Transcripts For FOXNEWSW Happening Now 20120409

we begin this monday with growing tensions in the nuclear standoff with north korea we are glad you are with us, everybody, i'm jenna lee? i'm jon scott. lee. jon: i'm jon scott. the u.s. and others say this launch by north korea is a weapon's test in disguise. south korea reporting the rogue regime is digging a new underground tunnel in preparation for its third nuclear test. greg pal cat is trackin palkot is tracking all of this for us live in london. >> reporter: it looks like all sis tomorrow are go for the launch of that missile by north korea, maybe as early as thursday. north korea says it is a civilian, peaceful satellite launch. the u.s. and others are saying it could be a warm up for use of rockets like that and violates resolutions coming from the u.n. security council. north korean officials allowed the media a bit of a glimpse into the launch site where we saw the three-stage rocket. one expert we are speaking to says that the critical third stage of that rocket now looks like an improved iranian desraoeufd liquid fuel because sister. the last time north korea tried this and failed it was the third stage that failed. japan and south korea says if this stuff comes down in their territories they are going to shoot this rocket down, and just over the weekend north korea saying that would be an act of war. what makes the stakes so high in all of this of course as we know is the nuclear program of north korea experts say that north korea has maybe enough nuclear material for maybe six or eight nuclear bombs. they are not making any kind of secret of that. south korean officials this past weekend are saying they have new satellite photography that they are analyzing that indicates that there is preparation for another nuclear test in north korea in the very same area where twice north korea has tested the bombs before. now all this finally, jon, comes right before this weekend's festivities marking the 100th anniversary of the birth date of the north korean founder kim il sung. his grandson now in charge kim jong un. he is the son of the former leader as well kim jong-il. it could be that this young man might want to burnish his credentials. jenna: let's bring in mit security program faculty member jim walsh. nice to have you back with us. >> i need to tell you up front that i raised to the studio from my dentists chair. if i start to drool it's not because it's approaching lunchtime. jenna: fair warning. we pr-rb you rushin appreciate you rushing over. we always like talking to you. let's start broadly. this is the new week where there will be new talks with iran starting. north corey ace making mumurs of this satellite test. what are you making of all this. >> i think they are not related. the satellite test has been in the pipeline for a while. this is 1900th anniversary of the founder of north korea, kim il sung, the north koreans have been telling everyone who will listen this is going to be a year of strength and prosperity. that is the billing show that was scheduled here for a while. the iran stuff on and off, back and forth, we may not even get to those talks this web. there is a chance they might be postponed. i think it's more could h coincidence or anything else. jenna: let's drill a little bit more into north korea now that we have late bit of a global perspective on this all. some are suggesting as greg was reporting that this is a precursor to nuclear tests. you can see the strength there but what about the prosperity part? why would north korea be choosing to do this. >> not a lot of prosperity. you can make up for it by big shows of strength and national events. it's not a guarantee that they will have a nuclear test. we have seen a pattern in the test where we've had missile tests followed by nuclear tests. when the missile test happens then the international community will condemn it, they will push back and north korea will kneel compelled to respond to that and a nuclear test may be not surprising under those circumstances. jenna: then what happens? if there is a push back and forth, then what? >> then what is there ain't going to be any talks, there will be no six-party talks . everything gets pushed off into 2013 or later and i think that is bad news. why do i think it's bad news? it's because when the north koreans are talking and at the negotiating table they tend to be better behaved. and now we have a young leader, a 20-something-year-old who is trying to consolidate his position. it's going to take him time to do that, and thus the chance for miscalculation or accident. i think that means we into 2013 with more possibilities of things going wrong. so i think that is the consequences we don't have real negotiatings for at least a year. jenna: we can't forget that we have tens of thousands of u.s. troops in south korea japan and south korea have both said that this weapon/satellite waeufrt is drifts into their territory they are going to shoot it down. north korea says if they do that that will be an act of war. what is at stake here, jim? >> you put your finger on what i think is the most important thing. i don't see very much of this missile. we will watch it and have a lot more data this week as to whether it's any good or not. it doesn't have a modern guidance system and it's liquid fuel. it's a sitting duck. i'm not impressed by the missile, but i am impressed by the risk here. it could come down veer off into foreign testimony and maybe be shot down. then you have a young, inexperienced leader who is trying to consolidate his position with the military saying we have to respond, how is he going to respond to that? i am concerned about that. so i hope we can get through this next week without incident. jenna: we'll be watching closely. the dental work did not hold you back, jim, by the way. thank you for join us right out of the dentist chair. we always appreciate it. we'll talk to you soon. jon: jim walsh playing with pain. "happening now" a large brush fire threatens about two dozen homes in southern tphaoufrpblgt it hasouthern new jersey. rick leventhal is monitoring this? >> reporter: this could affect millions of people. low humidity, dry winds sparking red flag warrants in numerous north atlantic states including new jersey. it started after midnight, quickly spread across burlington county east of philadelphia. 600 acres have learned and at least a thousand acres of threatened. it is a rural area, only about 28 to 30 homes so far have been evacuated. at least 50 firefighters are on scene with all sorts of equipment, including bulldozers, helicopters and air tankers are above trying to control the flames. the winds expected to be strong all day, 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts to 45. there was a similar fire 20 miles away in new jersey last week where 400 acres burned. residents being urged not to ignite anything outside, no campfires, no agricultural fires. a single spark could cause another fire. don't burn anything outside right now. it's very likely you could cause a massive fire. jon: this looks like one of those western fires not new jersey. >> reporter: it sure tkoefplts. jenna: a new twist, if you will on this desperate search for a missing california teen. sierra lamar's family trying to bring her back home safely. what surprises might be in store for mitt romney if he confronts president obama in the general election? we'll talk about those surprises and more coming up next. what the world wants to know and share is here. demand media expands on the big board. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. fohalf the calories plus vgie nutrition. could've had a v8. jenna: new information on a few crime stories we are following for you here on "happening now." a manhunt in bam requires underway for a convicted furnished derer. timothy richards is believed to have escaped from custody in greensboro yesterday morning. he's serving a life sentence for murder and he's been behind bars since 2000. we'll keep you updated on that. two men in oklahoma are now charged with murder, accused of terrorizing a tulsa community, killing three people in a shooting rampage there. cops say online pose inks indicate one of them may have been trying to avenge his father's death. the family of a missing california teenager is offering a $10,000 reward for her return. she disappeared in march while on her way to school. investigators believe she may have been kidnapped. jon: a new column out by fix news contributor michael barone, it caught our eye this morning. it says mitt romney will be the republican nominee. the article suggests romney has strengths for the general election that have been overlooked, they include strong ooh sport among affluent and suburban supporters especially those in the northeast. byron skwroerbg is a political correspondent with the washington examiner, also a fox news contributor. perhaps your tongue was slightly in cheek. you say the strongest asset mitt romney has is that he's not barack obama. what do you mean by that. >> any race is about that president's record and whether they want him to continue four more years in office. mitt romney's greatest advantage in the race is that he's not barack obama. the job ever the challenge eris to prove to the voters that he's a safe and better alternative than the president. voters may not like the president, they may have doubts about him, but they know him, they've seen him for four years. a challenger has to convince voters that it's okay to make a change. jon: barack obama the candidate in 2008 was fresh and young and exciting and possible tip. is he still that same candidate today? >> no, he just can't be after four years in office, he's had failures, he's had problems. the economy is still a major job. i think what michael barone was saying and i agree with it is that romney is actually doing better