it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. let's get started. from slow jamming the nis to rock the rote again. new details about president obama's first official campaign rallies set for 2012 and his strategy to recapture college kids. bottles, rocks, tear gas and booms in the background, things getting ugly in montreal during a wild student protest. fast and furious. new video of the so-called death race on the garden state parkway in new jersey. the police were allegedly leading. >> up first, ready to kick the reelection campaign into high gear. the president and first lady will hold the first rallies next week. in virginia and ohio. if the president's two-day, three-state college swing this week is any indication, the administration is trying to stirrup a youth movement. it's using the federal student

loanish issue to o do it. >> congress needs to act right now to prevent interest rates on federal student interest loans from shaking you down. i want all of you to be rich. i want all of you to be successful. >> dan lothian is live in washington, d.c. in 2008, he had the youth in record numbers. other than that the federal student loan program, anything else he's working on? >> well, what you see from the p, he's talking about what his administration has done over the last three-plus years to help young people and you hear him talk about pell grants, about streamlining the process for students in getting loans. and you know, i think what's interesting here. you look back, it wasn't too long ago that many people thought that young people, they could grj niezed around campaigns. what we saw was a big jump of 2 million young people showing up

to the polls compared to four years prior to that in 2004. they were at the heart of president's campaign, that grassroots effort. the exit polling showing that the president got 66% of the vote compared to john mccain's percentage of the vote. that's why he's pushing hard to recapture of the glory that the voters who are four years older and also go after those who weren't old enough to vote at the time. mitt romney is also going after the group but there's a wide gap according to the most recent polls showing president obama in a hypothetical matchup leads mitt romney among 18 to 34-year-olds. 64% to 32%. mitt romney, that's why you see him this week also agreeing with the president on the issue of making sure that those federal student loans stay at a low level, so that they can afford it, but that's where the similarities end. mitt romney going after the president telling young people that it's because of the

president's lack of leadership that the economy has not turned around, zoraida. >> that's quite a commanding lead. the rnc isn't too happy with the president's recent events and filed a complaint saying that president obama is misusing taxpayer money. tell us about that. >> that's right. you know, the rnc has been criticizing the obama administration for all these years, usually to battleground states where the administration says that these are official trips, but they have this feel of a campaign and so the rnc always sends out press releases saying, look, this is a campaign event at taxpayers' expense. now you have the chairman of the rnc asking the government accountability office for an investigation, writing in part in the letter "throughout his administration but continuingly in recent weeks, he's been passing off travel as official events allowing taxpayers to pay for his reelection efforts." this is not anything new.

other presidents do the same kind of thing. there's always that balance between what the campaign pays for and what is paid for by taxpayers and the white house and also the campaign saying that they're following a formula. they're following the guidelines here. >> all right. dan lothian, live in washington for us. thank you. it's four minutes past 5:00 on east coast. student protests in montreal turned ugly last night. that's exactly what it looks like. police just pepper sprayed that cameraman and his camera as he was trying to actually get video of this arrest. riot police were called in as 11,000 students who were protesting tuition hikes started to get rowdy. they were throwing rocks, they were throwing bottles, they were setting off fireworks. police declared it was an illegal assembly over a loud speaker, they did it. they reportedly arrested more than a dozen people. the supreme court is shaking up the immigration debate.

justices seem to be siding with arizona in the fietd over its controversial immigration lauchlt the federal government is arguing that states don't have the authority to enforce immigration matters. the case was criticized by the high court yesterday with even president obama pick, justice sonia sotomayor was saying the case was not selling very well. jan brewer says even if the court does not side with her state, she is not backing down. >> i certainly would talk to my legal counsel and see what our other avenues of approach would be. but you know, i'll cross that bridge when we get there. who -- i don't think we're going to have to do that. >> meantime, protests against the law are heating up in arizona. nine demonstrators were arrested in phoenix yesterday. the supreme court is expected to make a final decision this summer. nice morning conversation for you. are strippers and prostitutes part of the culture in the secret service? hmm. scandal that erupted in colombia

at a hotel is growing this morning. there's a new report out from cairo news of seattle. it's quoting the government contractor who works in el salvador prior to president obama's trip there in march of 2011. that source is saying about a dozen agents, as well as the military personnel got "wasted at a strip club there" and then paid extra to go to the vip area to do a little extra with some of the strippers. this all comes a day after the secretary of homeland security and that's of course the department overseeing the secret service now, that secretary was asked if anything like this has ever happened before. have a listen. >> to your knowledge is this the first time something like this has happened? >> there was nothing in the record to suggest that this behavior would happen. >> well, janet napolitano will have to change her tune now because these reports are coming out following a report that

quoted an unnamed agent, several actually, who talked about another incident in 2009. in buenos aires, when president clintons agents went out to ready for this strip club. there's no comment on the story. but one reaction by our leadership speaks for itself. seven minutes past the hour. two current and two former tsa employees have been arrested in a drug and bribely scream at los angeles international airport. they're accused of allowing large amounts of cocaine, meth meth and marijuana to pass through x-ray machines at checkpoints in exchange for cash payoffs. one courier is in custody and another expected to turn himself in today. the workers face life in federal prison if convicted. to the courtroom now. government star witness in the trial of john edwards is facing tough cross-examination from defense lawyers. the former senator's ex-aide and

confidant, andrew young, was on the stand for a third day yesterday. defense went at him, accusing him of lying about his ex-boss and trying to profit off of his downfall. edwards, for his part, left the courthouse smiling and have a listen to what he told his daughter. >> sun's out now. >> i know. >> in more ways than one. >> sun's out there in more ways than one he says. andrew young is scheduled to return to the stand for more blistering cross-examination this morning. video of the death race caravan that got two new jersey state troopers suspended. they allegedly escorted dozens of really expensive and really fast luxury cars on a dangerous 100 mile per hour run to atlantic city. former new york giant, brandon jacobs was reportedly behind the wheel of one of the cars. an attorney for one of the officers says the whole incident

is being exaggerated. he even suggested to us that the troopers were just doing their jobs. like the graphic said, this just in. at nine minutes past 5:00. gas prices just keep on dropping. >> yea. >> nice to bring you this news. >> aaa just posting it on the web sooifrt. the new national average is at $3.83 a gallon. fill her up folks. >> we were like $3.98 not long ago. >> 20% higher than the start of the year. that's the last 24 hours. ten days straight if you're doing the math, it's fun to count day by day. we'll see what happens as it gets closer to the busy summer driving season, the memorial trend. >> they've already changed their gas, saying it's going to be fine. >> every single year close to memorial day, you're planning the trip to grandma or grandpa, prices go up. firefighters in kansas

dealing with one very, very explosive situation. a half-ton propane tank catches fire. capital police are investigating a credible threat against that man. you know him now. florida senator marco rubio. who is after him and why. you're watching early start. this reduced sodium soup says it may help lower cholesterol, how does it work? you just have to eat it as part of your heart healthy diet. step 1. eat the soup. all those veggies and beans, that's what may help lower your cholesterol and -- well that's easy [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. your doctor will say get smart about your weight. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have six grams of sugars. with fifteen grams of protein to help manage hunger... look who's getting smart about her weight.

