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Obama Nominates World Bank Leader; Outrage Spreads In Martin Killing; Police Chief Steps Down After Teen Killing; Second Anniversary of Health Care Law; Hammering Romney on Health Care Reform; President Obama Responds to Teen Killing; Houston Fans and Family React to Autopsy; The Fastest Growing Website of all Time

Aired March 23, 2012 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

COSTELLO: Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. Just ahead of the NEWSROOM. We're awaiting remarks from President Obama. He is expected to nominate Jim Yong Kim to head the World Bank. We'll take you live to the White House and explain who this man is and exactly what he'll be doing.

Closure and questions, the Whitney Houston toxicology report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe that something happened that caused her to go down and we know that when she slipped under the water she was still alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: New details and new reaction coming out this morning.

Mitt Romney is giving his side of the story on the second anniversary of President Obama's signing his health care bill in law. Mitt Romney writes an extensive op-ed explaining how his plan differs from the president.

Hungry for "The Hunger Games"? The blockbuster pre sale records if you're going tonight, we have the top five things you need to know before you step foot in that theatre.

And as I said, we are awaiting remarks from President Obama. He is expected to nominate Jim Yong Kim to head the World Bank. Our CNN White House correspondent, Dan Lothian, is live.

Dan, first of all tell us why the World Bank is important and what we know about the new head who is about to be named?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's important because it's dealing with the world poverty situation and that is especially critical now because we have seen what happened in the global economy.

In particular to Jim Yong Kim as you pointed out, the White House confirming that the president will nominate him. He is the president of Dartmouth College. He's been there only a short time since 2009.

He's also a physician and anthropologist according to his bio, and before that, has done some work at the World Health Organization, specifically dealing with HIV AIDS.

Now I think what is interesting about this nomination is that it was not a name that was on the public radar, the names that had been tossed around out there, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, Senator John Kerry, one of the president's former advisors, Lawrence Summers, in addition Hillary Clinton's name as well had been on that list.

At least people were talking about even though the State Department had knocked that down. So it will be interesting to listen to what the president has to say about this nomination and what he believes makes him the perfect fit for the job.

COSTELLO: Yes, and just to clarify what the World Bank is. It's an international financial institution that makes loans to countries and its goal is to combat poverty. I had heard earlier that there was some thought that this post would not be going to an American citizen.

LOTHIAN: That's right, I think the reason for that, at least those watching this closely have been speculating that there was more competition this time because the administration had waited so long, the deadline was 6:00 today.

And while a lot of names have been kicked around, no one had been nominated, so a lot of other countries had been putting forth people who could give the U.S. competition. Since the World Bank was formed, an American has been leading that post because the U.S. has the biggest voting share.

And so I think that's why there was so much talk about could this be the time now that perhaps someone else, other than an American, head the bank, despite the fact this came late, this nomination came late. I think everyone still believes this person will be a shoe machine in for the post.

COSTELLO: All right, Dan, stick around. Dan Lothian, thank you.

President Obama as we said scheduled to speak at any minute. When he does start speaking, we'll take his remarks live.

The Trayvon Martin case is coming to the White House today. Attorney General Eric Holder is scheduled to meet with black ministers and senior administration officials.

President Obama is not expected to attend. The meetings were planned long before the case exploded nationally. As you know, the case centers on Sanford, Florida with Martin's death at the hands of George Zimmerman on February 26th.

Just minutes ago, high school students in Miami walked out of class in protest. Sanford was the site of a rally yesterday with protesters demanding Zimmerman's arrest.

Since then we have seen demonstrations in city after city with marches taking up the cry "I am Trayvon Martin" from New York to Los Angeles.

Sanford's police chief tried to fuse the tension over the case by stepping aside temporarily. Bill Lee insists his department followed proper procedure in their investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF BILL LEE, SANFORD, FLORIDA POLICE: While I stand by the Sanford Police Department, its personnel and the investigation that was conducted in regards to the Trayvon Martin case. It is apparent that my involvement in this matter is overshadowing the process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: After a statement, Lee did not answer when reporters asked what he meant by "temporary".

