much more. but u.s. defense secretary leon panetta says the iranians are bluffing. >> i would seriously question their ability to do what they say they have done. >> the iranians have countered with specific information saying, for example, they know the captured drone was used to spy on osama bin laden's compound just two weeks before he was killed. and it's worth noting president obama himself asked the iranians to return that drone. >> we have asked for it back. we'll see how the iranians respond. >> the stakes in this poker game are very high. the brooking institution said ten years ago the military had only a handful of these droughns, now there are more than 7500. they are relatively inexpensive. the air force says a top predator drone capable of carrying two missiles 800 miles cost about $5 million. they can safely go where we would rather not send pilots and we have reliable, secure control of them or at least we have had that up until now, maybe. joining us to discuss this are chad sweet, a former cia official and co-founder of the chertoff group and cnn national security contributor, fran townsend. fran, let me ask you first, is it possible that they have actually cracked the code? >> well, there are two different things that they would be interested in. one, the stealth material that is on the outside of the drone, could they reverse engineer that? probably they could. but the most sensitive piece is this electronic brain, as you referred to it, the inner workings that are encrypted and safeguard highly classified material. that's what i think panetta is saying he finds unlikely that they could do. i think that's right with one caveat, tom. i do worry iran has a relationship with china and russia, both of whom have got advanced cyber capabilities. but if they work together with them, if they share the technology that they recovered from the drone and worked with the chinese, they do have capabilities that might allow them to crack the encryption. >> chad, what do you think? >> i think that fran is right to point out that on their own it would be unlikely that they could do this. however, i think with the assistance of the russians or the chinese, they certainly could. we saw, for example, on the takedown of bin laden, one of our stealth helicopters unfortunately did have the tail on the other side of the compound wall so when the navy s.e.a.l.s exploded the rotary wing aircraft, the tail was preserved. the pakistani military was so upset they threatened to show that to the chinese. in this case as fran said, this is an example of where if they have outside assistance, they would be capable of potentially at least reverse engineering the aircraft. but let's remember one of the advantages of this platform is that it doesn't have any personnel, so unlike gary powers who was shot down over the soviet union or like the bush spy plane under -- when fran was in office and myself, the beginning of the bush administration, the chinese spy plane that was shot over hona island, there were several men and women held in chinese tar tore there. there are no pilots involved here. and the data they are claiming to have captured, that's been all transmitted back to the united states. it's not kept on the craft. >> let me ask you a question about this. this bothers me about this, chad. we still don't have a real answer as to how this thing even landed intact. >> well, tom, the claim is that the iranians say that they actually were sophisticated enough to take control of it. but i think on our side, we assessed that they may have -- may have at the most advanced stage perhaps spoofed the gps system. there's a py code that if they were successful in jamming, they might have been able to make it default to an unencrypted system called ca, but more likely this probably had a technical problem. these are expensive aircraft, so you don't want to just tell them self-destruct because they lose signal. >> let me bring it back to fran here, though. fran, it seems to me the big worry here, though, is until we know for sure what happened -- our troops and our surveillance, but potentially the worst case scenario is they turn our own weapons against us. we launch these things and they start flying them. >> that's right, tom, and there's a third possibility which i worry in the more immediate near term and that is counter measures. that is if they understand how we collect information from these drones and the kinds of information we're interested in, could they what we call in the intelligence community fly a false flag. that is mislead us intentionally about what we were collecting. say their nuclear program, which we're now in negotiations about. remember, we had all these problems with the intelligence analysis in iraq. what you don't want to be is intentionally misled on the iranians on the state of their nuclear program and cause policy makers to make bad decisions. >> so, chad, if they don't really have this information, why would they claim that they works other than that's what the iranians do. >> well, it's interesting. they have had this platform for several months now. if you look at the timing, it's interesting. their proxy state, syria, is about to implode. we're also at a maximum inflection point at the economic sanctions and we're at heightened tensions with israel and iran. so it's interesting that one of the spokesmen said they have been approached by the russians and chinese but they have, quote, not yet given it to them. so it does perhaps underscore some sort of back signal that maybe they're interested in using this as a bargaining chip to negotiate. >> we'll have to find out if they really do have the information they claim to. chad, fran, always good to have you here. more on that story coming as the days go on. a state legislator is set to be sentenced on corruption charges, get this, on the same day that he's expected to win the state's democratic primary. facebook is going to go public. a number of things you probably don't know about the world's largest social net working site but you'll want