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Still No Charges Filed against Zimmerman; Syria Has New Attacks; Obama Makes Case for Buffett Rule; Lottery Winners Stay Anonymous; Wildfires Burn along East Coast; Texas Hospital Bans Obese Workers; Former President Bush Talks Tax Policy; Marlins Manager Apologizes; Tracing Course of Titanic; GSA Chief Addresses Controversy; Will Santorum Stay In?

Aired April 10, 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 neighborhood watch volunteer who shot Trayvon Martin has launched his own Web site to raise money for his defense and himself. The Web site reads, I am the real George Zimmerman. It warns viewers to be careful of other Web sites falsely claiming to be raising money for him. The site includes a link for people to donate money, to pay for Zimmerman's lawyers and living expenses. So far, no criminal charges have been filed against Zimmerman.

So, this is how deadline day looks in Syria. Troops were supposed to withdraw from cities across the country this morning. Well, then on Thursday, a cease-fire was supposed to take effect. As you can see, however, these attacks are continuing. Opposition groups say more than 60 people have been killed today alone by government forces.

Kofi Annan who brokered the peace deal is appealing to both sides to stop the attacks.

President Obama, he's on the road today to make his case for the so-called Buffett rule. It would require people who make more than $1 million a year to pay at least 30 percent in income taxes. The president says it makes the tax code more fair, prevents the very rich from paying a lower tax rate than the middle class. Republicans say, it's going to hurt the economy, it's also going to stifle job growth.

Three Maryland public school workers now millionaires. That's right, thanks to the Mega Millions lottery. But they actually plan on keep working. They are going to remain anonymous for now. Lottery officials awarded the check to the three amigos they are called. Each of them is going to get a cool $35 million after taxes.

Extreme winds, bone dry conditions fueling dangerous brush fires up and down the east coast, we're talking about warnings that are in place today from Florida to New York. Those firefighters, they are working to try to get things under control.

So, imagine this. Not getting hired because of your body fat. That is exactly what a hospital in Texas is doing. Citizens Medical Center considers an applicant's body mass index as part of the hiring policy. Potential employees must have a BMI of less than 35. So, what does that mean? That's if you are 185 pounds for someone who is five foot one, or 265 pounds for someone who is six foot one. The hospital says it wants employees to have an appearance, and this is what they're calling it, free from distraction, that is the quote. Many say it's outright discrimination and should be illegal.

Our Legal Analyst Sunny Hostin, she's joining us from New York. So Sunny, first of all in doing a little research this morning because it all got us talking here and thinking about it, I understand that weight discrimination, it's one of the last type of biases that, for the most part, is legal in this country. Is that true?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: That's true. Isn't that remarkable? I mean, it's one of the areas that isn't protected. We know this happens, is happening now in Texas, but one of the protected areas would be race, another protected area would be religion. Weight, no, not protected. And so, this is actually legal right now.

The only state that I found, Suzanne, that does have some sort of weight-related practices discrimination protection is in Michigan. And there are about six U.S. cities. So, right now, what this hospital is doing is legal. The question is, is it smart? I mean, this hospital is already facing a discrimination suit arising from a different set of facts, and so this is something, I think, that sort of opens this hospital up to exposure.

One thing I want to mention is that although this may not be discriminatory under certain laws, bottom line is certain people that are obese are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. They are considered disabled. And so, this could get this hospital into some hot water. But the question that I really have is, why decide it on BMI? I mean, people don't even know what body mass index is. So, it's just an odd --

MALVEAUX: And it (INAUDIBLE) controversial as well and whether or not that is a real accurate indicator of whether or not somebody is overweight or obese. You were mentioning here, do people have recourse? I mean, if you were an employee and you wanted to work at that hospital and you were overweight or obese, but you certainly could do the job, you were very capable of doing the job, could you actually go after that hospital?

HOSTIN: I think you could. I mean, I think that certainly if you are perhaps obese and you are disabled, considered disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act, you would have some sort of recourse against the hospital. And bottom line is this is going to be challenged if it hasn't been challenged already. So, I am surprised that a hospital, again, that's already facing a discrimination lawsuit which has opened itself up to more litigation. It's just not a very smart decision. I often tell people, Suzanne, it may be legal but that doesn't make it smart. And this, in my view, is not a smart business decision. Not a good corporate citizen business decision.

