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Supreme Court to Hear Immigration Fight; 9,000 Killed in Syrian Protests; Romney Closer to Sealing The Deal; Student Loan Rates Could Double; Obama Speaks on Cost of Education at UNC; Biggest Day of Republican Primaries Since Super Tuesday; Andrew Young Testimony Salacious, Surprising; Woman Fired after Donating Kidney to Boss
Aired April 24, 2012 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed. The Supreme Court hears Arizona's case for its controversial immigration law, that's happening tomorrow. Federal court has already blocked four key parts of the law saying that immigration is a federal responsibility. But during a Senate hearing held on this today, a former Arizona senator said he feels that Arizona's law leads to harassment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DENNIS DECONCINI: I'm embarrassed for my state. I apologize for Arizona's actions towards our Latino community. Legal or illegal, this is not a way to treat people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: The law's author, state senator Russell Pierce, testified that Arizonan's safety depends on the new law.
Despite the U.N. agreement to boost the number of monitors in Syria, the reports of deaths are now mounting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: A huge explosion rocked Damascus today. U.N. Arab (INAUDIBLE) special envoy Kofi Annan is expected to brief the Security Council about the latest in the peace plan. President Obama has signed an executive order authorizing new sanctions against the Syrian government and Iran for attacking citizens.
Trial of the man accused of killing singer Jennifer Hudson's relatives continues this morning. Now yesterday, Hudson took the stand, she broke down in tears several times as she remembered having to identify her family's remains. Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were all killed. The defendant, William Balfour, is the estranged husband of Hudson sister, Julia. She testified that Balfour threatened to kill her and her family after she told him she didn't want to be with him anymore. The government star witness is back on the stand in the trial of a former presidential candidate, John Edwards. Now Edwards, he's accused of using hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds to hide his affair with Rielle Hunter, an affair that produced a secret child. Andrew's former aid, Andrew Young, he testified that a big doner felt that Edwards was going to be the savior of America.
Mitt Romney can't mathematically clinch the Republican nomination today, but he's going to step up big toward sealing the deal. Five states holding primaries today, including New York and Pennsylvania. Romney's closest competitor is out of the race. A Romney campaign official says today marks the semiofficial end of the primary campaign.
We don't have to tell you about the high cost of education. Well now, interest rates on some student loans could double on July 1 unless Congress takes action. It's about economics, it's about politics. On the political side, President Obama, he's pushing Congress to extend the lower rates I a speech coming up shortly. Right now, I want to bring in Felicia Taylor to the New York Stock Exchange to talk about the economics of all of this.
So, Felicia, we know that this is going to have a big impact with families who have federal student loans. What is this going to mean for them?
FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Basically, it means, Suzanne, that they are going to be paying thousands of dollars more. Federal student loan rates right now are at 3.4 percent. If Congress doesn't act, it will rise to 6.8 percent. That's virtually double what the rate is now on July 1st. If you take out the maximum of $23,000 in federal loans, that means another 5,000 with a 10-year repayment plan. That's a long time. The rate did used to be at 6.8 percent -- at 6.8 percent back in 2007, and then steadily decreased over the years. And in 2007, Democrats did take over the House and that's how that happened and they were able to cut the rates. But nevertheless, I mean, jumping from 3.4 to 6.8 percent, I mean, that is a huge hit for families out there -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And how many people do you think are going to be hit with this kind of increase?
TAYLOR: It's millions. There are seven million undergraduates who have federal student loans right now. More and more people are taking loans out because, obviously, tuition is expensive and frankly, it's just going to keep rising. Others are simply going back to school because, as you well know, the employment picture out there isn't so great, they can't find work. They are trying to, you know, shore up their education so that they are more applicable to other types of employment. So all told, Americans have, get this, $900 billion in student loans. That's more than credit card debt and the more debt people take on, obviously, the harder it is to pay off. So, delinquencies on student loans are also on the rise. So, there is that domino effect that we often see in the economy -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Felicia, what do folks do in the meantime? Are they just supposed to sit back and wait for Congress to do something?
