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What Happened in Cartagena; Supreme Court Hears Arizona's Immigration Law; Obama Talks to "Rolling Stone"; Obama Courts Youth Vote
Aired April 25, 2012 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips. It's 11:00 on the East Coast, 8:00 out West. We have a busy hour ahead. Let's get straight to the news.
We begin, just hours after five more losses in the GOP race, Newt Gingrich planning his departure. Two sources close to the former House speaker tell CNN Gingrich will bow out next week, probably Tuesday and throw his support to the presumptive nominee, Mitt Romney.
That's the guy Gingrich has consistently called "too liberal" and a "Republican in name only." Sources say Newt will also focus on winning back GOP control of the Senate and holding on to the House.
The U.S. Supreme Court is taking one of the nation's toughest immigration laws at this hour. The justices right now hearing arguments on Arizona Senate Bill 1070. The key question? Who has the power?
Arizona's Republican governor, Jan Brewer, signed the bill into law two years ago. The Obama administration sued Arizona, arguing that the federal government, not the state, has the sole power to enforce immigration laws.
We'll have a live report from the Supreme Court in just about 22 minutes.
And just across the street, the first congressional hearing on the Secret Service sex scandal. Nine Secret Service members have now quit or been forced out of their jobs two weeks after that encounter with escorts in Colombia.
The agency has wrapped up its own investigation, but lawmakers are just getting started. The Senate judiciary committee are talking homeland security right now with DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano.
She says she will not fire the Secret Service director, but she did tell him what she expects of him now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANET NAPOLITANO, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: There are really three things that I immediately discussed with the director.
One was to make sure the president's security was never at risk, two was to make sure that we instituted a prompt and thorough investigation into the actual allegations in Colombia and, three, what other steps we need to take for the future to make sure this behavior is not repeated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: A live report from The Hill just moments from now.
And Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio getting 24-hour security in response to a possible threat. The West Miami police department confirms that it has increased its presence around Rubio's West Miami home now.
No information or details about the threat or where it came from. In Washington, Capitol police are investigating the same incident.
Rubio, of course, is the hottest name on the short list of possible running mates for Mitt Romney. He's delivering what's billed as a major foreign-policy speech next hour. We will dip into that and monitor it for you in "Fair Game."
Mitt Romney says he's ready to take on President Obama. Romney swept all five Tuesday primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. He held a victory rally in New Hampshire where he kicked off his campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Because he has failed, he will run a campaign of diversions and distractions and distortions.
That kind of campaign may have worked in another place and at a different time, but not here and not now. It's still about the economy and we are not stupid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So, is Romney's former rival, Rick Santorum, ready to endorse? Not quite. Here's what he told our Piers Morgan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM, FORMER REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's the person that is going to go up against Barack Obama, it's pretty clear and we need to win this race. We need to defeat Barack Obama.
PIERS MORGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is that -- unless I'm mishearing things, you just endorsed Mitt Romney.
SANTORUM: If that's what you want to call it, you can call it whatever you want.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: As for Mitt Romney, he is in New Jersey and New York holding fundraisers for the long road ahead.
Can't wait to hear what comes out of today's cross-examination in the John Edwards trial after an ex-aide testified yesterday that Edwards called his mistress a crazy slut when he told him she was pregnant.
Andrew Young said he helped cover up that affair by pretending to be the child's father and that Edwards used campaign funds to keep his affair with Rielle Hunter under wraps.
If convicted, the former presidential hopeful could face up to 30 years in prison for all six felony and misdemeanor counts.
Police in London have released a photo of the British girl that went missing five years ago in Portugal. Madeleine McCann disappeared just before her fourth birthday and this photo shows what she might look like today.
The family was on vacation in 2007 when she vanished. A new review of the case uncovered details that point to the possibility that Madeleine is still alive. Portuguese investigators closed the case in July of 2008.
In less than a half and hour, the trial surrounding the murdered relatives of singer Jennifer Hudson will be back in full-swing. Hudson's former brother-in-law, William Balfour, is charged with murdering her mom, brother and nephew.
Jurors got a look at gruesome photos from the crime scene. Police officers detailed finding Hudson's mom lying facedown with a gunshot wound to her back and Hudson's brother tangled in blankets on his bed.
