her way to a degree. that's why anybody who feels sorry for pat will find themselves on the receiving end of the receiving glare where she might punch you. she's still getting up every day and doing what she does best which is teaching. the players, she says, are my best medicine. our final honoree is not here. shimon peres, the president of israel, who has done more for the cause of peace in the middle east than just about anybody alive. i'll be hosting president peres for a dinner here at the white house next month and we'll be presenting him with his medal and honoring his incredible contributions to the state of israel and the world at that time. i'm looking forward to welcoming him and i'll save my best lines for him for that occasion. so these are the recipients of the 2012 medals of freedom, and just on a personal note, i had a chance to see everybody in the back. what's wonderful about these events for me is so many of these people are my heroes individually. you know, i know how they impacted my life. i remember reading song of solomon when i was a kid and not just trying to figure out how to write, but also how to be and how to think, and i remember, you know, in college listening to bob dylan, and my world opening up because he captured something that -- about this country that was so vital, and i think about dolores huerta, reading about her when i was starting off as an organizer. everybody on this stage has marked my life in profound way, and i was telling someone like pat summit, when i think about my two daughters who are tall and gifted and knowing that because of folks like coach summitt, they're standing up straight and diving after loose balls and feeling confident and strong, then i understand the impact that these people have had extends beyond to me. it will continue for generations to come. what an extraordinary honor to be able to say "thank you" to all of them for the great work that they've done on behalf of this country and on behalf of the world. so it is now my great honor to present them with a small token of our appreciation. [ applause ] >> so the president of the united states making the medal of freedom presentation to 13 outstanding individuals from here in the united states and around the world, 13 individuals who well deserve the nation's highest civilian award. and happening now, donald trump's support for mitt romney is in the spotlight along with trump's embrace of conspiracy theories of president obama's birth certificate. this hour, i'll ask donald trump about his appearance later tonight and whether he's doing his candidate more harm than good. blaming the syrian government for a weekend massacre that the white house calls a depravity, that the obama administration is only going so far as doling out punishment. are the president's hands tied by russia? raul castro's daughter is making a very public appearance in new york city. we're looking at what she's doing here and why it's a punch in the gut for so many cuban-americans. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com on the same day that mitt romney is set to make history is refusing to back away from donald trump and all of the baggage he carries with him. in a moment i'll speak to donald trump live. he's in las vegas right now where he's getting ready to appear at a fund-raiser later tonight with mitt romney. romney landed in las vegas a little while ago. by the way, check out the trump jet behind him. tonight he's expected to clinch the republican nomination and become the mormon presidential nominee ever in the united states. that milestone may be oversha w overshadowed on this day by donald trump in his ongoing support for the so-called birther movement. our senior political correspondent jim acosta is joining us from las vegas. jim? >> reporter: wolf, as you mentioned mitt romney is on the ground here in las vegas. his campaign plane is parked next to the jet owned by donald trump. it is a fitting option as the donald is looming large over the romney campaign. he started this day with a message of job and independence, but that message got ump frommed. trumped. mitt romney is letting it ride by donald trump. the real estate tycoon is still voicing his doubts about whether president obama was actually born in the u.s. >> i've never really changed. nothing's changed my mind. >> he may have one. >> reporter: trump's fixation on the trump's birth certificate has made its way to an obama campaign video that no down smacked down conspiracy theories four years ago. >> no, ma'am. no, ma'am. he's a decent family man. >> in response, trump sweeted, t he's afraid of it and gr good reason. he keeps using mccain as an example. however, mccain lost the election. instead the obama campaign is enjoying what he calls craziness a full year after the president released his long form birth certificate in washington. >> the state of hawaii released my official long-form birth certificate. >> reporter: asked about trump's comments, romney seemed to say that the financial support was a risk that was worth taking. >> they don't agree with everything that i believe in, but i'm appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people. >> reporter: but his campaign later released a statement that the gop contender believes that president obama was born in the u.s. the democrats can talk about trump. mitt romney will talk about jobs. a message romney carried with him to colorado where he accused the president of brushing the coal industry with regulations. >> obama is giving taxpayer money to big donors and then watching them lose it. >> reporter: the romney campaign also released a web video slamming the president's controversial energy job's program that gave it to companies that went belly up. >> you've heard of solyndra. >> reporter: the question is whether that was overshadowed by trump who has an issue of shooting from the lip as he did in las vegas just last year. >> listen to you mother [ bleep ] we'll tax you 25%. >> reporter: mitt romney has plenty to celebrate. the texas republican primary is expected to give romney the delegates he needs which features newt gingrich and at this point the show will go on and given no indication that they're canceling that event. >> he's meeting with sheldoned aelson, the billionaire in vegas. he was funding the super pac for newt gingrich. >> reporter: that's right. that is a lot of what the romney campaign was doing. it's not about events. it's about fund raising and that is why the romney campaign is taking the calculated risk to have that fund-raiser if the romney campaign will raise $500 million, the campaign has made the rational decision that it needs every dollar it can get its hands on, that means having fund-raisers with donald trump and meeting with hotel magnates like sheldon addelson. >> thank you for filling in yesterday. you did an excellent job. jim acosta joining us from las vegas. joining us on the phone is the president and chairman of the trump organization, donald trump. thank you for joining us. >> i thought your reporter was inaccurate in his description and i thought the description was inaccurate and dishonest. >> tell us why. >> because what he said was wrong and almost as if president obama wrote it, but i'm sure he knows that, and i thought it was a very inappropriate introduction, but go ahead with your first question. >> is there a specific issue you want to dispute? that he mentioned because if you do i want to give you a chance to -- >> i do not like the issue of where he was born. his own publisher, as you know, using his words that he was born in kenya and he lived in indonesia, of course, now he's denying that, amazingly. i'm here to talk, as you said you would, about jobs, china, what's going on with respect to china and how they're ripping this country. what's going on with respect to opec and how the nations of opec are laughing at the stupidity of our country. that's what i'm here to talk about. you know that's what i'm here to talk about, and i thought your introduction was highly inappropriate, but that's okay because i've gotten to know you over the years. >> listen, donald. i never said we weren't going talk about the birther issue. we had a conversation earlier today and we never discussed -- >> i tell you, it's not an issue that he likes talking about so what he does is uses reverse psychology on people like you so that you report oh, gee, he's thrilled with it. he does not like that issue because it's hitting close to home, you know it and he knows it. >> i don't know it. donald, you and i have known each other for a long time, and i don't understand why you're doubling down on this birther issue after the state of that wiy formalliy says this is the legitimate birth certificate. why are you going through with this, donald? >> a lot of people don't agree with it. >> if the state of hawaii says this is official, he was born in hawaii on this date, here it is, why do you deny that? >>. >> a lot of people do not think it was an authentic certificate. >> many people do not think it was authentic. his mother was not in the hospital, there are many other things that came out and, frankly, if you would report it ak rasccurately i think you'd g better ratings which are pretty small. >> did you see the actual newspaper announcements within days of his birth in honolulu. for example, the honolulu bulletin will put it up there, you see it in 1961, listen to me, donald. -- >> can i ask on. >> can i talk? >> can you stop defending obama? >> donald, you're beginning to sound a little ridiculous, i have to tell you. >> you are, wolf. let me tell you something, i think you sound ridiculous and if you'd ask me a question and let me answer it -- >> here's the question, did the conspiracy start in 1961 