here. up next, the guy who fought wall street, the sheriff of wall street, eliot spitzer with viewpoint. stay right here. ♪ >> good evening, i'm eliot spitzer and this is viewpoint where we drill down on the top stories of the day and in search of facts that inform. as john adams said, facts are stubborn things. so every night we'll search for facts to inform our opinions and hopefully yours as well. leading off tonight. mitt romney expecting to cruise to victory in the next round of republican primaries tuesday night, but he has a problem with a key voting block. that by itself could block him in the white house. tall. and he seems to know it. >> we have to make sure that we take our message to the women of america we can have good jobs

and we'll have a bright economic future for them and their kids. >> a lot of work to say the least. thethe latest "u.s.a. today" poll with 12 key streets showing obama leading over mitt romney. but when those women were polled polled, president obama leads mitt romney 54% to 36%. romney outpolled the president president obama wrong swing state male voters, but only by two points. romy rival, rick santorum, soundedful as wistful as he call for the primary to continue. >> santorum's hopes notwithstanding, wisconsin is supporting romney by seven points over santorum with ron paul and newt gringrich out of the picture. that while maryland primary

voters seem to be ready to hand romney the victory with a 25-point lead going into tomorrow's vote. what it could mean and to him for the g.o.p. in the fall. i'm joined by molly ball. how did you know, your article came out before the polling data. what was it that you saw that made it so clear to you that the women were the swing dispositive voters. >> we've seen this in poll after poll, but there is a clear strength where women voters have been moving away from romney. that's what accounts for this tremendous lead obama has opened up over mitt romney among overall voters. it really is women voters who are powering that. we have a statistical tie, a tiny lead for romney with male voters. but when you put the women vote

necessary there, obama blows him away. people think it's this decisive rhetoric around women's issues in the republican party lately. >> i was in the political arena for some time. if the republican party is pulled so far to the right on issues of choice and health can care, which is are the issues that women seem to be carrying caring about. why should anybody be surprised that women as swing voters are drifting away from the republican party? wasn't this predictable. >> rick santorum has been the source of a lot of this in the republican primary, and i think it's one of the ways that the length of the primary and the acrimony of the primary has damaged romney, who has tended to shy away from that and not get into it. he sees his fundamental argument as an economic argument. he doesn't want to get dragged into cultural stuff. he's finding he doesn't have a choice, but mitt romney's

message has been about the economy. an interesting thing in that poll you talked about is that the economy isn't the number one issue for women voters in these swing states. they say the number one issue is healthcare. >> and in fact, that is exactly right. as the evidence demonstrates. and when it comes to healthcare, what mitt romney or rick santorum is saying, neither one of them seem to be carrying a message that appeals to women voters. but there are two factors that are coalescing. in a bitter fight with rick santorum where santorum has been carrying this theological message about social values he has had to respond by going farther to the right. hasn't he strategically been outplayed over the course of the last two months. >> he has been winning the primary, and that's his primary

objective. in that sense i don't know if we can say he has been outmaneuvered. he has to play to the middle and he knows it. and then make a pitch to women voters and make up some of his ground. is there a message that will appeal to vim voters? is there something he can say that will bring them on board and will get the conversation away from this weird debate about contraception and other things that mitt romney did not expect to have on the agenda in the 2012 election. >> right, certainly part of the romney game plan was to win this early before the social issues became a fulcrum of the debate. it is very hard, even with his wife out there sort of saying, trust me he's a good guy, it's hard to see independent women coming back to him given the harshness of the rhetoric. what can you say that would

bring independent women back into his camp? >> i think this is an issue with romney with independence over all. we've seen this being driven up over the republican party, now by just republicans but democrats who have been playing aggressively to start the election early. i think his response is to drive up barack obama's negatives in return. i wrote last week that we saw a hasher line of attack coming out of attack coming out of obama. trying to get people to turn around and like him again, it may be changing perceptions of obama and favorable impressions of obama that a lot of independent voters have and convincing that obama is not such a like guy and likable guy and someone you can turn against. >> you don't need to like him. you just need to like him less. it seems to me that the only reservoir of hard support for

