secretary janet napolitano explains the move, and we'll talk about the impact on the important latino vote in the upcoming fall election. also, echoes of the iraq insurgency in syria. stand by for an exclusive look at opposition forces building devastating roadside bombs. and a new warning that the calcium supplements you're taking to strengthen your bones may actually be hurting your heart. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." it's a surprise election year, policy change, with major implications for the presidential contest. the obama administration says it will stop deporting young illegal immigrants who were brought to the united states as children if they meet certain requirements. some republicans immediately blasted the decision as amnesty. here's what president obama had to say about the change. >> effective immediately, the department of homeland security is taking steps to lift the shadow of deportation from these young people. over the next few months, eligible individuals who do not present a risk to national security or public safety will be able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization. now, let's be clear. this is not amnesty. this is not immunity. this is not a path to citizenship. it's not a permanent fix. this is a temporary stop-gap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people. this is temporary. congress needs to act. there's still time for congress to pass the dream act this year, because these kids deserve to plan their lives in more than two-year increments. >> and joining us now, the secretary of homeland security, janet napolitano. madame secretary, thanks for coming in on this busy day. you caught all of us by surprise, especially as we went back and looked at what the president had say. back in october of 2010, he said, i am president, i am not king, i can't do these things just by myself. we have a system of government that requires the congress to work with the executive branch to make it happen. i'm committed to making it happen, but i've got to have some partners to do it. we was referring to comprehensive immigration reform, but now he and you are taking unilateral, executive action to begin this process. why now? >> well, this was a logical progression from series of decisions that we've made over the last several years, to focus immigration enforcement on those who have violated the criminal law in addition to the immigration law, those who are repeat violators, those who are recent border crossers. we've also been putting unprecedented resources at the border so that illegal immigration attempts at the southwest border haven't been this low since before 1971. but even as we've been enforcing the law, and we have removed a record number of individuals from the country, there is this group, this the group of young people, brought here through no fault of their own, they often haven't been to their country of origin, they don't speak the language. they're in school and they're in the military, they have not been in trouble with the law. we need to, within our discretionary authority, defer action against these individuals. and that's what i'm announcing today. >> lindsey graham, the republican senator from south carolina, says the president's decision -- what the president is doing is choosing politics over leadership. because all of the critics are now insisting this wreaks of politics. do you want to respond to that? >> well, i would say, no. first of all, this was a decision out of my office, as the secretary of homeland security. and it was a decision made after we looked at what we've been doing over the last three years. and as you know, one of the things we've been doing over the last year is re-examining all 340,000 pending immigration cases and trying to re-stack them in line with our priorities and trying to administratively close cases that are low priority. but as we've done that, we've now -- we've seen this whole category of young people, and we need to go a step further, and this is the next logical step, and that is to actually defer action. >> you're talking about, what, 800,000 potential people who would qualify for this new status? >> it's really difficult to stay. there are those who are in removal proceedings now and we will either fine them or we're asking them to help us self-identify. there will be hotlines and websites up over the next couple of days. and then there are those who haven't been in touch with the immigration system, but they've been living under a cloud. and within 60 days, they will be able to go to a cis office and if they meet the criteria, and they're going to have to demonstrate they meet the criteria, they can be given a grant of deferred action. >> what about the parents of these children. children come forward now, they identify themselves. should the parents be concerned that potentially they could be deports, they would now be identified as illegal immigrants? >> no, we are not going to do that. we have internally set it up so that the parents are not referred for immigration enforcement if the young person comes in for deferred actions. however, the parents are not qualified for deferred jackson. this is for the young people who meet the criteria that we've set forth. >> what social services would these young people be qualified for? would they be qualified to receive medicaid benefits, food stamps? school vouchers, stuff like that? >> no, no. they won't be -- again, there is deferred action now given in certain cases, and they don't qualify for those type of benefits. the one thing they may qualify for is a work authorization card, if they can demonstrate economic necessity. >> is this a pathway to citizenship for these young people? >> not at all. in fact, that's where congress needs to act. and we continue to urge the congress, you know, pass the dream act, look at comprehensive immigration reform, the immigration system as a whole. i've been dealing with immigration enforcement for 20 years, and the plain factor of the matter is that the law that we're working under doesn't match the economic needs of the country today. and the law enforcement needs of the country today. but as someone who is charged with enforcing the immigration system, we're setting good, strong, sensible priorities, and again, these young people really are not the individuals that the immigration removable process was designed to focus upon. >> one quite final question. is the department of homeland security, i.c.e., immigrations and customs enforcement, are