that this is the same judge who referred to three black female defense attorneys as the supremes. >> yes, he sure did. apparently he referred to three african-american female public defenders as the supremes. he was reprimanded for that, randi, and that happened before this drunk driving incident, and so this is a judge, he's 68 years old, mandatory requirements for retirement is 70 so he's going to be there. >> sunny hostin, have to leave it there. i'm randi kaye, glad you're with us. "the situation room" with jessica yellin starts right now. happening now, a new curfew takes effect in egypt as the country's military rulers grow impatient with protesters. thousands are still not satisfied with the pace of change after the revolution. plus, fiery protests in iran. will the islamic regime crush the anti-government anger spreading through the country and the region? and a reality check on the president's new budget plan. both parties are failing to do what it takes to stop deficit

spending. this hour, i'll ask the white house budget director where are the grownups who are willing to make tough choices? wolf blitzer is off. i'm jessica yellin. you're in "the situation room." now aftershocks from the revolution in egypt are playing out across the country and the region right now. in cairo, it's just after midnight, and a new curfew is taking effect. military rulers are clearing out protesters who have tried to stay in the main square three days after president hosni mubarak quit. in iran, tens of thousands of people took to the streets today in defiance of the hard line islamic government. witnesses say security forces tweet protesters and threw tear gas canisters at them. there's a late report from iran that one person was shot and killed. the u.s. is watching unrest especially closely in iran. and in yemen where al qaeda

has a very active branch, clashes broke out in cremen's capital city today between pro and anti-government protesters for at least the fourth day in a row. let's get an update now on the situation in egypt. cnn's fred pleitgen joins us from cairo. hi, fred, what's the latest there? >> reporter: hi, jessica. well, you said it. there are more and more small crowds showing up and the military is shutting it down. police officers are also staging their own protests which is interesting because the police here was actually so repressive. they were run of the reasons why the revolution started. now they want better working conditions. here's what they said. hundreds of cops cheer as this officer tears the enlet off his uniform at a police demonstration at egypt's interior ministry. we want better wages, this policeman shouts, and we have colleagues who have been fired

who need to come back to work. a protest by members of what's arguably egypt's most unpopular profession but one that's badly needed these days. anti-government demonstrators and police fought raging battles in cairo and other egyptian cities two weeks ago. then, as army rolled in, egyptian police notorious for allegations of corruption, random arrests and brutality, disappeared. in the aftermath, some police stations were looted and set ablaze. now mustafa ahmed and others are volunteering to renovate this one in cairo in a bid to restore law enforcement authority. this is our country, he says, and we worry about it. we fight the destruction that comes its way. i can sleep much better knowing the police are around. refurbishing a building is one thing, but whether you liked the

police before or not, law enforcement authorities are necessary. that's why the officers have set up makeshift offices here outside the building, and as you can see, they are in high demand. this man is filing a verbal abuse complaint against his landlord. he says the once heavy-handed cops seem to be friendlier these days. before, we had to wait a long time for someone to listen to us, he says. they didn't seem concerned. now things have completely changed. but distrust remains. only traffic police are back on the streets. regular cops still don't walk beats in cairo or other cities, a spokesman says, out of fear of being had a rationed. citizens have organized neighborhood watches to protect their belongings and cnn obtained this amateur video of citizens handing the people over

to the army after a jail break. meanwhile, many cops continue their protests demanding more money and better working conditions as egypt struggles to establish an institution many hate but need. jessica, the average police officer here makes $100 a month. there's clearly a lot of people that believe the cops should be making more. they were joined by some of the people who have been in tahrir square for a very long time, mixing those protests. the military was not a demonstration, jessica. >> there were also workers protesting and demanding higher salaries. would you tell us about that. >> yes. there were workers protesting today as there have been in the past couple of days. some of them were hospital workers and there were also other public workers who are on strike today as well. it appears to us as though there's more and more of these smaller demonstrations that are springing up, more and more sectors that are protesting, and

this is clearly a huge concern to this military council that's currently governing the country. they issued a statement today calling on all people to go back to work, calling the conduct detrimental to the country and especially to the country's economy, so it really appears as though at this point in time the military is losing its patience and is clearly fed up with the demonstrations going on so it's turning into an iffy situation on the ground here as the military is really trying to assert itself, jessica. >> fred pleitgen for us in cairo. thank you, fred. now, here at home, 3.7 trillion of your tax dollars at work. yeah. that's the total amount of president obama's new budget blueprint for 1212. it includes billions of dollars of spending cuts, airports, heat subsidies for the poor, water treatment plants, pell grants for higher education, some of the targets, and we're taking a hard look at budget and how both parties are dodging the biggest most painful cuts, despite all

of those i just mentioned. let's bring in our white house correspondent dan lothian. the bottom line is despite all of those cuts critics are pouncing. >> reporter: they really are. i should say, first of all, from the president on down and other aides at the white house, they do say there is a lot of pain in this budget, that they did have to make some tough choices, but democrats think that it went too far. some republicans say that it didn't go far enough, especially when it comes to tackling the massive federal deficit. president obama's own debt commission laid out an ominous assessment last year warning of fiscal cancer without drastic surgery on the federal deficit. >> it's going to destroy our country from within. the problem is real. the solutions are painful. >> reporter: but the 208-page budget proposal doesn't come close to reducing the $14 trillion deficit as aggressively as suggested by the commission. president obama's defense, this is just a start. >> so what we've done here is

make a down payment, but there's going to be more work that needs to be done. >> reporter: but conservatives aren't buying it. >> we're in a very political era right now, but the fact is that the president punted last year on tackling the long-term situation. >> reporter: instead of the commissiony's goal of shaving the dev tut by $4 trillion over the next decade, the white house numbers only 1.1 trillion in that same time period, slashing hundreds of domestic programs and increasing tax revenue. >> i think really this is a giant missed opportunity to put it politely, and other people could even say that he's thumbed his nose at his own deficit commission. >> reporter: for example, the budget doesn't touch on long-term solutions for medicare or social security which the commission had said could be made healthier by reducing cost of living increases, benefits for wealthy seniors and raising the retirement age. but president obama's budget director jack liu says social security is not contributing to the deficit in the short term

and dismissed criticism that the commission ignored. >> areas like corporate tax reform which i mentioned, medical malpractice reform, even the government organization and handling of surplus property. >> reporter: lew preysed the good work of the commission and suggested other difficult proposals to hand out long-term solutions would take time and require a serious bipartisan effort. now the president is also calling for investment in high-speed rail and also in high broad band access and also green jobs, and conservatives and those critics say that they are all for job creation, but they think that this needs to be less about the government, less spending and more in the hands of the private sector. jessica. >> all right, thanks, dan. later in the show i'll be asking jack lew, the budget director, why the budget didn't take on the entitlements. well, it is no surprise, yes, that the republicans are pouncing on the president's new budget blueprint, but this week the new gop leaders in their

house have their own chance to get tough on spending. they are unveiling a bill that would fund the government through september of this year. let's bring in our congressional correspondent brianna keilar. first of all, we should clarify, brianna, the president's budget is talking about 2012, right now the republicans talking about funding 2011 and do they take on medicare, medicaid or social security? >> reporter: they don't for 2011 and they say they cannot do this in the type of bill that is going to be on the floor this week which they cannot do, but house republican leaders say they will target entitlements come spring when they are talking about their budget proposal for 2012, so they slammed president obama today for not tackling this issue saying he's punting on the deficit. house majority leader eric cantor was pressed for specifics on how republicans will tackle this issue. do they want to raise the retirement age for social security? do they want to increase americans' tax contributions and