MALVEAUX: I have a question here. You said that a lot of the states, they don't have protections for people overweight or obese. Why is that? HOSTIN: You know, lawyers and legal geeks like myself talk about this all the time. It does seem to be one of the only areas that people seem to freely discriminate and that's weight-based discrimination. And so, our law just hasn't caught up. I think it has caught up in terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but it hasn't caught up in terms of weight discrimination.

MALVEAUX: All right. Sunny Hostin, thank you, good to see you.

HOSTIN: Thanks, good to see you.

MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're covering over the next hour. Guess who is back?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This year the Bush Institute -- or this July, the Bush Institute is publishing a book. It's got to be a staggering thing for some of the cynics up here. I publish a book and now the Bush Institute is publishing. They didn't think I could read much less write a book.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Good humor. The former president out talking tax policy, making a different case than the current White House.

And after giving props to Fidel Castro, the manager of the Florida Marlins is apologizing to the team's fans. Then call it Titanic 2.0, cruise ship tracing the course of the world's most famous ship wreck just in time for the 100th anniversary.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: President Obama is on the road today making his case that the richest Americans should pay their fair share of taxes. This so called Buffett rule promoted by the president that fair share is at least 30 percent. Supporters, they're calling call it common sense, opponents calling it class warfare. Former president George W. Bush weighed in during a speech today saying it would hurt the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: If you raise taxes on these so-called rich, you're really raising taxes on the job creators. And if the goal is private sector growth, you got to recognize that the best way to create that growth is to leave capital in the treasuries of the job creators.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So, why is the president pushing the plan now? Jessica Yellin explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): It's the front page of the campaign Web site, team Obama pushing the Buffett rule not for the first time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Tax reform should follow the Buffett rule. If you make more than a million dollars a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes. It's a very simple principle. The Buffett rule, it says, if you make more than a million dollars a year, you should not pay a lower tax rate than your secretary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: This time there is actually a vote on the bill, that will happen Monday. The rule would apply to any one who makes more than $1 million. Right now, if that money comes from investments in the stock market they could pay 15 percent or even less in taxes, far lower than the rate on income from a paycheck. Under the new bill, they'll have to pay 30 percent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN SULLIVAN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "TAX ANALYSTS": There's zero chance of it ever passing on the standalone basis because of the Republican opposition. And I'm sure some Democrats in swing states and swing districts are not going to be comfortable with voting for a tax rate increase.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLING: So, why push it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: That's what votes do, they put senators on record, and we will certainly see how senators handle that. Perhaps even those who have been opposed to this in the past will rethink their position, consider the fundamental fairness of the legislation, and vote yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: In other words, get Republicans on record during an election year. Could you imagine campaign ads saying they voted with the one percent? Or maybe it has to do with this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What's the effective rate I've been paying? It's probably closer to the 15 percent rate than anything, because my -- last 10 years I've -- my income comes overwhelmingly from investments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: Team Romney isn't missing a chance to hit back. (on camera): It is unusual to campaign on a tax increase, but polls show more than 60 percent of Americans support the Buffett rule when it's spelled out. So on this issue, it's all about who wins the war of words. Jessica Yellin, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: So, supporters say the Buffett rule would make the tax code more fair. They also say it would help bring down the deficit. I want to bring in Jeanne Sahadi of "CNNMONEY.com" who's been talking with the tax experts and saying, this isn't necessarily so. Jean, what do we know? Do we know how much money the Buffett rule would raise?

JEANNE SAHADI, "CNNMONEY.COM": Well, the joint tax -- the Joint Committee on taxation estimated that if we let the Bush tax cuts expire, which is not likely -- but if we do, the Buffett rule would probably raise about $47 billion extra over 10 years or about $4.7 billion a year on average. That's not a lot in terms of deficit reduction and the White House has actually backed off of the deficit claim. They are saying, look, you know, we never proposed this as a big deficit reducer, this is more about fairness. And it's good that they didn't propose it as a deficit reducer because it's not. We have several hundred billion dollars to over a trillion a year in deficit, so $5 billion is kind of a drop in the bucket.

