thelma gutierrez, cnn, los angeles. >> we thank you for watching. "cnn newsroom" continues now with brooke baldwin hi, brooke. >> hello to all of you. i'm brooke baldwin. a busy day. a busy day. roll it. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com two more families got the news today that their loved ones won't be coming home from the war. two american soldiers shot and killed in afghanistan. we're told a couple of gunmen approached these soldiers including one wearing an afghan national army uniform. this is just another round of violence there since word got out that the u.s. troops burned those korans. and senate democrats today killed a controversial republican health insurance plan and what it would have done would have allowed employers to refuse provide insurance to cover birth control and other services they disagree with on moral grounds. debate very much heated on both sides. >> but it seems as if the other side of the aisle in all the discussions we've been having for the last year about jobs, about appropriations bills, about the debt ceiling,

thelma gutierrez has a report on how police are cracking down and the people who allegedly sell women for sex. >> reporter: each day this young woman spent hours on the internet posting provocative photos of herself and fishing for clients. people who would pay her to have sex. >> mine used to say barely 18 years old. >> reporter: she worked as a prostitute, but she didn't work for herself. she had a pimp who said a quota of $1,000 a day. jessica told me she was afraid of her pimp if he didn't work, they didn't eat. she once went five days. >> i thought i was going to die of starvation. >> you had to work to get fed. >> to get fed. >> reporter: she's afraid to be identified, because her mimp is a gang member. twoiers when she was a runaway, she became the physical property of a california gang, where prostitutes, are often branded with tattoos bearing the gang's insignias. the lieutenant says they're focusing -- >> we're focusing on the women, the reason they're here. >> reporter: three warring gang factions laid down their weapons to form what investigators say is a profitable busine

the one and only, cheerios >>> 28 days and counting until, you guessed it, that thing like requesting thelma and louise" we're all supposed to be headed over. john boehner unveiled the details of the republican plan, but it was quickly rejected by the white house. you might remember it wasn't so long ago, like last week, that just as quickly the speaker himself rejected the democrats deal. >> you don't have to really be a rocket scientist to understand that the rich do have to pay more, taxes do have to be raised on the rich. i think that's why over 60% of the public in these polls are not only supportive of a tax increase on the rich but also will blame the republicans if we go over the fiscal cliff, and this gives, frankly, this gives the white house and this gives the obama administration much more bargaining leverage. >> well, the former treasury secretary has one thing to say but many other voices are a virtual kcacophony where wolf blitzer has to sit every day. >> in the short term the president has more leverage right now because if they do nothing, let's say they avoid any legislatio

>> thelma gutierrez, live for us in seattle. thank you. >>> let's bring in rob marciano, are you going to look that? >> yes, they've seen several inches as thelma reported and now the big push is coming. the leading edge of the precip is beginning to push into the seattle, tacoma area. snowing fairly heavy in tacoma and olympia. the heaviest almost will be between seattle and the oregon border. three inches in vancouver. several inches in portland. you can see the warm air push into the portland metropolitan area. damage is done. 30,000 people are without power around the portland metro area because of that heavier snowfall. out to the east we go with some blustery conditions expected here. winds are gusting over 100 miles an hour. five to ten inches of snow expected across the pacific northwest later today. guys, braackout to you. >> i realize we are almost in february and so we do get a lot of snow. and i know some states have a better time dealing with it than others. >> on that particular one, right, because snowplows and ho

i think of "thelma and louise." you play this badass woman. i don't know if i can say that but i did. what other women do you think right now are contributing to the shift in portraying women in stronger roles on screen? >> the ratio has been pretty much exactly the same of male to female characters in films since 1946. >> yikes. >> so we can't say it's different now or certain people are changing it. we always like to assume that when a movie comes out like "hunger games" or something, then now everything has changed. but that happened when "mama mia" and "sex in the city" came out. so we never have really got the momentum going yet. >> i actually spent my valentine's weekend, i don't know now two years ago, with my 7-year-old best friend. she showed me this movie "frozen." i think i was really impressed by -- i'm like go disney. you think in the movie she's going to be saved by the guy. i forget the character. in the end, it's her sister right. >> right. absolutely. i have to say, of anybody, disney has -- is really stepping up to the plate.

