sasha baron cohen like out of character? >> the cannes film festival, 2012. sasha baron cohen has a new character to promote. he rarely gives interviews as himself. he decides to make a personal appearance. why? >> that is a very good question. basically, there was a chance that the interviewee would see the interview and withdraw consent. now, i don't have to do that. >> i am for free press, fair elections, equal rights for women. [laughter] i cannot say that. >> his film "of the dictator" opens this week. he plays a dictator with an enormous ego. >> i had always found this hilarious. >> i highly recommend a visit to the empire state building before when you or your cousin's takes it down. >> i think the word is ludicrous. they are fishes and yet ludicrous. dictators, because they are all powerful end up becoming these kind of larger than life observed characters. -- they are vicious and yet ludicrous. >> this is a satirical stereotypes with which he made his name. >> is simple, two words, keep it real. >> the great things

. >> malia and sasha have parents who are same-sex couples. and there are times with michelle and i, sitting around the dinner table about their friends and their parents. and malia and sasha, it couldn't dawn on them that their friends' parents should be treated differently. and quick frankly that the kind of thing that prompts a change of perspective. >> now that malia and sasha are getting oler to what extent do they hold their father accountable. daddy, why does it work this way. >> reporter: jody covered the couple since 2007. she believes that michelle obama influences her husband more than any other. >> michelle obama got calls whether to support gay marriage. this is a classic michelle obama. what she sar v cares about is her husband showing political courage, really helping people, making the country a more equal and skrus place, delivering the change he promised in 2008. >> reporter: did you discuss this with mrs. obama, the same-sex issue? >> yeah, this is something that we talked about over the years. and she -- you know, she feels

and sasha gong, director of the china branch at voice of america. born in china, she was jailed for a year during the 1970s for participating in political protest. sasha gong, want to startby asking you, some people are comparing this to the movie, the shaw shank redemption and apparently those words are being banned on the chinese version of twitter today. how did this happen, how did chen escape? >> well, this is indeed more interesting story. and what we got the reporters that actually, he planned for, planned the whole event for a few months, and he pretended to be sick or something like that, just to loosen up the-- he had dozens of guards guarding outside, and he calculated the time of the guards going out to get water and coming back, that's 10 seconds. he used that 10 seconds to somehow to cross the big wall. >> ifill: he couldn't see where he was going? >> yeah, he's blind. and we actually talked to the people who took him out who dre him out is that he was injud and he was in not very good condition, but he managed to escape. >> ifill: sus

this week we have sasha barron cohen playing an arab guy, and he is not arab. that's my point.his movie specifically. this is the jumping off point for a bigger discussion about hollywood. >> i'm going to share this woet that you have. arabs and south asians have long been ghettoized playing exclusively cab drivers, delhi workers, terrorists, and the occasional good guy who works with law enforcement who is usually killed later in the week by a bad brown guy. again, you're saying that if you are in the creative process, if an arab is in the creative process, it would change that. >> i think it would make it a better movie. less cliche. we all know that depictions of arabs and indians in movies, it's cliche. anyone can write that stuff. the joke is like the terrorist puppet. they can be better. i actually give an example for hollywood because it makes it a better movie. in the 1960s there's a movie about mafia guides, and they weren't using italians, and they were failing. paramount, the same studio that made this movie found francis ford copalla and made a great movie about ita

mallia and sasha they have friends whose parents are same sex couples. there have been times when michelle and i have been sitting around the dinner table and we have been talking about their friends and their parents and mallia and sasha it wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friends parents would be treated differently. it doesn't make sense to them. and frankly, that is the kind of thing that prompts a change of perspective. >> the president with abc's robin roberts. president obama's position is being endorsed in san francisco's castro district and other places in the bay area. others, however had a word of caution for the president. caroline tyler continues our coverage on this. >> at a certain point i have just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that i think same sex couples should be able to get married. >> reporter: gavin newsom can claim a role in shaping the national dialogue that may have led to the president's change of heart. in 2004 as mayor of san francisco newsom defied the law and allowed

remember the incident on the oscar red carpet when it sasha baron cohen showed up as a dictator.he one that arrives this week. "the dictator" is politically incorrect, vulgar, and often jot dropping lee hilarious. -- jaw-droppingly hilarious. it goes beyond borat with a plot featuring cohen as a colusa visitor who gets kidnapped and stripped of his quite extensive beard paving the way for a body double to bring democracy to a fictional country. the dictator concludes with a brilliant speech about politics that works according to your ability to accept the job dropping politically incorrect satire. "the avengers" will pass "the hunger games" at the box office this year. "the avengers" cross the $1 billion mark this weekend. i don't know how they did that. this is very funny and it is satire, designed to offend people, and it will. >> you know what you are getting when you walk in there. >> coming up next, a new list of the most popular baby names. >> plus prince william will soon be celebrating his 30th birthday. find out how much princess diana left her son. >> you put yourself o

