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Gingrich Getting Out of the Race; Supreme Court Hears Immigration Fight; U.S. Investigation "Mad Cow"; Obama Plays For More Than Laughs; Romney Sweeps Races, Blasts Obama; Supreme Court Hears Immigration Fight; Fed Holds Key Rate At Historic Low; Party of One Dining Can be Fun; Baby Boomers Divorcing At High Rate
Aired April 25, 2012 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from CNN headquarters in Atlanta, where it's 12:00 noon, 9:00 a.m. on the West Coast, I'm Suzanne Malveaux.
I want to get you up-to-speed for this Wednesday, April 25th.
Newt Gingrich gets ready to pull the plug on his presidential campaign. Sources telling CNN that Gingrich will officially end his run for the White House next week, throw his support behind Mitt Romney. Gingrich also expected to help Republicans try to win back the Senate, hold onto the House. Here's what he said earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to stay very, very active. We're working out the details of our transition and we'll have information for the press in the next couple days. But I am committed to this party, I am committed to defeating Obama. We will find ways to try to be helpful. I do think it's pretty clear that Governor Romney is going to be the nominee, and we're going to do everything we can to make sure that he is, in fact, effective.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Can states right and enforce their own immigration laws? That is the question before the U.S. Supreme Court right now. Now, Arizona wants to keep the nation's harshest immigration laws. The federal government says that the state doesn't have that authority.
We're live from Washington in just a couple minutes.
And more testimony today from a former aide to the former presidential candidate John Edwards. Now, the government's star witness, Andrew Young, he's been revealing some pretty sordid details about Edwards' affair during the last campaign. Edwards is accused of using almost $1 million in campaign contributions from two wealthy donors to keep his mistress quiet.
This afternoon, the defense is going to start cross-examining Young. They're going to try to show that he used most of the money to build a $1.5 million home for himself.
So what do you think? Send me your thoughts at Edwards' fall of grace here. Watch us here on CNN for more of the story. Tweet me so we can get your thoughts @SuzanneMalveaux. And like my page on Facebook.com/SuzanneCNN.
Going to read some of your responses in the next hour.
Racially diverse marriages are on the rise here in this country. A bureau report, census report, just released today, shows that interracial and interethnic marriages grew by 28 percent between 2000 and 2010. Census also shows big increase in the number of unmarried and multigenerational households.
Major retailer in South Korea now pulling U.S. beef from the shelves. The store is stopping sales after a single case of mad cow disease was confirmed in California.
Now, the U.S. Agriculture Department says that the dairy cow had a rare genetic form of this disease. It was not in the human food chain. South Korea is one of the largest importers of American beef.
President Obama trying to get his groove back with young voters by slow jamming the news on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," taking part in a comedy routine as part of a serious effort to reach out to the young folks. It was also pretty funny. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What we said is simple, now is not the time to make school more expensive for our young people.
JIMMY FALLON, COMEDIAN: Without an affordable Stafford loan, where can a student turn? The Pell Grant is a beautiful thing, but with college getting more expensive, is it enough by itself to satisfy all your collegiate needs? Oh, Pell no!
TARIQ TROTTER: If Congress doesn't act, it's the students who'll pay, the right and left should join on this like Kim and Kanye.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Pretty funny stuff.
He said he would take his campaign all the way to the Republican convention in Tampa, but it looks like Newt Gingrich has reached the end of the road. Now, sources are telling our political director Mark Preston that Gingrich is going to basically end his White House bid next week.
I want to bring in Mark who is in Washington.
So, Mark, we understand that he's going to hold his final campaign event. We knew this was coming but he says he's reassessing. He didn't do so well in Delaware.
Why do we think this is the time?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, it's the time because it's the time, and, you know, Newt Gingrich has been holding out for several weeks now, Suzanne. A lot of people thought Newt Gingrich should have gotten out of the race several weeks ago and should have endorsed Romney.
He decided to stay in. He wanted to see how he would do in Delaware. In many ways, it was (INAUDIBLE).
But Newt Gingrich on Tuesday will be here in Washington, D.C. He's expected to be surrounded by his friends and supporters. At that time, he will announce he's formally suspending his campaign and at that point, he will also very likely endorse Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination.
MALVEAUX: Mark, why is he waiting until Tuesday?
PRESTON: Well, it's a logistical problem. In fact, he will be here in Washington before that. He does live here in the Virginia suburbs and he will be at the White House Correspondents Dinner in fact with CNN on Saturday evening. But it really is a logistical problem for him to try to get his family and his supporters in town. They figured that Tuesday was the best day.