A second officer testified that she was standing next to Hudson's sister, Julia, seen here in this court sketch when she got a call from Balfour just after the attack. More testimony expected today.
If you own Apple stock, you may have a big smile on your face right now. Apple shares up 9 percent today, ending a two-week slump.
Alison Kosik is joining us live from the New York Stock Exchange. Alison, what is Apple crediting for in the jump?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, it's all about how much money Apple made in the first three months and how many products it sold.
Now, Wall Street was a bit nervous leading up to this earnings report that came out after the bell yesterday. There were nerves there about how those iPhones did in the first part of the year.
Turns out those sales did pretty darn well. Apple blew away expectations yet again and here is how. It sold 35 million iPhones in three months. That works out to be 16,000 iPhones sold every hour.
Now, Apple also got a lot of help from the new iPad that came out in March and, clearly, we just can't get enough of our gadgets. That's why Apple is doing so well.
Look how shares of Apple have done over the past five years and this is during the recession, during a time companies were going under, but Apple still managed to sell these products that aren't necessarily necessities, but made us believe that they were. We kept on buying their stuff during the recession.
And, look, shares are up almost 400 percent over those five years and it's because of that resiliency that at $600 billion Apple now stands as the world's most valuable company.
You'll know the company that hit that mark, Kyra, was Microsoft back in 1999. But Microsoft lost its mojo. Doesn't look like Apple is getting close to that anytime soon.
Kyra?
PHILLIPS: All right, Alison Kosik, we'll continue to follow it. Thanks so much.
North Korea's military now threatening the United States. It came during a ceremony marking the North's 80th anniversary presided over new leader, Kim Jong-un.
The military's chief-of-staff boasted of powerful, modern weapons capable of defeating the U.S. in a single blow. He gave no other details.
His remarks are the latest in a series of harsh threats that until now have been aimed at South Korea. Some analysts believe that the North may try to trigger a military incident as a way to shore up Kim's authority back home.
Rupert Murdoch denies accusations that he had used his power and influence to curry favor from British leaders and lawmakers. Chairman of his media empire, NewsCorp has testified before an official inquiry into Britain's phone-hacking scandal.
With soft but strong words, Murdoch was empathetic about his ties with former prime minister, Tony Blair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUPERT MURDOCH, CHAIRMAN, NEWSCORP: I, in 10 years of his power there, never asked Mr. Blair for anything nor, indeed, did I receive any favors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Murdoch also called reporters lazy who used phone- hacking or private detectives in doing their job.
President Obama, entertainer-in-chief? Check out this slow jam on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: The reason it's so important to keep down costs is so we keep college affordable.
JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": And the president knows his stuff, y'all. That why they call him the POTUS, which means person armed -- what is it?
OBAMA: Jimmy, POTUS stands for president of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's the POTUS with the "most-est."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The president stopped by "Late Night" on his way to the University of Iowa where he's campaigning for the youth vote.
Looks like he's making the rounds. He's even on the cover of the new "Rolling Stone" magazine that hits newsstands this week. So later this hour, I'll talk with the magazine's executive editor about their cover story.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano facing tough questions about the Secret Service prostitution scandal. Hear what she has to say next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of them, every day they put their lives on the line and they do a great job.
So a couple of knuckleheads shouldn't detract from, you know, what they do, but what these guys were thinking, I don't know. That's why they are not there anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: President Obama using a G-rated term for Secret Service agents caught in an X-rated scandal and there's more than a couple.
The agency has now wrapped up an investigation with nine members resigning or being forced out, three others facing possible administrative action.
And it's not just Secret Service. A dozen U.S. service members are being investigated for what happened two weeks ago tonight at this hotel in Cartagena, Colombia, just two days before the president arrived for a regional summit.
Now, Congress is getting involved. Live pictures of a Senate judiciary committee on Homeland Security and you will see right there in the hot seat, the head of the Department of Homeland Security.
Dana Bash is there. Dana, tell us what's happening now. DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What's happening is I have lost count, frankly, of how many times Janet Napolitano has used the words "unprofessional" and "unacceptable" to describe what happened in Colombia.
One of the key questions, of course, has been whether or not this was an aberration or this has happened in the past and she answered that question very carefully. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAPOLITANO: Over the past two and a half years, the Secret Service Office of Professional Responsibility has not received any such complaint.