to know. and latino voters could decide this year's presidential election. we've all heard that. what are the three keys mitt romney must pull out if he wants to win their support? that's coming up. stay with us. but, you know, with every door direct mail from the postal service, you'll find the customers that matter most: the ones in your neighborhood. print it yourself, or we'll help you find a local partner. and postage is under 15 cents. i wish i would have known that cause i really don't think i chose the best location. it's not so bad. i mean you got a deal... right? [ bird cries ] go online to reach every home, every address, every time with every door direct mail. a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. this is the kind of story political parties just love. in pennsylvania, a state legislator is set to be sentenced on public corruption charges on the very same day that he's expected to win the democratic primary. bill deweese has been tried an convicted of five felony counts of stealing from taxpayers but that's not stopping folks from voting for him. >> he's been in this for 36 years. the things that he has done for this community, he loves his job. he loves his community. he has brought money in to us when we've needed it for parks, for water lines, for whatever the case may be. who better to do this job than someone who loves their job, and he does. he absolutely loves his job. >> yeah, and some of the voters love him too. deweese says it's a witch hunt and we haven't seen the last of him. he has represented southwest pennsylvania for 36 years. that's where miguel marquez is tonight. tomorrow is both sentencing and primary date for this guy. he's still on the ballot, so how is this going to work? >> reporter: well, it's going to be a heck of a wild day for bill deweese. he is going to resign his seat in the legislature tomorrow at noon. at 1:30, an hour and a half later, he will be sentenced on those five felony charges. he is going to ask or his lawyer is going to ask for leniency. he's going to ask to be out on parole and do community service, but he's expected to get time in jail through all of this. by 8:00 p.m. tomorrow eastern time, he will be elected. no one is running against him, that's how liked this guy is. no one bothered to run against him even though he was facing these charges all last year. he will win the primary tomorrow night at 8:00. so he will go from legislator to convicted and sentenced felon to in the primary election and he is not, not going to withdraw his name from the ballot in november. tom. >> well, it's an interesting point you raise there. my understanding is -- we should point out that there were legislators on the democratic and republican side all caught up in the same scandal about how they were using public money but he was one of the key figures. he's not withdrawing but he's also appealing this decision right away. he could still wind up actually in office? >> reporter: yeah, within minutes of that sentence coming down, he's going to ask the judge for an appeal. he's expecting that one to be turned down but he has two more shots believes. one with the superior court and then with the supreme court in pennsylvania. he's going to leave his name on the ballot until he has no moves left. but he does believe or there is a chance talking to political experts here that he could literally be in prison and be elected as a state official in november and then perhaps one of his appeals come through in the interim and still take his seat in january when it comes back around. tom. >> that's just a wild story, miguel. thanks for following it for us. oscar winning actress and former "american idol" contestant jennifer hudson took the witness stand today in the case against william balfour who is accused of killing her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew. it was heart breaking to watch. hudson struggled to hold back tears as she told the court she never liked balfour who was married to her sister. we did not like how he treated her. i told her over and over again not to marry william. none of us wanted her to marry him. balfour, who also testified today has denied all charges. if convicted, he faces a maximum life sentence. ted rowlands has been in the courtroom all day. ted, what's the latest there? >> reporter: yeah, tom, what a day it was. first you had the opening statements from both sides, which in any case is riveting and then the first witness out of the gate is jennifer hudson. we just finished hearing from julia hudson, jennifer's sister. riveting testimony, very emotional testimony. julia hudson got on the stand and talked about finding her mother dead and talked about the horror of realizing her 7-year-old son, julian, was missing an then three days later she found out that he was dead as well. prosecutors asked her to describe the relationship with her husband at the time, william balfour and she talked about specific threats that he made to her on previous occasions before the murders. several times, up to a dozen times he told her that he was going to kill her but he was going to kill her family first and that she would, quote, be the last to die. >> just a terrible, terrible thing. i know jennifer hudson talked about her relationship with her mother. i can't imagine what the atmosphere in the courtroom was like during that. >> reporter: well, it's an expanded courtroom because of all the interest here. you could hear a pin drop. it was so silent. not only were the jurors riveted, but every single person in the courtroom was absolutely transfixed when jennifer hudson described not only her relationship with her mother, but the relationship that she and her family had with william balfour. she said she slept with her mother every day until she was 16 and talked to her mother every hour almost every day. the morning she died, she said she had a strange feeling because she woke up and she didn't have a text from her mother. >> thanks so much, ted rowlands. facebook is headed to the stock market. the company is likely to start trading under the symbol fb next month after a long wait. today we got another look at some of the numbers behind the world's largest social networking site. the site now has 901 million active users. there are 3.2 billion likes or comments every day. there are 300 million photos uploaded per day. the company earned on average $1.21 per user during the first three months of the year. our number tonight is 60. that is the percentage of internet users in the u.s. that use facebook. 