MALVEAUX: How important is his endorsement, his push behind Mitt Romney?
PRESTON: It's very important, and for this reason alone. He's a very polarizing figure. People were very frustrated that he refused to get out of the race.
But let's have this takeaway from Newt Gingrich's presidential run, Suzanne. He came back from the dead. Back in June of last year, his campaign was over. But yet he had the resilience and he fought on.
He's a political fighter. He's very smart. And here is the key -- he's very good with the donor community.
He is in debt with this presidential campaign, but he knows how to raise money and that alone could very well help Mitt Romney go up against that huge Obama money machine.
MALVEAUX: I understand we're looking at live pictures of him speaking before a group of supporters.
I understand, too, that he's going to have a very familiar role. He's done this before. He's trying to help Republicans win back the Senate, hold onto the House. How significant is that that he's going to jump into that and try to move that forward?
PRESTON: Huge. You know, in many ways, we've spent too much time talking about the presidential race over the past year and not enough time about the battle for Congress. Now, Newt Gingrich made his name as, of course, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the architect of the Republican revolution back in 1994.
Here's what you can see from Newt Gingrich: he does very well with donors. He will be able to help these House Republicans raise money at a critical time when they money, when this money is being soaked up by the presidential campaign.
He can also do well in the South, in many congressional districts. He can also do well for some senators who are running.
Keep these two numbers in mind, Suzanne, very important numbers. First of all, Republicans only need to pick up a net gain of four seats in the Senate to take back control of the Senate.
MALVEAUX: Right.
PRESTON: And in the House of Representatives, they need to protect a net gain, a Democratic net gain of 25 seats.
So as you well know, all your time up here covering the White House, White House is very powerful, but Congress can stop the president in its tracks.
MALVEAUX: Absolutely. It would be very interesting.
Fascinating to see if Republicans actually control Congress and President Obama won a second term, what that would mean for him. Thanks again, Mark. Appreciate it.
PRESTON: Yes. Devastating, devastating. Thanks, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown of some cases we are covering.
The first case of mad cow disease in six years has one of the importers of beef panicking.
The John Edwards trial heats up wit his former aide telling the jury these scandalous ways he covered up Edwards affair.
Plus, we're going to go deeper into Newt Gingrich, canceling his White House run, what it means to Romney's campaign.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: The state of Arizona wants tough immigration laws tougher actually than the federal laws already on the books. That is why the Supreme Court is hearing arguments right now. Arizona wants illegal immigrants to carry registration papers. The state wants police to arrest certain immigrants without a warrant and to crackdown hard on day workers.
Arizona put it all in a new law and passed it two years ago. Federal courts blocked it, said it was not constitutional.
I want to talk to Juan Carlos Lopez in Washington.
Juan Carlos, you have been following this case very closely here. What do we know about where the Feds stand and the state of Arizona? What is the main issue here that they do not agree on?
JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne.
Well, let's start with the states. Arizona says that the federal government hasn't done its job, that it hasn't fulfilled its obligation to provide border security. It hasn't stemmed the flow of undocumented immigrants into the United States, so that they had to take action into their own hands, draft their own law, and deal with this issue which they say cost the states millions and millions of dollars every year.
The federal government on its part says, no, immigration is a federal mandate. It is a federal government -- the only one who has the authority to deal with immigration, with border security. And they believe that the state is usurping the federal government's powers, and that's where they stand.
The lawsuit has gone through different courts, and now the Supreme Court is hearing this appeal, and it's a very touchy political case. Yesterday, there was a hearing in the Senate where they talked about this law and the impact of the law, and Senator Schumer, one of the only two senators in the hearing, said that he is considering legislation to take action in case this law is supported by the Supreme Court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Immigration is not and never has been an area where states are able to exercise independent authority. This makes sense both legally as a matter of constitutional interpretation and practically as a matter of sound public policy. Immigration involves international commerce and sensitive foreign relations. Just as we would never allow 50 states to have their own inconsistent and independent trade laws, we shouldn't have 50 states establishing and enforcing their own inconsistent immigration laws.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: Now, Suzanne, you know that -- you know Washington very well. This type of bill would make it maybe past the Senate. It wouldn't make it in the House. Republicans didn't even go to this hearing yesterday because they said it was pure political theater and it's a very divisive issue.
MALVEAUX: Talk a little bit about this, the timing of all this, because we know, you know, this is the middle of a campaign season. And, obviously, the candidates and the president's looking for support from these border states that are watching very closely.
Do we think it's going to have a domino effect here?
LOPEZ: Well, it all depends on what happens in a couple months, important to highlight that. We won't know what the court decides today. It will be probably in June.