certainly more focused on the president's budget but what else is here? they don't call social security, of course, the third rail of politics for nothing, so if they did get into specifics on that today, you know we would be all over them, certainly critics would be all over republicans, and then the store woe change away from their criticism of president obama's budget. >> politics is getting in the way a little bit. tell us what's on the chopping block on the house floor this week. >> reporter: yeah. it's quite a bit of money. this is $60 billion. this is what they are propose, going to be on the house floor tomorrow. 60 billion in cuts for the remaining seven months of the fiscal year. examples of what's on the chopping block, 747 million in cuts to the nutrition program for women, infarnts and children, you may know it as wic. over 500 million in cuts from community policing programs. there's also $3 billion in cuts, a lot there, from the environmental protection agency. now right now the government is being funded by a temporary bill.

it expires march 4th. yes, that's just around the corner, so what's happening on the house floor this week it raises the specter of a government shutdown, especially because you can see where it's going to hard to find a consensus between senate democrats and the white house on the one hand and then on the other hand house republicans demanding these very deep cuts and are indicating they don't want to bend on their demands. conventional wisdom, of course, is nobody wants this to happen, but it's out there that it could. >> and we're headed to some kind of a showdown. >> exactly. >> and we have just -- here is a cope of the president's budget, heavy as it is, i don't know if we can see that, but it's on the table. that is the president's budget this year, just got it. >> that is very large. >> and still doesn't take on the biggest part of what we need to tackle. thanks so much, brianna. all right. iran's hardline regime is the latest target of protests sweeping through the region. will anti-government anger there unleash a revolution like the one in egypt? and rumors are swirling about the former egyptian president hosni mubarak.

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the revolution in egypt is raising new questions about whether we'll begin to see more governments fall in that region. cnn foreign affairs

correspondent jill doherty joins us now with more. hi, jill. >> reporter: hey, jessica. you know, it really is extraordinary, jessica, no matter where you look right now. it could be in north africa, if would be in the middle east. people are taking to the streets, and many of them are inspired by what happened in egypt, and the administration here is looking at this very, very closely. no country is more under the microscope than iran. is this what the obama administration hopes could be the next people's revolution? iranian police clash with demonstrators on the streets of tehran and secretary of state hillary clinton connects the dots with egypt's revolution. >> we wish the opposition and the brave people in the streets across cities in iran, you know, the same opportunity that they saw their egyptian counterparts seize in the last week. >> reporter: as iranian police round up activists, the state department begins tweeting

encouraging messages telling iranians we want to join in your conversation. just days after revolution toppled egypt's longtime ruler, hosni mubarak, unrest is rippling through the region, and the u.s. is trying to figure out how to handle it. in algeria, protesters clash with security forces and the state department proclaims there's support for the universal rights of the algerian people, adding these rights apply on the internet. the government of syria puts a blogger on trial for espionage and the state department calls for her freedom n.jordan, the chairman of the u.s. joint chiefs of staff and a top state department official meet with king abdullah ii to show support for the new government he swore in following anti-government protests. yet nothing is settled in egypt. trying to muster international support, president obama has been speed-dialing fellow leaders in great britain, jordan and turkey to help keep pressure

on the egyptian military to turn a revolution into a real democracy. secretary clinton called the egyptian foreign minister and her counterparts in eight other countries. the tide of democracy opens opportunities, officials say, but a former cia director says this is not a stack of dominoes. >> the challenge is how does one manage that during the transition period so that you don't see some of the more radical and, unfortunately, those are generally the best organized groups, seizing control, capturing the revolution and taking it into a direction that's very dark. >> and you can add a few more names to that list of countries that are dealing with demonstrations and protests such as bahrain and yemen. just a few minutes ago, jessica, we got a list of phone calls that vice president joe biden has been making. it really is a full-court press. >> all right.

jill. jill doherty at the state department, thank you. as we know now young people helped drive the egyptian revolution, and they are now spreading the message of freedom on campus and online. congresswoman gabrielle giffords valentine's gift to her husband? more progress in her recovery. hey, did you ever finish last month's invoices? sadly, no. oh. but i did pick up your dry cleaning and had your shoes shined. well, i made you a reservation at the sushi place around the corner. well, in that case, i better get back to these invoices... which i'll do right after making your favorite pancakes. you know what? i'm going to tidy up your side of the office.

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a building collapses in texas. lisa sylvester is here monitoring that and some of the other top stories in "the situation room."

hi, lisa. tell us what you have. >> nice to have you here, jessica. two construction workers were injured when a parking structure collapsed in san antonio. cnn affiliate ksat reports one of the workers is now in critical condition. officials say the crew was working on the seven-story structure when they heard a rumbling noise. republican congressman jeff flake of arizona, he has made it official. he will run for the seat of retiring senator jon kyl saying kyl has set the bar extremely high and will try to set the standards. congresswoman gabrielle giffords was considering a senate run before being shot last month and speaking of the congresswoman, she is speaking more every day. her husband reports if she asks a question giffords will answer and she's also putting together small sentences. giffords was shot in the head last month outside a tucson grocery store. last week she said she wanted toast. >> and i read they had her

singing a little bit. apparently singing is a really good way to get -- >> good for rehab and therapy, wouldn't be surprised, but i have a feeling before too long she's going to be doing her first interview very soon. >> i think so. that will be a happy moment. coming up, a reality check of the president's new budget blueprint out today. i'll ask the white house budget director why the administration didn't make the toughest decisions to cut spending. and my exclusive interview with the creators of a video promoting sarah palin's campaign for momma grizzlies. they are speaking out for the very first time on television.

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you're in "the situation room." happening now. rumors running rammant about the whereabouts about former egyptian president hosni mubarak days after his fall from power. is he sick? will he leave the country? we'll take you to the resort city where he's believed to be hiding out. plus, it's some of the most elite training the military offers. ahead, military snipers learn to take the perfect shot amid some of the worst conditions. wolf blitzer is off. i'm jessica yellin. you're in "the situation room."

it is time to get real about the new obama budget blueprint and the failure by either party to make the tough et choices to cut spending. the white house brags that its new 2012 budget would shrink deficits every year over the next ten years reducing them by over $1.4 trillion but under the president's plan the federal government would still spend money dreads of billions of dollars more than it takes in every year over that ten-year period, and the country would sink trillions of dollars deeper into the red, so we keep piling on to the total amount we owe to other countries. that's over $14 trillion on the national debt clock right now. well, here's why the president's plan barely makes a dent in the debt t.only takes a whack at about 16% of the federal budget. it doesn't touch the biggest ticket items. that includes most defense and mandatory spending programs.