in some of the swing state areas than republicans have done in the last couple of years, and that could be good news for republicans. i should point out i just counted the polls that are included in the "real clear politics" average of polls, match ups between obama and romney, obama has led in 21 of the last 28. there have been two romney lead and two ties. a signature eupblg for obama at the moment. jon: it's party hard to overcome the power of the incumbency. as voters get to know little bit more about romney, as he solidifies the nomination and becomes the guy, does he stand a chance of picking up his numbers? >> that's entirely possible. because right now, even though romney is referred to as the presumptive nominee or the probable nominee, he's not really the nominee. thee election is not two guys. elections are one candidate against another candidate. voters may not like either one but they end up making a choice. i think it's entirely possible as romney becomes the nominee and as republicans who have problems with romney decide that they would rather have him be president than barack obama his numbers will in fact go up. jon: romney's challengers says he can't run against the president on the issue of "bama care because romney care was so much like it. he can argue, can you not that you can do those kinds of experiments on the state level without running afoul of the legislation. >> that's exactly what he's say. he would be helped a lot if the supreme court were to rule that all or part of obamacare is unconstitutional. romney's problem is the president is constantly going to be saying, thanks, mitt, it was a great idea we used your massachusetts healthcare as a model nor obamacare. and romney will be arguing it's a very specific solution for the state of massachusetts. he does not recommend it nationwide. he's going to have to fight that battle every day of the campaign. jon: dick morris has a column out today in which he says that if you look at the polls, among voters, you know, barack obama enjoys the lead right now, but if you look at likely voters mitt romney is actually doing better or at least tied with the president. is that something that viewers, you know, should be paying attention to? >> oh, absolutely. i mean you can do -- there are three different types of people in a poll, you can poll everybody, and you can poll people who are registered voters and you can poll people who have actually voted in the past who are likely to vote again. romney is in fact doing better and that's probably a more accurate picture of the general election to come. jon: but it's going to be a very negative campaign, we can assume, a lot of money about to be spent . byron york, thanks. >> thank you, jon. jenna: a scary start to easter morning for two people injured in a home invasion. the latest on the victims' conditions and the search for a suspect ahead. and the u.s. and afghanistan reaching an agreement on night raid, who is now in control, next.  jenna: breaking news out of florida now. an update on an easter morning home invasion. patti ann brown is watching this from our news desk. >> reporter: it was at 5:00am easter morning where a home invasion robbery led to a woman's death. it happened in st. petersburg florida. a couple were both shot according to police. the woman died of multiple gunshot wound, including one to the head. the man was shot multiple times. he was able to flee the house and get help. he's in stable condition. no arrests have been made. detectives believe at least two people were involved. they have not released a description for a motive. they do say there is evidence the killings might be drug related. but a neighbor and friend says she doubts that, because mac because devoted to her two sons. >> it's not fair. they should have not had their mother taken away from them. her life revolved around them. she didn't do drugs, she was not that kind of person. >> reporter: her sons are ages 3 and 6, jenna. jenna: more as we get it. thank you. jon: the afghan government and the u.s. reaching a deal on night raids, an issue that threatened to derail a strategic partnership between the two nations for decades to come. the agreement gives afghanistan authority overnight time operations. world affairs contributor wadi natrou dominique d-natali is streaming live. >> reporter: this is a landmark agreement between the after tkpw-pbs and thafghans and the united states. foreigners were kicking down doors and detaining them and taking them away. afghans as of yesterday will take the lead in every single night raid and they will be the ones arresting afghan citizens. u.s. soldiers will no longer be searching houses, nor will they be detaining people unless they are required or requested to by the afghans. that also means that the u.s. will not also be able to immediately interrogate these people, the high value targets, the key militants killed or captured that have led to finding out things. it prevented like plots like future 9/11's happening as well. one big concern is now that the afghans are in control how much can the afghans be relied onto go after the same targets that the u.s. have here. a u.s. spokesman told me earlier today that the targets of the after gone and the u.s. will continue to be the same. take a listen. >> we don't have two target lists, that is the whole point. the operational group. which is the afghan group assigns each mission. it's not like we are posing targets and they are approving or vetoing. it's between afghan intelligent sources and coalition intelligent sources. >> reporter: it pretty much remains to be seen whether that will actually be true. here in a country like afghanistan where there are tribal alliances it's hard to see that every single target may not be in the afghan's interest and purely only in the u.s. interest. we'll have to see how this plays out. it removes the final hurdle for a long-term strategic relationship between the united states and afghanistan, and that will actually be hammered out before the nato summett summet taking place by the end of may in chicago. they hope to have an agreement with the afghans about what is exactly the u.s. prisonnence in terms of shoulders and capacity. jon: dominique d-natali thank you. jenna: business news coming up for you. one of the best known companies in the world falling on hard times like so many others, laying off tens of thousands of workers. i should say thousands of workers. we're going to add the total number and that story ahead for you about why they are choosing to do this now. hillary clinton lost a bruising primary season to president obama, now she is secretary of state and one of the most popular figures in the democratic party. she will be a no show at the democratic convention. why is that? and what role will the clintons play in the 2012 campaign? jenna: fox news alert breaking news out of minimum soto. a suburb of minneapolis where we are getting word of a shooting in a home where three people have been found shot and killed. this area of minneapolis is called brooklyn park. they say the suspected shooter is still on the loose. it is light on details. a technical college in the areas locked down as a precaution. as we learn more we will bring that to you. jon: fox news weather alert. several powerful thunderstorms targeting the southern plains capable of producing large, damaging hail. maria molina live in the extreme weather center for us. >> reporter: unfortunately wear looking at a round of severe weather possible, not just for today but also over the next several days. we have this storm system that is not moving a whole lot across parts of the southern plains, a stalled frontal boundary. waoepwe will see thunderstorms firing up along the boundary. the possibility that some of those could be producing some severe weather. you mentioned that large-type hail, damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes. we all remember that just last week we saw up to 16 confirmed tornadoes over northeastern pourings of texas, the large hail causing damage to airplanes in the dallas airport. this is another possibility as we head into later on today for severe weather across the region. we will see rain and thunderstorms that will be beneficial for parts of texas and also oklahoma. tomorrow we have another round of severe weather possible, once again across the oklahoma and texas pan handles. this time around dallas we are not thinking you will see severe weather from some of the thunderstorms. further off to the east we have a second area we'll be keeping an eye on, southwestern mississippi and louisiana. large hail damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes possible. not a whole lot of action going on right now. it does take some time for the showers and thunderstorms to get going. you get the sunshine later on in the afternoon, the temperatures warming up. the humidity will fire up some of those thunderstorms. we'll keep an eye on that area throughout the day and tonight. the pacific northwest and further down through parts of northern california we do have another storm system that right now isn't doing a whole lot, light showers, but we do expect the activity to pick up here in intensity especially across parts of california with heavier rain as we head into tomorrow. the northwest, a storm system producing showers. it is cold enough out here we are tullahoma lee seeing this falling down in the form of snow. the bigger impact out here is the wind. we're talking about wind gusts over 40 miles per hour possible that will be causing to delays, in big airport hubs, like laguardia, jfk. we have the ella skwraeuted fire danger, red flag warnings are in effect through parts of massachusetts all the way down into north carolina, so of course keeping an eye on this as well. jon: as rick leaf convenient tall just told us we have one burning out in new