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a cameraman caught in the pepper spray crossfire. look at that. during a student protest in montreal late last night. police were having to dodge bottles and rocks and reportedly arrested more than a dozen people in this melee. the senate is willing to pony up $11 billion to help keep the u.s. postal service from shutting down thousands of post offices across the country. in a bipartisan 62-37 vote, the senate wednesday approved a measure to allow the postal service to keep the facilities open and continue with saturday delivery. u.s. capital police are investigating what they're calling a credible threat against florida senator marco rubio. rubio's name has been floated around as a possible running mate for mitt romney on the gop ticket. a patrol car has been spotted outside of his home in west miami and the threat was so credible that rubio has police protection in washington and at

his west miami home. for their part, authorities are not giving out any additional information on this. firefighters in kansas city, kansasv to deal with exploding propane tanks as they battled a two-alarm fire outside of a large warehouse. it began when a 1,000-pound propane tank caught fire. they reported several explosions as they worked to try to contain the flames. burger king is making a cage-free promise. the world's second biggest burger chain says by 2017, all of its eggs and its pork is going to come from chickens and pigs that are not living in cramped cages. burger king say it is switching because more and more consumers are demanding products come from animals raised and treated humanely. >> that's interesting. there's a big argument about that. you don't want your animals stressed out when you're eating them. head to our blog, cnn.com/early start for an expanded version.

it's 16 minutes past 5:00. let's get a check of the weather. look at that handsome man. you got the orange memo with tie. we have a rude awakening for people. scattered showers and thunderstorms. until the 8:00 local time. south of cincinnati. also on parts of 64, heavy rain coming down. even more towards i-70. would not be surprised if we get a little flash flooding through the region in the midday hours. little bit of rain in the sierra nevada. the highest elevations, light touch of snowfall. not a great deal but a dusting. we'll switch gears and go from the snow to the heat. we had plenty yesterday. triple digits in childress, texas, lubbock even amarillo. marking the all-time record for april. incredly warm temperatures. amarillo with 99. childress with 106.

another warm day expected and not only whether the temperatures heat up but severe weather possibility, into the ohio valley, portions of the southeast. breezy in spots. like atlanta. anyone trying to take off orland at hartsfield, jackson may have a few delays. 78 degrees a high. the city, 54. 91 in dallas. 82 in atlanta. wrapping it up in new york with 59 degrees. that's your expected high. back to you in the big apple. >> reynolds wolf, thanks. you bet. it's 17 minutes past the hour. an early read on your local news making national headlines. we have papers from washington, d.c. and orlando. let's start with the washington post. his mouth got him in trouble. marian berry causing a diplomatic ruckus over nurses. he said if you go to the hospital now, you'll find a number of immigrants who are nurses, particularly from the

philippines. no offense, let's grow our own teachers and nurses so we don't have to skrouj around in clinics and having to hire people from somewhere else. >> some people find that offensive, others not so much. but now the philippines investor wants him to apologize. he says berry is blaming asians, it's discrimination and violence. barry said he will not apologize. he did apologize over another outrageous remark that he got in trouble for bashing asian-owned business as dirty. it's on the heels of that, that people are finding this offensive. >> i would say using the word skroujing around is -- >> we have our own, let's grow them. on the heels of that, when you sbi combine the two -- >> maybe that's an old school way of looking at things. when you look at the education stats, we don't rate so well.

some other countries that we're looking for, have better educated people. >> just a higher volume that we have as well. >> there's that as well. >> marian berry, you have demons in your closet too. maybe you should shh for a minute. orlando sentinel. this is fascinating. this has been controversial. why did that man have a gun the night he shot trayvon martin. more insight into george zimmerman and why he had the gun. reuters investigating and finding out that he and his wife had been afraid of a pit bull. he called the police several times about it. seminole county animal services actually recommended that he go and buy pepper spray and a gun. the officer said, get a gun. so what did he do? he did it. he completed the firearms training, got a concealed weapons permit and bought that

handgun. fascinating information. doesn't necessarily tell you what happened in the critical minutes in the investigation. but people eat up every detail about that story. >> 20 minutes past the hour. coming up, jobs and the race for the white house. why some big ceo's can't wait for election day. you're watching early start. s p? [ facilitator ] what do you smell? takes me outdoors. sort of a crisp, fresh feeling. [ facilitator ] go ahead and take your blindfold off. [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] the febreze set & refresh. breathe happy for 30 days, guaranteed. ♪ ♪ and i never thought i'd feel this way ♪ ♪ the way i feel about you [ male announcer ] it's time to clean out your garage for a car that's worthy of being the 2012 motor trend car of the year. the volkswagen passat. that's the power of german engineering. ♪ it must be love

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you interviewed the ceo of caterpillar. >> yeah. last night after the earnings. it's interesting that they're on track for a record year. top line missed a little bit. the story is really strong earnings. the reason that you should care is this is the world's biggest construction maker. they have a good read on what's going on around the world in terms of manufacturing, mining, et cetera. especially here in the united states. they're extremely bullish. get this. on the united states despite the slow recovery. in fact, what the ceo told me is that the slowness we're seeing in china and brazil is offset. -- one thing that stood out to me is jobs added. they have 50% more employees than in 2010 after a lot of layoffs in the recession. but, he told me, washington is key right now. the dysfunction in washington is critical. i asked him about that. and what happens if we don't get cohesion in washington. take a listen. there's a lot of question marks about the u.s. on top of everything of course, this is an election year.

the political season. the dysfunction is going to be almost paralysis the way i see it for the rest of this year. >> almost paralysis. the reason you care is because companies like that, the $2 billion already this year, may may hire more if washington was working together. would he want mitt romney in the white house make a meaningful difference to the upside for american business? >> i think for business, it would be a plus. because it would bring clarity and his policies are for a longer term clarity around what tax reform ought to be. >> you guys know, we have heard this time and time again from these big ceos and this is going to be critical head sbog the campaign. you remember when i was covering romney, the big business leaders coming out. this is not an endorsement from caterpill caterpillar, but clearly they would like a republican in the white house. >> i would like to know what he

would think about the bailout. the auto industry. >> i'll ask him next time. >> say hi for me. i always like to hear. thank you, poppy. 26 minutes past 5:00 a.m. on east coast. coming up, the search for a little girl named madeline. remember madeline mccann missing now five years. scotland yard wants the case reopened suggesting of all things, she may still be alive. a tennessee high school student says she wasn't trying to offend anyone. she thought her prom dress was cool. hear why her principal didn't think so and tossed her out. you're watching early start. so l that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. that can help lower cholesterol? durn'it, this thing's runnin' slow.

