anyone that has not been exonerated. >> the teachers' lawyers say they have yet to see any evidence against their clients and they may yet file suit. he apologized for saying girl scouts promote homosexuality. he's not sorry for his beliefs, but he's sorry for his inflammatory remarks. a fight breaks out in a mall in orlando, florida. why? because shoppers are racing to

buy the new nike shoe. listen to those sirens, over shoes. officers used shields to push back the crowds. similar scuffles were reported in other cities as well. in fact, we're told several stores have canceled their release of it. how much will a pair of these shoes cost you? $220. and have you seen this video? talk about a shaky landing. look at this. this is a rescue helicopter in brazil shaking to pieces. look at this. amazingly, no one was badly injured. the break is believed to be the result of what's called ground resonance. that's what can happen when the rotor is spinning and spinning and spinning while the helicopter is still sitting there on the ground. a denny's restaurant manager got a surprise when a man showed up saying he was the new guy in charge. when the man called the corporate office, jane sum measures went --

summers made himself comfortable, made himself a sandwich. he had a stun gun underneath his coat. this is why you don't dine and dash. got a lot more coming. watch this. snow, wind, tornadoes, you name it. severe weather is affecting parts of the country causing big headaches on the roads and in the skies. i'm brooke baldwin. the news is now. as the president gets heat for apologizing over torched koran, protestors are coming in droves, angry at america. the trial begins for the students accused of videotaping his roommate, a roommate who killed himself days later. plus, outrage as a military hospital is accused of turning away soldiers to save money. and it could be the most

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...we inspected his brakes for free. free is good. free is very good. my money. my choice. my meineke. a formal apology from the u.s. has done absolutely nothing to calm the protest over burned korans in afghanistan. look at this. another eight people died in violent demonstrations around the country today. thousands of afghans -- there they are, they're in the streets -- they're furious that

the koran was burned at a nato base. the military came forward, said yes, this was a mistake. an investigation is under way. but in addition to the news this week, two american troops were killed during one of the demonstrations yesterday by a man wearing an afghan soldier's uniform. president obama has apologized for the burning in a letter to president karzai, but his republican opponent wasted no time in pounce og ting on the president for doing that. >> it's a waste of energy apologizing to the afghan government for burning korans. let me say, i believe the afghan government owes the families of those soldiers an apology. [ applause ] >> i want to go straight to nick walsh there in kabul. nick, this is day four here. is there any sign, any indication these protests will fade away?

>> no. we've seen perhaps the worst violence yet. it's hard to gauge because of misinformation out there and how regularly these protests are popping up. west of the city in horad, three protests around there, one in which protestors clashed with police. at least six people killed there. another person killed north of the country and another person killed east of the country. kabul shot into the air, seven people killed. so authorities have really done very little to dampen this. still killing people off the streets, brooke. >> we know the commander of nato forces there in afghanistan, he spoke to troops at the base where those two american soldiers were killed. what did he say?

>> it was quite a remarkable impassioned plea. an unintentional mistake that did happen, caused two american deaths so far. let's hear what he had to say to his troops. >> there will be moments like this where you're searching for the meaning of this loss. there will be moments like this when your emotions are governed by anger. these are the moments when you reach down inside and you grip the discipline that makes you a united states soldier. and you gut through the pain, and you gut through the anger, and you remember why we're here. we're here for our friends.

>> general allen, a very calm man when you meet him. clearly you can see his eyes from the frustration. they're on a really tight timetable here trying to convince the war in afghan, the troops to withdraw, and right now they're dealing with a day by day series of violence across the country, something they consider to be a mistake. not even an apology from their president will calm the situation, and i think you just see, perhaps, in the tone there that the general took perhaps maybe some of the soldiers he was addressing might be wondering themselves, what else, really, can be done here when you're facing that level of fury from many afghans? brooke. >> nick walsh, thank you. tornado warnings, hurricane force winds. crazy warm weather here if you're in the south. we've seen just about everything this week. we're tracking the weather

