liberty university does not endorse candidates. the governor's presence here should not be seen as an institutional endorsement of his candidacy. the bible teaches us that christians should be good citizens. christians should all take for the candidates who is positions on the issues are more closely aligned with their own, not the candidate that shares years or her faith or theology. we are electing a commander in chief, not a pastor or religious leader. i have got a crack in here about jimmy carter that i will skip. [laughter] i would like to invite governor romney and the doctor to the podium at this time. with the power vested in me by the board of trustees, the doctor of humanities is conferred on governor mitt romney with all of the rights and privileges apertaining thereto. [applause] now to deliver our 39th annual commencement address, i am thrilled to welcome the next president of united states, governor mitt romney. [applause] >> thank you so very much. mark, thank you for that powerful and moving an emotional introductio

he went to liberty university formerly known as liberty baptist and pandered in every way he could tonce with the obvious shared belief in the superiority of chstianity over all other forms of religious expression. it was christian chest thumping at its worst. a speech in which mitt romney had nothing good to say about your religion if your religion isn't christian. >> the welcoming spirit of liberty is a tribute to the gracious christian example of your founder. jerry deserves the tribute he would have treasured most as a cheerful confident champion for christ. he explained by pointing to me and then himself, he said christ died between two thieves. young christians were drawn to such a university in ever great numbers. here you are. christianity is not the faith of the complacent, the comfortable or the timid. it demands and creates heroic souls like wesley, will bear force and john paul ii and billy graham. each showed the relentless and powerful influence of the message of jesus christ. someone observed that the great drama of christianity is not a crowd shot following the movemen

so in an effort to appeal to right-wing conservatives, he heads to liberty university tomorrow, whicha school founded by jerry fallwell. and it teaches its students that mormonism is in fact a cult. joining us on the phone from lynchburg, virginia is mckay coppins with buzz feed mckay thing for being in the war room at least by phone. >> thanks for having me. >> you bet. so you have been on the liberty campus for the last few days. what is the mood there? >> it is really interesting, because you have these evangelical students who -- you know are very active in their faith, very politically engaged, overwhelmingly republican. and under normal circumstance they would be thrilled to have the presumptive nominee coming to campus but as you said liberty university actually teaches mormonism is a cult. so it's pretty [ inaudible ] here that mitt romney is in a cult. and there are a lot -- pretty attorney about whether they should be excited and supportive of mitt romney because he is a republican, or whether they should be kind of uncomfortable because he belongs to what they believe is a

in the 1970's, nobody was founding universities like liberty. my father embarked on what would become an arduous journey. he and commented later that -- he even commented later that if he had all what he learned later, he would not have founded a university. in 1987, i was in the trenches with my father as chief legal counsel try to find the necessary financing to keep the dream of liberty alive. my job was to negotiate with creditors when liberty was on the brink of survival. there were many times we would issue paychecks on friday and spent the weekend begging and borrowing to cover the checks so we could put them in the bank on tuesday. we will surpass 100,000 students in the the next 12 months. we are the largest nonprofit university in the country. we are the largest christian university. [applause] today, we have 220 programs of study. we will be opening a medical school in the fall of 2014. our campus is in the midst of a $250 million upgrade. it will underscore liberty's commitment to academic excellence. we are committed to intercollegia

mitt romney giving the commencement address down at liberty university. >> that's right. nt who is speaking at the world's largest christian university. what the hell is going on? here to tell us. a good friend. the head of americans united for separation of church and state the reverend berry lynn. >> it's nice to be back. >> thank you for coming in so early this morning. this is like a ritual that republican candidates have to do? right? >> right. mitt romney had to do it even more because mitt romney knows that there is a huge difference of theological opinion between what mormons believe and all of the students at liberty university means. he admitted there is a difference in theology here he said in an interview after the speech, a significant difference in theology here he wanted to say i know there is a difference here don't ask me, too much about it. that didn't work very well. he tried to do a jack kennedy speech explaining why he would not listen to the headquarters in salt lake, he would care about the constitution it pretty much was a flop. he should not repeat