joining me now to discuss all this is the white house budget director, jack lew. mr. lew, thank you so much for being with us. big day, big budget, but you really can't balance the budget by tackling only about 16% of our spending. why didn't you guys take on the really hard stuff, entitlements? >> well, it's good to be with you, jess camp i would challenge the notion that this budget does not solve the problem in the short and the medium term. we've put forward a budget that tackles almost every part of the budget that you just described. it would reduce the deficit to a place in the middle of the decade where we'd stop add together national debt. we would still have interest payments on the old debt but, you know, like a family that has a problem with its credit card, have you to start adding to the balance before you can pay it down. we'd accomplish that by the middle of the decade so i think it's a very big step, when we get our budget enacted. in terms of the proposals in the

budget, we do take $400 billion over the next ten years out of the portion of the budget you're describing which is annual discretionary spending. that would bring spending in that category down to the level it hasn't been at since the eisenhower administration, but we also take on defense. we cut $78 billion from the defense programs as they were outlined just a year ago, and we have savings in mandatory programs where in order to pay for medicare we have $62 billion in savings in health programs. >> so with respect there is a deficit between the deficit, our yearly red ink bill and the debt, how much we owe overall, and it's even -- kent conrad, a democrat, said we need to be much more serious than when this budget says saying we need to look at a much more robust package of deficit and debt reduction so if we're going to have an adult conversation about social security, medicare, medicaid, doesn't it need to come first from someone presenting the budget, from the white house, for example? >> i think that we are taking a

step today budgputting a budget there that frames the issues in the right way. takes actions now so now and five years from now we can get our deficit under control so we can stabilize things so that we're not adding to the debt anymore. >> do you acree that social security, medicaid and medicare should be reformed? >> they each need to be addressed separately. it's very important not to confuse the importance of dealing with social security in the long term with these short-term deficit reduction challenges. they are different issues. i think if you look at health care, there's no doubt that health care is a very significant factor in our whole economy that's driving spending. the spending in the government on health care is just reflective of the broader trends across the economy. i think that the important steps taken in the affordable care act will start to chip away at that. that's why the savings in the proposal, in the law that's been

enacted, are so important and it's important that it be implemented. i think in this budget there's a very important provision, which i should take a minute to explain. you know, for years congress and successive administrations have been adding to the deficit by just suspending a provision in law that would cut what we pay doctors under medicare by 30%. there's a bipartisan agreement that that wouldn't be a good idea. in the past we just put it on the national credit card. what this budget says we should pay for. it put $62 billion of real proposals out there to pay for it for the next two years. >> circumstances our credit card is going so heavily into the red and what you're talking about, that one proposal is just a fraction of a fraction of what we owe, so if you're acknowledging that we do need at some point to talk about social security, medicare, medicaid, is this slightly a political move, this budget? isn't it really politics saying we're going -- we're going to touch non-dis -- not going to touch non-discretionary spending, we'll let the republicans go first? >> i don't think that's right.

i think this budget is the first comprehensive approach put out there with $1.1 trillion of deficit retrucks, two-thirds of it on the spending side, one-third on the revenue side. we have proposals in domestic discretionary and proposals in defense. we have proposals on these entitlements, and we have proposals on the tax side. we bring the deficit down frankly to meet the target that the deficit commission asked us to meet so weave accomplished it with a plan that we think is a sound, responsible balanced plan. we know that it won't be a plan that all agree, and there will be questions asked. we challenge others to put their plans on the table, and we also offer to work together on a bipartisan basis to see where can we agree and where can we agree in the short term because these problems should be dealt with now, not five years from now. >> the republicans do have a plan out now for this existing year. we're already into this fiscal year 2011. the republicans have proposed splashing $100 billion out of the rest of spending for this year.

is there anything that you would object to in their current spending package, including the elimination of americorps, for example, propose eliminating pbs, anything the president objects to? >> i don't want to pre-judge the outcome either in the house or the senate of what they are doing. we're obviously going to need to work together and find the things we can agree on. there will be things we don't agree on. i think we have to work through that. the challenge is going to be have a balanced approach and to not put all the burden in one place. our budget doesn't put all the burden on that small slice of the budget. the challenge is not just to reduce spending. we agree. we all need to reduce spend being. we need to reduce the deficit and in the comprehensive plan that does that. >> we'll have to leave it there. thanks for your time. this will be a long conversation going forward. >> it will. this is the first step. and we also have tough budget questions for a top republican coming up. i'll ask a leading house budget committee member, jeb hensarling

if his party will get serious and who is claiming responsibility for a new suicide bomb attack in afghanistan? and russian cosmonauts are on a virtual mission to mars. [] this...is the network. a living, breathing intelligence that is helping business rethink how to do business. ♪ in here, inventory can be taught to learn... so products get routed to where they're needed most. ♪

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kabul. the attack on a shopping mall happened this afternoon. officials say the dead included a guard and a civilian. the taliban reportedly claimed responsibility for that attack. most americans think the u.s. is losing to china. a new gallup poll shows an overwhelming majority, 52%, say china is the leading world economic power. only 32% say the u.s. is tops. two years ago americans said china and the u.s. were on equal ground. a mission to mars, of sorts. six international research remembers on a simulated trip to the red planet. they have been shut in the cramped moscow simulator since last june. today they pretend to walk on the surface of mars. the cosmonauts are following a very strict diet and exercise schedule, and the mission will last a year and a half. and you can imagine being president of the united states. well, it has got to be one of the most stressful jons jobs out there. president obama told middle school students how he deals with it.

>> the one thing that i think helps me handle the stress is if i feel like at the end of the day i've done the best possible job i can do, even if not everything has worked out exactly the way i've planned it, then i feel okay, you know. what bothers me is if i feel like i could have done -- i could have done better on that. >> that's pretty good advice. you can't really argue with that. you know, jessica, he can't resort to smoking sill let's anymore. he gave up smoking. >> seems like one of the most internally calm people that you'll ever meet. he has an an internal zen that's amazing. >> in 2012 we'll look who has that quiet zen. >> thanks, lisa. it was a surprising welcome for former vice president dick cheney and donald rumsfeld. members of his own party booed him and the former defense secretary. could it be a sign of a growing

divide in the gop? we'll talk about it in our strategy session. plus, the mystery man behind sarah palin's momma grizzlies now speaking out for the first time on television. you'll see it only in "the situation room."

is there a growing divide between older establishment republicans and the new tea party ideology? joining us in today's strategy session, two cnn political contributors, democratic

strategist james carville and republican strategist ed rollins. thanks to both of you for being here. >> thank you. >> ed, i'll start with you. i attended cpac last week, the convention of conservative political activists and when donald rumsfeld and dick cheney walked out on stage they got booed is this a sign of the schism between the new tea party folks and the old neo-cons? >> many of the cpac attendees, who obviously ron paul was the leader in their cpac poll, libertarian and very anti-war, and, you know, there are republicans who didn't like the war. the republicans who didn't like what cheney an rumsfeld obviously did, and i think to a certain extent it's a different generation. being as old as i am, i've been through all the generations, and the tea party is about fiscal policy. it's not about going to war. it's not about neo-con. it's not about a lot of the things that rumsfeld and chain were leaders of so i'm not shocked by it in any way, shape or form. >> they are gaining momentum,

these younger people who are anti-war. they were always there. >> well, as they should. i mean, this is about younger people, and the rumsfelds and the cheneys and the ed rollinses are an old generation and we have to step aside, and i think to a certain extent the idea of the neo-conmove me movement in s and '90s is no longer a factor. the young people want jobs and democracy around the world but don't want us to be the implementer of it. i'm not shocked by it. >> i bet you'll agree that there is a schism and you're happy to see it. why aren't the democrats taking advantage of it? >> first of all, i think the people -- i don't pretend to be an expert on the nuances and the schisms of the republican party. but i think they are libertarians and different than the tea party people. the ron paul people are a bit of

a different breed, and they are a little bit different than people you saw at the rallies, but i defer to somebody who is a little more schooled in that than i am. i don't know if the democrats, you know -- what's striking to me, you at the cpac conference, how many times did you hear egypt mention, how much speeches given about egypt? >> my guess not many. >> not many. >> they are uncomfortable about all of this, and it's kind of odd that you had, you know, a political movement that you had what anybody would assume that events in the world and they didn't even address them. an odd lot, if you ask me. >> ed, let me put that to you. rick santorum, newt gingrich, a few people acknowledged egypt, ron paul, but most people when you're sitting there in cpac with all the conservative activists you wouldn't know what's going on overseas. why do you think so many republican potential republican candidates are afraid of addressing that?