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you know the whole idea that something could be too good to be true? never trust spring-like weather in february, and this is why. connecticut, you know what i'm talking about. this is what drivers awoke to this morning. this is hartford. this is confused chaos. if you're brave enough to get out in that, chicago, giant snowstorm moving eastward. if you didn't know this already, this is proof positive winter, recalcitrant here in the end of february. look at this, this is o'hare airport and it's empty. they canceled 150 flights yesterday, another 150 today. we're talking wind and snow and -- yikes. i hate that for people at o'h e

o'hare. >> i know, but it's been such a paltry winter. did you notice those big fat flakes, the moisture content is huge, so we're just seeing very heavy wet snow. we'll talk about the snow, the tornadoes, and brooke had me because she's tweeting as we're talking, she's sim -- simulcasting the snow. it's really a vigorous system, and it's doing several things. it's bringing snow, it's bringing rain and it's bringing wind. 11 inches so far and plus another one to two today, so the biggest snow of the season and only about 25% of the snow season left. this is probably the biggest we're going to get. so there's the big picture. still some snow for detroit, maybe picking up another 1 to 3 inches as this moves through.

buffalo, maybe it's rain, 2 to 4 inches. it's about 37 degrees in buffalo and new york, but those numbers are going to come down and we'll watch a changeover and those winds will hold big time. so kind of a hold on the snow for some, especially in northern new york and northern new england, but not so much elsewhere. here's the big picture in terms of snowfall totals today and tomorrow. boston maybe got some snow but just on the grassy surfaces, less than an inch or so, so certainly a non-event for you. the throughway through burlington, vermont, four inches of snow. one other factor, the winds will be huge with this. maybe 15 miles per hour, but we'll watch that be a big threat tonight. gusty winds tonight through much of the day tomorrow through the northeast. gusting here on the cape, 50, 60

miles per hour potentially. that's the midwest and the northeast scenario. in the southeast, a totally different deal. what we've got is this cold front moving in, warm moist air coming up, the buoyancy and the lifting nature of that. severe weather potentially firing off. these are tornado watches. through 8:00 tonight, that's where the potential will be. here's the biggest threat kind of norfolk down to raleigh. not so much, brooke, we'll see an isolated tornado, perhaps, but damaging winds even strojngr here in the southeast gusting 50 to 60 miles per hour. >> so how will that affect travel? >> absolutely affecting travel. we'll see some travel trouble especially today over an hour already in newark. you're trying to get out of newark, new jersey. chicago as well, about an hour and ten minutes currently for you. and philadelphia, cleveland, at la -- atlanta. we'll begin especially tomorrow because the winds will hold up the flights and really be a problem. now this week, cnn hero.

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. a case that really brought cyber bullying into the national spotlight finally goes to trial. i know you know the story of tyler clemente. he was the rutgers university freshman who jumped off a bridge to his death. this was in 2010. clemente killed himself after his roommate used a web cam to spy on clemente's sexual encounter with another man. that roommate allegedly went on line to invite others to watch a second encounter. here's how lawyers for both sides opened robbie's trial today. >> these acts were purposeful, they were intentional, and they were planned. and i would suggest to you that beyond that, they were mean-spirited, malicious, and they were criminal. >> the state of new jersey is represented by the county

prosecutor's office want you to believe, want you to believe, that this man is a bigot, a homophobic, a hateful anti-homosexual, anti-gay person. >> sunny hostin is our cnn legal analyst, former federal prosecutor. we heard sort of the thesis for both sides. prosecutors say this absolutely was a criminal act. the defense says, yes, it was immature of him to do this, but this was not a crime. who has the most convincing argument, do you think? >> i think it depends on the char charge, brooke. i don't think there's really any question in terms of the invasion of privacy count. he's been charged with 15 counts altogether. i think there is enough in the prosecution's arsenal that tyler clemente asked for privacy, he asked for his room until midnight that night and another night, and darwun robbie set up

a web cam and invaded his privacy. in that regard, i think the prosecution's arguments are really strong. in terms of the bias and accusation counts, i think that's a closer call, brooke. i think that will be somewhat difficult to show because as we just displayed, the defense has a point. i mean, this prosecution has to show that he is a bigot, that he is a homophobe, that he is anti-gay, and i don't know if there is sufficient evidence to show what motivated him, and that is the question. is that what motivated him to spy on his roommate, or is it that he is just this young, 18-year-old stupid kid and that's what kids do during their first couple weeks at college. so that's really the issue here. >> so it's showing a history of bigotry to get a conviction on the hate crime charges, and that's what we'll have to watch for, to see if and how they can

prove that. will jurors be told that clemente killed himself? >> well, that's interesting. i was at the pre-trial hearing and that did come up, and the judge made it very clear that he would inform the jury pool, and he did, that tyler clemente would not be testifying but that darwun ravi is not charged in connection with his death and that tyler did he meclemente di suicide. the jury is aware of those facts. as you mentioned, brooke, who does not know about this case? this case really shines the light on bullying, it's cyber bullyin bullying, and this is why they have the toughest bullying laws in this country. >> do you think he should have taken the deal? does the offer at all indicate

