trayvon martin's brother takes i issue with george zimmerman's account that it was the 17-year-old trayvon that initiated the fatal encounter. the rocket launch was a bismal failure. will north korea respond at testing a nuclear device? president obama pays a lower tax rate than his secretary? a new look at how it impacts the campaign tax debate. we started with breaking news in oklahoma where a tornado reportedly touched down in the past hour right here the university of oklahoma in norman. our chad myers tracking it all from the severe weather center. what can you tell us? >> it looks like it was in norman, oklahoma. it was about 3/4 miles north of the stadium. through downtown and out towards the east of the city and up toward the lakes that are off to the east. the storm is still moving along i-40. we don't believe there is a

tornado anymore with it. the storm mass stopped rotating. right in the middle of norman, this storm was rotating enough that a funnel came down, created a tornado and has created damage. there are calling for some barricades to stop people from driving on some of the roads. they are calling for some -- started saying there are minor injuries and areas of structural damage where roofs are off the building all together and off the apartment buildings. >> another storm out near chickasha. don't see anything rotating on it yet. we have spotters out there. we are watching all this. this person, vern carlson, driving, looking for the storm. we know where he is just to the east of chickasha. if we get any more information, we will certainly break back in. today is actually just a warmup. a warmup for tomorrow where we may have dozens, if not more than that, there may be 100 tornadoes on the ground possible skipping here and there. anywhere from nebraska down through and into dallas, texas, to the south and east of

wichita, oklahoma city. this is going to be a violent weekend. tomorrow is the big day. today is just start. tomorrow is the big one. john? we will keep in touch with chad throughout the hour and throughout the weekend. chad, thanks so much. new developments in the case of george zimmerman, the man who admits he shot trayvon martin, could get out of jail on bail one week from today if his lawyer gets his way. a bond hearing has been penciled in for 9:00 a.m. until then, zimmerman will be confined to his 67-square foot cell. trayvon martin's big brother is opening up about that february night. he talked exclusively to our legal analyst, sunny hostin. here is what he says about zimmerman's version of events. >> when you found out what happened, the details of what happened, how did you feel? >> confused. everything i heard was from zimmerman's perspective. it didn't sound like my brother at all. my brother attacked him and did

all this stuff. it doesn't sound like him at all. he wasn't confrontational or violent. >> sunny is with us from new york. jahvaris is an interested family member. he is not a witness. how does his version of how his brother is match up with what the prosecutor says? >> it certainly does match up. i do have a copy of the affidavit and have been reviewing it extensively. the affidavit describes trayvon martin as not the initial aggressor but someone that was afraid of george zimmerman, who knew george zimmerman was following him and was really trying to get away. that's how jahvaris describes his brother. he says he was not a violent person, not a confrontational person and likely would have run away from a situation that scared him, rather than be confrontational. so it certainly jives with what

we see in the affidavit. >> ever since this case came to our attention, the big question, among the big questions is, who is trayvon? let's listen about his brother describing the personality of the younger brother he has lost now. >> i like to think we had almost the same personality. i think of myself as a funny person, like to make jokes. he was the same way. i love kids. i love my little cousins. he was the same way. if anything, he probably spent more time with them than i did. >> if there is a trial, sunny, and that's a big if, does character testimony have any role. >> perhaps. i doubt that this kind of testimony which come in. it is an issue as to whether or not trayvon martin was the initial aggressor, was the aggressive person that night.

certainly, that is a component of this case. i did learn a lot about trayvon martin and the type of person he was, at least from his brother's perspective. >> a big question in the news today, whether the judge who has been handling the case so far, will have to recuse herself? >> what's the case there? >> we learned that the judge is married to the legal partner of an attorney named marknejame. he was contacted to represent georgezimmerman. he declined that representation. it is unclear as to wrornt he had a conversation with this judge's husband, who is one of his legal partners. it is unclear whether or not the case was discussed at the law firm. it is unclear as to whether or

not the judge discuss td this with him. this is a new judge, about 39 years old. she is sort of an unknown factor in this courtroom. it is quite possible that a defense team would not want that judge. would move to have this judge recused and get one of the other circuit court judges that are more seasoned and more known. >> we should say that mark nejame has signed on as a cnn political contributor. one of the most influential voices in popular culture is speaking out about the slaying. listen to what bill cosby told us. >> you saw more a gun issue than a race issue. >> how are you going to solve a race issue when it becomes, he

