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Northeast Braces For Heavy Snow; Zimmerman Bonds Out Of Jail; John Edwards On Trial; Jennifer Hudson's Relatives' Murders; A Summer Without The Internet; Search To Resume For Etan Patz; Obama Visits Holocaust Memorial Museum

Aired April 23, 2012 - 10:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: OK. I'm waiting. I'm waiting. That was sort of anti-climate particular, but we got the story. Thanks, Jeff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy Monday.

COSTELLO: Happy Monday to you too. The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. Stories we're watching right now in the NEWSROOM. The family of Trayvon Martin say they are devastated as they watch George Zimmerman walk free this morning. The question is where is he now?

It's 80 degrees just days ago and today, snow from Washington to Boston, a nasty spring storm expect down trees and power outages.

The Secret Service scandal even more fallacious. Did an agent invite a prostitute into the very hotel where the president slept? We'd hear from one congresswoman who attended that summit in Colombia.

Loud booms, explosions in the sky, homes shaking, thousands saw it and felt it. What was that thing shrieking across the sky any way?

Ann Monroe, Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina, the latest powerful woman to grace the pages of "Vogue" magazine, will it get her to the top of the VP short list? CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

For months, millions of Americans have been asking where is winter? Well, we found it, from Buffalo to Boston, New York and Pittsburgh, snow, rain, and wind.

In some areas have already seen up to 10 inches of snow, it's so nasty in Buffalo, you can barely see the picture. Do you see that?

With all the leaves on the trees we're likely to see lots of power outages before this storm is over. Meteorologist, Rob Marciano is here to tell us how long it will last.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, thankfully not too long, Carol. We are to the middle to end of April, but the fact that we're having it now certainly is remarkable even more so because we really didn't have much of a winter.

The last time we got snow this big across the northeast was actually in the fall back when we had leaves on the trees. That was a devastating event that knocked down thousand of trees across the north east and then took out millions of people as far as power is concerned.

All right, let's go over the numbers. There have been over 10 inches of snow has fallen in some spots across the region. Actually 12 inches just reported now in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. So this is a Western Pennsylvania and an upstate New York issue as far as the snowfall goes a huge, huge storm.

As it progresses off towards the north and east, we look for the cold air to come in behind it. All the way down to Virginia, we're getting the cold air and snow. So this is definitely more of a winter-type scenario and where it's raining in places like Pittsburgh and Buffalo, we're starting to see a bit of a change over to snow.

You won't see a huge amount of snow in those two cities. You may see a couple of inches in Pittsburgh, wet snow and maybe three or four inches in Buffalo. But the interior areas just north and east of those cities are where you'll see more snow than that especially south and east of Buffalo.

Back across Cuyahoga County, back where I went to college, they've gotten almost 10 inches of snow there and there have been reports especially at the higher elevations, Carol, of trees coming down.

Because of trees with that early spring have the leaves catch that wet snow and on top of that behind this thing, we've got a tremendous amount of with that's going to affect people not only in the snow zone, but folks across the entire eastern third of the country.

Including the bigger cities, which are experiencing some warm temperatures in the 50s and lower 60s in Boston right now so they're on the warm side, but everybody is going to be on the windy side.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Rob.

MARCIANO: You bet.

COSTELLO: Now for the latest on the Trayvon Martin case. This morning the man charged with the teenager's murder, George Zimmerman, is out of jail.

And just hours after Zimmerman's released on bond, the Martin family reacted angrily to his new freedom. Martin Savidge is in Sanford, Florida. Martin, what is the family saying?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, we haven't seen the family actually since after that court proceeding that took place on Friday and we know even though they didn't speak, but they were highly upset. Now they've just released a statement. It came through their attorney, Ben Crump.

And it reads like this, the family is heavy hearted to watch the killer of their child released from jail. They would have rather he stayed in jail until the criminal proceedings are concluded.

However, it is their hope that his freedom is only temporary because the pain that he has caused to their family is permanent. So there was also a statement that they put in the obituary section of the "Miami Herald" newspaper.

In which they were thanking their supporters and the many people that have spoken out on behalf of Trayvon Martin, their 17- year-old son who was killed back in February.

