70-year-old american kidnapped by al qaeda now pleading for help from president obama saying if you accept the demands, i live. if you don't accept the demands, i die. the new video straight ahead. plus off script and outspoken. joe biden reportedly sending the white house scrambling after his comments on same-sex marriage. this morning, the meeting as team obama tries to get on message. death at the derby. a track worker found dead in a barn at the world famous track. new clues and new questions as we are expecting to hear from police this morning. and middle class talkback. today we kick off a series built around you. your concerns. your issues. your questions to the candidates. today, we connect you to them and get answers. newsroom starts right now. this morning, we begin with a man's desperate plea for president obama to save his life on a videotaped just replease by al qaeda we hear from 70-year-old warren weinstein,

the american who was snatched from his home in pakistan back in august. he begs president obama, make a deal with the terrorists or they will kill me. cnn's reza sayah is in pakistan. what is the latest? >> reporter: eight months we weren't sure about warren weinstein's condition but when you look at this video, it looks like he is in relatively good condition. he speaks coherently and he doesn't seem to have any visible injuries. now, we should note that we don't know when this video was shot, where it was shot, so it's impossible for us to verify that he is okay today. but, you know, based on the video, he seems okay and u.s. investigators and pakistani investigators have something to work with in this investigation. >> as far as al qaeda go, kidnapping a 70-year-old man? come on! >> reporter: west look the world

of islamist militants and murky and shadowy. difficult to glean much from this video and impossible to verify who has weinstein. the video was spotted on al qaeda website but impossible to independently verify if, indeed, this is al qaeda or if this is some other militant group who is looking to make quick cash off ransom and using al qaeda's name. we have heard the al qaeda leader today mentioning warren weinstein and not clear if he is using this kidnapping to hype al qaeda's name in a time when they are desperate and weaker than ever. what is clear he is kidnapped and must be a terrible time for his family. >> definitely so. that videotape replealeased we have in our next hour of newsroom. we are haviare having some tech difficulties.

bruce kevin clark died on a skype video link as his wife watched helplessly 75,000 miles away. how he died is stirring all sorts of intrigue. the wife says when he was suddenly knocked forward she saw a bullet hole in a closet behind him. today, his family is trying to make sense of it all. >> he loved being in the military. and he loved serving his country. he was absolutely willing to make any sacrifice and it's just horrible that this is the sacrifice he ended up making. >> clark's wife says it took two hours of frantic phone calls for a military personnel to finally reach her husband's side. one official says clark's death is ruled as noncombat related but an official autopsy is being performed. we hope to learn more in the next hour about a murder mystery

at the kentucky derby. a worker found dead at churchill downs hours after the race. police investigating the death as a homicide. this morning, they are awaiting autopsy results. deb deb deborah feyerick is following the story. >> reporter: the victim is identified as a 48-year-old stable worker originally from guatemala and working at churchill downs with his 19-year-old son who identified the body according to the chief deputy coroner. the victim was found dead by a security guard making rounds before dawn sunday. that is hours after the famed kentucky derby. perez is believed to be a groomer for a trainer seizele burrell. he was not in the barn not far from where the winning horse i'll have another is being kept. it appears the stable worker got into a big fight. the question is with who and why. police are now questioning some of the 400 people, carol, who live and work behind the track. that area is called the back

side and it's described by police as really a minicity. a 24-hour city and has 48 barns and multiple stables and dormitories and trainer apartments. this is not the first time the derby has been overshadowed a bit. last year's race was clouded by a jockey found dead in the stables a week after the kentucky derby. right now a bill murder mystery at churchill downs. >> you have to wonder do police believe the death is somehow connected to the race? >> reporter: that is so interesting. the death is investigated as a homicide. yesterday, police were saying it didn't appear connected to the racetrack. when i called this morning and pressed for clarification on that the spokesman said that while the derby was over. so technically it wasn't connected to the race itself. but, still, you have this occurring, you know, within a 12-hour period. so everybody who was there at the time that this murder may have taken place is in the process of being interviewed by

police. we will see exactly what the connection is. >> deborah feyerick reporting live for us this morning. mitt romney is in cleveland this afternoon. he is going to talk about jobs and the economy. his speech comes with the release of a new web video attacking president obama over the latest jobs report. >> tonight, new evidence that economic recovery is slowing. >> the unemployment rate 8.1%. >> over and over again, they will tell you that america is down and out. >> the unemployment rate did drop -- >> the romney video called silence includes a graphics with words of millions of americans are suffering in silence. >> mitt romney is in a dead heat with the president. a new poll from politico and george washington university the poll question 1,000 likely voters from across the nation romney has a ten-point lead over the president among independents. bill clinton is calling on north carolina voters in the morning to reject a ballot initiative on a same sk-sex marriage ban. if it passes tomorrow the policy

defining marriage as a man and woman would become state law. robo call, clinton harms it would harm the state's economy and its family. >> its passage would take away health insurance from children and take away domestic violence from women. the real effect of the law is not to keep the traditional definition of maerm. you have done that. the real effect of the law will be to hurt families and drive away jobs. >> clinton's physician puts him at odds with billy graham who endorsed the initiative last week. >> joe biden. especially when mr. biden asherted tasser asserted "will and grace" have prepared americans for same-sex marriage. >> i took a look at when things really begin to change was the social culture changes.

i think "will & grace" did everything to educate the public more than anything has done so far. >> seriously? erks we were going to show you a clip from "will & grace." we have it! seriously, i say again. >> i know this guy. i think he might be a gay. but i don't know for sure. >> a gay? what makes you think he might be a gay, officer? >> well, he wears shorts. he is always working out. he has really defined biceps and tight abs and rock hard thighs. >> it would have worked better if we didn't have that technicality. the president's views on the issue are still evolving. much of the chagrin of gay rights groups. we will talk more about that in 20 minutes. this is not something you want to see when driving in your car unless, of course, you're a

storm chaser. meteorologist rob marciano will be along to tell it us if this twister left behind any major damage. [ female announcer ] introducing coffee-mate natural bliss. made with only milk... cream... a touch of sugar... and pure natural flavors. coffee-mate natural bliss. from nestle. add your flavor naturally. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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[ door opens, closes ] just about 12 minutes past the hour. checking top stories. american held captive by al qaeda this morning begging president obama for help. 70-year-old warren weinstein appears in a video that was posted on several islamist web sites and urging the president to accept his kidnappers' list of demand so he won't be killed. he was abducted from his home in pakistan last august. military officials are trying to determine how this army captain died in

afghanistan. captain bruce clark's wife says he suddenly slumped over as they were talking via skype last week. she says it took nearly two hours for someone to come to his aid. she also spotted a bullet hole in a closet behind him but military officials say they found no wounds on his body. storm chasers capture this tornado touching down in kansas. want to check in now with meteorologist rob marciano. it always amazes me people are calm enough to take pictures of tornadoes. >> they get paid for them and big business and we will gladly throw down a couple of bucks sho tow it to you. it touched down near olathe, kansas. this is the time of year. you hear the sirens so good warning out there in eastern kansas, southwest of kansas city, missouri. here is a threat for severe weather today. we do have some action on the radar scope. a couple of things going on.