anything for the prosecution? >> i thought it was remarkable that he didn't take that deal. that deal was no jail time, 1600 hours of public service and some counseling. i spoke to the lawyer at the pre-trial hearing and asked him, why did he not take what i consider a sweetheart deal. his response is he is innocent, he isn't guilty and that is why he did not take the plea offer. so this is a case that certainly is going to be tried, is being tried, and it's up to the jury to decide his guilt. >> thanks for the conversation. meantime, 12 cents. that is how much gas has gone up in the last week alone. it's getting political. political candidates are blaming president obama. we're going to talk to this man, ben stein. we're going to get your thoughts on the politics of gas prices. in here, the landscaping business grows with snow.

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you wish you had filled up your car yesterday when you hear this. gas prices went up 3 cents overnight to $3.65 a gallon. this is the seventh straight day of increases at the pump, and i know you're noticing. we're just talking averages. it's way worse in some parts of the country. creeping up to $6. we found prices approaching $6 in orlando, florida. president obama was in that state when he said this. >> you can bet that since it's an election year, they're already dusting off their three-point plan for $2 gas. and i'll save you the suspense. step one is to drill and step two is to drill, and then step three, is to keep drilling. >> anyone who says the solution is to drill, that's just a bumper sticker. he says there is little that can be done in the oval office to

change gas prices. he wants to keep pursuing other forms of energy as a way to wean americans off big oil. i want to bring you ben stein. >> how are you? >> dan diddy. and yourself? >> just great. thank you. >> ben stein, we have this breakdown where your money goes at the pump. do you think the president has a point, that there really isn't a solution? is it out of his hands? >> it's not in his hands whatsoever. it's not his fault. i've been following this situation since long before you were born. i wrote the first message for president nixon suggesting a national energy policy. we were going to use wind, we were going to use solar. it didn't work. every other president also sent up a message.

none of it will work. it all has to do with the drilling. if things get worse between israel and iran, they'll go up. it has nothing to do with anything president obama did wrong, nobody is to blame. the presidents aren't to blame, it's not up to them. >> but we sure elect the blame game, don't we? we're already hearing from some of the republican candidates. newt gingrich, listen to what he said at the start of the debate. >> i can't bear to hear it. >> roll it, roger. >> i've developed a program for american energy so no future president will ever bow to a saudi king again, and so every american can look forward to $2.50 a gallon gasoline. >> $2.50 a gallon gasoline. i see a heavy sigh, ben stein. he can't make that happen? >> well, he can promise it. he can't do it, he can promise it. he can promise it all he wants,

he can't do it. it has to do with the global oil market. there is an oil market. there's a lot of uncertainty about the volume supplies. if there's not a war, if there's a diplomatic solution with iran, prices will collapse. if there is a war, and eventually the arabians will push back to wherever they're going to push back into, the price of oil will go down again. this is a global phenomena. the president doesn't have control over it any more than he has control over the wind and the weather. it's just not in his control. >> so who has control? >> the market does. gigantic international forces have control over it. it's not the oil companies. they make just as much money when the price is low. it's not the retailers selling your gas on the corner. it's not the car companies, and it's not anybody. it's not the arabs, it's not anybody's fault. it's just a huge course of international events that affect the prices.

it affects the price of wheat or corn or hogs. it's not a political thing, although they will try to make it a political thing. solar is not going to fix it -- >> why not. we heard the president and he talks a lot about investing in alternative energy sources. he's talking bio, diesel, solar. i know at the same time critics have come back and said it was a half a million. what's the solution? >> the solution is just to live life day by day. >> do what? >> live life day by day and accept the kesconcerns of the market. buy gasoline futures, call your broker and by gasoline futures. you can do that for a couple thousand dollars. your family members can make a tiny little bet with their broker. it's just a sad part of life when it goes up, it's a good part when it goes down. it's part of life.