MALVEAUX: What do the independent tax experts think about it?

SAHADI: Well, they appreciate what the administration is trying to do. You know, it's perfectly fair to say, or to have the debate, should the rich pay more, is the system progressive enough? But they would much rather see that debate and the policies that result from it come out in terms of overall tax reform. The individual Buffett rule, putting it on top of today's code they say it's just really complicating an already complex system. The White House says -- and I should say, President Obama actually first proposed this as a guideline for tax reform, but then they endorsed this Senate bill that Jessica was talking about which would impose the rule today on today's tax code. So, tax experts say you can accomplish the same goals in simpler way in the guise of overall tax reform.

MALVEAUX: How much of this is actually political, do you think, Jeanne, and how much is really based in some solid research on what this can do?

SAHADI: Well, I think it is primarily political. The Democrats would disagree with that assertion, but tax experts -- I talked to tax experts, I don't cover the politics of it. There are a lot of ways to accomplish the goals of the Buffett rule that are smarter tax policy from a purist perspective than what the White House is proposing. On the other hand, the White House and a lot of budget experts are correct in saying, hey, we have to get more revenue into the system. The rich will have to pay more -- and frankly, more of us have to pay more, too, but that's an argument for another day.

MALVEAUX: OK. Jeanne, thank you very much. Good job as always. SAHADI: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Thanks. Appreciate it.

SAHADI: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: I want to bring in Dana Bash on The Hill here.

I understand, Dana, that you've got some new video from the acting administrator of the GSA. And they've been in a lot of hot water lately. I imagine they want to get this video (ph) out pretty quickly.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, CNN has obtained this exclusively. This is a video that the acting administrator of the GSA, Dan Tangherlini, is doing straight to camera. It is going to be posted on the GSA website, on their blog. And it is, boy, is this a mea culpa. You know, we have been talking for the last -- since last week about the fact that the GSA understands and the administration understands full well the political problem that they have here. And we've seen written statement after written statement about these videos and about how they say that this is really incomprehensible and damaging.

Now, again, the acting administrator has gone to the -- to lengths that we really haven't seen before, putting about three minute and 45 second video on camera saying how bad they understand this is and talk about the steps that they are taking to try to rectify it. Listen to part of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN TANGHERLINI, GSA ACTING ADMINISTRATOR: If you haven't already, I urge you to read the report. When you do, you'll see that what took place was completely unacceptable. There were violations of travel rules, acquisition rules, and good conduct. Just as importantly, those responsible violated rules of common sense, the spirit of public service, and the trust that America's taxpayers have placed in all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, Suzanne, in this three minute and 45 second video, he goes on to talk about the fact that a GSA employee told him about a friend who was serving and wounded in Afghanistan, contacted this GSA employee, saying how outraged he was that he's fighting for American freedom and the GSA is spending so lavishly taxpayer dollars.

And then, again, he goes on to talk about a few steps that the GSA is making to, in his words, make this right, including, first and foremost, making sure that spending at any conferences and meetings around the country are vetted and take a look on how exactly the GSA is spending taxpayer money, given the fact that the whole mission of the GSA, by the way, is to make sure that taxpayer money is spent correctly.

MALVEAUX: And, Dana, explain to our viewers just very briefly here what we're seeing, some of these videos that were put out previously, some of the employees. And it looks rather bizarre, but what were they doing? What was the point of all of this?

BASH: Right. The back story here is that these videos were put together by GSA employees for what was effectively a talent show back in 2010 at a western region conference. It took place in Las Vegas. And we now know, because of an inspector general report that has come to light recently, that almost $1 million, $840,000, was spent at this conference. And again, it wasn't just the spending, it was, as the administrator just said, it was the lack of common sense in making videos where they make fun of excess spending, they make fun of destroying government property, they make fun even of the president of the United States. And again, they were rewarded for it and awarded for it at this talent agency.

MALVEAUX: OK.

BASH: It was really over the top.

MALVEAUX: All right, Dana Bash, thank you for obviously bringing us up to speed on that, the breaking news and developments out of the GSA. Thanks, Dana.