our cnn's thelma gutierrez is live in palm desert with a preview. obviously, a lot of people having a great deal of respect for the former first lady. who do we expect to see? >> reporter: suzanne, what we understand right now is that in a few hours, first lady michelle obama will be here as well as secretary of state hillary clinton, her husband, former president bill clinton, also former president george w. bush and former first lady, nancy reagan. all of this should begin in less than two hours. there will be a private visitation for the ford family and then at 2:00 local, 5:00 eastern, begins a national tribute. it will be a private funeral and you know, one of the things i found very interesting, suzanne, is that betty ford was very instrumental in selecting some of the details of her own funeral. this was years in the making. lots of plans for this. we're told that she selected the eulogists, including her very close friend, rosalind carter. >> the relationship that mrs. ford and mrs. carter had was one of the deepest and i think richest in mr

thelma goldman has been instrumental in putting harlem on the map once again. it's a place that's devoted to emerging artists and forgotten artists of african-american descent. this is a place to give you a great taste of harlem. one of the great exhibits for the summer is an exhibit on postcards of harlem. different artists giving renditions of what they see around them. i love that museum and it's a great destination. but don't stop there. now a new draw, people know marcus samuelsson for aquavit, but now he's got the red rooster and then there's another interesting place, ginny's supper club. tell me about the two places. >> the new generation of harlem, he has kind of become a figurehead. he's passionate about the renaissance in harlem. he's made this corner of 125th and lennox the hot place to be, whether you go to red rooster harlem and have your chicken or his grandmother's meatballs you'll see people from celebrities, music stars, president obama is a fan. this is a place to go every time of day. people are just gorgeous, and then downstairs is a brand

. >> shit, thelma. >> the thing i love about "thelma and louis" is it was a love story between two women. it was one of the great buddy movies of all time. >> two friends decide to get away and things go off the rails really, really quickly. >> shut up! >> please, please don't hurt me! >> you let her go, you [ bleep ] hole or i'm going to splatter your ugly face all over this nice car. >> the idea hit me, two women go on a crime spree. >> good morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is a robbery. >> it wasn't just the idea. i kind of saw the whole movie in one flash. >> goddamn, you bitch! >> i don't think he's going to apologize. >> nah, i don't think so. [ sound of gunfire ] [ screaming ] >> it's an odyssey of two women on the last journey. they would not know it's the last journey, therefore the journey had to be magnificent. >> a lot of women looked at this film and thought, i can relate to those women, i can relate to what they're going through, i can understand the choices they make. >> let's keep going. >> what do you mean? >> go! >> they looked at each other and they both knew. >> ar

>> up next, part two of thelma's story. the investigators close in on the suspected arsonist, then offers an alibi that just doesn't add up to seasoned detectives. we'll see how they finally got to the truth. [ male announcer ] eligible for medicare? that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and save you up to thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs. call today to request a free decision guide to help you better understand what medicare is all about. and which aarp medicare supplement plan works best for you. with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients... plus, there are no networks, and you'll never need a referral to see a specialist. there's a range of plans to choose from, too.

. >> all right, thelma thank you very much for that. >>> celebrities, among those remembers the former first lady today, former fleetwood mac singer stevie nix says she would not be here if not for betty. >> i went to betty ford at the end of 1985 for cocaine addiction and i was one of the lucky ones. no those days she would come and speak at betty ford two or three times a month and if you were lucky, you were there when she came to speak and i was. so i got to hear her tell her whole story about the pressures of being the wife of a politician and talking about being famous and being famous. you're like oh, i can't go to rehab because i'm too famous, i'm like come on, she's the first lady of the united states so that made me determined to fix myself even stronger because when you see someone else who's done it, and it changes you. i don't think she even really realized the impact she had on so many lives. she started her place, got people there and sometimes i think that truly great people don't really even realize how truly great they are. >> political leaders also expressed their ot

thelma gutierrez, los angeles. cnn. >> we'll follow that. forbes published an article breaking down how to prepare for a job loss. to avoid getting into this tough situation you saw ernie in, here's what they recommended at forbes. find other sources of income in cash. everything from applying for a line of credit against your home to asking your family for a loan. learn everything you can about your current employee benefits. research the insurance part of your employee benefits and stop spending. finally, start sending your resume out and network both inside and outside of the company. you know, you can visit randi kaye's facebook page at/randi kaye cnn.com for a link to the entire article. >>> getting the most out of the post office. do they need to deliver a major change. our team will weigh in on that next. >>> we've been talking throughout theshow about the post office and plans to cut 120,000 jobs. the administrators say they need to cut the jobs to be financially viable. so how bad are they now? try eight and a half billion dollars i

they are bound and determined to head over that cliff, like thelma and louise. their foot is on the accelerator. >> well, we'll stand by to see what happens as the school year gets under way, classes started yesterday. professor, thank you for coming in, appreciate your time. >> thank you. >>> want to turn to the fate of college football, the college football season, which right now appears to be hanging by a thread. a second ncaa conference announced overnight, it is postponing the fall season and there are reports of a decision from the big ten and the pac-12 conferences that could come as soon as today. some coaches and players are pushing back against the momentum to cancel the season saying they want to play. cnn's andy scholes is following this and joins me now, today could -- today, tomorrow could be hugely consequential when it comes to -- with the message from the big ten and pac-12 would mean. what are you hearing? >> well, kate, the big ten presidents are meeting as we speak right now discussing the future of the college football season, the pac-12 co