Lee isn't the only official leaving the investigation. Florida's governor has appointed a new state's attorney to lead the probe into Martin's death. CNN's George Howell joins us now from Sanford. Tell us more about that.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Angela Corey will now lead and she takes over from Norm Wolfinger, whose district includes the city of Sanford.

This is interesting because she says that she is going to take a very specific approach at looking at this case, looking at the investigation and she could make a decision on it. Take a listen how she plans to look at this case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA COREY, FLORIDA STATE ATTORNEY: It requires a thorough investigation. Extensive interviews of every witness and extensive review of all physical evidence and then a determination how we apply Florida law to the facts of any case. We don't worry about backlash from cases. What we worry about is seeking the truth. That is our mission. That is the United States Supreme Court defined mission for prosecutors is to seek the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: And Carol, you mentioned the police chief stepping aside, his wording to temporarily remove himself from office, a lot of people at this rally, and again, there were thousands here. Many of whom I spoke to, say they are not satisfied with that. They would rather see him resign altogether or be fired from that post -- Carol.

COSTELLO: George Howell reporting live for us from Sandord, Florida.

Two years ago today, President Obama signed his sweeping health care bill into law and the fight over that law is just beginning. The U.S. Supreme Court is getting ready to hear arguments whether parts of the law are constitutional.

And today, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney wrote an op-ed in "USA Today" about why the health care bill he signed as governor of Massachusetts in 2006 is different.

Critics have often compared the two. We have team coverage for you now starting with Kate Bolduan on Capitol Hill. Hi, Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. Today as you probably mentioned is the two year anniversary of this sweeping healthcare overhaul. You may recall that it was 2,700 pages and more than 450 provisions. It really affects every American and that's why -- I think we need to go back to you -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, we do. President Obama is approaching the podium. He's going to release officially the name of the new president of the World Bank.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Good morning, everybody. In February, Rob Zoellick, the current president of the World Bank announced that he would be stepping down at the end of his term in June. Rob has been a strong and effective leader at the bank for the last five years.

And when he told me about his plans, I immediately began to search for someone to fill his shoes. Now, despite its name, the World Bank is more than just a bank. It's one of the most powerful tools we have to reduce poverty and raise standards of living on some of the poorest countries on the planet.

In a world that is growing smaller and more connected every day, that is a critical mission not just for those struggling, but for all of us. When we reduce hunger in the world or help a farmer recover from a flood, or a drought, it strengthens the entire world economy.

When we put an end to preventable disease, all of us are safer because of it. When an entrepreneur can start a new business creates jobs in their country, but also opens up new markets for our country. Ultimately, when a nation goes from poverty to prosperity, it makes the world stronger and more secure for everybody.

That is why the World Bank is so important. And that is why the leader of the World Bank should have a deep understanding of both the role the development plays in the world, and the importance of creating conditions where assistance is no longer needed.

I believe that nobody is more qualified to carry out that mission than Dr. Jim Kim. It's time for a development professional to lead the world's largest development agency. That is why today after a careful and thorough search, I'm nominating Dr. Jim Kim to be the next president of the World Bank.

Jim has spent more than two decades working to improve conditions in developing countries around the world. As a physician and anthropologist he cofounded partners in health and led a World Health Organization campaign to treat three million patients with HIV AIDS.

I've made HIV AIDS and the fight against that dreaded disease and the promotion of public health a cornerstone of my development agenda, building on the outstanding work that was done by President Bush. We pursue these efforts around the globe because it's the right thing to do and because healthy populations enable growth and prosperity.

And I'm pleased that Jim brings this particular experience with him to his new job. Jim is also the chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, earned a MacArthur Genius Fellowship and for the last three years, he has served as the president of Dartmouth College.