we're keeping an eye on liberty university this morning. that is because mitt romney is giving the commencement speech at the evangelical school. liberty, of course, is the school founded, of course, by television evangelist jerry f l falwell. romney's camp says there won't be any policy mixed into the speech. instead it will be personal stories and some lessons. >>> rick santorum has a message for mitt romney. use same-sex marriage as a weapon. santorum who just endorsed romney earlier this week spoke at an event last night in arkansas. he's telling romney to, quote, step up and get in touch with value voters. he hear here's part of the message. this is a very important weapon, if you will, for governor romney if he's willing to step up and take advantage of a president who is very much out of touch with the values of america. that's a quote. >>> the big bank now faces a credit downgrade much like the one the country got last year. the bank's ceo jamie dimon admitted it was a major mistake by the bank. many expected a harsh reaction by wall

liberty university is to evangelical christians what brigham young university was to mormons.livered the key note in liberty university, republican presidential candidate mitt romney hammered home themes of family value to a crowd he had a hard time winning over. he avoided talking about his mormon religion and talked about faith in broader terms . [applause] religious liberty is the first freedom in our constitution. and whether it is cause for justice for the persecute compassion for the need yesick or mercy for the child waiting to be born. there is no greater force for good in the nation than christian conscience in action. >> so white evangelicals make up the large voting and dr. robert jeffers of dallas is vocal against the mormon religion saying mormons are not christians. >> mormonism is a thelogical cult and i hold to that and there is vast mean moronism and christianity and the only person who doesn't recognize that is both ignorant of moronism andism. >> he got applause when he talked about marriage being a relationship between one man and one woman. quite a contras

mitt romney did not shy away from a hotly debated topic during his commencement address at liberty universitywhat he had to say about same- sex marriage. >> tragedy for boston university. how the school is remembering three students killed while studying abroad. >> forget about sending that latest tablet >> you are watching abc 7 news is 6:00. on your side. >> boston university will hold a candlelight vigil for 3 students studying in new zealand that were killed this morning. they were headed to the most famous hiking site when there manini van crashed. five other students were injured. the students killed were from new jersey california and paris. >> we are going to the latest on the campaign trail. president obama's weekly radio address, he asked for congress to act on his to do list. >> the president says the list is a 5 point plan. he proposes helping small business owners by giving them tax breaks. fo hiringr more workers. mitt romney spent the day in lynchburg where he was the commencement speaker at liberty university. he received a warm welcome even though the school teaches that his

next, mitt romney delivering the commencement address at liberty university. later this year's atlantic council awards dinner honoring prince harry of england and you and secretary general ban ki moon. >> mitt romney's the to the graduating class at lynchburg, virginia. it called itself the world's largest christian university. in a 20-minute speech, he talked about faith and family values and making malls and standards a part of their everyday lives. he also restated his position that marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman. his remarks are 20 minutes. >> i would like to invite governor romney and dr. godwin to the podium at this time. in recognition of gov. mitt romney's contribution and an acknowledgement of his camaraderie on the right to preserve those values upon which this nation was founded, but the power invested in me by the board of trustees at liberty university, the doctor humanities is hereby conferred upon gov. mitt romney with all the rights and the privileges pertaining thereto. now, to deliver our 39th annual commencement add

romney's next test comes a little more than a week when he speaks at the christian conservative liberty university but the romney campaign says it's not worried, it is confident the gop is motivated and rallying to beat president obama in the fall. wolf? >> thanks very much. he was one of candidate obama's sharpest critics in the 2008 campaign but what a difference four years has made. now former president clinton is one of the biggest guns in

we want to get you back to the speech of mitt romney at liberty university.e were told from his campaign it's not a policy speech but he'll share life lessons that he learned with his audience there. let's go back and listen to a little more. >> his conclusion was this. culture makes all the difference. what they believe, and what they value. central to america's rise is our judea christian tradition with the vision of the traditions and polktds of every human life. the american culture promoted personal responsibility, the dignity of work, the value of education, the merit of service, devotion to a purpose greater than self, and at the foundation, the preeminence of family, t family. the power of these values, this culture, is according to a recent brookings institution statement from rick santorum. for those who graduate. get a job and marry before their first child, the probability that they'll be poor is 2%. but if those things are absent, 76% will be poor. culture. what you believe, what you value, how you live matters. now, as fundamental as these princ