cnn's thelma gutierrez joins us live from tucson with an exclusive interview. thelma? >> fred, i can tell you that i talked to the congresswoman's chief of staff, pia, and she told me this will be the congresswoman's first major appearance tonight, a candlelight vigil. events scheduled all through the day including an interfaith service but this event on the mall of the university of arizona, will attract thousands of people later tonight. and pia told me that for the congresswoman to come back this weekend, one year after that terrible day, has been a bittersweet homecoming. >> yeah. this is certainly the biggest event she's attended since the shooting and coming home for her is always, you know, a warm experience, but any marker or pile stone of these -- milestone of these events are difficult emotionally for everybody. i imagine for her as well. >> how is she doing right now? >> good. i saw her yesterday. we had -- she wanted to stop by the safeway. she hadn't been yet. i was with her for that experience and, you know, it's a very intense feeling to stand in the spa

cnn's thelma gutierrez joins me from the betty ford center in rancho mirage, california. betfy ford has helped countless and countless, so many people, it's unthinkable the amount of people who have been helped by her and how candid she was and outspoken about addiction. >> susan, absolutely. when you talk to people here in rancho mirage where the fords retired after public life from the people who are driving cabs to people who work in the hotels, they'll tell you they're very sad. this was a person who everybody here looked up to and as soon as the word got out yesterday of her death here in rancho mirage, there has been an outpouring of loving tributes. president obama released a statement saying, today we take comfort in the knowledge that betty ford and her husband former president gerald ford, are together once more. michele and i send out our thoughts and prayers to their children, michael, john, steven, and susan. former first lady nancy reagan said, i was deeply saddened this afternoon when i heard of betty ford's death. she has been an inspiration to so many thr

cnn's thelma gutierrez takes a look at this tale of two cities and talks to people trying to beat some long odds. >> reporter: omaha, nebraska, in the country's heartland. >> you've really got a lot of big-time companies here. >> reporter: ivan earned his mba here and launched a successful corporate career. he drove us through a predominantly white neighborhood. >> this is where the majority of your african-american population resides. >> reporter: to the other omaha that ivan knows just as well. >> this area here has been really the site of a lot of violence over the years. >> reporter: he says the disparity between whites and blacks is shocking and deeply rooted in omaha's segregated past when many black families were denied banking loans, higher paying jobs and equal education. the percentage of black children who live in poverty here ranks number one in the nation. >> you can be shocked and say, oh, my god, it's an awful place, or you can be shocked with feeling like we need to galvanize. what are you doing over here, young lady? >> reporter: for ivan, that meant leaving a lucrativ

>> i loved thelma houston with "don't leave me this way." i loved donna summer. my all-time favorite song to dance to is "brick house ". >> what a song. >> yeah. >> gloria is getting ready to record a new album. you're doing christian music now? >> yes. it's definitely christian music, it's christian based, but the sound, the music are inspirational can apply to anyone. of course, christ applies to anyone if they want him. >> you don't have to be a christian to like the music. >> you don't. >> because it's coming out of you and you have a beautiful voice. and you accept that you have a place in history from the '70s and beyond. >> absolutely. >> we need this song probably today more than we've ever needed it. >> thank you. >> gloria gaynor. >> bless you. my pleasure. >> please tune in tonight for the season finale of the seventies. they lived. ♪ they lived. ♪ they lived. ♪ (dad) we lived... thanks to our subaru. ♪ (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. no sixth grader's ever sat with but your jansport backpack is permission to park it where

"thelma and louise." those were all offered to you. >> correct. >> any regrets not taking those? >> no. not that i wouldn't have liked to have been with them. they're all great films. but, you know, sometimes you choose not to do something not because you don't want to do it. there are extenuating circumstances, there are other bigger priorities at the time. there might be another film that you'd been attached to for a long time that you'd been trying to get made and it's finally getting made. so it's, you know, it's -- it isn't usually because you simply don't want to do it. >> at that point were you worried about being typecast or pigeon holed in any way? >> early on i probably was, but that changed pretty quickly. i think really by the time i did "scarface" and "married to the mob," it was pretty early on i stopped worrying about that. >> another movie "up close and personal." i know you hate watching your own movies. if i could get a one word reaction when you watch something like this. >> okay. >> is that okay? >> okay. >> take a quick look. >> get ready to roll it up. >> a

thelma gutierrez has the details live from los angeles. thelma, this is such a sad story. bryan stow, a trained emt, a father going to opening day, ends up in a medically induced coma, beaten. >> yeah. you know, christine, this arrest is a huge score for the lapd. 20 detectives were assigned to the case full time and according to the lapd, 6,000 hours of police work went into this case. now early sunday morning, 31-year-old giovanni ramirez was arrested in connection with the vicious beating of san francisco giants fan 42-year-old bryan stow. ramirez is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon and he's being held on $1 million bail. during the course of the investigat investigation, police have received 600 leads but detectives say they got their break from information they received from a law enforcement source. detectives say stow, a father of two, was leaving dodgers stadium with friends, stow was wearing a giants shirt and ramirez and another man were wearing dodger shirts. police say ramirez began taunting stow in the parking lot. as they tried to walk away, inv