said, she said or he said/he said. the other question is, what is solved by saying, he is a racist, that's why he shot the boy? what solves that? this, and what is he doing with it, and who taught him and told him how to behave with this? >> candy crowley is with us now. it is an interesting perspective. mr. cosby always has. what is to be solved, he says, by saying that he is a racist? this is a race issue. many of the civil relates activists and others that have been involved have said that. this is profiling. this is a hate crime. mr. cosby, as he has in the past taken issue with some of the leadership. >> not by name and not specifically. he is saying as you heard, what is it? we don't solve the problem by saying he is a racist, like what

is in another guy's head. then, it becomes a no, i don't, yes, i do sort of thing. he thinks it is a gun problem. he lost his only son to gun violence. what was interesting to me was he was also very nuance about it. he said, i actually think you have a perfect right to have a gun in your own home to protect yourself. he, in fact, said that he had one at one time. it is with that gun, you begin to believe you can solve things. you begin to believe you can fix things. so he talked about how he would hear something outsigh. he would stick his gun in his pocket and go out there and he said, i remember the cop who taught me about using the gun and all of that, said to me, once you pull that trigger, you can't put it back. it was a very interesting overview that didn't take the kind of normal sides that you tend to here in a debate like this. >> he is clearly among the mms

maybe particularly so in the african-american community. what else struck you in the conversation? >> i asked him about how he thought president obama was doing and he talked about the many things that the president had to endure over this. he does think that people have gone after him because of his race. he is very defensive about the president. i asked him about those that are xlar complaining on the left that he hasn't done enough. >> i would ask them to look at what he has had to put up with. >> i don't know he that that will help the obama administration. he is very forceful in his defense of the president. >> always a fascinating guy to hear from. as a reminder, you can see candy's entire conversation with bill cosby on cnn's state of the union. thanks again. you will remember, last night, a lot of hype. north korea's controversial rocket fell to peaces over tpie.

much of the rest of the world worried it was a cover for a major ballistic test. how will north korea handle its pride? a nuclear test could be on the near horizon. for now, the nation is, throwing a party. our stan grant is in pyongyang. >> reporter: to flower in a day. in north korea, history is what you make it. as it always is here, this is about the power of images an the worship of their leaders. two massive statues of the founder of the country, kim il-sung and kim jong-il. the new leader, kim jong-un. >> reporter: this is how north korea is responding with this scene of triumph, this massive statues of kim il-sung and kim

jong-il. when you are ruled by a personality, they almost pretend the rocket launch never happened. >> reporter: this is how the day started. here was north korea's initial response to its rocket failure, an empty chair. behind it, a screen that was supposed to carry images of the launch, the world's media invited in for what pyongyang would be a proper thing. instead, officials in silence to a barrage of questions. a scramble to find out what was going on. >> no warning at all. this really came very much as a flash to us. >> reporter: hours ticking by and not a word. then, a government announced we would be taken to a high security secret location. this is what greeted us. two huge figures draped in seats. a sea of people stretched as far as they could see.

jerrells in all their finery, full of metals. this gary supposed to be a celebration of the launch and a changes to pay ohmage to the dear leader, a man they still grieve for after his sudden death last december. stan grant, cnn, pyongyang. mitt romney has filed an extension on his tax returns. we will share details on what we are learning on governor romney's extension. president obama did file and release his returns. ann romney has more to say about working moms. why? tle emotional here?

aren't you getting a little industrial? okay, there's enough energy right here in america. yeah, over 100 years worth. okay, so you mean you just ignore the environment. actually, it's cleaner. and, it provides jobs. and it helps our economy. okay, i'm listening. [announcer] at conoco phillips we're helping power america's economy with cleaner affordable natural gas... more jobs, less emissions, a good answer for everyone.

so, by reducing the impact of production... and protecting our land and water... i might get a job once we graduate. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. ♪ you make me happy [ female announcer ] choose the same brand your mom trusted for you. children's tylenol, the #1 brand of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians and used by moms decade after decade.

ann romney introduced her husband, governor mitt romney, when he spoke to the nra convention today. she didn't want to talk about gun. she wanted to continue a conversation about something else. >> women were being referred to as a special interest group, and i thought to myself, really only washington could do that. there is only one part of that phrase that's correct. women are special.