I should also mention that after immigrating to this country from Korea at age 5, Jim went on to become the president of his high school class, the quarterback of the football team, the point guard of the basketball team. I just found out he is a five handicap in golf.

I'm a little resentful about the last itemm but he does it all. Jim has truly global experience. He's worked from Asia to Africa, to the Americas from capitols to small villages. His personal story exemplifies the great diversity of our country and the fact that anyone can make it as far as he as long as they are willing to work hard and look out for others.

And as experiences makes him ideally suited to forge partnerships all around the world. So I could not be more pleased than to nominate Jim for this job. I think I can speak for Secretary Clinton and Secretary Geithner, when I say that we are looking forward to working with him.

And I also want to take a minute to thank Bob Zoellick once again for all his hard work. Over the last five years, Bob has made the bank more transparent. He's helped shore up progress made in places like Afghanistan.

He's raised billions of dollars to help some of the world's poorest communities. Jim is the right person to carry on that legacy and I know his unique set of skills and years of experience will serve him well.

So I'm grateful to him for his willingness to serve, I do not think that the World Bank could have a better leader. So thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, may I ask you about the current case in Florida, allegations of lingering racism within our society of the so-called stand your ground law and the justice, can you comment on the Trayvon Martin case, sir?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, I'm the head of the executive branch and the attorney general reports to me so I've got to be careful about my statements to make sure that we're not impairing any investigation that's taking place right now.

But obviously, this is a tragedy. I can only imagine what these parents are going through. And when I think about this boy, I think about my own kids. And I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it's absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this.

And that everybody pulls together, federal, state and local, to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened. So I'm glad that not only is the Justice Department looking into it, I understand now that the governor of state of Florida formed a task force to investigate what is taking place.

I think all of us have to do some soul searching to figure out how does something like this happen and that means we examine the laws and the context for what happened as well as the specifics of the incident.

My main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin. If I had a son he would look like Trayvon. And I think they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves and we'll get to the bottom of exactly what happened. Thank you.

COSTELLO: All right, President Obama talking about his nomination to head the World Bank, but he also talked about the Trayvon Martin case. Something we haven't heard at length from President Obama. Let's go to Dan Lothian now to kind of parse what the president said. He obviously was being careful with his words.

LOTHIAN: That's right and the president himself pointed out that this is a case that's being investigated and so he needed to be very careful as he weighed into this publicly for the first time.

At the briefing over the last week here at the White House we have been asking whether or not the president had said anything about this case, what his feelings were, and the White House was very careful to sort of give broad statements about how this was a tragedy.

And now you're hearing the president for the first time addressing the same that this is a tragedy when he thinks of the boy he thinks of his own daughters. Certainly, this adds even more weight to a story that has really captivated the nation.

I think the president pointing out that if he had a son, he would look like this young boy. So the President Obama during the nomination for the World Bank, making a stand at least publicly for the first time on this very controversial case.

COSTELLO: I did think it was interesting, Dan, that he only allowed that one question. He answered it and then he left. It was if he didn't want any more questions about that and he wasn't going to take the chance that one would come his way.

LOTHIAN: That's right. I also think that the president -- he was prepared to answer this. They had made up their mind the president would weigh into this and so was certainly ready for this question.

The president did not want to get in the middle of this. There are many times when we shout questions about various events other than what he is in the Rose Garden for, the east room or any other appearance that he makes.

And the president will smile and turn and walk away. So this was clearly something that was thought out, perhaps well-scripted, the president even perhaps expecting this question and it was the only one he wanted to answer.

COSTELLO: It's interesting. I talked to Roland Martin earlier today about why the president hasn't come out and said something strongly in regard to the Trayvon Martin case.

Because some members in the black community want him to, but many others say, please, President Obama, don't come out and say anything strong because it's a win-lose proposition for the president.

LOTHIAN: That's right and you know, I think the president sometimes will stay away from some of these more local or regional issues. You saw what happened when he weighed in on the Cambridge police situation way back during his administration.