But it's tough for their family. Of course, on the other side of the coin, for George Zimmerman's family, they feel relieved that he's out of jail and can start working on his own defense.

COSTELLO: Do we know where Zimmerman went?

SAVIDGE: No, we don't. Of course, that's the whole intent. The defense team was very worried about George Zimmerman's safety. There have been threats that have been made against his life.

So the idea was to release him in the middle of the night when perhaps there wouldn't be that much media around and certainly there wouldn't be a lot of people around and that was the case.

It appears that he may have been coming out with the escort of some kind of security person and it also looks like when you see him with that jacket, he might have been wearing body armour underneath.

The officials here will not comment on that back. He's gone to a place unknown except to Florida authorities. They are tracking him via GPS system and he will have to check in every three days. There are a number of other stipulations he has to maintain in order to remain free on bond -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Martin Savidge reporting live from Sanford, Florida.

How much more can John Edwards fall from grace? That debate is getting underway right now. You're looking at a live picture of the courthouse in Greensboro, North Carolina where Edwards' trial is just getting underway.

He's accused of using more than $900,000 in illegal campaign contributions to hide an affair in which he fathered a child. He could face up to 30 years in prison if he's found guilty. The defense is expected to argue that Edwards' personal aide used that money to help build his own $1 million dream home.

Opening statements beginning today, too, in Chicago where a suspect is accused of killing three members of singer, Jennifer Hudson's, family. CNN's Ted Rowlands is covering that case. Ted Rowlands is here with us. Fill us in, Ted. I'm sorry.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol. Yes, the opening statements begin here in about an hour from now. William Balfour is the young man who is accused of triple murder, murdering Jennifer Hudson's mother, allegedly, brother, and 7-year-old nephew.

We do expect that Jennifer Hudson will be in court today. She's also on the witness list and there's a good chance that she will take the stand. Of course, for the prosecution, having a victim member in the courtroom can make a big difference.

And when that family member is Jennifer Hudson, it absolutely draws the attention of the jury. That is a big plus for them. On the other side of this case, the defense is arguing that there's no physical evidence here.

Despite the fact that it's a triple murder, they say there are no fingerprints and there's no blood linking their client to these murders. That's what they'll argue.

We'll hear it all take place, at least the opening statements, in the next hour. It's expected to last three to four weeks, this trial.

COSTELLO: Ted Rowlands reporting live for us. Thanks.

Hundreds of thousands of people could lose internet service this summer thanks to some international hackers. HLN Digital Lifestyle analyst, Mario Armstrong is here. I could lose my internet service just because?

MARIO ARMSTRONG, HLN DIGITAL LIFESTYLE ANALYST: You can lose your internet service just because -- here's the thing. It is a ring that was busted. Basically this cyber ring was doing hacking.

What they were doing is they were redirecting individual's computers without their knowledge. The only way that was happening is if you downloaded some software.

You maybe thought a link was legitimate and an e-mail attachment or something like that. The next thing you know you're typing in a specific address and it's taking to you fraudulent websites.

COSTELLO: So how do you know if you've done this and how can you protect yourself?

ARMSTRONG: That's the thing because so here's the thing. This March 9th they were supposed to have all this done, but the FBI couldn't the pull the infrastructure from under the table of the criminal ring because they've realized thousands upon thousands.

We're talking about over half a million computers. They really don't even know the whole number that could be affected. So they have to actually keep that criminal infrastructure running.

It was supposed to end on March 9th. Now they've extended it to July 9th, but the best way to know is to go a web site called dcw.org.

You go right to the web site. They will walk you through the steps and you can check and see if your computer is infected or not.

COSTELLO: OK, so what if you don't go to that site. You don't check it out and you go to these fraudulent sites. What happens to your computer?

ARMSTRONG: Well, what happens to your computer is it won't work come July 9th. Well, the computer will work, but if you go to the internet, if you try to log online. You will get an error on your screen.

So then you'll know that your computer was one of those that were hit. You don't want to wait for that to happen because if your computer is vulnerable now, it could be sending out other personal identification.

So if you have tax forms or if had banking information or other personal information on that computer, that could still be vulnerable information that's out there right now.

COSTELLO: OK. What's that web address again?

ARMSTRONG: OK, dcw.org.

COSTELLO: Man, I could have easily done that because I do stupid things all day.