>> romney campaign now selling bumper stickers saying moms drive the economy. joining me kelly ann conway and margie o'mara, a democratic pollster. margie, i want to ask you first, because there are a lot of democrats that would say privately that there was a fight over the women's vote anyway. the conversation about the gender gap and then hilary rosen goes on television and says ann romney hasn't worked a day in her life. a lot of democrats are cringing. you have seen the reaction from the president's team. big opportunity, big opening for the romney campaign. are they right? >> publicly, it was a misstep. ann romney is very likeable and spouses are off limits. first of all, there is going to be a million more of these issue of the day outrage over a quote that's going to happen between now and november. i think it is a mistake to say this about a war of words about women as opposed to a war on

women when it comes to real policies. when it comes to policies, republicans have shown repeatedly they are not on the side of women. >> kelly ann, if the democrats have the advantage and they do if you look at polling, a huge gender gap. if they have an advantage on the policies, was this perhaps an opening. you have to have an opening to make up lost ground. was this an opening? ann romney did a magnificent job leveraging it. she was very affable, accessible and ladylike, rather than play the victim, john. she went and waved banner nor all stay-at-home moms who i respect enormously. this is what happens when the democrats spend two months trying to claim there is a war on women and basically only speaking to the lower half of women. they are always talking about reproductive rights and contraception and abortion. with are is that in the cnn polling? top issue, top three, top five, top 20? it is simply not. we republicans want to speak to the whole woman, her heart, her

mind, her body, her soul. when you pigeonhole women into "women's issues" that somehow exclude the economy, food prices, health care, education, then from debbie wasserman schultz on down, you run into this problem when a gav lif lik that occurs. a big part of nancy pel low sis' biography was this woman stayed at home with her children until the youngest of five was in high school. the democrats held that up for nancy pelosi and put down ann romney. it makes no sense. >> you make a passionate case for your side. i will go to margie first on this. if kelly ann is right and i know you probably she is wrong on some of it, if there is this opening and the republicans can't engage on the issues, why is it mitt romney, not ann romney, on the ballot and the abc washington poll, obama gets 57%, romney gets 38%. what is the biggest source of

the democratic advantage in the gender gap right now? >> a few things. mitt romney has a difficult time connecting with women voters and voters generally. his own staff doesn't know where he stands on gender pay equity. it is not just about birth control and reproduction. it is about violence against women act. mitt romney said he wasn't familiar with that bill. it is a whole host of things. republicans in congress had a panel talking about restricting access to birth control, had only men, refused to have women speak. republicans in their presidential debate have been fighting over whether or not birth control is okay, even though 99% of women use it. republicans have made this an issue. that's why you see this huge gender gap benefiting the president. he is focusing on things like jobs. kelly ann is absolutely right. all these other issues are important. republicans aren't there. democrats are. >> kelly, you are on the team. if governor romney were to see you and say, help me on the specific issue of the gender gap? >> i will help the republican

nominee. i will make another point. this is what i would tell the republican nominee. barack obama did a remarkable thing in 2008, he got 56% of the female vote. that is such a high number for a nonincumbent president. president reagan, clinton, george w. bush, all reelected overperformed their first take among women by 7 or 8 points in the re-election. so by that standard, obama would need like 63%, 64% of women. he is not going to get that. so his gender gap is also among men, which nobody wants to discuss. men have really abandoned him, particularly white men over the economy. he needs to make up those gains against women. you saw a really bad week for the white house with women when it was revealed women in the white house make on averaging 18% less than men there. how, with a straight face, do the democrats come out and say, we are the ones for pay equity, for fairness to women. let's look at what women are telling people they care about and match that. the gender xwap exists for

several reasons. women tend to be a little bit more democratic and men republican. women are also very proincumbent. this president, just like george w. bush and ronald reagan and bill clinton, has institutional advantages. women don't like to rock the boat unless they are given a reason. it is up to the republican nominee to provide that reason to tell them you don't have to fear changing leadership at the top. fuel prices are double what they were when he started. >> a conversation we will continue for 200 years. margie omera and kellyanne we appreciate you. the new jersey mayor describes what happened when he ran into a building to save a woman trapped in a fire. [ male announcer ] this is genco services --