dolls and metrobus ads about them, but -- slammed malia and sasha dolls and metrobus ads about them, but morella feels it helps keep political arguments in context. >> it does give you a connection with the people you want to serve. >> chelsea clinton and jenna bush were supposed to be off limits when they were growing up in the white house and now they're both on the other side of the camera. they're both special correspondents for nbc news. we want to hear what you think. we'll have a little talk about this on facebook and everybody can weigh in. >> i think it also does matter to a lot of people how old those kids are and when they're there in that spotlight. >> right. and mitt romney's sons are adults. they're on the campaign trail. >> with him, exactly. thanks. >> some folks didn't want to come on the terrace because it's breezy. others of us don't have to worry about the hair situation. >> right. maybe because of product, others just naturally. pretty nice day, a little refreshing. speaking of wind, we'll take you out to tucson, arizona, yesterday. check out this dust storm. a t

. >> malia and sasha may have friends whose parents are in same-sex couples. michelle and i may have been sitting around the dinner table and talking about their friends and their parents, and malia and sasha, it would not dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. >> this is an important day for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people in america. it is very important for our leaders to come out in support of our families, in support of our love, in support of who we are. this is one example of him doing that. >> his view has shifted in sync with public opinion. four years ago, he and the majority of americans opposed to gay marriage. today, a narrow majority is in favor. politically, this is still a big rift. new policy may not play well in swing states, such as north carolina, where only this week voters decided same-sex weddings were unconstitutional under state law. the republican challenger for the white house firmly opposes gay marriage. >> my position is the same on gay marriage as it has been since the begin

and as someone who wants that future, that better future for you and for malia and sasha, as somebody had the good fortune of being the husband and the father and the son of some strong remarkable women, allow me to offer just a few pieces of advice. that's ob blligatory. bear with me. my first piece of advice is this. don't just get involved. fight for your seat at the table. better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table. it's been said that the most important role in our democracy is the role of citizen. and indeed, it was 225 years ago today that the constitutional convention opened in philadelphia and our founders, citizens all, began crafting an extraordinary document. yes, it had its flaws. flaws that this nation has strived to protect over time. questions of race and gender were unresolved. no women's signature graced the original document although we can assume that there were founding mothers whispering smarter things in the ears of the founding fathers. i think that's almost certain. what will made this document special was that is it provided the space, the possibil

white house slammed malia and absorb a dolls and metrobus ad -- absorb a dolls and metrobus ads -- and sasha dolls and metrobus ads about them. chelsea clinton and jenna bush were off limits when they were growing up in the white house. now they're both on the other side of the camera, special correspondents for nbc news. bruce leshan, 9 news now. >> we want to know what you think about this. you can join the conversation on the wusa9 facebook page. >> topper shutt, looking forward to that mother's day forecast and we know it's going to be nice. he'll tell us all about it in just minutes. >>> it's an unsettled picture as we head towards the end of the week. this afternoon it will be cold, wet and windy across most of scotland. we're under the influence of low pressure. >> recognize that weatherman? yeah, did i, too. it's prince charles doing -- i did, too it's prince charles doing the weather on the bbc. he and his wife got their chance to try their hand at forecasting during a visit to the studios in glasgow, scotland, and apparently anyone can do it. it's just not that tough. >> it's not.

. >> malia and sasha have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. there have been times when michelle and i have been sitting around the dinner table and talking about their friends and their parents, and malia and sasha, it wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. it doesn't make sense to them. and frankly, that's the kind of thing that prompts a change of perspective. i had hesitated on gay marriage in part because i thought civil unions would be sufficient, and i was sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people, you know, the word marriage was something that evokes very powerful traditions, religious beliefs, and so forth. >> the president still believes marriage is an issue for states to decide, and aides said there's not any federal action in the works. this announcement comes a day after a major presidential battleground state, north carolina, overwhelmingly voted to amend the state's constitution banning gay marriage and civil unions. the president sped up the time table after vice president bi

sasha baron cohen is in town with a new character and film to promote. he rarely gives interviews as himself. he has now decided to make a personal appearance. why? >> that is a very good question. probably a mistake. i will tell you why i have not done it. basically, there was a chance that the interview would be seen and withdraw consent. now, i really don't have to do that. >> i am for free press, fair elections, and equal rights for women. [laughter] i cannot say that. >> his film opens this week. he plays a dictator with an enormous ego. >> i had always found colonel gaddafi hilarious. >> i highly recommend a visit to the empire state building before you or one of your cousin's takes it down. >> i think the word is ludicrous. they are vicious and yet ludicrous. dictators, because they are all powerful end up becoming kind of larger than life absurd characters. quest talking of which, -- >> talking of which ali g, the character with which he made his name. >> you want to know how to make this country better? keeping the real. >> they can expose thing

