it's known as sb 1070. the law requires local police officers to check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws, if they reasonably suspect that person is in the country illegally. we asked the romney campaign where specifically does the governor stand on this, does he support it, support it with reservations or oppose it. here's the answer we got. quote, governor romney supports the right of states to assist the federal government in enforcing immigration laws particularly when the federal government has failed in their duty to enforce those laws. that is one of the issues the supreme court is trying to address. it doesn't answer the question whether or not he supports sb 1070. what about his recent record, does that shed any light on where he stands? let's take a look. january 11th as he was campaigning in south carolina, governor romney was touting the endorsement of kansas secretary of state chris cobash who wrote the 1070 law. from the romney website, quote, we need more conservative leaders like chris willing to stand up for the rule of law. the statement went on to say, with chris on the team, i look forward to working with him to take forceful steps to curtail illegal immigration and support states like south carolina and arizona, they're stepping forward to address this problem. he's highlighting the endorsement of 1070's author, talking about forceful steps to support arizona and south carolina. talking tough like he's a hard liner as well. just after losing south carolina, just before the primary in florida, which has a much larger latino population, there was a different tone. listen. >> well, the answer is self-deportation, which is people decide they can do better by going home because they can't find work here because they don't have legal documentation to allow them to work here. so we're not going to round people up. >> that's shortly before the primary in a state with a big latino population. a primary that mitt romney revived his campaign by winning. days before competing in arizona, with its large hispanic population, a primary that allows independents to vote, romney called it a model but not for the law that cobach wrote. >> i think you see a model here in arizona. they passed a law here that says the people who come here and try to find work, the employer is required to look them up e-verify. >> that's a different law than sb 1070. more recently the campaign sought to distance itself from cobach, saying he's just a supporter. that his relationship with the campaign, quote, has not changed. campaign, by the way, has since changed their tune a little confirming cobach is an informal adviser. it's just as hard to nail down other clues to where exactly romney stands on this. he's campaigning with mark rubio, and supports the dream act. it provides a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who enter the country as children. what's romney's take on that? back in december, governor romney seemed to be taking a tough line at least on the original. >> the question is, if i were elected and congress were to pass the dream act, would i veto it. and the answer is yes. >> lately, though, he appears to be making somewhat of a pivot. speaking on monday with rubio, he said the revised law is something he's studying. he wouldn't make any commitment to it. he restated his commitment to securing the border with mexico, promising an immigration plan of his own but refused to give any specifics. >> i anticipate before the november election we'll be laying out a whole series of policies that relate to immigration. i've spoken about the need to have a visa system that's right sized for the needs of our employment community. and so how we adjust our visa program, to make it fit the needs of our country is something i'll be speaking about down the road. but i don't have anything for you on that. >> no specifics there. but seemingly, at least his critics would say a move away from the hard line as the need to win conservatives began to fade and the need grows to win more moderates in a general election is one way of looking at it. and also, to close the latino gap with president obama down as much as 40 points. governor romney seems to be changing his tone on the immigration issue but not offering any policy specifics. at the end of the day, the question remains, where does he really stand. which mitt romney would you be getting if he becomes president. marco rubio moderate or cobach hard-liner? today cobach told the kansas newspaper, why not both. quote, i think he can embrace both of us and go merry along to win the election in november. a lot to talk about tonight with paul begala, who's advising the leading pro obama super pac. also republican strategist and senior adviser to romney, bay buchanan. paul, where does romney stand, do you think? >> he has now for several years been on a very strong anti-immigrant position, which has helped him in the primaries, but hurt him desperately with latino voters. i think this whole strategy is old school. nixon used to say this, run to the right in the primaries and then run to the middle in the general election. that was over 40 years. and that dog don't hunt anymore. we have the miracle of videotape. i think this is causing him grievous damage. i don't think he'll be able to undo it. >> you think he's clearly trying to pivot? >> i think he is what my spanish speaking friends is a liar. he's lying now just to get the hispanic votes. i think voters see through that. >> where does he stand on the sb 1070? >> he supports it. he's made it very clear, he supports arizona's right to pass laws and try to enforce them when the federal government is refusing to do so. >> he talks about the e-verify law, not sb 1070. >> no, he supports this law. it's what the states are going to do. he believes the states have a right to do this. and he supports their designing whatever they think is necessary to protect their own citizens. he said that the law for e-verify is a model. he likes that. he thinks all states should take a look at that and see. that's e -- that's a model. he didn't say he doesn't support these others. let me make a point. >> but we specifically -- but we specifically asked his campaign about the sb-1070 and they gave this answer that you just gave that he supports the rights of states to make the laws. that's not saying he supports sb 1070. he then talks about e-verify. >> in other words, he supports this. if it's what the state feels is right for them, and