mitt romney is men over 50. it makes me begin to wonder if this sent going to be a replay of what we saw in '92, i guess with '96 with clinton and dole, and then in 2000 with obama versus mccain. the past versus the future. when clinton was young and dole looked like what he was, the world war ii veteran. and mccain with the generational battle. is that what is shaping up? >> sure, i think in thatcal thatcal loulous, there are more voters over 50. we talk about republican turnout being low in the primaries and republicans not liking mitt romney very much and being discouraged, but if you look at polling on democratic enthusiasm, it's down as well. he they will have to get the

fire up against especially under the youth vote. so to get those people turning out for him again will be a big challenge for the president. >> molly, your point is exactly right, and i sense it in the classroom when i speak to kids, about how excited and enthusiastic are they compared to '08, and there is no comparison. but the president is going to college campuses to stir the passion that was there in '08, and mitt romney will have to get a lot of veterans and folks over buoy. >> and there is always the byu campus. >> we'll see. molly ball, thank you so much for spending time with us. >> thanks, eliott. >> moving ahead to the g.o.p. where are things in wisconsin. is this out of reach for santorum? he has traditionally outperformed on primary day, are we declaring this over a little too quickly perhaps.

>> the great yogi berra, it ain't over until it's over. most experts predict that romney will take this election in wisconsin. sweep away all the delegates. santorum is trailing not quite by double digits but it's just on the inside of double digits at 9%. so once the votes get cast, you know, that's when the rubber meets the road. but participate of part of the problem with expecting romney to cruise to victory is that santorum has outperformed a lot of polls in this election cycle. he has managed to seize a couple of victory that have surprised a couple of people. it's not a probability, but we've seen stranger things in this cycle. >> rick santorum talking about pennsylvania. he's basically saying, my line, perhaps the historical metaphor that goes back then generations.

>> quite appropriate, i might say. >> if he can pull out of he will say i can stay alive but not likely. thei think the party is saying to rick santorum, get out of the way. and what is evidence of that? who is piling on to the romney train right now. >> before the weekend you had a reasonably significant couple of endorsements. certainly george h.w. bush, his endorsement matters mainly because it's old establishment republicanism. secondly, you have paul ryan the tea party hero tax mavin for the republican party. a lot of people think he's an up and comer. what is interesting to me is the fact that you don't have a lot of dyed in the wool tea partyers

coming out and saying mitt is our guy. you don't have jim demint who has been less negative on romney and has actually said nice things about him. he has not come out and said i'm going to go with this guy. he's still sitting on the sidelines. secondly you don't have sarah palin, who is the most well-branded tea partyer out there. if they came together, at least if palin came and said something, that would be big news. >> let's go back to the issue that we talked about with molly, can mitt romney overcome this enormous gap he has with female voters. the etch-a-sketch metaphor, can he shake the old image and turn the knob and is it too late for him to recreate an image for female voters? can he do that? can his wife help him? what is the sense out there in the field?

>> the sense is he'll have his work cut out for him. it's not for nothing that the polls are the way they are, and obama has opened up this huge lead among women and independents. that's a task that they're very much attuned to. they know it's going to take a heavy lift. however, vice presidential pick will go a long way. nikki hailen, and marco reubenan would excite a lot of latino population and all eyes are turning to susanna martinez in new mexico, rising republican star could have something to do with the g.o.p. ticket. experience could be a liability with her. but certainly her name is on the tips of a lot of people's tongue. >> when you announce the vice presidential nominee there is a bump in the polls, perhaps, but that dissipates as it gets closer and closer, because

people are voting for the president and not vice president. the structural problem that mitt romney has, on the issues that men care about, he's already doing reasonably well, but the issues that women care about healthcare, he has a very difficult argument to make because of where he has been positioned in the republican party. i have a hard time seeing how he picks up ground with those independent female voters. maybe you have an insight there, but i think structurally he has put himself in a hard position. >> well, and let's be honest. political resurrection in the republican party is not impossible. certainly it's going to take a really big effort, and remember he is also going to have tons of money to spend. not only the backers for newt gringrich and rick santorum, the two wealthy sugar daddies, as they're called keeping those campaigns afloat. they fledge pledged to do whatever they can to resurrect mitt romney for the general election and defeat president obama. that's their sole goal.