liberty university does not endorse candidates. the bible teaches the christian should be good citizens, and i believe that includes the obligation to vote. my father believes christian should vote for the candidate whose positions on political issues are most closely aligned with their own, not who shares their faith. we are all a thing as a commander in chief, he would often say, and i have a crack about jimmy carter i am going to skip, but i would like to invite governor romney to the podium at this time. in recognition of his contribution and acknowledgement of his camaraderie and the right to preserve those and values on which this nation was founded, by the power vested in me, the doctor has conferred mitt romney with all the rights and privileges appertained. privileges appertained.

. >> mitt romney delivered today's commencement address at liberty university, one of the world of the largest christian schools. quite many conservative christians are skeptical of his mormon faith. romney also touched on a subject that has come to the forefront of the presidential campaign. >> mitt romney got a warm welcome at conservative liberty university, founded by jerry falwell. they teach that romney's mormon faith is a cult. he made his most extensive public remarks on -- his most extensive public remarks on religion. >> the offer the one believed they could agree on. >> marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman. [applause] >> homosexuality and same-sex marriage hit the ground running on the campaign trail this week. romney is scrambling to explain a report that while in prep school he organized a hazing incident in which he cut off the long hair of a fellow student who may have been day. >> i did stupid things in high school. if anyone feels they were offended by that, i certainly apologize for that. >> on wednesday, president obama, speaking to abc's robin ro

it follows an address by mitt romney at liberty university...romney - ssme-sex marriage. & arriage..- 3ffom president obama a message toofemale graduates that equality can be theirs. it's palf his countrr you're half for it..don't just get invvlvee, fight ffr your seat pt the table. fight or a seat -3 at the head of the table." wonder if this is part f the campaign's appeal to women 3 creep into his message.... "whether you'll eeabbe to balance equal pay forreqqal &pwork. whether you'll be able -3 to alancee he demands of your job or your famiil. whhther -3 you'll be able to fully controlldecisions about your oon heaath."though the president shareddthe stage with evan wolffon -- one of marriage movvmentt-- he madee &ponly gllncing reference tt he -3& heedllnes"no matter who you are or what you look like &plike, no matter who you love prrwhat god yoo orrhip you can still pursue your own - happiness."mitt romney also -3 passed oonan opening to take on the issueeduring a weekend -3 graduation speech aa the -3peeangelical liberty university -3 with

answers. >>> you are looking at a live picture of governor mitt romney on stage at liberty universityf course was founded by the late reverend jerry falwell, sr., and this is an opportunity for governor romney to do major outreach to the evangelicals of the party that is going to be so crucial come november. >> the chicken sandwiches were a comfort food to the primary season and heaven knows there were days that we needed a lot of comfort. so true, thank you and congratulations on the well deserved honp for the -- honor today. [ applause ] of course, there are some people here who are even more pleased than the graduates. that would be their parents. their years of prayers and devotion and investment have added up to the joyful achievement, and with credit to congressman dick army, the american dream is not owning your own home, it is getting the kids out of the home you own. [ applause ] lately, i have found myself thinking about life in four-year stretches. and let's just say that not everybody has achieved in the last four years as you have. but that is a theme for another day. but

governor romney delivering today's commencement speech at liberty university. he used the opportunity to speak to the evangelical base from one of the nation's largest christian universities. lauren green is live now with the latest from our new york newsroom. >> liberty university is to evangelical christians what brigham young university is for mormons. for mitt romney it was an opportunity to bridge a gap between the two faiths. delivering the keynote commencement address at liberty university, republican presidential candidate mitt romney, a devout mormon, focused on common ground, hammering home themes of family values and strong work ethics to a crowd he's had a hard time winning over. romney praised the students for the values learned at liberty. >> not all colleges instill that kind of confidence, but it will be among the most prized qualities from your education here. moral certainty, clear standards, and a commitment to spiritual ideals will set you apart from a world that is searching for meaning. >> though romney is not the first mormon to address th