heavy rain parts of south chicago and moving into northern ohio and southern michigan. also a little bit of snow west of the mountains there in denver. the threat for severe weather along this slow moving cold front anywhere from western pennsylvania, including pittsburgh, south towards parts of texas as well. mostly in the form of hail and damaging winds and maybe a couple of isolated tornadoes along that front and cooler air behind it. this is a rare sight over the weekend. video from japan. ferocious tornado here injuring dozens people. you can hear the panic of these folks as this tornado ripped through their neighborhood. there was one fatality. serious damage with this. you would think in japan not many tornadoes, pretty rare event. it happens about 20 times a year on average. so rare, but not unheard of. they do get them from time to time but this was strong and good pictures there appear fortunately, did some damage and caused some injuries north and

east. a couple of cities north and east of tokyo. >> thanks, rob. >> you got it. warren buffett has bad news for homeowners. he says the housing market is still in a depression and we have not seen the last of the buffett rule. poppy harlow talked with warren at his annual meeting and here to tell us about it. >> reporter: it's interesting to hear his take on the economy because he's a man who invests with simple and straightforward rules but i was surprised to hear how -- how he just doesn't think the housing recovery is here really in any way, shape, or form. the word he used for housing still today is a depression. that's how he started out our interview. take a listen to his words. >> the housing market is the one big element that still remains in a depression. not just a recession. >> still in a depression? >> it will come back. still when you're building 600,000 housing units a year in a country like ours, that is really -- that is depressed so

that affects our business, affects our insulation business. it affects our carpet business. and every place else we see pretty robust affected. >> reporter: the buffett rule did not get the support it needed in the senate. many people see it differently than you you, yourself do. is it dead for good? >> no, it's not dead for good. people are bothered by the inequality and the lack of progress and for the ultra rich and the tax code. something will happen and may not be exactly the way the bill went to the senate in that form but americans are not going to be happy in a world where the 131 of the h400 largest incomes in the country averaging 17 million and they had tax rates 15% or lean i don't think the american public understand that but to the extent they get that message they want something done about it. >> reporter: that is his point.

you have to listen to the poo u populous and the growing outrage he sees many many people it comes to the current tax system which is a big issue in this election. >> he seemed out of breath when he was answering your questions and a lot of people worry about him since he announced he had cancer. >> they do. >> reporter: i will tell you i've interviewed him a few times a year the last four years. he seemed the same to me. he did address his health in the annual meeting when asked that question. he said i am feeling great. he has four doctors and he has been consulting with them and start daily treatment in july. if he does not require him to stay at the hospital overnight at all. he really said, quote, this is a nonissue and it was funny. his cocaptain, the guy who also runs the company with him who is 88 chimed in and said i probably have more prostate cancer than warren buffett, i don't get

tested for. this is stage one prostate cancer and typical in age of people. warren is going to treat it in starting in july. his health and energy level seemed the way it was. of course, it was a topic at the meeting and did get a lot of attention. >> election 2012 plays out among middle class voters and love voters have questions and concerns like this mother of three who lives in georgia. coming up a new look at middle class concerns and how we are going to help you get answers to your questions. to being a different kind of communications company by continuing to help you do more and focus on the things that matter to you.

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middle class talkback. today we kick off a series built

around you. your concerns, your issues, your questions to the candidates to accomplish that, we chose three middle class americans from across the country. throughout the presidential campaign, i will take their questions directly to the campaigns for answers. today, though, i'd like you to meet moya and michael and skip and nana. ♪ >> this is a make or break moment. for the middle class and for all of those who are fighting to get into the middle class. ♪ >> to me, middle class is getting closer and closer to lower class by what lower class used to mean years ago. ♪ >> we cannot borrow our way to prosperity. the piper will always be paid. >> come in, walk in our foot

steps. have the bills come in and try to figure out what to pay. walk a day in my shoes. ♪ >> we got to provide help to the people who have been hurt most by the obama economy and that is the middle class. >> my biggest fear is for my grandchildren. my biggest fear is the legacy that will be left in their wake. >> i'm not asking for a huge new house. i'm looking for health care that's affordable. >> i have a lot of fears as a wife and a mother of three about the quality of life that my husband and i are going to continue to be able to provide for our family. instead of saving for college, i'm having to put money into

tuition for elementary and middle and high school. how are we going to be able to retire comfortably and not retire, but still be working? ♪ >> there's not a lot of hope for me right now of somebody is going to fix this. it feels like we have got to buckle down and everything ourselves and not expect anybody else to figure it out. ♪ >> moira and michael live in virginia and under water on their mortgage and michael among the long-term noimed. nan a from georgia who worries her middle class lifestyle is slipping away and skip is a retired small businessman from pennsylvania would worries about

what his grandchildren will inherit. each week one of our friends will ask a question of mr. obama or president obama. i will make sure she get answers from them. tune in wednesday that begins this coming wednesday for middle class talk back. joe biden says he is comfortable with same-sex marriage and what about his boss? putting him in a tough spot. if you're heading out the door take us with you and watch any time on your mobile or computer. head to cnn.com/tv. ♪ you are my sunshine, my only sunshine ♪

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of pain and fever relief recommended by pediatricians and on small business saturday bothey remind a nations of the benefits of shopping small. on just one day, 100 million of us joined a movement... and main street found its might again. and main street found its fight again. and we, the locals, found delight again. that's the power of all of us. that's the power of all of us. that's the membership effect of american express. coming up on 30 minutes past the hour. stories we are keeping an eye on this morning. an american held captive in al qaeda is begging president obama for help. 70-year-old warren weinstein appears in a video that was posted on several islamist web sites and urging the president to accept his kidnappers' list

of demand so he won't be killed. the development consultant was abducted from his home in pakistan last august. we expect to hear from police in the next hour, actually in about 30 minutes, over a man found dead at churchill downs. police suspect foul play. the body was found hours after the kentucky derby in a barn near the derby winner. police say the death has nothing to do with the derby or the track, though. wall street poised for a drop at the open over concerns over election results in europe. world markets are tumbling into the red. opening bell minutes away. so we will keep a close eye how the dow shapes up today. so did the vice president endorse same-sex marriage? it sure sounded like it on nbc. he dropped a couple of names while he was on the topic. that would be will and grace. >> i take a look at when things really began to change is in the social culture changes. i think "will & grace" probably

did more to educate the american public than almost anything anybody has ever done so far. >> so the show stars deb debra messing praise the vice president's comments. maybe joe biden needs to get him in the first few seasons. -- maybe joe biden needs to get the first few seasons of "will & grace" on video for the president. let's talk more about this with lz granderson and will cain. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> lz, do you think joe biden meant to say what he said that he is okay with gay marriage? >> well, yeah. i don't see any reason -- >> well, that part. >> i think he is okay with it. >> but when the vice president says something like that, you sort of thing he is talking about policy as in obama policy. did he mean to say it quite that way as it concerned the policy of the obama administration?