mcallen, texas. in here, heavy rental equipment in the middle of nowhere, is always headed somewhere. to give it a sense of direction, at&t created a mobile asset solution to protect and track everything. so every piece of equipment knows where it is, how it's doing or where it goes next. ♪ this is the bell on the cat. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ but last year my daughter was checking up on me. i wasn't eating well. she's a dietitian, and she suggests that i try boost complete nutritional drink to help get the nutrition i was missing. now i drink it every day and i love the great taste. [ female announcer ] boost has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to help keep bones strong and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. and our great taste is guaranteed or your money back.

learn more at boost.com. [ dad ] i choose great taste. i choose boost. my mom got a new car, so they stored her old car in a barn until i was old enough to drive. my parents put mothballs in the trunk to keep the critters out. they didn't realize that the smell would never leave the car. i went to school smelling like my grandma every day. i didn't care. i loved it. [ male announcer ] animate and share your first car story at firstcarstory.com. courtesy of the 2012 subaru impreza. experience love that lasts. ♪

welcome back. here is hear snow with the latest news you need to know. syrians tested the country's fragile cease-fire by staging anti-government demonstrations. at least four were shot an killed. video uploaded yesterday, the first day of the cease-fire shows a syrian tank and armored personnel carrier in action. cnn was first to report several key nations are trying to put together a meeting on the syrian crisis next week in paris. back here in the u.s. a community tragedy. a police chief only days away from retiring, shot and killed while trying to serve a search warrant last night.

a man and woman in the hope were found dead. it may have been a double suicide. newark, new jersey, mayor cor cory booker is a neighborhood hero after rushing into a building to save a woman trapped inside. the mayor told cnn's piers morgan what happened. >> at that point, things got kind of bad because the smoke i entered into was really thick. i couldn't see anything, couldn't locate the woman. i realized it looked like my exit was blocked at well. fear and terror started sinking in to me, almost as if by rescue, i heard her voice call out to me one more time, was able to find her, grabbed her up on my shoulder real quick and sprinted through the kitchen. that's where she sustained some injuries. we got out of the house. i feel lucky and blessed that she and i are here today. >> booker suffered smoke inhalation and a sec-degree burn to his right hand. be sure to watch the entire interview on cnn's piers morgan

at 9:00 p.m. eastern. an amazing story. >> mayor booker has a way, a little superhero tendency, like every mayor, tends to turn up at the right place at the right time sometimes. mary, see you a bit later. the united states military had absolutely no role whatsoever in the failure of north korea's rocket. worries they could follow up with testing a nuclear weapon. the president's tax form show his income took nearly a $1 million hit last year.

♪ ♪ and the flowers and the trees all laugh when you walk by ♪ ♪ and the neighbors' kids... what does being true to yourself have to do with being healthy? everything. ♪ but you're not ♪ you're the one ♪ one, one, one, one, one ♪ the one ♪ one, one, one, one, one ♪ the one ♪ one, one, one... how math and science kind of makes the world work. in high school, i had a physics teacher by the name of mr. davies. he made physics more than theoretical, he made it real for me. we built a guitar, we did things with electronics and mother boards. that's where the interest in engineering came from. so now, as an engineer, i have a career that speaks to that passion. thank you, mr. davies.

for a hot dog cart. my mother said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america. they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner. let's see if we can buy the property." and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you." and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years.

this half hour of john king usa, he releases his tax return and he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. ask mitt romney. he asked the irs for extra time to file his taxes. the national rifle association grabs it has the clout to defeat president obama. we will put that to the truth test. along with governor romney's claim. north korea has a failed rocket launch, will they up the ante with a nuclear test? april 15th falls on the weaken. you have a couple extra days to file your tax return. you won't see president obama in line the apost office. he released his today. they are fascinating for a number of reasons. look at this, his income declines over the past three

years. he and his wife michelle made 5.5 in 2009. $1.8 million in 2010 and just shy of 789,674. his book sales are down. in 2009, he got a big boost for winning the nobel peace prize. more on how this might shape the campaign. >> in fairness to the president, john, he has not only called for the buffett rule but he has called for raising taxes on people that make over $250,000. that is by letting the bush tax cuts expire for that group at the end of this year. he would be caught in that group and his taxes would go up. i think they would be higher