they have a lot of ammo to do it, so it's not completely out of the realm of possibility. >> joe, the factors are right. there is going to be a reservoir% of money on both sides. two things will dictate this, the unemployment rate, the housing, and the price of gas. this will be up and down based upon those numbers. and mitt romney, i hate to say he looks at those numbers and the trend lines and he's begin to go say, this thing is getting harder. how does he wake up in the morning and say he confronts the economic progress clearly being made. >> and facts are facts. he's doing a lot of that by pointing the finger right at the white house saying if your gas prices are too high, if your house is not worth enough, if you're not getting paid what you think you should, blame that guy. he was in charge. he promised to fix it. he didn't fix it. therefore, you need a technician like me.

that's his sole argument. it's resonating with some people, but not with a lot of folks who are the bread and butter independents that will make this election swing one way or another. a lot of people still have suspicions. george bush has been conspicuous conspicuously absence for good reason. a lot of people blame him even though he was the last-sitting president, and it's usually customary for the president to come out and endorse. one difficulty romney will have in making his comment about the economy. >> one of the great myths in the american public is that the president can control the price of gas. he simply can't. joe williams, white house reporter, politico, thank you for your time tonight. >> my pleasure. >> thank you. >> the fbi launches a parallel investigation into the trayvon martin case. this is viewpoint.

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>> enhanced video of george zimmerman appear to show injuries that were not requiring care at the scene. president obama may be's healthcare reform act may be overturned. that. >>jennifer granholm joins current tv. a former two term governor. >>people like somebody who's got a spine. >>determined to find solutions... >>we need government to ensure that people have freedom. >>what's really going on? >>fearless, independent and above all, politically direct. . polymers, hydo-carbons, thermal

plastics, math and science? you bet it is. many kids don't understand how important these subjects can be that's why time warner cable developed connect a million minds. to introduce kids in our communities to the opportunities that inspire them to develop these important skills. how can my car go faster? maybe your child will figure it out. find out more at connectamillionminds.com >> on sunday several thousand people marched in miami asking for charges to be brought against george zimmerman. the confessed shooter of trayvon martin. despite public outcry, george zimmerman continues to walk free. a letter comes the same day as fbi agents arrived at the shooting scene to begin their

own investigation into whether trayvon's civil rights were violated. there is more conflicting developments. "abc news" obtained an enhanceed version of zimmerman walking around the police station. it appears to show marks on his head but apparently his injuries were not enough to warrant serious medical attention. new records indicate two ambulances were initially requested but after after a brief examination of zimmerman at the screenscene the second one canceled. so the question i have whenever we invite the fbi in and say the feds are here, what are they going too along for that is any different than what the local and state cops are already looking for or is it merely they'll do it better, more efficiently. >> the problem is that the local cops didn't do their job the first time around. that's why the fbi has to come

in, the department of justice has to come in as history's encore where the local police departments failed to do their job in the death of a young black person, and the federal government has to come in and correct this. >> essentially we're saying the locals are incompetent. the fbi comes in, riding in with the calvary, and doing the job the right way. mychal, this much time has passed. it is so hard weeks after the crime to find the sorts of evidence that would now permit the feds to make a case. what is it specifically they'll look for that has not been discovered? what is out there that might be susceptible to bringing charge being brought. >> it does not have to be federal charges. it could be pressure for the local police to actually arrest george zimmerman. that's all anybody is asking for right now. is that george zimmerman be arrested. that charges be filed. there be an opportunity for justice.