ARMSTRONG: That's the case in point. Pay attention to anything that you click on and before you do so in an e-mail, go to the official website first to see if there are any web sites. Don't trust e-mail.

COSTELLO: OK, advice taken. Mario, thank you.

ARMSTRONG: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Imagine carting your kids off to soccer practice in this, a Lamborghini SUV, 600 horsepower, baby. The Italian car maker is known for making cars that are as fast as they are expensive.

But now they are showing a more practical vehicle for everyday use. It's in the concept stages right now so don't rush out and get one of these puppies. It's beautiful, Mario, isn't it?

ARMSTRONG: You're teasing me. Now you're telling me it's a concept.

COSTELLO: It will give you something to look forward to.

Six Secret Service agents are out, but that's just the beginning of the fallout from the prostitution scandal that's rocked the agency in charge with protecting the president. Next, we'll talk live with a lawmaker who was also in Colombia for the Summit of Americas and is outraged by what happened.

Also South Carolina's Governor Nikki Haley strikes a pose in "Vogue," for fashion and political future receiving their own feature. That's coming your way, too.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The search for the remains of Etan Patz starts off again today in the basement of a New York City building. Authorities have re-launched their investigation into the 1979 missing child case based on new and old information.

Deborah Feyerick is live in New York. Did they discover anything new this morning, Deb?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I asked a number of sources who were familiar with the investigation. They will not say whether, in fact, anything resembling human remains or similar forensic material were recovered from the scene.

Specifically, what they are searching is under a concrete floor in the dirt, four to six feet down. That concrete floor was newly poured just days after Etan Patz disappeared.

Now what they did do though is they did takeaway a large dumpster, Carol, and that was build with slabs of concrete along with dirt. That is not going to the FBI lab in Quantico.

It's going to another location here in the city. It's going to be kept separate and safeguarded and if they have recovered something and if it does test positive, then they will go and look at the concrete.

But a source I spoke to this morning said it's really not the concrete that they are interested in, it was what could be under the concrete that they cared about. We do know that a piece of wall was removed from the apartment over the weekend.

It did test positive for the presence of an organic material, what could possibly be blood. That is the only thing that investigators were revealing over the weekend. Right now, a flurry of activity, a lot fewer FBI agents and police officers here this morning than they were over the weekend.

They are keeping it, the area cordoned off. But Carol, one thing I do want to -- want to let you know. For folks who haven't been down to this area, we're really talking about a block and a half, this site, which is just behind me where those white vans are covering it.

That site is just steps away from the Patz family home and less than a block from the bus stop where this child was walking the day he vanished. The handyman's whose workshop it is, he has denied any involvement. His lawyer says he's cooperating with authorities.

But again, one of the reasons that they came here was because they brought in a cadaver dog a month ago and that cadaver dog reacted, responded in a way to suggest that something was going on -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Deborah Feyerick reporting live from New York, thank you.

In political news, which party has a better sense of humor, Democrats or Republicans? Jay Leno says he knows. We'll see if our "Political Buzz" panel agrees. That's later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: President Obama now speaking at Washington's Holocaust Museum. Let's listen.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: -- exposed violations of human rights. We'll work with other nations so the burden is better shared because this is a global responsibility.

In short, we need to be doing everything we can to prevent and respond to these kinds of atrocities because national sovereignty is never a license to slaughter your people.

We recognize that even as we do all we can, we cannot control every event. And when innocent suffers, it tears at our conscience. Now, we alluded to what we feel is -- as we see the Syrian people subjected to unspeakable violence simply for demanding their universal rights.

And we have to do everything we can and as we do, we have to remember that despite all the tanks, all the snipers, all the torture and brutality unleashed against them, the Syrian people still brave the streets.

They still demand to be heard. They still seek their dignity. The Syrian people have not given up, which is why we cannot give up. And so with allies and partners, we will keep increasing the pressure with the diplomatic pressure to further isolate Assad and his regime.

So that those who stick with Assad know that they are making a losing bet and we'll keep increasing sanctions to cut off the regime from the money it needs to survive. We'll sustain a legal effort to document atrocities so killers face justice.