than his secretaries at that point. the other part i must say i think he has been wrong to go after romney the way he has over this buffett rule. i was impressed with the president's other aspect to his tax return. that is, he paid 20% taxes but he also gave away 22% in charitable contributions. that's a pretty remarkable number. both governor romney and barack obama have been pretty darn generous when it comes to charitable contributions. >> maybe we can agree and they agree to set examples if you have wealth or money to reach out and help people in need. maybe they could shake hands on that one. what do you make of governor romney's decision to file an extension? we won't see it for possibly as long as six months. as soon as it is ready, it will release it. it has estimated his 2011 income at just shy of $21 million? it says he will pay a tax rate of 15%, which will be more than

$3 million. david, is mitt romney, this extension often because people with such complicated investments are waiting for all the paperwork from their bre brokerage houses an the like? is he the only man in america trying to find ways for him to pay more in taxes? >> he may be. you wonder whether this is going to be a self-inflicted october surprise. i'm surprised he hasn't filed them now to get this story out of the way. there are going to be elements of those tax returns that are going to stir controversy. put him back in the 1% category and all the rest. i would think he would want to get that out of the way now when things are very, very fluid. his prospects actually this week look better than they did two, three weeks ago before santorum dropped out. as you know, we have two national polls out. he hasn't had that for a long time against barack obama. the white house has been saying all along this will be a close

race. there is some evidence they may be right this week. >> as you know, i asked governor romney about how many years of his taxes. his dad released quite a few back when he ran for president in the '60s. listen to his answer first. we will talk on the other side. >> sure. i don't know how many years i will release. i will take a look at what other documents are. i'll release multiple years. i don't know how many years. i will be happy to do that. >> the white house is going to make this an issue. they keep say, we want to see it all, 8 years, 10 years, 12 years. will he be able to say, here is two years, three years or is he ultimately going to have to give in? >> i think he is going to have to give in. the problem is, if you don't take a firm stand saying this is what i'm going to do and do it and do it early in the campaign, you give the opportunity for you opponent in this case to go beat you up over the head and use this as a sub text for a lot of

other points obama is trying to do. he is trying to use all these tax issues as a way to drive home a point that mitt romney and his wife, ann, are very rich by american standards. they have given away a lot of money to charity. he is trying to make him seem like that he doesn't relate to you. they don't get you and all the rest. i don't think ultimately, it is going to work. i don't think those are the central issues of the campaign. you can see that the obama team and their allies are trying to push those points. >> david gergen, appreciate your help tonight. the tax question, another issue we will continue between now an november. david, we will see you soon. >> turning to the fall out over north korea's failed launch, it will not go forward with food aid. they met to discuss their option. president obama is pushing salt into the wounds you might say. he just told the spanish language television station that north korea has been trying to launch missiles for over a decade an they don't seem to be real good at it.

an insult from the president. it was late in this program we received confirmation that they had launched the missile. if the missile test went as planned, stage one drops here. stage two drops here. all goes well. all did not go well. let's take a look at the flight path and bring this up and let it load into the computer, i hope. see if we can play it up. this is what happened instead. it is a three-stage rocket. one, two, and three. as it goes up, it is supposed to, within a minute or two, bottle stage drops, middle stage drops an the third stage is supposed to go into orbit like that. you see what happened. it broke into pieces instead coming down into the yellow sea. an embarrassing failure for north korea. condemnation from the world for trying it this rocket test in the first place. christopher hill led the six-party hills back in 2005. we spoke last night about north korea's defines of the world. it defied the world and failed.