in liberty university where you expect romney to bring this forward, he's not going to. in his answer to that cbs affiliate yesterday, that's move on. the polling data already suggests they're close and tight with the romney campaign and what romney needs to do is persuade independents and they're focusesed on the economy. that's where he's going to head. >> appreciate it. >>> we turn to the latest on a major u.s. intelligence leak and the hunt for the leaker. federal investigators are trying to find out how several news organizations learned that al qaeda was planning to blow up a u.s.-bound airliner with a new type of underwear bomb. and that the chosen bomber was, in fact, a double agent working for the cia. joining us now from west babylon, new york, peter king, chairman of the house homeland security committee. great to have you with us, congressman. good morning. >> good morning, rebecca. thank you. >> what is congress going to do about this? >> well, first of all, i know the house intelligence committee -- i'm a member of the intelligence committee and i know the

mitt romney made it definitively clear where he stands while speaking at liberty university today. >> liberty and known as one of the world's largest christian university's. >> this could have been a potentially awkward situation. many conservative christians are skeptical about his mormon faith. mitt romney brought an olive branch, bringing up the newest hot button issue in this campaign. >> mitt romney got a warm winter project warm welcome at liberty university the institution founded by jerry falwell. >> culture, what you believe what you value, how you live matters. >> the school teaches that his mormon faith is a cult. >> marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman. >> , sexuality and same-sex marriage were front and center on the campaign trail this week >> mitt romney is scrambling to explain a washington post report that he was the ringleader in a hazing incident in which he cut off the long hair of a fellow student because he was thought to be gay. >> if anyone feels that they were offended by that i certainly apologize. >> meanwhile, president obama publicly ch

john roberts tells us how romney's mormon religion will play at liberty university. >> it could be aining moment for mitt romney. a huge platform at the nation's largest evangelical university. an audience still not sure about his politics or his faith. >> i think there are some people out there who have issues with the mormon faith. >> jonathan falwell, the son of liberty university founder jerry falwell. >> i have issues with the mormon faith as a pastor but we can still stand together as citizens of the united states. we're still americans. >> romney might not have been their first choice, many evangelicals are rallying around him despite the deep differences over faith. >> mormonism is a theological cult. i still hold to that. >> robert jeffers, pastor at first baptist in dallas, unleashed a fire storm of criticism, when he called mormonism a cult at last year's valuers voters conference. now he is urging evangelicals to support the man he once opposed. >> given the choice between christian like barack obama, who embraces non-biblical positions like abortion and non-christian lik

and as the founder of liberty university, i think jerry falwell senior will be very proud on saturday these kinds of days where the university could be on full display to a large audience and to -- and to host a prominent leader, which the governor certainly is. so this was his kind of day. >> well, we are eager to see how this turns out, the response that it has. and i know we'll be talking to his son, reverend fall well on sunday. >>> liberty calls itself the largest evangelical university in the world with 82,500 students on campus or online. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62% is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of earl

owthe off-road. >> mitt romney is delivering the speech at liberty university. >> jamie: kelly, libertyrsity is evangelical christians to what brigham young is to mormons. for mitt romney, it was an opportunity to bridge a gap between the two favorites. delivering the keynote commencement address at liberty university. the republican presidential candidate mitt romney, a devout mormon hammered home strong work ethics to a crowd he had a hard time winning over and romney praised the students for values raised at liberty. >> not all colleges instill that kind of confidence, but it will be among the most prized qualities from your education here. moral certainty, cheer standards, and the commitment to spiritual ideals will set you apart in a world that is searching for meaning. >> romney's not the first mormon to address the graduates at the evangelical institution. there's been a catholic and an unusual version, but for romney, white evangelicals, make a large of the republican party have been a stumbling block. and the reverend from first baptist dallas has been saying mormons are not ch