TAYLOR: Yes, that sounds great. I mean, that's not much of a solution, is it? So, Obama -- President Obama and Romney, the presidential candidate, both want current student loan rates to be extended but it's up to Congress to enact a law. And there are a number of bills that are currently in the House and the Senate. But you know, getting something passed is obviously another story. This can take years, literally. I mean, and, you know, people in the meantime can -- have to pay. Another real problem, though, is that even extending the current rate at 3.4 percent is going to cost $6 billion. But you know, frankly, the government should pony up and deal with it. I mean, this is affecting millions of people in the United States.
MALVEAUX: It's much worse now than it used to be. I remember it took me years and years and years to pay off my student loans and I celebrated. I thought, oh, my god, I've made it. I've paid off my student loans. It's going to take people that much longer now. It is really, really tough.
TAYLOR: There is no question about it. I mean, it's a -- it's a big burden to carry. And obviously, you carry that on for possibly as much as a decade, well into adulthood and I -- you know, then you're faced with whether or not you're getting a mortgage and education costs or maybe children that you may have had by then. So, it's just this roll on effect and it really is a problem.
MALVEAUX: All right, we're going to listen closely to what the president is proposing very shortly. Thank you, Felicia. Good to see you.
Here's a rundown on some of the stories that we're covering over the next hour. First, as I mentioned, live coverage of President Obama's remarks at the University of North Carolina. Pushing Congress to keep those rates from doubling on student loans. And a New York woman donates her kidney for her boss. Now, she says her kind act has back fired and she's out of a job. And then, an iconic play back on stage. I want to talk to one of the stars of "A Street Car Named Desire."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: President Obama's calling on Congress to take action to prevent federal student loan rates from doubling July 1st. The president is set to speak just a few minutes from now, we're going to take that live. Jessica Yellin reports, it's part of the president's efforts to shore up support among young voters.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Margo Balboni is bracing for the cost of her student loan to spike.
MARGO BALBONI: It definitely makes my anxiety go up several notches. YELLIN: She's one of more than seven million Americans whose federally subsidized loan interest rate is going to double to 6.8 percent when a law is set to expire in July. So, this week --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY: President Obama will outline the administration's proposal to work with Congress to keep interest rates down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: He's going on the Jimmy Fallon show and pitching his message to college audiences in battleground states, North Carolina, Colorado, and Iowa. Just the mention of college loans is an applause line on campuses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- because you got financial aid, or a student loan, a scholarship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: And the president needs these voters badly. In 2008, he won the youth vote by 66 percent. Though 18 to 29-year-olds made up only a fraction of the electorate, they were crucial to his victory. For example, the president won North Carolina by just 1 percent, but he carried young voters by a whopping 74 percent. Hard to imagine that victory without the college crowd. But now, times have changed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HODDING CARTER, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA: And some who voted for won't go at all, and frankly, this is one of these kinds of groups that you can't afford to lose a percentage point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: The national unemployment rate among 20 to 24-year-olds is five points higher than the national average. And Americans owe $1 trillion in student loan debt. This college Republican says the talk on campus is not optimistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG STEELE, PRESIDENT, NORTH CAROLINA FEDERATION OF COLLEGE REPUBLICANS: I can't pay my student loan, I can't find a job to help pay for that, and that's why that level of excitement isn't here. You know, I'm not seeing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: That's just what Mitt Romney is hoping for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROMNEY: I think this is a time when young people are questioning the support they gave to President Obama. He promised a future with good jobs and good opportunity. That hasn't happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Jessica Yellin, she's joining us from Chapel Hill, North Carolina where the president is speaking. We're going to take that live as soon as it starts. But Jessica, we know, you and I both covered Obama in 2008. It was the young folks coming out who supported him who really put him over the top. How is he going to win them over, get them back to the polls once again?
YELLIN: Well, one of the ways he hopes to keep up the young vote, youth vote, Suzanne, is by pushing issues like this one which is to keep college -- the rate on interest rate on student loans down. The student vote, the youth vote, helped him in certain states like North Carolina, Suzanne, and it did make a difference here. I don't know that it necessarily helped put him over the top everywhere. Let's listen to the president.
