heavy artillery exploded in neighborhoods. syrian forces shelled a mosque and church and at least 26 people reported killed, including the mayor of this neighborhood. across the country, at least 96 people were killed in street fighting and artillery fighting. there was even a street clash in damascus where troops killed 17. a california man faces a felony charge of child abuse for spanking his stepson with a belt. a neighbor shot video of the incident that happened wednesday during a backyard game of catch. the accused man is an official with the central california water agency. he's now out on bond. we have a great show tonight. here's what we're working on this hour. fire it up. it's saturday night. another big state easing up on pot laws. >> i believe that's a good idea. >> he's not the only one. cheech's pot smoking buddy is here. the 411 on 420. we guarantee you won't hear it anywhere else. we've got little people with big problems over snow white's dwarves. and the back story on an "america's got talent" singer who is apparently a talented liar. >> it's the truth that i truly think is real. >> busted for posing as an injured american war veteran. we're going to start tonight by talking about something a lot of people do, and look forward to doing on a saturday night. smoking pot. new york's governor this week proposed to lower the penalties for possession, because he believes those penalties are unfair. my next guest says it's time to make it legal. not only medically but socially, just like alcohol. john getman, you should know him. his specialty is the fiscal impact of marijuana laws. he's joining us from our nation's capital. john, first i want you and our audience to listen to what many call the poster boy of pot revealed to us. when we invited tommy chong on, we invited him to talk about the new york proposal. we had no idea he would drop this bombshell. >> my announcement is that i was diagnosed with prostate cancer about a month ago. and i'm going to start treating it with canibus oil. >> more of my interview with him, we'll talk about his treatment and why he thinks it should be legalized. john, he says what new york is proposing is more important to him and he believes many others because it could change the way people perceive marijuana and the laws surrounding marijuana. what do you think of his announce mend and why he says it's so important now? >> first of all, we all wish mr. chong a speedy recovery. tommy has entertained a lot of people over the last couple of decades. so we wish him well and hope that he has a successful fight with prostate cancer. as far as the new york issue goes, new york decriminalized marijuana possession in the 1970s. there was a loophole in that law, though, in which when people, if they displayed marijuana in public, they were still subject to a misdemeanor arrest. what's happened is the new york city police have used that loophole to ignore the intent of the legislature and the law and find ways to make arrests of people for marijuana. what they would do is question people, frisk them, get them to empty their pockets and when marijuana came out, arrest them for displaying it, which just so happens mostly it was blacks and hispanics who would be subject to this treatment. that's the purpose of the reform. >> the governor saying it is unfair and he believes that it can ruin a young person's life and said you shouldn't go through life if you're possessing a small amount of marijuana. the reason we're doing this, a whole lot of people do, especially on a saturday night, people look forward to doing it, and it's true, it's true. why do people, you know, want to believe that people just don't do pot, right? so do you think, number one, as new york goes the rest of the country goes? and do you think it is time that we start looking at deregulation of marijuana at least differently in this country? >> i think it's long overdue, but this is a good time. marijuana reform has been very popular issue in many states around the country. more importantly, we've been trying to use criminal law arresting people as a way of controlling this drug. we've been trying it avidly for over 50 years and it's been a failure. the real issue is keeping pot away from kids and we haven't been able to do that by arresting people. so it's time to try a different approach. >> 17 states plus d.c. offer some sort of legal marijuana possession, and california is included in that. just this week you saw what happened in new york. you said the war on drugs, as we call it here, as it relates to marijuana possession, it's not happening. in my conversation with you, you said the only way that you're going to control drugs in this country, marijuana i should say, and i want to be specific about that, the only way you're going to do that is by regulating it. >> we've been very successful with alcohol and tobacco with regulatory programs, with taxes, with controls, age limits for people buying it, relying on education and prevention programs. right now, more people teenagers smoke marijuana than smoke tobacco. so we've been successful with those programs