>> they address their interests. certainly every republican candidate will have to deal with egypt and the new democracies and what have you. several candidates who weren't out there. those basically trying to deal with the issues that matter to that audience which pretty much were the fiscal stuff. there's really no true libertarians running for president that i know of, other than paul. cpac has always been a very, very determined group. >> james? >> this is the largest gathering of conservatives in the united states, and the fact that have you this and it's almost like what's going on in the world doesn't happen, you know, it says something. >> yeah. it was interesting. you could also miss what was happening. >> glad i'm not one of them, can i tell you that. >> i promise you are not one of them. >> let me turn to a topic that was rather -- >> i know it --ia. >> a topic that was relevant to all those activists and to so many of our viewers is the budget and the deficit. the president came out with his budget today.

james, first to you. the president ordered a deficit commission forum. they recommended overhauling entitlements, and then the budget doesn't touch it. what was the point having a debt commission then? >> well, i'm going to say that this is probably something tactical that they did. the truth of the matter is that if somebody doesn't do something about rising health care costs, everything is -- the republicans' proposals are nothing, this is nothing about the deficit. this is all about some posturing and what things people want and don't want, and they can talk about entitlements. they can talk about this and that, but if health care costs keep going up, it's going to break the country, there's no doubt about that, and the sooner that somebody acknowledges that to the american people about how awful it will be. >> we need to talk about social security, medicare, medicaid. is it a question of who goes first? >> no question, and the bottom line here is what the debt commission did do is show you how difficult it is to tackle these. each of these big entitlements

have gigantic constituencies, called the third rail of american politics. if you want to go there, you'll put a place. the president tipped his toe in the water here with his budget. republicans have put both feet in the water in trying to cut back, and it's a long hard battle to go here and at end of the day you need more revenue and need basically less spending and you'll have to go across the board and change the whole structure of how we tax. >> but james, how does this play out? how do we get from this budget to actually talking about reforming these -- the third rail of politics? does it happen before an election? >> you know, unfortunately, first of all, the republican party is talking about cutting $100 billion from the $3.5 trillion budget. if they think that's something, if think suffer under that illusion they are nuttier than i thought they, but at any rate, as long as we spend -- we spend 17%, a little bit more actually of our gdp on health care costs and no other industrialized country breaks 10, if we're not

willing to address how to slow, that they can shift it all around and can have every commission they want to have. senator simpson and erskine made some commendable things, some things i don't agree with, but hopefully they will take this and somebody will run with some of the things in here. social security is nowhere near, nowhere near a problem. people put social security and medicare or what i would call health care costs in the same breath. it's not even close. i believe rising health care costs is the biggest threat to the united states than al qaeda is. >> we have to leave it there, gentlemen. a conversation we'll all continue having for many weeks to come. >> thank you. >> james carville and ed rollins, thank you. now questions are surrounding former president hosni mubarak. he's supposed to be in one of the most beautiful resort cities in the middle east but no one has seen him. so, is he there, and how is his health? we're thrive answer those questions. plus, for those marine snipers, it's all about one shot. ahead, we're taking you into

some of the most elite military training on earth. this satu

takes you inside north korea. wolf traveled with then new mexico governor bill richardson as he led talks with one of the most secretive nations in the

world. tune in saturday at 6:00 p.m. eastern for wolf's full documentary "six days in north korea." the historic revolution in egypt is not only changing the face of the country's government. it's changing the way people there are thinking, particularly young people. here's cnn's arwa damon. >> reporter: for egypt's technology generation, the talk these days for the most part no longer centers around the newest app or hottest model. nor although quite visible the latest fashion trends. on the campus of the american university of cairo, auc, it's about governance and for many for the first time, their role in their country's political future. >> everyone needs to do something but no one needs to do. they just need directs. >> 22-year-old constituent started a facebook page to help his fellow students get that

direction. starting with organizing prayers for the fallen of tahrir square who gave their lives to free egypt from the clutches of a dictator. a revolution that not only changed egypt but transformed many of these young minds. >> i was actually planning to go abroad and to work with my father. after the revolution came, i told my father, you have to come back to our country. all those outside egypt should come back and help the country. >> this 21-year-old just finished her communications degree. she joined the demonstrators but she is realistic about the struggle her country is going to face. >> for the time being, things are not going to be just easy. you have to really work. roust needs to increase and hence, i should share in more community service activities because something that egyptians are not aware about. my worry is that people will be disappointed at first. people need to understand it's not going to happen overnight. it's going to take time.

>> our priorities have shifted. . we now think we can change the corrupt. my father would always tell me, you should get into politics. grow up and become president. i would always say it's a lost cause. unless you know someone, you're not going to get in there. >> now this 18-year-old freshman is considering pursuing a political career. >> we need to change egypt and get into politics. it's up to us to fix this country. i think it's up to us to do something about it. selfish if we don't. >> the boundaries of what he can and says he should do endless. arwa damon, cnn, cairo. >> in just a few minutes, we'll take you back live to egypt. he is gone from power but not from the headlines. former egyptian president hosni mubarak is supposedly hiding in a resort town but is he really there? we're searching for signs. plus, reports of mass anti-government protests in iran. could another revolution be in the works? we're digging deeper. king at the numbers, and i think our campus