no one knows what the outcome of that be. no one knows what the charges would be. but the problem is that george zimmerman as of yet has not been arrested. and that's the lowest bar we can set right now for what justice looks like is an arrest for george zimmerman. >> we're going to get to the parents in a moment, but if the feds were to go forward and the feds were to make the case themselves, what would the federal charges be? it would not be homicide or murder. am i correct on this? it would be a civil rights violation. >> they would look into this as a hate crime, and then it would get back to establishing a racial, and then we would get back to the discussion whether george zimmerman used a racial slur on that 911 phone call, or whether he was profileing trayvon because he was a young black man. it would be a federal hate crime. >> in a way, i say this as a lawyer, former prosecutor, the case may be harder to prove that zimmerman had racial animus,

where burden of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt, maybe the feds coming in will bring pressure to bear on the local cops to make an arrest on the most traditional charges of some form of homicide charge. i gather that's what you think the parents and everybody else is hoping for. >> yes, like you said, the bar is set so high for charging a federal hate crime that george zimmerman, basically his p.r. team out there now is telling us how racist he isn't to get him off of those charges. >> if the feds were to bring the case it would be charged by the u.s. attorney in florida. has that u.s. attorney said anything or done anything to make the parents feel like he's ready and willing to move forward on this? >> there has not been anything

as of yet. >> let's take a look at that enhanced video. this coming on the heels of what we've seen late last week with police station video that did not appear to show anything. how is this enhanced video showing something on the back of zimmerman's head. is that effecting the opinion in the community as to what happened? >> if there was a scuffle, they're expected to be some marks on george zimmerman. but the issue is the story that has been told has been so season indicationnallized that we expect to see george zimmerman essentially carried out on a gurney, in an ambulance with blood dripping from his nose and the back of his head because of the story told by his family and george zimmerman himself when he established he was trying to defend himself. if there are scratches on the back of george zimmerman's head it's indicative that there was a struggle, and that trayvon could have been defending himself

because we know that george zimmerman pursued him from his vehicle that night, even though the 911 dispatcher told him that it was not necessary. >> that's exactly right. it's not so much the scuffle as how that scuffle and confrontation began that is at issue. of course those facts may be impossible to determine with spes if i if ispecificity. the fact i keep turning to is the phone call with the girlfriend and when the phone records will establish whether there was or was not a phone call. that would go a long way to establishing the credibility of the argument trayvon's family. he was on the phone. he was not initiating a fight. he was on the phone. do you know whether those records will come out soon? >> i don't. that's the issue at hand. those things could come out if there was an arrest, if there were charges filed. if we were able to get this--if we were able to arrest george

zimmerman, we would be able to try this in a court of law instead of the media. >> right. well, look mychal denzel smith. i could not agree with you more. this is not the best place to conduct an investigation of the facts pertaining to a specific criminal event or not a criminal prevent, i don't want to prejudge, however we all have deep seeded suspicions on that. thank you. >> thank you, eliot. >> closing tax loopholes, the problem, they won't tell us which ones ahead on viewpoint.

>> republican presidential candidates have long made a habit of attacking the supreme court to rally their base. but in this election will president obama do the same? even before the third day arguments on the constitutionality of president obama's fordable care act conclude at the supreme court last week. both side wondering about the impact of an untuesdayal ruling on the campaign.

james clyburn said that the president could do more by ruling of the supreme court. >> i think the president ought to take a look. we've seen presidents run against congress. we've seen presidents run against the court. >> but john meacham argues the opposite. here is a pretty good rule of film for democratic presidents. if it didn't work for franklin d roosevelt, it probably won't work for you, too. let's bring in author of "obaminos." thank you for joining me.