BASH: Thanks, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: He outraged Florida's Cuban community by complementing Fidel Castro. Well, now the manager of the Florida Marlins is apologizing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OZZIE GUILLEN, MIAMI MARLINS MANAGER: I'm very, very, very sorry about the problem, about what happening, and I will do everything to make it better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: What he said and what it means for the team.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Miami Marlins Manager Ozzie Guillen says he was very sorry. The team suspended him for five games after he said he loves and respects Fidel Castro. A lot of Cuban-Americans, they want him to be fired. A couple of hours ago he apologized. John Zarrella, he's following the story from Miami.

So, John, tell us a little bit about what we saw this morning.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Suzanne, he apologized and he got the five game suspension from the team. Of course the question is, is that going to go far enough. And throughout the course of this news conference, Ozzie Guillen repeated over and over and over again just how sorry he was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OZZIE GUILLEN, MIAMI MARLINS MANAGER: I'm very, very, very sorry about the problem, about what happening, and I will do everything to make it better. Everything in my power to make it better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: So now here's the bigger picture around this, Suzanne, is that the Marlins just opened a brand new stadium. They've played all of one game in that stadium. It is in downtown Miami, in the heart of Little Havana, on the site of the old Orange Bowl stadium. And it was built by primarily taxpayer dollars from Miami and Miami-Dade County, predominantly Latin American, and they brought Ozzie Guillen in for the express purpose of helping them build a new fan base around the Latin American community. So, you know, this is all now exploded in their faces, literally.

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Is there anything that he can do to make amends here, to rebuild his reputation with Miami's Cuban community?

ZARRELLA: You know, I was talking to Dan Le Batard yesterday. He's a long time "Miami Herald" columnist. He has his own sports talk radio show here and he is Cuban-American. A younger Cuban-American. And he said that many of the younger Cuban-Americans, like himself, will likely forgive and forget. But the older Cuban-American, who lived through the atrocities of Fidel Castro, who they compared to their, quote, their Adolf Hitler, that's going to be a really, really tough sell because he said what he said and he can't take it back no matter how many apologies he makes.

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Is there anybody who's saying he has a right to say what he feels, what he believes, even if it's offensive to the community? Anybody defending him?

ZARRELLA: Yes, I mean you're seeing -- you're seeing that a lot on the social media and certainly there, but you're not hearing that in Miami.

MALVEAUX: All right, John, thank you. Appreciate it.

It's been 100 years since the Titanic went down. Well, this week, two memorial cruises, they are heading to the doomed site. We're going to talk to a woman whose great-grandfather died on that historic trip.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Titanic's allure seems strong as ever. Popular books, Paramount Pictures' blockbuster movie and, of course, believe it or not, two memorial cruises heading to the site where the ship went down. One left from London this weekend. Another leaves from New York tonight. Sharon Willing (ph), she's going to be a passenger on that ship and her grandparents were passengers on the Titanic's maiden voyage. Her grandfather did not survive. Her grandmother did. So, Sharon, thank you so much for joining us. It is great to see you. We are all very curious about your journey here. Can you, first of all, just share with us why it is that you decided to do this.

Sharon, can you hear me? All right. We're going to have to move on here. And we'll try to get her back as soon as she can hear us.

And we're going to take a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We want to bring back the story of the "Titanic." 100-year anniversary, and now the cruise ship that's going to retrace that route.

Sharon Willing is going to be a passenger on the ship. Her grandparents were passengers on the "Titanic's" maiden voyage. Her grandfather didn't survive but her grandmother did.

Sharon, it's Suzanne. I know we've got you back so you can hear us. Give us a sense of why you're doing this now.

SHARON WILLING, GRANDPARENTS WERE TITANIC PASSENGERS: Well, it's a very emotional time for me. I grew up with the story of my -- it's actually great-grandfather and great-grand mother, Herbert Fuller Chaffee and Carrie Toogoode (ph) Chaffee. And my material grandmother and mother -- I was imbued with the history of this devastating occurrence in our family from the time I can remember. And so, when I learned in 2009 that there was going to be a cruise, an anniversary cruise, I thought I would go to the ends of the earth to be here. And I'm thrilled to be.