Now, states like Alabama, Georgia are waiting to see what happens with this law because their own laws are built on 1070, defend -- judges have said they want to wait to see what the court says, and if the court decides to let this go, then all these states will be able to go through with it. If it doesn't, then a new scenario will be presented.
But it's an interesting political issue. For Hispanics, it's a very touchy issue. And many of the people who opposed the law say that it opens the door to racial profiling and it gives police more authority that they should have.
MALVEAUX: We're going to talk a little bit more about that later.
I want you to mention as well, it's interesting not all the justices are hearing this case. One has recused herself. Can you explain why?
LOPEZ: Yes. Justice Kagan was the solicitor general for the government. You know, the solicitor general handles cases in front of the Supreme Court. She was also involved in the legal strategy when the White House and the Justice Department decided to file the lawsuit against the law in Arizona.
So she recused herself. We'll have a scenario where eight justices will be deciding. It could go to a tie -- if it goes to a tie, the lower court ruling will stand and we'll be back at square one. That's why it's a very interesting process.
MALVEAUX: All right. Juan Carlos all over it -- thank you very much. Appreciate it.
So, I was in Arizona just a couple weeks ago -- not a couple of weeks ago, some weeks ago, a couple of months ago, for the Republican primary, met a lot of folks there who would be directly affected by Arizona's tough immigration laws. They feel they are being unfairly targeted.
I want you to listen to this.
(BEGIN VDIEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They pull you over and you ask them, how can I help you? They say -- they start just asking for your ID and stuff. I have experienced it. Anybody says it doesn't happen, they're hypocrites or they just don't want to believe the truth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Always stopping the Latino community, always going -- targeting the low income community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Joining me now from Hereford, Arizona, is Glenn Spencer. He runs a Web site he says it illustrates this problem of illegal immigration in Arizona.
Mr. Spencer, thank you for being here.
First of all, I just want you to respond to some of the concerns of your fellow residents there in your state who say, you know what, we are being unfairly targeted because we are Hispanic, we're Latino. We are pulled over for no reason at all.
Is there a concern there? Are you concerned for your neighbors, your friends who say that that is a problem?
GLENN SPENCER, AMERICANBORDERPATROL.COM: Well, certainly, it would be a concern. And I think as Russell Pearce told Senator Schumer yesterday, great care was taken in drafting this law to make sure things like that didn't happen.
MALVEAUX: Talk a little bit about what you see on your ranch. I understand you have a website. You create videos. You post these videos.
Show us what we are seeing here, and what are some of the problems you're seeing right there on the border?
SPENCER: All right. American Border Patrol is a nonprofit (INAUDIBLE)
MALVEAUX: We're having a tough time hearing him. I think we're going to try -- let's try to reconnect and then try to get back to Glenn Spencer when we have a better connection here.
We'll get back to him in a moment.
We want to move on. A case of mad cow disease turning up in California. This is the first in six years, but the U.S. government says there is no reason to worry about this one. Find out why it's different than the past outbreaks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Mad cow disease has a lot of folks afraid now. For the first time in six years, authorities are looking into a case of mad cow disease here in the United States.
Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, she's joining us with the details. You had a chance to actually talk to the folks on this plant where they found this mad cow -- this cow that had mad cow disease. What did they find and where was it?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Let me talk about the process because I think it reveals something about what happened here.
So, this is a plant that handles carcasses, not live animals. So, they have hundreds of these carcasses and they have to by law do, by the law, these checks. So, they sent the guy into -- the staff person into the field, there were hundreds of carcasses. And they said pick 60 to random test.
And one of these 60 is this now famous cow that had mad cow disease. Now, as far as we know, this cow had no symptoms. This cow looked perfectly fine. But when they tested him, the cow had BSC, which is the technical term for mad cow disease.
MALVEAUX: So, what would have happened if this cow had made it into some sort of feed that went to other animals and we ate those animals?
COHEN: Right, because this plant renders those cows and sometimes they do end up in feed for pigs or livestock or chickens or poultry. So, yes, that could have happened.
But here's the safeguard. Because this could happen, the U.S. Department of Agriculture makes it so that you don't process the parts of the animal that would have the infectious agent in it.
So, you don't process the brain, which is where this infectious agent lives. You don't process the spinal cord. You don't process all of that. You leave that out so that this won't happen. That's one of the safeguards to protect against mad cow disease.
MALVEAUX: Is there any reason we should be concerned about the beef we eat?
COHEN: No. I mean, this one single cow does not pose any threat. First of all, they caught it before they had done anything with it. It was a dairy cow but experts tell me the milk posed no risk because the milk does not have the infectious agent in it.