jersey right now. >> reporter: yeah the wind will help to spread those rapidly. hopefully things will be get under control quickly. jon: maria thanks. jenna: big news out of a big company today, sony planning to cut 6% of its global workforce, about 10,000 jobs. sources say these cuts may happen over the next two years or so, but no clear timeline is set. we have an economic at the university of maryland and a former economist for the international trade commission. do you think this is company specific or do you think something broader is going on with the economy that a big company like sony wants to make cuts like this. >> it's certainly broader in japan. nec and panasonic are also cutting back. there is sony's second cutback in four years. there was a big cutback in 2008. those companies are they strong in tv's, and things of that nature. they are losing ground to apple and samsung. cell phones are where the big margin are, sony is not there. people have about all the wide screen tv's they can use. jenna: we hope they buy a lot more if they will have fox news channel. you don't have to replace them every year like i can argue i need to do with my shoes. do you think this is a big warning for other big companies like sony, companies in our country where we'll see cuts like this? or are we at the point where most of the major job cuts in these big companies have been made. >> absent the downturn in the economy generally that we do not see, or some catastrophe in europe, i think we are done with it in the united states. the companies have downsized nicely, they are selling more than in 2007, they have many fewer employees. this is not something that should generalize to the united states. jenna: we are seeing some reaction to the jobs news on friday today in the stock market, because the stock market was closed on friday. you see the dow down 150-plus points, peter. some are speculating this latest jobs data that showed we didn't create as many jobs as we expected in the month of march, that maybe this is a sign that things are going to slow down in the job market going into the summer, like we did last year. you're folding your arms across your chest. that makes me very nervous, peter, what do you think about that? >> i'm getting in my professor mode. economists are saying for the last two, three months that the economy is growing more slowly than the past year. the new jobs don't pay very high wages, the savings rate is falling, gentlemen the economy is slowing. that doesn't mean another recession, it means we are growing at about 2.5% a year at best and that is not enough to create the 350 to 400,000 jobs we need each and every month, say for three years to pull unemployment down to 6%. you know the administration tells us the economy is in take off mode, it's really not, it's like an airplane skimming along the ground, you know, it's flying but barely. jenna: do you think we'll ever be back at that point where we're going to have months where we're going to see 400,000 jobs create, or do you think post this crisis that is not just part of reality any more. >> it's the reality that the administration wants to impose on the people. he promised to do it when campaigning but failed to do it as president, like drilling for oil when he talks about but won't let us do, we could create 7.5 to 10 million jobs without much problem in the next three or four years in addition to the jobs we are creating. all the bank regulation is driving small banks out of business. it's time for smart regulation, not regulation that shuts down capitalism. finally obamacare, how can americans create jobs when companies have to pay $8,000 per person for healthcare. they've got private health insurance and we've got a president that those more money on a broken system. if we get a change in administration we can get this country going again. it doesn't even have to be a republican, it just has to be somebody else. jenna: a change in policy. peter we appreciate your opinion as always. we look forward to having you back. thank you, sir. >> you take care. jon: well, peter didn't know it but what he said there might have something to do with our next segment. it's new information regarding secretary of state hillary clinton. her spokesperson announcing on friday that mrs. clinton will not attend the democratic national convention coming up this summer in charlotte. apparently it will be the first time she will miss her party's main event in decades. this as we're learning that former president bill clinton will attend the democratic convention and says he'll do whatever he can to get president obama reelected. joining us now for a fair & balanced debate gretchen ham i will, christopher hahn is also with us. it is not that unusual, christopher, for a secretary of state not to attend a political convention. their job is supposed to be above the fray. but a lot of people were kind of surprised that hillary said she is not going to be going to this thing at all. >> well, you know, listen the big four tend to stay out of politics. and there is a ban on the secretary of state participating in politics. i do think that it would be great to have her out on the campaign but she's got a very serious job that she represents the entire united states of america, whether they are democrat or republican to the rest of the world. and politics is supposed to stop at the water's edge. so the secretary of state tradition until lee has been above and beyond politics. we are going to miss her, the clintons are a powerful force in american politics. having bill there is going to be great. he is one of the best representatives of democratic policies and how they work that this country has. >> is there a danger that bill clinton's arrival distracts attention from president obama. >> i think president obama will need president clinton to be on the stump to talk about the issues that democrats did well back in the 1990s, and one of those including range in government spending which is currently out of control right now, and something this president and congress has actually failed to do. i think he would benefit from president clinton being there to solidify independents, to talk about fiscal issues and talk about real solutions to the economic problems. jon: christopher, what about bill clinton? he was in office at a time when republicans and democrats managed to work together, the white house and the congress managed to get a balanced budget. there was that moment in 2010 where president obama brought president clinton into the room to talk about some budget negotiations, said he would be there for just a couple of minutes, bill clinton took over the room, took over the press core and talked for 20 minutes even after the president left. >> hey, bill clinton did it because he was able to work with a congress that although they had some convictions, they were able to negotiate. right now this congress doesn't seem to be able to negotiate. john boehner doesn't really have control over his caucus, and when you've got a guy who is your majority leader actively campaigning against incumbent members of his own caucus that shows a disarray in the republican caucus that bill khropbt ton didn' clinton didn't have to deal with. jon: when was the last time harry reid brought a budget to the floor. >> when was the last time this president put forth a budget that his democratic party would be for? the democrats in the house didn't vote for it at all a couple weeks ago. not saeupbg he will vote, it failed, zero. >> gretchen, you and i both worked on the hill, and you and i both know that when the president put forth, the democrats in the senate weren't going to vote for a budget that they new republican wos not pass. in the past the president has put forth the budget and the house of representatives would debate the budget and alter it and then it would go to the senate. jon: hold it a second. we are getting into house and senate politics right now. i want to talk a little bit more about the clintons, and in particular this new website, texts from hillary. a couple of hillary clinton supporters put together some pretty funny pictures, actually, a picture is worth a thousand words. let's take a look at one of them here. this is hillary clinton supposedly texting the leader of the free world saying -- mr. obama says, hey, what are you up to? she says says, running the world. there is another one where a supporter says, it's 3:00am. this is recommen reminiscent of 3am phone call ads. it's 3am and i think something is up. hillary clinton from aboard the aircraft says, i'm on it. her favorability ratings are really on the way up. she has 66% approval ratings according to one gallop poll and even 40% among republicans. this was the woman republicans used to love to hate. what is going on with hillary clinton? >> they've seen a contrast, they contrast her now to what president obama is actually doing. at the same time she's remained out of the fray. she hasn't been in the middle of the white house and congressional sticky, political negotiations over the debt ceiling or what not and she has pretty much remained apolitical, focused on her job and she has created this. maybe illusion some would say but some would say an actual reality where she is on top of it, she's on top of her game, she is focused, she will not get down and dirty in political mud and she's going to execute on behalf of americans and do her best. jon: some democrats, including pansy say they would like to see her running in 2016. >> i think she would be great in 2016, if not here our man in new york, andrew cuomo would make a great candidate. jon: we are not even done with 201 candidate. >> we are not even done with 2012 yet. jon: okay, thank you. jenna: a tanker truck going up in flames. we will have that story for you. more of this video next. [ wind howling ] [ technician ] are you busy? management jt sent over these new technical manuals. they need you to translate them into portuguese. by tomorrow. [ male announcer ] ducati knows it's better for xerox to manage their global publications. so they can focus on building amazinbikes. with xerox, you're read for real business. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. jon: some fiery new video out of california to show you. check out this frightening scene over the weekend in glendale. a gasoline tanker truck bursts into flames after it was rear-ended by a suspected drunk driver. the fire burned for about an hour, rekindled at least once when firefighters thought they had it out. eventually they were able to distinguish it. both drivers, believe it or not were able to escape from their vehicles. jenna: president obama has proposed a budget every year since taking office, but believe it or not it's been more than a thousand days since the democratic-controlled senate has even taken a vote on one of those proposals. that might be about to change and it could have a big impact on the november election. to tell us more about that chief national correspondent jim angle following this story. >> reporter: the senate democratic leadership which has been ducking a vote on the president's budget all this time as you said may soon have no choice but to vote on them because they have ruled that anyone can bring a budget to the floor and it only requires 250 votes, not the usual 60. >> it's been a longtime, every year they have this requirement, they haven't done it, the parliamentarian can't force them to do it, but what she did say is you have to do it. >> reporter: that means even republicans could force an embarrassing vote on the president's budget, the latest version of which was defeated in the house by a vote of 414-0. the last time it came up in the senate his budget lost 97-0, just one reason many democrats might want to avoid another vote. >> if you vote on a budget in the senate, you're going to vote on tax increases. democrats are dedicated to that. but in an election year it's often an uncomfortable vote to take. >> you have 23 democratic seats up. >> that becomes a matter of time being. i think senator reid has made the judgment, quite correctly that there is very little chance that we will get the two sides together before the election. >> reporter: senator conrad the democratic chairman of the senate budget committee says he plans to introduce a pweufpblgt his own. he recommended the president accept the recommendations of his own deficit commission, the bowls simpson commission which will obama declined to follow. >> he asked me for my advice, i told him, look, if you embrace this totality of bowls simpson what will happen is that republicans in the house will automatically be against it. you need to maybe the case for why it's necessary, but you need those of us in congress to work it out. >> reporter: while expressing doubts about passing any budget in the senate in an election year conrad did tell fox news sunday that after the election with many tax cuts about to expire and the dull blade of a $1.2 trillion budget sequester about to fall people might have more open minds about fashioning a new budget. jenna. jenna: we'll wait and see on that, jim, thank you very much. nice to have you. jon: two heroic firefighters killed in the line of duty. the latest on a terrible early morning fire that trapped them inside a burning building, and some family members of those who died on the titanic set sail in remembrance of that terrible night almost 100 years ago. they are going off to sea to where the titanic sank to mark the tragedy. or even 20 years? call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today. when you pour chunky beef with country vegetables soup over it... you can do dinner. four minutes, around four bucks. campbels chunky. it's amazing what soup can do. the largest class size in the nation. 47th out of 50 in per-student funding. but right now, we can make history with a ballot measure to send every k-through-12 dollar straight to our schools. to every school and every child. not to sacramento. it's the only initiative that can say all that. check out our online calculator and find out how your school would benefit. visit ourchildrenourfuture2012.com today. jenna: a memorial cruise is happening now, it set sail over the weekend marking one hundred years since the titanic disaster. the ship leaving from the same port as the ill faithed ship on sunday, with passengers from 22 countries, including relatives of some of the victims. organizers recreate the on board atmosphere from the food to the cast tombs, the music from that era, minus the disaster that made it famous. joining me on the phone is paul. paul, you've been to this site above water and below water. can you describe what some of the folks will be seeing? >> as a people they will be on the site on surface, and they won't see nothing. we'll show them some picture we did underwater, and other people because we were not the only ones doing that on the site. but i hope -- i know they will do a commemoration, you know, of the disaster and they will throw some flower in the water from the cruise ship, but nobody will dive, no underwater activity during this cruise. jenna: some describe this tour as a bit morbid. how do you see it? >> you know, i don't think it's morbid, because if the people respect, you know, this disaster, that would be okay. if it's a circus, if people are joking, or they are going there for fun, that could be morbid. but if you respect, and i know that some of the people that are on board, and they will do that with a lot of respect. jenna: a hundred years, it's amazing to think that. why do you think there is still such a fascination with this event? >> that's a very good question. my feeling more and more is because each of us we can think that we could be on the t on the titanic this night. and you think, what are you going to do, are you going to rush to the people, are you waiting, are you helping people. it's a big human story, and it's a dig decision in your life. people have two and a half hours to think what will happen to them. i would survive, i would not survive, and that is a good question. and also the ship was a big, brand-new ship. it was the biggest technology at the time. there was a lot of celebrities on board, and on and on. for me it's more the human aspect. jenna: well put, paul and we appreciate your expertise as we continue to follow this tour, and, again, this 100-year anniversary, i don't even know in anniversary is the right word, because it doesn't feel right for such a tragedy. paul, thank you for joining us. we look forward to having you back. >> thank you, jenna. >> we'll be back with more "happening now." [ mujahid ] there was a little bit of trepidation, not quite knowing what the next phase was going to be, you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been doing. you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. that's my world. ♪ jenna: the republican race for president is far from over but the campaigns are starting to shift gears for a face to face battle. pitting president obama against myth rom tphefplt we're glad you're with us everybody, i'm jenna lee, welcome to the second hour of "happening 2340u". >> jon: i'm jon sko*rbgts most political observers including the white house are turning their attention to mitt romney and romney is turning his attention to the general election, beefing up his staff in the most critical states for the fall campaign. his republican rivals so far are refusing to quit the primary race. newt gingrich insisting he will keep running, but hinting over the weekend at the possibility of a concession. >> i'm glad i did this, i think it was -- for me it was important as a citizen to try to do some very hard things, to try to bring new ideas and approaches. it turned out to be much harder than i thought it would be but it was right thing for me to do at that point both for me in my life and where i thought the country was. i have no regrets. jenna: rick santorum, who maintains he is staying in the race until the end has been cutting back on his schedule, he has no events planned for today and only one or two a day for the next several days, jon. jon: meanwhile, superpolitical action committees are beginning to open the flood gates on millions of dollars in new campaign ads to support mitt romney and attack president obama. let's talk about it all with bret baier, anchor of "special report". so newt gingrich says he's still in it but when he's talking about past tense, i'm glad i did this, it sure sounds like it sounds -- it sounds like his campaign is over. >> we've been at this point for a while but to hear him articulate it on "fox news sunday" with brit hume over the weekend really came to that point. he did say when mitt romney gets to 1144, the delegates needed for the delegation -- for the nomination but in essence he was signaling his campaign is on track to try to keep conservative ideas in the mix and on the platform. the problem for him is that the longer he stays in, obviously, an organization takes money to run, and he's 4-plus million dollars in debt according to reports, and so you have to deal with that reality. and that's something that gingrich -- that the gingrich campaign is dealing with. jon: and rick santorum has scaled his campaign back, didn't have any events over the four-day easter weekend. that would be expected, i suppose, for a conservative catholic candidate. and his daughter is ill right now, his three-year-old daughter. so he's taking today off, we understand it. but leading up to pennsylvania, which is his sort of make or break state, one would think he would be scheduling more events. >> well, i think his daughter's health and taking her to the hospital, his daughter, bella, has been forefront, according