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tgs 30 minutes past the hour. welcome back to early start. i'm zoraida sambolin. there's new evidence that madeline mcscan still alive. this is what she might look like as well. we're talking to a family spokesperson about this case. horrific testimony, too painful for jennifer hudson. the actress walking out of the trial of the man accuse fd killing her mother, brother and her nephew. do you ever wonder what they wear under that robe? wonder no more. a judge under fire for snapping a shirtless photo of himself and firing it off in an e-mail to a married bailiff. now he's talking and he may have one of those judge shows in the future as well. the hilarious response is coming up ahead. ashley? >> thanks zoraida. it's 30 minutes past the hour. there's new hope in the case of a little missing girl named madeline mccann. she has been gone now for five

years. disappeared in portugal. scotland yard says she may be actually alive. british police release a composite photo of what madeleine might look like today. she would be turning nine next week. they're asking the portuguese authorities to reopen their case as well. a friend of the mccann family and a spokesperson for them, clarence mitchell, is joining us live now from london. mr. mitchell, thank you so much for being with us this morning. can you tell me if you know or if the family knows at this point what exactly is it that the police have that lead them to think that little madeleine might still be alive now five years later? >> good morning. it's a pleasure to be with you today. the police are not going into any detail for good operational reasons. but they have made it clear as you have reported that they have

reason to believe there is evidence to suggest that madeleine still is possibly alive. that's fantastic news. because that's exactly what kate and jerry, her parents, have been saying over the last five years. there's no evidence to suggest she's been harmed. on the contrary there's evidence that she could be found hopefully safe and well. the police said there are 195 potential leads, nearly 200 potential leads in the material that they've been going through. the historic material and they're only a quarter of the way through that itself. this is all very encourage for kate and jerry. >> as i understand it, kate and jerry themselves, put the pressure on the british authorities to get cracking once again and they started this about a year ago. are you talking about leads that have rolled in, in the last year that are fresh, new and never before heard of or seen of? >> it's a mixture of the two. the 195 potential leads or investigative opportunities as the police like to call them, are contained within the historic file, if you like.

and that's something like 40,000 separate pieces of information. 100,000 pages. it's a mammoth task the police have to go through. but there is new information coming in all the time. tip-offs, potential sightings. that's going into the mix as well. the police are saying that the 200 leads are historic and there is new which they're not specifying. they're getting it into a fit state to pass on to the portuguese police. that's why the british police are saying they should reopen the case again in the portuguese region. they have prime si on the investigation over there. hopefully, somewhere in all that information, there is the key to unlocking this. and the new picture you've highlighted is critical to that. that's the girl that the police here in britain believe should now be looking for. not the younger madeleine that became well-known over o the last five years through the early pictures. >> she was barely four. i think the early pictures on

the left side of the screen, she was barely four and she'd be turning nine next week. you're intimately involved with how devastating this process this has been, for any parent who loses a child, but particularly kate and jerry. they were under such a cloud of suspicion. i'm trying to read between the lines of this new development in the case. it sounds as though they are thrilled with what is going ond and for the first time they're happy with the investigation. does that mean that they are working 100% in concert with the police and that the police are treating them as partners as opposed to suspects? >> their suspect status, was lifted some four years ago by the portuguese authorities who had examined the case exhaustively then and it was lifted because there was no evidence against them, quite rightly. they were not involved in her disappearance. the british police who have been working on it for a year with this investigative review, they

made it quite clear yesterday that given the fact that they believe madeleine is possibly still alive, kate and jerry clearly by implication were not involved in anything sinister. as a result, they've been kept fully informed. there's a family liaison working with them closely. they and the private detectives they've employed are also insisting the police inquiry. this is a collaborative push forward now and kate and jerry feel that -- it should have happened years ago, but they feel there is momentum now and they hope that the new image and the leads the police are following discreetly and privately will come together to find that one piece of information that could still lead to madeleine being recovered safely. >> clarence mitchell, we appreciate you coming on to talk to us and giving us this information. our best is with you and all of the investigators trying to solve this case. it's really had some resonance here in the u.s. >> that's great news and thank you for that. i'll make sure kate and jerry are aware of that. thank you. >> thank you for being on with

us. zoraida. a tennessee high school senior was banned from her prom last weekend after she arrived wearing a dress modeled after the confederate flag. she wasn't sending out any kind of message with the dress that she helped design. but the principal at gibson high was not happy and told eld wards she would have to leave the prom. edwards was confused. she had seen other people wear hats and belt buckles to school. >> it wasn't done to offend anybody. it was done for sole fangt thcti wanted to wear a flag dress. >> i don't see the point of not going to prom after that. >> other people wear stuff to school every day with a symbol on it. they don't get kicked out of school on a daily basis. >> it wasn't the first unusual prom dress edwards has worn. last year she wore a camouflage dress. a detroit judge could be in trouble for sending a shirtless

photo to a female bailiff. listen to this. judge wade mckree is not only admitting to sending the photo, he said he also sent it to others. he was only showing off his healthy physique and none of the recipients complained. he says "i've got no shame in my game." a close friend says the photo was part of a friendly battle. >> we have this little, i guess, battle between us on who is in better shape. i'm ten years younger but yet i look like i'm ten years older. it was a great shot. he's in good shape. it was not sent out for any ill will or any wrong purpose. >> hmm. take a look at that. how do you feel about that. the photo was discovered by the bailiff's husband who called it inappropriate. the judge is also married. >> yeah. those pictures usually end up in inquiries. do you travel the world and would you like to do it for

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>> it sounds like a joke. >> oh, my gosh, this is serious. >> i think one of the commenters said wow, traveling across the world with a stranger. what could possibly go wrong? stick around, though. >> it's going to be fascinating. >> you can't wait either. at 6:30 eastern, guess who is coming on live with us? that man on the left of your screen. brandon wade. he started miss travel.com. he's going to answer questions about what the site is all about. if there's anything wrong with it or if it's harmless dating? >> 39 minutes past the hour. ahead on early start, testimony too tough to bear for singer jennifer hudson. why she had to walk out of her family's murder trial. you're watching "early start." we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well.

