immigration laws. charles schumer has entered the hearing room. this hearing is focused on arizona's immigration law, which goes before the supreme court tomorrow. court will determine the constitutionality of the law that allows local police officers to check the immigration status of someone they think could be an illegal immigrant. aamong the witnesses, arizona state senator who wrote the law and a senate legislator who wants to repeal it. >>> we mentions the supreme court is considering the constitutionality of ard ar's immigration law tomorrow. justices are considering whether arizona has the authority to enforce the immigration law or if the federal government has exclusive authority when it comes to immigration. you can hear oral arguments on friday night on c-span at 8:00 eastern. >>> good morning, everyone. the hear willing come to order. today's hearing, we will be discussing the constitutionality and prudence of the many state and local immigration laws enacted during the past few years. in 2011 alone, state legislators from across the country introduced 1,607 bills and re

angelica is a target of the arizona immigration law. unlike the arizona immigration law, the dream act is a practical solution to a serious problem which treats these young people and thousands of others in a human and just way. sb-1070 would harm law enforcement and encourage racial profiling going after the very people that you have just met. that is not consistent with our values as a nation. it is not consistent with our constitutional values. mr. chairman, thank you for this hearing. >> thank you, senator durbin, for an excellent and heartfelt statement. we will, having no other people here, will turn to our panelists. i'm going to introduce each of them. their entire statements will be read into the record, and we will let each of them make a statement. russell pearce is currently the president of banamnestynow.com. an organization advocating for increased immigration enforcement in border security. he was the former president of the arizona state senate, a position he held until november 2011. he's most widely known as the author

ten seventy they're hearing both sides of the debate on key pieces of arizona's immigration law that will ultimately decide of states of the power to enforce their own laws to arrest illegals the arizona law conflicts with federal immigration policy at issue is whether states have the authority to step in to enforce immigration matters or whether that's the role of the federal government those who oppose the law say that it is the case of states going too far that the feds basically preempt this is their area this is their authority regulate immigration the law is going to cause significant civil rights problems throughout arizona if he uses the word relaxed to describe the federal government's unfortunate policy on immigration and he says arizona has decided who has to step into the breach be obama administration will argue that states have a limited role to play folks in arizona say it's an absolute necessity in their opinion the federal government has not done its job in enforcing immigration laws. now the supreme court is going to rule on this case until sometime in june so we hav

supreme court the case of the arizona immigration law. anwhile in arizona about 25 tea party supporters gather in the state capitol as they support the arizona immigration law. supporters of the measure making a point that they support legal immigration but not illegal immigration. we talked about this in our last hour. some background on exactly what the court will be deciding. we expect a decision by the supreme court by mid to late june. jan brewer is the governor of washington. she was here in washington inside the courtroom, supporting the bill she signed into law and after the oral arguments which ran about 80 minutes, governor brewer spoke to reporters. >> i'm very, very encouraged of what we were all able to view today and hear. i thought that the hearing went very, very well. i feel very confident as i walked out of there that we will get a favorable ruling in late june. i'm very impressed with the fact that they gave us extra time, something that we all know is very unusual. that gave us a significance of how important this rulin

immigration battle. the u.s. supreme court heard arguments yesterday on the federal government's challenge to arizona's controversial immigration law. most of them stood inclined to ruling the arizona law constitutional. nbc's steve handelsman has details. >> reporter: supporters of arizona's attempted crackdown on

immigration reform. erie is a great place. arizona is not trying to make its own immigration law. arizona is not trying to set up borders deciding who can live in arizona or not based on immigration status. they are simply trying to assist the federal government in carrying out the terms of the law as congress has laid it out. why this case is so important next week -- if the obama administration gets its way, they will turn it on its head, giving the executive branch unfettered authority to define which classes will be removed and which will not. there is as much involved in this case involving the role of the federal level, as well as the role of the states. if charles schumer says he is going to rewrite the law -- if congress acts -- if the obama administration says we can do what ever we want -- we can let in millions and millions of people who have no right to be in this country and ignore the stipulations of congress. that is what is at issue in this case. host: dan stein brings up chuck schumer's plans, which is the headline in "the washington post" this morning. "the legisl