And a humanitarian effort to get relief and medicine to the Syrian people and we'll keep working with the friends of Syria to increase support for the Syrian opposition as it grows s stronger. Indeed today, we're taking another step.

I've signed an executive order that authorizes new sanctions against the Syrian government and Iran and those that have bet them for using technologies to monitor and track and target citizens for violence.

These technologies should not empower -- these technologies should be in place to empower citizens, not to repress them. And it's one more step that we can take toward the day that we know will come, the end of the Assad regime that has brutalized the Syrian people and allows the Syrian people to chart their own destiny.

Even with all of the efforts that I've described today. Even with everything that we hopefully have learned, even with the incredible power of museums like this one, even with everything that we do to try to teach our children about our own responsibilities, we know that our work will never be done.

There will be conflicts not easily resolved. There are senseless deaths that are not prevented. There will be stories of pain and hardship. The test that our hopes and try our conscience.

And in such moments, it can be hard to imagine a more just (inaudible). It can be tempting to throw up our hands and resign ourselves, demands endless capacity for cruelty.

It's tempting sometimes to believe that there is nothing that we can do and all of us have those doubts. All of us have those moments perhaps especially those who work most ardently in these fields.

So in the end, I come back to something that I said the day we visited together. Reflecting on all that he had endured, he said, we had the right to give up. We had the right to give up on humanity, on culture, education, possibility of living one's life with dignity, in a world that has no place for dignity. They had that right.

Imagine what they went through. They had the right to give up. No one would begrudge them that. Who would question someone giving up in such circumstances? But we rejected that possibility and we said, no, we must continue believing in a future to face the darkness and insist there is a future, to not give up. To say yes to life, to believe in the possibility of justice and to the survivors who are here today, thank you for not giving up. You show us the way.

You show us the way. If you cannot give up, if you can believe, then we can believe. If you can continue to strive and speak, then we can speak and strive for a future where there's a place for dignity for every human being.

It has been the cause of your lives. It must be the work of our nation and of all nations. God bless you and God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much.

COSTELLO: All right, you've just been listening to President Obama. And in case you didn't quite get what he was talking about, he's announcing the creation of an Atrocities Prevention Board and hopefully that will prevent atrocities against the people all over the world from happening again.

This board will document atrocities so that they can charge those responsible down the line and also use -- it will also track governments using technology, like Facebook and Twitter.

If they use it against their own people, they want to use that, too, and impose some kind of sanctions. That board, by the way, met for the first time today. Again, the president just spoke at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.

Six Secret Service agents are out, but that's just the beginning of the fallout from the prostitution scandal that's rocked the agency charged with protecting the president. Next I'll speak with a congresswoman who was also in Colombia for the Summit of the Americas. She is outraged by what happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The Secret Service prostitution scandal is far from over. We're now learning a 12th agent who has been implicated may have stayed at the same hotel before President Obama arrived and he might have been invited a prostitute to join him.

Two senators are also questioning potential involvement by White House staffers, something the White House has denied, and the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees are also digging deeper into what happened before President Obama arrived in Colombia for the Summit of Americas earlier this month.

One of the lawmakers who attended that summit is Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas. She's a member of the House Homeland Security Committee. Welcome, Congresswoman.

REP. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE (D), TEXAS: It's good to be with you this morning. Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning. I know your committee is just beginning its investigation. But do you know more about this 12th agent who's now been implicated?

JACKSON-LEE: The agency is now investigating the representation in the last 24 hours, is that they were not familiar with the location but they did announce that they had 12 agents as of Friday. And so they are continuing their investigation and we encourage them to be vigorous in their investigation.

I -- really am of the position of a zero tolerance for this kind of behavior and so I want this investigation to be as expansive as possible as relates to the Secret Service. Because their highest responsibility is the protection of the leader of the free world and all of those who are representing the United States in foreign lands and domestically as well.

COSTELLO: Congresswoman, just about this 12th agent, we're hearing stories that this agent was staying in the Hilton, possibly the same hotel where the President was staying and he may have invited a prostitute to join him. Is that what you've heard?

JACKSON-LEE: This is what we have heard but again I want the investigation to proceed. But let me just lay the groundwork for establishing the fact of my zero tolerance position. That agent and every single agent that had any involvement in these activities should go.