(BEGIN LIVE FEED)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello, North Carolina. What's up Tar Heels? Now, first of all, I want to thank Dominique for that unbelievable introduction. Wasn't she good? You can tell she will be an outstanding teacher. And -- I love you back. I do. Love North Carolina. I love North Carolina. I do. Every time -- every time I come down to this state I just love it that much more. You know, I said -- I said a while back, the thing about North Carolina is even the folks who don't vote for me are nice to me. You know, I can't say that about every place.
Now, I want to issue a quick spoiler alert. Later today, I am getting together with Jimmy Fallon and the Dave Matthews Band right here on campus. We're going to tape Jimmy's show for tonight. So, I want everybody to tune in. Make sure it -- make sure it has high ratings. The Dave Matthews Band right here.
We've got -- we've got some wonderful people who are here who are doing a great job for you guys. First of all, your governor, Bev Perdue, is in the house. Give her a big round of applause. Where is Beth? There she is. You got your Congressman, Dave Price. Congressman David Price, Congressman G.K. Butterfield, Congressman Brad Miller, your mayor, Mark Kleinschmidt, Chancellor of UNC, Holden Thorp.
It is -- it is -- it is great to be back on the lady Tar Heels home court. This is an arena with some serious hoops history. I know the men's team used to play here back in the day. I just want to remind you right off the bat I picked UNC to win it all in March madness. I want to point out, and if Kendall hadn't gotten hurt, you know, who knows where we might have been. I saw McAdoo at the airport. I was excited. So I just want you to know, I have faith in you guys. It's always good to begin with some easy applause lines, talk about the Tar Heels. But, the reason I came to Chapel Hill today is to talk about what most of you do here every single day. That's study, I assume.
Higher education is the single most important investment you can make in your future. So I'm proud of all of you for doing what it takes to make that investment. For the long hours in the library, I hope, in the lab, in the classroom, this has never been more important.
Whether you're here at a four-year college or university, or you're at a two-year community college, in today's economy, there is no greater predictor of individual success than a good education. Right now the unemployment rate for Americans with a college degree or more is about half the national average. The incomes of folks with a college degree are twice as high as those who don't have a high school diploma. A higher education is the clearest path into the middle class.
Now, I know that those of you who are about to graduate are wondering about what's in store for your future. Not even four years ago, just as the global economy was about to enter into free fall you were still trying to find your way around campus, and you've spent your years here at a time when the whole world has been trying to recover, but has not yet fully recovered, from the worst economic crisis since the great depression. The worst economic crisis in most of our lifetimes, that includes your teachers.
Our businesses have added more than 4 million jobs over the past two years, but we all know there's still too many Americans out there looking for work or trying to find a job that pays enough to cover the bills and make the mortgage. We still have too many folks in the middle class that are searching for that security that started slipping away years before the recession hit. So we've still got a lot of work to do to rebuild this economy so that it lasts, so that it's solid, so it's firm.
But what I want you to know is that the degree you earn from UNC will be the best tool you have to achieve that basic American promise. The idea that if you work hard, you can do well enough to raise a family and own a home, send your own kids to college, put a little away for retirement, that American dream is within your reach.
(APPLAUSE)
And there's another part of this dream, which is the idea that each generation is going to know a little bit more opportunity than the last generation. That our kids, I can tell you now as a parent, and I guarantee you your parents feel this about you, nothing's more important than your kids' success. You want them to do better than you did. You want them to shoot higher, strive more, and succeed beyond your imagination.
So, keeping that promise alive is the defining issue of our time. I don't want this to be a country where a shrinking number of Americans are doing really, really well but a growing number of people are just struggling to get by. That's not my idea of America. (APPLAUSE)
I don't want that future for you, I don't want that future for my daughters, I want this forever to be a country where everybody gets a fair shot and everybody is doing their fair share and everybody is playing by the same set of rules.
(APPLAUSE)
That's the America I know and love. That's the America within our reach.
I think back to my grandfather. He had a chance to go to college because this country decided every returning veteran of World War II should be able to afford it. Should be able to go to college. My mother was able to raise two kids by herself because she was able to get grants and work her way through school.
I am only standing here today, Michelle is only who she is today, because of scholarships and student loans. That gave us a shot at a great education. We didn't come from families of means. But we knew that if we worked hard we'd have a shot.