Over that same period, the Secret Service has provided protection to over 900 foreign trips and over 13,000 domestic trips.
So, from that standpoint, there was nothing in the record to suggest that this behavior would happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: So you heard there, Kyra, she was talking about nothing being reported officially.
But she was questioned about this several other times by senators in both parties and she later said that they are looking into whether or not this was, quote, "some kind of systemic problem" and, most importantly, how to fix it.
PHILLIPS: So, OK. So she was asked about that. So, bottom- line, they think that this was an isolated incident.
BASH: For now, but she said they are not done answering -- not done investigating by a long shot.
And she understands, she said, that this is something they have to look into because she said over and over again, this has been a black mark on an agency that has been one of the most respected in the world when it comes to law enforcement, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So do you think this is getting political? Do you think she's getting beaten up by Republicans? Do you think that there could be an independent investigation as some Republicans are calling for?
BASH: You know, I actually thought this was going to end up a little bit more political than it did based on an interview I did with Senator Chuck Grassley who's the top Republican on this committee.
He's saying that he wants an independent investigation, as you said, and he wants the inspector general at the Homeland Security Department to look at White House advance staff. He asked the question, but he kind of buried it in a long string of questions and didn't really get an answer. So, for the most part, this hearing has not been political. It's really been bipartisan, mostly in the concern that they have for the president's security.
And I should tell you, on that note, the Homeland Security secretary said the first question she asked the Secret Service director. The answer was no. The president was not in any way -- his safety was never jeopardized
And one thing I want to tell you before we go. I think you'll get a kick out of, so to speak.
One of the senators, Amy Klobuchar, asked about that picture that we've seen of the Secret Service putting up on his Facebook page a shot of him checking out Sarah Palin and making light of checking out Sarah Palin.
Amy Klobuchar said that she really wanted to make sure, in all seriousness, that there's a social media policy and the secretary said that there is.
And then Klobuchar said that she's had those problems in her own office. She said an intern once took a picture sitting at her desk with a beer and put it on their Facebook page. So it happens everywhere.
PHILLIPS: Times have changed with social media, to say the least, Dana Bash. Thank you so much, Dana. We'll continue to follow the hearing with you.
All right, we are not done with the story yet. Coming up, our Drew Griffin finds out what really happened that fateful night in Cartagena. That's at about 45 past the hour right here in the "CNN Newsroom."
And just wrapping up as we speak, the Supreme Court hearing arguments on that controversial Arizona immigration law. Kate Bolduan actually in court for all the action. She's going to join us live just minutes from now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: As a doctor dedicated to helping others, but when transplant surgeon Carlos Zayas discovered he had a rare form of cancer, he realized that he was the one that needed the help.
Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta has this week's "The Human Factor."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. CARLOS ZAYAS, TRANSPLANT DOCTOR, CANCER SURVIVOR: We just came back from Paris. We celebrated 15 years of wonderful marriage at the Eiffel Tower.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: For Dr. Carlos Zayas, this wedding anniversary celebration almost didn't happen.
You see, three years ago, this transplant surgeon made a shocking discovery. His lymph nodes were swollen and he suspected he had cancer.
His fears were confirmed and the diagnosis, a rare form of blood cancer called peripheral T-cell lymphoma.
ZAYAS: It's difficult to treat and has a poor prognosis.
GUPTA: When grueling chemotherapy failed, the transplant doctor needed a transplant himself, a bone marrow transplant.
Now, with bone marrow, a near perfect match is necessary for the treatment to be effective and that's more likely from a donor of the same ethnicity. But the pool of potential donors for Hispanics in the United States is very small. They only represent about 10 percent of a national bone marrow registry.
In Dr. Zayas' case, a very close match was found, but then the donor backed out.
ZAYAS: People join the registry for people that they love or they know, but when they get a call about a complete stranger, their answer is, I'm afraid. I can't do this.
GUPTA: So doctors took another look at his siblings and, while his brother, Hector, wasn't a perfect match, Zayas got the transplant anyway.
Hector's bone marrow started killing the cancer cells and, today, he's in complete remission, back helping patients find organs.