malia and sasha have parents that have same-sex couples. there are times around the dinner 25ib8 we are talking about their friends and parents and malqulee and sasha, it couldn't dawn on them that some how, their friends' parents would be treated differently. it doesn't make sense to them. and that is the kind of thing that prompbts a change in perspective. >> did you discuss this with mr. obama? the same-sex issue? >> i did. this is something we talked about over the years. and she feels the same way that i do. and that is that in the end, the values that i care most deeply about and she cares most deeply about is how we treat other people. we reboth practicing christians and obviously, this position may be considered to put us at odds with the views of others. but, you know, when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is not only christ sacrificing himself on our behalf but it's also the golden rule. treat others the way you want to be treated. >> in a interview, robin. what happened what about vice president bid

. >> you know, malia and sasha, they've got friends whose parents are same-sex couples. and you know, there have been times where michelle and i have been sitting around the dinner table and we've been talking and about their friends and their parents. and malia and sasha, it wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. it doesn't make sense to them. and frankly, that's the kind of thing that prompts a change of perspective. >> in many ways, the president's evolution as they called it on gay marriage is coming full circle this week. in 1996, then-illinois state senate candidate, barack obama, told a chicago newspaper he was in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage. but over the past 16 years as you'll see here, president obama has struggled publicly with his view on gay marriage. >> what i believe in my faith, is that a man and a woman when they get married, are performing something before god and it's not simply the two persons who are meeting. i believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. now for me as a chri

. >> malia and sasha, they've got friends whose parents are same sex couples. malia and sasha, it wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. it doesn't make sense to them. and frankly, that's the kind of thing that prompts a change of perspective. gwen: but the president added states should still sort this out for themselves. so in the end, which side came out ahead in a week in which neither was focusing on the economy, john? >> i think probably you would have to say the president. he had come to this decision for this -- before this week's events but it was on the white house calendar. there was not a same sex marriage firestorm listed down for this week. saturday, he had launched his campaign. monday, the campaign had started a $25 million ad campaign that was focused around the president, what he had done for the economy, the bailout, the car industry, and then the president launched a to-do list telling congress what they needed to do to put congress on them. that was all blown to the side. this became the issue

are malia and sasha, were they embarrassed or are you on their ring tone?nitely on on their ring tone. >> so who's going to win? >> oh, i'm going to win. >> that was president obama having a little fun with the women on "the view." whatever you think of his policies, one thing is not up for debate, the man has charisma and knows how to commit with the america people. he is well liked. joining me now is msnbc contributor and author of "who's afraid of post blackness" what it is like to be black now and erica pike reporter for real clear politics. thank you for joining me tonight. >> you know, toure, right wing people complain with b these appearances, but they are the reason why he does it. how did he do? >> i think he did very well. there was a lot of self afacement, like talking about michelle making fun of him and maria and sasha and michelle all jumping on top of him and having a roast at his expense. it makes him seem like, i'm down to earth, not imperial to all of you. you know i'm brilliant and powerful and alpha, but it is nice to see him pull it bac

sasha still doesn't have a phone. >> how old? >> malia is 13. she'll be 14 in july.our inner narcissism. whatever? seriously. many people value facebook and wonder if the ipo will change facebook for the better. the talk back question for you today. if you could change something about facebook, what would it be? facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read your responses later this hour. >>> facebook's big moment approaches and billions in play. this is the empire at work. kind of. dan simon is at company headquarters. he will show us the employee tradition of hackathon. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone likes a bit of order in their life. virtual wallet helps you get it. keep track of spending, move money with a slide, and use the calendar. all to see your money how you want. ♪ how you want. high schools in six states enrolled in the national math and science initiative... ...which helped students and teachers get better results in ap courses. together, they raised ap test scores 138%. just imagine our potential... ...if the other states joined them. let's raise our scores. let's

. >> sasha got her fierce back in front of a packed house that included three of her most high profile fans. >> and in new mom made a public confession about how she dropped her baby weight. kat's got the story. >> cue the return of sasha fierce. >> ♪h >> beyonce rocked the stage with her banging post-baby bod during a major memorial day weekend concert in atlantic city proving she's back and better than ever. from the short sparkly dress, the hot pink heels, the new mom worked her famously fierce, booty shaking hair-tossing moves within five months of having her baby ivy blue. and the fans got a chance to look at the baby. during one of her shows beyonce let the audience in on her hot bod secrets. the singer told her fans they had no idea how hard she worked to get in shape, saying she had to shed 60 pounds. so she jumped on the treadmill and ate lettuce. >> jennifer lopez and mark anthony hugged it out at the "q'viva" concert. j.lo arrived with b.f. casper smart but posed solo on the carpet at the bellagio. inside the vegas nightclub," jenny from the block" blew the packed place. cas