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going to have showers and 59 degrees. yesterday i asked mark about the weather, he said wait a month, it will get nice and warm for you. it's 43 past the hour. horrific testimony too painful for singer jennifer hudson at the murder trial of her family. she shut her eyes as the police officer described finding the bloody bodies of her mother, brother and nephew. she walked out of the courtroom to avoid seeing the dozens of disturbing photos of the victims. they were wiping away tears as grisly images of the seven-year-old were shown. ted rowlands is live for us. jennifer hudson identified the bodies in the morgue. these were crime scene photos, right? >> well, today -- yesterday there were crime scene -- monday, the crime scene photos. yesterday they were the coroners on the stand. these were autopsy photos. they were very difficult to see in court.

i mean, you could see the reaction in the jurors' faces, constant sniffling from the folks in the hudson camp. as you mentioned, even the defendant, he actually showed the most emotion wiping away a tear at one point. very difficult images to see, zoraida, as you can imagine. part of the case, obviously, to show the brutality but especially the photos of that seven-year-old little boy shot twice in the head. it was really heartbreaking to see. before those witnesses took the stand, jennifer hudson and her sister, julia, were told, in fact a bailiff came up to them at one point before one of the medical examiners took the stand and whispered to them and immediately got out of the courtroom. they did not want to see that and endure those images. >> what are we expecting in court today? >> we're expecting more testimony from investigators who made the arrest on balfour. we're expecting more of that and

more about where exactly balfour was before and after the murders took place. then we're also expecting to hear possibly today from the girlfriends of balfour. one of them, he tried to use as an alibi and we expect that individual to take the stand as well. possibly today or at least later this week. >> that's a very different picture we're seeing of balfour there. the arrest picture versus the one that's up now. jennifer hudson has famously said that wherever he was, she did not want to be. what about the relationship between the sister, bhowho was married to him? >> well, julia hudson obviously was married to balfour against the wishes of not only jennifer but the whole family. that is really playing out in the courtroom too. people are watching the relationship between where they're sitting and if there's any eye contact between them. i've been watching that a lot in the courtroom. jennifer hudson has looked over towards balfour many times.

julia hudson seems to be looking away from him and tries to avoid contact, eye contact with him. when he walks in, balfour usually scans the room and looks to see if his family is there and if the hudsons are there. >> wow. tough days ahead one would imagine. ted rowlands, live from chicago. thank you very much. 46 minutes past the hour. it's time to check the stories making news this morning. the white house ready to ramp it up for the election effort. after the first of two official rallies of the campaign season, the president and the first lady, that's significant. going to kick things off a week from saturday with two stops, two battleground states, ohio and virginia. >> perhaps you did not see this coming. the u.s. supreme court appears to be backing arizona in the case against its immigration law. even president obama appointed justice sonia sotomayor says white house arguments are "not selling very well."

the high court is deciding whether states have the authority to enforce immigration matters. that could affect laws in other states as well. a final decision could come in june. a zoo owner in new zealand died after being attacked by her own elephant. it happened at the franklin zoo and wildlife sanctuary near auckland. police say the former circus elephant became agitated and wrapped its trunk around the owner, crushing her to death. investigators believe that this was an accident. rupert murdoch rejecting accusations that he used his media empire to manipulate politicians. you have live testimony here. murdoch testified at a hearing saying "i have never asked a prime minister for anything." he continues his testimony this morning. arkansas senator mark pryor is asking the fbi to investigate who auctioned off an internship position in his washington

office. the internship that the founder of girls gone wild says he won. that's why it's causing as big a problem i'm sure. the video mogul joe francis says he bought the internship fair and square online and wants to give the tries to his winners to the search for the hottest girl in america contest. senator pryor's office says hey, we don't sell internships. leading many to believe that he just might decide to -- defenestrate. to throw a person or thing out the window. >> to throw a person or a thing out of the window. >> or a thing. congratulations, chuck. thanks for that fabulous word today. 48 minutes -- 49 minutes past the hour on the nose. in just over 14 hours, the andrew luck era begins.

the nfl kicks off tonight in new york with the indianapolis colts expected to make the stanford quarterback the number one overall pick. luck will be taping an appearance on the david letterman show this afternoon and plans to meet colts fans at a draft party in indianapolis tomorrow night. >> you know what i like about him, apart from the fact that his name is luck. that's always good. apparent he has a $10 phone. a flip phone. they call him a nerd. he's proud of that. loves his $10 phone. >> stanford guy. not surprised. >> he's going to be able to afford a phone company after what's about to happen to him. >> good for him. this is a perfect time to tell you the story about the best in beards. >> i am not kidding. you got your handlebars, you got your octopus. you got your santa claus. i love it. these are all breeds of beards, folks. >> oh, my goodness. >> represented at the international beard tournament. yes, there is such a thing. this one was in germany.

there's very much a lot of growing interest in this competition this year. it featured 163 men from all over the world and there were categories too. like different categories of beard competing. apparently at this contest -- >> how do you feel about facial hair? that's my big question for you. >> you know what, if you're bradley cooper, you can do anything you want. you can wear the handlebars, the octopus, y'all are -- >> really? even the octopus? >> bradley cooper could wear a potato sack. it wouldn't matter. >> all right. >> he's okay. george clooney, not far behind. >> george clooney doesn't have a period though. >> he could wear the handlebar or the octopus. >> 5:50 here on the east coast. up next, boy they serve the burgers fresh at this mcdonald, a runaway cow. maybe perhaps looking for its family. >> runaway. you're in danger.

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welcome back. it is 53 minutes past the hour. time to look at what's trending on the web. what's a guy like you doing in a dive like this? a picture of president obama with a stoked colorado college student was exploding on social media. check out the omg face. the woman, named madeline stark

i, posed for a picture with the president at a local pub known as the sink. she snapped a picture, posted it on twitter, instagram and it took off in a matter of minutes. >> part of is is covered off with the banner. look at her hands. >> she's going to join us live in the next hour to talk about meeting the president and her new overnight fame. what happened in the minutes leading up to that. it's a cool story. >> she apparently takes a bunch of pictures like this. this is her thing. oh, my gosh. this is the from the file of the jerk. give the kid the ball already. cameras at last night's yankees rangers game. trained up in the stands as the worst people ever caught a ball. you ready? check out. they catch it. >> look at the kid. i want the ball. i want the ball. i'm crying. i want the ball. can i have the ball? no. i'm going to hold it out here. >> no i'm not giving it to you.

i'm just going to take pictures and i'm going to keep the ball away from the kid. i'm like, what, the guy sent it up to the kid. come on, already. >> think they'll update their facebook with omg, caught a foul ball. sent future adult to therapy. are you ready for that? look at this. taking pictures of each other. >> give that little boy a ball. >> posing and looking at the pictures. that poor little kid. maybe he was looking for his family. listen to this one. mcdonald employees and brush, colorado got a surprise when a runaway cow visited the drive through. darcy apparently escaped her pen and hoofed the half mile from the farm to the fast food joint. but we doubt that she was having a big mac attack. >> her owner called pice who had to tell her oh, she's up at mcdonald's. go get her. >> how would you like to be the owner?

>> she's wear. she's where? in what condition? coming up, that was a moo. that was my best moo. i have been called a cow now and again. coming up, frustrated police. a cameraman got pepper sprayed for trying to cover the melee. are you kidding me? all of this happened in montreal. clouds of tear gas, arrests, more of this wild scene coming at you in the next hour. you're watching "early start." holy cow. hey, dad, you think i could drive? i'll tell you what -- when we stop to fill it up. ♪ ♪ [ son ] you realize, it's gotta run out sometime. [ male announcer ] jetta tdi clean diesel. the turbo that gets 42 miles per gallon. that's the power of german engineering. ♪

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. good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm ashleigh banfield.