60%. to give you some perspective, facebook is used by about 85% of internet users in countries like chile, turkey and venezuela. it's such a low number, the 60%, that facebook still identifies the united states as a key source of growth for their business. i bet when they go public there will be big business going on here. still outfront, the latino vote. you've all heard it, it could decide this year's presidential election. that's why mitt romney is hanging out with marco rubio. the question is, will he become his vp? if so, would that make the difference? we don't know but we'll find out. and former presidential candidate john edwards' trial starts today. he's accused of using campaign funds to hide his affair. more on that coming right up. everyone in the nicu, all the nurses wanted to watch him when he was there 118 days. everything that you thought was important to you changes in light of having a child that needs you every moment. i wouldn't trade him for the world. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. if you're caring for a child with special needs, our innovative special care program offers strategies that can help. yoyou u wawalklk i intna coconvnvenentitiononalal ms ststorore,e, i it't's s rert ababouout t yoyou.u. ththeyey s sayay, , "w"weleu wawantnteded a a f firirm m bebn lilie e onon o onene o of " wewe p prorovividede t thet inindidivividudualalizizatat yoyourur b bodody y neneede. ohoh, , wowow!w! ththatat f feeeelsls r reae. itit's's a aboboutut s supuppope yoyou u fifindnd i it t momost. toto c celelebebraratete 2 25 5f bebetttterer s sleleepep-f-forof yoyou u - - slsleeeep p nr inintrtrododucuceses t ther ededititioion n bebed d st inincrcrededibiblele s savf $1$1,0,00000 f foror a a l li. ononlyly a at t ththe e slsleeer ststorore,e, w wheherere n winning over latinos who make up about 16% of the eligible voters will be key this election year, at least it looks that way. right now mitt romney has some catching up to do. he's 40 percentage points behind president obama among latinos. what he hopes will help him is hitting the trail with marco rubio. what likely won't help are his tough words on immigration during the primary season, especially when it comes to the controversial arizona immigration law, which the supreme court will take on this week. romney called it a model for the nation. >> the right course for america is to drop these lawsuits against arizona and other states that are trying to do the job barack obama isn't doing. which -- and i will drop those lawsuits on day one. i'll also complete the fence. i'll make sure we have enough border patrol agents to secure the fence and i will make sure we have an e-verify system. >> among other things, the arizona law romney was talking about requires police officers to check the immigration status of any person detained in the state for any reason. it requires illegal immigrants to carry their registration papers at all times and it makes it a crime for an illegal immigrant to apply for work in the state. our political panel joins me now. john avalon is here, contributor david fromm and jamal stevens are in washington. david, let me start with this basic premise. does romney need to walk back on those statements about immigration law or is this being misread? >> it's being misread. there are statements that romney will need to walk back but we have to be very careful about overinferring from organized latino groups say to the voting behavior of actual american latinos who are eligible to vote. for that group of people, the overwhelming issues are economic. american latinos tend to be somewhat poorer than average, they tend to be more likely without health insurance. they have been hit very hard by the collapse of the mortgage and housing industry. so their concerns are going to be about housing. their concerns are going to be about health care and not abandoning the uninsured. it is a big, big mistake and we did this during the bush years to think that you can have no economic agenda that's relevant to latinos and make it up to them by offering those latinos who are not eligible to vote permission to enter the country and stay, however they entered, you're chasing the wrong problem and in fact making your political and policy problem bigger. >> john, talk to me a little bit more about this. this also involves a huge generalization about the latino vote. i've talked to plenty of latino voters who say they want to be tough on immigration because they came in through some proper channels or whatever, have been here a long time. this is not a monolithic bunch of people. >> that's exactly right. we're talking about 16% of the american population. there's a huge diversity within that. families who have been here much longer than my family has been in america, for example. also different ethnic communities and different nationalities, with the question being whether marco rubio will have an appeal to mexican americans. david makes an important point. i don't think the republican party ignore there's a real problem with the latino vote and it's rooted in policy. george w. bush made a conscious effort to consciously reach out to latinos. well, now mitt romney has a 40% deficit. that can't be outright ignored. it needs to be proactively addressed. >> jamal, let me ask you about the president. the president is doing very well in these numbers right now. however, you know as well as i do that republicans are loading up out there, that if he brings it up too much, to say yeah, yeah, yeah and this is the guy who promised comprehensive imm