they are subject to 20 years of audits from the ftc to review their policy. the reason, i suspect, your organization went to the courts to try to get action, was because you were getting rebuffed him the federal trade commission that has the authority and space and the ability to consent it there is a violation to the agreement -- they will take appropriate action. it was inappropriate to go to the courts. that is what the ftc said. >> marc rotenberg, dc other companies using the google model going forward? >> i don't think that there's any other companies that handle it the way that google does. clearly facebook is a competitor. i think we can understand a lot of what google is doing today in terms of their concerns about facebook having greater control over what is a battle for advertising dollars. both companies rely on advertising dollars. that is their core business. they need to provide services that will draw users. no other company is in google's position. >> as private companies -- and if they are clearly stating what their policies are up front, shou

i'm pleased to hear that's the way it happens at the ftc as well. i'm going to ask my first question about the consumer financial protection bureau and the the memo of understanding that the ftc has with the cfp. obviously mr. rosch, i know since it was over your dead body that the functions -- some of the functions of the ftc would be merged with the cpfb. i'm going to ask some process questions first. if you want we can get into the substantive discussion. but chairman lbewitz. i read the mou. but explain to us your interpretation of what part of ftc's jurisdiction is transferred to cfpb, how y'all are working together, and i also want to know that since because of that, the fact that you all are working together and some of your jurisdiction was transferred, then it seems to me that you wouldn't nid as many resources as you have requested. >> so that's a very fair question. and i think that's part of commissioner rush's concern as well about the creation of the cfpb. we have a memorandum of understanding, as you mentioned. we the that because we d

and i'm not sure that everyone was willing to say the ftc, with your limited resources and so on, should handle all that was going on. and i think that's what we tend to forget. am i correct? >> that's right. >> the shortest answer you've given all day. i understand. let me ask you a question. i assume the ftc gets a large number of tips and complaints every day. are you able to follow up on all of them or just a fraction of them? and how do you choose which complaints to go after? >> that's a great question, and i know that you spent some time as chairman of the consumer protection subcommittee in the new york state assembly. >> you remember that far back? >> we just read up on our appropriators. we get something like, and my staff will correct me if i'm wrong, something like two million complaints a year. we put it in a database and it becomes a critically important way in which we determine which scams to go after. now, we also make this database -- we allow state attorneys general, because i think it's really critical that, you know, we all work together, to access that data base and

said, madam chairman, which is we're layering another unnecessary layer of bureaucracy on top of the ftc, which is doing the job quite nicely now, thank you. but i lost that round. so the question is now, what do we do about it. and the answer to me is we cut back. now, how we cut back since we share jurisdiction with the new cfpb is another matter. i happen to disagree with the chairman that we need to do as much as we always did. because i think there are now two agencies involved in doing that same thing. the second thing, though, is what do we do about the states. i've talked about one thing. as far as i'm concerned, congressman diaz-balart, my view is that this is -- identity theft is a quintessential theft which is handled best by state authorities, and we have not by and large been involved in doing that sort of thing except on a consumer education basis. and we are doing quite a bit in that regard. that said, let me identify another area where i think we can hand off more to the states, and it is in mergers. there is no question that we are getting second requests at discovery th

so i think you get a tremendous return, the taxpayers do, from the ftc. now let me take a few other issues. one is the miami office. so we will not do this, and i don't think we could from the sub committee. and as he pointed out, there are a number of -- actually, the miami area south florida among metropolitan statistic call areas has the highest incidents of identity theft of any msa in the country. south florida has grown. it's kwa group led in size in the last 50 years. so we think that if we -- it's a majority of the commission. that if we put up a small office, again, for reworking, from current resources. and there are terrific spanish language attorneys there. it's important to point out. it's not 59 additional fds. and we're tiny. you're going to see some big agencies. we're a tiny agency by washington standards. we're about 1,175. we're operating at 1,155. so i think it's something like -- so we're only asking for ten additional fdes. and believe me, if there was one thing that had to go first, although i would hate to see it happen, from our sl