>> well, i think that there is a separation between joe biden, the person, and joe biden the politician. i think what you heard on sunday is joe biden, the person. i think if you had president obama, the person, he would probably voice the exact same thing. what we are seeing here is the politicians also having a different sort of stance on it, a nuance stance so it won't upset voters. but there's no reason to believe that biden is not a "will & grace" fan or has anything against marriage equality. >> i don't know. for some reason, that made me laugh. really? america learned about gay relationships from "will & grace"? >> come on! >> absolutely. absolutely. you don't realize it but images and television and the images in the media play a big part not just in terms of sexual orientation but race relations and gender equality and all of this help our shape our thoughts and minds on a subject that could be controversial. i don't see any harm in him pointing out "will & grace."

because it was like "ellen." >> not all americans were into "will & grace." many americans who are not for same-sex marriage. >> that's true and why the administration put joe biden in a tough spot. look. as is so often with joe biden you get the unvarnished truth what is going on in his mind. he lets you know what he is thinking. the truth is he's being asked to lie. and in many times, he and other surrogates of the administration let it out and support gay marriage. i applaud them for but going out there and act like they don't. lz used the word nuance and whatever you want to call it they are asked to pretend like they are not for gay marriage and for something else, some sort of legal equality of civil unions when the truth that is not what they think. a tough spot to go out especially by the way, when you're not running for anything right now. joe biden, yes, he is vice

president. but look. hillary clinton, all of these other surrogates that spour gay marriage is not like the president who running for election and nuancing his message as lz says. >> if you're a powerful gay rights group who wants president obama to jump on board same-sex marriage, what do they want to hear from president obama? >> you know, first of all, to just touch on what will said, joe biden is not in a tough situation. president obama is the one who is in a tough situation because he is the one who quotes dr. king and said justice delayed is justice denied and goes on and says nuance and says close up to the line but didn't cross the line to what we want to hear which is i support marriage equality. he says it in his policies. but he doesn't say it with his voice because he doesn't want that sound clip out there. it's hypocrisy and he is the one in a tough situation and he is a hypocrite and can't be upset with his administration for being honest and him being a

hypocrite for whatever reasons. >> that's right. that's why it puts joe biden in a tough spot and asking him to be a hypocrite and at times he lets out the truth. >> you know, there are some within the gay rights community, lz, that aren't so happy with president obama, even though don't ask, don't tell has gone away. and maybe the president feels that is enough right now. but do gay rights groups feel that way? >> well, you know, i've been to the dinners. i've been to the fund-raiser. i've been to the white house for briefings. and i would tell you that a lot of people within the gay community are very happy with the progress thus far. but they do not equate the progress of what president obama said which is he would be a fierce advocate. they don't see that as the same thing. i don't see that as the same thing. with that being said, i don't think that anyone questions where his heart is. to me it's really kind of funny looking at the other side of this which is mitt romney running for president the last six years and still had to

figure out a way how he could use this to his advantage. he still kind of fumbling this, this conversation here, the hypocrisy of the of the obama administration. a good window for him to go through and not doing it i don't think because he knows how to. but there is room right now that if he can say the right things, he can get some gay voters to come over and vote for him but i don't know if he is not doing it. maybe will can figure that out. >> will, figure it out in 30 seconds. >> not hard to figure out. the same reason that president obama is not telling the truth in saying that he is not for gay marriages is because the country still sides on that side of the issue. the country still says they do not support gay marriage. by the way, this evolving thing is nonsense. it's moving that way but not there yet, lz. >> no, no, no. the polls all state that the country is actually open and ready for marriage equality. the politicians are falling behind the american people at this point. >> we have to leave it there. >> i don't think president obama

thinks he can get elected on that message. >> thank you both so much. public libraries in broward county, florida, cannot handle the heat and the hot new novel "fifty shades of grey." so they pulled the book from the shelves and it has many, many, many women angry! plus. >> gentlemen. >> what are you prepared to do? >> "ironman." captain america and thor and you have a new box office championship. avenge avengers "are breaking the box office records. showbiz is coming your way next. ♪ ♪

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move over "hunger games." a new number one movie in town

called the "avengers." a box office record for the opening weekend and bringing in more than $200 million. wow! take a look. >> it's what we call ourselves. >> we have a hulk. >> nichelle turner is live in los angeles. did you see the movie? is it that good? >> oh, okay. yes! in short answer. i did and so did just about everybody else on planet earth, i think, carol. we were all saying apparently so long "harry potter." the avengers have now crushed you. seriously. this super hero team took in 200.3 million dollars at north american theaters over the weekend according to walt disney studios who released the film and made it number one for the weekend and number one biggest opening weekend in hollywood

history and smashed a previous record last summer hit by "harry potter and deathly hallows part 2." it is about ironman, thor, black widow and analysts estimate it's on track to take in over $1 billion worldwide. what made this so successful in the first weekend out, it looks like a lot of things. but significantly it's a 3d film and it's jam packed with robert downey jr. and scar let scarlett johansson and more than half of the people who saw the movie shelled out the extra money to watch it in 3d. this is a huge record and a powerful start to hollywood summer movie season and i have to say i was kidding on friday that i think scarlett johansson

in a cat suit accounted for 16 million but i'm sticking to that. i think it did! >> i have to agree with you. could have been all of those explosions too. who knows. >> reporter: maybe. >> nichelle, thanks so much. a nutty new novel. "fifty shades of grey" is pulled off library shelves in brevard county, florida. they are called the best seller mommy more than. many residents, women, are not happy with the county's decision. >> i think that's a shame because that's is why we live here, you know? freedom of speech. >> we deserve to have access to these books whether other people like them or not. it's saucy. most of us moms that have kids in school, you know, don't really have a life like that. >> there you go. so far, more than 3 million

copes of that book have been sold. vladimir put i'm's return as the russian president is marred by protests. ten years after troops to him the taliban new research over the group's resurgence. >> president karzai believe the taliban will not come back. i'm not so sure. >> we will look at the bipartisan doubts over whether it's safe to bring u.s. troops home. impulse buy. gift horse. king crab. rhubarb pie. lettuce shower. made by bees. toucan sam. that's not cheese. grass fed. curry. gingersnaps. soup can tower. 5% cash back. right now, get 5% cash back at grocery stores. it pays to discover. made with only milk... cream... a touch of sugar... and pure natural flavors. coffee-mate natural bliss. from nestle. add your flavor naturally.