thank you, thelma. >>> he's not just a rock star. he's an activist leading the fight against aids. we'll talk to bono live in just two minutes. and as well as dr. sanjay gupta. he'll be on hand. we're going to ask him what it is going to take to make hiv/aids history. >> people have spent entire careers, like lifetimes, thinking about what gesture means. so as we explore this realm of social robotics for the first time, i believe that collaborating with performers and with different artists can actually help us with the development and creation of these technologies. ♪ [ male announcer ] sometimes, a hint is all the wrapping a gift needs. is that what i think it is? ♪ [ male announcer ] the lexus december to remember sales event is here, but only for a limited time. see your lexus dealer for exclusive lease offers on the 2012 is 250 and, as a gift from lexus, we'll make your first month's payment. it could be very abrasive. if the surface gets abraded, it's just the environment that bacteria likes to nestle into and they can cause the odor. your denture needs to be cleaned gent

thelma gutierrez is in seattle. that's a fun assignment for you. good morning. what are they expecting and how bad is it expected to be? >> reporter: soledad, if the snow does come down right now we're just seeing flurries, but later on this morning if the snow starts to fall hard, five to ten inches. doesn't sound like a lot to people who live out where you are. but out here, it's very treacherous because you're talking about steep hills, you're talking about lots of traffic in this downtown area. you can see right behind me, a dusting of snow on the cars still though that snow has not yet started to fall in the way that it's expected to a little bit later today. soledad, the city officials have said that they feel that they are prepared for the storm. they have already started to ice the bridges, the roadways, overpasses. they've opened up emergency shelters for the elderly and the homeless. and they've also closed schools. in fact, several of the airlines have canceled dozens of flights in anticipation of the storm. but we'll see how it transpires. back to yo

autopsies were performed today on michael and thelma king of south carolina. authorities are not certain of a motive in the case. >>> in nepal, three people are still missing in an avalanche that killed at least eight people. the avalanche hit the mountain in an area where climbers were camping. authorities say the avalanche was most likely caused by a large piece of ice that fell from a glacier above the camp. >>> it is a new sales record for the new iphone. apple announced it sold more than five million iphone 5s since they went on sale friday. demand is so high that some people who ordered them over the weekend will have to wait until october to get them. >>> check this out. a two-headed snake found in greenwood county, south carolina. it has one head on each end, two tongues -- >> that's crazy. >> yeah. don't want to run into that. >> that's -- wow. >> it exists. pretty scary. >> incredible. all right. susan, strange stuff. thanks. >>> time for the shot. this comes from a zoo where the gorilla seems captivated by a caterpiller. several come in for a closer

as i mentioned last hour, our southern california girl, thelma guttierez, is live there to give us a true perspective of what conditions are like. hey, thelma. >> reporter: well, i can tell you we've been here for about five hours and the snow is starting to come down. it's very steady. and as you can see, the snow is now starting to stick. what's really interesting is that this is actually happening in the heart of rush hour and as you look on pike and 7th where we're standing, it is very traffic light. very few cars out right now. possibly because the mayor and officials have been telling people stay home, don't come into the city. but as i can show you right now, all the main thoroughfares in this downtown area have been kept fairly clean. and that's because snowplows have been out. they want to make sure that people are able to get in and out when they need to. kyra, officials say they are prepared this time around for the storm. 2008 was a different matter. they're expecting about five inches here in downtown seattle. 10 inches in the outlying area. so that makes this a huge sto

. >> they're thelma and louise at the end of the movie. they would drive the country off a cliff. >> reporter: or maybe senator warren will drive donald trump nuts, after he called her goofy, she went after his make america great again hat. >> you want to see goofy? look at him in that hat. >> reporter: he was wearing it as he discussed his search for vp. >> i'm getting a lot of calls from a lot of people and they want it. >> reporter: elizabeth warren and hillary clinton looked like they were on steroids. let's give a hand to every time they gave each other a hand. >> i'm with her. yes, her. >> like the energizer bunny, just when you thought she was winding down, she sped up. was it possible to clap your way to the vice presidency? jeanne moos, cnn. new york. >> her hands must hurt tonight. thank you for joining us. you can watch "out front" nimp any time on cnn go. "ac 360" starts now. >>> breaking news tonight. remember ta statement donald trump made about barring all muslims from entering the country? listen. >> donald j. trump is call

here's cnn thelma gutierrez. >> reporter: in the small border town of arizona, alahendra is somewhat of a political celebrity without spending a day in office. >> they're my friend. >> reporter: the married woman of two made national headlines after she bid for a seat on the city council and it was blocked by the city's mayor. >> he said, i can't speak english, read and write. >> reporter: at issue, her fluency in english. she was born in arizona, is a u.s. citizen. like many people in this small agricultural town who live and work on both sides of the u.s./mexican border, she was raised in mexico where life is more affordable. when she was 17 she came back to the u.s. to finish high school. by then spanish was her primary language. she says, no one here where most people speak spanish had ever questioned her english skills until she decided to run for public office. >> she does not understand english. >> reporter: the mayor says under arizona law elected officials must be proficient in english. he says she doesn't qualify to run for office and as a citizen he filed a lawsuit against