arizona law and came out in opposition to it. they said it makes it more difficult for them to maintain order and enforce law in arizona. immigrants, because of this law, the chiefs of police said, will be much less likely to cooperate and they need their cooperation to continue to fight crime. there's another troubling aspect to the arizona immigration law. according to experts, the law encourages racial profiling. i chair the senate judiciary committee subcommittee on constitution, civil rights and human rights. last week at a hearing on racial profiling, we had the first hearing on the subject since 9/11/2001. one of the subjects we examined at the hearing is the spate of federal, state and local measures in recent years that under the guise of combating illegal immigration have subjected hispanic americans to an increase in racial profiling. the arizona immigration law is a prime example, and let me explain to you why. arizona's law requires police officers to check the immigration status of any individual if they have -- quote -- "reasonable suspicion" that the person is undocumented. what is the basis for "reasonable suspici

immigration status. law enforcement incidentally does not have the time or resources to prosecute or incarcerate every undocumented immigrant. the arizona immigration law will simply deter undocumented immigrants from being part of the community and cooperating with law enforcement where necessary. don't take my word for it. ask the arizona association of chiefs of police who oppose s-1070. there's another troubling aspect of the arizona immigration law. according to experts, this law encourages racial profiling. last week i held a hearing on racial profiling, the first one in 10 years, on capitol hill. we heard testimony about the provision in this law, arizona's immigration law, requiring police officers to check the immigration status of any individual if they have, quote, reasonable suspicion that the person is an undocumented immigrant. the explanation of the law went further to say how you can gather this notion of reasonable suspicion and it went on to say by the way a person dresses or by their command of the english language. now, one of the withins -- witnesses at this racial profiling hearing was ron davis, he's the chief of

law in arizona is exceptional and would be an excellent model for other states. >> we can check the record, bay, but i remember governor romney saying the arizona immigration law, sb 1070 is a model for the nation. he didn't say e-verify was a model. we'll look that up. >> you just saw it. we just saw the clip. >> i know. when he was campaigning earlier, he said -- attacked rick perry on immigration for the dream act. >> be careful when you call someone a liar. that's a little serious. >> it is very serious and i mean it. >> he's owed an apology if you're wrong, paul. >> he attacked john mccain on i am dprags from the right and rick perry for signing a dream act for the state of texas. >> absolutely. >> he attacked newt gingrich for wanting some sort of legal status. >> yep. >> he attacked rick santorum for confirming sonia sotomayor. >> i'll check. >> he made no change to his

the question of whether state laws can trump federal authority on immigration issues chairman chuck schumer says they'll take action if the supreme court upholds arizona's law by sixty eight versus federal power struggle that they're looking at the key issue before the court is who should be enforcing illegal immigration laws if it's a controversial state law that cracks down on illegal immigration in arizona which requires police officers to check the immigration status of anyone they suspect is in the u.s. illegally it also makes it illegal immigration a state crime they say s.b. ten seventy is a racist law. now that case is an important one and will be providing more coverage after tomorrow but court is in the news i thought we should take this opportunity to shine a light on another case that could be heading there and it's a case we will not hear about in the mainstream media that's for sure if you know you and the mother of jose padilla are asking the supreme court to reinstate their lawsuit against former defense secretary donald rumsfeld and five other cars and officials are not familiar with this case jose padilla is an american citizen who wan

the court will decide whether arizona has the authority to inforce its own immigration law or whether that is the law of the federal government. c-span will air oral arguments of the arizona immigration law starting tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. that's on c-span. >> where's the national public radio table? you guys are still here? that's good. >> this weekend on c-span, the 98th annual white house coronets dinner. president obama and late night talk show host jimmy kimmel headline it be event. a foreign audience of celebrities, journalists and the white house press corp. coverage starts with the red carpet arrivals live at 6:30. you can sync up your experience online at c-span's dinner hub. find the celebrity guest list, highlights of past dinners, plus blog and social media posts at cspan.org/whcd. the white house core respondents dinner live saturday at 6:30 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> the social security trust fund will not be able to pay out full benefits beginning in 2033, three years earlier than projected last year according to an annual report released by social security truste