you ready for what's about to happen? because presume apply you're going to be swapped with phone calls, appearances, these young people that want to get some legal status. >> you know, we're cautioning people, we need to take it, you know, kind of incrementally. instructions have gone out to i.c.e. and cbp today, that they are not to put these young people into removal proceedings. we will begin the process over the next weeks of identifying those already in removal or who have received a final order of removal to consider them for deferred action and there will be phone numbers and a public advocate that these individuals can actually call, beginning next week, if they think they qualify. and then for those who haven't been in the immigration system yet, they haven't been put into any kind of a proceeding, but they want to come forward, that will have to be to a cis office, and that will be 60 days. and again, we are posting on dhs.gov initial information, initial frequently asked questions, but we're going to have to work together with the community, with the country, to do a smooth enough implementation as possible. >> janet napolitano, thanks so much, the secretary of homeland security. good luck. >> thanks. mitt romney also weighed in on the obama administration's immigration policy change. here's what he had to say. >> i believe the status of young people who come here through no fault of their own is an important matter to be considered and should be solved on a long-term basis, so they know what their future would be in this country. i think the action that the president took today makes it more difficult to reach that long-term solution, because an executive order is, of course, just a short-term matter. it can be reversed by subsequent presidents. i would like to see legislation that deals with this issue. and i happen to agree with marco rubio, as he considered this issue. he says that this is an important matter and we have to find a long-term solution, but that the president's action makes reaching a long-term solution more difficult. if i'm president, we'll do our very best to have that kind of long-term solution, that provides certainty and clarity for the people who come into this country, through no fault of their own, by virtue of the action of their parents. thank you. >> let's can dig a little bit deeper now with our chief political correspondent, host of "state of the union." candy, a lot of people think that politics all over this dramatic announcement friday by the obama administration. >> sure, it was 3 1/2 years into his administration when he was under big fire from the latino community, and has been for some time, saying, your immigration/deportation policy is much harsher than previous presidents. i think there was a pew poll late last year, almost 60% of latinos said they disapproved of the president's can deportation policies. now here we are and it's june and it's five months until an election, and he goes, the most sort of innocent group here we're talking about, those who came in with their parents, had no say-so, 16 and under, they're under 30 now, and says, basically, let's do the -- some rendition of the dream act, of course it's political. even if he didn't intend it to be, and probably did, he's a smart guy, you know, the effect will be political. does it mean that latino voters were not going to vote for him in the first place? no, they're largely a democratic voting group at this point. but they weren't all that revved up about it. this is a base rever upper. >> and a lot of people are already pointing out, next week, earlier scheduled, the president and romney both supposed to address this major latino group. so the timing for the president is presumably pretty good. >> how do you think they'll greet him? >> i think they'll like this decision, at least most of them. >> they will. absolutely, they will. so the timing, when he announced that he had personally evolved on the whole issue of gay marriage, he then afterwards spoke with and two some gay and lesbian and transgender folks. so, look, of course it's political. but it's smart politics. we look at colorado, new mexico, nevada, florida, latino voters register, but don't come up to vote. this is something that, obviously, the re-elect committee will get them to the polls. >> let's not forget arizona, but even states like virginia and north carolina, a large latino population there. and i think the president would like to really solidify that base of the latino vote going ahead to november. you'll have much more on "state of the union"? >> indeed. >> 9:00 a.m., sunday morning, and noon eastern sunday. >> yes. >> candy, thanks very much. a campaign slugfest in a battleground state. details of dueling speeches by president obama and mitt romney in ohio. also, coffee, red wine, mammograms, and more. are they good for you? are they bad for you? seems like the recommendations keep changing and changing. so what's going on. and growing stine ining si iraq-style insurgency in syria. we have an exclusive look. a party? [ music plays, record skips ] hi, i'm new ensure clear. clear, huh? my nutritional standards are high. i'm not juice or fancy water, i'm different. i've got nine grams of protein. twist my lid. that's three times more than me! twenty-one vitamins and minerals and zero fat! hmmm. you'll bring a lot to the party. [ all ] yay! [ female announcer ] new ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat. twenty-one vitamins and minerals. in blueberry/pomegranate and peach. refreshing nutrition in charge! it may be the most crucial of the battleground states, and this week barack obama and mitt romney turned ohio into their personal battleground. the slugfest took the form of rival speeches, but one candidate started swinging even before the bell. jim acosta has more. >> reporter: in the first round of what will be a knockdown, drag out fight until november, mitt romney threw the first punch, beginning his speech ten minutes earlier than scheduled. >> but don't forget, he's been president for 3 1/2 years, and talk is cheap. >> reporter: but the president wasn't far behind. in a speech designed to frame his economic message, he landed some body blows of his own. >> i have not seen a single independent analysis that says my opponent's economic plan would actually reduce the deficit. not one. >> both men duked it out in the swing state of ohio, where they are both neck and neck in the polls. the president in cleveland, and romney 200 miles down the road in cincinnati. >> the