where ""the honolulu star bulletin" and the advertiser contemporaneously publish announcements that he was born in hawaii. >> and many people put those announcements in because they wanted to get the benefit because of getting so-called born in this country. many people did it. it was something done by many people even though they weren't born in the country. you know and i know it. >> donald -- so why did the state of hawaii authorize that live birth certificate? why did they do it? are they part of this conspiracy, as well? >> well, your democratic governor was the one that was leading it. a lot of people say where did it come from and they're saying how come you didn't show it to john mccain and hillary clinton? it was only donald trump that got him to do it. you know that, and i know that. and when you say that obama doesn't mind this, obama hates the subject. when his publisher comes out with a statement from him in the 1990s that he was born in kenya and that he was raised in indonesia and all of a sudden it comes out, i think it's something that he doesn't like at all. what he says is we love it, we love it, we love it -- >> donald, let me tell you who hates this subject. it is mitt romney who totally disagrees with you on this, including today. >> i haven't talked to mitt romney about it -- >> is mitt romney a democrat? is he an obama supporter? >> what i speak to mitt romney about is jobs. what i speak to mitt romney about is china because he's got a great view on it is china and how they're taking our jobs and taking our product and manipulating their currency so it makes it almost impossible for our companies to compete. what i speak to him about is opec. i don't speak to him about this. you bring it up because you feel it's probably going to get a few more people watching your station which, unfortunately, they're not doing. >> here's what the romney spokesperson andrea saul said this week, today, not yesterday, not six weeks ago. governor romney said repeatedly, he believes obama was born in the united states, he says you're wrong. >> you know what? everybody's entitled to your opinion. you know my opinion and you know his opinion and that's fine. we're entitled -- as he said yesterday in the airplane, we're all entitled to our opinions and he's entitled to have his opinion. i don't happen to share that opinion, it's wonderful. >> the state of thhawaii says is a fact. >> you tell me and you analyze the birth certificate. there are many people that don't agree with the birth certificate and they don't think it's authentic. >> i don't know when you say many people. >> many people -- >> give me authority in hawaii. give me a name. >> i don't give names. there are many people that do not believe that dearth certificate is authentic. >> let me ask you this, because you said when you were thinking about running for the republican presidential nomination, you had an exchange with meredith vieira on the "today" show, and i want to play a clip because it got me interested at the time, and i want to see if there is a follow up. listen to this. >> i have people that actually have been studying it and they cannot believe what they're finding. >> you have people down there searching in hawaii? >> absolutely, and they cannot believe what they're finding. >> all right. tell us what with your people were investigating in hawaii and what they found. >> we don't have to go into old news. that's old news. there's been plenty found. you can call many people and read many, many articles on the authenticity of the certificate and you can read many articles from as recently as to what the publisher printed in a brochure as to what obama told him as to where his place of birth is and that's fine, wolf. now it's appropriate, i think, that we get to the subject at hand which -- at hand, which is jobs, which is the economy, which is how our country is not doing well at all under this leadership, which is how are we going do something about energy, which is really the things that i wanted to talk to you about, but you keep like to keep going back. i actually think that's an important subject, but i think we covered that pretty well, don't you? >> one more point and then we'll move on, donald. you know the governor of hawaii who authorized the release of this birth certificate is not a democrat, but a republican. >> i know nothing about it, all i know is there are many, many questions from different sides as to the authenticity of the birth certificate and all i know is someone came out with a very strong statement that he stated himself this he was born in kenya and raised in indonesia. i didn't make that statement. that was made by either the publisher or the president himself and that's a statement. that's a pretty hard statement to refute. that was a statement made prior to someone knowing that he was going to be running for the presidency. a lot of conservatives and a lot of republicans are worried that this whole issue of the birth certificate will alienate those undecided independents out there and they're worried, frankly, that you're out there out on the campaign trail with mitt romney. they want mitt romney to be president, but this issue is causing them some concern including george will. you heard what he said on sunday. let me play the clip for the viewers who didn't. >> i do not understand the cost benefit here. the costs are here. what voters will vote for him because he's seen with donald trump. the cost of appearing with this ignoramus. if your net worth is high enough your iq can be very low and still intrude into american politics. >> you want to respond to george will? >> i've responded to george will. he's not someone that i've respected him. i don't consider him a very smart person. he was at maralaggo and totally bombed in front of a lot of people. i don't respect george will and he's someone that said recently that the republicans will not win the election. i think it was a terrible statement. he's somewhat retracted that now, and i'm not a fan of george will and i never have been, and i don't think he would like me because of his sorry performance at maralago. >> we talk about jobs. we talk about china. we talk about opec and what many other countries are doing to us and that's the only thing we have interest in talking to him about other than i think he's a wonderful man and i think he'll be a wonderful president. >> how much money do you think will be raised? >> a lot. a lot of money. a lot of people will vote for mitt romney and i think he'll do a quick job. >> anything else you want to say before i let you go. >> no, not at all. >> donald trump joining us from las vegas. we will disagree and it is your right to do so and my right. did he make his critics even angrier? we'll talk about donald trump, mitt romney and the birther backlash and that's coming up later in our "strategy session." we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] whoa, megan landry alert. and she's looking directly at your new lumia, thank you at&t. first, why don't you show her the curved edge... now move on to the slick navigation tiles -- bam, right into the people hub. see megan, colin has lots of friends. hey, colin, what kind of phone is that? whaaa -- oh megan -- when did you get here? [ clears throat ] ohh yea no, let's... [ male announcer ] introducing the beautifully different nokia lumia 900. only from at&t. rethink possible. or creates another laptop bag or hires another employee, it's not just good for business, it's good for the entire community. at bank of america, we know the impact that local businesses have on communities. that's why we extended $6.4 billion in new credit to small businesses across the country last year. because the more we help them, the more we help make opportunity possible. heard from donald trump in our "strategy session." joining us our cnn contributor, hillary rosen and david frum, former speechwriter for president george w. bush. david, let me start with you. did he make any good points, donald trump, what do you think? >> i think he'll raise mitt romney a lot, a lot of money because the publicity, you will offset that with a lot of cash. >> where do you disagree with donald trump? >> the president of the united states was born in the united states. it's not a disputed fact. we have not one moon. candidates attract jack ass supporters, and you are not responsible for every jack ass, and there are a lot of people who get money from president obama when he gets a hungry look in his eyes when they approach him. the fact that donald trump would do this all over again and that he's putting a candidate through this, it's a terrible thing for mitt romney and as i say, let's hope it's a big jackpot of cash because what a terrible thing. >> i'm sure there will be a few dollars presumably raised. >> for mitt romney to go ahead and be up there on the stage with donald trump, he will raise a lot of money. he wants to be president of the united states. he publicly said he disagrees with donald trump. >> even i feel sorry for mitt romney today because that was just a ridiculous performance, and, by the way, though, mitt romney doesnidn't say he disagr with donald trump, and he said i believe he was born in the united states. there's a best a difference, what they're asking mitt romney to show is some leadership in disavowing when somebody is that close to you and says, you know, such harmful things that you should take them on directly and that mitt romney hasn't done that. i think that's a failure of leadership. i don't know that it's going to be worth seven days of cable television over it, but i find it offensive because of what the birther issue does to president obama's credibility and why people started it in the first place. it was a