it's like railing against aging, it's like railing against death. it's just part of life. >> this sounds like something we just have to accept, there's just some of us who don't want to. >> you're an extremely talented, capable woman who is on a powerful show on cnn. what can you do about it? you can't do a damn thing about it. >> i can't do a thing about it, i'm just saying there's all this frustration. at the same time you have the economy improving finally, but at the same time that increases demand and that means prices go up, up, up. >> but there's never been a recession caused by increasing oil prices and this won't be, either. it's a sad situation. there are really serious problems of a big-time war in the middle east. that's affecting the price. people don't seem to be focusing on the fact that a very good-sized war may be about to break out in the middle east. >> you're referring to iran? >> between iran and israel, that's going to be a good-sized

war. >> serious fluctuations, obviously. ben stein, always a pleasure. come back any time. >> always my pleasure. coming up for nearly a month, we have been asking cnners, about 1 million ireporters on what makes up "i am america." we're exploring one of the fastest growing demographics, middle-class latinos. en prairie. in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪

in an election year, politicians and pundits, they never hesitate to tell us what they think is right for america, but what defines us in 2012? all this week we've been going in depth on "i am america," talking about how our country has changed ethically, rn religiously and economically. a new sitcom is stirring up controversy. this show's star, actor rob schneider, says his character marrying into a middle-class hispanic family mirrors his own. but not everyone quite sees it that way. >> reporter: the new u.s. series comedy "rob" is a bona fide hit. loosely based on the real-leife star rob schneider to executive

producer, the show has been tops since it debuted in january. >> in the show you meet your wife's family and it was like oil and vinegar in the beginning. was it like that in real life? did you have to kind of really work? >> cbs liked the idea and the next thing we know, we were shooting it. >> reporter: in reality, her family lives in mexico and don't speak english. in the show, they're milgd class hispanic americans. but for many, rob's fish out of water humor lacks authenticitau. >> i would give them probably a c. >> martha sarabia has been reporting on the show and watching it closely. >> this is a big family because you're all catholic. >> reporter: sarabis's big

concern, stereotypes, from the overt to the more subtle. >> we're spending time together, sharing our deepest secrets. finding each other's $2200. >> the stereotypes that have offended people are the uncle, the mexican who doesn't want to do anything, and he might be illegal or undocumented. i think that hurts people. >> i'm visiting from mexico for the weekend. >> that's nice. >> i'm not leaving. >> reporter: schneider admits knowing some would find the show offensive, but defends it as comedy. >> we tried to make ourselves laugh. but people also might be offended by it. >> reporter: for their part, they say rob is based on rob schneider's real-life experience of marrying into a large

hispanic family. we are pleased with the positive feedback from several hispanic groups and leaders. one of those groups says, it's not that often we get to see such talented latino regulars on a prime time television show. sarabis is also thrilled to see latinos in prime time and wishes the show success, but just hopes it finds ways to make people laugh without laughing at stereotypes. michelle turner, cnn, hollywood. >> michelle, thank you. and for nearly months, we've been asking you to weigh in on what makes us uniquely american, and now you can see what you said. amazing responses. go to ireport.com/iamamerica to watch. the first female governor of north carolina will not be seeking reelection. she's standing by live to talk about why. that is coming up after this quick break. stay with us. i tried weight los.

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now with me live from washington is the first female governor of the state of north carolina, democrat bev purdue. she is finishing up her first and only term. she has opted out of seeking reelection. she is one of the governors that met with the president this morning. governor purdue, welcome. thanks for coming on. >> thanks, brooke. it's good to be here. >> let's begin with your morning, this closed-door meeting with the president. obviously it was closed door. we don't have any pictures to show our viewers, but just quickly, what did the president say? >> a great meeting. we met with several of his advisers and he came in and sat with us. we talked about what's going on in the country, the fact that

this is the 23rd month of economic recovery, and the fact that he's put about 3.5 million people back to work. the fact that we all feel optimistic about this recovery that's beginning and the hope he continues to focus on, growing jobs throughout the country, educating our people, and obviously bringing home the troops. >> you're a key state for him in 2008, big year for him, big year for you but in a different way. let's get to your news. you announced last month, governor, that you will not be seeking a second term. i just want to read your announcement here. quote, we live in highly partisan times where some people seem more worried about scoring political points than working together to address the real challenges our state faces. with all due respect, though, patterson politics goes way, way back in north carolina and washington. it's all over the country. i'm sure you knew that when you first took the job. >> brooke, i've been in this business for 22 years. i've fought a lot of battles, and i've always won.