private sector is doing fine. the private sector is doing fine. >> reporter: echoing his new campaign ad, romney repeated his line of attack that the president is out of touch, reminding voters of mr. obama's gaffe on the private sector. >> he's going to be saying today that he wants four more years. he may have forgotten that he talked about a one-term proposition, if he couldn't get the economy turned around in three years, but we'll hold him two his word. >> i know what it's like to worry whether you're going to get fired. >> a new obama web video noted that romney has had his share of tone-deaf moments as well. the president seemed to look past his opponent at times, to blame republicans in congress for blocking his agenda. >> it's the biggest source of gridlock in washington today. and the only thing that can break the stalemate is you. >> reporter: the president could have the upper hand in ohio, where the unemployment rate has plummeted in the last two years, from 10.6 to 7.4%. and a new gallup poll shows americans still blame president george w. bush, not president obama, for the economy. >> let's be clear. not only are we digging out of a hole that is 9 million jobs deep. >> reporter: but romney's argument is that the president has run out of time to get the country back on track, which is why republicans are pointing to what bill clinton said in 2010. if the nation is still stuck in a hole. >> don't go back in reverse. give us two more years. if it doesn't work, you have another election in just two years, you can vote us all out then. but for goodness sakes, when we get digging, don't bring back the shovel brigade. >> reporter: there was also a return of aggressive campaign tactics. up in cleveland, the romney campaign bus was seen circling the president's speech. meanwhile, the obama campaign says it will fight fire with fire, with plans to deploy what it calls truth squads to tail romney's upcoming bus trip. jim acosta, cnn, cincinnati. >> some things labeled bad may not be necessarily so dangerous and some things thought as good may not be so good for you. we're taking a closer look at a recent string of very confusing health news. also, syrian human rights activists are outraged at columbia university in new york for admitting a controversial student. we have details of her ties to the syrian president. [ male announcer ] this is genco services -- mcallen, texas. in here, heavy rental equipment in the middle of nowhere, is always headed somewhere. to give it a sense of direction, at&t created a mobile asset solution to protect and track everything. so every piece of equipment knows where it is, how it's doing or where it goes next. ♪ this is the bell on the cat. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ helping you do what you do... even better. it doesn't look risky. i mean, phil, does this look risky to you? nancy? fred? no. well it is. in a high-risk area, there's a 1-in-4 chance homes like us will flood. i'm glad i got flood insurance. fred, you should look into it. i'm a risk-taker. [ female announcer ] only flood insurance covers floods. visit floodsmart.gov/risk to learn your risk. a new study links calcium supplements, which many people take to prevent broken fractures, to an increased risk for heart attacks. it's but the latest in a string of very confusing health studies. lisa sylvester takes a closer look at what's actually good for us these days. >> reporter: it's hard to keep track. is coffee good for you or bad? >> i'm a caffeine addict, so i have to have at least two cups of coffee every morning. >> reporter: what about red wine? >> any excuse to drink red wine. good for you, good for your heart. >> reporter: and should you reach for that chocolate or not? >> i love chocolate, so no matter what the study says, it doesn't matter. >> reporter: it's the type of conundrum satireized by woody allen. >> i don't smoke. >> it's tobacco, one of the healthiest things for your body. go ahead. you need all the strength you can get. >> reporter: okay, a scenario that's a little far fetched. even so, some things labeled bad may not be so dangerous. and some things thought of as good may not be beneficial. a government advisory panel now says a daily supplemental dose of vitamin "d" and calcium to prevent bone fractures can cause kidney stones in healthy post-menopausal women. >> there really isn't any evidence of benefit for the prevention of fractures, and there is also small, but measurable harm. >> reporter: baby aspirin, a daily dose long thought of as a way to prevent heart attacks and lower the risk of cancer, the new recommendation, take too much of it and it can lead to gastrointestinal pleading. mammograms to screen for breast cancer starting at 40, considered standard device. the new recommendation from the u.s. preventative services task force? women might be able to wait to age 50 and can get screenings every two years, assuming no family history. that same panel overturned conventional wisdom for prostate scans for men. dr. michael smith, medical director at web md says advice can change, as more research is done. the bottom line -- >> my first advice is to always talk to your doctor, especially with something like supplements. again, we don't know a lot about them. you really want to make sure that when you take a supplement, it's right for you. >> reporter: when these studies come out, you have to see if this advice is pertinent to you. what might be good for a 60-year-old woman might be harmful to 25-year-old male. and if you're healthy, you might not need to take the baby aspirin, but someone with a history of it, that's a different story. it all comes down to, talk to y doctor. lisa sylvester, cnn, washington. echoes of the iraq insurgency now in syria. we're getting an exclusive look at opposition forces as they're building devastating roadside bombs. also, the dispute with pakistan that's now costing the united states an extra $100 million a month. i'll talk about that and more with the former pakistani ambassador to the united states, husain haqqani. and are wall street tie tans turning their backs on president obama? details of growing tensions with huge financial implications. in fact, i'm already seeing your best friend, justin. ♪ i would've appreciated a proactive update on the status of our relationship. who do you think i am, tim? quicken loans? at quicken loans, we provide you with proactive updates on the status of your home loan. and our innovative online tools ensure that you're always in the loo