>> yes. >> should president obama attack the supreme court, defending a statute that is inherently unpopular. it doesn't strike me as the best way to victory. >> it doesn't strike me that way either. it means the issue of who is going to appoint the next justices of the court. that's an issue he can campaign hard on. i don't think there is any way to paint the fact that the idea of having this law unconstitutional is any kind of a political plus. it's just not. >> right. at a certain level the healthcare act is the defining feature, economics survival notwithstanding and if it is the fulcrum to have this court strike it down, it's an emotional blow to the legitimacy of his agenda. >> it certainly is. that's huge political problem for him. but you know what john meacham said about fdr. he left out one part of that, which is the supreme court, he

put the fear of god in the supreme court. after that flopped-- >> you're exactly right. when fdr went after the court the supreme court changed their moves, but the court was still held in some degree great respect, and they are saying, no, no, no you don't do that the supreme court. do you think the public is ready to view the court through a different prism. >> i think so, and i think it's the court's doing that it's that way. you put the finger on the milestone of this development. bush v gore, citizens united and now this. these are the three strikes. and the court is in danger of underlying its own. they are supposed to be dressed in robes handing down wisdom. this is not supposed to be a

political smoke-filled room where the republicans vote one way and the democrats vote another. >> it is a reality that the supreme court has maintained the mystique, the proper word that shrouds its decision-making process. what is fascinating the last time there was this political pressure, at least the potential for this political pressure to be applied to the court was during the fdr presidency when the president was trying to dramatically expand the role of government. the supreme court at first said no. he applied pressure and then he said yes. is this the way that the government has a power and the supreme court is ripping it away. >> yes, instead of stopping, they're trying--the court is trying to push us back into the past rather than halt the march of progress. that is somewhat different. absolutely. >> and so it's one of those fascinating moments when the supreme court's role may be

pivotal and changing the power of the political powers. there is polling, do you think politics will interfere with the decisions of the supreme court. now does that surprise you you and i look at the supreme court and have this mystique that you referred to, the public may not see it that way as much any more. >> i think that's right. and one thing that has made that, that is kind of caused a tipping point for that, in this case the auto that we've been listening to, that's something brand new. there has been audio before, but in the citizens united case and bush v gore we didn't have sound bytes on tv every night and instant polling. this is something quite new. it's another step down--it's another step down in the dignity of the court. as they put the cameras in. >> that's fascinating that you made that observation. those of us who argued for many years on different levels that

transparency is good for government. they had pushed hard, they didn't want the audio tapes, and they didn't want the cameras because they're afraid that the mystique will disappear if the public can see their reasoning. do you think if the public would sat there and saw it would they think less of it or more? >> they would think less of it because they would see that these are flawed human beings that sometimes don't make a whole lot of sense. but given this court that would be a good thing. for this court to undermine itself, that's a good thing for the country. >> interesting perspective. we'll have to have that conversation some other time. one of the great institutions that is maintained the stability of the democracy has been the court even after the bush v gore. many thanks. >> thank you. >> i'll weigh in with my thoughts of the republicans, the supreme court, and healthcare on

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attack on women that perhaps the majority of the population woke up? >> idaho is not known as approaching act i.v. you had hundreds of women show up, thousands signed petitions. they made their voices heard. what happens is that now, the legislators are running scared. very similar laws have passed quietly in other states for the past 10 years, really in the past two years have intensified. pennsylvania a similar law was shelved, idaho this proved to be political poison. women are paying attention and having their voices heard. >> thanks for coming in. >> the aclu considers a demand that to get a job you have to let an employer open your private mail, the senate wants to make it illegal to hand over

a password to your facebook account. >> here's my view of healthcare, republicans and the supreme court. as i tell students in my class five is the most powerful number the united states. five justices can do virtually anything they want. they can pick a president. they can redefine the constitution. three facts and they are facts i want you to keep in mind as the supreme court litigation unfolds. one, there is no question that the statute is squarely constitutional. the supreme court doesn't write a blank slate.

the most conservative judge on the d.c. circuit, the second most powerful court in the nation said with absolutely clarity and no doesn't the statute was constitutional. it doesn't mean that they have to follow it, they can overturn it. the second fact, the idea for the mandate came from the conservative think tanks in the nation. the third fact, newt gringrich and mitt romney supported it without any doubt. mitt romney made it the law of his state. until they were running for president and ran into the buzz saw of the tea party. so what then explains this sudden reversal? the republican opposition to this idea that is constitutional, conservative and put into place by their own political leaders? two theories. one, these days everything president obama has done whether they should agree with

it or not. second, they don't simply don't have a coherent theory of when the government should intervene in the public place. they owe oppose regulations on the environment, the regulation of wall street, no matter what it is, they oppose it. the only answer, mitt romney's own answer, cut taxes deregulate. you know the problem with that? the last time we tried it, it didn't turn out so well. that's my view.