So, this one cow definitely, you know, really does not seem to carry any risk. It definitely opens up the bigger question, well, what if they hadn't randomly selected that cow? What if it had been processed and made into --
MALVEAUX: Right.
COHEN: -- chicken feed? And what if they made a mistake and did include some of the spinal cord in there?
I mean, there's lots of ifs. But here's what I would say. No one in this country has ever gotten mad cow disease from an animal in this country. In other words, no one has ever eaten meat from this country and gotten mad cow disease. So, some people look at that and say, well, then the safeguards appear to be working.
MALVEAUX: That's good news.
You actually covered the original story back in 2006. You saw firsthand how devastating this is. Describe for us what that was about?
COHEN: It's just one of the most difficult stories I have ever done, Suzanne. This woman here lived in England, contracted the disease there. Didn't get sick because this disease has such a long incubation period, then came here and 10 years later got sick, and then it was just downhill very quickly, unable to speak as you can see, unable to walk.
She died a couple months after I saw her. Her name was Charlene. It was just horrible.
That's the reason why they are so careful with this disease is that there is no treatment. There is nothing you can do. But, again, she contracted the disease in the U.K.
There's another person where the same thing happened, another person contracted it in Saudi Arabia, and then moved to here.
So people have contracted it outside of the U.S. and then moved here not knowing they had it.
MALVEAUX: Right.
COHEN: But no one has contracted it here that we know of.
MALVEAUX: OK. So we do not have to be concerned about this particular --
COHEN: No, I think it's an ongoing concern we need to make sure that the meat industry and the USDA are doing the right thing. But this one cow doesn't seem to be making people nervous.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thanks.
COHEN: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: Thank you, Elizabeth.
Just ahead, President Obama serenading young voters with a little slow jam. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: The reason it's so important to keep down costs is so we keep college affordable.
FALLON: And the president knows his stuff, y'all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here is a rundown of some of the stories we're working on next.
Newt Gingrich calling it quits. What it means for Mitt Romney's campaign.
Then, the Federal Reserve meeting behind closed doors to come up with a plan to help boost the U.S. recovery.
And later, finding love the second time around.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As I age, I wonder will I be able to find somebody that I'm compatible with and I'm excited about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Why baby boomers are divorcing at double the rate of prior generations their age.
And today's punch line going to President Obama, doing all he can right now to win over young voters. He swung by "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" for just a couple laughs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FALLON: This question from @bobobrian and Bobo says --
OBAMA: What does Bobo have to say?
FALLON: I think that's the first time you have --
OBAMA: I woke up wondering what Bobo was going to say.
FALLON: What does Bobo have to say.
Due to economic pressures, influence on voters could likely see a dot, dot, dot -- oh, forget it. Are you going to legalize weed or what?
(CHEERS)
OBAMA: I figured that's what he was going to ask.
FALLON: Sounds like something he would be interested in, yes.
OBAMA: We're not going to be legalizing weed or what anytime soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: President Obama, pretty funny stuff. He wasn't just playing for laughs during late night comedy appearance, of course. It's a serious effort to reenergize the young folks who played such a big part in the 2008 campaign.
I want to bring in our political panel to talk about it and more, Republican strategist Lenny McAllister, joining us from Chicago, Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman with us from New York.
So, good to see you guys both.
You know, it was just -- it was classic, right? We had the slow jam in the news. I want you to look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: What we said is simple, now is not the time to make school more expensive for our young people.
(APPLAUSE)
FALLON: Oh, yes. You should listen to the president, or as I like to call him, the preesy of the united stezzy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: I love this stuff. I don't know. I mean, you know, this grabs people's attention, right? It gets people to laugh.
It draws you in here, Lenny. I mean, this is classic. This is smart. I mean, how does Romney -- how does he go up against this?
LENNY MCALLISTER, REPUBLICAN ANALYST: Well, the very simple way you go up against it is just remind people, if you're up watching Jimmy Fallon, the chances are you probably don't have a job to go to the next day. So, if you start going back to the economy and pivot back to the economy and say, you know what? This is a nice guy. This guy is somebody that you may want to shoot ball with like the president does or do brackets with which is just fine or talk about the Super Bowl with, which is all well and good.
But me, Mitt Romney, I am better getting back to work. I am better at getting this economy going. This president also was out bragging about 120,000 jobs being added last month. He thinks getting down to 8.2 percent unemployment is a good thing.
You know what? You can laugh with this guy, but if this guy can't get you back to work and can't get the economy back on track, he's a nice guy that needs to move back to Chicago in January.