and we should try that approach with marijuana. >> i want to be honest about this conversation. we didn't want to do that whole fake balance thing, john, where you have someone going this is why it's bad. we've heard the arguments, john, about why it's bad, that it's a gateway drug, that it causes violence and crime and that whole element. and the purpose of this show is to get people just to look at it differently and to open their minds about it, about -- especially how it might be able to help economically in these times that we have around the country. john, we'll talk more about this after the break. so stand by. now this for you, as well. why tommy chong believes his time in prison on drug charges gave him cancer. and why he, of all people, is against regulating marijuana. plus, king obama? 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[ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. ♪ what's in your wallet? ♪ what's in your...your... looking at your comments right now. thank you for talking to us about this. what she's doing, she's smoking pot. tonight, that's what we're talking about, not just the regular pot discussion. we're taking our conversation further. let's talk about dollars and cents. this has been called america's biggest cash crop. some people estimate up to $110 billion. that's what people in the united states spend each year on marijuana. each year on marijuana. and the taxes that are involved. we have all these governments around the country that have in financial shambles. could this help the economy if it is regulated and people change their thinking about the regulation of marijuana? >> absolutely. u.s. government estimates, 17 million pounds of marijuana grown each year in the u.s., $3,000 a pound, $50 billion industry, just domestically grown marijuana. leave aside what's brought in from overseas. that's money not being spent on cars or boats or what have you. it's not generating any tax income whatsoever. that's costing state, local and federal government $15, $17 billion a year in taxes. if it were legal, the price would drop tremendously and it's hard to do an estimate how much revenue it would generate, but it would be considerable. and also it would stop this hemorrhaging of money out of the legitimate economy. that alone would increase tax revenue considerably for local government. >> there are people who say, listen, there's an argument that covering the social costs of the regulation would outweigh the revenue it would bring in. and whatever the billions that you said from the sale that even generated from this, the social impact cost would outweigh that and we would pay in the long run instead of making money. what do you say to that? >> i think that's a spurious argument. the last data we got, 775,000 teenagers who admitted that they sold drugs last year, they're probably selling pot. the difference between alcohol and marijuana and tobacco, marijuana is illegal, highly profitable and that provides incentive for teenagers to sell it to each other. if it were legal, we could cut down on teenage marijuana use and the benefits would offset any other problems that it might create. sure, there are issues. >> it's a gateway drug. >> alcohol and tobacco are the gateway drugs. in the 1950s, a documentary i saw, "goof balls and tea" it was alcohol and tobacco followed by barbiturates, then it was marijuana. a lot of people who use marijuana get exposed to illegal drugs because they're going to a legal market. if we legalized it, it would cut that out. >> we see the violence in mexico, the violence on our boarders. what would it mean -- what would regulation mean for that? >> well, it would deflate the profitability and the tremendous amount of cash in the marijuana market and there wouldn't be such profits to fight over. there are criminal organizations involved in meth and kwoek and heroin smugglinging. heroin, what have you, but it would lower the violence and we wouldn't be buying as much marijuana from mexico, we would be buying it here. >> i always wondered why alcohol and not marijuana? >> our scientists figured out how marijuana affects the body in 1988. we've been able to observe what it does to people. there have been a lot of racial issues involved in terms of associating it with african-americans and mexicans and other immigrant groups. but really in terms of scientific knowledge, we couldn't crack the code of how this affects the human brain until the '80s. since then, the research has been how to take advantage of its therapeutic potential. >> great conversation. we'll have you back on again. thank you for coming on. appreciate it. breaking here tonight. tommy chong of "cheech and chong" fame announces he had cancer. i spoke with him earlier this evening. we were going to talk about the legalization method, but he told me this. tommy, good to see you. we brought you in to talk about this new york state lessening the laws for possession in public. but you have an announcement to make. what is it? >> my announcement is i was diagnosed with prostate cancer about a month ago. and i'm going to start treating