>> coming up on viewpoint. paul ryan and the phoney g.o.p. budget, the numbers just don't add up. but first, let's check in with governor jennifer granholm in "the war room." hello, governor, what do you have in store for us tonight. >> i'm so glad to be tossed to

you, governor. i'm glad to be able to say that inside "the war room" as you've been reporting, all eyes are on wisconsin. we have people who are on the ground in milwaukee that we're going to be talking to find out what is coming up tomorrow. as we all know ann romney has been getting rave reviews on the trail. she is not likely to save mitt we'll buck talk about this, women voters swinging. stay tune for "the war room." >> the war on women and now the war on science. let me ask you, could ann romney be mitt romney's vice president vice presidential nominee? >> she may be the only one who accepts. >> that sounds great. more viewpoint ahead coming right up.

>>i know this stuff and i love it and i try to bring that to the show. >>and humor and politics with a west coast edge. >>politically direct means no bs, cutting through the clutter. >>bill press and stephanie miller, current's new morning news block. weekdays six to noon. i don't just talk about politics, i've lived politics. >>beltway politics from inside the loop. >>bringing you exactly what's happening in politics today by people who know what they're talking about. >>d.c. columnist and four time emmy winner bill press joins current's morning news block. >>i know what i'm talking about and i love it and i try to bring that to the show.

>> paul ryan's budget was passed in the house on thursday, and howard glecman called it a mystery. and quote, being unfair to mystery meat. the ryan budget passed in the house 228-191 with democrats unanimously voting against it. as republicans congratulate themselves on the courage to make tough decisions most of us are left questioning which tax loopholes ryan intends to close to raise the trillions of dollars in revenue the budget promises. edit spite the complete lack of specificity, he had this to say after the vote, i quote people deserve to be spoken to like adults, not pandered to like children. they deserve solutions. they deserve specifics. i agree. the problem is this budget simply doesn't have them. joining me now former labor secretary and profession of uc

berkeley and author of " "aftershock" robert recich, the premises underlying the entire paul ryan budget, if we close the loopholes, that will be good for rates. that will be good for capital growth. dubai that premises? >> look, in theory, you can certainly get a tax code that has fewer loopholes. if you got rid of every destruction you could have a much lower tax rate and get in about the same amount of revenue. the interesting thing about paul ryan's plan, he doesn't tell what loopholes he's going to close. he doesn't say what deductions he's going to end. it really is a mystery meat budget. all he wants, evidently, are the headlines saying he's reducing taxes, especially he's reducing marginal taxes on the very rich,

but how is he going to make it up and reduce the deficit is a totally mystery. no one knows. i've gone through every document, every piece of paper there is nothing there. >> he's talking about $700 billion minimum per year that we've got to some how cobble together in tax loopholes that will close. >> at least $700 billion a year. he's talking about a $4.6 trillion tax cut. i mean, that tax cut alone it makes about millionaires. it gives millionaires about $150,000 extra money a year. it cuts their taxes by about $150,000.37 but where those taxes are going to be made up it's totally unclear. >> you know i agree with you on this. i want to be clear. if all the loopholes were closed and the capital gains tax eliminated, so all income, whether it's from the sale of stock or real estate were taxed as ordinary income, then those who are earning income above