This country has always made a commitment to put a good education within the reach of all who are willing to work for it. That's what makes us special. That's what made us an economic super power, that's what kept us at the forefront of business, and science, and technology, and medicine, and that's a commitment we have to reaffirm today in 2012.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, everybody will give lip service to this. You'll hear a lot of folks say yes, education is important, it's important. But, but it requires not just words, but deeds.
And the fact is that since most of you were born, tuition and fees at America's colleges have more than doubled. And that forces students like you to take out a lot more loans, there are fewer grants, you rack up more debt. Can I get an amen. Now, the average student who borrows to pay for college now graduates with about $25,000 in student loan debt. That's the average. Some are more. Can I get an amen for that. I know. Some folks have more debt than that.
(APPLAUSE)
Americans now owe more on their student loans than they do on their credit cards. Living with that kind of debt means that this generation's not getting off to the same start that the previous generations, because you're already loaded up with debt.
That means you've got to make pretty tough choices when you are first starting out. You might have to put off buying a house. It might mean that you can't go after that great idea for a start-up that you have because you're still paying off loans. Maybe you've got to wait longer to start a family or save for retirement. When a big chunk of every paycheck goes toward loan debt that's not just tough on you, that's not just tough for middle class families, it's not just tough on your parents, it's painful for the economy. Because -- because that money is not going to help businesses grow. Think about the sooner you can start buying a house, that's good for the housing industry. The sooner you can start up that business, that means you're hiring some folks, that grows the economy.
And this is something Michelle and I know about first-hand. I just want everybody here to understand, this is not -- I didn't just read about this.
(APPLAUSE)
I didn't just -- I didn't just get some talking points about this. I didn't just get a policy briefing on this. Michelle and I, we've been in your shoes. Like I said, we didn't come from wealthy families. When we graduated from college and law school we had a mountain of debt. When we married we got poor together. We added up our assets and there were no assets. And we added up our liabilities and there were a lot of liabilities, basically in the form of student loans.
We paid more in student loans than we paid on our mortgage when we finally did buy a condo, for the first eight years of our marriage. We were paying more in student loans than for our mortgage. So we know what this is about.
We were lucky to land good jobs with a steady income. But we only finished paying off our student loans, check this out, I'm the president of the United States. We -- we only finished paying off our student loans about eight years ago. That wasn't that long ago. And that wasn't easy, especially because when we had Malia and Sasha, we're supposed to be saving up for their college educations, and we're still paying off our college educations.
So, we have to make college more affordable for our young people. That's the bottom line.
And like I said, look, mot everybody's going to go to a four-year college or university. You may go to a community college, you may go to a technical school and get into the work force, and then it may turn out that after you've had kids and you're 35 you go back to school because you're retraining for something new. No matter what it is, no matter what field you're in, you're going to have to engage in lifelong learning. That's the nature of the economy today and we've got to make sure that's affordable. That's good for the country, it's good for you. At this make or break moment for the middle class, we've got to make sure that you're not saddled with debt before you even get started in life.
Because I believe college isn't just one of the best investments you can make in your future. It's one of the best investments America can make in our future. This is important for all of us. We can't price the middle class out of a college education. Not at a time when most new jobs in America will require more than a high school diploma. Whether it's at a 4-year college or 2-year program we can't make higher education a luxury. It's an economic imperative. Every American family should be able to afford it.
So that's why I'm here. Now, before I ask for your help. I've got something specific I'm going to need you to do. But, North Carolina, indulge me, I want to briefly tell what you we've already done to help make college more affordable, because we've done a lot.
Before I took office we had a student loan system where tens of billions of taxpayer dollars were going to banks, not students. They were processing student loan programs, except the student loans were federally guaranteed so they weren't taking any big risks but still taking billions of dollars out of the system. So we changed it.
Some in Washington fought tooth and nail to protect the status quo, where billions of dollars were going to banks instead of students. They wanted to protect that, keep those dollars flowing to the banks. One of them said, I'm going to quote here, it gives you a sense of the attitude sometimes we're dealing with in Washington. They said it would be an outrage if we change the system so that the money wasn't going through banks and they weren't making billions of dollars of profits. Said it was an outrage.