supreme court heard arguments on the government's challenge to arizona's immigration law. from the questions and opinions they expressed most of the justices sounded inclined toward ruling the law constitutional. nbc's steve handelsman has details. >> reporter: supporters of the crackdown on illegal immigration gathered outside the supreme court. and opponents who charged the arizona law would target hispanics the obama administration dropped that charge. >> the government conceded no it's not about racial profiling. >> reporter: the case is about requiring police to determine the immigration status of anyone they stop and suspect is illegal and to detain them while they check with the feds. obama administration lawyer argued arizona is working to drive illegal immigrants out of the state. but conservative justice anthony ska leah noted arizona is not trying to kick out anybody, the federal government has already said does not belong here. it seems to me, said john roberts, the federal government doesn't want to know who is here illegally and who is not. swing justice antho

immigration reform. erie is a great place. arizona is not trying to make its own immigration law. ona is not trying to set up borders deciding who can live in arizona or not based on immigration status. they are simply trying to assist the federal government in carrying out the terms of the law as congress has laid it out. why this case is so important next week -- if the obama administration gets its way, they will turn it on its head, giving the executive branch unfettered authority to define which classes will be removed and which will not. there is as much involved in this case involving the role of the federal level, as well as the role of the states. if charles schumer says he is going to rewrite the law -- if congress acts -- if the obama administration says we can do what ever we want -- we can let in millions and millions of people who have no right to be in this country and ignore the stipulations of congress. that is what is at issue in this case. host: dan stein brings up chuck schumer's plans, which is the headline in "the washington post" this morning. "the legislatio

it's also a big day on capitol hill as the supreme court begins hearing arguments about arizona's immigration law. the just 'tis will decide if the law passed in 2010 infringes on federal authority. it requires police while enforcing any other laws to question the person's immigration status. if they suspect he or she could be in the country illegally. the legislation has certainly left arizona residents divided. >> unfortunately, illegal -- american jobs and [not understandable] >> we don't believe anybody is illegal. and people are safe tells us people have a right to come into cross borders. >> arizona says the law is consistent with federal immigration policy and is necessary to control illegal immigration in a state that shares a 370-mile long border with mexico. the justices are expected to reach a decision by late june. >>> the federal government brings the first criminal charges connected to the gulf oil spill. former bp engineer curt knicks was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice. investigators say he deleted about 300 text messages that indicated the blown-out well was spew

the court will decide whether arizona has the authority to enforce its own immigration law or whether that is the role of the froth. c-span will air oral arguments of the arizona immigration law starting tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. that's on c-span. >>> the u.s. general overseeing operations in the southwest of afghanistan says he has had no cooperation from the pakistani army in securing its border with afghanistan. major general john tullen spoke earlier at the atlantic council in washington, d.c. the u.s. will continue to defend the afghan military for at least ten years after the country formally takes control of its security according to an agreement signed earlier. this is about 45 minutes. >> i'll ask one question and then just look to the audience to continue the discussion. you gave us a good sense of sort of the threat specifically. but can you talk sort of more broadly about the taliban, you know, where are they now in your estimation? what's the chances of them popping back up? i don't know that depends on the trajectory of the afghan security forces. can you give us a s

arizona law constitutional. nbc's steve handelsman has details. >> reporter: supporters of arizona's attempted crackdown on illegal immigration gathered outside the supreme court, and opponents who charge the arizona law would target hispanics, the obama administration dropped that charge. >> the government conceded that, no, it's not about racial profiling. >> reporter: the case is about arizona's right to require police to determine the immigration status of anyone they stop and suspect is illegal and to detain them while they check with the feds. the obama administration lawyer, argued they're driving those out of the state, but justice scalia noted arizona is not trying to kick out anybody the federal government has already said does not belong me. "it seems to me," said chief justice john roberts, "that the federal government just doesn't want to know who's here illegally and who's not." swing justice anthony kennedy asked, must the state accept in its borders illegal migrants? liberal justice stephen breyer asked if they, arizona, just called the feds, what's the conflict? liberal justice sonia sotomayor, a latino, warn