to campaign officials, and that was what today was about. i do think that inside political circles, there is a thought that perhaps in coming days, even ahead of pennsylvania, you could see rick santorum with some announcement that he is getting out of the race. it's not something publicly that they're talking about, but you look at the polls shifting, you look at the ad buys and what hasn't happened on the santorum side on the ground in pennsylvania, and the reality is seting in that mitt romney is likely the nominee. jon: we know that president obama was not fond of the idea of superpac money being used in this campaign, and that money, it appears, is about to be unleashed against him. >> right. superpacs will play a huge role, as they did in it primary season, they will play an even greater role, it's believed, in the general election, and you are already seeing american crossroads, the premiere superpac that will run ads against president obama, gearing up for a big ad buy, especially in swing states across the country. this is essentially, to lay the ground work to in -- in the words of political operatives, soften the battle ground for the nominee, likely to be mitt romney. so to be able to provide him a little bit of time, a little bit of time, a little bit of cover, to get his organization and his money up to speed for the general election, even ahead of the conventions. jon: bret, stick with us. we want to talk more about where we are in the election cycle now and the growing speculation about mitt romney's possible choices for a vice president. chief political correspondent carl cameron joins us on that. who's in, who's out when it comes to the possible selection of a vp carl? >> reporter: at this point, it's more about building the long list. we are today 20 weeks exactly to the beginning of the republican national convention in tampa, so the clock is ticking for mitt romney to pick a running mate, even though he has rivals newt gingrich and santorum and ron paul in the race. first thing romney has to do is who is going to head up the search team. he will need to pick up somebody who will ultimately run a vetting committee to take a look at the records and resumes of these potential candidates and it's a long list, the list is at least 16 names, running through, get your pencils out. there are two current office holders to watch, paul ryan of wisconsin, who got a lot of attention with romney's win in wisconsin last week, south dakota senator john thune who chairs the gop policy committee and endorsed romney before the caucuses. formal rivals, perry calls it a warm spit but is on the list, mike huckabee ran against romney in '08 and can't be ruled out for taking the job, tim pahr-pbty has asked to be taken off the list, rick santorum, newt gingrich, neither one said they wouldn't be number two. there are people you've heard about all year, senator rob portman of ohio, bob mcdonald of virginia, conservatives from key states. there is governor chris christie of new jersey who said he's open to it, then senator mark rubio of florida who last week said no thanks but he could deliver florida and that's big. former secretary of state cond lisa rice intrigues a lot of republicans, she downplays the opportunity, then lastly there's a whole bunch of governors who have to be considered, mitch daniels of indiana, says he's not interested in national office, nicky haley of south carolina, doesn't want the job, said last week, bobby jindual has left the door open and susan martinez, of mexico, and brian sandoval have said no. but the truth is if the nominee says i'd like you, everything changes for all these people. jon: that often happens in politics, a lot of people who say no, end up getting the job. >> the great mentioner, and for the principal cry cry tear for any nominee is who can do the job and romney is just beginning that process but he's got to hustle because 20 weeks is a short time, it has to be unveiled before the convention. it is the most con very -- consequential decision of any candidate. >> you've got to be careful with choosing who's going to run the prosocial security because as you know, dick cheney ran the process for george bush, then became the vp nominee. jon: i remember that well. you know, it's, again, 20 weeks, carl, as you point out. doesn't sound like a whole lot of time to put this kind of a thing together. >> vetting can take days, weeks. there are some who argue that vetting should take months. the person who ran john mccain's vice presidential search committee was a guy, arthur caldehaus and he met sarah palin quite secretly, managed to do a lot of it behind closed doors, all of this sort of stuff has to happen and the campaigns take great pains to keep it secret. they want as maximum -- maximum bump as possible by the mentioning of the running mate which before the convention gives the opponent a big enough bounce to take a lead in the polls. that's what romney is trying for with the pick, they've just got to get there. jon onand the running mate could well be someone not seen on the screens there, whether they say yes or no could be somebody completely different. carl cameron, bret baier, thank you both. you can see bret baier. special report", monday-friday, 6:00 p.m. eastern time and you're never more than a quick away from america's election headquarters where carl sends a -- spends a lot of time. jenna: from washington, d.c., out to wisconsin now, where unions are gearing up for another battle there, they're upset over collective bargaining laws signed by governor walker and fuel be an effort to recall him later this spring. some analysts look at the union strategy in wisconsin as a preview of what the republican presidential nominee could face in the general election. mike tobin is live in chicago with more on all of this. mike. >> reporter: and jenna, the democrats in wisconsin are already getting nasty amongst themselves. asme was directing some of its union membership to a blogger video that used some creative editing to create the impression that recall candidate in milwaukee, mayor tom barrett, was supporting the polices of archenemy, governor scott walker. the union later said that video was over the top but the leadership said barrett is not the candidate they'd prefer because he forced too many concessions on milwaukee voters, unions both within wisconsin and outside have an interest and hand in this recall. >> in wisconsin, we used to think we were just out of the way and nobody paid attention to us, and in the last year, we've turned into the center of the political universe. >> reporter: now, the candidate that the unions prefer is kathleen fauk, former dane county commissioner and she has made the centerpiece of her campaign a promise to veto any budget that does not undo the changes to collective bargaining made by governor scott walker. so far, ahead of the gubernatorial primary, we're not seeing outside union money flow into wisconsin. it did flow in in the first round of senate recalls that we saw earlier on. anticipated with this big fight, this is an important ideological fight, and it could set the momentum for the november election. so anticipate the outside money on both sides at record levels. jenna. jenna: we'll anticipate seeing you back in wisconsin, because i bet that's where you're headed. just call it a hunch. mike, great reporting as always, thank you very much. >> thank you. jon: you might have seen it during our time on the air on friday, the navy is working now to help those affected by that terrible military jet crash in virginia beach. we'll tell you what they're offering residents whose departments were destroyed. jenna: take a look at that video. unbelievable. >> a fast moving storm causing flooding across texas. but it's not over there for those in the lone star state. jon: jury selection begins in the trial of a man accused of killing three members of jennifer hudson's family. we have a live report. ok! who gets occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas or bloating? get ahead of it! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defend against digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. hit me! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. crisp, clear, untouched. that's why there's brita, to make the water we drink, taste a little more, perfect. reduce lead and other impurities with the advanced filtration system of brita. jon: a fox news alert and an update in the trayvon martin shooting case. angela corey, who is the florida state attorney, who is going to be investigating the death of the unarmed teenager, says she will not convene a grand jury to examine that case. now, she stresses that this does not mean that the case is not going forward or might not be prosecuted. she is just choosing to go another route. there is george zimmerman, the man who says he shot trayvon martin in self-defense, again, the investigation is still ongoing, but it will not be handled by a grand jury. we'll have more updates as they become available here on fox. jenna: let's take a look at some other stories' headlines, including this one out of virginia beach. the navy is beginning to write checks to those affected by friday's military jet crash there, initial payments begin at $2300 for an individual residence, with more going to families. the plane destroyed dozens of apartments, fortunately the pilots ejected safely and no one on the ground died in the crash. at&t workers, staying on the job, despite threats to strike when their contract ended over the weekend. health care is at the center of these negotiations between the company and 40,000 land line workers. >> record rainfall causes flooding across parts of northern texas. texas experiencing huge drought last year. the rain made it tough for drivers, and the storm lasted just a few hours, you can see the damage. forecasters