Zayas says it was his faith that helped him through the difficult times and the experience has overall made him a better doctor.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: An Ohio mom is taking on the Boy Scouts of America. She's getting a lot of attention for it, too. We'll explain her mission to end the anti-gay policy, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: She volunteered to be her 7-year-old son's Cub Scout den leader. No one else apparently could or wanted to step-up, so Jennifer Tyrrell did. That is until the Boy Scouts of America learned that she's gay and removed her as den leader.
The Boy Scouts of America says they are just following a long- held policy, but Jennifer is now on a mission to change that.
What began as a local protest is now growing into a national campaign. Her petition on change.org got more than 140,000 signatures in a matter of days.
And she's got the backing from GLAAD and whole lot of support from young Hollywood celebs like Joshua Jackson and stars from "90210" and "Glee."
Jennifer Tyrrell and her son, Cruz, are joining us live from New York and I can see Cruz is pretty excited. Hi, Cruz.
CRUZ BURNS: Hi.
PHILLIPS: Hi. So, Cruz, tell me what makes your mom such a great den leader in the Boy Scouts.
JENNIFER TYRRELL, FORMER OHIO CUB SCOUT "DEN MOTHER" : That's you, Cruz.
CRUZ BURNS, MOM REMOVED AS CUB SCOUT "DEN MOTHER": Yes, I know.
PHILLIPS: That's OK. Tell me what makes your mom so cool. What makes your mom so wonderful when you look at her and you're hanging out with her and you're at Boy Scouts?
BURNS: She's fun.
PHILLIPS: Yes, what else?
How does she make you feel? When you are with her and you are hanging out and having fun, how does mom make you feel?
BURNS: Happy.
PHILLIPS: All right. OK, you are a fun mom. You are happy.
Tell us what happened when you found out you were being dismissed. What did the Boy Scouts tell you?
TYRRELL: I got a call from the local council representative saying that I had to resign because of my sexual orientation. I was devastated. I cried for two days.
PHILLIPS: Was that it? They just said look, you are gay, you can't be a den leader? Did they explain why? Did they cite a policy or rule, any type of agreement that you signed, anything?
TYRRELL: Yes. It is a policy of the BSA. From the beginning, I was assured it would not be a problem, that there would be no issue with it. There never has been.
PHILLIPS: Here is my question. I was looking through the policies and the definitions and I didn't see anything specifically about sexual orientation, Jennifer. I saw a lot of references to God, to country, to good citizenship. Did you see anything in there about sexual orientation?
TYRRELL: I've never actually personally read them. I was aware of the policy and of the Supreme Court ruling from, I think it was, 2000.
PHILLIPS: Right.
TYRRELL: So being aware of those policies, I was hesitant to let Cruz even join the scouts, but he was really excited about it, so I expressed my concerns to the local club master and he said there would be no problems.
And there really hasn't been, Kyra. There's been nothing but support from all of my family, my friends, my scout parents. There's been nothing but.
PHILLIPS: You pointed out in 2000 the Supreme Court did rule that the Boy Scouts of America can bar gays from being troop leaders, so the law isn't on your side, obviously.
So why push this, Jennifer? Why talk to us? Why get involved with all the folks that are supporting you and pick up this mission?
TYRRELL: It started out as a local rally to protest, just to show that I didn't really want to leave my position as den leader and, with the help of GLAD and change.org, it has been amazing.
So now, I feel like we owe it to these kids. We owe it to America to tell everybody this is the policy. Maybe they don't know because a lot of people aren't sure. It just needs to be changed.
PHILLIPS: We did get a statement from the Boy Scouts of America. Let me read this.
And, Cruz, I have a couple more questions for you, too. So be patient with me here.
Here is what Boy Scouts of America told us:
"Scouting, and the majority of parents it serves, do not believe it's the right forum for children to become aware of the issue of sexual orientation, or involved in discussions about being gay. Rather, such complex matters should be discussed with parents, caregivers, or spiritual advisers in the appropriate time in the right setting. We fully understand and appreciate that not everyone will agree with any one position or policy. To disagree does not mean to disrespect and we respect everyone's right to have and express a different opinion."
So, Jennifer, let me ask you this because I'm looking at the beginning of this statement and it talks about engaging in discussions about being gay. Did you ever engage in discussions about being gay with the kids as an acting den mother?