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>> in finland, a woman cross-country skis in record low temperatures. in serbia is, soldiers fire artillery in commemoration of statehood day. in pakistan is, women shot for valentine decorations at a roadside stand. in england, a couple gets married underwater. hot shots, pictures worth 1,000

words. the term mama grizzly has come to define sarah palin politically. that's partly because of the popular video she launched last year touting female conservatives. you might remember that video became an internet sensation with a ton of buzz. it left a lot of people asking who made it. now the creators of that video are speaking out for the first time in an exclusive television interview. it turns out it was made by young guys with a background in country music. one is josh gatlin, son of larry gatlin from the gatlin brothers and the other eric welch, au music video producer who shot one of the gatlin brothers videos. we spoke with them how they produced it and what made it so unique. >> i was out on the road for five events just filming all around her, following her. like a fly on the wall. and then there was an emphasis, they wanted to focus on the 2010 midterms being very focused on women. i geared the lens toward finding

the women in the audience and the crowd behind her. that eventually turned into the mama grizzlies video. >> all across this country, women are standing up and speaking out for common sense solutions. >> what do you think made this distinctive? >> i think the thing that made it distinctive, obviously we tried to bring a music video edge to it through some of the crafting and some of the art of it. it really is her. >> there in alaska, i always think of the mama grizzly bears that rise up on hair hind legs when somebody's coming to attack their cubs. >> it doesn't take a genius to figure out we should take the quality and emotional power of music videos and put them into political ads. what do you think this is the next thing? >> you've got to find a new way to reach people. music videos aren't necessarily new but they're new with respect to politics. once you find that great shot and the great words that go along with it or the great music that go along with it, i mean,

you want to move people. you want to inspire people. >> you're talking about music videos. there is emotion there. it's the using of imagery and music together that's so powerful. i think we can do that through creativity in the political world, as well. >> would you work for democrats as well? >> they can call. >> you're in "the situation room." happening now, thousands of iranians literally risk their lives inspired by egypt's revolution, they take to the streets of tehran demand diagnose change from a notoriously brutal regime. former egyptian president now in hide package.where is hosni mubarak? all eyes on his palace by the red sea. we'll take you there live. and those lines at the post office may soon be getting even longer. the postal service is taking drastic action in the face of massive losses. breaking news, political headlines and jeanne moos are throughout ahead. wolf blitzer is off. i'm jessica yellin. you're in "the situation room."

mubarak is gone but the protests live on in egypt. small crowds gathered once again in tahrir square again today, but police moved in to disperse them. across the country, many are exercising their hard won new freedom with strikes and demonstrations demanding better pay, living conditions and more. the corrupt's new military leadership acknowledging what it calls legitimate demands but says life cannot return to normal till protests end. far from ending they're spreading throughout the region. clashes broke out monday between pro and anti-government demonstrators in yemen's capital. about 200 people rallied outside a university calling for change. in the persian gulf nation of bahrain, police used tear gas to break up a peaceful protest

calling for a new constitution and direct elections. by far the most dangerous protest was in iran where thousands risked their lives to march down revolution avenue demanding change from a regime with a brutal history of cracking down on dissent. cnn's brian todd is following developments in the iranian capital for us. brian, tell us, what are you picking up? >> specific information on today's protests in tehran is hard to come by. media coverage restricted and the internet's been slowed to a crawl. we know at least one person has been killed today in tehran. by the size of krout estimates we're getting a clear sense that the movement against hard line regimes in the middle east is far from over. in tehran, a battle between anti-government protesters and those who back the islamic regime. witnesses tell cnn crowds swelled into the tens of thousands monday and when some pro festivitiers chance theed death to the dictator they were

attacked by iranian security forces. could this be a surgence of the green movement? this man thinks so. members of his national iranian american council are reaching out to the disaccepts through encrypted communications and he senses is knew momentum. >> are they telling your people this is directly a result of egypt? >> they're saying this was an opportunity. everyone knew the struggle for democracy had not died. but it was waiting for a new opportunity for a new inspiration, for something that could give them more moral boost that there is a chance. and that came because of the very quick victories in tunisia and egypt. >> the regime cheered on those protests. presiden mahmoud ahmadinejad at thing egyptians it is your right to decide your government and your right to express yourself. now his government's own crackdown draws accusations from washington of hypocrisy. >> a regime which over the last three weeks has constantly hailed what went on in egypt and

now when given the opportunity to afford their people the same rights as they called for on behalf of the egyptian people, once again, illustrate their true nature. >> experts say the rekindling of the pro democracy torch in tehran is invigorating but predict much more brutality against the demonstrators there. >> you see a clear difference between the way the egyptian forces reacted to this and the way the revolutionary guard is reacting. >> the biggest difference between what happened in egypt and what happened in iran is in egypt, the army would made up primarily of conscripts, same as the people protesting. in iran is, the guard are an elite unit, all volunteer and sworn to defend the revolution. >> experts say that ideological support the regime is getting from the revolutionary guard is key here. they say it's why the protests likely will not succeed in

pushing iran's leaders out and why their people have much more to fear from their military than the egyptians did. we now in 2009, dozens of people were killed, thousands of people detained. these people in tehran clearly putting their lives at risk by protesting today. >> it is amazing. you've gotten brushback from the iranians on the charge of hypocrisy. >> that's right. an official told me at the u.n. told me they believe that the american government, the leaders here have a double standard. that they think democracy is great when it's in their interests. when it's not really working for them like with hamas taking power in gaza, they don't think it's so good. you're getting this debate that always crops up when the iranians have protests. it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out. >> brian, thanks so much. and back in egypt, no sign of former president hosni mubarak. but many people think he's hiding out in his villa in the red sea resort town of sharm el sheikh where correspondent nic

robertson is looking for mubarak. >> hfl an a mile from hosni mubarak's sea front appeals, the security checks begin. getting to the neighboring hotel a tough challenge. many questions asked. >> what is your purpose? >> his villa is hidden behind high walls. out of sight, heavy machine guns reinforce what most here believe. the former president is in residence. two miles away at the airport, an executive jet sits waiting at the vip terminal, used almost exclusively by mubarak and his guests. so far, no one is chasing him out of town. driving along by the airport here, the images of hosni mubarak are still up. unlike the rest of the country, nobody's taken these pictures down. it's quite strange. here nobody seems to be moving against him yet. >> but all that may change. allegations of cronyism that he

made money everyone shady land transactions in this ever expanding resort. not to mention the cost of the revolution in lost tourism revenue. >> we are losing daily something like 20 to $30 million at least in this area. >> 190 hotels au mostly empty. up to 200,000 related jobs at stake. this man is trying to bolster local spirits, won't publicly comment on cronyism but is happy mubarak is no longer in charge. >> if we are participating in choosing as all democratic countries do, i think for all industries, not only for tourists for everybody, this will be very good for the economy and the people. >> reporter: with the lull in business, rumors in this quiet resort are rampant. mubarak is ill. is considering relocating out of

egypt. from behind his high walls, none confirmed, none denied. that was nic robertson in sharm el sheikh. president obama's budget plan for next year is out. all 2,403 pages of it. but critics are already slamming what they see as weak efforts to tackle the deficit, both on the part of the president and congressional republicans and the debt. and they're asking where are the grown-ups in all this? the president is proposing a $3.7 trillion budget that would cut funding to half of all government agencies to 2010 levels. that includes money for airports, heat subsidies for the poor, water treatment plants, completely grants and more. but he's also seeking a $4.5 billion increase in education spending. the white house says this budget would cut deficits by $1.1 trillion over ten years. but it fails to address the

largest drivers of the country's long-term debt, medicare, medicaid and social security. here's mr. obama. >> while it's absolutely essential to live within our means while we are absolutely committed to working with democrats and republicans to find further savings and to look at the whole range of budget issues, we can't sacrifice our future in the process. even as we cut out things that we can afford to do without, we have a responsibility to invest in those areas that will have the biggest impact in our future. >> let's get more on the budget now with cnn's senior political analyst david gergen. thanks so much for joining us to talk about this. first of all, let's play something that alan simpson, the former head of the debt commission said to candy crowley over the weekend. >> i'm waiting for the politician to get up and say

there's only one way to do this. you dig into the big four. medicare, medicaid, social security, and defense. and anybody giving you anything different than that you want to walk out the door, stick your finger down your throat and give them a the green wienie. >> all right. we like to play that just because he says green wienie. the bottom line, david, is the big four aren't tackled in this budget. >> well, you're absolute right. the green wienie has often been known as something to do with the pittsburgh pirates. in simpson's case it could be anything. i'm not sure we want to go there. let's go to the seriousness of it, what he says. look, on its face, president obama's budget is a disappointment. if you look at over ten years as matt miller points out in the blog today, the federal government will be spending some $45 trillion over the next ten years. this only knocks 1% off the spending over ten years.