I think we should have a premise. And I'm researching and looking to introduce legislation that indicates if an act is illegal or criminal in the United States and you engage in it on a foreign land, even if it's legal in that foreign land, it is ground for immediate termination.

The representation that prostitution is legal in Colombia is really not true and I took the opportunity to have the Colombian code translated in English. The only act that is legal is the act of the sex work or prostitute. Going to the Play Club may not have been legal because anyone that promotes prostitution or has prostitutes for profit, it's illegal.

Human trafficking, the idea of underage women all of that may be in play here and so for my purposes, even the individual that allegedly has an alibi or some kind of -- other than the fact that they were not there, all of them should go.

It's a cancer that should be cleaned out to restore the confidence and integrity of the Secret Service. And I think the other men and women who everyday put their lives on the line really want their agency to be restored.

COSTELLO: Right. I know I keep going back to this 12th agent. But this is pretty serious, I mean, if this agent did indeed bring someone, a foreign national to the hotel where the President was going to sleep or did sleep, that's a little more serious than the allegations against those other 11 agents, isn't it?

JACKSON-LEE: Absolutely. But -- and it is -- and the reason, of course, is we've all said that one of the reasons that this is so serious, is because -- a foreign national going into a secured area where the agent has the itinerary of the Commander-in-Chief or any other dignitary that was traveling with him is, I think, of the highest level of inappropriate and if you will termination behavior. The Security of the President at that instance was breached.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: So -- so if this is -- if this is true, the director -- some say the director of the Secret Service ought to go. I mean it happened on his watch, he ought to go. If this allegation is true, should he go?

JACKSON-LEE: Here's what I'd like to see happen. First of all, I would like Congress to hurry up and get in gear and if someone said that we should be in a constant oversight role and we are in an oversight role. You can't ask every single question until, of course, this horrible incident has arisen.

With respect to Director Sullivan, when I landed on last Monday from Colombia he was a person that I had the opportunity to immediately meet with. We met for over two hours. And I saw his pain but I also saw his resolve.

Let's let him get to the bottom of this. We have confidence that he is in the process of doing the most thorough investigation. He is sending agents into the mountains where some of these very poor women, who are sex workers, have fled.

And so he's on the trail. Let's get the investigation going. Let's get Congress engaged in being in a corrective mode. As I said, I want to introduce legislation if you do anything illegal.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Can you -- Congresswoman though, but can you -- can you compare to this the GSA scandal, right? The Director of the GSA stepped down and supervisors were fired. Why isn't that happening at the Secret Service?

JACKSON-LEE: The GSA -- the head of the GSA stepped down of her own resolve because the facts were clear that Congress was involved. In this instance, many of us believe that Director Sullivan has cleaned up the agency. Has hired more women -- frankly I think there are not enough women, there is not enough diversity. Let's get going in a much larger way than that.

But we believe that he at this point -- at this point has been aggressive in the investigation as he has been aggressive in supervising this agency. So I think there's a little different approach. This shocked everyone.

This was not behavior or mismanagement on the part of the director. This was not a loss of dollars or not watching your subordinates. This was a question of reckless behavior by grown men who have taken the understanding that their only role is to secure those who are under their supervision. They did not do it --

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: But -- I -- I would ask you, how you can -- how you can say that the director is aggressively watching over the men and women in his employ at the Secret Service when -- when this huge scandal is going down? And it doesn't just involve one or two agents. It now involves possibly 12.

JACKSON-LEE: I can say it in this way. And as I distinguished the GSA -- the GSA was managerial; it had to do with practices and oversight that certainly the GSA administrator should have been aware of.

When a director sets the guidelines, when a secret agent, a Secret Service agent accepts the high responsibility of this office, of this position, of the esteemed role that this agency has, when you send them on their mission, if you did not describe their mission, if you did not give them the appropriate training then it goes back to the director.

But if they engaged in reckless behavior, reckless uncaring behavior of their own volition, then I believe that you allow that director to fully and aggressively investigate. That's the point that I'm making. And I believe he is aggressively investigating. Until we determine as members of Congress that this is not the case. We want this investigation to proceed.