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about 45 minutes past the hour. checking top stories. vladimir putin sworn in as russia's president following sunday's arrest of hundreds of anti-putin protesters. these kind of clashes erupted after a large number of protesters veered off the agreed route of t march. some threw objects at police and responded by clubbing demonstrators who drok plu police line. an al qaeda captive is begging for president obama for help. warren weinstein, 70 years old, appears in this video that appears on several islamist web sites and urging the president to accept his kidnappers list of demand so he won't be killed. he was abducted in his pakistan home last august. police are trying to

determine how this army captain died in afghanistan. his wife says he slumped over after they were talking via skype last wooeek. military officials say they found no wounds on his body. we are keeping an eye on the dow. stocks expected to die follow the european elections but so far it has not done that. it's down 33 points. also this morning, president obama is facing some bipartisan pushback over his claims the taliban are growing weaker in afghanistan. listen to what the president said just last week in his address to the in addition from afghanistan. >> but over the last three years, the tide has turned. we broke the taliban's momentum. >> but the heads of the senate and house intelligence committee say not so fast. they say the group that provided safe haven to lked al qaeda app to be growing stronger.

>> president karzai believes the taliban will not come back. i'm not so sure. the taliban has a shadow system of governors in many provinces. they have gone up north, they have gone to the east. attacks are -- are up. >> as maybe the policies or the announced date of withdrawal, the negotiations with the taliban have worked against what our end game is here and we ought to have a hard discussion about saying, listen, war is when one side wins and one side loses. >> live now to nick patton in kabul, afghanistan. from your vantage point, is the taliban stronger than ever? >> reporter: i think it's pretty clear that the insurgency is not on its back foot like many in the obama administration and nato like to say. nato i should point out have responded here to the comments of the senator and congresswoman you heard there.

but they do say sometimes amongst leaders there is what they refer to as a robust -- but the idea that the taliban is somehow on its back is completely key to the whole nato story here the whole nato -- and the obama administration's take on this decade long war. for them it's vital to make that point that on the back foot in afghan security forces can take over so they can draw down but facts inconvenient for them perhaps what you just heard was based upon -- in the east and south of the country last year there was record violence even by nato's own figures. that is attacks initiated and gains them. there are concerns inside kabul. we have seen high attacks there recently as three or four weeks ago in what should be known as the ring of steel suggesting perhaps the insurgency has to reach inside to what wechte-- ts ahead in the fighting season to

prove they have the upper hand against the insurgency as their numbers begin to draw down across the country. carol? >> nick, i must say americans hear you. but the vast majority of americans want our troops out of afghanistan and they don't care. they want the afghan security forces to assume responsibility for their own country. let's say that happens by 2014 as it's supposed to. do the taliban grow stronger in afghanistan how does it affect americans? >> reporter: the key thing i think you heard that in the comments there is the fear that safe haven for al qaeda may suddenly emerge again in afghanistan. the reason why american went here in the first place in 2000. i think most people in the afghanistan have their head around the u.s. and nato are leaving and question is really what condition is the country left in when that happens and how quickly could the insurgency allow al qaeda to back into some parts of the country.

al qaeda is said to be lower in numbers here but the real concern is how much of the country does the afghan government have control of? you heard the governors speaking about early on how effective are they and what level of confidence people have here from the statements of nato and obama administration that things are improving and safe for nato to go home for afghans. >> nick paton walsh live in afghanistan, thank you. president obama and mitt romney focusing their attention on ohio. why is the president still struggling to pull ahead there even with the numbers on his side? numbers on his side. i'll talk about that, next, as we take you live to ohio. fits m. it is 28 miles a gallon. that's pretty awesome. park assist? no hands. i didn't think that was possible. make me want the fusion. it's pretty. it's fun to drive. and the fuel-efficiency... up to 33 miles per gallon. pretty awesome.

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get ready, ohio, for a billion ro bo calls and visits by president obama and mitt romney. mitt romney will be in cleveland this afternoon to talk about jobs, jobs, jobs. his campaign spokesperson is making the rounds this morning. >> president obama is a nice guy as well, but he's just in over his head. he doesn't understand what it takes to get this economy going again. and right now, he has no real plans to jump start any parts of the economy. >> but if you look at the numbers and fact, ohio's unemployment rate sored past 11%. bl but in march of 2012, the unemployment rate stood at 7.5%. so why hasn't that residenated r

the president? he's been in ohio 21 times since he's been in office. david leeland joins me now. welcome. >> thank you, carol. >> as politicals say every year, whoever wins ohio wins the race. perception is reality. why are ohioens giving the president credit for the unemployment rate? >> they are giving him credit. you have to remember in this century, every race in ohio has been close. e we expect the race in 2012 to be close, but most polls show the president ahead right now. as far as his ability to create jobs, we were losing 800,000 jobs when the president took office and now we're gaining over a million jobs in the last few months. you remember when mitt romney was governor of massachusetts, massachusetts was 47th out of 50th in job creation. i think he should be called the

job kre may tor instead of the job creator. >> polls show the president and mitt romney in a statistical dead heat even though the unemployment numbers are better in ohio. people don't know mitt romney yet. maybe his message will resinate even more. what can mitt romney say, and i know you're a democrat, but what can mitt romney say that can hurt president obama among ohio voters? dave, can hear me? >> i thought i stunned him with that question, but apparently we lost the connection. i'm bummed. okay, david, i hope you can come back and talk to us some more about voters in ohio. on to other news now. she watched her husband die live

on skype in afghanistan. captain bruce clark's wife said she slumped over and it was two hours before military personnel came to his aid np we'll get insight from a former military defense attorney who is now in defense attorney who is now in private practice. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com there's wes, clay and demarcus.what's up guys. now i know you don't need one, but would you try these on for charity and prove just how great the fit is? seriously? no way for charity? let's do it! yup... they're doin it. the best protection now looks, fits and feels just like underwear. let's go drive, use the legs... nice teamwork! they tried on the new depend real fit. get a free sample so you can too. i'm michael bazinet, president of creative digital imaging of bangor, maine. we have customers all over the united states. we rely on the postal service for everything that we do. the eastern maine processing facility is vital to our operation and our success. if we lose this processing facility