it is embarrassing. you could say it is humiliating. you know this culture and this leadership better than most. how will they react internally. >> i think it is embarrassing. they are obviously going to have to find someone to blame. they were a little more open than they have been in the past. they have never really come out and admitted failure of this kind. that's a slightly different approach. but, well, i wouldn't want to be a north korean engineer. i think they are going to look for a scapegoat. no food aid. this is back and forth carrot stick debate. we told you if you did this, you don't get it and you won't. >> well, i think that is the right approach. frankly, i don't think there is any other approach. this is a carefully choreographied deal the chinese worked out. we were going to link food aid to stand out on the nuclear

missile programs and the north koreans renegligented ed on it. the people in north korea are starving and have nothing to do with the north korea regime. they will be looking at those issues. to the extent there is a absolute humanitarian need, it will be provided by international organizations. >> this became an immediate issue in the campaign. governor mitt romney said, instead of approaching pyongyang for a position of strength, he sought to appease with a food aid deal. at the same time, he has cut critical u.s. missile defense program and continues to underfund them. the indianapolis from the obama administration has emboldened the north korean regime and undermined the security of the united states and our allies. fair, unfather, somewhere in the middle? >> i think it goes pretty far

there. i usually don't interfere in my own country's internal affairs but, this is a tough issue you dealing with north korea. i think a lot of what has been guiding the administration is the need to work with south korea, the need to prevent any gaps, opening between our perceptions of the situation with the south koreans and the need to work with the chinese. at the end of the day, if this is ever going to get solved, it is going to get solved because the chinese said, we have had enough of this. this is bad for business. they are not there yet. the chinese have been very preoccupied with their own internal issues. there is a lot to balance there. >> do you think they will now have a nuclear test to prove they are not going to back down or hide after this failure. >> that's certainly been the pattern in the past. >> the pattern in the past was never to admit failure in the first place. there are some changes here. certainly, the chinese and others would be furious at the the north koreans for going

ahead with the nuclear test. that may be really more than the chinese will accept from them. the north koreans have proved they don't really care. it is their normal prescription for what to do when something als them in terms of failing at something. i would say the likelihood is greater today as a result of the failed test. >> ambassador hill, as always, appreciate your insights. we will keep an eye on this and keep in touch. is mitt romney a friend of the nra? sorry. sore knee. blast of cold feels nice. why don't you use bengay zero degrees? it's the one you store in the freezer. same medicated pain reliever used by physical therapists. that's chilly. [ male announcer ] new bengay zero degrees. freeze and move on. a living breathing intelligence bringing people together to bring new ideas to life. look. it's so simple. [ male announcer ] in here, the right minds from inside and outside the company come together to work on an idea.

adding to it from the road, improving it in the cloud all in real time. good idea. ♪ it's the at&t network -- providing new ways to work together, so business works better. ♪ so business♪ orks better. ♪ ♪ ♪ that should do it. enjoy your new shower. [ door opens, closes ]

♪ lord, you got no reason ♪ you got no right ♪ ♪ i find myself at the wrong place ♪ [ male announcer ] the ram 1500 express. ♪ it says a lot about you. ♪ in a deep, hemi-rumble sort of way. guts. glory. ram.

the national rifle association and its leaders, not known for their modesty. >> all means every single one of us. all in to defend freedom, to take back our country and mark my words, when the sun goes down on election day, barack obama will have us to thank for his defeat. >> does the nra have that much clout? probably not but they are an important piece of the conservative coalition. mitt romney's goal was to go beyond guns and frame the stakes for the fall campaign. >> instead of expanding the government, i'm going to shrink it. instead of raising taxes, i'm going to cut them. >> the truth is, an important, very important secretary dear goal for governor romney was to

shore up his shaky right flank. i applaud the nra leadership to be among the first and most vocal in calling upon attorney general holder to resign or get fired. >> for the record, governor romney, not always a darling of the nrai. >> we do have tough gun laws in massachusetts. i support them. i won't chip away at them. i believe they help protect us and provide for our safety. after winning that 2002 race for governor, romney did sign into law a state assault weapons ban. at the signing ceremony, he said, these guns are not made for recreation or self-defense. they are instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people. it is not just campaign that puts the nra in the gun dae bait, back, front, and center. trayvon martin has intensified criticism of stand your ground laos. michael bloomberg lashed out at the nra. he said they are interested in

pushing a political ideology, not protecting public safety. bloomberg went on to i sa, in nowhere is that more evidence than in the nra's advocacy for stand your ground laos. the federal assault weapons ban expired eight years ago. the last major gun legislation was four years ago just after the virginia tech shooting, a bipartisan proposal. here to talk truth in politics with guns tonight, pro-gingrich superpac adviser, nick tyler and ron brown stein and the president of the center for american progress, vera tande in. . ron, before we let the partisans get involved here. why is washington said we are out of the gun debate? i think the answer is, enough democrats are too timid. right? >> the answer is what happened in 2000 with the nra and their role in helping defeat al gore. the democrats have probably