And I said no, the real outrage is letting these banks keep these subsidies without taking risks while students are working two or three jobs just to get by. That's an outrage. That's an outrage. So, we kept at it. We kept at it. We won that fight.
Today, that money is going where it should be going, should have been going in the first place. It's going directly to students. We're bypassing the middleman. That means we can raise Pell grants to a higher level, more people are eligible, more young people are able to afford college because of what we did.
Over ten years, that's going to be $60 billion that's going to students that wasn't going to students before.
(APPLAUSE)
Then last fall, I acted to cap student loan payments faster so nearly 1.6 million students, who make their payments on time, will only have to pay 10 percent of their monthly income toward loans once they graduate.
(APPLAUSE)
This is useful.
(APPLAUSE)
This is especially helpful for young people who decide, like Dominique, to become teachers or maybe go into one of the -- social work or one of the helping professions.
(APPLAUSE)
And they may not get paid a lot of money but they have got a lot of debt. So being able to cap how much per month you're paying as a percentage of income gives you a little more security knowing you can choose that profession.
And then we wanted every student to have access to a simple fact sheet on student loans and financial aid. So you can have all of the information you need to make your own choices about how to pay for college. And we set up this new consumer watchdog called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. And --
(APPLAUSE)
And so they are now putting out this information. We call it "Know Before You Owe." "Know Before you Owe." (AUDIO PROBLEM) -- when we were in your shoes. Sometimes we got surprised by some of this debt that we were racking up.
So, that's what we've done. But it's not enough just to increase student aid. We can't keep subsidizing sky rocketing tuition or we'll run out of money. And college and universities, they have to do their part also to keep college costs down.
(APPLAUSE)
So I've told Congress to steer federal aid to those schools that keep tuition affordable, that provide good value, that serve their students well. We put colleges on notice, if you can't stop tuition from going up every year, a lot faster than inflation, then funding you get from taxpayers, at the federal level, will go down because we need to push colleges to do better and hold them accountable if they don't.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, public universities know well, and Governor Perdue knows well, states also have to do their part by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets.
(APPLAUSE)
I know that Bev is fighting hard to make tuition affordable to North Carolina families. That's a priority for her.
But, you know, last year, over 40 states cut higher education spending. These budget cuts have been among the largest factors in tuition increases at public colleges over the past decade. So we're challenging states to take responsibility. We told them, if you can find new ways to bring down costs of college and make it easier for students to graduate, we'll help you do it. But I want everybody here, as you're thinking about voting, make sure you know where your state representative and your state Senator stand when it comes to funding higher education.
(APPLAUSE)
They have got to be responsible. They have got to be accountable, as well to prioritize higher education.
(APPLAUSE) All right. So helping more families, helping more young people afford a higher education, offering incentives for states and colleges and universities to keep costs down, that's what we've been doing.
Now, Congress has to do their part. They need to extend the tuition tax credit that we put in place back when I came into office. It's saving middle class families thousands of dollars. Congress needs to --
(APPLAUSE)
Congress needs to safeguard aid for low-income students, like Pell Grants, so that today's freshmen and sophomores know that they will be able to count on it.
(APPLAUSE)
That's what Congress has to do.
(APPLAUSE)
Congress needs to give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work study jobs over the next five years.
(APPLAUSE)
That's what Congress needs to do.
(APPLAUSE)
And then there's one specific thing. Now this is where you come in. There's one specific thing that Congress needs to do right now to prevent the interest rates on student loans, federal student loans, from shooting up and shaking you down. So this is where you come in. I want to explain this. So listen carefully. Five years ago, Congress cut the rate on federal student loans in half. That was a good thing to do. But on July 1st, a little over two months from now, that rate cut expires. And if Congress does nothing, the interest rates on those loans will double overnight. So I'm assuming a lot of people here have federal student loans. The interest rates will double unless Congress acts by July 1st.
And just to give you some sense of perspective, for each year that Congress doesn't act, the average student with these loans will rack up an additional $1,000 in debt. An extra $1,000. That's basically a tax hike for more than seven million students across America. More than 160,000 students here in North Carolina alone. Anybody here can afford to pay an extra $1,000 right now?
I didn't think so.