$1 million, since they receive a disproportionate amount. >> if you made it equal to the tax on ordinary income, took away in a loophole, and you took away all the other loopholes saying rich people you cannot deduct your mansion, the cost of interest on the loan, your mortgage for your mansion. you can't deduct all your--everything else that you're deducting now yes in theory, in theory the rich would pay a little bit more, but that theory has nothing to do with this republican budget whatsoever. >> you mentioned the magical 15%, but i hate to put mitt romney in the spotlight but when he revealed to the public what his tax rate, it was below 15%, that's because of the vast majority of his income was taxed

at 15%. where most folks who are earning $80,000 a year they're significantly above that. >> this is totally absurded. the whole purpose of having a lower capital gains tax rate if you believe there should be, but the whole person given for why capital gains ought to be lower is because at least in theory people who are investing are taking risks with their money that other people are not taking. but when you're dealing with private equity, managers like bain capital, mitt romney, they're not taking any risk at owl. they're investing other people's money. they're getting 20% on the gains from selling the companies that they buy and retelling them at a higher amount of money. and they're not risking any of their own money at all. it is absurd on its face. >> i want to put up on the screen, we have a list of the loopholes that would have to be closed to get to the

$700 billion that paul ryan is talking about. as you look over this, capital gains, $71 billion is perhaps even small compared to the deduction that exists for the employer construction. >> no, not only is this going to happen, but the republicans are not even going to suggest the outlines of what they want to limit. at least the democrats and credit to president obama and the democrats, they're talking about very specific limits on how much can be deducted for a lot of these things. that would effectively mean the rich would have to pay a little bit more in taxes, and obama and the democrats are talking about an absolutely alternative minimum tax for the very rich. but republicans, though, given that they don't want the millionaires to have to pay any more, they want to reduce the taxes on the millionaires, they are not going to talk about any

limits on any deductions specifically. because that in the perverse logic of the republican tax theory that, amount to a tax increase. >> professor, we're going to have you back some day to go through they are other tax deductions so the public understands what they are and why they work. otherwise this is a smoking mirror consideration. this. >> is happy getting the message next on few vicinity.

>> apple ceo timothy cook taking the first significant step to transform how the technology giant operates since the death of jefe jobs last august. last week cook toured one of the chinese manufacturing plants that produce amy's iphone andy pad. the factories are operated by

foxconn with more than 1.2 million workers, china's largest private-sector employer. apple has long been under the intense scrutiny for the treatment of workers at foxconn. in response, apple competitioned an oughtty to evaluate the three foxconn's chinese plants. the result they found multi violations of the labor law. many were working seven days a week, were not getting paid for overtime or being fairly compensated. with its reputation at stake apple is putting pressure on forksconn promising to cut down hours, and giving overtime. joining me now charles duhigg, staff writer for the new york sometimes and aer of "the power

of habit: why we do what we do in life and business." shedding light on one of the great travesties. we buy these products and we don't know who is making them and what their conditions are. why are you been on this story and why has it had such a dramatic impact on apple? >> we started working on this series about a year before it appeared in the newspaper. the reason why is because we knew that there were problems and they were writing about conditions in chinese factories. we knew amy had a turning point. it had become the most publicly traded company in the world as a result we felt it was important to let people know that the products that you buy from apple are made in conditions for most americans are not what they envision as being the birthplace of iphones and ipads.

>> audits have been done of other companies. do you think apple, because it's products are cutting edge and so driven by the imagery of the company itself are they more susceptible to pressure a that your articles generate than perhaps companies that are making t-shirts and garments in asia. >> i think you're right. there has been a transformation of where our electronics come from. many of the products, they've come from apple itself. what has changed in the last three months is that apple under tim cook has become much more transparent about particular companies, particular factories and the conditions that they find. they released the name of 156 of the suppliers who supply parts and assemble apple' devices.

they've invited the fla to go into some of those factories the fair labor ocean, and report what they find on a factory by factory basis. it has transformed how we think of these companies overseas and for nikki and reebok, really transformed how textiles and how shoes are made. >> time is short, do you think it will ripple across to textile and other sectors where there are similar conditions and where similar remedial efforts need to be made? >> tightly. foabsolutely. >> foxconn raises wages-- >> i can hear you, it is fascinateing but we got to end.