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: You know, Lenny, just because you're in bed by maybe 9:00 doesn't mean all of us who watch Jimmy Fallon are necessarily -- necessarily don't work the next day because all of us do get up and work the next day.
MCALLISTER: (INAUDIBLE) earlier here at Chicago.
ZIMMERMAN: But the point here is simply this. What made the president's appearance so great was not just the fact that he connected politically with young people, which is an important constituency, but he also engaged them around an issue that shows why government is important to their lives.
Seven-point-four million students are going to have their interest rates on their student loans doubled by July 1 unless the Republican leadership in Congress takes action. The president has called for extending this student loan interest rates at 3.4 percent, and all we hear from Republican Congress are excuses as to why they can't take action. The president has called for extending this student loan interest rates at 3.4 percent, and all we're hearing from the Republican Congress is that are excuses as to why they can't take action.
Even though Mitt Romney says he agrees with the president, he supports the Ryan budget like all the Republican members of the House and Senate do, which calls for raising student loan interest rates to 6.8 percent.
MALVEAUX: Lenny, I want to ask you this. If you were advising Romney, would you tell him I think you should go on Jimmy Fallon. I think you should be light and funny and interesting to the young people here. You know, go in with a sense of humor?
MCALLISTER: Mitt Romney has to be Mitt Romney. We've seen this previously. Every time Mitt Romney tries to be the everyday guy, he doesn't do a very good job of it.
Mitt Romney needs to do what he did yesterday, which is basically saying and to Robert's point, I agree with the president. We need to make sure that these students that are in college, the people we need to get back to work, to buy homes, to get this economy going, we can't burden them. We need to do something about this year.
ZIMMERMAN: But the reason it doesn't ring true --
MCALLISTER: And show voters out there that you know what? The Democrats are going to try to scare you into thinking that I'm some scary, crazy Republican. I am somebody that is on the side of the American people, and I can get this economy back going the way that President Obama hasn't been able to in four years.
MALVEAUX: Go ahead, Robert.
ZIMMERMAN: But, you know, Lenny, when you cut through the rhetoric, you have to get through to facts and policy. As long as Mitt Romney is going to advocate the Ryan budget, which ends Medicare for future retirees, which calls for raising interest rates on student loans --
MCALLISTER: We're talking about college students.
ZIMMERMAN: We're talking about college students. We're talking about the fact that interest rates on student loans for college students are going to go up to 6.8 percent. That means every student on a federal loan will pay $1,000 more a year and --
MCALLISTER: But Governor Romney agreed with the president on this.
MALVEAUX: Lenny, I want to ask you something too here because the president is obviously using what Robert is talking about as a way to get to these young voters.
Back in 2008, when I saw the young people, I mean, the president, he does a great job of winning over the young people and really getting revitalized here.
You have polls that show that Mitt Romney now is behind like 40 percentage points when it comes to young people. How does he make up that gap because they're going to be really important this go around? MCALLISTER: It's a matter of -- the Republicans are going to have to decide how much of the gap can they make up. If they make it about the economy, if they say things along the lines of, for example, we'll get back to full employment in America by the time the fifth graders in America today have graduated from high school.
So those fifth graders have hope and change that they can believe in. But for the rest of you, those in high school now, those in college now, those that are working now, you're going to be stuck with the Obama economy for another 10 years at this rate.
When you start pivoting in that direction, you can make the argument to younger workers in America that perhaps, again, this well- intended nice guy in the White House is somebody that you can believe in, but shouldn't be somebody leading you for the next four years as president.
MALVEAUX: Go ahead real quick and then I will play a little Mitt Romney here.
ZIMMERMAN: All I was going to say is biggest problem is first uniting the Republican Party. When you watch these people lining up to endorse Mitt Romney, they look like they need a blindfold and cigarette to go through the process because the party is still so badly divided. He doesn't even have confidence among his own party.
MALVEAUX: You have good one-liners and zingers here both of you, both sides.
ZIMMERMAN: I'm doing my best.
MALVEAUX: I want to play a little bit of Mitt Romney here. This is after he swept all five primaries yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- because he has failed, he will run a campaign of diversions and distractions and distortions. That kind of campaign may have worked at another place and in a different time, but not here and not now. It's still about the economy, and we're not stupid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Lenny, the rhetoric here. Do we think we're going to hear more of this kind of tone? Do people want to be inspired or are we going to hear this kind of back and forth that is very negative and very critical? Does that work even?
MCALLISTER: We're going to see the back and forth and the balance that Governor Romney and his campaign has to have is enough red meat to keep the conservatives involved without saying the word conservative, without saying the word Republican too much.