What I believe that I am not happy with, is that I want zero tolerance. These individuals have lost their security clearance. I want this to be the end, let them have their due process rights. They can plead and appeal to the merit board for a reinstatement. But I think there should be announcement that all 12 are fired, period; and that we go on with the corrective measures that are necessary which include the increasing of the number of women recruits, the restoration and vetting of all of the other agents to have them commit to the principles of this particular agency. And then writing laws, and I hope I'll have bipartisan support introducing legislation that if you engage in an illegal act, meaning that it's illegal in the United States, whether it's legal there or not, it is ground for your termination.

We have to have zero tolerance.

COSTELLO: Okay.

JACKSON-LEE: And as you indicated, the breach of this gentleman in the Hilton was one that is without comparison and actually beyond being terminated we're going to be investigating, did he put anyone's life in jeopardy? And that is the responsibility of Congress but also Director Sullivan. I believe Director Sullivan is aggressively pursuing this.

COSTELLO: All right, Congressman Lee thank you so -- Congresswoman Lee thank you very much for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

JACKSON-LEE: Thank you for -- thank you for having me.

COSTELLO: There are many powerful women in politics. We just heard from one. And that also includes South Carolina's governor Nikki Haley. She appears in "Vogue" magazine. We're going to talk about and if that will help? Will it help her political career, will it propel her to the top of the VP ticket? We'll discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Political buzz is your rapid-fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing with us today: CNN contributors, Maria Cardona and Will Cain. And Dean Obeidallah is here to be smart and hilarious.

DEAN OBEIDALLAH, ARAB-AMERICAN COMEDY FESTIVAL: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: You're welcome. He's also the co-founder of the Arab- American Comedy Festival.

First question: The Secret Service's carnal Colombian adventure, at least two lawmakers think they know what might be at the heart of the problem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: I can't help but wonder if there have been more women as part of that detail if this ever would have happened.

REP. CAROLINE MALONEY (D): The one thing I asked him, is how many women are on the force. It's only 11 percent of women. And if -- we agree on this. If there were more agents on the ground, maybe we would not have had this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Secret Service officials insist there are plenty of women in key roles. But do they need more in the field. Could they have prevented this horrible thing from happening in Colombia -- Maria.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Absolutely, Carol. Let's leave aside the prostitution and the fact that this happened in my country of birth. But yes, absolutely they need more women on the force.

Look, women are desperately needed in a place like the Secret Service especially when there's only 11 percent. And women represent more than 50 percent of the population.

When I was a Secretary of Commerce and worked for Ron Brown, his security detail had this one tiny woman and everyone else -- all the males on that force were afraid of her because she was the best sharpshooter and she was the best at hand to hand combat.

So, yes, I think the world would be a better place if women ruled it.

COSTELLO: Will.

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Are there more women required in the Secret Service? The answer to that question has nothing to do with what is going on in Colombia right now. The answer to that question there is answered with this. Are there women who live up to every physical requirement, aptitude requirement as Maria pointed, their shooting requirement? And not just live up to it but excel? And therefore being denied simply because they are women.

If that is happening, then the answer is yes, more women are feed in the Secret Service. If that's not happening, you're telling women that they should be in the Secret Service to monitor men's extracurricular sexual activity. You're telling them that their role in the Secret Service is to be the dormitory house mom? No, that's not going to work.

COSTELLO: Ah, Dean?

OBEIDALLAH: Carol, I think it depends on the women. I don't think you want Snooki or Lindsay Lohan in the Secret Service, although that has a lot of fun to it. If you have qualified women, of course. And if there's any hint of discrimination, it should be looked into.

But in defense of the Secret Service agents, it's still premature, the investigation. It was there -- we know there were 20 prostitutes and maybe it was widespread, all the agents got involved. Or maybe one Secret Service agent fulfilled a lifelong sexual fantasy with 20 women. We just don't know the answer yet. I think in time will tell.

COSTELLO: Congress will get to the bottom of it eventually.

OBEIDALLAH: I hope so. They are great.

COSTELLO: Yes. The "Washington Post" asks if the Tea Party is still relevant. And the top reason cited for asking that question is the fact that Mitt Romney, an establishment candidate, is the probable GOP nominee. So guys, is the Tea Party still relevant -- Will.