thelma, what do we know? >> i can start by telling you that we do know that mildred biana is not here at this home. this area has been crawling with reporters and cameras and paparazzi and neighbors say they haven't seen her around all week long. we do know she is 50 years old, a native of guatemala. she worked for the schwarzenegger family for 20 years as the housekeeper. one of the neighbors said that she had come into this neighborhood about two months ago with her 14-year-old son and told some of the neighbors that she had worked for the schwarzenegger's and that she was definitely retiring. >> also, cnn getting that document, getting their hands on some documents. what about the birth, what do you know about that? >> reporter: kiran, we do know that that birth certificate that was obtained by cnn shows that mildred biana actually gave birth to which child just days after maria shriver gave birth to her son, christopher. it also mentions the father of the child as being her husband, at the time. that's wh

thelma phrench is the president and the ceo of tc, and today, she is going to give me my marching orders. >> hello. >> welcome to total community action. >> i'm morgan spurlock. nice to meet you. >> pleasure to meet you. >> so kind of working and living down here every single day, how do you see the income inequality in america? >> well, unfortunately i see the gap widening and the ability of people to close it more difficult, but i don't believe that everyone starts with a equal chance and people should be supported while they are moving up. >> what can i do while i am here? >> well, today, you will be sitting at the front desk and meet the clients as they come in. >> okay. >> and then i think that we are going to go down to employment services and try to connect some people who are underemployed with either a second job or full time employment. >> great. here goes nothing. my first task is helping out at reception. >> today, you are going to work with latesha. >> is that my boss? >> yes, that is your boss. >> hi, i'm your boss today. >> she is not going to be too hard on you. >> hi, i'

want to bring in thelma live in los angeles, thelma, you had all of these different voices in this piece, and obviously the battle over this mexican american studies course, far from over. where does it go next? >> well, brooke, because there is a state law in effect, some worry that the state superintendent will start to turn his attention toward the mexican american studies program at the university of arizona. now, we contacted his office just a short time ago. a spokesperson there told us that while the superintendent does believe there is an unhealthy link between the university program and the high school program because the professors help to create that high school program, he says that he will take a look at it though he has no plans to take any action right now. so there is concern that he will start to turn his attention toward the university of arizona program and, by the way, brooke, the superintendent hupen there is thal stits on the board of re jonts although he says he has no plans right now. >> does the district have another mexican american studies program or programs i

cnn's thelma gutierrez is on the phone from the sierra vista area, a city that has been threatened by the fire. you're joining us by phone because you and the crew had to physically move from the location where we last saw your live shot, thelma. >> reporter: that's right, fredricka. as a matter of fact, fire officials say it's more of a cautionary measure. they've asked all the residents, all the people who were near a burn area to move out. after all, the wild card in this fire has been the wind, and the winds have been blowing very strong today. now, they asked us to move because what they have done is they have established a line. they're trying to burn out all the fuel on the ridge of that mountain so that when the fire crests the mountain and heads down the hill, that it will not have fuel to continue on. they're trying to hold the line at highway 92 down in this area, fredricka. they asked us all as a precautionary measure to pull back a couple of blocks away. and that's where we are right now. now, all day long the aircraft has been grounded. as you saw, fredricka, we're talki

thelma gutierrez, cnn. >>> do you enjoy getting your mail on the weekends? we'll tell you how the senate stepped in to save the struggling postal service. >>> thousands of postal workers around the country are breathing a sigh of relief after the senate passed a plan to save the u.s. postal service as well as their jobs. the battle not yet over, however. alison kosik joins us from new york. alison, my grandfather used to work for the post office. it's a good job. we know the house hasn't voted on this yet, but the senate plan essentially is going to help people get back on their feet? >> you're talking about the post office, and, yes, this bill will help the post office, but critics say the problem with this bill is it doesn't go far enough. what the bill winds up doing is making it hard for the usps to make the cuts it needs in the first place to save itself. let me give you the big example. the postal service says it wants to close almost 4,000 locations and the senate bill says, okay, close them but we're going to put restrictions on really whether or not