it with cannibus oil or hemp oil or pot oil. and the reason i'm treating it with hemp oil is i looked at a video just recently called "run from the cure" by rick simpson. and it documents the whole -- how he cured his melanoma cancer by using hemp oil. >> you believe that -- you think that you got prostate cancer in prison after, you know, the paraphernalia and the internet company selling the bong, this was 2003. you think you got it in prison. why? >> that's my feeling. because i was totally healthy when i went in jail and i hadn't smoked pot before i went in jail and while i was in jail, i was clean as a whistle because they drug tested me almost every day and i started having problems with my prostate. i remember very well. when you have problems you have to get up in the middle of the night and pee a lot. and i also contacted gout from the food. so it was a combination of the food and the fact that the prison itself in taft, california is built over a toxic waste dump. and they have a thing there called valley fever that other prisoners were getting and they don't know what it was. it's some sort of wasting disease. so i think i got it there, yeah. >> we should tell, you haven't smoked pot in how long. >> well, i laid off for about a year, you know. when i started getting weird health issues, which turned out to be prostate cancer. so i did everything. i'm a very holistic person. the juices and no red meat and the whole bit. now that i found out that the hemp oil will help the prostate, hey, i'm back. >> do you think people are short sighted because many people have an issue with it morally and do you think people are being shortsighted about what marijuana can do to you as it compares to alcohol and other drugs can also -- what it means economically, should we, meaning the country as a whole, be looking at regulating marijuana as a way to help, to boost this economy? >> actually, i'm against it. i think leave it the way it is. i mean, we don't need more taxes. we don't need to be taxing something like they're doing with tobacco. i mean, again, where does the tax money go? it goes into a black hole called the government. >> i think people are going to think that -- finding out that you don't think it should be legalized? >> no, i don't think it should be taxed. i think it should be totally legal, yeah. but it shouldn't be taxed. >> why? how can you legalize it and regulate it and then not tax it? >> all you have to do is decriminalize it. just take away the criminal penalties. we don't need a system of who we're going to buy it from. we've got growers we buy it from. we got people that will come to your house. we don't need a government regulation to tell us this is good pot, that's bad pot. we don't need that. we've got everything in place. just take away the penalties. >> tommy chong, thank you so much. thank you for being candid with us about prostate cancer and for telling our viewers here and we wish you the very best, okay? >> thank you. and i want to come back when i'm cured and let you know how it went, okay? >> yes, we'll have you back. >> thanks, man. >> again, our thanks to tommy chong. we reached out to the prison he was in to talk about that. no comment from them tonight. best of luck to tommy chong. do liberals want barack obama, the president, to be a king instead of a president? that very question caused a huge stir on cnn.com. we'll grill the author of that editorial there. and we're going to read your comments next, as well. ya know, your rates and fees aren't exactly competitive. who do you think i am, quicken loans? [ spokesman ] when you refinance your mortgage with quicken loans, you'll find that our rates and fees are extremely competitive. because the last thing you want is to spend too much on your mortgage. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪ but when it comes to what you really love, you shouldn't have to sacrifice. and that goes double for ice cream. now you don't have to give up. you can give in with dreyer's slow churned light ice cream. we churn it slowly for all the rich and creamy taste with just half the fat. so now you can have your ice cream and it eat it, too. ♪ nestlé -- good food, good life. in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ a city known for its conservative ideals is now also known for a political first. fareed za carria talked with canada's first muslim mayor. >> reporter: if you've ever been to calgary, you might know it for its annual stampede. ten days of cowboys, rodeos. last year, the royals. and of course, its muslim cowboy hat-wearing mayor. what? who? >> reporter: when he became the first muslim mayor of a major canadian city in 2010, he shattered calgary's red neck stereotype. >> when i was running for office, it was only people that weren't from there that said is calgary ready for somebody like that? the people said that's a kid from the east end. we know him. okay. more talk now. more conversation. republicans aren't shy when it comes to criticizing president obama. but don't let these pictures fool you. cnn.com political contribute for dean obadallah says if