. >>> malia and sasha have friends whose parents are same-sex couples, and there have been times where we sit around the dinner table and talking about their friends and their parents, and malia and sasha, it wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friend's parents would be treated differently. it doesn't make sense to them. and frankly that's the kind of thing that prompted a change in perspective. >> he is right on that, and that's more from president obama today on his interview with robin roberts. we have president of the human rights campaign, what a great organization, and clark cooper, part of the log cabin republicans, who i wonder why they still exist to be honest with you. joe has supported equal rights without qualification or politics. did you get any heads up that this would be part of a campaign run up? >> well, i didn't get any heads up, but i was not surprised, and quite frankly, i was heartened by the fact that he came out and the way in which he did it. i think he did so in a wa that inspired lbgt people across the country and in a way that helped all people on this

. >> we had been talking about their friends and their parents and sasha and malia, it would not dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. it does not make sense to them. >> this move to inject another polarizing issue into the 2012 race for. mitt romney insists on this issue. he remains resolute. >> i have the same view on marriage that i expressed when i was governor. marriage is a relationship between a man and woman if. >> same-sex marriage is heating up in maryland where the issue if could end up on the ballot this november. >> it shows that he is a wonderful leader, to come out and say that he supports it. >> i am disappointed. i think this really needs to be something people to think about and not just manipulated by pr. >> president obama says he believes the issue should be left up to the states. it comes one day after north carolina passed an amendment banning same-sex marriage, the 30th state to do so. brianne carter and, abc 7 news. a man convicted of killing an off-duty maryland state trooper will learn his fate today. cyril williams w

class of 2012 from sasha and melia obama. [cheers and applause] the seniors, who are so happy to have you as their commencement speaker, have written messages daughters. we want them to know that they are welcome at barnard any time. [cheers and applause] the second gift for you and the furs later -- first lady is a barnard prides itself on its short -- it's extraordinary writers. and we want to give you a collection of books written by barnard alumni and inscribed by the authors. we hope you will enjoy. [cheers and applause] the president of the united [cheers and applause] barack obama, 44th president of the united states of america. in this exuberant presentation of the college of highest honor, we pay tribute to your leadership of our nation and your place in our world. to today, the chronicle of your life has enthralled us. the early years in indonesia that spark your independence and open your eyes to the breath of humanity. college, first paulick -- first york city, were you burn your bachelor's degree from the great c

we have been sitting around the dinner table and talking about their friends and their parents and sasha and malia, it would not dawned on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. it does not make sense to them. >> many across the country celebrated the president's shift in thinking. >> we are shocked and surprised. >> i am pretty glad that he came out and did said something clear. >> but not everyone. >> it's not right. against my religious beliefs. >> the president's likely republican opponent in the fall said that he disagrees with mr. obama. >> marriage itself is a relationship between a man and woman. that is my preference. president obama has faced heavy pressure to clarify his position and his evolution comes at a politically beneficial time heading into the fall campaign. >> he did not say that same-sex marriage he would risk his reputation for honesty and integrity. that is one of his core assets. >> he says he'd think it is up to individual states to decide how to handle. 31 states have set noaid no to same- sex marriage. >> university of phoenix a

sasha is sasha, he looks a certain way, we need to take advantage of that.ean, obviously. it's not any religion. >> what's your objective? it's clearly not just to entertain. >> although that is the first priority. if the movie's not funny, entertaining, nothing else will work. that's our priority is to make it as funny as possible -- >> do you find sometimes -- people say to you, i found myself laughing then i felt bad about it. >> yes. i think that's okay. i think it's okay because that's part of the questioning process that we hope goes on during the course of the movie. you're laughing at things but we're wrapping very heavy and very often not funny political messages wind this comedy. hopefully you will laugh very hard and then start to think about what you're laughing about. you're wrapping the message in a nice little pessage that people can enjoy and be entertained by and have an incredible group experience inside a movie theater. >> one scene portraying characters talking about visiting america. clearly some people are going to be offended by that.

. >> i want to know whether or not you think mallia and sasha a would get the same high quality rigorous d.c. public school. >> fy wanted to find a great public school for mallia and sasha to be in we could probably maneuver to do it. >> apparently he didn't want to. the president now sends them to viceame school the s & p's president's grand kids attend. tuition $32,000 a year. and the union leaders? >> you went to private school. >> that'that's correct. i graduated a catholic high school. >> at this school board meeting when chairman said he he used up his speaking time del grasso marched up to the front to demand more saying my union contract mandates 7 more minutes than i got. the ri rigidity of the stupid union contract is the problem. >> he opposes letting them to attend charter schools in an existing school building. >> over my dead body i'm going to come there. i'm going to be there and physically try and stop them. there is certain things that don't mix. oil and water you can't emulsify. >> there is no room. there aren't half emcity schools. >> there is not. >> del grasso says c