overinterpreted that. part of the problem the democrats have is they are afraid of losing voters on the gun issue. they have probably already lost. voters, blue collar white men. if you look at overall public opinion on guns, it is pretty closely divided. there is still support for gun control within the portion of the lec trat that vote for democrats, suburban women and so forth. the interpretation of 2000 was that the nra was krit tall in algore's defeat. the gun issues ha never had any tracks since. >> do you see any possibility president obama who needs to win virginia, north carolina, colorado, i could go on, say, ohio, is going to make guns a big national issue? he didn't in 2008. or that the national democrats at another level, chuck schumer in new york city, mike bloomberg in new york city might. is it joe manchin or clammer kaskel in new jersey? >> they are concerns for voters,

democratic, republican. mitt romney went to shore up his right wing base or his conservative base. i don't think he was speaking to the broad swath of american voters. he is always reminding us that people are concerned about the question. he tried to frame a conversation on guns around the economy, perhaps to hide his bad voting record with the nra or perhaps because he wants to focus on the economy as well. >> he is in this juggle, governor romney is, as you know. he does have his sceptics. in 2002, when he was running for governor and when he was governor. he was not a darling of the nra. is he viewed as credible or is that one of his question marks. >> he promised to juphold the massachusetts gun law and now he is promising to hold up the nra's agenda. they are an organization that is pretty splart. they don't say you should have a gun or let's force guns in everybody's hands. they basically say, you cross this line, come into our territory, and we'll take you

out. and they can do that, because they have massive firepower. >> but their power is no longer indispensable. even in a state like colorado and virginia, yes, the nra can hurt you very much in the rural parts of those states, but in suburban denver and northern virginia, there's actually more support for gun control than democrats have been willing to try to speak to. so it is a very different model now. democrats are much less dependent upon the votes of blue-collar white voters than we were even the ten years ago. and that really does give them more freedom to depart from the nra, but they haven't taken it. >> just on that particular issue, i think the challenges that the nra has made the same statements they made today in 2008, about president obama. and, you know, they weren't able to defeat president obama then. you know, there's no record there for them to attack. and i think they will, similarly, not be able to defeat president obama. >> but there's also been an advancement in gun control laws. the the fact is the nra is one of those organizations that does keep people in check and the members on the hill, they know it. the democrats do think they have an issue in this stand your

ground law, but stand your ground is simply a -- you know, it's a preponderance of evidence. it's, you know, but it's in response -- >> it's less about the gun than about the state of mind and duct. >> the defense is the same thing. what they wanted to do was relieve the assailant, the person who's being attacked from having to prove every which way that he tried to flee. they tried to dismiss that. that was in response to these people who were attacked. >> and this right now -- >> every which way, it was just a basic standard, that actually was keeping up safe for many years. >> assist theory rotical conversation now, because there's no evidence that barack obama wants any kind of a fight with the nra, who is very effective in their terrain. but their terrain is not necessarily -- >> it's almost a standoff detente that both sides win. he has a standoff with them -- >> i think that will be the status quo. >> appreciate you coming in tonight. "erin burnett outfront" coming up in a few minutes at the top of the hour. tom foreman is here with a preview. tom, we've been talking about north korea. you did a superb job last night

as the live rocket launch was coming out, but there was also a conversation about reining in iran. >> there absolutely is, john. what we're looking at tonight is the new cold war. in many ways, even though the rocket fizzled, a lot of people say this cold war just now heating up and it could substantially change the way we see our world and our own safety in it. plus, we have a fascinating and i've got to say funny story about how the fbi tracked down one of these super hackers because he couldn't help bragging about his girlfriend. john? >> looking forward to that, tom. you know, crime doesn't pay. see you in just a few minutes. for weeks, we've been cringing at the thought of having to fill up the gas tank, but finally, a bit of a price break. why some analysts say it might even last. plus, a major surprise -- some think it's a surprise -- from hollywood's golden couple. if you want a luxury car with a standard power moonroof, your options are going to be limited. ♪ if you want standard leather-trimmed seats,

you're going to have even fewer. ♪ and if you want standard keyless access, then your choice is obvious. the lexus es. it's complete luxury in a class full of compromises. see your lexus dealer. [ female announcer ] introducing new nature valley protein bars. 100% natural ingredients like roasted peanuts... ♪ ...creamy peanut butter, and a rich dark chocolate flavor. plus, 10 grams of great tasting protein in every bar. so it's energy straight from nature to you. new nature valley protein bars. find them in the granola bar aisle.