So, stopping this from happening should be a no-brainer. Helping more of our young people afford college, that should be at the forefront of America's agenda. It shouldn't be a Republican or a Democratic issue. (APPLAUSE)
This is -- this is an American issue.
(APPLAUSE)
You know, the Stafford loans we're talking about, they are named after a Republican Senator. The Pell Grants that helped millions of Americans earn a college education, that's named after a Democratic Senator. When Congress cut those rates five years ago, 77 Republicans in the House of Representatives voted for it, along with a couple of hundred Democrats, including the Democrats who are here.
(APPLAUSE)
(END LIVE FEED)
MALVEAUX: You're listening to President Obama. this is at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, before students.
We're also going to hear from the president's rival, Mitt Romney. He's going to be making a special address tonight from New Hampshire as the primary results are rolling in. That's 9:00 eastern right here on CNN.
Mitt Romney, he's not going to get enough votes to clinch the Republican nomination but he is going to move closer to sealing the deal. Five states holding their primaries. It is the biggest day in the Republican race since Super Tuesday.
Joining us to talk about politics, all politics, John Avlon.
Good to see you.
CNN contributor, political columnist for "Newsweek" and "The Daily Beast."
John, so, first of all, listening to President Obama, some things that struck me. He says this is not a policy briefing or talking point, what he talked about. He and First Lady Michelle, being poor, having to pay off student loans, definitely sounded like a jab to Mitt Romney that he is basically getting started here.
JOHN AVLON, CNN: Yes. It's one more way, Suzanne, we're adding to a choice election. Making what it is I think an objectively interesting point it was eight years ago, he said, when he and the first lady paid off their college loans. That is a directly relatable point to the folks in this student audience, clearly, the kind of crowd that President Obama likes speaking to. It highlights the degree to which there is currently an age deficit that Mitt Romney and the Republicans need to make up. They need to grow their share of that crucial millennial vote going forward. And it's arguments like the one President Obama made that can help perhaps keep the youth vote strongly in his corner.
MALVEAUX: One of the things in 2008 was that President -- then- candidate Obama candidate Obama got the biggest applause from young people when he talked about requiring them to do something for their country, that after college, the government would pay off their student loans but it would require them to do some sort of public service. It made people feel invested and involved in his victory here. You can see the same things are happening here with the young audience. It seems like this is going to be a very important strategy going forward.
AVLON: It is. And that argument -- you heard President Obama harking back to the G.I. Bill, which helped his grandfather get an education. It's that sense of rights and responsibilities that I think that does allow candidates from either party to connect and transcend partisan divide.
The problem the president will have this time around is that youth unemployment is very high. That's an area where Mitt Romney and the Republicans can make a credible argument and say that Obama's policies have not worked out for young people. That's one area where I think you'll see an attempt to erase some of this youth advantage the President Obama had. Certainly, in the last election, 2:1, and currently has as well.
MALVEAUX: John, we're going to hear from Mitt Romney, 9:00 this evening, a major speech, assuming that he is going to essentially say, I am the Republican candidate now. He won't have the numbers, but the momentum. Nobody is going to get in his way. Do we anticipate that, A, he might make an announcement regarding a V.P. pick, or is that way down the line? Secondly, do we think this is an opportunity for Newt Gingrich to get out of the race?
AVLON: Well, certainly there will be no V.P. announcement tonight. This is a long process. He's appointed his long-time aide, Beth Meyers, to pursue that. That's months out. You'll hear, though, Governor Romney try to pivot aggressively to the general election, keeping his sights on President Obama and calling for the rest of the candidates, notably Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, to get out of the race, to make this all but official nomination status that much more official.
This is five states voting tonight. This is Romney's back yard. This is the northeast. Always states he's expected to do very well in. Newt Gingrich is trying to make a last stand effort in Delaware. We'll see how that goes. Ron Paul has been running ads in Rhode Island. But fascinating night. Big speech tonight.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, John. Appreciate it. We'll all be watching.
AVLON: Thank you.
MALVEAUX: She donated a kidney for her boss and her boss gave her the boot. A workplace drama you're not going to believe.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Government's star witness back on the stand now in the trial of two-time presidential candidate, John Edwards. He's accused of using hundreds of thousands of dollars from two donors to hide his extra marital affair with Rielle Hunter.