It's going to be a very emotional time for me because I have felt -- although I obviously didn't know him, I have felt a mental and emotional closeness to him for a very long time. So, being here, going to the site, is, for me like meeting him and being able to say good-bye.

MALVEAUX: That's really beautiful. Do you have a sense at all of what you would like to do and how you would like to commemorate him when you get to that site where the ship went down?

WILLING: Well, I don't -- there will be a memorial service. And, of course, I will attend. It will be -- it's scheduled for 2:20 a.m. on the 15th of April, which is the exact time that the ship went down. And so I don't know. I really don't know how I'm going to react to that and during it. But I know that I think there will be wreaths that can be tossed overboard. And, of course, I will send him one.

It's interesting. If I have a moment to say that when my great- grandparents went over to Europe for a first-class trip for a couple of months. Then they were called back early for -- family lore has it, for an emergency board meeting of his company so they were on another ship but they rebooked with Cook Travel, and were put on the "Titanic" in suite E-31. And when they got the notice to go on up to the boat deck, they were laughing together and saying, you know, this is -- isn't this kind of silly. He put her in life boat 4, told her that he'd be coming back and he'd be there waiting for her. And when she got into the life boat and they pulled away, she heard this hissing sound and she realized then that it was water going into the ship and she looked for her husband, and she couldn't find him. And his body was never found -- excuse me.

MALVEAUX: Sharon, it's quite all right. I understand that it's a very emotional experience for you. And I know, I think that your great-grandmother, she left something behind in the water, I believe, for your great grandfather. Is that right?

WILLING: I'm not aware of that. I haven't heard that. Where have you heard it?

MALVEAUX: We had somebody who was speaking with your family. They said you left behind -- she left behind a jewel. But --

(CROSSTALK)

WILLING: Really?

MALVEAUX: That was one of the stories that came out. What do you want to take away from this experience, from this journey?

WILLING: I don't know as taking away is -- is even apropos here. I feel that by visiting the site, I'm acknowledging him, his being. And I think I'll just feel in years come it's something to pass down to my son and my grandsons and great grand children which I have. And my son even gave me a journal to take with me to make notes and to give to him back so he will have a record of this trip too.

MALVEAUX: Sharon Willing, thank you so much. Really appreciate your story and your time. We hope that your voyage is fulfilling. We'd like to talk to you again.

Thank you, Sharon.

WILLING: You are very welcome. Thank you.

MALVEAUX: There's some middle school heroes to tell you about. They saved the day when the bus driver lost consciousness behind the wheel.

Kevin Mccarty, for our affiliate, KIRO, has the story from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN MCCARTY, REPORTER, KIRO (voice-over): This surveillance video shows the moment a school bus driver loses consciousness, slumping at the wheel as the bus full of children careens out of control.

JEREMY WUITSCHICK, STUDENT: The bus driver is acting all funny. He's shaking, yes, his arms are flailing. His eyes are bulging and he's making this weird noise with his mouth.

MCCARTY: One of the students reacts as the bus is heading for a church.

WUITSCHICK: So I take action, I leave off my chair, grab the wheel, turn it right, get to the right side of the road, and I take the keys out of the ignition and the engine starts turning off, starts slowing down.

MCCARTY: The driver was a substitute. We've obscured his face to protect his privacy. Watch the video again as the bus approaches Surprises Middle Lake School. The driver began showing signs something was wrong. He was coughing, shifting in his seat. Suddenly, his eyes roll back and he fell over. At that point the bus hits a curb, bumping and finally slowing when Wuitschick pulls the keys from the ignition. Johnny Wood, who has been trained in CPR by the Red Cross, also ran to help.

JOHNNY WOOD, STUDENT: I ran up and tried doing chest compressions but his eyes were rolling back and I could tell it was getting harder for him to breathe.

MCCARTY: Other students called 911 as a teacher from the school hopped on board to help. Both Jeremy Wuitschick and Johnny Woods say they are glad they kept cool heads in this moment of panic.

WUITSCHICK: I'm thinking I just want to stop the truck, because I don't want to crash and I don't want to know what it feels like. So, yes, I don't want to die.

(LAUGHTER)

WOOD: It was scary and exhilarating.

MCCARTY: Because?