TYRRELL: No ma'am, absolutely not. That never happened and, in fact, one of my parents was quoted as saying, "She was always just known as Den Leader Jen, not Gay Den Leader Jen."
And another one of my parents had stated that he's never had to have this conversation with his child before, but now the BSA has put him in a position where he has to now explain everything that's going on and he's not happy that he's even had to have this discussion because that's just something that doesn't come up.
We were scouts. We were a scout family. We did scouting activities. We did community service activities. It's never been about anything other than that.
PHILLIPS: Cruz, do any of the other Boy Scouts or the parents give you a hard time about having two mommies?
BURNS: No.
PHILLIPS: Do you think it's pretty cool to have two mommies?
BURNS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: What makes that special? What is special about your two moms? Why are you so proud of them?
TYRRELL: It's OK, honey.
PHILLIPS: It's tough being on national television. OK. You are right there by your mom's side showing your support. That's enough said.
TYRRELL: He's a good boy.
PHILLIPS: You're darn right, he is.
PHILLIPS: Did anyone ever complain about the fact that you were in a partnership, Jennifer? Any of the other fellow scout parents or kids?
TYRRELL: No. It's never come up. It's never been an issue. As I said, I have a very close relationship with my parents, we are a scouting family. It's just never been an issue, Kyra. It's just never --nobody cares. We were just scouts.
PHILLIPS: Before I let you go, what's next? Is Cruz no longer a Boy Scout? Does he want to stay in the scouts? What are you going to do?
TYRRELL: He's no longer a Boy Scout. We are sad about that, but we can't support an organization that doesn't support our family. Sign our petition at change.org/Scouts. We have 140,000 signatures. That's within a week. So, I think that we need to get this policy changed -- if everybody would sign that and share it with your friends.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Are you tired Cruz or are we getting tears?
CRUZ BURNS, BOY SCOUT: Tired.
PHILLIPS: OK. I just want to make sure you are OK. (CROSSTALK)
I bet it has.
Appreciate it, Jennifer.
TYRRELL: Thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: Cruz, thanks for joining us with your mom. Keep loving her and taking care of her, OK?
BURNS: OK.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, guys.
TYRRELL: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, Drew Griffin finds out what happened that fateful night in Cartagena right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Earlier this hour, we told you more about the Secret Service members that resigned over the scandal in Colombia. What happened that night in Cartagena? And where is the prostitute that threw the whole affair into the spotlight?
Drew Griffin investigates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Prostitution is so open, part of the tourist trade, it's hard to imagine what crimes the Cartagena police could find to investigation. What's easy to imagine is how easy the U.S. Security advance team members got in trouble. A night on the town, a disco filled with scantily dressed women.
(MUSIC)
GRIFFIN: Hustlers, seemingly at every corner, willing to connect single American men with available Colombian women.
(on camera): Where is it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on.
GRIFFIN: Just tell me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I want to show you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, let me see. Let me see.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to show you. I want to show you. OK?
GRIFFIN: Show you to a back alley, a corner, a private door. When the food vender saw I wasn't interested in eating, he asked if I was interested in a girl, a chica.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRIFFIN (on camera): So, this is what he gave me. We got this a lot here. It's an advertisement for basically, what looks like a strip club. And it's probably a whore house. A dozen or so working women making their way to where the agents were staying.
(voice-over): It's where the trouble began, the Secret Service agents left with a dozen or so working women, making their way to Hotel Caribe, where the agents were staying. And that's where the trouble began.
(on camera): The agents either didn't understand the price or was trying to rip off the female escort leading to the now-infamous scene in the hotel hallway. The woman was trying to get her money. Colombian police were trying to negotiate a settlement and the agent refused to open her door.
(voice-over): The woman involved, Dania Suarez, has hired an attorney. Through statements credited to that attorney, demands she was an escort, not a prostitute. Her attorney isn't talking.
(on camera): Ola.
(voice-over): Neighbors confirm she lives Dania Suarez down this dirt alleyway in a middle class section of Cartagena.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
GRIFFIN: Through the wall, they say they were stunned to see this picture in the paper was the single mother now credited with discrediting the U.S. Secret Service.