. >> also forget thelma and louise. how about bernie and susan. the hollywood star hitting the campaign trail for the candidate and she's talking to me. >> plus the potential of an explosive pandemic. why u.s. scientists say we need to learn from the ebola outbreak and act fast. let's talk live in the cnn "newsroom." >> and good morning, i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. donald trump doubles down. fox news tries to patch it up but the billionaire is refusing to budge. not even fox's bill o'reilly could coax him back onto the stage. >> you have in this debate format the upper hand. you have 60 seconds right off the top to tell any of the moderators you're a pin head. i'm trying to convince you that your tact is wrong. because it is better for the folks to see you in debate format. >> equally unfair was the question that megyn kelly asked me in the last debate and everybody said i won that debate and i gave a great answer i mean believe it or not rosy o'donnell was very good for me. the only time she's ever been good for me. but

now, of course the problem is that boehner and reid could end up like thelma and louise, they end up choosing death over compromise. >> you sure? >> yeah. yeah. >> that was going out in a blaze of glory. of course, it ended in a fiery pit on the ground. harry and john are heading at high speed to america's great fiscal cliff. and the problem is that we, the people, are in the backseat. outfront tonight, a man who has made this the cause of his life, david walker, ceo of comeback america initiative. and john avlon. good to have both of you with us. david walker, let me just start with you. you have some really terrifying numbers here. first of all, you have a number for our overall debt obligations which makes the $15.7 trillion formal debt number look like peanuts, and you note our financial hole in this country is growing at the mere rate of $10 million a minute. >> that's correct, erin. if you look at the financial statements, the u.s. government for september 30, 2011, our total liabilities of unfunded promises for social security, medicare, et cetera, were $65.5 trillion. in addi

thelma gutierrez has more from washington. it is sad, a bizarre turn of events. what can you tell us about the investigation now? >> reporter: i can tell you, kira, that investigators on the case since susan powell went missing have traveled to washington. they will be talking with detectives to see if they can go over details, they'll come and visit the scene to again try to determine what, in fact, happened to susan powell. they say that case is very much active. >> he sent an e-mail just before the explosion, right? >> reporter: he did, and that's something they're looking very closely at. they're saying here, investigators are saying this was premeditated. he knew exactly what he was going to do, and they point to that e-mail. we talked to the sheriff's spokesman a short time ago, kira, he told us shortly before this explosion went off in this neighborhood that the attorney received an e-mail and it just simply said i'm sorry, good-bye. also that a cousin of his in texas received the same e-mail, and they're saying there was absolutely no indication that he w

. >> the one thing i love so much about "thelma and louise" is it's one of the best love stories of all times. >> they get together and things go off the rail really, really quickly. >> shut up. shut up. >> please don't hurt me. >> i'll spatter your ugly face all over this nice car. >> i was driving home one night and the idea hit me. two women go on a scene of the crime spree. it wasn't just that idea. i kind of saw the whole movie in one flash. >> god damn, you're a bitch. >> i think he's going to apologize. >> no, i don't think so. { gunshot } >> this is an odyssey of two women on the last journey. they would not know it was the last journey and therefore the journey had to be magnificent. >> a lot of women looked at this film and thought i could relate to those women, i know what they're going through, i understand the choices they made. >> let's keep going. >> what do you mean? >> go. >> they looked at each other and they both knew. >> you sure? >> it's kind of the culmination of both of our lives and we have no choice. let's go. i can't imagine the movie would have had any power a

thelma gutierrez joins us live from california. has he said anything? >> the governor has kept a low profight. he's told us that he is contrite and realizes he made a terrible mistake. he also acknowledged that he has a lot of work to do to repair his relationship with his family. now, we're also told that schwarzenegger is doingering he can to take the spotlight off of his wife and children and those around him are under a very clear directive, brooke, not to talk about his relationship with maria shriver or his children. >> you mention his children. i know i've interviewed katherine schwarzenegger, lovely. a lot of these kids are on twitter and facebook, and they are still, despite what some folks are telling them, responding on social media. >> we heard from patrick schwarzenegger also going by shriver. he posts some days you feel like kpleive and you want to quit. katherine says this is definitely not easy but i appreciate your love and support. i will always love my family. a source close to him told us he talked to his children the night before he

thelma, thanks very much. let's go to jack cafferty with "the cafferty file." >>> four inches of snow? suck it up, that's no snowstorm. >> parts of washington state have 16 inches, seattle 4 inches, not so bad. >> 4 inch is no snowstorm. as you said, you're from buffalo. >>> the question this hour, should the u.s. censor the internet. bonnie in new jersey writing -- the u.s. government is on so dysfunctional, i don't think it needs to be telling me what i can and cannot see on the internet. i mean, really, censors the internet, steroids in baseball, bullying what else can they find to makes it look like they're doing something when the country is falling apart. >>> john says taking someone's creative work and selling it for a profit is wrong. movies and television productions are producted by case law, and legislative statut statutes, but the internet makes it easy to steal thinks cedive works for profit. that should be stop. pete in florida, absolutely not. once again some politicians are trying to control or

thelma, thank you. >>> have you heard about these comments made by rick santorum made by entitlement programs? i want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money. after this quick break, we'll show you the clip. see it for yourself next. you'll save 100 calories a day. that could help you lose up to 10 pounds in a year. and now get even more with splenda® essentials, the only line of sweeteners with a small boost of fiber, or antioxidants, or b vitamins in every packet. just another reason why you get more... when you sweeten with splenda®. ♪ what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ? ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. >>> he's tweeting, he's tweeting through the commercial breaks. hello, roland martin. >> we've got to keep our viewers informed. >> and we are keeping them informed. >> and you are fired up over something rick santorum said just this past sunday. let me set this up: he was asked about foreign entitlement system. here he was. >> we'