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we have our technical issues worked out. david leeland, a political analyst and attorney from ohio is back.

hi, david. >> hey, how are you? >> i'm relieved you can hear me now. we were talking about president obama. we were talking about ohio's unemployment rate and how it's dropped from 11% during the height of the recession down to 7.5% now which is below the national average. but it's still not great. but we were talking about why president obama and mitt romney remain in the statistical dead heat. there must be ohioens don't like about the president. what do you think it is? >> i don't think so. ohio is a battleground state. ohio has been a close race in this century for all of democrat and republican candidates. the president won ohio by 5 points in 2008. we expect him to win again this year. most polls have him ahead. it's going to be a tough race. republicans have to win ohio in order to be president of the united states. obama doesn't have to win ohio to be president.

we're going to be competitive here because of romney wins we want to beat him in ohio. but it's an important thing for everybody. it's always going to be a battleground state and be close. >> i always wondered. president obama has visited ohio 21 times since he took office. i'm sure romney will be there dozens of times. does it help when candidates visit states that much? >> i think it brings a focus and attention to the campaign. and obviously, we had a huge rally for the president this weekend. over 14,000 people showed up to rally the president and to cheer him on. those people will be helping the president deliver his message to the rest of the voters in ohio. i think it's important to motivate voters and educate voters. >> you know, i'm just going to give up on david. i'm so sorry. the technical gremlins are out this morning. the next hour of cnn newsroom begins right now though.

good morning to you. i'm carol costello. just ahead, a u.s. army captain dies in afghanistan. bruce clark was skyping with his wife when she says he fell forward. she had to watch him lying there for two hours before anyone came to help. in about 30 minutes police plan to hold a news conference about a man found dead at churchill downs. his body was found hours after the race. russia's president sworn in for a six-year term while thousands of people in that country riot claiming his victory should be thrown out because of election fraud. plus a new president in france and it's having an impact orn the markets. the dow is down 30 points. we'll explain why. plus one man's plea for president obama to save his life. on a videotape just released by

al qaeda, we hear from 70-year-old warren wooin stien, the american who was snatched back in august. he begs president obama to make a deal with the terrorists or they will kill him. >> i'd like to talk to president obama and beg him that he please accept and respond to the demands. if you accept the demands, i live. if you don't, i die. >> cnn is in pakistan's capital. bring us up to date on the latest. is anyone actively looking for this man in pakistan as far as american officials that is? >> investigators in pakistan say they are investigating this matter. but they simply haven't found any new information other than this this video.

as far as the video goes, ever since warren was kidnapped last august, we weren't sure about this condition. but it looks like he's in good condition. he's speaking clearly. he doesn't seem to have any injuries. that said, it's important to point out we can't verify when this video was shot, where it was shot. therefore, it's impossible to know his condition. the video is roughly three minutes. he mentions president obama's daughter saying mr. obama, you have daughters you enjoy. i have daughters too. he begs the president to accept the demands of the fighters of god. what's very strange is while he's speaking, he appears to be eating something. he reaches for something in front of him and put it is in his mouth. it's impossible to say why he's eating something while he's making and appeal, but it could be that they are making a

strange effort to create the impression that he's being cared for. that's just a guess. but a strange moment in that tape when he's seen eating something. >> i thought his pleas were interest i interesting. you mentioned he talks of the president's children. you usually don't hear things like that in videos like this. >> those are dramatic words. but what i found interesting, and they weren't necessarily emotional and impassioned. like i said, he was eating. it's not sure if he was being told to say these lines. what kind of duress he was under. that's why it's difficult to glean a lot from this video. he's there. he seems healthy, but it's tough to say when the video was shot and where. it's a difficult time for his family. >> i mean, how likely is it that the u.s. government will meet

any of the demands by his captors. >> well, the demands according to the leader of al qaeda, among the demands are an end to u.s. air strikes in places like pakistan, afghanistan, release of prisoners from secret u.s. prisons. those are the demands that are out there that the u.s. has given no indication if they are going to meet the demands. it's hard to say what's going on behind the scenes as far as effo efforts to free this man. >> thank you. also this morning we're following the mysterious death of an army captain in afghanistan. bruce kevin clark died while talking to his wife via skype. she watched helplessly thousands of miles away. the military says there are no wounds on his body, but his wife says when he was suddenly knocked forward, she saw a bullet hole in a closet behind

him. the family is trying to make sense of it all. >> he loved serving his country. he was absolutely willing to make any sacrifice. and it's just horrible that this is the sacrifice he ended up making. >> greg rinke is a former military defense attorney. thank you for joining us today. >> my pleasure. >> there's so many disturbing aspects to this story. you know, this poor woman is talking to her husband via skype. he just collapses. she tries to call sources in afghanistan. it takes two hours to get to him to help. why would that happen? why would it take two hours? >> obviously, that's something that the military is going to need to look into. part of the problem is that he was 7500 miles away.

he was also in a smaller isolated outpost. it's not as easy to get a message to help as it might seem. but i'm sure that the army will initiate a 15-6 investigation to try to get to the bottom of what happened. >> even if he's in a remote location, he has other soldiers around him right? >> absolutely. but it depends on where he was sky skyping from. that's one of the questions that needs to be answered. but it's not as easy as the sta states as dialing 911. >> she saw a bullet hole in a closet behind him, but there were no injury marks on his body. an autopsy will be performed some time this week. what do you make of this? is it just a noncombat related

death and maybe had a heart attack? what do you make of this? >> well, it's definitely an unfortunate situation. it's a possibility that this captain had a heart attack, slumped over and was the bullet hole there prior to this? he is in a combat zone. i think the bullet hole was in the closet. was there a discharge of a firearm before? is there the possibility it was a combat death? all of that needs to be looked into. i'm sure that's why the army has been a little hushed up is they need to do an autopsy to find out the cause of death. and they will do a thorough investigation because, you know -- >> there will be a 15-6 done. >> it took his wife two hours to find somebody to help her husband. so she might be a little suspect of what kind of investigation that will take place?