our colleagues from the hill, colleagues from the ftc, from different departments, from the press. it's certainly been a very broad policy suggestion we've had over the last couple of years since we came in as an administration. it was clear to us from the beginning we needed to take on these questions of consumer privacy protection. not on because of how important privacy is as an american value but also because many of our key initiatives, many of the priorities that we came in with as an administration, whether it's health care reform or environmental conservation or education reform, all depend in important ways on innovative and sometimes unexpected or unfamiliar uses of personal information. so we really wanted to make sure we had a strong privacy framework across the wide range of sectors. i want to really start from ground zero, if you will, on privacy. when we announced this consumer privacy of bill of rights at the white house and tim noted there's a white paper on the web site, you can find it online as well as the internet sights. government has always had a role in it'

the ftc's jurisdiction affects american consumers and touches wide ranging sectors of the economy. i'm interested to hear how the ftc is reigning in costs in this time of fiscal belt tightening, also interested in learning more about how the ftc will coordinate with the new consumer financial protection bureau, to make sure to make sure that our resources aren't being used on dupe duplactive efrts. i'm looking forward to hearing from both of y'all. welcome again and thank you for being leer today. let me recognize my good friend and colleague, for any opening comment he would like to make. >> let me keep up with tradition by congratulating you on the cardinals world series win. >> thank you very much. i'm hoping that we'll do it two years in a row. >> don't get carried away. the yankees have pitching this year. we're in good shape. in the federal trade commission to this hearing. your agency plays an important role in our daily lives by maintaining a competitive marketplace for goods and services and by ensuring that businesses do not engage in unfair practices towards consumers. d

commission because google is under a consent order in part because of an investigation we had urged the ftc to pursue to respect user privacy. we thought the changes that google announced violated that order and we sued the ftc to try to get them to enforce it. >> our guest reporter this week is paul kirby senior editor of telecommunications report. what should they have done in your view? if they said here's what we want to do, you can opt out of this? >> i think the best way to have done it would have been opt in. google said we have a new approach we think is going to provide benefit, you'll get more advertising you'd be interested in, we understand we have a commitment to you now in terms of our current privacy policy, but we would like to give you the opportunity to choose our new ingraitd user platform and users would say that sound good, we will sign up and certainly we would not have objected if gaog el had done that pause so much of the internet is about choice. i think the less alternative would have been if faog el said we want to do this, we understand some people might not we w

the ftc launched an investigation, ended up agreeing with us, required a comprehensive privacy program for all of google's products and services based on what had happened with buzz. and this is the key point that bears restating. the information that people have provided for an e-mail service they didn't expect to be used for a social network service. so when google came along at the end of january this year and said, oh, that information that you provided for gmail, we're going to make it available across all of our services. we -- [inaudible conversations] yes, exactly. we understandably went to the federal trade commission, and we said they simply can't do this. it violates the consent order. now, the case we lost wasn't on the merits. in fact, the judge agreed with us that the google changes raised, in her words, "serious concerns." she simply concluded that federal courts didn't have the ability to force the federal trade commission to take an enforcement action. >> host: did that surprise you because consent decrees are approved by courts? >> guest: we thought this consent decre

great point and the thing that was amazing, just a few days before the senate voted, mary sha peer oh the ftc chairwoman, wrote a letter to the senate saying, don't do this. don't do this, here's all the reasons why you shouldn't do this, and they went ahead and did it. her concern, there's not the control. one aspect subbed out the last moment that has controls, and it's this idea of crowd funding, where you come up with an idea, and you put a sign up on the internet saying, everybody send me money for my idea, and you all get a stake in my business. before this bill, you weren't allowed to do that and now can you. so that idea, lots and lots of seeds will be fostered. >> or david knows a little bit about seeds that be planted, sometimes aren't fruitful. but just a little bit about this jobs bill from your point of view? >> well, michelle, the question, when we say start-up, we think facebook, twitter, god forbid, pets.com. but silicon valley isn't really hurting for money and good ideas toned have to fend off the venture capitalists. so is this jobs act primarily targeted at tech or biotech

the ftc has had rules in place to make most robocalls to your phone illegal. c which has jurisdiction over banks, airlines, phone companies, has approved similar rules. the bottom line? almost every robo call to your phone will be illegal unless you give your consent. >> hello. this is stacy at account holder services. >> reporter: robocalls like this one interrupt consumers every day. just ask celeste ryan of takoma park, maryland. >> press the number one on your phone now. >> all hours of the day and i mean it can start from like 8:00 or 9:00 a.m. >> it is urgent thaw contact us. >> it will go until 7:00 or 8:00. >> she says she would get up to five robocalls a day while home on maternity leave and all of the calls promise to help her reduce her credit card debt. >> calling in reference to your current credit card account. >> my husband and i do not have credit card debt. and it's just invading our privacy and i just feel like my rights are being violated especially when i don't qualify for the offer. >> reporter: federal rules are meant to prohibit unwanted