racist attack, in my view. it was intended to undermine the validity of his presidency and of his patriotism and that is, you know, unacceptable and that's the piece why people focused on this as being a problem. >> listen to the clip from the interview i just did with donald trump. listen to this. >> i don't know why -- >> it's not an issue that he likes talking about so what he does is uses reverse psychology on people like you so that you report, oh, gee, he's thrilled with it. he does not like that issue because it's hitting very close to home. you know it, and i know it. >> donald, you and i have known each other for a long time and i don't understand why you're doubling down on -- >> i don't understand why he was doubling down on this whole issue which i don't think is going to help, you correct me if i'm wrong, mitt romney with the still undecided moderates out there who think this is a distraction, if you will, if not a lot worse than that. >> the whole thing is embarrassing. it's embarrassing to mitt romney and to most republicans. at this point this small group of people have been squashed and marginalized within the republican party, too. that's an important thing. why does donald trump do it? he gets to be on tv. he hasn't been on tv for a long time. there is a lot of programming based on people doing that. in fairness, what is mitt romney to do? because candidates can't discipline their supporters. there's no mechanism for doing that, after a while, yes, sometimes in extreme cases they return a check, but after a while the sky is black from flying checks. >> but they can make it not be about money and that's what mitt romney did today. >> -- supports president obama who received money from bill maher who said very ugly things about women. >> candidates can't control anybody that says something ugly, but when asked about this says, you know, i've got to get to 50.1%. he wasn't talking about donald trump's vote. he was talking about the money that donald trump is going to raise him. >> should the obama, pro-obama super pac return that $1 million that bill maher gave them? >> this was a fund-raiser directly for the romney campaign. >> i know, this is a super pac that's supposedly not affiliated at all, although we know there are individuals who support the super pac are obviously former employees or people very close to -- >> you know, i don't want to find hairs about who said what and that it's worse because what bill maher said about many people has been offensive and i've been on record on that a long time. i don't think this is about returning the money or not returning the money. i think this is about really substantively disavowing where the birther movement comes from and saying to donald trump, stop it. the country doesn't want to hear this. it's wrong for you to say it, and i'm offended by it. and until hes that, i think. >> there's a big difference between mitt romney appearing together with donald trump at this event tonight in las vegas and the president as far as i know has not appeared with bill maher and i assume he won't be appearing directly with bill maher even though he gave the super pac $1 million. >> unless it's proven that the donor stole the money the campaign keeps the money. you're taking the money and converting it to a better purpose. i'm not a big fan of this kind of game. >> i'm with you on that. >> mitt romney has been put in an awkward position. maybe they would ask donald trump to -- but don't think this is mitt romney's fault. this is donald trump's decision. he didn't have to be on your show. he could have behaved himself, he could have had intelligent statements to make and all of those were his decisions. >> i want to be precise, and i did have a full conversation with donald trump earlier in the day. we didn't speak any of the subjects, and i just said you want to come on the show today, you're doing this event with mitt romney tonight and do you want to talk about it? we'll preview it. i never said we'll talk about the birth certificate and he said sure. i never accepted any conditions for this phone interview that we did just a few moments ago. before i let both of you go, history is about to be made tonight. for the first time in our history a mormon will be a nomin nominee, a presidential nominee of a major political party in the united states. remember when the first catholic, john f. kennedy was the nominee and then became president. when the first african-american barack obama was the nominee, and became president and now a mormon. it's a historic event. he'll get enough electoral college votes if he wins in texas in their primary later tonight. i want to reflect a little bit, hilary, on this historic moment in our country. >> i think it's the wonderful thing about this country that we are a melting pot of racism, religions and orientations and that is good and we should be celebrating that. i think there are people who will try to talk about this religion in a different way. that will be up to mitt romney as to talk about what his religion just like what his family and what his business experience and what everything means to him going. there is a lot of prejudice out there about all sort of religions. >> it speaks well of our country, david, that this kind of event could happen. >> i'm really glad you raised this, and i don't think it's appreciated enough that it is an important first and although there are a lot of religions, it was a religion that the government went to war with and not with the people on the receiving end. if the polls are right, it remains true that three timeses many people said they wouldn't vote for a mormon as they say wouldn't vote for a catholic or a jew and it's a milemilestone,. when you talk about the ugly side of the birther issue, let's remember that mitt romney comes from a family that was not only important voice for the civil rights and it was the voice of -- >> and it's fair to say that there's been a catholic president, an african president, there might be a mormon president, i'm hoping hilary, you probably agree with me, there will be a woman president. >> we'll see. there are republicans and democrats and hopefully one of these days there will be a woman president of the united states. >> i'm sure there will be a couple. >> all right, guys. thanks very much for coming in. if you missed my interview with donald trump you can hear the highlights next hour in our "situation room" as well. we'll have other news and top stories coming up in just a moment. the actual newspaper announcements within days of his birth in honolulu, for example, the honolulu star bulletin, we'll put it up there. you see the birth announcement in 1961 -- listen, listen to me, donald. can i ask -- >> can i talk while you are defending obama? >> donald, you are beginning to sound a little ridiculous, i have to tell you. >> no, wolf, i think you sound ridiculous and if you'd ask me a question and let me answer it. >> here's the question, did the conspiracy start in 1961 when "the honolulu star bulletin" "the honolulu advertiser" contemporaneously sponsored announcements that he was born in hawaii. >> and they wanted the say he was so-called born in this country. ♪ [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering. it's delicious. so now we've turned her toffee into a business. my goal was to take an idea and make it happen. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. i never really thought i would make money doing what i love. [ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com, we put the law on your side. northern italy is reeling right now from a deadly earthquake again. lisa sylvester is monitoring that and other top stories in "the situation room" right now. lisa, what's going on? >> hi, wolf. 15 people are dead and 200 injured from a 5.8 magnitude earthquake. it comes about a week after an even larger earthquake killed seven in the same region. today's quake was followed by dozens of aftershocks. many towns have been evacuated and as many as 14,000 people could be displaced. after a break from the memorial day weekend, jurors are reviewing evidence in the case to determine if edwards accepted illegal campaign contributions and falsified documents, charges that carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine. it's the second day of juror deliberations. the postal service is offering buyouts for employs, the latest move for an agency trying to cut costs. the buyouts are being offered to almost every mail handler. it reported a $3.2 million loss for the first part of this year and is set to close facilities in july and august. it was a good day on wall street. stocks finished high as worries about europe and china eased. the gains came after a weaker than expected report on u.s. confidence and continued declines in home prices. the dow jones industrial average gained 126 points. a lot of folks out there are happy to hear good news in what's going on with the stock market. >> indeed, they are. thank you very much, lisa. we're learning information about president obama's so-called secret kill list and who is targeted for assassination. steam meal so tasty. actually, the milk from my farm makes it so creamy, right dad. dad can see... boys! don't you think stouffer's steam perfect bag should get some credit? my carrots. my milk. [ female announcer ] new from stouffer's. farmers' harvest steam meals taste so good we'll bet the farm on it. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. [ female announcer ] the sun powers life. ♪ and now it powers our latest innovation. ♪ introducing the world's only solar-powered home energy system, which can cut your heating and cooling bills in half. call now to get up to 1,375 dollars in rebates. or zero percent financing for 18 months on select lennox home comfort systems. offer ends june 15th. plus download our free lennox mobile app with an energy-savings calculator to show how much you'll save with a lennox system. if your current system is 10 years or older, start planning now and take advantage of special financing. so call now to get up to 1,375 dollars in rebates. or zero percent financing for 18 months on select lennox home comfort systems. offer ends june 15th. and download our lennox mobile app -- free. lennox. innovation never felt so good. u.s. drone strikes have been a very effective and very controversial weapon against terrorists around the world, and we are now learning more about who's targeted and how they may wind up on what's being called the president's secret kill list. let's debrief our pentagon correspondent chris lawrence. first of all, tell us what's going on right now. >> wolf, president obama promised to lift the veil of secrecy that's gone on over the use of unmanned droernnes, but n you do so what you see is a president that is intermittently involved in the decision making progress. what you see is from a "new york times" article that's laid this out in the greatest detail yet, is that the president is involved almost in a tactical level and the change in technology has allowed this president to make decisions no previous president has been able to do. so what you have is a wide variety of counterterrorism officials and national security officials weighing in and looking at the biographies of suspected terrorists to decide who's going to be next on the kill list and then finally, the president himself can weigh in and make an exact decision, because of technology and because of these drone strikes, it's the president himself that can make these sort of tactical decisions. i spoke with an analyst, peter singer who said there are actually two kill lists, one being run by the military and one being run by the cia and the thing is that you can manipulate the list. if you have a target that doesn't meet the criteria from the military list, you can put that name on the cia list and what that could do in some cases where you have this overlap is it opens up the process to perhaps manipulation because you've got some of the same people involved on these meetings, and some of the same people with different agendas using these lists. >> the legal opinions and the white house legal opinion, dod, legal opinion, authorizing these targeted killings with the drones and other means necessary, those legal opinions remain classified, right? and the pentagon has given a full accounting of how they measure civilian casualties, they will say publicly that they won't go ahead with the strike, you know, if there was a danger of high civilian casualties, but in countries where there are no boots on the ground, so to speak, they never account for how they verify how many civilian casualties there are in these strikes. they simply keep saying the casualties are low, the casualties are low without verifying how they got that number or how they're making that assessment. >> chris lawrence at the pentagon, thanks very much. the united states and its allies blaming syria for slaughtering innocent civilians. could russia's response to the massacre change what's going on right now? stand by, new information coming into "the situation room." for y. so we invented a warning.. you can feel. introducing the all new cadillac xts, available with the patented safety alert seat. when there is danger you might not see, you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all new cadillac xts has arrived. and it's bringing the future forward. crazy, right ? well, with this droid razr by motorola on verizon 4g lte, you guys can stay in touch. ( grunts ) cool. you can video call on skype... send photos. yeah, okay. yeah, let's do it. get $100 off any motorola 4g lte smartphone, like the droid 4 now just $99.99. verizon. [ woman ] it's like a magnet. pulling us together for different reasons. music. games. photos. shows. we share stories, laugh... and truly engage. it brings us closer and that is my happy place. ♪ [ male announcer ] the best family moments happen in an instant. capture them with internet explorer and a powerful dell pc. the syrian president bashar al assad is mounting now that president is a staunch defender of the damascus regime, condemning the government for the outrageous use of force over the civilian population. let's bring in erin burnett is who watching what's going on. russia is important to the outcome of what's going on in syria. what are you hearing right now,ier snin. >> we've been obviously talking about how important russia is and how it would halt its arms shipments and one of the latest things we've been hearing is there could be a shift with russian cargo and russian weapons to the port of tartus, and this has been said with news sources and it is unclear if the ship arrived but it could happen in the next 48 hours. this is a symbol speaking louder than words. the prime minister speaking out with harsh words against the syrian regime and that is far different than stopping the syrian government and the numbers are pretty stunning and they're being looking into these to give you a sense of how significant russia is in syria, much more significant than the united states. syria is the biggest buyer of russian weapon, and 10% of all russian arms exports have gone to syria. it is a siggive in cannot buyer, you're looking at the entire air force of the syrian regime is all russian built. this is why it really comes down to russia. russia is the power player in syria. assad has been a long-term ally, as you say. the questions is will their actions back their words and at this point we're continuing to hear that, look, russia doesn't want to be seen as caving to the united states and doing what the u.s. wants and this would be, of course, to sign on to an arms embargo and start supplying syria and they haven't done that as of yet. the big question is will they do that and that could be the tipping point here. >> erin will have more at 7:00 p.m. eastern on "erin burnett out front." we'll have much more on syria and i'll talk to a correspondent who has been to the massacre and has heard the desperate pleas for help. we have the video, you're about to see it. it will move you. sometimes i feel le 's me ains t my hai r. [ fema annouer ] akdaged haeedsewaveeno noush+n active naturals wheat formulas restore strength for up to 90% less breakage in three washes. for strong, healthy hair with life, new aveeno nourish+ strengthen. the key is to have a good strategy. the same goes for my retirement. with the plan my financial advisor and i put together, a[ male announcer ] know my retirewith wells fargo advisor's envision plan, you always know where you stand. in fact, 93 percent of envision plan holders say they will retire on their own terms. get started on the plan you need today -- wells fargo advisors. together we'll go far. oh, yeah? [ chris ] you can call us 24-7, get quotes online, start a claim with our smartphone app. you name it, we're here, anytime, anywhere, any way you want it. that's the way i need it. any way you want it. [ man ] all night? all night. every night? any way you want it. that's the way i need it. we just had ourselves a little journey moment there. yep. [ man ] saw 'em in '83 in fresno. place was crawling with chicks. i got to go. ♪ any way you want it ♪ that's the way you need it ♪ any way you want it ♪ there's nothing quite like family and there's also nothing like a good surprise. one service member found a way to combine the two and did it in front of 40,000 people. watch this. >> my name is master sergeant david simms, u.s. air force. i've just come home from a six-month deployment in afghanistan and i'm here today with the atlanta braves to surprise my family. i'm very excited and very nervous. my family doesn't know what's going on, and i'm looking forward to seeing the expressions of surprise on their faces. >> i want to send out my love to my wife and kids. i love you all so much and i miss you. i can't wait to be with you again. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> o, i'm so glad to see you. >> so good to be home. ♪ ♪ >> seeing these american heros and their families. david simms has a history of surprise home coming. according to the braves' website, when sims came back from his first deployment in 2009 he showed up in his house in a big box wrapped up like a christmas present. it was a great christmas present indeed. >> coming up here in "the situation room," the syrian government pays a price for the deadly massacre as the u.s. and other countries expel syrian diplomats. stand by. the natural oatmeal formula improves skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] only from aveeno. [ female announcer ] the vertical chair-climb. it's not an olympic sport, but it takes real effort and it takes a diaper that fits their every move. pampers cruisers with 3-way fit adapt at the waist, legs, and bottom for up to 12 hours of protection and all the freedom to play like a real champion. pampers. proud supporter of babies' play. ♪ the key is to have a good strategy. the same goes for my retirement. with the plan my financial advisor and i put together, a quick check and i know my retirement is on course. [ male announcer ] with wells fargo advisor's envision plan, you always know where you stand. in fact, 93 percent of envision plan holders say they will retire on their own terms. get started on the plan you need today -- wells fargo advisors. together we'll go far. wells fargo advisors. you know, those farmers, those foragers, those fishermen.... for me, it's really about building this extraordinary community. american