well as supreme court has heard arguments in the case of arizona's immigration law the way it plays out in supreme court could set the tone for immigration law in several other states now amid all this we want to take a look we want to take a moment to look at the consequences of this controversial law especially after new footage brings in a tory s case and back into the limelight it shows police tasing an immigrant to death take a look for yourself. kind of hard to see because it's dark but you can see here as a crowd of agents swarm around on a staffie or hernandez who is on the ground as the officers continue to tase him police earlier said that hernandez is behavior justified the use of force but this video brings that into question for further discussion on arizona's immigration law and its consequences i was joined by author and activist kevin powell is the author of this book barack obama ronald reagan and the ghost of dr king here's his take. well to me to understand and i've been to arizona many times that a lot of folks would chip the latino communities in the river expected

immigrants outrage. >> protests in multiple cities against arizona's controversial immigration law. its fate now at the supreme court, which appears to be in favor of it. >>> and parents' plea. agony on their faces. the arizona couple promising never to give up looking for their missing 6-year-old girl. >>> also this morning, ann romney's revelation, a health scare just weeks ago. her brave battle with m.s. >>> and it is soaring to new heights. new york's new world trade center, just inches from a milestone. >>> good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm tanya rivero, in for paula faris. we begin with the red-hot issue of immigration. specifically, arizona's tough immigration law. >> we will officially know where the supreme court stands on it, come june. as abc's tahman bradley reports, yesterday's arguments provided plenty of early clues. >> reporter: the supreme court is taking on one of the most contentious issues in this country, immigration. the question before the court, whether the state of arizona can make its own immigration law requiring police during routine stop

explain to all of us being from arizona why you believe this law is needed in arizona to remedy the immigrationstate. >> well, it is not just immigration for the state of arizona but the united states. we have a set of laws and the u.s. go of the is not enforcing them. we have seen the drug violence increase and we have seen numerous illegal immigrants come into the country, so the government has not done its job, tom. >> are you saying that arizona's model of what it is trying to put through, what people refer to as the papers please law should be something the federal government looks at as a model to institute for the country? >> i think arizona has come to the table to question this relationship because in order to get somewhere, we all have to do this together and instead of suing arizona we should be at the table. this administration should be at the table trying to solve. this americans agree, two out of three agree with american's immigration law. >> there are people that refer to this as state sanction the racial profiling. how do you respond to criticism about the law and some people

congress have the exclusive power over immigration or are k states like as -- can states like arizona get involved? >> the obama administration sued arizona to block the law. saying the federal government should be in charge of immigration. attorneys representing arizona argue that the law is necessary to control illegal immigration in a state that shares a border with mexico. >>> as the justices were hearing arguments inside court, protestors were argue, they are side of the case outside. delia goncalves has more. >> reporter: after a 48 hour prayer vigil outside a u.s. supreme court, hundreds of protestors rally against the arizona immigration law. >> what do we want? >> justice. >> reporter: advocates from around the country say this fight is not only for immigrants, it's for everyone. >> just really challenges our basic constitutional values that someone can be judged by the way they speak or they look. >> reporter: jim says he doesn't feel as safe in his hometown anymore. ever since he was pulled over by police. >> when i asked him why he pulled me over, he said it was because i looked suspicious. like most americans, i've never carried my passport a

immigration. the question before the court, whether the state of arizona can make its own immigration law requiring police during routine stops, to check the immigration status of anyone they suspect is in the u.s. illegally. the arizona man who brought the case says the law seems un-american. >> i never expected to have to carry my passport in my own country to prove that i belong here. >> reporter: hearing oral arguments yesterday, the justices appeared to find little trouble with major parts of arizona's law. justice anthony kennedy addressed the huge burden illegal immigration puts on the states. the state of arizona has a massive emergency, with social disrupti disruption, economic disruption. even liberal justice, sonia sotomayor, seemed that arizona exceeded its authority by enacting the law. you can see it's not selling very well. why don't you try to come up with something else? outside the court, and in cities across the country, protests by people who believe arizona's law encourages racial profiling and stereotyping. >> it was a sign whether the states have the right to promote racism,