>> we're very happy you're with us this morning. i'm zoraida sambolin. let's get started. may be onle verge of upholding arizona's very tough immigration law. one appointee even suggesting that white house lawyers are choking again. bottle rockets, tear gas and booms in the background. things getting pretty ugly during student protests in montreal. more of that video for you and the reasons behind it. and wild video of a wobbly landing. are you ready for this? take a close look at your screen. imagine being on that plane. a pilot fighting extremely high winds as he approaches the runway. we'll tell you where it happened and the outcome, all coming up. >> emotions are running high as the supreme court takes up arizona's tough immigration law. hitting the streets of phoenix yesterday to protest the bill, signed into law two years ago, prompting the obama administration to sue.

at issue, who has the power to enforce immigration laws, the states or the feds? similar rallies were held outside the high court as well but inside it appeared that justices may be okay with this controversial law. justice antony scalia saying it may be okay for a state to step in if the federal government is not doing its job saying, quote, what does state sovereignty mean if it does not mean the ability to defend your borders? the law could be upheld as long as no significant amount of people are detained for a significantly long period of time. paul raez is an attorney and columnist. a lot of people are saying it's a tough day for the obama administration. the supreme court justices seem to be in favor of this. what do you make of what happened yesterday? >> well, one thing i want to start off by saying, this is something that chief justice

roberts began -- opened the case with. this is not a case about civil rights violations. they're not looking at racial profiling. those are all at issue in arizona with this law but yesterday those proponents were not at stake. yesterday they were looking at who has the power over immigration, the federal government or the state? it's a little early to talk about federalism, but that's the case. who gets to decide? from the looks of things, it looked like a's case is pretty strong because everyone had very pointed questions for donald verelli. he was arguing on the supremacy clause. and it almost seemed as if the court had moved past that and was saying how is this going to be implemented? how are we going to make sure that people aren't in detention very long? >> that seemed to be the only issue they were coming up with, the detention? >> right. we're reading the tea leaves there, but it definitely looked like they were say arizona's

approach is reasonable. basically they had this problem with illegal immigration. the federal government was not acting and they had to do something. that's the case in a nutshell. >> racial profiling cannot be excluded here, right? it seems to be the controversial issue everybody is talking about. do you think at any point that is going to weigh in or do you think they'll make the case based solely on state and federal and later we'll be dealing with civil rights violations? >> they have to. the way they accepted this case they're only dealing with these compone components. the most controversial part of the law they're dealing with is when police or state law officials stop someone when they inquiry about their immigration status, if they have a suspicion that they're in the country illegally. later on there certainly will probably be lawsuits from hispanic advocacy groups, from aclu looking into racial profiling aspects. for now this is all the supreme court is reviewing, these four

components of law. >> how do you think they're going to weigh in on this? some people are saying it's going to be 4-4. >> if it's 4-4, they stick with the lower court's decision, which means the law will not stand. it's interesting, because arizona has built a big part of their case, saying they constructed this whole law very well to work together. what if they strike down one part of it? does that mean the whole law gets thrown out the window? that's something we don't know. >> there's a school of thought that if the obama administration actually loses this that it could be a good thing, even though it is egg on their face in the very beginning. long term, it could be a good thing. why? >> because this is a case that has -- hispanic americans are following this case with tremendous interest. it's mobilized a lot of latino voters in arizona and many other states. if the supreme court rules against it, it could be beneficial for obama. it may localize d people to say

we need to get out there in the november election. one danger for obama is that i think, actually, neither he nor romney really want immigration to be coming right back into the political staigs stage when the general election is around the corner. this will put it right back -- >> unfortunately, it is. >> -- into national politics. >> thank you so much -- >> raul. >> i'm sorry. it's early. five minutes past 6:00 on the east coast. are strippers and prostitutes part of the culture in the secret service? that's a good question. the scandal that erupted at a hotel in columbia is growing this morning. a new report from cairo news in seattle is quoting a government subcontractor who worked with the secret service advance team in el salvador. whole other trip. trip prior to president obama's trip there in march of 2011. he says about a dozen agents and some military personnel got,

quote, wasted at a strip club there and then paid extra to go to the v.i.p. area to do extra with the strippers, whatever happens in the v.i.p. area. this all comes a day after the homeland security secretary was asked if something like this had happened before. >> there was nothing in the record to suggest that this behavior would happen. >> by the way, this all follows a similar "washington post" report that quoted unnamed agents that talked about a 2009 visit when members of former president bill clinton's detail went out for a night of partying at strip clubs. secret service tells cnn it has no comment on this story. but one source says -- and i'll read for you -- the reaction by our leadership speaks for itself. >> story has a lot of legs there.

>> sure does. new video this morning of the so-called death race caravan. excuse me. that got two new jersey state troopers suspended, allegedly escorting dozens of expensive and really fast race cars on a dangerous 100-mile-per-hour run last month. brandon jacobs was reportedly behind the wheel of one of the cars. an attorney for the officers says the whole incident is being exaggerated and even suggested to us that the troopers were just doing their jobs. >> and away they go. john edwards' former aide and confidante is facing tough cross examination in court today. andrew young, star witness on the stand for the third day yesterday. immunity, by the way. he can say what he wants. nothing is going to happen to him. edwards' lawyers is calling him a liar, profiting off his former boss' downfall. he left the courthouse smiling. read along on your screen to

what edwards told his daughter on the steps. >> the sun's out now. >> yeah, i know. >> in more ways than one. >> yep, sunny day. more ways than one. he will return to the stand for more blistering cross examination this morning. white house party crasher top of his resume, talik salahi will run for governor of virginia. they were able to get past security and crash a white house state dinner. salahi, filing to one run day after virginia's attorney general filed a lawsuit against him and his winery for allegedly cheating customers who bought wine tours from him. the gate-crashing wanna-be governor will tell us why he's running at 7:30 on "starting

point." >> a couple of seasons to work with. president obama official ly kicking off the campaign season with two big rallies scheduled for next week and he's bringing with him a secret weapon. can you guess who she might be? >> talk about blowing in the wind. >> ooh, look at that. >> a pilot tries to wind while battling -- oh, my goodness -- 60-mile-an-hour gusts. don't want to be in that plane. you are watching "early start." when you have diabetes... your doctor will say get smart about your weight. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have six grams of sugars. with fifteen grams of protein to help manage hunger... look who's getting smart about her weight. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes.

are connecting here. linkedin connects with the big board.