ha is, again, the ftc working independently of us. within the department, that oil and gas working group has been active and, as i said, has a call today and a meeting that will happen i think by tomorrow. >> i would like to request that after that meeting today or tomorrow, after the phone call and after meeting today or tomorrow that task force brief me and other members of the subcommittee that have expressed an interest. >> to extent that we can, we would like to see that. >> mr. attorney general, we really would like to see that. this is very, very, very important. we'll now turn to senator murkowski. >> thank you, madam chairman. mr. attorney general, welcome this morning. i want to follow on to senator hutchison's questions regarding the prosecution of senator ted stevens. i think so many of us were absolutely shocked. i was horrified as a friend and as an alaskan to read judge sullivan's comments that this ill-gotten verdict not only resulted in the loss of senator stevens losing his seat, but in his word tipped the balance of

. >> reporter: with the new combined effort by the fcc and the ftc, consumers should stop getting unwantedhe rules are meant to empower consumers to control the calls that come to their home phones and to their wireless phones. >> reporter: there are four robocall rules you should know. first telemarketers must get written or electronic consent before placing a robocall to your home or cell phone. >> the company should not be tricking the consumer. there should be a clear disclosure about the kinds of calls that the company's proposing to send to the consumer. >> it is urgent you contact us. >> this is your automatic kalback stfs. >> reporter: two, so-called business relationships have been eliminated. previously telemarketers could robocall you if you requested more information from a company. >> now we're moving toward consumers actually having to give real consent so that they're not surprised by calls that come to them simply because they've made a purchase or an inquiry. >> reporter: third, telemarketers are required to provide an automated interactive opt out option during each roboc

first file a complaint the sec and the ftc and then call the company and ask to be good on their do not call list even if you are already on the national registry. they call you again within five years you can see them in small claims court for between $500 up to $1,500. be sure to keep good records because you can sue them for each call. you could also sue with a call before 8:00 a.m. after 9:00 p.m. or to use an artificial voice recording. legally they must provide their name and address and if they refuse, a web search may do the trick. keep in mind that charities and campaigns and debt collectors are exempt. a popular website that promise, among other things, free gasoline for life, has been shut down by the ftc. it says the company green millionaire bated customers with a free book and phony testimonials but instead of teaching them " to make their electricity meters run backwards ". the company charged customer credit cards up to $90 for on my magazine that some never received. the company missed a $2 million in refunds. and two years after a crack down on excessive overdrafts fee

we learned from the ftc report, if you look at their final report, which was just issued a couple of weeks ago, you will see quite a bit conversing between the respect for context principle and they're thinking about how to a bald these idea of individual control. the third principle i will point out is accountability principle. it says very simply that consumers have a right to have personal data handled by companies with appropriate measures in place to assure that they adhere to the consumer privacy bill of rights. this means that even in advance of legislation, in advance of a point at which all companies might be subject to these sets of privacy rules, we want to make sure that any company that handles personal information is careful internally about how it handles that information, and that there is a point of both legal and customer accountability. but if the consumer wants to know how their information is going to be used, if they have a complaint -- that they have a place to go in that company to state that complaint. this is a particularly important principle for us in the g

the ftc said fraud artists are targeting consumers who are under water on their car loans. they're asking the court to stop two california couples from allegedly deceiving consumers. they charged hundreds of dollars of upfront fees but never executed the loan mod if i occasion. >>> have you ever shopped for a rental car and found the initial rate was much higher. we have more on all those extra fees. >> reporter: barry mayor often rent as car. he said finding the cheapest deal online can be frustrating. >> the prices are deceiving. >> reporter: take this small suv. the price indicates you can rent it for a delay for about $47, but when you check out all the fees are added up and the price jumps to more than $73. this compact car another example. it's listed for le pries of $14 a day. when you reserve it the real price jumps up nearly double the price. >> it gets me upset. >> reporter: the american car rental association said it's the same thing. >> this is one of the challengings we face. >> reporter: bob barton said many of the fees come out of the company's control dependi