(on camera): Her neighbors say she has not been back since the news broke. They don't know where she went. Someone came and removed suitcases from her apartment where she lived with her school-aged son. They say this woman was a model neighbor. They never knew what she did for a living, other than she worked hard and took care of her child.
(voice-over): The person who answers the phone at her attorney's number would not confirm the rumors Suarez is now trying to sell her story. Colombia police are not sure about the crimes, they have been investigating.
(on camera): Police in Colombia have spent the last several days trying to track down every single woman that came out of that bar with a U.S. soldier or Secret Service member, trying to find out how old they are, what their story was. The other half of this story is gone. All the Americans involved pulled out before police had a chance to talk to them.
(voice-over): Colombia police admit their investigation is over because no one can seem to find a crime, with glaring one exception -- Colombian's like Americans are wondering why the Secret Service, sent here to protect the president, acted so irresponsibly.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Cartagena, Colombia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Just wrapping up, as we speak, the Supreme Court hearing arguments on the Arizona immigration law. Kate Bolduan is in the court with the action. She will join us live minutes from now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: As we mentioned the Supreme Court is taking on the issue of immigration, the Arizona law S.B. 1070. The Obama administration sued the state right after the bill was signed into law by Republican Governor Jan Brewer ago, arguing only the federal government has power to enforce immigration laws.
Kate Bolduan was in the court. Just made it to the cameras for us.
Kate, thanks so much. Tell us how it went.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was interesting inside and outside the courtroom. There's a lot of protests and activity going on outside. Inside the courtroom, very interesting. We don't want to call the judgment or decision before we hear from the justices themselves. It did appear that the federal government, the Obama administration appeared to be in a bit of trouble following these arguments, and there appeared to be a surprising amount of support for the Arizona law, for this Arizona law cracking down on illegal immigration. Conservatives voiced a bit of strong skepticism to the Obama administration's argument, that you summed up, that the Arizona law conflicts with federal immigration policy. That's been the real argument. This is federal authority, that they are conflicting and interfering with what is in the federal government's court. There's a lot of skepticism to that. Even Justice Kennedy, traditionally the swing vote, he posed a hypothetical that seemed -- I found interesting. He said, at one point, if the state faces a massive emergency of economically or public safety wise, you're saying they cannot act. They can't do anything. He asked that of the solicitor general. That is one of the core arguments that the state of Arizona is making and their attorney in the courtroom, made at the podium. It was telling.
Real quick to wrap up, one of the more liberal judges, Sonia Sotomayor, said to Donald Barilli (ph) in the courtroom, as you can see -- he was making an argument and she said it's not selling very well. It was a tough go yet again for the Obama administration in the courtroom today. A surprising amount of support for the state of Arizona's argument. They did focus quite a bit -- four provisions they were talking about. They focused solidly on the one key provision having to do with requiring local law enforcement to a person's check immigration status while they are enforcing other laws.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Kate?
BOLDUAN: Yes?
PHILLIPS: Am I hearing protests going on? It's getting louder and more active. Is that protests going on?
BOLDUAN: There are definitely protests going on.
Can we pan the camera?
We are in the middle of the media. This is over here, protests all morning. There was a very, very long line for the public waiting to get in to get a public seat inside the courtroom. Passions high on both sides. Protests on both sides. Everyone wanting to get the clue of where the justices are going to side. Of course we can't give them that. They are going to voice their opinions on the court steps.
PHILLIPS: Got it.
Kate Bolduan, thanks so much and thanks for rushing to the cameras for us.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Appreciate it.
First, on Fallon, now the cover of "Rolling Stone" magazine, President Obama's push for the youth vote. "Fair Game" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, timing is everything. This week, it appears President Obama is setting himself up to reel in the youth vote. Talking student loans, hoping a slow jam on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" will reach those young voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The reason it's so important to keep down costs is so we keep college affordable.
JIMMY FALLON, HOST, LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON: And the president knows his stuff, you all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: He's on his way to the University of Iowa a day after speaking with students in North Carolina and Colorado, the demographic that helped him win in 2008. Now, this Friday, his mug will appear on the cover of "Rolling Stone" magazine. There's the cover.
Eric Bates, the executive editor of "Rolling Stone," was with Jan Winter (ph) during the interview in the Oval Office. He's joining me live from New York. Eric, great to see you.