liberty needs someone faithful to god to lead the university. for his part, mr. aying the role of commencement speaker is not to promote their own beliefs but to showcase liberty and its mission. back with us now. richard wolff, what are the effects of this? >> it is one of timing, really. there is obviously the risk of people criticizing from the evangelical communicate. the bigger danger is this issue of what, who are you trying to reach at this point? really, if romney was in a strong position with his basering should be reaching out to people who are infrequent conservative voters who are independents and not the base. the problem is to panneder to this crowd. he will surely panneder to this crowd. he will have to throw them the red meat. the president with his decision on same sex marriage, at least a statement on it, has given some defining character to this speech. but this is the wrong group of voters that mitt romney should be appealing to right now. >> right. there are any number of colleges and universities where romney's speech would not make any news

i believe that his warm reception at liberty university is a good indicator of how evangelicals nationwidel support him in the fall. i say that because liberty is largest christian university in the country and in the world and we have a good cross section of evangelicals from all denominations and all faiths. if anything, his appearance here and warm reception bodes well for his electability. >> one final question. maybe two if you don't mind. you did mention some of the students that were protesting this commencement speech. and i was reading through the facebook petitions and even one student cited your own theology course there at liberty that labels mormonism a cult. what's your response to that and the fact there were a number of students that came forward and said this shouldn't be happening and this is not what liberty preaches when it comes to mormon religion? >> liberty has no official position on mormonism. our statement does not define mormonism as a cult. there are hundreds of professors here and i'm sure you could find someone like the professor who authored that course that

. >> ama: mitt romney delivered the commencement speech at virginia's liberty university. one of the world's largest christian schools. a potentially awkward situation because many conservative christians are skeptical of romney's mormonnity. but romney pleaded for -- >> mitt romney come a warm welcome at conservative liberty university founded by jerry fall farwell. the school teaches that the mormon faith is a cult but romney -- >> people of different faightz, like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose. >> there was one belief they could agree on. >> the enduring institution of marriage. marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman. [applause] >> homosexuality and smedges smedges marriage hit the ground run only the campaign trail this week. romney is scrambling to explain a point that as a teenager in high school he cut off the hair of a male student who may have been gay. >> did stupid things in high school and if anyone feels they were offended by that, i certainly apologize for that. >> made a decision -- >> on wednesday, pr

there he is at liberty university. the papers were filled with stories about how students and faculty members think, that he is a member of a cult. >> and they teach a course on it. >> steve, let's talk for a moment about the blistering new ad. the romney ad says they're thrilled to get back on the economy. did they want to do it by having their campaign compared to a blood sucking vampire? >> yes? >> they did? >> no. mitt romney has run, this will be the sixth competitive election of a republican primary or general electric where mitt romney has been a candidate. and in five of those six, his record at bain, his ties to bain have become a central line of attack at some point from his opponents. that's happening again here. this is expected by the romney campaign to a certain degree. the real, the $64,000 question here is this. if you look at the polls right now, the one basic advantage that mitt romney has over barack obama is when you ask people, who is better on the economy? romney is actually edging out obama. who

the presumptive nominee mitt romney had a much-anticipated speech at liberty university. you were there. >> i didn't make it down. i watched the speech. >> there has been much made about evangelicals being skeptical. i want to play a little bit for our viewers of something he had to say down at liberty. >> people of different faiths, like yours and mine, sometimes wonder where we can meet in common purpose when there are so many differences in creed and theology. surely the answer is that we can meet in service, in shared moral convictions about our nation stemming from a common world view. >> so not about religion, about values, that's where he went with that. is the mormon issue now off the table? >> well, i'm not sure how much it was on the table. look, i think in american politics values ends up being a major part of every election, even if it's not in the headlines. people look for candidates that they think share their views on the most important, deeply held things you care about in life, including family and faith and so forth. so while the media has been obsessed