say more heavy rain is on the way. jon: right now, al-qaeda militants on the offensive in yemen, raiding an army barracks in the southern part of the country. reports, at least 44 were killed, including 14 soldiers, 24 militants, and six tribesmen linked to al-qaeda. the barracks, coming under heavy fire before government soldiers there were able to fight back. the terror group operates freely in the south of yemen, taking advantage of the political turmoil that's been rocking that country. jenna: brand new developments in the iran nuclear showdown today. tehran is floating a possible compromise, saying it could stop production of its most highly enriched uranium, while not completely giving up its ability to make nuclear fuel. the diplomatic move, coming as iran and world powers get set to review high level nuclear negotiations on friday. michael sting is former senior director of mideastern affairs at national security council, also a managing director of the washington institute for near east policy. michael, what do you think about this? is this good enough, good enough for a compromise? >> hi jenna, how are you? this supposed compromise, first we're getting mixed signals from iran. we have heard some indications they might be willing to accept this compromise, which was floated by the united states, and others have said that iran isn't going to back down, which would match iran's behavior in past negotiations. but these purported u.s. demands that iran stop its higher level enrichment and close that second enrichment facility near kohn, the one near a mountain, fell well short of u.n. demands we've seen in those security council resolutions that iran stop awfully its uranium enrichment. so what it looks like to me, jenna, is we have tremendous leverage right now with these new oil export sanctions, with the threat of possible israeli strike on iran, and this just doesn't look to me like it's enough from the iranians to justify using that leverage. jenna: why would we be giving up that leverage and dropping the bar, if lu? the sunday is -- the u.n. is demanding this, we're saying we can give less than that. why would we be doing that? >> it is puzzling, jenna, because it is a time when we're in a very strong bargaining position. i think one explanation is that the united states, the obama administration, has worried very publicly about the consequences the risks of an israeli strike on iran and frankly, any deal now with the iranian, any bargaining process that we get into, would obviously sort of forestall the possibility of an israeli attack, make it very difficult for israel to carry out that strike. and so the u.s. may just be focused very much on the near term here, averting a conflict, and just getting into some kind of dialogue with the iranians, you know, based on any sort of deal they can get. jenna: it sounds like what you're saying is both administrationses, the one here and in iran, would prefer a little more time to figure things out. we have an election this year, iran would like to delay this a little more. is that -- are we on the same page, ironically, with iran in that way? >> ironically enough, jenna, i think that's right. there's an incentive for both sides to get just about any deal done possible. now, keep in mind, again, that iran is a very sort of opaque and difficult to understand place, and in the last talks, in january 2011, the iranians essentially brought nothing to the table and weren't willing to make any compromise at all. so the question is has their attitude really changed or are these statements we're seeing coming out of tehran reflective of internal disagreements there, and that's -- >> jenna: what do you think about that, what's your opinion on that? >> well, i think certainly they're under far more pressure than they were before and if in fact this strategy of ours of using the pressure to force them to compromise is a winning strategy, a strategy that will ultimately pay off, then now would be the test of that. my own guess is that the supreme leader of iran is a very hard line guy, we've seen his government get narrower and more radical in recent years, not more moderate, and i tkwout they're really ready for compromise. that's not to say they might not see a good reason here, jen kwrarbgs for a tactical sort of pause, to relieve the pressure and sort of distract the international community. jenna: we've seen that before, haven't we? that's something that's been done before. so what's at stake for the american people? let's say there is a compromise. let's say iran says you know what, we're absolutely not going to do anything nuclear when it comes to our national security, but we're going to continue to try to build this nuclear power because we want to do that for our civilians in iran. what's at stake? if they way you know what, all right, we're going to shake thaopb and that's an agreement we're going to take? >> i think it would be a big mistake for u.s. national security, jenna. we've spent years now building up this leverage and obviously that's come at a cost for americans. you know, we've imposed oil sanctions, we've imposed sanctions on iran's central bank, we've invested an enormous amount of time and diplomatic capital and in this and to leave iran with this residual nuclear weapons capability, to allow them to continue to enriching uranium, to allow them to do other work despite the bargaining position we're in i think would be simply dangerous because iran could continue perfecting those capabilities and in a different time when there isn't so much pressure or we're distracted by something else searchly kick out those inspectors, renig on the agreement and continue with the program. jenna: we'll continue to see what happens. friday is the date of the meeting. michael, we look forward to talking more to you about this as always stkpwao thank you jenna. jon: prosecutors are fighting to convict a man suspect of raping several women, including a teenager. why a judge is keeping the alleged victim locked up in this case. >> it's unbelievable that they want to put the victim of a rape case in custody. >> very unusual. it's something that we don't like to do. [ male announcer ] if you believe the mayan calendar, on december 21st polar shifts will reverse the earth's gravitational pull and hurtle us all into space. which would render retirement planning unnecessary. but say the sun rises on december 22nd, and you still need to retire. td ameritrade's investment consultants can help you build a plan that fits your life. we'll even throw in up to $600 when you open a new account or roll over an old 401(k). so who's in control now, mayans? until i had the shingles. i have never encountered such a burning sensation...t or roll over an old 401(k). it was like a red rash. like somebody had set a bag of hot charcoal on my neck. i had no idea it came from chickenpox. it's something you never want to encounter. for more of the inside story, visit shinglesinfo.com jon: singer and oscar winning actress jennifer hudson is on the witness list as jury selection begins in the trial of the man accused of killing her mother, her brother, and her seven-year-old nephew. patti ann brown joins us with the latest. >> reporter: that's right, jon, jury selection did begin this morning in the trial of the man accused of killing jennifer hudson's mother, brother and revenue -- nephew, that trial being held in chicago, william belfor could face a life sentence if convicted. illinois no longer that is the death enp-lt -- penalty. experts say it will be difficult for attorneys to find 12 jurors who are able to set aside their sympathy for jennifer hudson. she's an oscar winning actress and singer whose fame of course began on american idol. jennifer is on the witness list as you said, reportedly expected to testify and also reportedly plans to attend the trial regularly. it was three years ago that hudson's mother, darnet donderson, jason hudson, seven-year-old nephew, julian king, were brutally murder nerd their chicago home. the suspect, belfor, was hudson's brother-in-law and stepson of julian. he's charged with one count of home invasion. there are 150 prospective jurors, each side has around ten preemptive strikes where they can dismiss people from the jury pool without giving reason. the testimony is expected to begin on april 23rd, jon. jon: a heartbreaking case for her. what an awful, awful story. patty ann brown, thank you. jenna: right now we're going to take a look at another strange case, an alleged rape victim, 17 ears old, behind bars, the victim, being held in juvenile custody for more than two weeks and a judge is keeping her locked up to make sure she appears for the trial of her accused rapist, that accused rapist is frank william rackley, he has a 20 year criminal history and prosecutors believe he may be a serial rapist and they want to put him behind bars before he strikes again. >> certainly we don't like to be in the position of having to take a victim or a witness into custody to ensure that we're able to prosecute the case. >> it becomes a question of balancing the inconvenience to the witness, and we're talking about a relatively short period of time here, against the protection of the community. >> you can't stomp all over her rights and put her in jail when she's a victim, revictimmize her and treat her like the criminal. only this is serving to do is only making potential victims, potential victims and future victims, from coming forward because they're afraid they'll have to go to jail because they're afraid to trial. >> jenna: a 20 year criminal history, that's what this guy on trial for rape, that's how he's described. so why do they need this one teenage girl, and why do they need to keep her in custody? >> well, they need the testimony in order to prove the case, and a rape trial, the victim has the most important testimony