it is 12 minutes now past 6:00 on the east coast. time to check stories making top news billing this morning. the u.s. supreme court seemingly sounding like the justices are backing arizona in the case against its immigration law. even president obama appointed justice sonya sotomayer saying

the fed's case is not selling very well. that ruling, by the way, could have effect in a lot of other states, too. and the final decision not expected, at least before june. the parents of missing 6-year-old isabel salise are begging for her safe return after officials announced they are scaling back the search for the little girl. >> we are here today to play -- to plea for the safe return of our baby girl, isabel. >> we're looking for you, isa. we love you and we miss you so much. and we'll never give up. we will never give up looking for you. >> sergio celis and his wife,

becky, thanked volunteers who have taken part in the search looking for their daughter. the reward has been raised from $5,000 up to $30,000 now. a pilot trying to land battling fierce 60-mile-an-hour winds. imagine being on that plane as a passenger. fishtailing violently while approaching that runway. the video recorded back in february but just released this week. while that landing looks awful -- and take a look again. boy, he comes down quickly, too. apparently -- that was an aborted landing. that one didn't work. let's give it another go. everything turned out okay. passengers got off. i'm sure they have lots of stories to tell their grandchildren. new jersey dad launching a website to battle what he calls, quote, culture of bullying by teachers in his son's school. he caught teachers taunting his son, aiken, who has been

diagnosed with autism. he put a recording device in his son's pocket. he recorded six hours of tape. on that tape, he says teachers can be heard mistreating his little boy. >> who are you talking to? nobody? [ crying ] >> knock it off. keep your mouth closed. hands down. quiet. hands together. now. [ crying ] >> stop. akian, you're not going to earn if your mouth is going. >> the dad was mortified when he heard that recording. he wants an apology from the teachers. the school says it has investigated and, quote, responded swiftly and appropriately. stay tuned. aikan's father will be on "starting point" at 8:00 am eastern. student protest turning ugly

late last night. >> i got pepper spray. >> you heard him say i got pepper spray. police pepper spraying a cameraman and his camera as he was trying to tape an arrest. riot police called in as 11,000 students protesting tuition hikes started getting rowdy, throwing rocks and bottles. they reportedly arrested more than a dozen people. >> so the white house is trying to stir up a youth movement as it appears to kick the re-election campaign in first gear. the president and first lady planning to hold their first official campaign rallies of the season next week. guess where they are, key battleground states, ohio and virginia. if the president's three-state college swing this week is any indication, the administration is courting younger voters,

using the federal student loan issue to whoo the. congress needs to act right now to prevent interest rates. i want all of you to be rich. i want all of you to be successful. so dan lothian is live in washington, d.c. if you look at the statistics, obama already does pretty well with the younger vote. why focus there instead of other areas where he may be struggling? >> i think he wants to recapture the enthusiasm that really spawned his grassroots effort in 2008. and that really was the youth vote. you take a look at the exit polling at the time. president obama getting 66% of the vote over john mccain's 32%. and then you look at the matchup with mitt romney now. obama still at 64% rather and mitt romney at 32%.

it's a key group that really can provide the enthusiasm that can help the president win again here in 2012. >> i'm reading that the rnc is not too thrilled about the campaigning. and no one was surprise d to her that as well. i have to say, dan, what i did was i asked our crack producing team to check out some of the old headlines from 2004 about using, you know, air force one and taxpayer money for a sitting president to do some campaigning. there's this headline right here. you're not going to be able to read it but i'll read it for you from the pittsburgh post gazette, i think it is. bush enjoys travel advantage on taxpayer paid air force one. every single sitting president does this. and then every opposition coms s out and screams, that's not fair. why is it different this time? >> that's right. you know, i don't think it's different at all. this happens every time throughout history that there's sort of this issue of who is paying for it, is it the

taxpayers or is this a real official event? we've heard that every time the president goes out on these trips, he's going to these batt battleground states. i think that is why it has really irked the republican party and they've always complained, hey, taxpayers, you're on the hook pore this. now the chairman of the rnc is reaching out to the government accountability office asking for an investigation in a letter saying in part, quote, throughout his administration, but particularly in recent weeks, president obama has been passing off campaign travel as official events, thereby allowing taxpayers rather than his campaign to pay for his re-election efforts. the white house and the campaign saying, look, there's a formula here that other presidents have used and that they're following the guidelines. >> back in 2010, there was some regulatory changes that suggests if you're just going out on a campaign trip you have to reimburse the government for the cost of a 737. so that's critical. that's important. >> right.

that's important. and the white house says they have those guidelines and they're following them. but still there's a lot of criticism coming from the right. >> dan lothian on it for us this morning. thanks. nice to see you. >> okay. auto industry bailout seems to be working just fine for chrysler, the company announcing some big profits. we are minding your business. that is coming up next. and you are watching "early start." >> i'm dean karnazes, the old marathon man. marathon is 26.2 miles. ultra marathon might be 100 miles, 200 or 300 miles. i've run on every continent on the earth. every climate. i spent seven days running from los angeles to new york city. i didn't have one day of rest.

i had to run between 40 to 50 miles a day. i got to see the country firsthand in a way people will never see it. one thing i listened to a lot of was audio books. good way to make an eigh eight-ten-hour run go really fast. there's a magic and mystery. we're drawn to it. you emerge stronger. come on a run with me today and see you down the road.

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24 minutes past the hour. we are minding your business. new this morning, chrysler posting shocking profits for the first quarter. >> poppy harlow, never shocked. i like to say shocking, because it wakes people up. it is 24 minutes after 6:00 on the east coast. >> true, and we've been up for a long time. great news for the u.s. economy.

chrysler's numbers just came into us. chrysler quadrupling, more than quadrupling their profit from a year ago, $473 million up from $116 million a year ago. their sales were up from a year ago. this was a company that was on its knees, literally, three years ago. u.s. sales up 40%. that's a big number worldwide, up 33%. if you look outside the u.s., their sales were up about 80%. they're benefiting from the whole auto industry turning around. a lot of you sitting with your old cars, going out and buying new cars. but also this company head, who used to run fiat and now runs both fiat and chrysler has been credited with this turn around. and it will be touted by the obama administration. i think it's important to know that people think they repaid in full. chrysler bought a 6% stake last year to a loss of about $1.3 billion. we're still out about $1.3

billion overall. but the next few days when we hear obama speaking publicly about the economy, you're going to hear about these numbers. >> that was just chrysler that we bought that stake at a loss. what about the others? >> general motors paid theirs back in full but we have a loss there. overall you're going to have a loss for the automakers. that's what treasury has said. what they will say on the other end of that is how many jobs -- they would argue millions have been saved. >> it can be spun both ways, without question. >> it was two in a row of good news. >> that's what we bring you here. >> come back. >> is that what you do? >> yeah, didn't you know? >> you are lovely. poppy harlow, thank you. do you like to travel the world? >> i want to. >> are you a little short on cash? >> yes. >> zoraida is a very pretty girl and apparently she would qualify perfectly for this next website. >> oh, i don't think so. >> i know you wouldn't do it.

but if you wanted to, you could. apparently lovely ladies and apparently lovely men, too. if you're hot, you can travel for free. what on earth is this all about? you'll hear from the creator of this website. it is all about dating. is there anything wrong with that? we'll talk about it in a moment. ♪ dave, i've downloaded a virus. yeah. ♪ dave, where are we on the new laptop? it's so slow! i'm calling dave. [ telephone rings ] [ male announcer ] in a small business, technology is all you. that's why you've got us. at the staples pc savings event, for a limited time get up to $200 off select computers. staples. that was easy.