romney delivered the commencement address at liberty university, an ultraconservative institution, foundedthe late reverend jerry falwell. brian moore has our report. >> the next president of the united states, governor mitt romney. >> in his commencement speech at the world's largest christian evangelical university, mitt romney underscored his stand against gay marriage. >> marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman. >> that line was a guaranteed crowd pleaser at liberty university, which was founded by the late reverend jerry falwell and is located in the battleground state of virginia. the presumptive republican nominee's appearance is an important step toward winning over the ultraconservatives who shunned him during the primary. president obama, who made history this past week by publicly supporting gay marriage, was honoring the nation's top cops. >> there are people who are alive today only because of their courage. >> first lady michelle obama was at north carolina a&t state university talking about civil rights but inviting comparisons to current fights, like gay ma

. >> that's serious i do not liberty university, a well-known center of open-minded thinking.f irony i think. >> eliot: you think so? morererererererererererererererererererererererererererererererere >>(narrator) gavin newsom, lieutenant governor of california, and former mayor of san francisco is coming to current tv. >>every night on cable news networks everyone's focusing on what's wrong. i want this show to move past that. i love creative people, and with all the vexing problems we have we need creative thinking. >>(narrator) with interviews with notables from silicon valley, hollywood, and beyond. >>at the end of the day this show's simple. it's about ideas. ideas are the best politics. ideas can bring us together. >>(narrator) the gavin newsom show. premiers friday may 18th. only on current tv. it's go time. >>every weeknight cenk uygur calls out the mainstream media. >>the guys in the middle class the guys in the lower end got screwed again. >>i think you know which one we're talking about. the overwhelming majority of the country says"tax the rich, don't go to war." >

highlights in the liberty university. >> also how safe are you in the sky? we heard about serious transportation violation and including air traffic controllers sleeping on the yob. do safety regulators drag their feet after whistle-blowers sounded the alarm. >>> and 7 stories up. trying to keep this young girl from cutting her life short. from american's election headquarters tonight. mitt romney selling himself to a conservative voting block it is a group that seemed to split the support between peryesantorum. as you know both are out of the race now . today governor mitt romney delivers the commencement address in liberty university. jerry falwell founded it in the 19cents. the governor talk being about the same faith and values and at issue that is moved front and center and after president obama said same-sex couples should be allowed to matter. >> what you believe and value marries. as fundamental as principles are. they may be topics of democrat debate from time to time and so is the enduring institution of marriage, marriage is a relationship between

today, it's liberty university. an evangelical university founded by jerry falwell. will be mitt romney's turn to talk to the graduates. this is a university that teaches that mormonism is a cult. he's got his work cut out for him, as you mentioned. here's what's interesting. he won't be talking about bullying or anything other than family values. >> cracking down on cheaters like china when they take away our jobs. >> reporter: romney talked about jobs in north carolina. when it came time for questions by reporters he was asked about reported high school bullying. >> i was one who did some stupid things in high school. if anyone feels that they were offended by that, then i certainly apologize for that. >> reporter: that was romney on message. his first response to the story that he cut the long, bleached hair of another student considered different was much different. accented by laughter. >> i don't remember that incident. i'll tell you -- i certainly don't believe that i thought the fellow was a homosexual. >> mitt romney is not a fully fleshed out figure for the

all that you have heard here at liberty university about truching in god and in his purpose for each of us makes for more than a good sermon. it makes for a good life. so many things compete for our attention and devotion. that doesn't stop as you get older, by the way. we're all prone at various times to treat the trivial things as all important, the trivial things as important. and little by liter lose sight of the one thing that endures forever. no person i've met, not even the most right use and pure of heart has not gone when faith reseeds and the busyness of life is normal and sometimes the smaeflt glimpses of the lord's life can reawaken our hearts. they bring us back to ourselves. and better still to something far greater than ourselves. what we have, what we wish we had, ambitions fulfilled, ambitions disappointed. investments won, investments lost. elections won, elections lost. these things may occupy our attention, but they do not define us. each of them is subject to the vagaries and the serendipities of life. our relationship with our maker, however, depends on none of