government, the government is saying the administration is saying that arizona's law which basically enforces federal immigrationh it. should fall because the federal law is supreme. it's not clear to me that it doesn't see it that way. >> bret: juan, senator kyl there charging that the effort in the senate today was really an effort to pressure the supreme court. in the wake of president obama said in the rose garden about the healthcare decision, how does that play? that charge republicans are making and the senate democrats are trying to pressure justices before the case even comes up. >> i don't know that they are trying to pressure justices. it's more the case they are playing to the political theater out there. especially people who are concerned that this law was improper, potentially lead to the racial profiling and the like. it's important to make a distinct between that argument and the argument that people will hear and report on tomorrow in the court. nothing to do with any business about the racial profiling or discrimination against the people who might look to someone as if they are illegal immigr

waded into another controversial election year issue this week hearing oral arguments on arizona immigration law. the obama justice department sued arizona over that 2010 law, arguing that governor jan brewer violated the constitution's supremacy law, and enforcing federal immigration statutes, are the justice's buying the administration's argument. joining us, wall street editor, paul henninger, and jason riley and joe rago. this is a case about federal versus state power and the supreme court this week, both liberal and conservative justices did not seem very sympathetic to the federal government's argument. >> no, they didn't because arizona very carefully crafted the state law to fit into the federal law. so, really, all they're doing is saying, look, if the police happen to pick up somebody, maybe they need to verify their legal status, that's part of federal immigration law. so-- >> the state is saying, we're just going to enforce the law and supplement what you do. what about the provision of the law, arizona law that says, look, if you're illegal, it is a crime. if you're illegally here,

justices will hear arguments from the obama administration pose a challenge to arizona's immigration law. the high court will decide what role states can play in the immigration policy. the arizona law requires police to question a person's immigration status if they suspect that person is in the country illegally. >> mitt romney is all but sewn up the and gop presidential nomination and is in general election overdrive now. the former massachusetts governor swept all five republican primaries yesterday. he is taking aim at the white house incumbent. >> tonight is the beginning of the end of the disappointment for the obama years. it is the start of a new and better chapter that we will write together. >> romney still does not have the delegates to officially claim the mantle of republican nominee, but his remaining competitors are on the verge of collapse after yesterday's big losses. newt gingrich said his campaign will take a realistic look at where it now stands. former rival rick santorum is meeting with romney aide today possibly indicating an endorsement is on the way. rick santor

featuring residence of arizona sharing firsthand stories about the impact of that law on families and communities. the u.s. supreme court will hear arguments on arizona's immigration law today. the arizona law requires people to question the immigration status. for people that are stop for other i havelations. coming up why one of the supreme court justices won't be hearing this case. >> 6:05. >> today the senate is expected to pass a proposal to throw the u.s. postal service a last minute lifeline. it would make it tougher to close down thousands of post offices and end mail on saturday. lawmakers did not vote yesterday on a key plan calling for two-year ban on closing 3700 post services. >>> more cows will be test positive. that tow was at a ran dam willing -- agricultural officials say the cow was never a threat to humans. however, the news has prompt -- up we will bring you a live bart on the ever the taken. >>> last night a fee proposal was passed by the associated students of uc berkeley council. it requires the students to pay $2 per semester for five years to keep the paper moving. >>> sal. you are watching everybody. how are the folks behaving on highway

even better. ♪ >>> this half hour, arizona's tough immigration law seems to get a sympathetic ear at supreme court. we'll ask the state's republican governor while she's so confident the law will stand. and mitt romney fully supports arizona's get-tough approach. the truth about how that could hurt him come november. >>> plus a brutal turn in syria. government forces are apparently killing people who talk to united nations monitors. whatever happened to the cease-fire? >>> as the supreme court heard arguments today over arizona's controversial immigration law, protesters on both sides of the issue were gathered outside an as well as onlookers and reporters. it's a contentious issue, especially with those who hold immigration reform close to heart. a quinnipiac poll out this week shows while americans support the arizona bill, it's also known as sb-1070, hispanics in particular are split, and the republican party knows it needs to do much better among hispanic voters for a victory come november. let's discuss the supreme court arguments and the politics of immigration with the governo