But at the same time speak to independents and say I'm trying to unify this country and get us back on track from an economic standpoint. He's going to have to throw the red meat. He talked about the Greek columns and the hope and change yesterday to get conservatives fired up and let them know he's still one of them.
But he went specifically and primarily to the independents, and you'll see Governor Romney going back and forth balancing the two as gently as possible for the next six months because if he goes one way or the other, it's going to be too much and he will be seen as an extremist one way or the other.
MALVEAUX: Got to leave it there. Thank you both. Keep bringing those one liners, too, but also your insights, very good. All right, thank you.
Eating out alone, some people dread it, but dining solo can actually be a lot of fun. We're going to tell you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: I want to try to talk again to our guest in Arizona, Glenn Spencer. We had a technical problem a couple minutes ago.
We are talking today about the state of Arizona's attempt to keep its tough immigration laws over the federal government's objections. Basically, the state wants to patrol and control the border with Mexico in a way that the federal government says is unconstitutional.
So I want you to listen to what folks have to say here. Mostly Latino people in Arizona told me when I was there a few months ago, they say that they are being targeted and mistreated. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They pull you over and you ask them, how can I help you? And they say -- they start just asking for your I.D. and stuff, and, yes, I have experienced it. Anybody says that it doesn't happen, they're hypocrites or they just don't want to believe the truth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Always stopping the Latino community or always targeting the low-income community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: I want to bring Glenn Spencer back into the conversation in Herford, Arizona. He runs a web site. He says it illustrates that illegal immigration is a big problem there. You're right on the border, Mr. Spencer.
First, I do want you to address what some of your neighbors and fellow folks in Arizona are saying that they are targeted and they do not feel comfortable in the community. Can you at least respond to some of their concerns?
GLENN SPENCER, AMERICANBORDERPATROL.COM: Well, I think the job was done for me by Senator Schumer yesterday when he held a hearing and he had former State Senator Russell Pearce, who was the father of SB-1070.
And I would encourage people to watch that interview and that discussion because Russell really addressed these issues and explained in detail how they were so careful to craft the law to avoid the kind of thing you just heard, and I have every confidence that these kinds of problems will be avoided.
MALVEAUX: So you are confident that your Hispanic Latino neighbors are not being mistreated?
SPENCER: Well, we would hope that they are not. We are confident that every attempt will be made and is being made in the law and in training to make sure that doesn't happen.
MALVEAUX: OK. Tell us a little bit about these videos you make and post on your web site because I understand you see it firsthand. You have a ranch on the border with Mexico, and you post these pictures. Tell us what we are seeing here.
SPENCER: Well, we're American Border Patrol, we're a non - profit. We have a ranch right along the border. I'm looking into Mexico right now. We've been here for 10 years documenting what is going on.
And we have heard many promises of the federal government. Back in 2006, they passed the Secure Fence Act of 2006. By the way, then Senator Obama voted for it, to build 700 miles of double layer fence on the border.
We fly the border. We've documented it. If you go on americanborderpatrol.com, look to the left, click on that map, and you can see what is on the border from Texas to California. There are 35 miles of double layer fence that they built and most of what they --
MALVEAUX: Explain to us what you see. Can you explain to us what you actually see as somebody who has a unique perspective right on the border? What are you actually seeing? What is the problem?
SPENCER: What we see and I took your crew flying a while back. What you see is what the United States government calls a fence, you can step right over. Most of the border -- we flew over 30 miles and didn't see -- (inaudible).
MALVEAUX: All right, Glenn Spencer. I'm sorry, Glenn. We're just having a hard time with your connection there, but we do get your point. We see the video there, the web site that you are on the border.
That you are having -- essentially you see people who are crossing illegally despite some of the efforts that the federal government has made. It's a very big and important case before the Supreme Court.
The Federal Reserve has just made a big announcement on interest rates. We want to go live to the New York Stock Exchange and CNN's Alison Kosik to tell us a little bit about what's happening. What do we know?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne. So what we heard from the fed today is a lot of what we heard from the fed in its last meeting in January.
For one, the fed said that it's going to keep interest rates between a target range of zero and a quarter of 1 percent. No surprise there. The fed has said it's going to go ahead and keep rates there for several years because of the weak economy.
What this means to you and me, it means that we can get loans cheaper. So if you want to get a credit card, car loan, student loans, it's really meant to encourage borrowing.
Some other language in this fed statement that just came out that I have in my hands here. A lot like what we saw in January with the fed saying that the economy is expanding moderately.