>> right. i mean i think the army will do a thorough 15-6. this is part of the tragedy of war. especially with families being able to communicate realtime. it's just an unfortunate situation. and i think it needs to be looked at for what took so long for help to get there. i'm assuming the calls had to be to the right people and to get him help. a lot of questions need to be answer answered. >> thank you for joining us this morning. we appreciate it. the colombian woman in the middle of the secret service scandal is calling the agents stupid brutes who put partying ahead of the president. you saw her first on cnn last friday when she spoke to colombian tv. she told nbc she made it clear how much a night with her would

cost. >> translator: these are very basic words. sex, cash, money, i made a sign with my fingers so he couldn't pretend i was charging $80 or 80 cents. the next morning, he told me to stay. >> he told you to stay longer? >> translator: he said, stay here. stay, my love. i told him no. i told him to give me my money that i was going home. >> was he angry? >> translator: very angry. >> an official told nbc that investigators have not talked to her and she left colombia and the agent she was with resigned. the political shakeup in france. president czar koe see is defeated. the response around the world?

financial markets are selling off. felicia taylor is live at the new york stock exchange. things aren't too bad yet right? >> there's a fairly muted reaction to what happened in france. the dow is down a quarter of a percent. but markets stumbled in france. there's been a slight recovery, but germany and switzerland is down. the euro fell briefly below $1.30. that's the first time since january. >> specifically, help us understand what's going on in france will affect the united states. what's the big concern for u.s. investors? >> well, i mean, this is a new government. it raises the question as the frank co-german relationship. they used to have a good relationship. so change naturally breeds

nervousness. so we have to see how this new leader is going to change policy. he suspect a fan of austerity measures. he favors more stimulus and more spending in order to boost growth. but it could add to france's debt ceiling, which has hit its rating. that's a bit of a problem. it raises many questions. clearly, i need a drink of water. >> i could offer you this, but i can't reach all the way to new york. it's okay. we understand. felicia taylor, thank you. is the obama reelection campaign with biden's remarks. that story and reaction, next. y and it's very affordable. it was very delicious. could you please taste car insurance y?

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al qaeda is begging for president obama's help. this video was posted on several islamist websites. the development consultant was abducted last august. u.s. military officials are trying to determine how this army captain died in afghanistan. captain bruce clark's wife says he suddenly slumped over as they were talking via skype. she spotted a pubullet hole in

closet, by they found no wounds on his body. and this stornd in kansas touched down. it was one of six reported yesterday. as with any tornado, it left people in the area running for cover. mitt romney is in a dead heat with president obama. that's according to a new poll from politico. the poll questioned 1,000 likely voters from across the nation. romney has a ten-point lead among independents. joe biden's comments that he's comfortable with same sex marriage has set off a twitter explosion. let's hear his comment and then the buzz. >> look. i am vice president of the united states of america. the president sets the policy. i am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women are

entitled to the same rights and civil liberties and quite frankly, i don't see much of a distinction beyond that. >> many people are wondering if biden's remarks signal a change in the president's position. president obama has previously said his views on the issue are evolving. but both the bide a biden spokesperson said there's no further e involvement in the president's position. let's talk more about this. darlene nipparas is here. welcome, darlene. >> thank you, carol. i'm glad to be here. >> do you think biden's comments are a signal that the president might evolve? >> i hope they are a signal he might evolve. it's clear that many americans already believe in our families and in love and in commitment.

and believe that we ought to have the same fairness to marry as anyone else does. hopefully this is a sign and a signal that the next person we'll hear this from is president obama. >> some say the president has done enough for the gay community. with don't ask don't tell going away, in your mind, is that enough? >> i think this administration has done a lot for the lgbt community and ought to be acknowledged for that, but there's a lot more to do. this is among the things that we expect and hope the president will do. it's important for the administration to come out unequivocally in support of fairness and families and love. there are many other things the president can do. frankly, there's still room for us to move forward on employment protections. and we think the president and congress needs to move forward with that. so the president has done a fantastic job so far, but there's much more to do.

this is a country built on fairness. >> why don't you think the president has fully embraced the full idea? >> that's a fantastic question. i wish i knew why he hasn't done it it. i believe like other advocates do that the american people have been evolving and have grown to accept this issue. so it's kind of difficult to understand why the president has not come out. i mean obviously, there's plenty of chatter about not wanting to do it before the election and so on. but the reality is the american people are already there. and the president can make the final step by coming out for our families and for fairness. and i really don't know why he hasn't done that yet. >> 53% of americans support gay marriage. maybe you have a point there. but i guess, does he really need to do this to energize the base? is that an important part of his reelection campaign?

or does he not need to do that so he won't accept those other americans who aren't ready to fully embrace gay marriage? i mean, why take the chance? >> here's the thing. one thing we all know is that the american people do believe very strongly in fairness. so i think there's a fine line here we have to be concerned about. the reality is that there are many people who will come out and who will be energized if the president does come out. so it's a political question. >> i hear you, darlene. but everything is about the economy and these social issues will just fall by the wayside because i think many americans don't want to hear about them right now. this election has to be about the economy because that's what's going to get the president reelected. if he can convince people he has a plan about the economy. >> it's an interesting point to make and the reality is our families are struggling in part

because we need to have the same fairness and opportunity that every other family has. these issues are not disconnect ed. i do blaef in the task force where i'm the deputy executive director, there's an organization who has said over and over again, the issue is jobs. the issue is employment. the issue is fairness. all of those things are connected. and our families, like i said, continuing to need the support of the president to make sure that all americans actually have the opportunity to go into a place of employment as who they are. and to be able to love who they are. this is a non-issue in many ways because in terms of the social aspect of it, the reality is that care about love and family and commitment. that's great. that's all we're saying. the bigger issue is, can we get that off the table and move forward with the next phase and the next important issues, which is how will we take care of those families?

what is it we need to ensure that our families are able to survive and thrive in this society? and believe me, acceptance and fairness is just one amongst the many things we need. obviously, employment, and our community, employment protections because there still continues to be a lot of discrimination. >> we have to leave it there. thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you. election 2012 is going to play out among middle class voters. and a lot of people have concerns. coming up, a new look at middle class concerns and how we are going to help you get answers to your questions. [ male announcer ] american innovation. 29 years ago, it helped us invent the minivan. ♪ today dodge grand caravan is the most awarded minivan ever. ♪ who knows where innovation can take us next? ♪ directions to th ♪

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middle class talk back.

today we kick off a series built around you, your concerns, your issues, your questions to the candidates. to accomplish that, we chose three middle class americans from across the country. throughout the presidential campaign,ly take their questions directly to the campaigns for their answers. i would like you to meet these middle class americans. >> this is a make or break moment for the middle class and for all those who are fighting to get into the middle class. >> to me, middle class is getting closer and closer to lower class. by what low er class used to men years ago. >> we cannot borrow our way to prosperi prosperity. the piper will always be paid.