express is passionate about the same thing. they're one of those partners that i would really rely on whether it's finding new customers, or, a new location for my next restaurant. when we all come together, my restaurants, my partners, and the community amazing things happen. to me, that's the membership effect. [ male announcer ] when diarrhea hits, kaopectate stops it fast. powerful liquid relief speeds to the source. fast. [ male announcer ] stop the uh-oh fast with kaopectate. and you're in "the situation room." happening now. a key syrian diplomat kicked out of the united states and key countries around the world following a horrifying slaughter that left a hundred people, reportedly half of them children, dead. my face-off with donald trump on the so-called birther issue. you'll see why i told him he's sounding ridiculous. and a seafood delicacy, contaminated by last year's nuclear disaster in japan. we have details on nuclear details detected in tune-up. we welcome our viewers around the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com syria's paying a steep price for what you're about to see. we want to warn you, it's graphic and disturbing. rows of children lined up dead, nearly half of the more than 100 people murdered friday in the city of hula and that is according to the united nations and now the world is responding. the united states and seven other countries, australia, the uk, france, germany, italy, spain and canada all expelling syrian diplomats. cnn foreign affairs correspondent. jill dougherty is joining us from the syrian embassy here in washington, d.c. what is happening behind you inside that embassy, jill? >> reporter: wolf, here's an embassy right there. it's the back entrance and the parking lot that you see over there was really full of cars for most of the day. the embassy technically is open for business, but the clock is ticking for the man who was in charge to leave. at the syrian embassy in washington, little activity. the u.s. notifying the second in command, he and his family have 72 hours to get out of town. there's no ambassador in place. the assad regime pulled the syrian ambassador mustafa back to damascus last october in response to the obama administration's decision to recall the u.s. ambassador robert four. they're expelling diplomats, too, in response to the massacre in the village of hula. >> this is a political measure and this is a statement of our extreme disapproval and horror at the massacre. >> reporter: the u.s. is not shutting the embassy as it did with libya. nuland says all that's left is a handful of civil servants who would be needed if the embassy reopens after the assad regime is over, but a senior administration official concedes, ultimately this is just a symbolic gesture with no real practical effect on the killings. meanwhile, at the state department, secretary of state hillary clinton meets with democracy advocates from the middle east. >> can you give us your very honest assessments about what we can do? >> as she leaves the room, a brief chat with a woman from syria. >> yes, you were doing a lot behind the scenes to get everybody on the same page. very important. people are going off in too many directions. >> in damascudamascus, kofi anns with the syrian president on the failing plan for peace, calling for bold steps now, not tomorrow. so what could stop the slaughter? >> my job is to provide the commander in chief with options, and i think the military option should be considered. >> reporter: but the white house sounds reluctant. >> we do not believe that further militarization in syria at this point is the right course of action. >> reporter: one key player, rush a calls the massacre a tragedy and urges a complete investigation of the killings. but the victoria nuland, spokesman for the state department, was actually asked about russia and was asked whether it could be a turning point. all she could really say was we hope so. meanwhile, jay carney, the spokesman, says this is a horrifying testament, the killings are a horrifying testament to the regime's depravity. so a lot of tough words, wolf, but still no concrete action. >> we'll see if there's any concrete action. jill, thank you very much. the slaughter in syria showing no signs of stopping at all. another 46 people reportedly killed just today, leaving those that live there pleading with the world to, quote, save our souls. alex thompson of britain's channel 4 is getting rare access inside syria where hardly any other reporter has gone before. >> reporter: heavy fire fights in some districts of homs until the early hours, so this morning the u.n. cease-fire monitors were patrolling with caution from its streets. out along the main north-south highway toward restan where they tried to negotiate a cease-fire just three days ago and a halt after one incoming round was fired at the patrol from the direction of the town. it happens routinely. these u.n. monitoring patrol come under fire in this area with great frequency. this is not a situation where there's much trust and each cease-fire has to be rene gosch yarted town by town and village by village. yet again, they were jamming their radios with no effective communications and no cease-fire, in fact, kofi annan certainly has his work cut out two hours south of here in damascus. there he's been meeting officials and hanging heavy in the air the question for president bashir al assad. he's seen events in egypt, tunisia, the likelihood that this will most likely end for him in exile, imprisonment or death, but still tonight and rightly, the hul amass akre commands attention with consequences reverberating around the world. this has to stop. kofi annan's message to president assad today. governments are not using words, they're taking action. diplomats expelled across europe. the french government describing president assad today simply as a murderer. kofi annan would not use such language, of course, but told the syrian president to be bold in stopping this war. >> i shared with president assad my assessment that the six-point plan is not being implemented as it must. we are at a tipping point. the syrian people do not need their future to be one of bloodshed and division, yet the killings continue and the abuses are still with us today. >> reporter: tonight more details from hula from where 108 people are dead and i'm certain that number will rise. according to the united nations, fewer than 20 died in the initial government shelling after rebels clashed with soldiers on friday. another 88, mostly women and children, were executed according to u.n. monitors that visited the town. people insist it was shabir, government-backed armed civilians who slaughtered people house to house, family to family. >> a few, a fairly small number appear to be killed by shelling, artillery and tank fire which took place over 12 hours, but the majority appeared to have been from house-to-house executions, of armed men going into houses of killing men, women and children inside. >> reporter: one eyewitness told channel 4 news he'd hidden in a pile of hay and seen men in black surrounding a town. he said at first they were welcomed in this sunni town. another villager said they went building to building, shooting people in the head and then looting. the u.n. confirms 49 children, 34 women were killed on friday. amateur video shows tanks still surrounding the town today, and i certainly witnessed them in action here two days ago. president assad, of course, blames what he calls terrorists. alex thompson, channel 4 news, damascus. so what will it take for military action to try to help the people in syria? i'll ask the former nato supreme allied commander general wesley clark. he's standing by live. he went through a similar situation as a lot of our viewers will recall back in kosovo in the late 1990s. also ahead this hour, the first signs of radioactive fish linked to last year's nuclear disaster in japan. also, i'll go one-on-one, if you didn't see it, you'll see it now. my one-on-one interview with donald trump and why he's not dropping the so-called birther issue. donnal, donald, you're beginning to sound a little ridiculous. >> no, you are, wolf. let me tell you something. i think you sound ridiculous and if you'd ask a question and let me answer. >> did the conspiracy start in 1961 when "the honolulu star bulletin" and "the honolulu advertiser" contemporaneously published announcements that he was born in hawaii. >> that's right. many people put those announcements in because they wanted to get the benefits of being so-called born in this country. there are a lot of warning lights and sounds vying for your attention. so we invented a warning.. you can feel. introducing the all new cadillac xts, available with the patented safety alert seat. when there is danger you might not see, you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all new cadillac xts has arrived. and it's bringing the future forward. have an over the top experience. being hands on is key! i make sure every plate looks just right. [ male announcer ] don't miss red lobster's four course seafood feast, just $14.99. start with soup, salad and unlimited cheddar bay biscuits followed by your choice of one of 7 entrees. like new coconut and pineapple shrimp or shrimp and scallops alfredo. then finish with something sweet. all four courses just $14.99. [ reza ] it's so much food for such a good value. i'm reza, culinary manager. and i sea food differently. the key is to have a good strategy. the same goes for my retirement. with the plan my financial advisor and i put together, a quick check and i know my retirement is on course. [ male announcer ] with wells fargo advisor's envision plan, you always know where you stand. in fact, 93 percent