they say the ftc has already begun discussing the case with prosecutors. that's after the commission concluded the price cartel allegedly formed by the companies is malicious and having a major impact on the market. the fdc is expected not to file a complaint against jtekt. that company independently reported the wrongdoing prior to the raid. >>> people in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the challenges of the 2011 disaster. but it won't be easy. they have to rebuild homes, businesses, entire communities. we'll show you their struggles and their successes on the road ahead, every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time, here on "newsline." >>> preparations are under way for the complex job of removing nuclear fuel rods from the number 4 reactor at the fukushima power plant. an explosion severely damaged the building following last year's earthquake and tsunami and they must be removed from the fuel pool before the plant can be demolished. the plant's operator will use a special crane to remove the fuel and construct a cover to prevent radioactive mate

. >> reporter: according to the ftc one out of three robberies included stealing a cell phone and that's higher in urban areas. 40% in in city. >> in most instances, particularly, philadelphia, they are being taken at point of gun, after serious assaults. >> reporter: new york senator chuck schumer plans to introduce legislation that will make it a crime. >> criminals are smart. once they know that the phone is worthless, they're not going to steal it. >> reporter: the nation's four largest cell phone carriers are launching programs that would disable phones that are stolen and prevent them from being usedden their networks. soon they will merge databases. karen travers. >>> the trial begins tomorrow for the driver, police say hit and killed two teenagers and left the scene last summer. what the family has to say. >>> and those looking for a cheap thrill flirting with serious danger. a look at one teen who tried to stand up to a jet and paid a price. >>> a trip to the hospital and new front-runner. what happened on the floor with "dancing with the stars" and what you can expect to see am

having the ftc, the federal trade commission, use its narrow, section 5 authority to bring targeted cases against these offshore companies will simply demonstrate that access to u.s. markets will not be permitted to companies whose business mod cell based on theft. these are things we can all work together on to strengthen our economy and i look forward to our hearing. with that, i recognize dr. cassidy. >> thank you. clearly our problem in our economy right now is unemployment. and we know that that unemployment is disproportionately focused upon blue collar workers. those workers have traditionally been employed in mining, manufacturing and construction. now i think we're all encouraged that the renaissance in mining in north american energy assets, fossil fuel in particular, have led to a renaissance in manufacturing as recently discussed in "the new york times," cnn money and elsewhere. this is fantastic. if we take it as a moral imperative to increase blue collar prosperity, then i almost see it as a primary variable we should take it as a moral imperative to develop our domestic ene

. >> while the ftc keeps a close watch on it and experts to argue about regulations, when it comes down to is people are not reading them the way they are now. >> as hard as it may be, experts recommend you grab a magnifying glass and read up. abc2 news. >>> now, marilyn's most powerful doppler radar. >> a change in weather across maryland. no doubt about that. still changing tonight. guys are beginning to clear and we are losing precipitation. but, we are seeing the air temperature continued to fall. we are almost down to the 30s. typically, we are at 63 degrees. it was 30 degrees warmer on this day last year. this year has been so much warmer than last but not today. marilyn's most powerful radar, scattered light showers across the area. they will be diminishing in the overnight hours. atmosphere getting more stable. still some wintry weather just west of us. we have a snow shower coming down over there tonight. what a difference a day can make in april. and the central part of the steak, all light precipitation has come to an end. the freeze warning is up and for most of us, i think

>> many of the title 7 derivative rules are all done in coordination with the ftc. the ones that join rules are the definitions of the entities that will be subject to the otc regulations, swap dealers, security based swap dealers and the products. what is a security based swap? what is a swap, what is a nix mixed swap. have to be done jointly. it's hard. for one to do it is complex. asset backed security rules jointly, also, with the bank regulators, and to find qualified residential mortgage jointly with regulators. so, and everything we're trying to do in coordination as much as we can with all of our regulatory colleagues. >> so your goal for getting them completed? end of the year? >> i would hope the title 7 will be done by the end of the year. and some other areas, conflict mineral, specialized disclosure rule, mine and safety already done. other disclosure rooms should be done by the middle of the year, i would think. and municipal advisers and that regulatory regime this year, also. >> okay. thank you. i'm sorry to have done that. mr. alexander? >> the mayor