>> come and walk in our footsteps. have the bills come in and try to figure out what to pay. walk a day in my shoes. >> we ought to provide help to the people who have been hurt most by the obama economy, and that's the middle class. >> we want more for they granhildren. my fear is the legacy that will be left in their wake. >> i'm not asking for a huge new house. i'm looking for health care that's affordable. >> i have a lot of fears as a wife and a mother of three about the quality of life that my husband and are i going to continue to be able to provide for our family. instead of saving for college, i'm having to put money into

tuition for lkt ri and middle and high school. how are we going to retire comfortably and not retire, but still be working? >> there's not a lot of hope for me right now of somebody is going to fix this. it feels like we've got to buckle down and do everything ourselves and not expect anybody else to figure it out. >> miora and michael live in virginia. they are under water on their mortgage and mike sl among the long-term unemployed. nana is a mother of three from georgia who worries her lifestyle is slipping away. and skip is a small businessman from pennsylvania who worries about what his grandchildren will inherit. each week, one of our new

friends will ask a question of mr. obama or mr. romney. we will make sure they get answers from those men. tune in wednesdays for middle class talk back. the first installment is this coming wednesday. the vice president is comfortable with same sex marriage even though his boss isn't there yet. we'll ask our political buzz panel to see if joe biden has put the president in a tough spot. i went to a small high school. the teacher that comes to mind for me is my high school math teacher, dr. gilmore.

i mean he could teach. he was there for us, even if we needed him in college. you could call him, you had his phone number. he was just focused on making sure we were gonna be successful. he would never give up on any of us.

checking our top stories. a man was found dead at churchill downs hours after the kentucky derby. police suspect foul play but have not said if the death is related to the track or saturday ice race. we're keeping a close eye on the case of warren weinstein, the man who was abducted in pakistan back in august. al qaeda released a video that shows weinstein begging the president to answer to the demands. flags are flying at half staff for army captain bruce kevin clark. he was on duty in afghanistan and died during a live skype conversation with his wife. she watched helplessly from 7500 miles away. the military says there are no wounds and an autopsy will determine the cause of death.

political buzz is your look at the best political topics of the the day. three questions. 30 seconds on the clock. maria carr doe na on the left and will cain on the right. welcome to both of you. >> thanks, carol. >> the first question has to do with joe biden. he says he's comfortable with same sex message. he got his degree in tolerance from the college of will and grace. >> i take a look at when things began to change is in the social culture changes. i think "will and grace" did more to educate the american public than almost anything anybody has done so far. >> at least he didn't confuse it with "dar ma and greg." not only did joe biden come out and support same sex marriage, but also sean donovan, the secretary of housing, and arne

duncan said he supported it too. does all of this put mr. obama in a tough spot? maria? >> i don't think so, carol. when you look at it politically this president has done more for political rights than any other president has done. and he continues to say and frankly no different than what joe biden said, that same sex couples should have the same rights and privileges that all americans do. that's where he continues to be. i don't think gay and lesbian americans, at least the ones i have talked to, are going to punish the president for not going as far as they believe they would want him to go because they know how hard he's fought for them. >> will? >> it's interesting. it's interesting that the president'ser is gats have taken a beinger issue. i do know what evolve means. it means you have stuck your finger into the wind and figured

where popular opinion is blowing and you will follow that until it changes. so i would imagine the president would follow popular opinion until november 7th, 2012, when and if he's reelected or he loses. that's simply his not leading. >> "saturday night live" making fun of fox and friends. listen. >> how do we know that -- >> continue to invest -- but through -- >> was that audio messed up on that? >> something about education and transparency. >> okay. so we're having all sorts of technical issues today. the gremlins are after cnn this morning. they were making fun of fox and friends because they pound on president obama every morning. as you know, mitt romney met with conservative bloggers last week. the question, how badly does mr.

romney need the conservative media's help to win in november? will? >> i guess that means we have to determine what we mean by help. i do think that any conservative, any republican n running for elected office, certainly on the national stage, has to be concerned about the message being poured think a liberal bias. does he need the conservative media to recalculate that message to put forward what he really means? what the truth is? he could use that help. i don't think we should be in a position where media is propping up candidates. but certainly doing everything they can do shine light on what the actual truth is. >> maria? >> i think absolutely he needs them, carol, because right now what we have seen is that this is a candidate that conservatives do not trust. they still don't like him. and so you saw him doing what he needs to do recently in talking to those conservative bloggers because he knows that this is a base that he absolutely needs to

win and needs them to be activated and mobilized and knows the conservative media is a strong tool to do that. if he can do that to get that out to the polls to vote, that's a question we'll see. >> okay. on to our buzzer beater. 20 seconds on the clock. charles barkley sees mitt romney in the crowd at the celtics/hawks playoff game. this is what he said. "we're going to beat you like a drum in november, but don't take it personally. you seem like a nice guy, mitt romney, but you're going down, bro. he switched from republican to democrat. he has slammed gop candidates before, but the question this morning. which nba star would you want backing you if you were running for president? >> i'm going to go with one of my all-time favorites thanks to my husband, clyde direction ler. he was a great player. a great team player.

and wonderful, i think, advocate for the community as well. but james harden, who works for the oklahoma city thund r and his beard. it's clinton effect and has its own twitter handle. >> look at maria pulling that out. not exactly a star, but a current player. the answer is charles barkley. the answer is barkley. he's the best. he's the best advocate and communicator on any issue. it's the best studio analyst panel talk show, regardless of sports or news, on tv and it's because of barkley. so i need five minutes with barkley to be an advocate for the right. >> poor mitt romney then. thanks for playing. we appreciate it. >> thank you, carol. vladimir putin's return causes chaos. we'll take you live to moscow. the next revolution in music is happening here.

pandora rocks the big board. i have two car insurances in front of you here. let's start with car insurance x. four million people switched to that car insurance alone just last year. mmm, it's got a nice bouquet. our second car insurance, y. mmmmm, oh, i can see by your face they just lost another customer. you chose geico over the competitor. calm down, calm down. you're getting carried away.

the man who played goober on the andy grif earth show passed away this weekend. they are now commenting on his death. michelle turner is live in los angeles. he made me laugh. >> i know. you know what, carol, i had the same response. you loved his character. we're talking about george lindsey. he's the actor on the andy grif

earth show. he died sunday after a brief illness. the character joined the sit come in 1964 as the cousin of gomer pile. he continued for three years. he embraced the character for another 20 years as a regular on shows like "hee haw." andy griffith released a statement. he said "george told me his fondest memories were the years he spent working on "the andy griffith show." they were for me too." just such a lovable character. you can't get tv like this anymore. >> i know. i was just going to say it's like the end of a television era. we don't even have television shows on like that anymore. >> no.

not those feel-good, happy ending type of show. those aren't around much anymore. >> i want some aunt bee. thank you very much. i loved her. thank you. information on everything breaking in the entertainment worlding with get the latest tonight at 11:00 eastern on hln. tonight at 11:00 eastern on hln. tonight at 11:00 eastern on hln. tonight at 11:00 eastern on hln. my dad's gonna kill me dude... [ male announcer ] the security of a 2012 iihs top safety pick. the volkswagen passat. that's the power of german engineering.