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this is the bell on the cat. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ i tell you what i can spend. i do my best to make it work. i'm back on the road safely. and i saved you money on brakes. that's personal pricing. it is 30 minutes past the hour. welcome back to "early start." i'm zoraida sambolin. rupert murdoch back on the stand this morning, telling the british court he doesn't have that kind of power. one kidney, three bodies in two weeks. a man who received a kidney from his sister passes it along to another patient in his need when

his body rejected it. more of the amazing medical first, coming up. and a picture of the president in a dive bar, going viral because the omg look on the girl's face right next to him. that college student named madly starky, her twitter blew up when the photo went viral. we'll talk about her overnight fame. >> she's so cute. i think the president knows she's pointing at him. looks like he's having fun as well. >> he does. >> there's a new dating website, though, that's not only generating heat but catching some, too. have a listen. on misstravel.com, there are thousands of frequent travelers who hate to travel alone. these generous travelers are doctors, lawyers rs bankers, athletes, executives, entrepreneurs and millionaires looking to travel with an

attractive person like you. >> did that say anchors? i don't know if i misheard it. brandon wade is the ceo of that website called misstravel.com. let me get this straight, brandon. th this is a website to set up hot -- i'm assuming girls. >> mostly. >> but guys aren't excluded. okay, mostly. girls to travel with a sugar daddy who doesn't want to travel alone. >> with somebody who is being generous. >> you can sign up under attractive or sign up under generous? >> that's correct. >> do i have to pay anything if i sign up under attractive? >> it's completely free to use the website as an attractive member. >> if i'm a generous member do i have to pay? >> you have to pay to communicate. when you write someone and like them, you have to pay. >> what on earth got you going on this idea? >> i am a huge romantic and love to travel. i figured why not take love and travel and put them together?

that's where miss travel came about. >> by the way, congratulations. you're newly married? >> i was, two months ago. i tied the knot. >> did you meet tanya on a website? >> through one of my websites, yes. >> through one of your own websites? did you have to pay? >> fortunately as the owner, i didn't have to pay. >> i thought it was very funny when i first read, i also realized this could be a pretty risky endeavor. you're providing a venue to set people up to leave the country, potentially, into an environment that could be very risky. are you not concerned about being at the helm of something that could end up in disaster? >> i am extremely concerned about that. perhaps that's why the reason we put so much of a disclaimer and warnings and we have a full page about tips. my suggestion is that a trip doesn't necessarily have to be out of the country. you can take a trip in your own backyard. two-hour ride from home is a trip, for example. consider that. traveling overseas is very dangerous anyways. specifically for the lonely

businessman. after business, he may be going to a bar, strip club or nightclub and issues might happen overseas. >> that's the bigger issue. if you're traveling in america, you could always get a bus ticket or hitchhike home. if you're going overseas and hooked up with someone who is a ne'er do well, he could do something with your passport and make you disappear quickly. what about the possibility of being exposed to civil litigation in this? >> i think we're fine. like any other bar, when people meet there, the bar owner is not really responsible. we're trying to get people to love to travel, like-minded individuals to meet. ultimately our goal is to tell them -- >> a bar is different. it doesn't solicit come into my bar and meet the person you're going to walk away with. you are specifically soliciting people to connect in a love interest and go traveling away together somewhere. >> we're obviously telling people don't go traveling the next day you meet them. get to know them in your own neighborhood first.

once you know them well, then plan to travel. >> one of your, i guess, comments on the website is great, put people together who have never met each other and send them away to another country. what could possibly go wrong? you're protected no matter what? >> we asked people on the websites how many people travel to meet somebody? the answer we got was surprising. over 74% said they already do that today. this simply makes the travel component much more forward. >> wrapping up quickly, how many people signed up? >> it's about two weeks old and 18,000 people have signed up so far. >> good golly, miss molly. 18,000? >> yes. >> 30% are the guys that like to pay? >> and 70% are the -- >> ones that want the freebie. >> exactly. >> share with us the results. and for your sake and everyone else's, i hope everything goes well and nobody gets into trouble. >> we may be celebrating some marriages. you never know.

right? >> you never know. they could be in turkey. turkeys married in turkey. >> i'm going to leave that one alone. next on "early start," media mogul rupert murdoch, denying he used his power to influence british prime ministers. that's ahead. 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. ♪ we make meeting times, lunch times and conference times. but what we'd rather be making are tee times. tee times are the official start of what we love to do.

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welcome back. it's 39 minutes past 6:00 on the east coast. a judge could be taken from the bench for sending his bailiff a

picture of him without his shirt on. the bailiff's husband discovered the photo on her cell phone and she told her husband she did not want the photo. judge wade mccree admits to sending the picture. he also says he sent it to others and says, quote, i got no shame in my game. his quote, not mine. a friend of the judge says the photo is part of a friendly battle. >> we have this little, i guess, battle between us on who is in better shape. and i'm ten years younger, yet i look like i'm ten years older. it was a great shot. he's in good shape. it was not sent out for any ill will or any wrong purpose. >> well, whatever the purpose, there is a commission that's going to decide whether to discipline judge mccree or actually -- he could face removal all together from the bench. we'll watch this one. >> 41 minutes past the hour.

rupe are rt mu are. murdoch is back on the hot seat. he insisted yesterday he has never asked a prime minister for anything. new this morning, murdoch says there was a cover up over phone-hacking charges. dan rivers is live in london. dan, we have been dipping into coverage all morning. we've been watching, not listening. what can you tell us? >> right. well, he has been questioned fairly closely about the phone hacking scandal that you remember last year closed down one of his infamous tabloids, the news of the world. all along, really, his position has been, you know, he just wasn't aware or made aware of the extent of phone hacking at that newspaper. this morning for the first time, he used the phrase cover up in connection without blaming his subordinates for not telling him what was going on.

>> there's no question in my mind that maybe even the editor, but certainly beyond that someone took charge of a cover up, which we were victim to and i regret. >> reporter: those words, i think, will reverberate and undoubtedly be the headline in the uk tomorrow. it's pretty frank and candid. also, his sort of mea culpa, holding up his hands and basically say iing he got it wrong. in hindsight, yes, he should have paid more attention to this issue, should have been drilling down into what went wrong, who was responsible, but he simply didn't. >> i have to admit that some newspapers are closer to my heart than others, but i also have to say that i failed.