it's not just partisan politics, it's a ton of patterson positive -- partisan politics these days. i made sure every kid in my state had a shot at the future wrapped around the opportunity that education affords, and i simply decided i couldn't continue to do the work that i cared about in this kind of rapidly partisan environment. >> but if it's the partisan politics, and you say, the tone, what was it that surprised you? was it one single incident that prompted you to say enough is enough? >> i think it's what's happening in the country. it's happening in washington, it's happening in raleigh, it's happening in every capital in the country, every state capital. there are those folks who are elected right now who care much more about firing shots and fighting and winning elections than they do about solving the big problems for the country or the state. and in a globally connected world where we are fighting against china and india and other countries, we all really have to get serious about

solving america's problems and north carolina's problems. and you get frustrated at that and i believe taking it out of the partisan guide, i believe i can be more effective taking up the challenges that north carolina and this country faces about how we're going to educate our kids to be globally effective. >> but it's such a strong position of power being the governor. you describe the frustration. are you giving up the fight? >> oh, no. i'll never give up the fight. everybody who knows me knows i'll fight to the last inch. i'm going to fight in a way where i can be free of any partisan politics, i can be free to say what i want to say and be very, very direct what we need to do in this country, not just in my state. to make sure we have great pre-k programs, make sure we have highly achievable teachers that produce great learners, make sure that we have career

pathways and college pathways, that we accelerate community college and university and that we continue the learning opportunities of people in the work force as technology changes in the work force. you have to get over politics and who is a republican and who is a democrat and how you score points. i would advise congress to do it, too. >> let me take this, though, beyond that, and i wouldn't be doing my job if i didn't point this out as well. your disapproval rating is at 59% among independents, and this is a poll from last month showing you trailing in your race for reelection to republican pat mccrory. how much did these numbers, did the disapproval ratings factor in your decision not to run again in a state that, once again, could be crucial in the president's reelection? >> i plan to spend a whole lot of energy to make sure this

president wins and democrats win in north carolina. approval ratings don't matter a hill of beans to me, they never mattered. the only thing that mattered is when the campaign starts and we show how they've torn down public schools, torn down education and focused not on jobs which are what people care about, but on social issues. right now my state has a horrible constitution amendment before it on marriage. we have the second heinous choice bill in america, second to virginia now. thank goodness virginia did something. and we're going backwards. these are issues, brooke, that i thought were put away years ago. and to have them resurface when at the same time america and the country and my state faces tremendous challenges. no, polls don't matter. people matter. i'm proud of my record, let me tell you that. 20 years where aaa bond rates stayed. i put people back to work, 87,000 jobs, $19 billion.

folks around my state appreciate the work we're doing. and so like i have helped bring the state forward in the worst time since the great depression. >> i understand. we'll see what happens when it comes to who ends up at the helm of your state, be it governor or whichever way your state goes, governor perdue. thank you for being here. >> thank you. $1 billion. that is how much the irs says it has in unclaimed coming up next, we're going to show you how to get what's coming to you. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪

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let's get a check on the big board and see the dow still flirting with that 13,000 mark. i know it hit the milestone earlier this week. it's the first time it hit it before the financial crisis. there it is. just 27 points away. alison kosik live for us at the new york stock exchange. a couple stories with you. big, big news involving two american institutions both announcing how they can survive. >> yeah, and you're talking about sears and the u.s. post office, the u.s. postal service, brooke. these were the tried and true, the trusted, those all-american brands we turn to without even thinking about it. but both have had a lot of trouble keeping up, staying competitive, so now they're trying to turn things around. first of all, sears. it reported its earnings today, reported a massive loss. it looks to sell 11 stores, spin

off a bunch of its brands and reduce its inventory. one analyst says the company at this point is trying to build enough of a cash cushion to keep vendors from jumping ship, because if that happened, it would hurt sales even more. so for now sears is putting those bankruptcy rumors to rest. sears' shares are actually jumping now more than 5% after surging 19% yesterday, so at least investors are buying into it. the u.s. postal service has its own set of issues. it is swimming in red ink because the internet is killing the usps. it's planning to close more than 200 mail processing centers beginning in the spring, and that could mean up to 35,000 jobs could be in jeopardy. now, almost every state would lose at least one processing center with california, and new york each losing more than ten. there are still other changes under consideration, brooke, like doing away with saturday delivery and raising the cost of a first class stamp. if this doesn't happen, it could

lose $18 billion by 2015. i'm talking about these changes aren't put into place. >> those are disheartening numbers, but let's talk about a big, nice number. $1 billion. i feel like austin powers. this is money the government wants to give americans. >> yes, so you have to wonder if there's something else behind this, but yet the irs is putting it out there that if you haven't filed your 2008 return -- yes, that long ago -- you could have some serious cash coming your way. 1 million people, 1 million. they haven't yet filed a federal income tax return for 2008, and the irs says half of those refunds it's sitting on is worth more than $6 million. if the time comes that you want your refund for 2008, you can't wait until after april 17. that is the deadline. the irs said some people didn't file because their incomes were too low to require it, but if they had taxes withheld from their wages, they could still be owed a refund.