. >> the concept is called do not track. >> ftc chairman says without do not track our online privacy remains at great risk. >> companies do what they want with your information unless they give you representation that they want, and most companies are going to do that. your information can be up sold, transferred, resold, upon tied, sold to third party agria gators or data broker and you have no idea where that information is going. >> what you research, what you buy and a whole lot more is at at stake. >> your interest, maybe you're telling people your age, maybe you're telling people your gender, maybe you're telling people about your sexual preference. >> amazingly this is a hammered out agreement. not legislation, not a lawsuit, everyone accept a small handful of internet companies realize public trust in and use of the web depends on it. >> there are a few little differences that have to be ironed out. >> american consumers will have the ability to opt out of third party tracking on the web. >> it will soon be up to you just like the ftc do not call telemarketing program. >> is

the ftc file charges against two companies claiming they'll reduce auto loan payments saying they took hundreds of dollars from consumers and one customer lost her car as a result. there is one company tells us charnlz are false and customers get refunds if loans can'ting modified. the government has cracked down on companies making phony promises to modify home loans. if you hadn't had a vacation in a while what are you waiting for? a survey says half of all american workers don't take all vacation days. this is from radisson hotel chain. and says workers want to stay on the job because they're worried about falling behind and says more workers are mixing business with pleasure taking family along on business trips. >> so you're encouraging to us take vacation time? >> we have that. >> i think we've got to talk to our bosses about that, first, though. >> there gou. >> and let's turn our attention to wernl forecast. >> things are going to get chilly. >> is gos to get cold tonight that you'll want to try to stay warm. there is a frost advisory up. there is a live picture now with trees

and yet, you've got the ftc looking into it. you have members of congress looking into it. there have been--privacy groups have lodged formal complaints. you've hired a lobbyist in washington to deal with this, so you know it's a problem. >> that's ahead when 60 minutes on cnbc returns. [ticking] guys. come here, come here. [ telephone ringing ] i'm calling my old dealership. [ man ] may ford. hi, yeah. do you guys have any crossovers that offer better highway fuel economy than the chevy equinox? no, sorry, sir. we don't. oh, well, that's too bad. [ man ] kyle, is that you? [ laughs ] [ man ] still here, kyle. [ male announcer ] visit your local chevy dealer today. right now, very well qualified lessees can get a 2012 equinox ls for around $229 a month. >> when it comes to the issue of privacy on the internet, facebook is sometimes distrusted even by its most ardent users. facebook ceo mark zuckerberg told us that they don't sell their users' information to advertisers, but do people on facebook really have control over their personal information? >> am i a fuddy-duddy... >

and yet, you've got the ftc looking into it. you have members of congress looking into it. there have been--privacy groups have lodged formal complaints. you've hired a lobbyist in washington to deal with this, so you know it's a problem. >> that's ahead when 60 minutes on cnbc returns. [ticking] [ male announcer ] if you want a luxury car with a standard power moon roof, standard keyless access, and standard leather-trimmed seats, then your choice is obvious. the lexus es. it's complete luxury in a class full of compromises. see your lexus dealer. what do you mean? your grass, man. it's famished! just two springtime feedings with scotts turf builder lawn food helps strengthen and protect your lawn from future problems. thanks scott. [ scott ] feed your lawn. feed it. a route map shows you where we go. but not how we get there. because in this business, there are no straight lines. only the twists and turns of an unpredictable industry. so the eighty-thousand employees at delta... must anticipate the unexpected. and never let the rules overrule common sense. this is how we

. >> the ftc has the do not call list and quite often if, you are at home, you see 800 number, you may not pick that up, as well. i know you have to dealle with that. or if you pick up your cell phone, you may ignore the call. let me go back to that earlier point about people who just, you know, won't participate. maybe not so because they don't want to, because they just don't pick up the call. >> yeah, under the do not call law, you -- pollsters can still call. it's actually good for us. market research, tell marketers are now squeezed out. you can put yourself on the registry. but legitimate public opinion poll still have the ability to call and it's not against the law. we put gallup so it shows in call earl i.d., which givens us an advantage, i think. our name i.d. is higher than if it is john jones research or acme research, or just a number from new jersey. but when we call, it says gallup, people are more likely to pick up the phone. and by the way, when it comes to cell phones, by law, you can't have robo calling, that is, automated polling, you have to have a live interview w