This is the fourth time your magazine has gotten an interview with the president. Do you think his demeanor was different compared to past times?
ERIC BATES, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, ROLLING STONE: This time, he was in campaign mode. He seemed very careful and very sober. It's also three years into the job and it's a tough job. I think it's starting to have an effect as well.
PHILLIPS: He mentioned his hair is getting grayer. I think everybody noticed that, too, in the pictures.
BATES: Yes.
PHILLIPS: He told you straight up, when you asked about Romney, he wasn't going to talk about him. He mentioned John Boehner. He said I have great relationships with some Republicans. What was your take from that moment when he talked about Boehner and other Republicans?
BATES: I think he was trying to draw a line and distinguish the majority of Republicans from the Republican caucus in Congress that has seized control and taken the party in a more extreme direction. He made several references to that in the course of the interview. He said I think there are Republicans in Congress who want to work with me but they can't where Rush Limbaugh is setting the terms.
PHILLIPS: He talked about race. I thought it was interesting bringing up the fact that a lot of people expected things to change when it came to race and race diversions, issues of diversity. He said you know what? It's been complicated.
BATES: He said race -- he never expected a post-racial environment after he was elected. But he recognized the importance and symbolism of him being president, saying it's not just black children who now see a black president and black first lady. It's children of all races who have grown up with a black president who think that's the norm. It's going to have a tremendous effect going forward in terms of how it shapes the country.
PHILLIPS: Something else that grabbed my attention when asked about marriage equality. He made it very clear. Here is the quote. "I'm not going to make news in this publication." What did you think about that?
BATES: It's very interesting. I interviewed him on his campaign plane a few weeks before the election in 2008. He gave a very different answer and shrewd answer. He said, look, Martin Luther King didn't lead with interracial marriage. He led with voting and other issues. That was signaling he was thinking strategy, long term. This time, he was more defensive. He said, look, I have done a lot for the gay and lesbian community, I support these issues. And he sort of ticked off a lot of things he's done, the most notable being the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. But he did end by saying something I thought was a signal. He said we're not going to stop until our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters are treated as full-fledged members of the American family. I think he sees that as a long term goal.
PHILLIPS: I have to ask you about the fun stuff. He told you he loves the show "Homeland." He liked the movie "Descendants." Tell us what stood out to you when you had a chance to talk to him about the personal side.
BATES: One of the things that stood out was he told us about his gig singing at the Apollo Theater.
PHILLIPS: Wait a minute, hold on. We're going to get there in a second, Eric. I'm going to set you up for that.
(LAUGHTER)
BATES: One of the interesting things, we asked him about "Home Land" he said before he liked the show. It's a show about terrorists plotting to assassinate the vice president. We asked him, what do you like about it.
(LAUGHTER)
He said it's very complex and he thought it was a terrific psychological study and there's a lot of gray in the show.
PHILLIPS: Got you. All right. Now that moment. First, we've got to bring folks back because, Eric, we have to see it again. The president at the Apollo. Let's roll it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Then to know that Reverend Al Green was here.
(SINGING)
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So, Eric, after you sang your duet with him, how did you get the inside scoop of how this moment happened?
BATES: Well, he told us it was really interesting. He had arrived at the Apollo, the fifth event of the day, he was really tired, and he was talking to some of the sound guys in the back of the room. They said you missed Reverend Green. He was great. And Obama said, oh, darn, I really wanted to see hip and started to sing a little bit. The sound guy said, hey, you can sing. Why don't you get up and sing. He looked at Valerie Jarrett and she went like this, no, don't do it. He turned to his press secretary, Jay Carney, who was there, and Carney was also tired from the long day and he basically said, oh, whatever, fine.
(LAUGHTER) And Obama got up and did it. But he was also very matter of fact. He said I can sing. I wasn't worried about hitting those notes.
PHILLIPS: That's great.
Eric, thanks so much for joining me today. Sure appreciate it.
BATES: Thanks.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: By the way, we wanted to clarify cover story is coming out Friday or over the weekend?
BATES: Friday.
PHILLIPS: It is Friday. I wanted to make sure. Already. "Rolling Stone" magazine, pick it up this Friday.
Jan (ph) and Eric in the Oval Office with the president.