arizona obviously does, they passed it overwhelmingly, then he supports that. he has no problems with that. but the other thing is, he didn't say it should be a model for all states. he said the e-verify should be a model. paul said he's anti-immigrant. governor romney is not anti-immigrant. he's opposed to illegal immigration. he believes the federal government has the obligation to enforce the laws of this land and secure our borders, something barack obama has failed to do, year after year after year. and that's why the states have to take the action they do. >> did you say he does believe sb-1070 should be a national model or doesn't? >> no, he never said sb-1070 should be a national model. he said e-verify should be. but that does not suggest he doesn't support this. he thinks that north carolina's bill is a little bit different. he supports the right for north carolina to design what's best for north carolina. utah, other states, alabama, there are other states doing the same thing. he doesn't believe this particular bill should be a model for all of the states. he thinks those states should decide for themselves. but he does think that the e-verify law in arizona is exceptional, and would be an excellent model for other states. >> we can go check the record. but i distinctly remember governor romney saying the arizona immigration law, sb 1070, is a model for the nation. he didn't say e-verify -- well, we'll look that up. we know this. >> you just saw it. you just saw it. we just saw the clip. >> i know. when he was campaigning earlier, he said, he attacked perry on immigration. >> be careful when you call someone a liar. that's a little serious. >> it is very serious. >> he's owed an apology from you, paul begala, if you're wrong. >> he attacked john mccain on immigration from the right in '08. rick perry, conservative guy, for signing a dream act in the state of texas. and even attacked newt gingrich for wanting some sort of legal status less than citizenship. he attacked rick santorum for confirming sonya sotomayor. >> we haven't been able to find this is a national model. >> he's made no change to his position. he continues to be opposed to any amnesty. he continues to believe that enforcing the law is essential when you're part of the federal government, that is only fair. and he believes e-verify is an excellent program that should be used by all businesses in this country. he has not changed his position one bit. >> do you believe, paul, that he has tailored what he has emphasized based on what states he's campaigning -- >> there's no doubt. if he was campaigning in new hampshire, for example, and said kelly iyote would be a great running mate, maybe she's on the list. those lists are often wrong, so i could be wrong about that. if mitt romney, if he was speaking to cannibals, he would promise them missionaries. he's the most elastic, flexible guy. >> isn't that something all politicians do? they emphasize a local candidate or local issue? >> but he's like the muhammad ali of this. like all boxers throw punches, but this guy is unbelievable. seriously, bay. it's not even like the message democrats ought to be on. i'm just telling you, you can't run from the extreme right, pro-arizona immigration law, and then a few weeks later, just because the dates have changed, the election has changed and the electorate has changed, pretend we're not watching, it's insu insulting to our intelligence to change it like that. >> paul, you're saying he's all these changes. he has not changed at all. i am part of this campaign. i'm talking to the people in boston. but i tell you what we do know. anderson has pointed out, candidates say different things out there. and your candidate certainly has. but something that we know about barack obama, is that he has used his power to trample the constitution of the united states. this is the second time his policies have been before the supreme court. and even sotomayor has told the administration's attorney, we're not buying this argument. it is unconstitutional, these lawsuits against the states. >> what's before the court is the arizona law, not the obama law. second -- >> what are they doing suing the states? >> well, because -- >> abuse of power. an abuse of power. >> arizona should have one law and north carolina should have another law, then we have chaos. there is an international border there. and it's federal government responsibility to control it. by the way, president obama has put more boots on the ground on the mexican border than any president since woodrow wilson was chasing poncho vila. he has deported more people in three years than president bush in eight. i'm not altogether thrilled with that i have to say. a lot of liberals are not. the truth is, the -- if mitt romney were concerned about stemming illegal immigration, he would be supporting barack obama. >> supporters of the 1070 are saying the tough laws like in arizona have discouraged illegal immigration. >> exactly right. >> oh, the recession has. >> oh it's a combination. >> there are no more jobs. that means mitt romney was wrong when people come here for welfare benefits, for handouts. no, they don't. they come to work. now there's no more work, so they're not coming anymore. i think president obama's boots on the ground has certainly helped. i don't know, i don't live in arizona, so i can't say. i would be skeptical. but it seems to be an overbroad law and seems to be particularly, i think, risky in terms of civil rights. >> i want to give you the final comment. >> none of these states shouldn't have to take any of these actions if the federal government would just have the guts to do what they are obligated to do. and that is enforce the immigration laws of this land. but because they refuse, brave men and women across the states have come up with their own bill so they can protect their citizens. i say god bless them. >> thank you, both. let us know what you think. follow us on twitter at anderson cooper. more shocking testimony in the john edwards trial. this gets stranger and stranger day by day. how he allegedly kept up his affair with rielle hunter, even after he told his wife about it. and how he and a top aide nearly came to blows at one point. that's next. man: okay, no problem. it's easy to get started; i can help you with the paperwork. um...this green line just appeared on my floor. yeah, that's fidelity helping you reach your financial goals. could you hold on a second? it's your money. roll