The blow back that came from that at first he said that was not something that he wanted to weigh in and then made very, sort of bold comments on it. So I think that is in the back of their minds, whenever the president is asked or this White House is asked to weigh in on these kinds of stories and situations.

But this is one that has been growing steadily over the last couple weeks, certainly in the last week with the Justice Department now getting involved and the president deciding he should get involved it in as well, at least in making a statement, but being careful as to what he said.

COSTELLO: Dan Lothian reporting live for us from the White House. Thank you.

Mitt Romney is giving his side of the story. Coming up next, details of the op-ed he wrote explaining how his plan differs from the president's.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Before the president's big announcement, we were talking about what Republicans called Obamacare. Can you believe it was two years ago that President Obama signed that sweeping health care bill into law?

Well, it heads to the U.S. Supreme Court come Monday, Kate Bolduan is in Washington with a preview of what is still such a passionate issue in the United States and I know that is an understatement.

BOLDUAN: It is an understatement. Still a controversial piece of legislation, a controversial law makes the battle sure to be historic. Not only because people are passionate on both sides, but this is a law that impacts every American.

And because of that, it is really impossible to overstate the stakes in this upcoming Supreme Court battle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN (voice-over): March 23rd, 2010, President Obama signs in law the signature achievement of his presidency, the affordable care act. The landmark and controversial health care overhaul.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: After all the votes have been tallied, health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America.

BOLDUAN: Within hours, states across the country filed lawsuits challenging the law.

PAM BONDI, FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL: This is about liberty. It's not just about health care.

BOLDUAN: Led by Florida, 26 states argued the law central provision is unconstitutional, the so-called individual mandate. It requires almost every American to purchase health insurance by 2014 or pay a penalty.

Opponents say the constitution's commerce clause does not give Congress the power to force individuals to purchase a commercial product like health insurance they may not need or want. Paul Clement is arguing on behalf of the states before the Supreme Court.

PAUL CLEMENT, ATTORNEY FOR STATES CHALLENGING LAW: These issues are really central to whether the federal government can really regulate anything it wants to.

BOLDUAN: The government defends the sweeping reforms, arguing medical care is not a choice. That every American will need health care at some point in their lives.

They also say that tens of millions of uninsured Americans are costing everyone else more, $43 billion in uncompensated cost in 2008 alone according to government figures.

ELIZABETH WYDRA, CONSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY CENTER: No one is saying that there is a right to free load off a neighbor when you decide not choose health insurance.

BOLDUAN: The stakes only grow larger with the Supreme Court taking the case months before an election.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If I'm president we're getting rid of Obamacare and returning to freedom.

BOLDUAN: And the election year blockbuster has again turned the spotlight on the justices themselves. As with the Bush versus Gore case in 2000, will the justices be criticized for letting politics creep in the courtroom?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The health care cases have huge political overtones. Obviously, I think the justices will put them to the side. The legal stakes are so high that I don't think they will pay attention that much if at all to the fact that it is occurring in election cycle. They have to get the case right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: Now again, Carol, this all starts up Monday and what we're talking about is in terms of the oral arguments we will be hearing next week is rare in of itself. They are going to be arguing four separate issues in this having to do with this law, for six hours over a span of three days.

This very rarely happens and shows just how historic and jut important the case is that the justices will be giving it this much time. There's a lot of speculation which way the justices will go, what the final count will be, where will the split be, but really all speculation until the justices rule even after these marathon public sessions, we will likely not hear a ruling from the justices for three months, somewhere around June.

COSTELLO: It's agony, isn't it?

BOLDUAN: Give them time they have a lot to consider they are complex issues.

COSTELLO: That is definitely true. Kate Bolduan, thank you.

As you know, the health care bill is a big issue in 2012 in the race for the Republican primary. The candidates have been hammering Mitt Romney claiming the proposal he signed as governor was the basis of what they call Obamacare.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Who has supported in fact the stepchild of Obamacare? The person in Massachusetts who built the largest government-run health care system in the United States, someone who would simply give that issue away in the fall.