That the labor market is improving, but the unemployment rate remains elevated and that the housing sector continues to be depressed. Now there were a couple different things we heard that caught my eye.
With the fed saying that inflation picked up that's reflecting the rise in gas and oil prices, but over the long term the expectation is that that kind of inflation will stabilize and one more thing that caught my eye on economic growth that the fed said.
The fed said that it remains moderate, economic growth does, and then will pick up gradually. Now, the language it will pick up gradually, that caught my eye for a couple of reasons, because on the one hand it sounds optimistic.
But on the other what does pickup gradually mean? It could take years or it could take months. So it is kind of broad there. Now we may get more insight into what the fed is actually saying in this statement at 2:00.
That is when the fed comes out with its economic outlook for the economy and then at 2:15, the fed is going to be holding one of its four press conferences that it holds every year. We will certainly be listening for that.
MALVEAUX: All right, we'll be watching closely. Thank you, Alison.
So we're asking you, do you like to eat alone? We have some tips on how you can make it an enjoyable experience.
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MALVEAUX: Party of one. Three dreaded words for some folks who eat alone. Doesn't have to be that way. I want you to take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, ACTRESS, "THE MUPPETS": So, how many in your party, two?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, ACTRESS, "THE MUPPETS": No, just the one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, party of one, follow me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): I look around and once again I'm on my own. My man is here. He's gone, done me wrong. No one's going to stop this girl from having fun. I throw my hands up high and have a party for one. I'm having a me party. A party by myself. A me party.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: That is so funny, a me party. Amy Adams, she's all excited about it. So is our next guest, Kat Kinsman from Eatocracy joining us from New York.
Kat, you know, I like to eat alone. I think every once in a while it's cool. It's great. You show up. People leave you alone. I usually have a favorite restaurant. They know what I like. They know what I want to eat. People leave me alone. It's good. It's good stuff. What do you think, party of one, could it -- you know, could you have a good time? I do.
KAT KINSMAN, EATOCRACY: Oh -- and that song's going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day. No. Well, our friends at CNN Travel wrote -- ran a story the other day about a website that is geared toward business travelers -- female business travelers -- who don't want to eat alone. And that actually kind of depressed me because when I see somebody eating alone, I don't think, oh, poor baby, they couldn't get anybody to eat with them or, you know, what a friendless loser. I think, that is a cool, confident, fantastic person who is happy in their own company. And I hope they're treating themselves to a fabulous meal. That's how I feel when I eat alone.
MALVEAUX: And so what are some folks concerned about when they see, OK, you don't have anybody you're eating with here?
KINSMAN: They are worried about what other people are going to think. And a lot of times women eating alone are really worried that men are just going to hit on them, that they're just there to be picked up on. So we have a few tips that we got together to help people feel a little bit more confident about that.
First of all, slam dunk, eat at the bar, because all of a sudden you're not eating alone. Yes, you have the bartender on your side, so that is instant companionship. They can, you know, step in if anybody is being a little bit funny, but they're really great to talk to.
MALVEAUX: Yes, that is true.
KINSMAN: Second of all -- oh, it is. That's their job.
Second of all, we say, ask people -- ask them questions about the menu, because, generally, if you show that you're really invested in the food or the drinks, you start to get really special, personalized service. And that's a fantastic thing and they know that you trust their opinion and they want to talk to you a little bit more.
The third thing is, as a friend of mine says, bringing a book is the universal symbol of, please don't talk to me. It's --
MALVEAUX: Leave me alone.
KINSMAN: Yes, exactly. And it's a polite way to do it. And if you do get embroiled in conversation with, you know, a nice strange who sits next to you, you can always just tuck that away.
And something that I love to do -- I travel a lot for work -- is, it would be really rude to pull out your phone and start tweeting during a meal. I'm not one of those tweet and eat people.
MALVEAUX: Yes.
KINSMAN: But if you're sitting by yourself, you're bringing your whole social network to the table with you, and you can say, oh, I'm at such and such a restaurant and people can say, oh, you definitely need to order whatever it is and you have your friends with you at the table essentially.
MALVEAUX: Your virtual friends. Your world of virtual friends.
KINSMAN: Exactly.
MALVEAUX: Now you and I were tweeting about this yesterday and, you know, I tweeted that I actually really enjoy this, to go out sometimes.
KINSMAN: Yes.
MALVEAUX: And especially, you know, like when you're at the airport and you're sitting at the bar and you get a little something to eat and then, you know, that's -- it's really easy. You know, you talk to the bartender and the people around you and stuff like that. But what are people tweeting you about this?