CAIN: Well, you ought to ask Senator Dick Lugar if the Tea Party's still relevant. He's been serving as a senator for 30 plus years and he's currently running behind a Tea Party in his Republican primary challenge. Now that's one race.

The Tea Party did force Orrin Hatch to a primary run off here in a couple of months. And then, you know, there's also Tea Party challenging in states like Texas less successfully. Ted Cruz has not really mounted a huge challenge to David Dewhurst. So you kind of have the full spectrum. The point is the Tea Party is still relevant but it may not be as relevant as it was two years ago.

COSTELLO: Maria?

CARDONA: I agree, it's certainly not as relevant as it was in 2010 because, look, during the primary process for the Republicans, more voters and primary after primary voted for a candidate other than Mitt Romney that they did for the nominee. Now, if the Tea Party had had the success that it had in 2010, they would have been able to coalesce all of those voters and perhaps beat Mitt Romney. They weren't able to do that.

What they were able to do though was make Mitt Romney lurch so far to the right and embrace the conservative ultra right wing agenda of the Tea Party candidate that he has been able to represent that in some manner.

COSTELLO: Dean.

OBEIDALLAH: I think they're still relevance but I think they jumped the shark. I think their best day's behind them and the future Tea Party officially end up on "Dancing with the Stars" or those VH1 reality shows where they're has-beens. I mean that's their future.

But they have had a lasting impact. They've moved the entire Republican Party to the right. And you know what; if I was a Tea Party person, I would be upset. They helped energize the base, 2010 to take over the House. Now people like Dick Lugar are saying -- denouncing them, essentially. They're looking at the Tea Party like they're Colombian prostitutes. They'd used them and they're discarding them and that's wrong for a Tea Party point of view.

COSTELLO: Always going back to that prostitution scandal.

CARDONA: Leave Colombia out of it.

OBEIDALLAH: We have one more segment to do it again.

COSTELLO: Ok. Your buzzer beater, 20 seconds each. President Obama going on "Jimmy Fallon Show" tomorrow, he's been on late night comedians before. Mitt Romney reportedly thinking about that invitation to go on "Saturday Night Live".

Listen to what Jay Leno said about which party is funnier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: Democrats and Republicans are interesting because Republicans really laugh at themselves more. Like when Bush came on, it was we want to do a skit. Yes, go ahead. And we just walk up and we do a skit? Yes, fine.

We went up to Al Gore, we'll do the sketch -- hang on. And then there was a focus group and then media people came in. Where will Al be sitting? Will Al have the punch -- we don't have to do it. It's not a big -- and you know, in the dressing room, Al Gore was very engaging and very funny and very loose. But once the camera came on, oh, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So guys, who has the better sense of humor? Republicans or Democrats -- Dean.

OBEIDALLAH: I'm a comedian. I perform for both, I'll be honest with you. Extreme liberal Democrats and extreme conservative Republicans, no sense of humor. If they don't agree with you they're not going to laugh.

I was at "Saturday Night Live", Al Gore was on, he was funny. George Bush, you know, let's be honest. There should be a comedy club chain named after this guy. He laughed at himself and gave us great material.

But some on the extreme right and left, they're too uptight. They need to go to a Colombian prostitute, perhaps. I just want to throw in --

(CROSSTALK)

CARDONA: Leave Colombia out of it.

OBEIDALLAH: I'm going to have to respond with like Colombia prostitutes. That's why I'm on the show.

CARDONA: Leave Colombia out of it.

COSTELLO: Will?

CAIN: Nothing like taking a subjective individual personality trait like sense of humor and applying it to your ideological consistency. So let's see --

COSTELLO: Oh, lighten up.

CAIN: Win political points here or not?

Honestly, I will say this and I'll let Maria rebut it. I do think certainly liberals have better comedians running around out there but I do think sometimes they have a hard time laughing at themselves.

COSTELLO: Ah, Maria?

CARDONA: Maybe Republicans can laugh at themselves better because it's easier to laugh at them. There's more to laugh at.

CAIN: I kind of feed that up for you.

CARDONA: Look, look at Janet Reno in the 1990s. She went on "Saturday Night Live" and made fun of herself with the Janet Reno dance party. Tell me that wasn't funny. And Al Gore actually went on -- I think it was late night to bash some cigarette ashtrays with David Letterman. So come on.