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's impossible to be the author of Romneycare and plan to debate Obama over Obamacare. It's impossible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Well, but Mitt Romney is fighting back. Let's head back to Washington and check in with Paul Steinhauser. Big op-ed today in "USA Today" -- Paul.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, definitely fighting back on this two-year anniversary of the signing of the federal law. Carol, let's go back in time. Take a look at this. Remember April 12th, 2006, Boston, Massachusetts. There he is, then Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney signing the health care law. You saw a second ago, that was the late Senator Ted Kennedy behind him, a champion of health care. It was a bipartisan bill.

You just played the sound of the two rivals for the GOP nomination blasting him. Their message, of course, you just heart it. He's a flawed candidate because of the signing. Romney defending himself. Here what is he says about the Massachusetts plan in the op- ed this morning in "USA Today."

When I was governor of Massachusetts, we instituted a plan that got our citizens insured without raising taxes and a government take over. The genesis of federalism that encourages experimentation with each state pursuing what works best for them.

Obamacare's disregard for this core aspect of U.S. tradition is one of the most egregious failings. He goes on in this op-ed and talked about what he would do if president on health care and this is what he said.

The reforms I proposed for the country could not be more different from Barack Obama's. They entail no new taxes, no massive diversions of funds away from Medicare, no tax discrimination, and no new bureaucracies.

At the same time, they would increase consumer choice, lower health care cost, decrease government spending and give states responsibility for dealing with the uninsured.

Candidate Romney today right now this hour in fact in Louisiana ahead of tomorrow's primary there. He has a speech and that speech is all on health care, Carol. That is his message as he tries to pivot to the general election as the nominee he hopes to be against President Obama -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Something he's doing the other candidates perhaps are not. He has an idea to replace the so-called Obamacare with something else he says that will bring the health care costs down in this country.

STEINHAUSER: Exactly, that is his whole argument, what he did in Massachusetts, his model can work in some aspects, but he doesn't want to replace what he did for the federal level because he says that's wrong.

Every state should be able to do their own thing. That is his defense of what he did, that he did what was right for his state, but not for all states that is his argument what the president did two years ago today -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Paul Steinhauser, thanks. Stay with CNN for coverage of the Louisiana primary tomorrow. We'll have complete results for you live on Saturday night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking our "Top Stories" now, President Obama spoke moments ago about the Trayvon Martin case. He said the United States has some soul-searching to do after the killing of that Florida teenager by a neighborhood watch captain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But obviously, this is a tragedy. I can only imagine what these parents are going through. And when I think about this boy I think about my own kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Protesters plan to march on to the Florida capital on Tallahassee today to pressure the state to arrest Martin's killer.

Afghanistan massacre suspect Staff Sergeant Robert Bales is going to be charged in a matter of hours. He faces 17 counts of murder, 16 Afghans reportedly were killed, prosecutors plan to explain that discrepancy.

The L.A. County Coroner says cocaine and heart disease contributed to the death of singer Whitney Houston. She accidentally drowned in her hotel bathtub. Tests also found other drugs including marijuana.

"Political Buzz", is your rapid fire look at best topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing with us today CNN contributor Maria Cardona on the left; Chris Moody from Yahoo News in the middle; and Georgetown Professor, Chris Metzler on the right. Welcome to all of you.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Thanks, Carol.

CHRIS METZLER, PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Hello.

COSTELLO: Ok here's the first question. President Obama has spoken out on Florida's "stand your ground" law. Here is a bit of what he had to say just minutes ago. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: But obviously, this is a tragedy. I can only imagine what these parents are going through. And when I think about this boy I think about my own kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: He actually talked very little about the law and a lot about how this case you know may, you know concerns him because it may concern his own children at some point. Did the President do the right thing by speaking out on this, Chris Moody?