"Rolling Stone" is practically the bible for music lovers from the baby boom generation. It's a generation that set out to conquer the world and more or less did. Now boomers are facing a new world, a world after kids, after career, and making their dreams come true. So this week, the CNN NEWSROOM is telling their stories in a series we call "Age Against the Machine." And tomorrow, I'll get the chance to take you backstage with some raging aging rockers, a band that you all know as Styx. And I discovered the key to aging in style may be C major.
(MUSIC)
PHILLIPS: OK. That might have been F major. Anyway, Lawrence and Ricky helping me out on the keyboards. Tune in tomorrow, Styx, 11:00 a.m. eastern and the rest of our "Age Against the Machine" series all week right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
The youth vote practically sealed the deal for President Obama in 2008 but it's a different landscape this time, and he knows it. The lengths he will go to try to court this powerful group of voter. We'll talk about it in "Fair Game" next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: President Obama playing the role of Joe College this week. Let's talk about it in "Fair Game."
Democratic strategist, Keith Boykin, in New York; Republican strategist, Ana Navarro, in Miami.
Guys, the president is talking student loans. He's doing the slow jam with Jimmy Fallon. He's on the cover of the new "Rolling Stone" magazine. Will it win the youth vote? ANA NAVARRO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: The youth vote was so important to his magic formula for winning four years ago. Not only did he get their strong support, he also got a larger than expected turnout. He needs that in order to win again four years later, and the youth vote, the young people in America, have been very hard hit. One out of two college grads under the age of 25 are underemployed or unemployed. Three out of 10 are going back to live at their parents' home. So you've got a group here who really believed and bought his message, his promise of hope and change, and now they're being told to cope and wait and do it out of their parents' basement. So, yes, he's got a problem with the youth vote and he knows he needs them.
PHILLIPS: Keith?
KEITH BOYKIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: The question is not whether he's going to win the youth vote but by how much. In the last election he won the youth vote 2:1 in against McCain. The last poll Obama is up by almost 20 points by people under 30. So I think he's definitely going to win the youth vote. The issue though is there's a real choice here, especially on this issue of student loan debt. On one hand you have Obama offering people to make it easier for them to get student loans and to lower the interest rates and you have on the other hand Mitt Romney who is saying just find a cheaper school to go to. What kind of policy is that? He's offering no government assistance whatsoever. I think this is a long-term problem for the Republicans. When you add that into the gender gap they have and the Latino problem, the Republicans are basically going to become a party of old, white men if they're not careful.
PHILLIPS: We have about a minute. I want to ask you about this, because we found out Senator Marco Rubio is going to be holding this speech next hour, this foreign policy speech. Suzanne Malveaux will check in on that. Suzanne will have it next hour. This is one of the hottest names and the guy that everybody is talking about to be Mitt Romney's number two. He first said, nope, no way, I'm not going to do it. Then he made this slip up when he was doing an interview saying, "When I'm vice president." Now he's giving this big foreign policy speech.
OK. Who is he kidding? Ana?
NAVARRO: I know Marco Rubio very well and I just think Marco Rubio is being Marco Rubio. He is the ranking member of western hemisphere and foreign relayings on the Senate. He was just down in Colombia for the summit of the Americas and he wasn't cavorting with prostitutes. He was having bilateral meetings with the heads of state. This is the third such policy speech he has given. He did one last year at the Reagan Center. He did one --
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: We have about --
(CROSSTALK)
NAVARRO: A few months ago at the Helm Center. Marco is just being Marco.
PHILLIPS: We have 25 seconds. Jump in, Keith.
BOYKIN: I agree. He's probably not going to run for vice president. He's probably not going to be selected. He's only been in the Senate for one year. And it undercuts the Republican's argument that Obama is somehow this inexperienced candidate. They picked this guy, Marco Rubio, a 40-year-old lawyer, who's only one year of Senate experience and Mitt Romney has no federal government experience. So, they will come in with less federal government experience than any Republican or Democratic ticket since 1948 if they go ahead with this. It's not going to happen.
PHILLIPS: All right, guys.
NAVARRO: I'll take Marco Rubio over Obama.
PHILLIPS: Later in the week I promise. I know it will be coming up again. Thanks for watching, everyone. You can continue the conversation with me on Twitter @KyraCNN or Facebook.
CNN continues now with Suzanne Malveaux.