(CROSSTALK)

OBEIDALLAH: We're fighting over comedy now, Carol. This is what it's come to. The war on comedy. I don't like it.

COSTELLO: Yes. Just don't mention that other thing again. Ok. Thanks all of you.

(CROSSTALK)

OBEIDALLAH: Thanks, Carol.

CARDONA: Thanks Carol.

COSTELLO: We're back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Tea Party favorite, Republican Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina joins an elite group of women in politics featured in "Vogue" magazine. May's issue takes us inside Haley's world as the first female governor of South Carolina.

Governor Haley talks about her political future with the Republican Party. She also address those vice presidential rumors. It's all part of "Vogue's" putting profiles of influential females, considered to be powerhouses in their magazines. The 14-page slide show highlights the fashion magazine's place in politics and women who hold the power.

Special correspondent for "Newsweek" and the "Daily Beast" Robin Givhan is joining us live. Good morning.

ROBIN GIVHAN, "THE DAILY BEAST": Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Ok. Robin, you worked for "Vogue" for a short time.

GIVHAN: Yes.

COSTELLO: Why do politicians get pulled into "Vogue" magazine to pose?

GIVHAN: I think it's a combination of interest on both sides. The editor-in-chief of "Vogue" Anna Winter is very interested in politics. She's very interested in the lives and the public faces of powerful women. And I think that for the women they realize that "Vogue" reaches something like 1.2 million readers who perhaps are not necessarily going to be reading "The Economist". And it's a way to reach that constituency in a manner that is a little less perhaps intimidating and perhaps a little less droning.

COSTELLO: So you looked at Nikki Haley's pictures. I mean she's pretty buttoned up -- we always see her in a suit, she always looks very professional. As you look at her pictures in this magazine, what do they say about her?

GIVHAN: Well, you know, I don't think that anyone goes to "Vogue" and sits for a photo shoot thinking that, you know, it's going to be one of those photographs in which, you know, it's pure reality. You know, there are some photographs, some portraits where the photographer looks like he's basically shot you under fluorescent lighting with a magnifying glass and every imperfection is revealed.

What "Vogue" does is to present people in their most sort of perfect, idealized selves. And I don't think that politicians are immune from wanting to be presented in the most flattering light possible.

COSTELLO: Yes. I was thinking to myself, if "Vogue" -- not that it ever would, but if "Vogue" --

GIVHAN: You never know.

COSTELLO: No, I do know. But you would almost have to say yes because you'd want to look like that one day in your life, you know. Because you'll never look like that again and you're right you don't look like that in real life.

GIVHAN: Absolutely. Many years ago Oprah Winfrey was photographed for the cover of "Vogue" and I recall that one of the things that she said, I believe, in the actual interview was that it was this moment for her that was gratifying like few other things had been because she had been asked to pose for the cover.

The first lady, Michelle Obama, posed for the cover and there was some conversation among her staff about whether it was a good or bad thing to do. And one of the things that she considered was the impact of her photograph appearing on the cover of the magazine to young African-American, young Latina girls and their ability to be themselves, consider not only powerful and accomplished but also beautiful.

COSTELLO: Awesome. Robin, thank you so much for being with us this morning. We appreciate it.

GIVHAN: My pleasure.

COSTELLO: We asked you to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question this morning, "Who's to blame for the Secret Service scandal?" Your answers next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We asked you to "Talk Back" on one of the big questions of the day. The question for you, "Who's to blame for the Secret Service scandal?"

This from Julie, "These are supposedly professional, mature agents. They are responsible for their own misdeeds and inappropriate choices and actions. The blame should be squarely placed there and decisive actions taken."

This from Janice. "Why isn't there more talk about the embarrassment of a Secret Service member having the arrogance to think he didn't have to pay the hooker? That's the part that bothers me."

And this from Mike, "Being someone who has worked in the criminal justice system, I can honestly say there is a dark side to all these agencies. Many immoral and unethical things happen behind the blue line. The ultimate blame goes to complacency."

Thanks for your "Talk Back" answers today. Tomorrow there will be a new "Talk Back" question. Thanks for participating. Keep the conversation going, Facebook.com/Carolcnn. Facebook.com/Carolcnn.

"CNN NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips starts after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)