of envision plan holders say they will retire on their own terms. get started on the plan you need today -- wells fargo advisors. together we'll go far. jack cafferty is here with "the cafferty file." jack? >> right on the heels of memorial day comes a strong suggestion that president obama could have problems with military veterans come november. a new gallup poll shows that veterans support mitt romney over president obama by a stunning 24 points, 58% to 34%. veterans make up about 13% of the population as well as almost a quarter of adult men. pollsters say the large edge among veterans is a big reason why romney is leading among men overall. historically, republican presidential candidates tend to do better among veterans than democrats. both george w. bush and john mccain carried the veteran boat, even though president obama won veterans under the age of 60 under the last election. it's worth pointing out that the president is leading romney 34%%, both saluted the troupes. the president honored the veterans in wars in iraq and afghanistan, and those that loved their country enough to sacrifice their own lives for it. we talked about the importance of providing health care, and benefits for veterans. his campaign has been highlighting the killing of osama bin laden, the end of the war in iraq and the push to wind down the war in afghanistan. mitt romney appeared at an event alongside john mccain where he addressed global threats. romney said i wish i could tell you the world is a safe place, unquote. he said the u.s. must remain the top military power. it's clear both men realize the power of this voting bloc. here's the question, what does it mean if mitt romney leads president obama by 24 points among veterans? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile and post a comment on my blog or go to "the situation room's" facebook page. wolf? >> jack, thank you. other news we're following, beryl is downgraded to a tropical depression. lisa sylvester is monitoring that and other top stories in "the situation room." >> hi, wolf, these pictures are from florida where they received 3 to 5 inches of rain. believe it or not, they got off easy compared to tallahassee. it is now southwest of savannah, georgia, with sustained winds of up to 30 miles an hour and it's prompting flood watches from florida to north carolina. facebook slipped almost 10%, closing slightly below $29 per share. analysts point to speculation that the company is preparing to buy the norwegian software. overall, facebook shares have lost 24% of their value since the highly anticipated ipo since a week ago. >> new home prices hit a new low in march. a new report shows average home prices down 2.6% than a year ago. that puts prices at the lowest level since 2002 and down 35% from the peak back in 2006. so now to a cafeteria in los angeles where someone left the light on about 70 years ago and it is still burning. the neon bulb was discovered behind a wall that was put up as part of a remodel in the early 1940s. a remarkable discovery, but i've got to tell you, wolf, i don't envy whoever had to pay that electricity bill to keep it lit all those years. it's amazing that neon bulb still going after all those years. >> it is amazing, indeed. thank you very much. up next, the first signs of radioactive fish linked to the nuclear disaster in japan reaching the california coast. what's going on? stand by. 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. if you made a list of countries from around the world... ...with the best math scores. ...the united states would be on that list. in 25th place. let's raise academic standards across the nation. let's get back to the head of the class. let's solve this. ♪ i hear you... ♪ rocky mountain high ♪ rocky, rocky mountain high ♪ ♪ all my exes live in texas ♪ ♪ born on the bayou [ female announcer ] the perfect song for everywhere can be downloaded almost anywhere. ♪ i'm back, back in the new york groove ♪ [ male announcer ] the nation's largest 4g network. covering 2,000 more 4g cities and towns than verizon. rethink possible. more concerned about last year's nuclear accident in japan as researchers discover high radiation levels in one type of tuna caught off the west coast of the united states. cnn's casey wian is covering the story for us. among other consequences this could be bad news for sushi lovers out there. are we going too far? is that an exaggeration? what's going on? >> reporter: well, wolf, there are a lot of fears because of 15 fish that were caught off the coast of california last summer, fears about radiation in seafood. pacific tuna is highly prized by sushi lovers, mostly in japan, but it's also a seasonal delicacy in the united states. now there's evidence that shows some migratory blue fin caught off the coast of san diego carried low levels of radiation. >> i will probably eat tuna less now that i know that, yes. >> i'm still eating sushi. >> reporter: pufukushima's nuclr explosion. the studies published in the scientific journal appeared on cnn. >> surprised, but are you concerned? >> from a public health concern, not particularly. i say that because as least for these particular fish that we analyzed the radio activity was only 3% above the natural radiation background. >> reporter: even when the researchers estimated how much radiation the blue fin con tamed when they were exposed in japanese waters before their migration across the pacific, the levels were far below what was considered safe for u.s. consumption. the pacific blue fin were caught by sport fishermen. most of the blue fin are farmed or atlantic blue fin. >> east coast blue fib is more desirable in the west coast version and what primarily what the sushi bars use, not the west coast. >> reporter: u.s. seafood is safe to eat and unaffected by the fukushima incident, but they have not yet seen the results of the california blue fin study. >> i personally would not hesitate to eat the tuna that were caught off california, but i don't make recommendations for a lot of people. a lot of people are very anxious about radio activity. a lot of the foods we eat are radioactive. >> reporter: now despite all of those assurances, researchers will be testing blue fin tuna that will be caught off of the california coast this summer. those blue fin are exposed by the fukushima radiation earlier in their lives right after they were born so they want to make sure how much radiation remains in those tuna. they're not sure if they're higher or lower levels. they confirm other species are being checked, wolf. >> thanks very much. a massacre in syria, dozens of innocent children, i'll ask the former nato supreme allied commander, general wesley clark. he's standing by. also, my heated interview, donald trump on why he's not dropping the so-called birther issue. >> there are many people that don't agree with that dearth certifica certificate. they don't think it's authentic, wolf. >> i don't know when you say many people -- >> many people. >> like who? give me a name of someone in a position of authority who says -- give me a name. >> there are many people. i don't give names. see life in the best light. outdoors, or in. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. experience life well lit, ask for transitions adaptive lenses. receiving a transitions lenses certificate of authenticity is your only guarantee that you're getting the world's #1 recommended photochromic lens. ask for it and register your lenses online today. hey, it's sandra -- from accounting. peter. i can see that you're busy... but you were gonna help us crunch the numbers for accounts receivable today. i mean i know that this is important. well, both are important. let's be clear. they are but this is important too. [ man ] the receivables. [ male announcer ] michelin knows it's better for xerox to help manage their finance processing. so they can focus on keeping the world moving. with xerox, you're ready for real business. but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... in the latino communityr retirement. the word that we use is jubilation. as you're getting older, you should be able to do the things that you love. let's get back to our top story right now. the syrian slaughter fueling outrage in the united states and around the world. the white house says it's a, quote, horrifying testament to the syrian regime, but still isn't ready to take any military action. joining us now, the former nato supreme allied commander general wesley clark. general, thanks very much for coming in. let's talk about what's going on in syria right now. should the united states and nato take military action to stop the slaughter? >> well, we'd certainly like to get the slaughter stopped. i think there's no question about that, but the problem is how do you do it effectively? and so, the normal way you do this is to work backwards, from the desired outcome. that means you need legal authority, you need a political consensus to get the authority and you need some kind of a political body at the end of the military action to take charge of syria. none of that exists right now. the short answer is it will be tough. >> let me interrupt you, gene l general, why doesn't it suggest? as mitt romney suggests and other critics of the president suggested they get a military together to impose a no-fly zone to take action to impose an arms embargo against syria? >> i think the no-fly zone will be a matter of presidential leadership. i don't think it is being fra g fragmented. there are three many saksz, there is a christian faction and sunni faction, and they're afraid a sunni regime will come in and be a radical, islamist sunni regime and that's 2 million refugees to pour out into western europe and to lebanon, and so there's