Legal analyst, Sunny Hostin, is joining.
Sunny, we're learning from one of Edwards' top aides, Andrew Young, in court, some testimony, some details that are really salacious and surprising.
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: That's right. Certainly, he is the government's key witness. He was there with Edwards, with Rielle Hunter through it all. The bank account that was used to funnel money from Bunny Mellon to Edwards to sort of hide the pregnancy -- one of the donors -- went to his account that Andrew Young shared with his wife. This was someone very involved in this.
What we are hearing, Suzanne, today, in the courtroom, apparently, when Edwards found out that Hunter was pregnant he told Andrew Young, she's a crazy slut and there is a one in three chance it's his child. We're learning sort of what Edwards' reaction was when this -- when the news came that apparently Rielle Hunter was pregnant. That's really important in this case because this case is very much about what Edwards knew about campaign finance law and whether or not he broke that law intentionally, or whether or not he really used this money to hide this affair, and all of these salacious details from his then-ailing wife, Elizabeth Edwards, rather than trying to protect his presidential campaign. So really a sticky, I think, topic for this jury.
MALVEAUX: Is it tough. We're seeing new details. It does not paint John Edwards as a nice guy or a good guy by any stretch of the imagination. Do we think it's going to be tough to prove that he broke the law as we get these details?
HOSTIN: You know, I do, I do, because this is unprecedented, an unprecedented use of the campaign finance laws. Certainly, you can't give campaign contributions over $2300. But this kind of thing, when you see these non-campaign expenses being paid for by donors, that's something you usually see in civil court, before the Federal Election Commission. You don't see it in criminal court.
So I think again, the question here or rather the case turns on whether or not he used this money to hide his affair with Rielle Hunter from his wife or whether or not he used it to the protect his presidential campaign. That's a really difficult call. Did he do some really terrible things, behave badly? Absolutely. Did he break the law? I'm not so sure.
MALVEAUX: I want to also bring up another case here. This is a bizarre lawsuit we've been talking about here. This is this New York woman says she was fired after donating a kidney to help her boss. That she was working for her boss and she was offered -- she ended up donating this kidney and then later found out she was fired and believes that she's got a suit. She's got a real case against this company and her boss. What do you make of this?
HOSTIN: Isn't this remarkable?
(LAUGHTER)
In the first instance, I make of it, you don't donate your kidney to your boss if you're an employee. And if you're an employer, don't take a kidney from your employee because certainly there's the appearance of impropriety as a supervisor. As a boss, you're in this position of power, there is a conflict of interest. Couldn't you see this coming? Couldn't you see the lawsuit?
I think one thing that isn't being discussed is the fact she didn't necessarily give her kidney to this person. She gave, as she intended to but it wasn't a perfect match so gave the kidney to someone else which then bumped up her boss on the donor list, then her boss did get a kidney that perhaps her boss wouldn't otherwise have received. So there is a little bit, I guess it's a little bit of a tenuous relationship. The bottom line there is that appearance of impropriety. I'm sure she expected some sort of special treatment giving up your body part.
MALVEAUX: Two things. I know we have comments, but I have to read the statement from the employer, Atlantic Auto Group. It says, "It's unfortunate one employee used her own generous act to make up a groundless claim Atlantic Auto treated her appropriately and acted honorably and fairly at every turn." I want to get that in.
The viewers have been responding on this on Twitter and Facebook.
Here's what some of you said.
Properganda tweets, "It's the act of compassion that counts. She did a good deed, she shouldn't be upset. Let karma handle it."
Toure writes, "If giving my boss an internal organ doesn't guarantee long term employment, what could"?
(LAUGHTER)
Spirit Twin says, "Lesson learned. Keep your kidney to yourself."
Keep the conversation going. Tweet me at suzannemalveaux, like me at my Facebook page, .Suzanne, /SuzanneCNN
Really, I mean, a lot of people are talking about this because it is so bizarre. It's weird. I think, yes, lesson learned.
HOSTIN: Keep your kidney.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: Not for your boss.
HOSTIN: Keep it for yourself.