KINSMAN: People really jumped in there and I love that you jumped right into the conversation because it showed that you're comfortable with it, I'm comfortable with it, we're all good with it. Somebody who tweets @cowandcrumb said they totally dig it because there's no sharing, there's great people watching, and you also know who's paying. So there's not that grabbing for the check at the end.
And another woman -- another person who tweets as Nandita said that they love it because there's a great sense of empowerment that comes along with it. And that's true. One of the best things anybody ever said to me was a great friend in college who said there is nothing more intriguing than a woman eating lunch on her own.
MALVEAUX: Now we're intriguing as well.
KINSMAN: We are. MALVEAUX: Kat, thank you. We will keep tweeting as well because I just thought it was really interesting.
KINSMAN: I'll see you at the bar.
MALVEAUX: Exactly. All right, thanks, Kat. Good to see you.
Many baby boomers entering a new phase in life, learning how to live alone after 30 years or more of marriage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBBIE JENKINS, DIVORCED: My grandparents were married for over 50 years. My parents have been married for going on 55 years. So, yes, I mean, that was, you know, a legacy that I wanted to follow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Why baby boomers are divorcing later in life more than any other generation.
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MALVEAUX: They were children of the post-war boom, baby boomers born from 1946 to the early '60s have had a huge impact on society. Well, all this week our series "Age Against The Machine" looks at this amazing generation. Today we're going to take a look at a new study which finds that baby boomers are divorcing more than any previous generation this late in life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBBIE JENKINS, DIVORCED: Get a drink. Get a drink. Good girl.
MALVEAUX (voice-over): Debbie Jenkins takes a nature hike every day after work with her playful Rottweiler Bella. This fit 52-year-old started getting more active after her divorce a year ago. A divorce from a man she'd been married to for 27 years.
JENKINS: You know I had my family and my children to help me through it. And I joined the gym. And that was like the best thing I could have done. Didn't think about being depressed or anything. I just worked out.
MALVEAUX: Debbie was just 24 when she got married. She had every intention to be married for life.
JENKINS: Well, my grandparents were married for over 50 years. My parents have been married for going on 55 years. So, yes, I mean, that was, you know, a legacy that I wanted to follow.
MALVEAUX: The couple had three children together. But years later, after the last recession, her husband took a job out of state. They tried a commuter marriage for three years. It didn't work.
JENKINS: You grow apart. Emotionally, physically. And it kind of -- you know, we just couldn't relate to each other anymore.
MALVEAUX: New research using data from the Census Bureau finds one in four people getting a divorce these days are age 50 and older. That's more than double the divorce rate among the same age group just 20 years ago. The study's authors point to several reasons why so many baby boomers are getting divorces. Women are more financially independent than they've been in the past. There's less social pressure to stay married. And the definition of marriage has evolved since their parent's generation to a greater focus on individual happiness rather than fulfilling marital roles.
GRAHAM CALHOUN, DIVORCEE: Too hot. Too hot.
MALVEAUX: Graham Calhoun has been living a bachelor's life since his divorce nearly 12 years ago. The 55-year-old rents a room in a house with three roommates. At the time of the divorce, Graham and his wife had a six-year-old daughter.
CALHOUN: We'd kind of grown apart. The intimacy had kind of faded away. We were more friends than anything else.
MALVEAUX: Graham, a photographer and website designer, says he didn't have a hard time meeting women after his divorce, mostly through online dating and meet-up groups for baby boomers.
CALHOUN: Women had really changed a lot in the last, you know, 12 years since I had been on the dating scene and were much more independent and much more confidence, which I loved. And they knew what they wanted.
MALVEAUX: But Graham says, in some ways, that's been a problem.
CALHOUN: Women flat out just say, I don't -- I'm never getting married again. One woman that I had a long term relationship with said she was never getting married again. She said her marriage was a contract to take your partner for granted.
MALVEAUX: And while he doesn't care about the marriage contract, he does want a long-term relationship again.
CALHOUN: As I age, I wonder, will I be able to find somebody that I'm compatible with and I'm excited about? I don't know. I just don't know.
JENKINS: You know what to do.
MALVEAUX: Meanwhile, Debbie says she's becoming a more independent woman since her divorce. She recently attended this baby boomers event for speed dating and joined an outdoors adventure club. Debbie says she feels a sense of liberation and doesn't feel the need to settle down anytime soon.
JENKINS: I was his wife and I was there, you know, to take care of the children and take care of him, and, you know, everybody's needs, and I just feel like it's my time now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Four years ago he was running for president. Today he's on trial brought down by lies, sex, and money. We're going to have the latest in the John Edwards fall from grace.
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