to help protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye-care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. [ male announcer ] ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. now, that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health. do about medicare and social security... security. that's what matters to me... me? i've been paying in all these years... years washington's been talking at us, but they never really listen... listen...it's not just some line item on a budget; it's what i'll have to live on... i live on branson street, and i have something to say... [ male announcer ] aarp is bringing the conversation on medicare and social security out from behind closed doors in washington.

because you've earned a say. uh, nope. just, uh, checking out my ad. nice. but, you know, with every door direct mail from the postal service, you'll find the customers that matter most: the ones in your neighborhood. print it yourself, or we'll help you find a local partner. and postage is under 15 cents. i wish i would have known that cause i really don't think i chose the best location. it's not so bad. i mean you got a deal... right? [ bird cries ] go online to reach every home, every address, every time with every door direct mail. are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need.

siemens. answers. welcome back. here's mary snow with the latest news you need to know right now. hello, again. >> hello, again, john. osama bin laden's three widows and two daughters will be deported to saudi arabia next week. one of the widows will return to her native country of yemen next month. they will be finishing up 45 days under house arrest for living illegally in pakistan before u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s raided the al qaeda leader's compound last may. negotiations over iran's nuclear program will continue on saturday in istanbul. delegates from the u.n. security council will push iran to restrict its nuclear efforts. iranian officials have been under intense international pressure to limit the program.

iran faces heavy economic sanctions from europe and the u.s. last week, the country proposed to reduce the amount of enriched uranium it produces. it isn't clear if that option is still being considered. tired of emptying your wallet at the gas pump? well, it looks like retail gas prices may have peaked somewhere around $3.43 a gallon. iran's recent negotiations over its nuclear program may have something to do with it. the national mall in washington needs a facelift, at least that's the idea behind a competition to improve use of the space and to add new amenities. now, the proposed designs are available online. the organizers are asking the public to weigh in on their favorites. the winning designs will be announced in may. the aim is to pay for the renovations with private donations. and coca-cola is sealing a deal for a free soda with a hug. just hug the vending machine and get a free coke.

this is part of the company's latest marketing campaign throughout asia. they're saying it's a simple idea to spread some happiness. looks like students at the national university of singapore are already embracing the concept. a little different. >> if you give a lot of hugs, do you with get a lot of soda? >> i guess so. >> if you're really thirsty, you're going to do a lot of hugging. a different way to charge up. stay put, mary. tonight's moment some of you may have missed. i suspect some of you have figured it out by now. brad pitt, he finally put a ring on it. after seven years and five kids, he finally popped the question. back in january, brad pitt told cbs the couple was starting to feel pressure from their kids, madd maddox, pax, zahara, shiloh, knox, pressure. this will be jolie's third marriage and marriage number two for pitt. that's a good little jury to put pressure on them, those kids.

they're cute. >> they are very cute. a lot of pressure. and i think i needed sunglasses for that rock. >> not a bad rock? >> not bad. >> you'd take it? >> i'd definitely take it. >> i think we'll be seeing a lot of headlines about this couple. >> you think you're going to see a lot of headlines about this couple. i want to get a closer look there. i don't know. i don't know. >> it's a pretty nice one. >> it's pretty nice. >> does this surprise you at all? >> for all the headlines, they're all over the papers, right, all over tv, and yet it is kind of surprising. they've been together for so long and -- but i'm sure they'll be just okay -- be very -- more than okay, and i wish them all the best. >> we wish them the best o luck and i would wish them the extraordinary best of luck in trying to find a way to have a nice, quiet ceremony somewhere, no paparazzi, have a nice time, have a good break. >> that's going to be a little tougher. >> mary, you have a great weekend. that's all for us for now. "erin burnett outfront" starts right now.