CHRIS MOODY, YAHOO NEWS: Well, I think there is a recognition that missteps were taken by the local police in -- the local police chief resigning, whether or not it should necessarily go to the federal level I think we should allow the -- the state government to take a look at this and do their due diligence in investigating this.

But rest assured if justice is not taken here, there is going to be an outcry and I think you'll see Barack Obama speaking out about this again. The Justice Department is already probing this as a possible civil rights violation case.

So I think what you'll end up seeing is a mixed effort dealing in the case between the federal government and state government on this.

COSTELLO: Chris Metzler?

METZLER: Yes absolutely, as -- as a former prosecutor, let me say a couple things here. The federal government is already probing the case so that's going on but here is the problem. The problem is really relative to the state. This whole decision that he could not be arrested because he asserted self-defense is simply legally incorrect, number one.

Number two, the state investigation is seriously flawed because it allowed him to essentially leave without arresting him, without taking any -- any evidence whatsoever. So I think it has to be both a state and federal prosecution.

COSTELLO: Maria?

CARDONA: I do think he did the right thing Carol. Because this tragedy is clearly on everybody's minds. And so I do think that hearing what the President had to say was important and clearly the White House was ready for this and I think wanted him to weigh in.

It is a tragedy, but look, let's take race out of it. I think that this is an issue of law enforcement and it's already federal case because the Justice Department is looking into it. This -- this "stand your ground" law is something that really needs to be looked into. This was a guy Zimmerman was 100 pounds heavier than Trayvon and so I think that's the issue -- it's law enforcement really.

COSTELLO: Ok, second question, Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal today criticized the Obama movie "The Road We've Traveled" and basically laid out the talking points for the Republicans heading in to November. But it goes all the way back to Jimmy Carter to compare Obama inheriting a bad economy. Jimmy Carter, really? Maria?

CARDONA: I think that this smacks of Karl Rove being either really nervous that the "Road We Traveled" is actually going to remind people of the major challenges that this President had facing him when he took office and all of the accomplishments, I think that in his desperate attempt to knock it down, betrays a little bit of that nervousness going into this general election when this President has fought for middle class family, for workers, for seniors, for veterans, for children, while the flawed GOP candidates are looking out for the billionaires, millionaires and the richest one percent.

COSTELLO: Chris Metzler? METZLER: Well, I think Karl Rove is -- is right here. Look, if we look at Jimmy Carter economy, in fact I think he is correct. Reagan really inherited a worse economy keep in mind what was going on relative to Jimmy Carter. You had the issue of oil, you had the issue of inflation, you had all of those kind of things. So I think what Rove is saying is that in fact there was a horrible economy, yes, he inherited that but it was worse.

And you know going back to Jimmy Carter, well you know Democrats didn't like Jimmy -- I'm sorry, Democrats did not think that Reagan would beat Carter and guess what, we won.

COSTELLO: Chris Moody?

MOODY: All of the Republican candidates on the campaign trail have compared Barack Obama to Jimmy Carter. They have been doing it for months now so I don't think this is anything new, and I think we're going to see this continued. Whether or not Reagan inherited a worse economy than Obama is something economists can debate.

But remember, Reagan did inherit a bad economy that's certainly true and then he went on to win 49 states in 1984, and it looks like we're going to see a close race here in 2012, so I think Republicans are going to certainly point to that when they're talking about the race.

COSTELLO: Ok, time for your "Buzzer Beater" now 20 seconds each, here is the third question. The etch-a-sketch story, it just won't die. Sales of the toy have even jumped 1,500 percent since Mitt Romney's campaign guy made this gaffe. Why is the story -- why does the story have legs, Chris Metzler?

METZLER: Well because here is the thing. The thing is, it's usually your opponent who defines you as a flip-flopper and as I said previously someone wearing flip-flops doing the etch-a-sketch dance. In this case what happened was actually Romney's person who has done that. And as a result of that, given us, Republicans I don't like him anyway, this really reminds me it's not safe to put my toe in the water.