. >>> supreme court takes up arizona's controversial immigration law fotoday. it allows police to check individual immigration status and allows individuals to be prosecuted. other tats have enacted similar laws. the obama says the law is illegal becausist the federal government's role to enforce immigration and foreign policy. >>> the john edwards trial begins its third day. his lawyers will likely have the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses. andrew young detailed what he said was edwards' plan to use illegal campaign money to hide his mistress. when he asked him to claim paternity of rielle hunter's child he agreed. >>> overseas. u.n. special envoy kofi annan said the situation in syria is bleak. amateur video purports to show u.n. observers in homs and hama yesterday. it reports government troops entered after observers left and killed more than 30 rebels. >>> coming up on the morning news -- a race against time. the search is on for a 5-year-old heart patient taken from the hospital by his father. >>> first, scott pelley with a preview of tonight's "cbs

arizona's immigration law taking center stage at the supreme court today. s a controversyal law as you know, requires police in that state if they pull someone over for any reason to check that person's immigration status if they suspect the person is illegally in the country. the high court set to decide if the state overstepped its bound. we're starting to hear from some justice on this. shannon bream outside the supreme court. leaving oral arguments, shannon. tell us what happened. >> reporter: rick they just wrapped up. today only eight of the justices sitting. because justice elena kagan who was the solicitor general for the obama administration sat this one out because she was involved in the original decision to bring this lawsuit against arizona and its law. four different provisions are being challenged today. i have to tell you this was heated bench a lot of questions, a lot of probing. it was interesting too because reset the lawyers who argued the health care case. paul clement of state of arizona and assistant attorney general ba really arguing

arizona's immigration law is in front of the supreme court this week. e court will decide if arizona has the authority to enforce its own immigration law or whether that is the role of the federal government. c-span will air the oral argument starting friday at 8:00 p.m. eastern. we are bringing you live coverage of the testimony of the chair and ceo of news corp. rupert murdoch. he is answering questions into media practices and ethics at his company. taking a short break and will return to live coverage in just a moment here on c-span2. the british phone hacking investigation is looking into the culture of practices and ethics of british media. last year david cameron appointed board justice brian leveson to oversee a committed sins of the main it -- between politicians and the police and celebrities. at the conclusion of these hearings the committee will make recommendations on the future of press regulation and governments. you can see the full inquiry and c-span.org. this morning rupert murdoch testified before the leveson committee and discussed fo

same lawyers who were battling over the rez's health care law were back in front of the supreme court today this time over arizona's tough immigration law. the governor who signed that legislation into law spoke earlier. >> it was very, very revealing today. i think that weal succeed. and i'm looking forward to june. >> nbc justice correspondent pete williams watched today's oral arguments inside the courtroom and joins us from outside the court. first of all, what is jan brewer correct in what she is inferring from the oral arguments today? did it seem as though there might be a majority at least to uphold some of arizona's controversial law? >> andrea, usually i pay no attention to what the interested parties say after the argument but i think she's actually on to something here. it eemd to me a majority of the court is willing to uphold at least part of the arizona immigration law, perhaps the most controversial one, the one that required police in the state to inquire into the immigration status of anybody that they detain or arrest and any kind of routine arrest or traffic stop. now, the obama administrationing had gotten that

immigrants who are already in the u.s. obama says that romney, on the other hand, is in favor of arizona-style immigration laws. >> these are laws that potentially would allow someone to be stopped and picked up and asked where their citizenship

on the question of the arizona immigration law. join you and hoping that the supreme court finds it unconstitutional. under our constitution, states to not have the right to pass their own laws preventing federal laws on immigration. it is wrong. it is counterproductive. decriminalize people because of their status, their immigration status. law-enforcement, incidently, does not have the time or resources to prosecute or incarcerate every undocumented immigrant. the riz on immigration law will simply detour undocumented immigrants from being part of the copper -- part of that committee. do not take my word for it. asked the arizona association of chiefs police who oppose sb1070. there is a troubling aspect of this immigration law board. according to experts, this encourages racial profiling. last week, i held a hearing on racial profiling. we heard testimony about the provision in this law requiring police officers to check the immigration status of any individual if they have reasonable suspicion that the person is an undocumented