hardly a lot. the annual deficit, the annual interest payments on the debt will go up, will quadruple over the next ten years. the national debt will go up over $7 trillion. that, jessica, is on optimistic shnz. we just learned from the white house today that the deficit this year is going to be $1.6 trillion. do you know that's 80% more than they were forecasting just two years ago? 80% growth in the deficit for this year and a 90% growth for 2012 over what they forecast two years ago. we're on a bad trajectory here. i'm afraid the budget doesn't solve it. in his defense, i must say they've got a terrible political situation on their hands. and i understand the game they're playing, neither they nor the republicans want to be bold because they think it will cripple them in the 2010 elections. at some point, somebody in washington has to say i want to go first. let's get serious because alan

simpson is right. unless you deal with medicare and medicaid, social security and defense, you're not going to get there in terms of trimming this and getting the nation's finances under control. >> privately, david, white house administration official would acknowledge we do need to have an dut conversation. are they abdicating the responsibility to lead right now on this issue? >> there is a powerful argumenting inning that -- on the side of where is the leadership. we are accustomed to presidents now putting the budget out there and then congress responding. in this case, the president, white house is once again saying congress, you take the lead and i'll come along and help guide the discussions. that's not the leadership we custom airily look to. i want to be sympathetic in one sense. president obama does face unusual circumstances. he's inherited large deficits and not getting the kind of cooperation from the republican side that would make negotiations promising. he's trying to warm up

negotiations a little later in the year. maybe it will happen. i'm skeptical we'll get there. i think the greater likelihood is because neither side is prepared to lead right now in a bold way. that the likelihood is we're going to once again kick the can down the road. we will not deal with the seriousness of those big four items senator simpson talked about till after the 2012 elections. that imperils the country. >> later in the hour, david, i'm going to talk to a leading republican to see if they're going to lead on this issue. we can both guess what his answer will be. >> so who will feel the pain from president obama's proposed budget cuts? we'll show you the real world consequences. >> plus, taking aim and making it deadlier. we'll go inside an elite marine sniper training program. ♪

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obama's $3.7 trillion budget proposal released today. it would take the ax to half of all government agencies recent cutting their funding levels to

2010 levels. but who will that really impact in mary snow is working that part of the story for us. what have you found out? >> we, some of the hardest hit americans will feel the impact, and that's because there are proposed cuts to the fund for low income families that need help to keep their hopes warm in the winter. the president's budget would cut the $5 billion heat agsiftence program in half. an estimated 3.1 million households would be ached. roughly 9 million individuals. the white house budget director blames a huge spike in energy prices for doubling the program since 2008 and says it can't be maintained. among the critics which include both democrats and republicans is massachusetts democratic senator john carrey. he wrote to the president last week urging him not to cut the funding citing this year's brutal weather saying families depend on this money to survive the season. now, students would also feel the cuts if they go through. the budget would limit the

completely grants students would get each year by eliminating grants for summer school. the administration says it would be able to keep the maximum completely grant at $5,550. the department of education stipulates that 9.6 million students will be seeking completely grants by next year. there's been an increase over the years. also on the chopping block, cuts amounting to $650 million to scale back a community service grant program and cut a community development program. now among other things, the programs pay for things like housing for the poor, infrastructure projects and economic development programs. jessica, these are just some of the estimated 200 programs that are either being scaled back or eliminated under this budget proposal. >> some incredibly deep cuts that will hit certain people very hard. thanks, mary. and an uproar over honoring a kkk leader. now a possible republican presidential contender is getting caught up in the

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a controversy is brewing in the deep south around the clue cluck clan. lisa sylvester is monitoring that story and others. tell bus it. >> the mississippi naacp wants governor haley barbour to denounce attempts to honor a kk

leader. a group is proposing a license plate that honors confederate general nathan bedford forrest, best leader known as the leader of a supremacist group. supporters say he's being unfairly ma lined. barbour a possible presidential candidate hasn't commented yet. attention, parents. a major car seat recall. recalling booster seats because they don't lock properly. dorel says the recall is being made in an abundance of the caution. there have been no reported injuries or accidents. they will accepted registered owners a kit to fix the problem. more details on the royal wedding. officials say prince william's younger brother harry will be the best man when he marries kate middleton. kate's sister pippa will be her maid of honor. william is second in line to the throne. and at last night's grammy

awards, lady gaga surprised everyone, even by lady gaga standards by arriving in get this an egg. you see it there. once the egg hatched, she took to the stage to sing her latest song "born this way." ♪ don't he ever doubt just love yourself i'm on the right track ♪ ♪ baby i was born this way >> very nice dancing there, but critics are saying it sounds just a whole lot like madonna's hit "expresses yourself." we'll let you be the judge. listen to this ♪ you don't need diamond rings or 18 karat gold, fancy cars that go very fast you know ♪ >> okay. jessica, i'm going to ask you, what do you think? >> it sounds a lot alike. i'm sure lady gaga would say it's an homage, a nod to madonna

who she so admires. >> one of the things her camp is saying that that it's not. it's not a ripoff. it's not supposed to be a ripoff. >> what lady gaga does is representative of madonna. >> a little creative license. >> madonna was the first. she was the original. >> i think they're playing with all of us a little bit. >> just imagine all of the press she's getting. we're all talking about all this. it's not bad for themselves. >> fun to watch. thanks so much, lisa. president obama releases his budget, but critics say it does not go far enough to address the deficit. who's going to make the tough choices to cut major spending programs like defense? i'll ask a top ranking house republican. plus, staggering losses and now major changes in store by the postal service. millions of americans will feel the impact. score playing ) - ( clinks ) - ( whispers ) we're breaking out. let's go. hmm? i'll get the dodo. - ( all yelling ) - scandalous. - ( alarm blaring ) - warden, two boys going for a stroll.