. >> federal trade commission turns up the heat on google. ftc hired prominent trillion lawyer to oversee the antitrust investigation against google. unusual move announced today indicates the ftc has uncovered issues with the way the mountain view base company does business. investigation was triggered by complaints that google rig the search results to push rival to the back and to make money take money -- make money for advertisers. european company conduct a similar investigation into google tactic. google has consistently maintained it is not doing anything wrong. >> the airports of sophomore at redwood city sequoia high school readily admit that their son cheated but suing the school district any way. student copied english homework from another student. both kicked out of the honor english class and the parents claim the punishment could ruin their son academic future. the lawsuit contends the ask policy regarding punishment for cheating are contradictory and vague and therefore should not be enforced. >>> now to student success story. as

it goes on to say that they look forward to the ftc quickly dismissing the complaint. they believe this was stemming from the opposition of the echo. that is currently waiting to go before the house side committee and will be on the senate floor soon. >> legislators i'm one step closer that makes foaming under cover videos on livestock farms or facilities the criminal into. if passed, the missouri bill would make it legal for animal activist to lie on job applications to get hired by farmers and ranchers. they are trying to prevent them from video taping and operations. >>> are americans eating less and? taro jewel of oklahoma state university say gas prices are giving consumers less disposable income which could create petitions on what they are able to pay at the meat counter. >> we seem to keep hitting the ceiling on the thing of the consumer level and not being able to go past that. i suspect one of the greatest impact right now is that gas prices have increased so much this spring, there are still those underlying backrub factors of unemployment and people are fin

how do you interact with the white house and the ftc and etc.? > we are a branch of the department of commerce, or by statute we are the advisors to the president on communications and information policy issues. the sec, of course, is an independent regulatory agency reporting to congress. but many of our issues intersect with the fcc. i work on spectrum, i work on broadband. we work closely with the sec and have an overall good relationship with the commission's. >> you mentioned spectrum. there was a recent report that came out were you recommended how to free up 95 megahertz of spectrum. >> what's involved with that? who owns that now or who uses that now? is that unused? what was going to be involved in free meta? >> as you will recall, the president in 2010 charged both nti and the sec work to find 500 megahertz of spectrum to reallocate to commercial broadband use. the report we released a couple of weeks ago focuses on one particular band of 95 megahertz of spectrum. almost a fifth of the president's goal. the band is currently used by abou

the security based swap market for which we have responsibility and the swap market for consider the ftc has responsibility. so it's created a lot of challenges in the joint rulemaking, but we are working together to try to make those deskses as consistent as we possibly can. i don't want to tell you we'll be identical on every single thing but appreciate the goal of kivs kirchtsy assistantsy and are working between the two agencies. >> lastly, my time is running out. regarding the mf global issue what actions has the sec taken to recover those missing funds? >> well, you know, it is tremendous tragedy what has happened with respect to mf global, and i will say that the sec has been deeply involved, although there were only about 318 active securities accounts at the firm while there were close to 40,000 futures accounts. so our role is necessarily been somewhat more secondary. we've closed closely with the trustee, marshalling assets and trying to determine exactly what happened, what the final days of the firm were like and where money has gone and then we'll seek to recall that money

implementation of the consumer privacy bill of rights and essentially get a yes or no, up or down answer from the ftc whether that company's code of conduct or industry's code of conduct actually meets the conditions of the consumer privacy bill of rights based on a safe harbor finding, there would be some sort of agreement to forbear from enforcement, assuming the company actually keeps its promises in the act. there's a lot to work out in how to actually implement this kind of safe harbor mechanism but it's a process by which we think we can keep privacy rules fresh, keep them up to date, keep them flexible so they're responsive to consumer needs but also allow companies to continue to innovate rapidly. i want to make just a final point about our view of the global picture. i know that some of you heard from the director general of dg just that's the part of the european commission responsible for what they call data protection. i think everyone's aware that we have a -- there are significant differences between the european front privacy framework and the u.s. privacy framework. i would say, and w

i think it was the ftc. he said i've got two requirements if i come here as a speech writer, and that is -- the first one is -- this was an appeal to me, that i'd be given a television set and a couch. i said okay, that's easy. the second one is i want to be able to lie down at my coach every day at lunchtime and watch the soap operas and i don't want anybody to question me. i said, why in the hell should we do that? he said the soap operas, david, is where you get a true understanding of where american culture is at the moment. if you understand where culture is you can talk to people and relate to them, so it's really important that i be able to watch the soap operas. i said what the heck, let's try it. so we did. when ben left, he went to the "wall street journal" as the soap opera reviewer. while he was there as a soap opera reviewer he was writing about the lack of conservatism in hollywood and that's when norman lear wrote him a letter and said oops -- lear was doing "all in the family" or whatever. he