you listen to the political left, you're liable to hear a greek chorus of whining. liberals want obama to be a king and not a president. dean, that certainly caused a stir when i read it. i said all right, i've got to tweet this out. so send me a link. your piece generating some interesting reaction. here's what one writes. liberals just wanted obama to grow a spine and campaign far more fiercely for what he promised. another post that makes the same point. liberals want an intelligent president that knows when to compromise and when to bluff. so what do you think? why would you say liberals want a king instead of a president? >> first of all, don, why is your tie? i don't like speaking to you without a tie. this is cnn, not public access. let's go back to the issue right now. it's been a growing feeling by me, as i heard more famous liberals come out against president obama. matt damon, john cusack, jackson brown. a recent poll showed only 70% of liberals support president obama, the lowest level in seven months. it's all the same thing, he compromises too much, he's too much like a politician, too much wheeling and dealing. that's what a president does. what they want is something completely unrestrained by the constitution and checks and balances to do what he promised, come in day one and make a law. the only person that can do that is a king. that's why i said you don't want a president that lives within our constitution. you want someone that is a king that can make things happen. that's not our system, unfortunately for them. >> he ran on change. he said he was going to change the way things happened rather than being just a politician as you say. what do you say to that? >> i think president obama has made changes. and i don't want to get into this whole thing like i'm out here defending president obama. that's not my issue. my issue is at some point the far left sees they're a mirror image of the far right. herman cain said it, the tea party say it, they're cut from the same cloth. that's my point. it's contributing to the polarization in america. a poll this week said we've never been more polarized politically. >> here's the thing. i think that you can say whatever you want. i believe in freedom of speech, freedom of speech, freedom of speech. where i took issue, what's wrong with liberals criticizing the president? liberals should criticize the president. no one is above criticism. and don't you hate it when people on the right, no one on the right could do anything wrong. no one on the left can do anything wrong. the president can do no harm. if you say anything about the president, some people are like, i can't believe you talk about the president and that's all they tweet about is how much they love the president. something is wrong if you love every single move someone makes. >> the president is not on a reality show. it's a culmination of their stance on different issues. you remember the after school special, how a bill becomes a law? it has to go through congress and then the president can sign it. if congress doesn't allow it, he can't sign it. congress is standing the way -- >> we get it. here's what i have to say. i understand your point. nobody is perfect, no one is above criticism. even if you are of that person's party. >> you're close to that, don. >> we know that. coming up, louie anderson in our studio and that video of a father taking a belt to his son for not playing catch the way he wanted him to. start your feast with a soup, like our hearty new england clam chowder. next, enjoy a salad with unlimited cheddar bay biscuits. then get your choice of one of 7 entrees. like new coconut and pineapple shrimp shrimp and scallops alfredo or new honey bbq shrimp. then finish with something sweet. your complete four course seafood feast just $14.99. come into red lobster and sea food differently. until i got a job in the big apple. adjusting to city life was hard for me. and becoming a fulltime indoor cat wasn't easy for atti. but we had each other and he had purina cat chow indoor. he absolutely loved it. and i knew he was getting everything he needed to stay healthy indoors. and after a couple of weeks, i knew we were finally home! [ female announcer ] purina cat chow indoor. always there for you. how did i get here? dumb luck? or good decisions? ones i've made. ones we've all made. about marriage. children. money. about tomorrow. here's to good decisions. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. massmutual. we'll help you get there. but when i was diagnosed with prostate cancer... i needed a coach. our doctor was great, but with so many tough decisions i felt lost. unitedhealthcare offered us a specially trained rn who helped us weigh and understand all our options. for me cancer was as scary as a fastball is to some of these kids. but my coach had hit that pitch before. turning data into useful answers. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. long before the race. get your head right. and focus. on race day you don't leave anything to chance. get set every morning with gillette fusion proglide. its thinner, finer blades cut close, for less tug & pull. ♪ great starts begin with gillette fusion proglide. check out our great promotional offers this month. all right. the '80s were the golden age of comedy, but few of those performers broke free of the brick wall background. louie anderson did, though. >> can you been to canada? because it's an experience. first of all, you fill out the immigration thing. are you carrying $10,000 or more? are you crazy? i'm coming from the states. we don't have $10,000. [ applause ] are you bringing any weapons? yeah, i got a howitzer in my hollow leg. does anything say yeah, i'm bringing weapons in and i'm flush with cash? how about the walk from the plane to customs, ever done that? what is that for, to weed out the sick and infirmed? >> louie anderson is here right now. he's a comedian and a social commentary. you had a gig tonight. but let's talk about some of the issues. have you seen the video of this man caught beating his son? play it for him. >> let me see this. >> so a neighbor takes the video. apparently he's not catching the baseball properly. and now it has to be investigated. you've written a lot about your abusive dad. what do you say to that? >> you know, here's the thing. abuse is really the number one problem in the world. you see it from syria to, you know, to the united states here. it's everywhere. abuse is responsible for a lot of people's lives, a lot of crime, a lot of drug use, a lot of alcoholism. it's our number one thing, it really is. so i had a dad. he was an alcoholic and he was abusive. i struggled with it. and then one day, ten years after he died, i wrote a letter to him, which turned into a series of letters and turned into a journey, a cathartic journey where ultimately i had to find forgiveness for him, because the resentment, it eats its own container. forgiveness is the ultimate thing in life, in my opinion, i was able to see him as a humorous, funny human being with a life, not this monster. >> there is a thread, there is something in just about every comedian, and it's this -- i don't know. i was telling you about joy behar. >> very funny. >> when i went on joy behar show and i said joy, thank you so much. this is the first time i've laughed in two days. she said you must have a sense of humor, even dealing with things and it can be cathartic. you feel the same way. it's amazing that comedians have -- that's an inner strength you have. >> it's like you are a stew from the family. you were born in a certain spot. your dad was this way, your mom or dad was abusive. and you kind of -- you learned how to do social commentary. >> you talk about this and is it part of your book, you talk about baby boomers, right? >> yeah. i didn't know i was going to turn 50. it just happened one day. i just turned 50. i was asleep. i woke up and i went oh, my god, i'm 50. >> well, you look good. >> thank you. >> more than half of the americans over the age of 65 use the internet, online, facebook. are you cyber savvy? >> yeah, tweet my @ louie anderson. sometimes i'll say i'm at whole foods and people will go, so what. well, i'm hungry. >> i love when people say i just saw don lemon in whole foods. i'm like, why didn't you say hello? >> i used to tweet where i was eating and people wanted to join me. there's a time limit. >> here at cnn, the execs and security said, why are you telling people where you're eating. i said, i don't do that until after i'm gone. i'm done by the time you get it. hold on, we're going to have more about that. i'm going to talk about the news we heard tonight on this show. >> would love to. >> my announcement is that i was diagnosed with prostate cancer. >> bad news from tommy chong. les and awards lift you up. but they can also hold you back. unless you ask, what's next? [ zapping ] [ clang ] this is the next level of performance. the next level of innovation. the next rx. the all-new f sport. this is the pursuit of perfection. but when i was diagnosed with prostate cancer... i needed a coach. our doctor was great, but with so many tough decisions i felt lost. unitedhealthcare offered us a specially trained rn who helped us weigh and understand all our options. for me cancer was as scary as a fastball is to some of these kids. but my coach had hit that pitch before. turning data into useful answers. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. okay. so we're back and there he is, comedian louie anderson. i spoke with tommy chong earlier, and he made the announcement that he had prostate cancer, treating it with hemp oil. >> hemp oil? >> yes. but he said marijuana is in the bible, so we should be able to use it and should not be taxed. >> it's sam 20 -- no. >> have you ever -- >> i used to smoke marijuana. they would say louie, do you want to smoke marijuana? and i said listen, i don't need another listen to be hungry. it was never one of my favorite things, to be honest with you. it's a lot of work. yeah, the rolling, the bong. >> according to tommy, they bring it to your house. >> i like the idea of it in brownies. shouldn't all medicine be given in brownies? >> shouldn't we