of all, and they certainly need it. the problem here is the way that they're going about it, the prosecutor is making a -- the victim of a criminal case, a juvenile, is victim again, a second time, by placing her in girl while the accused is going scot-free right now. this is wrong. and this only happens in america. if the prosecutors wanted to make certain she was going to show found trial, they could use less abusive alternatives, they could have put an ankle brace legal around her, have her at home, pick her up the day before, instead the judge having this 17-year-old rape victim for months before this trial, that's wrong. jenna: it is a month, courtney, we heard from the prosecutor saying it's an inconvenience but this girl is in custody for 3-four-weeks. let's just show you the picture of the courtroom as well, because when she was required by the judge to be in custody, she had to stand in that cage, you can see on the righthand side of your screen, that's normally for felons but they put her in there because they were taking her into custody. courtney, is this the right thing to do, to put her in custody, to force her to show up to court, even when you can't force her to testify? >> you know, jenna, it is. the case started because she made a formal complaint. she went to law enforcement to complain she was raped. the evidence suggests that there was dna found from the defendant on her body during what would likely be a rape kit or analysis and she has failed to show town court for a previous preliminary hearing where she had to trial, where the prosecutor already had to dismiss the charges. the prosecution in this case does not have another chance to prosecute this serious and violent felon. jenna: and sorry to interrupt, chip, that's what they say, they say we've got to look at the big picture, this is a dangerous man and this is their attempt to get him off the street once and for all. explain this, once they have the girl in custody and can force her to come to court, can they actually force her to testify? >> no. jenna: what else can they have her do? >> they might force her to testify but she might be a reluctant witness and not testify the way they want, then they could use evidence to get in prior evidence that would be consistent with the prosecution's story for what happened. the problem is they're sending the wrong message to juvenile rape victims that you're going to be a second victim if you don't want to testify and go along with the prosecutor. it's a message to women, don't help the prosecutor. >> we cannot let bullies run this country. as law enforcement, we are required in california, it's the people of the state of california, they represent all the people, they have to protect the community and there are always reluctant witnesses. i've had it as a prosecutor where i've had gang victims come in with handcuffs. there's always someone afraid to testify and we have to ensure their safety and an opportunity to come in, if they don't, we have to force them. that's the bottom line. jenna: but are we further traumatizing this girl who allegedly has been raped and now has to be in custody and a reluctant witness she may be, but she's had to deal with this trauma. is it worth it? >> absolutely. she wasn't reluctant when she went to the law enforcement to report the rape. she's been reluctant to come into court and it is a duty and obligation that she has by being a crime victim reporter. and so what is the prosecutor suppose to do, say okay, she doesn't want to participate, let's let this violent criminal go free and walk the streets? >> she's the victim. gen jen that's the thing, she is the victim. >> she's the victim in this case. jenna: she is allegedly the victim, chip, but then what? >> the message is if you're a victim in the state of california, something that you don't want to testify about or embarrassing to you or something like that, don't show up, because you're going to become a second victim, they're going to throw you in jail versus the person who's the real crook. that's the message that the prosecutor is sending in this case. jenna: we'll see. we're going to follow this case closely. chip, courtney, appreciate your opinions on this. it struck us as a case we wanted to take a closer look at. thank you. >> thanks jenna:a. jon: a brand new study, linking the weight of pregnant mothers to autism in their children. what researchers found and what you need to know. also, still ahead, a peace plan on the verge of unraveling in syria even before it is put in place. we're live in the middle east, just minutes from now. 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or seriouallergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease a before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. jenna: some breaking news for you now, just last week, we told you about one new study that took a look at the age of the father as a possible factor in a child having autism and possiblegenet -- againittic link to the disorder and now today there's another brand new study and it's the first to link the weight of a pregnant woman to an increased risk of her child developing autism, quite a lot of information here. patti ann brown is live with the latest. >> reporter: a lot keeps coming in, jenna. the latest figure shows one in 88 children is born with autism but according to this new study the odds go up to one in five # if the mother is obese, they're always twice as likely to have other children with developmental delays. why? one of the study's authors says obesity is linked to inflammation and elevated levels of blood sugar. she says excess blood sugar and inflammation-related sugars in the blood may reach the fetus and the developing brain. experts note that u.s. autism rates have increased along with obesity rates and they say that might not be a coincidence. previous research has linked obesity during pregnancy with still birth, preterm birth and birth defects. the study is published online in pediatrics. its authors say more research is needed and even if proven obesity would be one of several potential causes. genetics are also linked to autism and scientists are examines whether mothers' illnesses and use of certain medicines during pregnancy might play a role. jenna, like you said, a lot to digest. jenna: and a lot to continue to take a look at. hopefully the clues lead somewhere. patti ann, thank you very much. jon: the obama administration is pushing for another housing bailout, it would force lenders fannie mae and freddie mac to reduce the principal value on mortgages that are worth less than the home. so far the regulator is resisting the move which would cost taxpayers an estimated $100 billion. peter barnes is live in washington with the fox business network. explain how this one works, peter. >> reporter: jon, lots of billions potentially thrown around here. some struggling homeowners with government insurance through fannie and freddie may soon be able to get a new break to help them stay in their homes but we've learned that not very many of them will qualify according to sources, and taxpayers will be funding those that do. the government regulator of fannie mae and freddie mac is expected to announce as early as tomorrow that the mortgage giants will start allowing limited principal reduction, debt forgiveness, to some homeowners who are under water on their loans. edward demarco, acting administrator of the federal housing finance addings managers, he has resisted allowing debt forgiveness on loans held or insured by freddie and fanny to limit taxpayer bailouts. so far taxpayers have invested more than $180 billion in them. but tomorrow, industry sources say demarco could announce that he will let fannie and freddie participate for the first time in a treasury department program to reduce mortgage debt. it's funded by more than $20 billion in bank bailout money, taxpayer money left over from that t.a.r.p. program. the idea is freddie and fred -- fannie and freddie and taxpayers could make more money if they avoid foreclosure and fire sale of the property, but deer marco is expected to push other types of loan modifications like lower interest payments before allowing these fannie and freddie customers to qualify. >> well, the real danger here is that borrowers who are current but under water are going to discover that they can save tens of thousands of dollars by defaulting on their mortgages and getting principal reductions. that's the moral hazard here, and that's what could really cause taxpayers a lot of -- cost taxpayers a lot of money. >> while freddie and fanny have millions of loans on their books, he anticipates only thousands will be able to participate in this net fore-- debt forgiveness program. jenna: we're going to take you overseas to where new violence in syria is spilling across two borders, killing a cameraman in lebanon and injuring at least five people in a refugee camp in turkey. the bloodshed leaving u.n.