a lot of concern on this and there hasn't been a real political opposition form. if a real political opposition could form, then nato and the united states could then assist and reinforce, but absent a political leadership in there it's very difficult to do anything. we can't simply drop weapons in. you can't start bombing. >> the u.s. and the nato coalition, the nato allies did do that and got rid of gadhafi in libya. why not do the same thing? syria? >> first of all, was there a political opposition in libya. second we had a security council resolution and arab resolution and we had legal authority to do this. what we don't have is the legal authority and more importantly, we don't have the political opposition. there's no one to assist. that's why we're providing non-lethal aid now. we're providing communications equipment and humanitarian assistance trying to get it in in an effort to enable a political opposition to coalesce. >> i remember when i was white house correspondent for cnn, resolution 99 which was the excuse used by you the supreme allied commander to use military action to stop the slaughter in kosovo even though the last paragraph had a weak statement should the concrete measures demanding, not be taken to consider further action and to consider further action. you use that as authority, legal justification to go ahead and launch a massive military operation in kosovo that saved a lot of lives. >> we did. and we knew at the time that as it was built up that russia was going to veto a stronger resolution. it simply wasn't going to come out of the united nations, but what we did have is we had a full effort to get a political resolution first. we knew what the outcome on the ground would be after the fighting was over and so there was a political framework there. there's no framework in place for syria, and that's what's got to emerge. what is that framework? what could we do to assist? >> here's the tough question if you could answer it directly. president bill clinton at the time went ahead and did it to save lives in kosovo and the criticism of president obama right now, he's not doing what bill clinton did. is that a fair criticism? >> no, i don't think it's a fair criticism because in the summer of 1998 when milosevic started the ethnic cleansing in kosovo, we did not take military action, what we did do is we took a series of warning measures and richard holbrooke talked to milosevic and i talked to milosevic and he assured us nothing was happening and he was doing it anyway and exactly the same thing assad was doing. we're at the point now where the mobilization is going to occur if there is a political opposition in syria or outside of syria representing syrians around which we can work. there was such a group in kosovo. we had a president. we had the kosovo liberation army. so the president had -- he had the support of his people. he was internationally recognized and even milosevic dealt with him, so it wasn't a political vacuum. the opposition in syria right now, there are a lot of brave people in there. we honor what they stand for. it's absolutely wrong what the assad regime is doing. it's murder. we know it, but we haven't been able to locate the political opposition, and we want to stabilize the situation. what we don't want is mayhem in a region in a region where hundreds of thousands of people die. syria is in a difficult position with pressures on all sides, so we've got to make the right steps not just an urgent step. >> general wesley clark, the former retired nato supreme allied commander. we'll continue this conversation. thank you. >> okay, wolf. coming up, my one-on-one interview with donald trump who has very strong things to say about cnn's reporting, the issue about where the president of the united states was born. if you didn't see it, you're about to see it. we'll have the explosive interview. all energy development comes with some risk, but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car, and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness, where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer a hassle-free lifetime repair guarantee, where the repairs made on your car are guaranteed for life, or they're on us. these are just two of the valuable features you can expect from liberty mutual. plus, when you insure both your home and car with us, it could save you time and money. at liberty mutual, we help you move on with your life, so get the insurance responsible drivers like you deserve. call us at... or visit your local liberty mutual office, where an agent can help you find the policy that's right for you. liberty mutual insurance, responsibility -- what's your policy? turning now to the politically charged issue of where the president of the united states was born and those who refuse to let it die. one of the most outspoken, donald trump who is stumping for mitt romney on the same day he's expected to clinch the republican presidential nomination. last hour i spoke to donald trump and i asked him why he's doubling down now and the interview got very heated. >> his own publisher, as you know, using his words that he was born in kenya and he lived in indonesia, of course, now he's denying that amazingly so, but i'm not here to talk about that. i'm here to talk about, as you said, jobs, china, what's going on with respect to china and how they're ripping this country, and what's going on with respect to opec and how the nation says of opec are laughing at the stupidity of our country. that's what i'm here to talk about. you know that's what i'm here to talk about, and i thought your introduction was highly inappropriate, but that's okay, because i've gotten to know you over the years. >> first of all, i never said we weren't going to talk about the birther issue. we had a conversation earlier today and we didn't discuss at all what we were going to talk about. i don't know why -- >> it's not an issue that he likes talking about, so what he does is uses reverse psychology on people like you so you report like, oh, gee, he's thrilled with it. he does not like that issue because it's hitting close to home. you know it and he knows it. >> donald, you and i have known each other for a long time and i don't understand why you're doubling down on this birther issue after the state of hawaii formally says this is the legitimate birth certificate. he was born in hawaii. why are you going through with all of this, donald? >> a lot of people don't believe it. >> if the state of hawaii says this is official, he was born in hay weighy on this date, here it is, why do you deny that? >> a lot of people don't think that was an authentic certificate. >> many people do not think it was authentic. his mother was not in the hospital. there are many other things that came out and, frankly, if you would report it accurately i think you would probably get better ratings than you're getting which are pretty small. >> donald, have you seen the actual newspaper announcements within days of had his birth in honolulu, for example, "the honolulu star bulletin," the announcement in 1961 and -- listen to me, donald. >> wolf -- >> can i talk? >> can i ask a question. >> >> -- before you defend obama. >> you're beginning to sound ridiculous, i have to tell you. >> i think you sound ridiculous and if you'd ask a question and let me answer it. here's the question, did the conspiracy start in 1961 when "the honolulu star bulletin" and "the honolulu advertiser" contemporaneously published announcements that he was born in hawaii? >> many people put those announcements in because they wanted to get the benefit of being so-called born in this country. it was something done by many people even if they weren't born in the country. you know it and so do i. >> donald, explain why -- so why did the state of hawaii authorize that live birth certificate? why did they do it? are they part of this conspiracy as well. >> well, your democratic governor who was the one that was really leading and a lot of people say where did it come from and they're saying why didn't he show it to john mccain, hillary clinton, it was only donald trump that got him to do it. so you know that, and i know that. when you say that obama doesn't mind this. obama hates the subject. when his publisher comes out with a statement from him made in the 1990s that he was born in kenya, and that he was raised in indonesia and all of a sudden it comes out, i think it's something that he doesn't like at all. now what he says is oh, we love it, we love it, we love it. >> let me tell you who hates this subject. it is mitt romney who totally disagrees with you on this including today, he issued a statement. >> all we speak about is jobs -- >> is mitt romney a democrat? is he an obama supporter. >> what i speak to mitt romney about is jobs. what i speak to mitt romney about is china because he's got a great view on china and how they're trying to destroy our country by taking our jobs and taking our product and manipulating their currency so it makes it almost impossible for our companies to compete. what i speak to him about is opec. i don't speak to him about this. you bring it up because you feel like it's probably going to get a few more people watching your station which unfortunately they're not doing. >> here's what with andrea saul said today, not six months ago. governor romney has said repeatedly that he believes president obama was born in the united states. he's not a democrat. he's not a obama supporter, he's governor romney, the republican presidential nominee and he says you're wrong. >> you know what? everybody is entitled to their opinion. you know my opinion and you know his opinion and that's fine. >> we are entitled yesterday, in the airplane, we are entitled