but if you look at some of the other agencies, the ftc, for instance, 4% less than last year. since those that you regulate pay that bill, is there anything in your department that could be trimmed back a little bit so we could get down to less than at 2%? >> i'm concerned about whether we can accomplish our mission with the budget. we did a lot of work to develop the budget to save as much money as we can. we received a letter from apple and we heard from other device makers very concerned if we have the resources we need to deal with the proliferation of new devices like that ipad. because each of those devices has to be certified by the fcc as compliant with a missions obligation. i'm concerned about that. i'm concerned about the growing complexity of our work. and some of the increase that you mentioned is directly related to saving money. and so, for example, we've proposed data center consolidation initiatives and cloud computing initiatives that will cost, i think, the number is about $6 million in 2012. but those we project will save about $2.5 million on an annual bas

. >>> the ftc says the days of companies tracking your every move on the internet are coming to an end we talked to the chairman of the federal trade commission. >> there's a few things that needs to be ironed out but we're very optimistic it will happen and by the end of the year, consumers will be able to opt out of tracking on the web. >> the deal will resemble the do not call program. right now internet companies can do what they want with your information and it can be sold or transferred without your knowledge. >>> in news of the world tonight in the netherlands an international tribunal convicted taylor of war crimes and crimes against humanity. he was found guilty of aiding a war in near by leon in exchange for blood diamonds. >>> in mexico, the government backtracked today and said it will investigate allegations of corruption involving wal-mart. wal-mart paid $25 million in bribes to expands its business. calderon has pointed to wal- mart's growths as one of his successes. >>> and hundreds were taking part in the protest against brevick. the song is titled my rainbow ray. >>>

. >>> ftc is turning up the heat on google move indicates the ftc has uncovered issues with the way googlees business. european companies are conning a similar investigation. the company has said it isn't doing anything wrong. >>> five thousand janitors in the bay area may strike next week. they held a massive rally in santa clara hoping to get support for stalled contract talks. these janitors work for a dozen contractors that clean for high profile companies like ebay, facebook and google. the sticking point is health care. >> there is money in this economy, workers should not have to go without health care, especially with a lot of the client companies that the decision-makers in terms of money in negotiations. >>> the bay area maintenance contractors association says a $3,000 deductible for health care for and $6,000 for families is necessary in this economy. the contract expires midnight monday a strike could begin early tuesday. >>> the loser in the bidding war to build new bart trains says it wants another chance to be number one. after almost four years of analysis the bart board a

. >> more broadly used the ftc has released its privacy framework for how it expects companies to act and it might take action against companies that don't follow the rules, so i guess more generally speaking should congress play a role in the past will lock in privacy this year? it is the representatives bone yellmac de riss de mccuish share some jurisdiction but she has been in the lead as i've done th e spectrum work. what you've learned around the converse is the fact that you hold hearings and trials attention to issues i prefer to see a profit selector solution out there and if not, then we need to be prepared to act. and so that's where i approach it from and so i think the discussion that has been had in washington, the hearings that have been had, there's a lot of talk of legislation, but it gets pretty dicey, too in terms of one person's view of privacy is another business model for another and people don't realize the interconnection sometimes is what makes it freed on the internet. >> german walden, what about piracy in legislation? do you think there will be revisited? >>

the ftc is looking into their move to bypass the default settings for the safari browser for google users after a federal privacy probe led to do will being fined $20,000. >> let's look at the weather and traffic. >> very nice around the bay area but we will make it even better with some of the warmest temperatures so far of this season. today it will not happen. probably the coolest day of the week. even some drizzle towards the coast line with '40's and 50's. we will get some improving weather as we had throughout the week today. one week system sliding through the bay area will bring us some high clouds. really these temperatures are right about average for this time of year. >> it looks like we have much warmer days ahead. maybe some mid-80s in the warmer spots inland. that is the woman creek area in livermore. >> we will take you outside for now where it is not too bad on the roadways. if you're heading south bound towards hospital curvet is pretty quiet in both directions. not many brake lights, a 15 minute drive time from the cardenas bridge to the maze. we were seeing red sensors