MALVEAUX: Draw the line somewhere. Thank you very much, Sunny. Good to see you in person.
HOSTIN: You, too. You, too.
MALVEAUX: Pleasure.
"Streetcar Named Desire," one of the most iconic plays in American history. But a new production is like nothing you've seen. You'll meet one of the stars up ahead.
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MALVEAUX: "Streetcar Named Desire," one of the most iconic plays America has ever produced. It tells the story of a fading southern bell and her sister, Stella, and her husband, Stanley. It's got all the elements of a classic -- sex, class and, of course, some secrets. Now there's a new version of the play on Broadway featuring a mostly African-American cast. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: You must be Stanley. I'm Blanche.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Oh, Stella's sister.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Hello.
(LAUGHTER)
Where is the little woman?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: In the bathroom.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Oh. I didn't know you were coming in town.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: I --
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Where are you from, Blanche?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: I live in Laurel now.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Oh, Laurel. Yes, that's right. Not in my territory.
Liquor goes fast in (INAUDIBLE)
(LAUGHTER)
Have a shot?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: No, I rarely touch it.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Joining me to talk about this, one of the play's stars Nicole Ari Parker. You probably also remember her from her role on "Soul Food."
Nicole, really nice to see you --
NICOLE ARI PARKER, ACTRESS: Thanks for having me.
MALVEAUX: Oh, my pleasure.
I was there for opening night and I have to say you looked beautiful, you and Blair Underwood, both. I know the guys in my team here are all ready to leave their wives. They're just crazy about you here.
(LAUGHTER)
You have a beautiful husband as well. They don't compare.
PARKER: All the ladies love my husband, too.
MALVEAUX: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
We saw all of you that evening. It was so passionate and you really did take on that character, the character 245 grew up in lesion fields. My mom grew up there. I know those actors. I know those characters.
PARKER: We're telling your story a little bit.
MALVEAUX: Yes, I did feel that way in some ways.
PARKER: Yes.
MALVEAUX: Tell a little bit what it was like as your first Broadway role.
PARKER: I'm really the poster child now for dreams really do come true. I went to NYU and I studied this play. This is 65 years later from it's original debut and here I am. It took 20 years for me to get this phone call. I'm over the moon right now. I'm just so grateful Steven Byrd (ph) and Leah Jones (ph) made this happen and our director, Emily Mann, took a chance on me.
The material itself is very challenging. But with this cast and the music, we just brought it to life in a fresh way. And people were talking about the multiracial casting, but what Emily Mann has done is actually using the original text of Tennessee Williams' play with a few changes just for segregation purposes. It's about the landscape of the human heart and how we, as human beings, with our weaknesses and strengths, get through life.
MALVEAUX: Tell me about that. You and Blair Underwood, in the footsteps of Marlon Brando and Jessica Tandy. And it's such an ironic play. Were there things or artist license that you took as a multi- racial, mostly African-American cast?
PARKER: In the original play, there's a restaurant where they go called Galatou's (ph) in the French Quarter. At the time, it was segregated. But where this family might have gone together is Dookie Chase (ph), which is also a famous restaurant in the French Quarter. Those kinds of things were changed. I think the year that Stanley was in the Army has changed a bit to make sure that Blair's character would have been in that troop. But other than that, there's very few changes.
Shep Huntley is one of the references that Blanche makes. He's a Texas oil millionaire. And there's been some concern about whether or not that would have been possible. Not only is it possible, but in 1939, one of the oil refineries owned in Shreveport, Louisiana, was owned by an African-American woman.
MALVEAUX: A lot of people don't know that.
PARKER: A lot of people don't know that, Odessa Strickland. There were a number of black millionaires in the Deep South, Texas, places we don't learn about. So it's been a great ride. It opened on Sunday.
MALVEAUX: All right.
PARKER: It was great.
MALVEAUX: It was. It's fantastic. I love seeing you. I'm sorry I've got to cut you off here.
PARKER: No. It's great.
MALVEAUX: President Obama took a little bit of your time earlier in our show. We will have you back.
Thanks again, Nicole.
PARKER: Thank you. Take care.
CNN NEWSROOM continues now after the break with Brooke Baldwin.
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