>> well, that may be. and i -- >> and i'm very sorry about it. >> reporter: you can hear the kind of awkward pauses that he maybe deliberately puts -- or maybe that's just the way he speaks, but are contained in his answers, but leave those words "i failed" hanging there for what feels like an eternity. you see him so comprehensively humiliated like this. he has been questioned about some of the underhand tactics it's alleged that some of his journalists used, including in the words of lord justice, blackmailing people saying,

look, you give us the story. we'll keep your name out of it and then we can get the scoop. and, again, rupert murdoch basically saying he didn't know that was going on or hadn't read a rulingative previous court case where it was spelled out that that's exactly what had gone on that his journalists had been engaged effectively in blackmailing people to spill the beans on celebrity stories. >> fascinating and surprising details. dan rivers live for us in london. thank you very much. >> 44 minutes past 6:00. christine romans is in for the fabulous soledad o'brien. have you that awful, awful story starting off in new jersey. >> i have the interview with the father who basically wired his son to find out what was happening in his son's classroom. he found a culture of bullying by the teachers in his son's classroom. he sent his little boy to school with a recording device and he will join me to talk about the disturbing words he heard on

that tape. plus, notorious white house party crasher tareq salahi wants to run for governor of virginia. is this a publicity stunt? >> yes. >>. >> and linda carter is in the house. who could forget her as wonder woman? how many of you wore a wonder woman costume over and over for hallowe halloween? everyone's hands are up. >> this year. >> i'm going to put on my wrist cuffs and we'll talk to her about a new role she's taking on. all that and much more on "starting point" in about ten minutes. [ male announcer ] nature valley sweet & salty nut bars.

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it is 49 minutes past the hour. good morning to you, denver. it is 58 degrees. a college student sitting at a bar with friends, pretty normal day in most college towns but then the president of the united states walks in. that is what happened to university of colorado junior madeline starky on tuesday when president obama made an unscheduled stop at a local student hangout, the sink, in boulder. madeline took a picture with the president, posted it on twitter. you know what happened. it went viral. madeline starky is joining us this morning. good morning, madeline. did you expect this craziness when you posted the picture? >> not at all. it was ridiculous. >> and i'm curious as to what you and the president talked about. >> really, we didn't talk about a whole lot. he like went around to everyone's table, shaking hands, saying hey, introducing himself.

i get so star struck when i see famous people. i was literally, can i get a picture with you? he was like, yeah, for sure. stand up. we did that. after that, he was like, you smell good. that was pretty much the whole conversation i had with president obama. >> you told the president he smells good? >> uh-huh. >> what did he say when you said that? >> he looked at me awkwardly and said, yeah, thanks, and then he move moved on. >> so, listen, were you expecting the president to walk into the bar? how did that happen? >> not al all. everyone was at a line waiting for his speech. me and my boyfriend went to the sink for dinner. we couldn't decide between the sink and two other restaurants. we were like, ah, we'll go to the sink. we've been here two other times. the secret service men came in and said attention, the president is coming. if you don't want to meet him, you should leave now. so we just got medal wanded down

and sat there and were like, this is crazy. >> did you think it was a joke or do you think he was coming? >> at first i thought it was a joke but then we saw all the secret service guys who started taking the knives and silverware out of the place. >> wow! >> we were like, this is serious. >> that's a pretty cool picture to have. i hear you were razzing somebody on twitter about it. >> about like the -- oh, that was -- yeah. he's a senior in high school. and i wanted him to take me to prom and he didn't. so -- >> i love that. did you have any thoughts about the president prior to meeting him that you changed after your brief meeting of him? >> no. i thought he was a charismatic guy. he definitely showed that when he was in the place, shaking hands, taking pictures. wonderful dude. >> wonderful dude. >> you're a pretty wonderful

dudette also. ashleigh wants to know if you're voting for him. >> i'm not going to say over tv. sorry. >> wow! >> with a fophoto like that, i don't know. that speaks volumes, huh? very cool. >> i just don't want to get any prejudice and bias. >> i appreciate that. thank you very much. i appreciate that. thanks for getting up nice and early with us. and good luck to you in school as well. >> well, thank you. nice meeting you. >> nice meeting you. eight minutes now before the top of the hour. this is amazing. it is believed to be the first case of its kind in the united states. a transplanted kidney that was failing was removed from that patient while he's still alive and then given to someone else. the kidney originally went to ray fearing. fearing's sister had donated the kidney to her brother. sadly, a few days later, his body began to reject it. doctors did this. they decided to take the kidney out and give it to irwin gomez.

>> my strength is back. my appetite is good. >> to find out that this was going to be something bigger than, you know, just a failed transplant. it's going to help someone else. it's going to help people. >> i owe literally my life and my function to them. >> wow, amazing. mr. gomez says he is grateful to ray fearing and his sister for doing what they did. amazing. >> i think that was northwestern memorial hospital. i thought i saw it in the background. they're on the leading edge of kidney transplants. that's a very cool story. >> may be the right folks to do it. i really hope for erwin, i hope things work out. runaway cow you might want to call him, stopping at a take at the drive-thru window. run away, buddy. your friends may be in there. omnipotent of opportunity.

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three minutes to the top of the hour. great time to check out what's trending. here is this one. give the kid a ball. are you ready? last night's yankees/rangers game in texas. they caught perhaps the last people in the world ever. ball comes into the stands. she picks it up and the little kid is like, can i have it? please? come on. give the ball to the kid. no. i want to take a photograph. let's take a photograph of yourselves together. laughing, having a great time. look at the kid. oh, man. that's how it all started t looked like the player was throwing it to the kid. he has a glove and everything. come on, people. >> no, no, it's mine. i've got a good ending to this story, though. see that? a nice kind-hearted fan threw a ball to the kid later. look at that sweetheart with his t texas hat. now you're talking. >> comparing balls.

>> are you comparing notes? >> maybe he's saying we didn't see it. i don't know. i'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt. he didn't know the little kid was crying next door? >> i wish we were highlighting the person who gave him the ball as well. >> maybe he was looking for his family. mcdonald's employees in colorado get a surprise. take a look at that. runaway cow decided to visit the drive-thru. darcy is her name, apparently escaped her pen, hoofed the mile and a half to the fast food joint. i don't think she had a big mac attack. the owner called police and police had to tell her, oh, yeah, she's at the mcdonald's. you may want to get her. >> darcy, run away! imagine if you're the owner hearing -- exactly. eat more chicken. eat more chicken. that is the news, folks. early news, anyway. news from a to z. i'm ashleigh banfield. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. >> thank you, ladies. "starting point," arizona

winning. supreme court may be on the verge of upholding the state's controversial immigration law. one justice, an obama appointee even suggesting that white house lawyers are choking. more strippers, prostitutes and champagne room alleyses. is this what the secret service did on its down time? and who invited this guy to the race? white house crasher tareg salahi says he wants to be the governor, the governor of his home state. is this all a publicitstunt? he'll join us live. thursday, april 26th. "starting point" starts right now. jay-z and alicia keys "empire state of mind." joining us in a minute to talk about that big supreme court case over arizona's immigration law. abby huntsman, political commentator and daughr