we're hoping to hear from the ftc this morning. ng day of the second quarter. here's the final report card for q1. the dow gained 8%, the s&p 12%, the nasdaq 19% and the russell 12%. financials edging out tech for the title as best sector performer. as for specific stocks, look at this. bank of america was the dow's best performer. there you are, sallie. notable bac was the worst blue chip performer last year. the worst in the first quarter, hewlett packard. >> black rock's quarterly asset allocation report is out this morning. joining us is black rock's chief equity strategist bob dahl and income stras gist jeff rosenberg. they're both with us on set this morning. welcome. >> thank you. >> andrew, just set up what happened for this last quarter. the best performance in over a decade for the markets. bob, the headline has to be you still think there's more room to run here. >> we do. the first quarter was a good year. going to be tough to repeat. we could have some setbacks even the second half of march was a little sloppier. our vi

. >>> the ftc says the days of companies tracking your every move on the internet are coming to an endtalked to the chairman of the federal trade commission. >> there's a few things that needs to be ironed out but we're very optimistic it will happen and by the end of the year, consumers will be able to opt out of tracking on the web. >> the deal will resemble the do not call program. right now internet companies can do what they want with your information and it can be sold or transferred without your knowledge. >>> in news of the world tonight in the netherlands an international tribunal convicted taylor of war crimes and crimes against humanity. he was found guilty of aiding a war in near by leon in exchange for blood diamonds. >>> in mexico, the government backtracked today and said it will investigate allegations of corruption involving wal-mart. wal-mart paid $25 million in bribes to expands its business. calderon has pointed to wal- mart's growths as one of his successes. >>> and hundreds were taking part in the protest against brevick. the song is titled my rainbow ray. >>> cau

investigating google's bypassing of the default privacy settings of apple's safari browser for google users the ftculd fine google $16,000 per violation, per day insiders say we could be talking about millions of users the amount would be staggering compared to the $25,000 imposed by the fcc yesterday for google blocking the investigation into a privacy breach involving street view cars. >>> defense secretary panetta says he regrets the cost to taxpayers for his weekend trips to his monterey farm. those trips cost $32,000 each because panetta is required to travel on military aircraft so he can remain in secure contact with the white house and military leaders. he says he's looking for ways to find savings. he has commuted home at least 27 times since he took over the pentagon's top job in july. the total cost to taxpayers, $860,000. panetta has reimbursed the government about $17,000. >>> homeland security chief janet napolitano is recruiting bay area engineering students for national cyber security she visited san jose state yesterday. the federal government is beefing up partnership with private

some logic, and i find very little logic involved in a lot of what i hear coming out of the cftc and the ftc, personally. >>> time for the "fast money halftime report" back at hq. >> that's right, carl, five minutes until the close. we rallied at 170 points. the nasdaq is at 46 and we hit the s&p by nearly 18. oil and gold, aren't you oil traders listening? didn't you hear the president? oil should be lower today, come on. it's higher by a buck 61. gold shir by nearly $4. let's get to the stories we're following on the "half time show." we're trading ibm, intel ahead of yahoo earnings tonight. we're going to make the bullish case for yahoo over google. asse >>> and trading on tax day. some of the traders have ways to make money as uncle sam takes money. welcome to the "half time" money report. are you helping today? >> i am trying to help as best i can. i liked what we had seen yesterday, and when you think about yesterday, everybody almost reacted like yesterday was a down day in the market. it was a down day for apple, it was a down day for priceline, it was a down day for some of those bi

the last time the ftc made a similar move in 1988, charging microsoft as being a monopoly. they would be the winner is the fcc brings a case against google. the number, 15.3. the percentage of market share microsoft search engine bing had in march according to comscore. google, 64.4% sitting there quite some time. the thing about it. bing isn't even three years old, already at 15.3%. maybe proving google isn't monopolizing anything. if they get the antitrust slamdown it will be microsoft's team that rises like a phoenix. takes a lot to get revenge. >>> a murder mystery throwing the government into chaos now spilling into the united states. british businessman neil heywood found dead in a hotel room last year, and police say he was poisoned by cyanide. soon after, a prominent politician bo xilai once thought to be the president of china soon after lost his job and is totally mia. not for killing heywood but for corruption and wiretapping the country president. spying. the wife was arrested and accused of using cyanide to kill heywood thanks to a business deal gone bad. the st