over your old 401(k) into a fidelity ira and take control of your personal economy. this is going to be helpful. call or come in today. fidelity investments. turn here. 8% every 10 years.age 40, we can start losing muscle -- wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! >> announcer: this is the day. the day that we say to the world of identity thieves "enough." we're lifelock, and we believe you have the right to live free from the fear of identity theft. our pledge to you? as long as there are identity thieves, we'll be there. we're lifelock. and we offer the most comprehensive identity theft protection ever created. lifelock: relentlessly protecting your identity. call 1-800-lifelock or go to lifelock.com today. crime and punishment. another day, explosive testimony in the john edwards criminal trial, once again, the former presidential candidate and fallen democratic star arrived with his eldest daughter at his side. his former top aide and onetime good friend, andrew young, is now the prosecution's star witness. young has given blistering testimony about his role in covering up his boss' affair with rielle hunter and the daughter that they had together. edwards is accused of breaking federal law by using hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to pay for the cover-up. today young testified about an invoice he drew up for one of the wealthy benefactors who was paying for hunter's expenses. the invoice totaled more than $200,000. including $28,000 for a car for hunter and $40,000 in cash for her allowance. prosecutors also played voicemails edwards left in december of 2007. in one message, edwards said i talked to elizabeth and i think it's under control. five days later he left a message saying, please tell her i said hello. and i'll call later tonight. the her was rielle hunter. it suggested the affair was continuing even after edwards' wife found out about it. of course, no one outside of edwards' inner circle knew about at the time. this is the john edwards that we all saw at the time. campaigning in iowa with his wife of more than 30 years. the jurors also heard about young's crumbling relationship with edwards. young testified the two men came close to throwing punches at each other during a meeting in 2008. at the time young was pretending to be the father of hunter's child. after pictures surfaced with hunter and their daughter, edwards promised to admit the affair publicly, but in an interview with bob woodruff, he flat out lied about the baby that he fathered. >> i need to ask about the most controversial allegation. which is that a report has been published that the baby of miss hunter is your baby. true? >> not true. not true. it's a supermarket tabloid. that is absolutely not true. >> have you taken a paternity test? >> i have not. we would welcome participating in a paternity test. i would be happy to participate in one. i know that it's not possible that this child could be mine, because of the timing of events. so i know it's not possible. >> it was not only possible, it was a fact. when it came time for the defense team to cross-examine young today, they ripped into this guy young. they pointed out multiple inconsistencies in what he told the fbi, grand jury and media and what he wrote in a tell-all book called "the politician." he read an e-mail exchange between young and robert draper referring to edwards, young wrote, no, i want to personally blank on his head. draper wrote back, no, in his mouth. john edwards was clearly pleased with his performance. he was caught on camera speaking to his daughter cate as they left the courthouse. joe johns was in the courtroom today. so was bob woodruff of abc news who did that interview. they both join me now. bob, great to see you. what's it like for you to see john edwards in court? i mean, he sat directly across from you, face to face with you, on that interview on "nightline" back in 2008. and was just not telling you the truth. >> that is absolutely true, anderson, he was not telling the truth. we found all the details out as we went on. and being in the trial, in the court with him, we didn't make many eye contacts, just like he did with anderson -- or i mean when andrew actually -- andrew young was actually speaking and testifying up there. he didn't really make any contact with him either. but it was a little bit difficult to be sitting there in a trial at a time when everything's changed. >> it's so fascinating, bob, to rewatch that "nightline" interview. he's looking at you as if he doesn't even understand what you're possibly asking him, about the child being his. when at the time he knew the child was his. i want to play another clip from that interview. this really deals with the core of the charges against him. let's listen. >> there are reports that there was money paid to try to cover up this affair. was there? >> can i just say everything you're saying, there are reports, there are allegations, these are all things in supermarket tabloids, which make the most outrageous allegations every week. so that's -- let's start with the source of this information. this is what i can tell you. i've never paid a dime of money to any of the people that are involved. i've never asked anybody to pay a dime of money. never been told that any money's been paid. nothing has been done at my request. so if the allegation is that somehow i participated in the payment of money, that is a lie. an absolute lie. which is typical in these type of publications. >> since then, bob, the edwards defense team has tried to pin the evidence on someone else. did you find his answers to be credible at that time? >> no, they're not. he said, i didn't pay. i didn't tell anybody to do it. and i didn't hear it happened. certainly the latter two were obvious. you know that he and fred barron were close friends. there were voicemails that indicated that he and fred and certainly actually young actually spoke together about these details. they communicated with each other. there are voicemails from john edwards right there to young as well. and so you know they had these discussions. they knew there was money. that was ending up to try to help rielle hunter. he certainly knew young did not have that kind of money. and he almost certainly knew this was coming from fred barron. as for him spending it, probably not. he did not write the checks. he did not put it on his credit cards. but he certainly knew all these details. and i think we'll hear a lot more about t