stop this holier than thou thing? >> yeah, let's. >> most people i know, holy rollers, whatever, have smoked pot. and professional people, women will tell me, friends will say you have cramps, smoke some pot. why defense this holier than thou attitude? >> here's what has happened. this is now part of our culture, but an unspoken part. let's just say, you know, instead of having a drink after work, might smoke some marijuana to relax. i think it's become part of it and people are just like -- i think it's part of our culture that we won't recognize because of some really, you know, really religious reasons, and some -- you know, conservatives always use drugs to scare everyone. if drugs are legalized, then they're going to start coming and stealing our kittens. >> listen, i'm speaking strictly about marijuana. if you look at the pharmacology of it, there are drugs that i don't think should be legalized. but when you look at marijuana, and the experts i speak to say when you look at the pharmacology and what it does, it would be better to sort of legislate it so that young people can't buy it, if it hurts someone, there's no stigma in getting them treatment for it. >> listen, if kids are killing themselves with alcohol poisoning and killing each other in car accidents and doing that stuff, it isn't any different than marijuana. marijuana, we don't want them doing either one to exse. but it should be legalized. we should tax it. it could be a crop. i agree with all that. >> we have to run. but tell me, you're in vegas. >> i'm at the palace theater, louie anderson theater at the palace station. >> and louie wants to come back and talk politics, talk about the president. you can watch louie anderson's comedy show live in las vegas. it's called "big baby boomer." keep an eye out for him on cnt. we've got little people with big problems over snow white's dwarves. now move on to the slick navigation tiles -- bam, right into the people hub. see megan, colin has lots of friends. hey, colin, what kind of phone is that? whaaa -- oh megan -- when did you get here? [ clears throat ] ohh yea no, let's... [ male announcer ] introducing the beautifully different nokia lumia 900. only from at&t. rethink possible. they feel like they have to drink a lot of water. medications seem to be the number 1 cause for dry mouth. dry mouth can cause increased cavities, bad breath, oral irritations. i like to recommend biotene. biotene has a full array of products. it's composed of some enzymes that you would normally find in your saliva, and it replenishes the moisture in your mouth. biotene definitely works. it makes patients so much happier. there it is ! there it is ! where ? where ? it's getting away ! where is it ? it's gone. we'll find it. any day can be an adventure. that's why we got a subaru. love wherever the road takes you. wow, there it is. there's something wicked ant the new snow white movie, and it's got nothing to do with the witch. the actress playing the dwarves may look like little people, but they aren't. the images were digitally manipulated. this has outraged many real little people. they argue it's hard enough to find parts in hollywood. here to talk about the controversy are matt and amy roloff, stars of "little people, big world." what do you make of this, are you angry about this casting situation in snow white? >> well, i don't think i'm angry. i think i'm more disappointed and sad that here's an opportunity to really have people that don't get very many roles, that don't get very many opportunities, a part in a major, major movie. and just because of technology, they're using other people and making them look like little people. i'm just very sad that that hollywood would go that route. >> matt, when i first heard this story, it made me think about dorothy and lena horne and where they would use their music but in movies they would cast a white woman and use dark makeup. if the part is for a little person, why not hire a little person to do the part? >> i think that's baffling to us. you know, it's not all bad. we're glad that if you want to call it hollywood or tlc has put amy and i on in a real way. so there's some bright spots out there. but we're both disappointed. we have a lot of friends that are little people that are actors and are working and qualified. why they would not put these people to work and give them the jobs, it's disappointing to us. so we would like to see that obviously. >> matt and amy, i believe it was "lord of the rings" trilogy, the hobbit and dwarves weren't little people either. >> yeah, and the little people community were upset and disappointed about that, too. if you're going to have a role that's typical for a dwarf person, there's a lot of qualified people. you could find a few to fit these roles. so why go the technology route. it's kind of baffling. >> the problem is not just little people but anybody with disabilities. there's 50 million people in america with disabilities and there's a very small percentage that are playing roles on television. i think there was, you know, 2% or some number i read recently in a report. it's