- release the hounds. - ( dogs panting ) ( dramatic music playing ) oh my spleen! - now what? it didn't work! - hit 'em with the kenny g. ( saxophone music playing ) - oh, i love this song. - focus! ( dramatic music playing ) lancaster, no! it's a trap! nonsense. my father owned one. ( engine revs ) great goodness, i've been hoodwinked! - ( saxophone music playing ) - ( vocalizing music )

president obama's $3.7 trillion budget proposal is out. and already, under fire from deficit hawks. let's go beyond the numbers with cnn's senior political analyst gloria borger. i know you talk to white house

officials all the time. there has to be a white house strategy. what is it? they knew they would take criticism. >> let me give you the spin. i talked to a senior adviser today. the spin is we just need to get over the hump here. we had to let people see that we're really serious about cutting the deficit. how did we do that, says the white house? we did it by the $400 billion in discretionary cuts and the most important thing is they say the $78 billion in defense cuts. now, that's the spin. okay? here's the political rationale. the political rationale is this is obviously an al fon gaston routine waiting for the other side to go first. the feeling is if they had put out social security cuts, doesn't deficit commission routine, the republicans would now the be willing to compromise at all right now. because the republicans have something to prove to their own republican base. so they're not in the mood to compromise.

their feeling is, let the voters see what the republican cuts really mean. and the republican voters out there, not the tea partiers necessarily but the independents who voted republican and the republicans, when they see what those cuts mean, they're going to say hmm, maybe we can't just do it from discretionary. maybe we actually ought to take a look at doing things like say raising the retirement age for social security. so they're saying all in due time first things first. that's their spin. >> okay. and they clearly want this conversation to begin. >> they do. >> the question is, will the republicans do it. do you think they have their budget act together any more than the democrats? >> no, it's sort of interesting because last week, we were preoccupied with egypt. if we hadn't been see pro ow occupied we might have noticed republican leaders had absolutely no control over their block that some of the new republicans voteded against them

on the patriot act have said to them, you didn't come up with enough budget cuts for us and we want more budget cuts. today, eric cantor, the house majority leader said you know what? in our upcoming budget, we're going to talk about entitlement reform. let's see what that entitlement reform is and whether it's enough for those new republican members. i don't think the speaker has an awful lot of control over those people. half of them remember have never even held elective office before. so it's kind of a whole new word out there for republicans, as well. >> and quickly, is there any hope for bipartisanship? i'm going to be polly anna here. of course, there is. there are senators working together on a bipartisan basis to try and get things done. they're kind of waiting in the wings. it may take a crisis, congress is a crisis activated institution as you know. so it may take a crisis. that's a sorry thing to have to say but they could actually get

something done on some form of entitlement reform. >> we'll put that to our next guest. thank you, gloria borger. let's hear what republican leaders are saying about all of this. congressman jeb hensarling of texas is chairman of the house republican conference. he served on the president's commission on fiscal responsibility and reform, as well. thank you, congressman hensarling for being with us. i want to play you something that the president's budget director, jack lu, told us about this budget. >> i think that we are taking a step today putting a budget out there which frames the issues in exactly the right way. it takes real actions now so that between now and five years from now, we can get our deficit under control so that we can stabilize things so that we're not adding to the debt anymore. >> congressman, do you think the white house missed an opportunity to lead here on debt and deficit reduction? >>, of course, they did. in their budget, they're proposing to add $13 trillion to

the national debt, take it to its highest level as a percentage of the economy since world war ii. i mean we have a spending-driven debt crisis that is harming job growth in america and frankly, threatens the american dream for our children. i mean, we're borrowing almost 40 cents on the dollar. much of it from the chinese. and we're sending is the bill to our children and grandchildren and the president just punts. >> let me ask you, if you plan to do any better because marco rubio. >> yes, the answer is yes. >> okay. then let me ask you, when your party presents its own budget because you will have to, will you vow right here and now to meaningfully take on medicare, medicaid and social security, even defense intending? >> they don't let me write the budget. you can look at last year's budget and see we had meaningful entitlement reform in that budget. congress ran paul ryan, the chairman of the budget committee

will write that budget. it it will come out in the next few weeks to a couple of months under the budget timetable under the budget act. but he's writing that budget. we only have one president. one president and he is not leading, and instead, now, he didn't out of fairness to him put the nation on the road to bankruptcy but he's pressing on the accelerator and showing no signs of turning back. everyone knows small businesses, large businesses, that all of this great debt is going to end up in great tax increases or great inflation and that means that jobs aren't being created. >> the president can present a budget. ultimately it's you in the house who decides what goes in it. will you consider, for example, raising the retirement age on social security? >> i believe there needs to be a bipartisan adult conversation on reforming current entitlement programs for future generations, grandfathering the grandparents, but these programs are going broke. don't take my word for it.

>> how about means testing medicare? >> i believe everything has to be on the table. we're willing to sit down with the white house, but anytime a republican has shown a plan that will save social security, save medicare for the next generation, many of them demagogue it. the president is going to have to decide does he want to exploit the crisis or does he want to solve the crisis. if we look at his budget that he's presented now, it appears he wants to exploit it. >> sir, you said you want an adult conversation. in your view, you think the president didn't go far enough in beginning it. >> where is the entitlement reform? this budget? >> i asked you if you need that adult conversation, will your party take the lead? will you be the first adults to the table and vow to propose these reforms? >> well,cy already have. i'm a cosponsor of paul ryan's road map to america's future, one of the few plans that actually save social security and medicare for my -year-old daughter and 7-year-old son. i'm just one member of congress from dallas, texas.

there's only one president of the united states and he's abdicated leadership on saving the next generation from having fewer jobs and shrinking pay checks. he has to take the lead. republicans would love to help lead. he's got to decide, is he going to exploit the crisis or solve it? right now he's exploiting it. >> somebody has to get to the table first. turning to this year's spending, your party has put billions of dollars of cuts on the table but many of those cuts are in programs that you know democrats in the senate won't accept. are we headed for a train wreck here? >> well, i hope not. what i hope we're trying to do is again put the nation on a path of fiscal sustainability. under president obama and the democrats, garden variety government has grown 84% in just two years. >> but to get. >> the technical term being nondefense discretionary. a lot of that is stimulus money.

it has brought us almost two full years of almost double digit unemployment. all we're trying to do again is stop the train wreck. trying to create jobs and save the american dream for future generations. >> the bottom line is you essentially need to find some compromise cuts. otherwise, there's the potential that the republicans will refuse to vote on the debt ceiling and democrats will refuse to favor tease cuts and we face a government shutdown. are we facing a government shutdown in the near future? >> i don't believe so. here's what -- always willing to sit down with the president and with democrats to talk about how to achieve a common objective. but our objective is less washington spending and more job creation. love to talk to them about a number of different ways to achieve that. maybe it's our priorities. maybe it's their priorities. but we're not going to compromise on the direction on which we take the country. we are bankrupting the next generation. it has got to stop. >> and will you, your party, let

me ask you one last time, be the first to the table, be the first to have this adult conversation if the white house doesn't? >> again, we've already had it. the only plans that are on the table have been presented by republicans, and they've been eviscerated by democrats. >> i'll take that as a yes. >> we've already done it. >> we'll see what comes in your 2012 budget proposal. thanks for joining us. >> thank you. a political cartoon mocking first lady michelle obama. who's behind it? does it go too far? plus the president speaks candidly about the downside of his job. hostcould switching to geico really save you

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there was an earthquake at the site of an infamous volcano. lisa sylvester is monitoring that and other top stories in "the situation room" right now. >> hi there, jessica. three earthquakes hit the mount saint helens area this morning. the largest was a 4.3. residents nearby say they fet the quake. a deadly 1980 eruption of the volcano killed 57 people. it spewed ash hundreds of miles away and caused $3 billion in damages. shirley sherrod is suing andrew breitbart after a misleading video that forced her resignation. the suit accuses breitbart of "defamation, false light and inflicks of emotional distress." in the video, the former department of agriculture employee seems to suggest she didn't do everything possible to help a white farmer.