COSTELLO: Chris Moody?

MOODY: Look, the etch-a-sketch is to Mitt Romney as the flip- flop sandals were to John Kerry in 2004. I can bet you $100 we're going to see people with etch-a-sketches at all the campaign rally going forward, this is something that is not going to -- to go away.

It was unfortunate I think for the Mitt Romney campaign to hand them this ammunition, hand it straight to the Democrats, but you've got to note that the reset button line is something that Romney has been talking about for weeks, but just having the product of the etch- a-sketch really handed something over to the Democrats, that they're going to have to deal with.

COSTELLO: Maria? CARDONA: That his own advisor put forth the most beautiful metaphor that works for Romney, because he's a flip-flopper, because he hasn't be able to stand on any principle or any core throughout his political career. This is something that is being etched into the memories of voters and that is not going to be easily be erased.

COSTELLO: Good use of wordage.

CARDONA: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Maria, Chris and Chris thank you for playing with us today.

CARDONA: Thank you so much.

METZLER: The etch-a-sketch dance everyone.

MOODY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Coming up a little later in the NEWSROOM, more on what killed Whitney Houston. She used cocaine before she collapsed in that bathtub, where did it come from? We're going to -- we're going to see if we can answer that question for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Anger, frustration and sadness, a range of reactions from family and friends of Whitney Houston after the release of that autopsy report, of course. The coroner says Houston drowned in the bathtub after using cocaine. CNN's Kareen Wynter is outside the coroner's office in Los Angeles. Any more new information for us Kareen ?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, we do know, first of all, Carol, that the cause of death listed as accidental drowning with a couple of contributing factors, heart disease as well as cocaine that was found in Houston's system at the time of her death. Now there are also other drugs found; these weren't contributing factors here but let me list them for you -- marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxer Flexeril as well as Benadryl.

So Carol it seems that there was some sort of cardiac event here that happened that caused Houston to become unconscious, go under that water -- just about a foot of water in the bathtub. It's unclear still if she had a heart attack although the coroners say that cocaine would definitely trigger something like that.

And Houston's family spoke out, a very short statement saying we are saddened to learn of the toxicology results although we're glad to now have closure.

But this is far from over. The spotlight is now on the Beverly Hills Police Department, in part because coroners say that Houston consumed, she took cocaine right before her death, so you can imagine, Carol, the questions remain where did she get it from, was there evidence of that in her hotel room. We're waiting to hear that from Beverly Hills police -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Are they looking to make an arrest?

WYNTER: What is interesting is -- and this is earlier on in the investigation -- they said there was no foul play, nothing criminal here. Again that was earlier on. They're not saying anything to the media until they get that detailed toxicology report from the coroner's. It's expected in about two weeks and it will spell out the exact level of drugs found in her system.

But again, they have not commented on that. In fact, the only drugs that they say they found in Houston's hotel room were prescription meds. Xanax, it was nothing out of the ordinary, so we're hoping that they will eventually in the blanks, still a lot of mystery here. It's not exactly case closed -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Kareen Wynter live in Los Angeles for us.

And finally an answer to a mystery that's been keeping people in Wisconsin up at night. Scientists think they know where those booms are coming from.

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COSTELLO: Making her mark today a woman who has reached the very top, seven times. Carol Masheter didn't even start climbing until she turned 50. And she finished her goal to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. She's 65 now and rejects doing things she calls age appropriate.

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CAROL MASHETER, MOUNTAIN CLIMBER: I feel the most whole and at peace and at my strongest when I'm in the mountains. It's my spiritual home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: She is not done yet, either. Her next planned climb is in August.

Could Pinterest become the next Facebook? More than 17 million users have joined the booming social media site. Not open to everyone yet but we'll tell you about the latest craze, after a break.