WOOD: Because, I mean, you want to know if he's OK but then again it's happening so fast you're heart's pumping. It breathtaking and breath giving.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: A school superintendent says the students get emergency training several times a year, so they will know what to do if the bus driver needs help.

After being criticized for the way she looks, actress, Ashley Judd, is taking a stand against what she calls an attack on the dignity of girls and women.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: When Ashley Judd returned to TV this year, fans reacted to the way she looked. Her face appeared fuller. And it's touched off speculation about why.

A.J. Hammer is here with details.

What is the drama about, A.J.?

A.J. HAMMER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, Ashley Judd is trying to change how we talk about women. She was upset after recent photos of her with a puffy face were posted and some outlets started speculating she had undergone plastic surgery.

Judd said the pictures were taken when she was ill taking medications including steroids, which caused her features to swell as a side effect. She's responded with an essay on the "Daily Beast." The title is "Ashley Judd Slaps Media In the Face for Speculation over Her Puffy Appearance." In this essay, she talks about some of the commentary her pictures generated which included speculation what sort of procedures she had and how she's losing her looks. And she was surprised that so much of that commentary coming from other women.

I looked at her Twitter page. Fans have been supportive. And I'm thinking maybe Ashley speaking out about this will get the conversation going again about how unfair, unkind, and really downright dangerous criticism like this can be. Yes, you know, you can open yourself up to all the scrutiny when you're in the public eye, it doesn't make it right.

MALVEAUX: I understand she's got a quote that she put out here, saying that "The conversation was nasty, gendered, and misogynistic and embodies what all girls and women in our culture endure every day in ways." Yes. Putting that statement out.

Talk about this documentary, the makers of the documentary "Bully" receiving this pg-13 rating. That's what they wanted. now there is a push to get teens to go and see this. Yes?

HAMMER: That's right. Now that they can have the teens come, they are doing what they can. And Justin Bieber is using his music to promote the film. He hopes his fan will get out to see, that all teens will get out to see it. The song, "Born to be Somebody," is part of a new ad about the documentary about the bully be epidemic in American schools.

Let me read what Justin Bieber is saying. He says, "My fans are up for supporting a great cause. It's one of the things I'm most proud of as an entertainer. I hope they see 'Bully' with their friends and start the conversation."

Justin Bieber joining a long line of celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, Johnny Depp, Demi Lovato. They have all been supportive of this film. It was really their support and the support of thousands of people online signing petitions, Suzanne, which played a huge part in lowering the film's rating from "R" to a PG-13. And I'm going to hop on the bandwagon and say everybody needs to see this. The problem is still there.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely.

HAMMER: The dialogue has to continue and get louder. MALVEAUX: Good.

Thank you, A.J. Appreciate it.

You want information about breaking into the entertainment world, A.J. has it on "Showbiz Tonight," 11:00 eastern on HLN.

If you had an x-ray at the dentist, listen up. There is a study that says frequent screenings could increase your risk for a certain brain tumor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Not often that we get to hear from former President George W. Bush. Today, we did. He spoke at a conference in New York sponsored by the Bush Institute. He talked about tax policy, a plan to generate economic growth. He also reflected on life after the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I'm asked if I miss the presidency. Really, not really, no.

(LAUGHTER)

I enjoyed it. It was unbelievably interesting experience. I mean, it was inconvenient to have to stop at some stop lights here coming over here, but.

(LAUGHTER)

I guess I miss that. But I really, I do miss being commander-in- chief a lot. I admire our military a lot. And the Bush Center will give me -- Institute, gives me and Laura an opportunity to repay as best as we can our vets. So to this end, for example, I'm taking a bunch of vets mountain bike riding in the Paladura Canyon (ph). I love to mountain bike ride. What I don't like to do is be beaten on a mountain bike ride by a one-legged veteran.

(LAUGHTER)

But it's likely to happen.

(LAUGHER)

We also sponsor a golf tournament for our vets. It's a way to say we love you and honor you and thank you. For this July, the Bush Institute is publishing a book. It's got to be a staggering thing for some of the cynics up here. I publish a book and now the Bush Institute's publishing. They didn't think I could read, must less write a book.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The former president says he wishes his name wasn't so firmly attached to the tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year.