like, let's put some of these people many wheelchairs. "glee" is an example of a guy that's not in a wheelchair but playing a guy in a wheelchair. so let's put some people with disabilities to work and i think that would be a great objective. >> obviously you don't think that little people have achieved equality at least in hollywood, in the country, as well. do you think that day will ever come and will it come soon? >> you know, i think the door is opening. i mean, look at our show, "little people, big world." there was even a sitcom, "boston legal" which a little person played a lawyer. that was a role that an average sized person could have been in. they happen to put her playing that role. so i mean, there are opportunities. the door is opening up a little bit bigger. i think we have a long way to go. not only for little people, but for anyone of a disability. this is an opportunity that they may see, i would love to perform if there were roles or an opportunity to do that. when you have something like this happen, it's discouraging. >> it's definitely getting better, but we're very pleased with the progress that's been made in recent years. >> i just have to say you guys are making a difference. i want to tell everybody, here's how you're making a difference. your show is a success. there's a special about your 25th anniversary that airs tomorrow night at 8:00 eastern. thank you so much, guys. keep being trailblazers and good luck with the show. and your personal life, as well. >> thanks, don. up next, we'll hit the entertainment news that you've been talking about that's got a lot of people mad and hurt. back story on an "america's got talent" singer who is apparently a talented liar. >> it's the truth that i truly think is real. >> busted for posing as an injured american war veteran. a contestant accused of lying about his military past, apologizing, sort of. he insists he wasn't fibbing intentionally. dean, i don't know if you read much about the controversy. he said he was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and got a purple heart. none of which is true. and people in the show, their hearts went out to this guy. maybe that helped him in the standings. what do you make of this? >> i'm sure it did. when you watched the interview, he stammered and stuttered. this guy was great. it turns out it's not true. there's a clip of him, he's not stammering or stuttering anymore. you have to feel sorry for him. he did serve in the military for nine years. offered he suffered some kind of problem, maybe schizophrenia or maybe he's just a liar. >> is there anything worse, i hate to say this, than lying about military service, especially when we have so many heros who are coming back injured or who are not coming back at all? to promote yourself on a talent show nonetheless? >> on the level of lies, that's way up there. if i were to cheat on my girlfriend and lie about that, that would be close to the same level. but in the big picture, it's horrible. that's why this man did serve in the military. he knows the difference between going to iraq and not going to iraq. if i go to new jersey, i remember i go to new jersey or not. he doesn't remember if he went to iraq or afghanistan. something happened to him. >> do you think this is going to change the way they vet these talent show and reality show people? >> that was my big issue. i said no one looked into it a little bit more? but maybe you google him, he's been telling this story for years and veterans groups have given him money. so it's definitely wrong. >> dean, thank you. we'll take a look at a real hero, next. >> thanks, don. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. ♪ pop goes the world ♪ it goes something like this ♪ everybody here is a friend of mine ♪ ♪ everybody, tell me, have you heard? ♪ [ female announcer ] pop in a whole new kind of clean with new tide pods... a powerful three-in-one detergent that cleans, brightens, and fights stains. just one removes more stains than the 6 next leading pacs combined. pop in. stand out. when i got back from iraq, i stayed away from large crowds, malls, movies. >> i stayed inside. windows were blacked out. >> i was really numb. >> didn't people like i had a purpose anymore. >> night mares, flashbacks. everything is still a combat zone. >> veterans with invisible wounds. we can't see a wheelchair, a prosthetic leg. they appear like you and i. but their suffering goes so deep it touches the soul. i learned how to train dogs while i served in the army. i knew that a dog can add a lot in your life. i realized this is what i was supposed to do. my name is mary cortani. i match veterans with service dogs, train them as a team so they can navigate life together. when a vet has been trained with their own service dog, they have a mission and purpose again. >> talk to them, tell them they said good. >> dogs are taught to create a spatial barrier and can alert them when they start to get anxious. >> are you okay, getting overwhelmed? focus on maggie. >> the dog is capable of keeping them grounded. >> you're focusing on him and he's focusing on e