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COSTELLO: The Trayvon Martin case continues to mushroom. As you can see, this is a high school outside of Miami --- Coral Glades High School high school to be specific. Students are walking out of class in protest of the Trayvon Martin case. They're chanting "I am Trayvon Martin". As you know many people want an arrest made in the case of that block watch captain George Zimmerman.

This is the fourth high school today that has seen some sort of walk-out. Yesterday, there were walk-outs too at Miami area schools and around the state of Florida and also in other states across the country. We'll have more on the Trayvon Martin case in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

In today's "Daily Dose", researchers are calling a new cholesterol fighting drug a game changer. The first human trials of the drug REGN 727 proved it to be safe and effective in blocking a protein that hurts the liver's ability to filter bad cholesterol.

Researchers say the drug could be even more effective than widely prescribed statins.

We will be right back.

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COSTELLO: Add a new name to the list of social media sites. MySpace is kind of old fashioned now. Everybody is on Facebook, of course but more people may be tweeting, but there is not much substance in tweets or there could be but not so much.

Well, now comes along Pinterest. It's the fastest growing Web site ever. This hot sight is featured in the latest issue of Fortune magazine. The author of the article Jessi Hempel is here to tell us all about Pinterest. Good morning.

Good morning.

COSTELLO: So I'm on the site right now, and basically it's sort of like a bulletin board, people send in pictures and recipes, new fashions, they post the pictures and then people comment on them. Is that all there is to it?

JESSI HEMPEL, SENIOR WRITER,"FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: That's pretty much it. A very simple tool but super useful. So think about it like an ideas board. Maybe before the Internet you would rip out pages from a magazine and you'd pin them on the board if you were planning for say, your wedding, maybe you would you see a table cloth you liked. This lets you do that digitally. And that's why it's become so popular so fast.

COSTELLO: I'm just looking on here, there is a recipe for creamy dill sauce for your salmon and a way to cook garlic herb shrimp. You're right -- I would go here and like get a great recipe for dinner, right?

HEMPEL: I think that is exactly right. But I think even more you might be likely to be on some other Web site and see a recipe that you want to remember later, and you can just pin it. And you can go back later when you're ready to use the recipe and you'll find it there.

And you know, there haven't been tons of great tools that let us save for later, the things that we like on the Web. The Web's real time, right. It keeps going and so you kind constantly that you lose the things that you want to keep, that is why I think people really love Pinterest because it lets them keep and organize. COSTELLO: Ok. One of the guys on our staff. Look at Pinterest and he said "I don't get it". I don't get it. They put a picture of a dress on and then people comment on the dress.

HEMPEL: Well, obviously he's not looking at his own Pinterest, right. He could be savings things he likes, I don't know what's a boy-thing to like; won't even go there.

You know, I do think that this is super gendered service, it just is, and I think that it really maps to the way that women organize information and also the way that women shop. We like to browse, we like to look at a lot of different things and it's a very social thing that we do. We like to compare notes.

So for me on Pinterest, I have a pin blur that's called spring shopping purses. I won a new purse. I have probably 20 purses on there. And now my sisters they can go on and they can click the ones they like and they can recommend which ones I should buy.

That is part of shopping for me but I think that my brother he wouldn't be into shopping that much.

COSTELLO: No, not so much. And just quickly now, when you say it's the fastest growing site, what is fastest growing? How many users.

HEMPEL: It has right now 17 million users, which if you compare it to Facebook, which, I don't know -- has a seventh of the world population on it right now, that might seem small. But then you have to stop and think that this site has basically grown by 50 percent every month since it began. So just from this month from last month to this month you've seen a gain of eight million users. If it continues that trajectory, you can imagine that pretty soon basically everyone you know will be on it.

COSTELLO: Wow Jessi Hempel, thanks for introducing us. We appreciate it.

HEMPEL: Thanks for having me.

COSTELLO: We're going to take a quick break; we will be right back.

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COSTELLO: That does it for me. But Kyra Phillips is here. The President just made some remarks on the Trayvon Martin case. You're going to have much more on that.