Rick Santorum is returning to the campaign trail for the first time since his daughter was released from the hospital. Santorum is holding an event in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, next hour.

Our Jim Acosta is there.

Jim, first, I know that Santorum had canceled some events to be with his daughter, Bella. Do we know how she is doing?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, apparently, she is fine. She was released from the hospital. And the family says they appreciate all of the well wishes and prayers that they received the last couple of days.

But, Suzanne, this is an interesting event we're about to witness. We don't exactly know for sure what is going to be said at this event. We were told earlier by the Santorum campaign that this was an event, not a news conference. But, Suzanne, if you can look behind me, this is very much a news conference. There are only reporters gathered in this room. There are no supporters. And I talked to a campaign spokesman a few moments ago and they told me they are not going to allow supporters in here for this event. So we expect Senator Santorum to come in here, make some kind of statement, and then perhaps throw open this room -- throw this room open to questions.

All of this is interesting because you mentioned those two events canceled earlier this morning. He is maintaining these events later on this evening. He has one later on tonight at 7:00. So, the Santorum campaign says, hey, don't read into this too much, folks, the Santorum campaign goes on. But obviously, the optics of this event, what we're witnessing right now, as we get ready to listen to Senator Santorum come out, is raising a lot of questions. We honestly, Suzanne, have no -- we're getting radio silence right now from the Santorum campaign as to what we're going to see in the next 10 to 15 minutes.

MALVEAUX: Jim, it's interesting, because sometimes when you cover campaigns and there's radio silence, that means there is something happening behind the scenes there. Are there any signs, any other signs, or anything that you can see from the demeanor of the team or the people who we normally talk to who might not be picking up the phone, might not be returning those e-mails that you send out rather frequently, that this could be a Santorum announcement that he is actually dropping out of the race?

ACOSTA: Let's caution that we don't know what's going to happen. They've been reaching out to the national media to see who's showing up, who's not showing up. They hoped it wouldn't be well covered. That typically doesn't go on in your garden variety campaign event. The fact that they're keeping things close to the vest is also very telling. He could come out and say, hey, the fight goes on. But, Suzanne, we're in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This is a town that Senator Santorum himself has said holds some significance for him, not only because of the Civil War lore of this town, but this is Pennsylvania, and he's done pretty well in this part of the state over his political career.

A couple of weeks ago, after the Illinois primary, Senator Santorum held an event inside this very hotel -- not in this room but in a ballroom across the hallway from where we're standing -- where it was a very different message, the fight goes on. He was going after Mitt Romney, taking him on those issues such as health care reform, issues Santorum has gone after Romney on throughout this campaign. We're not seeing that side of the Santorum campaign heading into this event. All that could change in about 15 to 20 minutes from now when all of them gets going -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: Jim, we know the primary in Pennsylvania primary is two weeks away. That really -- where you are right now, he has got to win this state.

ACOSTA: Right.

MALVEAUX: And what are the indications so far. How h s he doing there? Does she have a tough fight ahead the next two weeks? It this an uphill battle for him to try to lock this in?

ACOSTA: I feel like we're in a flash back to the days before the Michigan primary when it wasn't looking good for Mitt Romney to win what was his home state. Everybody was talking about Michigan being his home state. He was the governor of Massachusetts. He also thinks of Massachusetts as being his home state. But at that time, remember, Rick Santorum was saying there's something wrong if he can't win his home state of Michigan. You're hearing some of the same sort of talk coming out of the Romney campaign, if he can't win Pennsylvania, why is he continuing this campaign.

In the last 24 hours, the Romney was going to run in this state an ad, a very tough ad, pointing out Santorum's 17-point loss in the Senate race back in 2006. Of course, the Santorum people will say, Mitt Romney also lost by 17 points back in 1994 to Ted Kennedy. But the Santorum campaign welcomed the news from Mitt Romney's campaign that Romney was pulling that ad at least for 24 hours while Bella was in the hospital. So to circle back to Bella, that did sort of create this sort of cease-fire in the last day or so. And sometimes that also can set the table for a dramatic announcement, the likes of which we might be seeing. It's a very different feel in this room, I have to tell you.