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$1.00 for popcorn. come and get it. guess we'll make it two. you got it. progressive showed me my options, i'm showing you yours. $1.00, fresh popcorn. enjoy the show. you should have an option, just like with car insurance. that is a really great price. we hope to learn more about a misfierce death at the kentucky derby. a man was found dead hours after the big race. police investigating his death as a homicide. they are awaiting autopsy results. deborah feyerick is following the story for us. we're expecting this press conference any time now. what do you suppose they will say? >> it is being live streamed by a local newspaper. some of the additional details

coming out. police believe this was an isolated incident of a tragic incident that took place. that's now they are identifying it it. one of the reasons is the types of wounds that the victim suffered. also because of where he was found. he was in the barn, but according to this lieutenant, he was in the back portion of the barn suggesting that the body may have been moved after the victim was killed. they are speaking to several individuals, but they don't have one suspect just yet. the victim is a 48-year-old stable worker. he was originally from guatemala. he was working at churchill downs with his 19-year-old son who identified the body on sunday. he was found dead by a security guard who had been making the the rounds just before dawn on sunday. that's hours after all the excitement of the kentucky derby. he's believed to be a groomer for a prominent trainer.

he was found in a barn where the winning horse was kept. right now, police are trying to investigate who it was with and why did it occur. police are questioning people on the backside of the racetrack. it has 48 barns, multiple stables. there have been other incidents at churchill downs. last year's race was clouded by the overdose of a jockey who was found in a vehicle a week after the derby. investigators are in full throttle questioning people who may have been there at the time they believe the murder may have occurred just some time after midnight. so it doesn't appear it was connected to the race. but it does appear that it may have been an isolated incident. so police don't tonight release a lot because they want to make sure they maintain the integrity

so they are not coloring anybody's view in case they step forward to describe what happened. carol? >> i'll let you get back to the press conference. deborah feyerick, thank you. other top stories. we're keeping a close eye on the case of warren weinstein. the 70-year-old american was abducted in pakistan back in august. al qaeda released a video showing him pleading with the president. he says if the president doesn't meet the demands, he will be killed. flags are flying at half staff for kevin clark. he was on duty in afghanistan and died during a live skype conversation with his wife. she watched helplessly from 7500 mile was. made frantic calls for two hours to get him medical help. the military says there are no wounds on his body. an autopsy will determine the cause of death later this week. just one day after joe biden voiced his support for same sex marriage, another member of the obama administration says he

agrees. that's the education secretary arne duncan. he says same sex couples should have the legal right to marry. he was a friend of the president and made his comments on msnbc this morning. ♪ [ acoustic guitar: slow ]

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oil companies beat out walmart, which held the position for the two previous years. exxon mobile pace the highest corporate dividends in the country. they had a profit of $41 billion last year. with gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon, that's become the focus of some criticism. rex tillerson has been ceo for the past six years. he's also the national president of the boy scouts of america. just one day before north carolina voters decide whether to outlaw same sex marriage, another top administration official is voicing his opinion. here's what arne duncan said on

"morning joe." >> just an ice breaker. do you believe that same sex men and women should be able to legally married? >> come on, you're going to start there? >> yes, i do. >> okay. have you ever said that publically before? >> there you go. duncan joins vice president joe biden and the secretary of housing and urban development shaun donovan in his opinion. it would be the final state in the southeast to change its constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. opponents help a ro bo call from former president bill clinton will help people vote against it. randi kay has more on the decision just ahead. >> reporter: on tuesday, north carolina voters will be making a big decision at the polls. the decision to change the state's constitution. amendment 1 would make marriage

between one man and one woman the only recognized domestic legal union in the state. >> the reason we have to put it in our state constitution is half a dozen other states have by judicial fiat had a handful of judges change the laws of those states. >> it's something several other states have done, but amendment 1 goes a step further. not only would it ban same sex marriage, it would also invalidate any civil unions and domestic partnerships. >> this is a bad law because it will hurt even heterosexual families because it does not recognize any other domestic union. >> reporter: it raises all kinds of legal questions and causing a heap of controversy in the state. >> it will hurt children. it will hurt those that need the protections. >> reporter: both sides are spending millions to convince voters to come to their side. >> vote for the marriage protection amendment. >> reporter: one of the leading

voices against the amendment is the coalition to protect north carolina families hitting air waves with ads like this one. >> amendment 1 will take away my daughter's health insurance. that's extremely unfair. >> reporter: main melissa and l have been together for ten years and have a 4-year-old daughter. since libby works for the government, her daughter will lose the health insurance if the amendment passes. but amendment supporters say there's a way around that. >> the vast majority of governmental insurance would not cover her child any way. those handful of cities and counties that have it in that nature, if they reformat it so they want to cover the unmarried household members of all the children, they could do that if they want to. >> i think it's wrong to ask me to be untruthful in order to get coverage. and i don't understand why an

amendment that is meant to protect families would request that our family lie who we are and lie about being a family in order to get protection. >> reporter: recent polling shows the amendment is likely to pass on tuesday. but critics warn that if voters approve the measure, it will set a dangerous precedent. >> how people feel about same sex marriage is a matter of the conscious. but the real question is, do we want to support codifying and placing discrimination in our constitution? >> reporter: randi kay, cnn, atlanta. >> we'll be right back. look, every day we're using more and more energy. the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building

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e prevent memory loss. they checked the participant's blood for a particular protein associated with alzheimer's disease. it was lower in those who ate more foods with omega 3. that does it for me. i'm carol costello. cnn newsroom continues with kyra cnn newsroom continues with kyra phillips. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com hello, everyone. i'm kyra phillips. >> i'd like to talk to president obama and ask him that he please accept and respond to the demands of al qaeda. >> an american hostage held by al qaeda. but begging president obama for his life. warren weinstein was kidnapped in august. he hasn't been seen since or heard from until that video that justpp