to our opinions and he's entitled to his opinion, and i think that's wonderful. i don't haff to share that opinion and that's wonderful also. >> the state of hawaii says it's not an opinion, it's a fact. >> no, i don't think so. you take a look and you analyze the birth certificate, there are many people that don't agree with that birth certificate and they don't think that's authentic, wolf. >> i don't know when you say many people -- >> many people -- >> give me a name of someone in position in hawaii -- >> there are many people -- >> give me a name. >> i don't give names. >> there are many people that don't believe that that certificate is authentic. >> let me ask you this. you said when you were thinking of running for the republican presidential nomination, you had an exchange with meredith vieira on the "today" show, and i'll play the clip because it got me interested in the time, and i want to know if there's a follow up. >> i have people studying this and they cannot believe what they're finding. >> you have people in that wayy? >> absolutely, and they cannot believe what they were finding. >> tell us what the people were investigating in hawaii and what they found. >> that's old news. you can call many people, you can read many, many articles on the authenticity of the certificate. you can read many article from just recently as to what the publisher printed in a brochure as to what obama told him, as to where his place of birth is and that's fine, wolf. now it's appropriate, i think, that we get to the subject at hand which is jobs, which is the economy, which is how our country is not doing well at all under this leadership, which is how are we going do something about energy, which is really the things that i wanted to talk to you about, but you like to keep going back to the place of birth. i actually think that's an important subject, but i think we've covered that pretty well now, don't you? >> donald trump speaking with me just a little while ago. we're getting reaction to the interview. donald trump, the interview with donald trump and the reaction blowing up on twitter within minutes of airing it. one tweet said trump got blitzed. >> listening to donald trump and wolf blitzer duke it out was the best way to end my work day. >> breaking, after watching wolf blitzer's interview with donald trump, president obama to award the tycoon medal of freedom from reality. david frum is former speechwriter for george w. bush. is donald trump helping, net, net, the plusses and the minuses, helping mitt romney or hurting mitt romney? >> there was an old saying that had to be the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral. mitt romney's message is i'm not the republican you don't like. i am the kind of republican that you do like. donald trump has said you know that kind of republican that you don't like, over here, everybody, look over here. >> we're spending so much time on the so-called birther issue and i am sure mitt romney would have preferred we spent time talking about economy and jobs. >> home prices today dropped by 2% year over year. that's the new number from case shirl, i think i have that right. that's a big story. consumer confidence is trending down. those are things that a responsible republican would be talking about right now. >> so it it just for money that they're teaming up for at this big fund-raiser in las vegas? what else is mitt romney going to get out of it? >> right now, there's not enough money in the world to pay for this negative publicity. there was, with trump, the old political imperative, keep the guy inside the tent doing his harm outside the tent, rather than him outside the tent doing harm inside the tent. now that he's so closely associated with romney, theantics hurt romney and he's put him in an awkward and difficult position. >> every important republican out there, all of the other republican presidential candidates as far as i know who were running at one point, newt gingrich, and rick santorum, they never questioned seriously the president's birth certificate or where he was born or anything. even karl rove who runs with this super pac, the former architect as he was called for president george w. bush, he believes the president was born in the united states, so when with i said that trump was sounding ridiculous i actually felt it. >> i wish you wouldn't have used the word believe because that's not the right word for facts. there is a very good chance that mitt romney is the next president and will have to govern this great and diverse country, and that means you not only have to win, and you have to win in a way to govern effectively, and he has the brains a s anand smarts and so the virtues, but it's been barack obama's job these past years. >> we'll get more reaction to that interview. >> jack cafferty is coming up next with "the cafferty file" straight ahead. emily's just starting out... and on a budget. like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. see how much you could save with allstate. are you in good hands? 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. ♪ the cafferty file. >> the question is what does it mean if mitt romney leads president obama by 24 points among veterans. that's our latest gallup poll. john in alabama, it means the president and his campaign staff need to remind veterans who was president when osama bin laden was killed and who gave the order. veterans need to ask themselves who got us out of iraq. it was president george w. bush, a republican, who started the iraq war. veteran needs to look and see who has done the most for them recently. bob, who says he's a veteran in baltimore, it means that there are many veterans out there who have no clue of the republican's budget priorities that place veterans very far done on the list. t in oklahoma, it means that older veterans know what a soeshisoes socialist and communist look like. my 92-year-old dad sees it. his friends see it. my vietnam vet friends also see it. peter in toronto, didn't mean much. the military is dem graphically tilted toward more males and more conservatives to start with, so it would be quite shocking for a democrat, any democrat, to lead over a republican in polling. john in new york, i'm a military veteran and it concerns me greatly. i support this president and how he has handled many of our military issues. i think it will mean a little toward election day, but it does mean that don't ask don't tell has played a factor in that percentage. and paul in north carolina writes, it means nothing. you said another poll showed obama leading. combine the two, it's a standoff. when you start slicing the voting public into fewer and finer pieces, all you end up with is cole slaw. instead of pigeon holing people, the pollsters ought to be looking at the major issues going into the election. if you want to read more, find it on my blog, cnn.com/cafferty file. or through our pest on the situation room's facebook page. you and donald had a little dust up. >> a little bit. we'll continue to follow that story i suspect. thanks very much. very small dog makes a very big mess. jeanne moos will show it all to us. great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. [ female announcer ] the sun powers life. ♪ and now it powers our latest innovation. ♪ introducing the world's only solar-powered home energy system, which can cut your heating and cooling bills in half. call now to get up to 1,375 dollars in rebates. or zero percent financing for 18 months on select lennox home comfort systems. offer ends june 15th. plus download our free lennox mobile app with an energy-savings calculator to show how much you'll save with a lennox system. if your current system is 10 years or older, start planning now and take advantage of special financing. so call now to get up to 1,375 dollars in rebates. or zero percent financing for 18 months on select lennox home comfort systems. offer ends june 15th. and download our lennox mobile app -- free. lennox. innovation never felt so good. how big a mess could a small dog make? jeanne moos has the answer. >> reporter: a big dog in a small package, they say. the breed favored by the queen. but this one is incorrigible when it comes to attacking cleaning produce pro ducts under the sink. >> no, that's poise isn't. >> reporter: holly was demonstrating yogi's strange behavior when something happened that caused a collective gasp. [ bleep ]. >> oh, no. are you kidding me? >> reporter: yogi punctureded a can of spray paint. this was no act as she took him into the bathroom to clean him up. >> what was that? >> the house just caught on fire. >> it did? [ bleep ] oh, my gosh. make it stop. >> reporter: someone called 911 and firemen came. turns out the spray paint i go note nighted a pilot light on the stove. >> we were a good 30 seconds lucky. if yogi was still standing in the kitchen when that bomb exploded, he would have gone up in flames because he was covered in that paint. >> reporter: when the paint and the pilot light exploded, so did pet collective. this week is its official launch, a channel featuring everything pet from dogs at play to lilly the bulldog. she only feels confident when dressed in a turtle costume. the new channel isn't moving like a tur kell. >> we've got over a million views now. >> reporter: and, no, tom says, there's nothing fake about what happened. so why exactly is yogi so obsessed with cleaning products? pet communicator asked yogi himself that question for the segment they were shooting. >> he showed me here a broom. a broom being swept along. >> reporter: yogi's other than no longer keeps cleaning supplies under the sink. she immediately took yogi to the vet who pronounced him fine and said let the paint shed with his coat. three months lat