fredricka. >> thelma gutierrez, thanks so much from sierra vista. appreciate that. >>> meantime u.s. senator john mccain of arizona is catching some criticism for accusing illegal immigrants along the mexican border for starting some of the wildfires in his state. here's what he said. >> we are concerned about particularly areas down on the border where there is substantial evidence that some of these fires are caused by people who have crossed our border illegally. they have set fires because they want to signal others. they have set fires to keep warm. and they have set fires in order to divert law enforcement agents and agencies from them. so the answer to that part of the problem is, get a secure border. >> senator mccain did not provide any evidence to back up his accusation. his comments are now drawing fire from latino civil rights leaders there. >>> let's check in with our jacqui jeras with more on this very severe weather. you've got extremes in so many different ways. across the map. >> we do. this is one of the worst days that we've seen

we're thelma and louise, going right over that cliff. >> if you look at the report, he's eliminated two-thirds of the projected shortfall. you still have a shortfall, you want to eliminate it, that's a lot to do. he did some big, heavy lifting. i think he deserves credit for it as much as i've criticized him plenty on that one. >> nice to see both of you. >> the romney plan for a stronger middle class. >> this is a make or break moment for middle class. >> we're going to rebud the middle class in america. >> we can't just balance or budget on the backs of middle class families. >> all right. sounds great but what can these guys actually do for the american shrinking middle class? that's next. people really love snapshot from progressive, but don't just listen to me. listen to these happy progressive customers. i plugged in snapshot, and 30 days later, i was saving big on car insurance. with snapshot, i knew what i could save before i switched to progressive. the better i drive, the more i save. i wish our company had something this cool. you're not filming this, are you? aw! camera shy. snapsh

thelma gutierrez, cnn. >> cnn continues with fredricka whitfield. >> hello, everyone. we have a very busy hour straight ahead. we begin with a horrified scene out of argentina. a packed train plows into a platform. at least 49 people were killed. more than 600 others injured. and this is the scene right now. the emergency director says the death toll could climb. dozens are reportedly still trapped inside. the train was traveling at 16 miles per hour when it crashed during morning rush rush hour. the crash

our thelma gutierez. >> his wife and four children had been imploding in private when over the course of a week the scandal surrounding the other woman and their love child exploded in the media. it began on may 9 with the surprising announcement that the couple was separating after 25 years of marriage. >> we both love each other very much, we are very fortunate that we have four extraordinary children. >> reporter: then a week later a bombshell. schwarzenegger releases a statement confirming a los angeles times story that he had an extramarital affair and a child with a member of his household staff. and the next day, we learned who she is. the "new york times" identifies the woman as 50-year-old mildred who had worked in the schwarzenegger home as a housekeeper for 20 years. the child's birth certificate obtained by cnn shows the baby, a boy, was born in 1987, just days after maria driver gave birth to her youngest son. the man who was named on the the couple separated just three weeks after the birth. she did have two older children from a previous marriage, her daughter jacquelin

he had been married to thelma todd, quite a well-known actress. she died under mysterious circumstances, there were rumors around that maybe he had killed her. >> wait a minute. wait a minute. so you got married to a guy who there were rumors that he had killed his former wife? >> yes. yes yes. >> did that not seem to give you pause? >> well, i thought all he needs is me. sweetheart, i was only 17. >> okay. >> the united states of america was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the empire of japan. the facts have yet to be -- >> we were married december 28th, so it had just happened. he enrolled in the cavalry very soon after, december 27th. >> so you lived on an army base for two years. >> yes. finally, just as he was going to be shipped off, he got septicemia so we never went. i went to a lot of movies. >> as a kid, you loved to go to the movies. >> obsessed with it. i thought that's the way it's going to be when i grow up. ♪ ♪ some day he'll come along the man i love ♪ ♪ and he'll be big and strong the man i love ♪ ♪ and when he c

. >> are we thelma and luiz, rocketing towards that canyon? >> took the words out of my mouth, even if we don't get a deal by the stroke of midnight tonight before the ball comes down on times square, it is not the end of the world, they will reach an agreement some time in my opinion, the next two, three weeks, it will be much better if it happens in the next 48 hours in the next three or four weeks but not like the world's going to come to an end. iri want the cnn audience to know that i agree with ron brownstein, a political point of view, i think republicans may be in a little bit worse shape than the democrats are if we go past january 1st then every day, people are going to be paying higher taxes, the president can blame it on the republicans and a lot of this is the reason we don't have a deal is both sides are calculating who -- which side they can blame the other on for this -- for this cliff. >> speaking of the president and -- friday you can the president spoke from the white house, of course, using you the bully pulpit, he was pret