MALVEAUX: We want our viewers to know and stick around because, as Jim is reporting here, this is something that was originally an event. It's turned into a news conference. The optics, the feeling, the signs in that room, as Jim is reporting, feel very different than what we've seen before, adding to a potential that speculation that there might be a major dramatic announcement for Rick Santorum. We'll see if that means he's still in the race.

We'll have more after the break.

But first, in medical news, a new study shows people who have had dental x-rays are more likely to get brain tumors. The study looked at more that 1400 patients form around the country. Those who had x- ray exams when they were younger than 10 years old were five times as likely to get a tumor called meningiomas. Most of these tumors are noncancerous. Scientists say they hope dentists will pay attention to the research and not take more x-rays than necessary. The American College of Radiology says that four dental x-rays are equal to the same amount of radiation you're exposed to in a typical day.

The teen birthrate in the U.S. has fallen to its lowest point in 70 years. The National Center for Health statistic says 34 out of every 1000 men who get pregnant are teenagers. That's 9 percent lower than the last could. The data does not report why that is. A report last year found fewer teenagers are having sex and more are using condoms and other forms of birth control. Still, the U.S. lags behind other industrialized countries in an effort to reduce teen pregnancy. Canada's rate is 14 per 1,000.

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MALVEAUX: Rick Santorum is holding an event in Gettysburg in about 20 minutes. But a campaign spokesman now tells CNN that this is a news conference, not a rally. That's got the political world buzzing whether or not there's going to be to be news of an announcement, whether or not Rick Santorum will stay in the race. Our Jim Acosta will have that live. And we'll bring that to you as soon as they begin.

In the meantime, the public backlash over the lack of an arrest in the Trayvon Martin shooting is being played out in streets as well as social media. Now a law that Martin's shooter, George Zimmerman, might use in his defense is being targeted. There's some high-profile companies with ties to a conservative group that supports Stand Your Ground. They're taking action.

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MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the wake of Trayvon Martin's death, Florida's Stand Your Ground law came into the spotlight. It's for controversy over the possibility it could shield George Zimmerman from prosecution.

Now a focus on how that law came into place has stretched to corporations who are involved with an obscure conservative group called the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, for short. The public pressure is being turned up by liberal advocacy groups like Color of Change.

RASHAD ROBINSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COLOR OF CHANGE: Our members were asking us questions about Stand Your Ground and how did this law not only get in place in Florida but around the country. And all the fingers kept pointing back to ALEC. And it's not just ALEC. ALEC doesn't do its work alone. They do it with some of the biggest corporate brands in America.

SNOW: Coca-Cola and Kraft are two of the big names that cut their ties with ALEC after a barrage of social media. Neither cited the attention over Stand Your Ground as a reason. Pepsi and Intuit also cut their ties recently.

Companies can join ALEC by paying as much a $25,000 membership fee. ALEC says its mission is free market and limited government. It helps copy legislation from one state to another. But some of that legislation has little to do with business. For instance, for Stand Your Ground, 15 states use the exact same language in their bills, according to the Sunlight Foundation. ALEC itself says while it did not write Stand Your Ground, it helped spread it beyond Florida.

KAITLYN BUSS, SPOKESWOMAN, ALEC: It is one of our model policies, but we have, you know, a broad area of policy topics and it's really, you know, up to a legislature of his or her particular state what their constituents need and what they find, you know, to be the most pressing problem facing them.

SNOW: Another controversial law ALEC has pushed is the voter ID bill in multiple states. The group caught the attention of Tim Smith, who's in charge of social responsible investing at Walden Asset Management. He says he spoke to Coca-Cola last year along with the trade union in calling for better transparency.

TIM SMITH, WALDEN ASSET MANAGEMENT: ALEC is out there trying to put legislation into place in states all around the country. And you've got to look very seriously at what that legislation says and whether you want your company to be associated with it.

SNOW (on camera): Companies that cut ties with ALEC say they were only involved in issues that had a direct impact on their businesses. But with big names distancing themselves, liberal advocacy groups say they'll continue to turn up the pressure on more companies.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

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MALVEAUX: CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ashleigh Banfield.

Hey, Ashleigh.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Suzanne. Thanks very much.