breitbart says he's confident he will be fully vindicated. and a fast first lady chowing down on hamburgers? well, that is how a new cartoon on a website run by breitbart depicts the very fit and active michelle obama. in it, the first lady tells a skinny president obama "i've stepped up my efforts to control america's eating habits by telling restaurants to lower portion sizes and fat content." the president responds that he wants to get re-elected and what she's doing will annoy people. to that the fictional first lady says shut up and pass the bacon. conservatives have been criticizing her campaign against childhood obesity and they say she's telling americans what to eat. she is denying that charge. and mrs. obama's husband sus answering the question, so what is it really like being president? that's what one maryland middle school student asked president obama. he told students that he sometimes feels trapped in the white house. >> every day i feel proud and

privileged to have the chance to, you know, work in this office. but i'll be honest with you, there are certain parts of the job that are kind of tough like i'm kind of in this bubble. i can't go anywhere. i can't just, if i want to just go to the corner, you know, drugstore and buy some shaping cream or something, you know, or if i just feel like taking a walk with beau, like i can't do anything spontaneous. that kind of gets on your nerves. the other thing is like people know who you are everywhere. obviously. so you know, you have to, you always have to like shape and comb your hair. and you capital just roll out of bed and, you know, be out there. >> the president also said the job involves making tough decisions like sending troops to war. you know, it's funny because we were just hearing about the news

that he doesn't dye his hair. >> i was thinking that looking at that picture. >> everything that he does it's under a microscope constantly. >> that is one bipartisan complaint everybody who holds that office says everything single i think this you do is picked apart. >> he'll have to wait till he becomes a private citizen. >> kids ask the darndest questions. thanks, lisa. call them casualties of the internet age. post offices are a fixture in small towns across america. but budget woes could doom them. we'll explain. and mail carriers might not care for dogs. but new york city is canine crazy this week. jeanne moos is there to see the most unusual dogs. you're in "the situation room." y sweet & salty nut bars... they're made from whole roasted nuts and dipped in creamy peanut butter, making your craving for a sweet & salty bar irresistible, by nature valley.

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not snow or rain or heat can keep mail carriers from their appointed rounds. but a bleak budget might do them in. with the postal office hemorrhaging cash, the usps could shut down thousands of post offices beginning next month. lisa sylvester joins us now with more. >> well, the u.s. postal service has already closed 83 post offices and branches and next month, as you mentioned, they will take the first steps to close 2,000 more. the problem is, people are finding it more convenient to use the internet to communicate and to pay their bills. >> the numbers don't look good.

$15 billion in debt this year. a $329 million loss last quarter, a significant decline in mail volume, and now the u.s. postal service is warning it may have to default on some payments to the federal government. >> it is serious. like i said, our plan is to not pay the federal government that portion of the money. we will continue to pay the employees. we will continue to pay our suppliers. >> at issue is some $5.5 billion the postal service is required to prepay into an account for retiree health care benefits. donahoe says the postal service is the only agency public or private that is obligated by law to have the fund fully prepaid, and it's asking congress to lift the requirement. but even if congress complies, that's still not enough to fix the postal service's shaky finances. the postmaster general says they will announce next month 2,000

post offices across the country slated to close. an unpopular move with the public. >> bad enough that it took where you can buy stamps without having to stand in line. sometimes you have to stand in line for like an hour at a time. >> the union is fighting to keep post offices open entirely in rural areas where folks may have a long drive to the next town. >> i'm from a small town in oklahoma. and the post office there was the center of our community. we'd -- there was no delivery whatsoever. everyone came to the post office to pick up mail. that's where you had your community chats and you talked and found out what other people were doing. >> the u.s. postal service wants 0 try to partner with stores and banks and some small towns so that they can maybe share space and the costs. the postmaster general is also asking congress for permission to cut out saturday delivery service as another way to save money, jessica. >> with that guy who was always waiting in line for an hour at the post office, it always seems

to be that way. they're always raising prices on stamps. any chance it will happen again? >> that is another thing. it's gone up from about 33 cents in 1999 to 44 cents in 2009. so in that decade, we went up 11 cents. and in addition to that, the u.s. postal service had requested to go from 44 cents to 46 cents. that request regulators denied that request. that would have taken effect the beginning of this year, jessica. >> thanks so much, lisa. being a marine sniper may be one of the most difficult jobs on the planet. training for it is no easy task either. we'll show you just how hard as we take you into their elite mountain warfare training center.

marine corps snipers are some of the best in the business capable of hitting a target from more than half a mile away. but even for these professional killers, the mountain course is a challenge. barbara starr went to bridgeport, california to learn just how tough it is. >> reporter: we've come nearly 9,000 feet into the sierra nevadas to join these marines on some of the most elite training

the military conducts. for these snipers, it's all about one shot, one kill. >> open door to the rear. distance 560 meters. >> reporter: it's freezing rugged terrain. the marines keep watch from hidden positions. they are dug deep in to the snow. the men are already qualified snipers, but in this advanced training, they learn to operate in some of the worth conditions. senior snipers are nearby. >> how was your movement up here? >> not too bad. >> reporter: it's a climb that takes hours. >> what time did you get in? >> 2:00. >> how long did it take you to dig? >> three, four hours. >> reporter: the marines learn

to stay hidden and shoot at steep angles. >> the objective about 500 meters down the slope. >> reporter: one of the snipers will only tell us his name is chris. he shows us around their fort if i indication. >> off to my right we have our observation post where we have eyes on the sniper and spotter. we have a trench set up on my left. >> reporter: as chris walks us through the position, it becomes clear how very real this training is. many of these marines will head to afghanistan in the coming weeks using what they have learned here to fight the taliban with the ultimate skill taught by member like david williams. how far does he have to be able to shoot and kill? >> 1,000 yards. >> reporter: which is -- >> which is ten football fields roughly. >> reporter: if you want to understand how tough the mountain sniper course here really is, consider this. about 25% of the marines who

come here wash out. barbara starr, cnn, bridgeport, california. when gabrielle giffords was shot in the head, her survival seemed in doubt. now her recovery is described by some as nothing short of a miracle. dr. sanjay gupta is john king's guest and it's a dog's life in manhattan this week next.

it isn't easy snapping the

perfect picture of a perfect dog. >> reporter: fans cool her off with a fan as if she's a supermodel. >> she's a french dog. she just stuck her tongue in my mouth. >> reporter: the show where poodles show up with their ears wrapped and sheepdogs walk around wearing waders. a show where humans pre-moisten the dog treats in their own mouths and pick up their pooches by their privates. the show where your great dane pins you to the wall. this year, there are six new breeds at westminster and many are a mouthful. >> the boy kin spaniel. >> reporter: carolina's state dog. there is the blue tick could not hound. and there's our favorite name -- >> the leonberger. >> reporter: little known at the dog show snack bar. >> what's a leonburg sner.

>> reporter: a breed of dog. such a sweet face. and guess what annie likes. >> she loves hamburger. >> reporter: leonberger is actually the town in germany where the found was established. among those newly admitted to westminster, the rest bone could not hound has a special quirk. >> it has been recorded at 125 barks in a minute. >> reporter: that's only when chasing raccoons up a tree. >> i don't think thunder will bark for you. >> reporter: we know who will. mary plume is considered the dean of westminster photographers. she'll do anything to make dogs look at her lens. and they do. but if a show dog needs to attract attention, a hair do might help. >> the snookie. >> reporter: jersey