-backed peace plan on the verge of collapse. leland vitter is live in jerusalem following this news for us today. leland. >> reporter: jenna, that peace plan is supposed to begin to take effect tomorrow. however, it looks like it's over before it really started. the syrian government is continuing to put more and more preconditions on it, including that the rebels there in syria sign written declarations about ending the violence. there's a small glimmer of hope that came out today on youtube, one of the syrian free army commanders issued this statement on youtube, saying that if indeed president assad forces ended their slaughter of civilians his group would also put down their weapons. however, the video coming out of syria tells an increasingly violent story, again from homs, amateur video showing artillery assaults on that city. we're hearing 30 dead in hama and countless dead around the rest of that country. the other thing is, the syrian government has now said the ceasefire, if it does take effect, is not going to include their police forces, which activists say often times are even more brutal and repressive than the army itself. jenna, back to you. jenna: more as we get it. leland, thank you very much. jon: well, the mainstream media are beginning to turn the ship of coverage to -- shift of coverage to the main event, the battle between president obama and mitt romney that appears to be occupying us for the next seven months. so how will the media play this story? we'll talk about it with our news watch panel coming up. >> also, montana and the bison. the creatures once were on the doorstep of extinction, now, prize for their beauty and meat, but not everyone is thrilled with the return of the american buffalo. a fair and balanced report, next. are you receiving a payot from a legal settlement or annuity over 10 or even 20 years? call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today. how about the beat of a healthy heart? campbell's healthy request soup is delicious, and earned this heart, for being heart healthy. ♪ feel the beat? it's amazing what soup cano. jon: well, the race for the white house is coming down to mitt romney versus president obama. and the flood gates of money are about to open. the mainstream media, beginning to cover it as a 2-man race now. let's talk about it with jim pinkerton, editor and writer for the conservative magazine, jamil greene is former president of the women's media center, both fox news contributors and thank you both for being here. so mitt romney, jim, does not have 1144 delegates, but he seems to have the nomination sewn up and the media are treating it that way. is that appropriate at this point? >> yeah, i think so. obviously the romney campaign itself is happy to see santorum and gingrich blanked out, but in addition, i think the obama campaign is eager to get the general election going. there's a big article in buzz feed some morning, taking us inside the chicago headquarters and it's very clear they think at least in chicago, the reelection campaign, that is, that they've got romney pegged as a rich out of touch guy, and they think they can beat him. we'll have to see what happens, of course, but right now the two campaigns, plus the media, are in agreement, it's a 2-man race. jon: jemu, is that how the obama campaign try to portray mom romney and will the media go along with that pour stphraeul. >> i think the pockets of resistance in the political and media universes that haven't come to terms with governor romney as the nominee have finally started to get to where the obama campaign has for quite some time. look, last week, the obama campaign celebrated their one year anniversary of the reelection campaign, launching, and it's been clear all along from the campaign perspective that romney was going to be the guy they were going up against and we saw last week romney now is being named in campaign ads, the social media opportunities, i think, that open up as we get into the general election conversation are going to be quite dramatic for romney because after being bruised so heavily in the primary election, he's going to have to defend all of those videos, all of those statements, facebook and twitter are going to almost, i think, be a stronger player than the mainstream media as it comes to playing off of the primary mistakes. jon: are the mainstream media going to remember hope and change and all the promises from 2008? >> i mean, do you think the mainstream media might be siding with obama against romney? >> jon: you tell me. >> i think it's possible. i think certainly the 2008 experience, plus the 2004, plus 2000, plus 1996 and so on and so on demonstrate pretty clearly where they're at. what is notable, though, about the obama campaign is the lack of any real positive thing to talk about going forward in the future. the only thing i hear them talking about is a tax increase, plus, that reporter earlier from peter barnes about the housing bailout, that's another one. but i think for the most part, they are content to run a completely negative campaign against romney, as pretty much bill clinton did in 1996, or for that matter, harry truman against tom dooley in 194. i think we're looking at those previous elections which were both democratic victories as the model, the template that the obama campaign is using for 2012. jon: jehmu, it's the first time we'll see the superpac money in the presidential election, the president has endorsed a superpac on his side after, you know, railing against the whole issue. this could be a very negative campaign, because that's what the superpacs seem to spend their money on. >> it will be. and look, the superpacs have already had an impact. i believe if it wasn't for the superpacs, governor romney may not have been the nominee. but it was with the support of his superpac where he was able to really cut off the rising tide of gingrich at one point and then also followed by santorum. but you know, at the end of the day, this campaign is going to be so affected by the negative campaigning of the superpac, and we hear from american crossroads, they're ready to go, they are launching their first wave that is going to hit probably in the next week or so, but really concentrated between may and july, and what this is going to do is probably just suppress the voters who are not interested in these negative messages which unfortunately is going to be what we are in store for. jon: jehmu greene, jim pinkerton, thank you both. join us as we discuss more of the top nicks media, fox news watch will be on this coming saturday, 2:30 p.m. eastern time. well, if journalism is a front row seat to history, mike wallace had the best seat in the house for a generation or more. the hard charging interviewer made "60 minutes" a weekly habit for millions of americans. the cbs correspondent interviewed world leaders, celebrities, and just plain crooks, digging hard to get at the truth. mike wallace died this weekend. he was 93 years old. our thoughts today are with our colleague, his son, chris wallace, and the rest of mike's family. zap technology. arrival. with hertz gold plus rewards, you skip the counters, the lines, and the paperwork. zap. it's our fastest and easiest way to get you into your car. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz. pull on those gardening gloves. grab the nearest spade. and let's see how colorful an afternoon can be. with certified advise to help us expand our palette... ...and prices that give us more spring per dollar... ...we can mix the right soil with the right ideas. and bring even more color to any garden. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot lay down a new look, with earthgro mulch, now three bags for just $10. jenna: well, now to a battle over a famous symbol of the west. montana officials brought dozens of yellowstone bison into the state and now those buffaloes are roaming into a red hot controversy. dan spring ser live in seattle with more on this. dan. >> reporter: jenna, depending upon your perspective these bison with either a national icon or really big nuisance, the bison are direct descendents from the millions of buffalo that used to roam in the west before getting wiped out in the 1880s. there are only a few thousand left which makes mem worth more than the buffalo that have been raised as cattle and livestock. the bison lived in yellowstone national park but that is exactly where the wheat farmers and rafpblgers want them to say, saying bison break down the fences, destroy crop, eat hay, wreaking havoc on the cattle industry in montana. the governor says the conflict is overblown: >> in a hundred years, this herd will still only grow to a few thousand and we have 3 million cattle in montana. i think there's room for them to coexist. >> reporter: ranchers fear that the initial relocation is just the beginning and with good reason. big national conservation groups are raising money and buying land from ranchers in hopes of creating a 3 1/2 million acre wildlife reserve, loaded with buffalo and other animals, sort of a north american seregetti. bison are classified as livestock but the pure buffalo could be labeled a protected species and that could have far reaching combat on ranchers competing for the same prime grazing land, so a group sued. >> where does it stop, how widely are the bison going to spread, how much damage will they cause and what will be our forum for our interests to be protected? >> reporter: opponents got a judge to temporarily block future bison relocations until these issues can be worked out in court. jenna: we'll continue to wait and watch for more, dan, thank you very much, dan springer in seattle today. jon: as the supreme court weighs president obama's health care law, the white house is pumping an extra $500 million into the internal revenue service to help enforce the individual mandate. what could this mean for your tax bill? lou dobbs joins us to weigh in. plus, the sights and sounds of this year's white house easter egg roll. >> ♪ >> ♪ here comes peter cottontail. >> ♪ >> ♪ hopping down the bunny trail. >> ♪ >> ♪ >> ♪ there he is, gordon jones, poised at this moment to discover new plum 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[ male announcer ] up to 5 weeks of comfortable shaves with one proglide cartridge. great things start with gillette. jon: the first family celebrating easter at the white house today with the annual easter egg roll. more than 35,000 people joining in on the fun, on the white house south lawn, that is quite a lawn. this year the festivities include book readings, musical performances, obstacle courses, cooking classes, even a yoga garden. first lady michelle obama kicked it all off from the white house balcony

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