our thelma gut at this ez is covering that angle for us. she's live out of los angeles. it has the largest population, i understand, of koreans in the united states. what are people saying? >> reporter: suzanne, i can tell you that the community here is 200,000 strong. the reactions have been misse mixed. not because they're in mourning, but they're wondering what comes next. many people have close ties to core rea. they have family members here, many, especially the older people, remember the impact of the korean war. they're watching this thing very closely, suzanne. we went to a diner this morning. it was interesting to see groups of people gathered around the table at the diners. they were looking at this newspaper and newspapers like this. you can see the headlines talking about the death of this leader. they were also watching the television sets. they were glued listening on their ipods and up to the radio, to radio core rea. we came here to radio korea and we were talking to the associate director. he said that they've been in rolling coverage ever since the news

i want to go to thelma gutierrez in tucson. giffords gets a lot of focus because she did survive, but this day is also about the six others. >> absolutely. i believe, don, that she would be the first person to tell you that in fact, a memorial service is going on right now. it's in secentennial hall later this evening. at this service, they're talking about all of those who lost their lives, including the popular game zimmerman. he was an outdoorsman. only 30 years old. he was gabrielle giffords' aide. his father says he will be missed. he wants his son's memory not tarnished by this terrible event. doesn't want the city to only be remembered by the tragedy. >> what we need to focus on is that this is not the defining feature of the community. insane individuals -- can -- people can lose their faculties and do terrible things any place in the world. there's always that risk. in american society because weapons are so freely available. there's other risks. and it's not that event. it's what happens after that event. what people

here's thelma gutierrez. >> reporter: in the small border town of san luis, arizona, alej alejandrina is a celebrity office, without having spent one day in office. the married mother of two made national headlines after a bid for her seat on the san luis city council was blocked by the city's mayor. >> he say i can't speak english, read, and write. >> reporter: at issue, cabrera's influency in english. she's a united states citizen, she was born in arizona. but like in people in this small town, who live and work on both sides of the border, cabrera was raised in mexico, where life is more affordable. when she was 17, she came back to finish high school, but by then, spanish was her primary language. cabrera says no one in san luis, where most people speak spanish, had ever questioned her english skills, until she decided to run for public office. >> she does not understand english. >> reporter: the mayor of san luis says under arizona law, elected officials must be proficient in english. he says cabrera doesn't qualify to run for office, and as a citizen, he filed a lawsuit against

. >> you heard in the president's speech mention in one breath thelma, stonewall, seneca falls. what did that mean to you? >> the president was saying in spite of our differences, in spite of all of our issues, the difficulties, that we're one people. we're one american. it doesn't matter whether we're black or white, hispanic, asian american, native american, it doesn't matter whether we're straight or gay, we're one people. we're one country. that we all live in the same house, the american house. >> you have such an experience behind you at selma. you were beaten up. take us back in time then and put yourself back then looking forward to this day where a black president was inaugurated for a second term. >> i did everything possible today to keep from crying. when i saw him standing there, taking the oath, beside martin luther king, jr., knowing just 50 short years ago that dr. king stood on the steps of the lincoln memorial and said, i have a dream. there was so many people who voted for him last year -- four years ago couldn't even vregistr to vote. >> you mentioned the fac

thelma gutierrez, cnn, bakersfield, california. >> well, schwarzenegger has faced sex scandals before, accused of groping and other bad behavior against women when he campaigned to become governor of california. in her article "sex, lies, arrogance" nancy gibbs takes note of how maria shriver acting back in 2003 and how she's acted with this latest revelation. >> at the time maria shriver stood by him as a character witness, it was when more than a dozen women had accused him of this aggressive groping and harassing, and she said, i know him, take my word for it, he's a gentleman, he's a great guy. and that carried a lot of weight with voters. what's especially tragic and poignant this week is that when he told her all this time he had a son that he had had with this housekeeper, she was not prepared to stand by that and she moved out. so we have no way of knowing what she would have done if she had known the truth back when she was defending him. >> okay. so we know many of the details, but none of them seem to answer the burning question, and that's why, what makes men rise so high

you know, he's pulling a thelma and louise, the only problem is, he's taking the republican party and perhaps control of the senate right off the cliff with him, it's -- i'm surprised -- i'm glad that we now have a double-digit lead, there's a little bit of separation. i don't know what's going to happen in the next couple weeks, i think there's a lot more material out there on donald trump that's yet to come forth. i thought it was interesting that your colleague anderson cooper pushed him to say these are just words, but you've never physically gotten involved with these women in this >> there's supposed to be more. but they're saying they can't release legally from the apprentice. >> it doesn't have to come just from that. i'm sure there will be an abundant of sources over the next 29 days. >> thank you. see you soon. coming up, a red sweater day for one debate attendee. people would ask me that we traveled,ntries what is your nationality and i would always answer hispanic. so when i got my ancestry dna results it was a shocker. i'm from all nations. it puts a hunger in your heart