[Suzanne Malveaux, Cnn Anchor:] Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed. A gay Arizona sheriff is outed, resigns from a position with the Romney campaign. Well, now his ex-boyfriend speaking out. Sheriff Paul Babeu denies allegations that he threatened to have that man deported. The former boyfriend, identified only as "Jose," he's a 34- year-old Mexican national who says he is in this country legally. He spoke to our own Miguel Marquez in this exclusive interview.
[Miguel Marquez, Cnn Correspondent:] At some point you felt "
[Jose," Ex-boyfriend Of Arizona Sheriff:] Used.
[Marquez:] used and then threatened?
[Jose:] Yes.
[Marquez:] Why threatened?
[Jose:] I got a text from him, directly on my phone, saying that I will never have business, that my family will be contacted.
[Malveaux:] In Washington State, an avalanche kills three skiers in the Cascade Mountains. Police say about 12 skiers got caught in a snow slide, but the other nine were able to dig themselves out. The sheriff's deputy tells us that one of those skiers survived because she used an avalanche rescue system which works like an airbag. Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Joe Lieberman have been meeting with Egyptian military leaders in Cairo today. They are trying to resolve the case of 19 American workers who face criminal charges in Egypt's crackdown on non-governmental organizations. Now, the trial is set to begin on Sunday. Senators McCain and Graham joined us live just last hour with details on how those talks are going.
[Sen. John Mccain , Arizona:] We have met with the Supreme Council and also the field marshal, Tantawi, who is the head of the provisional government, as you know, the speaker of the parliament. We met with the head of the Muslim Brotherhood and others, and we have emphasized the importance of this issue to the American people, the importance of it being resolved as quickly as possible.
[Malveaux:] This video from Syria said to show men rushing into a burning house to save a child. This is in the city of Homs. CNN can't confirm the authenticity of the video, but Syrian forces, they have launched 17 straight days of heavy shelling in that city. A rebel commander calls the uprising an "Orphan Revolution" because they don't have the international support that was given to other revolts in the region. President Obama's main military adviser says it's premature to decide to help arm those rebels. U.N. inspectors in Iran today for another round of nuclear talks. It comes as Iran cuts off oil exports to Britain and to France in retaliation for new sanctions. Well, Iran insists its nuclear program is for energy, medical research. Western nations believe the Iranians are trying to build a bomb. The decision by Iran to cut off oil exports to Britain and to France, it's already causing oil prices to go up. I want to bring in Alison Kosik. She's at the New York Stock Exchange. Alison, this is obviously what folks are worried about. They are concerned. Do we know why this is happening now? Is it related to what is taking place on the ground?
[Alison Kosik, Cnn Business Correspondent:] It really is related to that. And as you're talking about oil prices, sure, they are topping $105 a barrel today. They are reaching the highest level in nine months. And there are several factors at work here, but most of the focus really is what's happening in Iran, what you mentioned. But the rise in prices is really more of a psychological effect and less of a supply issue, because we, here in the United States, we don't get any of our oil from Iran. France and Britain get very little of their oil from Iran. So it's more about the fear, meaning the trade of how oil is trading. It's more about the fear of what if Iran continues to squeeze supply? Suzanne.
[Malveaux:] And how would that impact gas prices?
[Kosik:] OK. So higher oil prices, no surprise, will mean higher gas prices. And some analysts say the national average could actually reach $4.25 by late April. Now, remember, the national average right now is sitting at $3.56 a gallon, and it's already $4 in two states, in California and Hawaii. Now, if prices rise, as expected, you're probably going to see consumers pull back and drive less. And if that happens, prices could actually retreat again as demand slows down Suzanne.
[Malveaux:] And overall, how would that affect the overall recovery? Are we looking at something that could have a huge impact here?
[Kosik:] It could impact the economy. We spoke with one oil analyst, Peter Butel. He told us that rising gas prices could actually stop the recovery that we're in the middle of right now. It could stop it altogether if prices get too high. But you know what? It's not all bad news. Rising oil prices, they're partly a reflection of a recovery that's actually picking up speed. You know, as oil prices have moved higher, so have stock prices. You look at how the Dow is doing, it's up almost 6 percent for the year. The S&P; 500 is up more than 8 percent. So portfolios are a little fatter. And sure, it may wind up blowing up your budget to pay an extra buck or two every time you fill up the tank, but prices going up could be a good thing if it's because the economy is getting stronger, that jobs are being created, and stock prices have rallied. You know, the potential gaining from a strong stock market and a growing economy more than offset the damage to our wallets from rising gas prices. Ultimately, Suzanne, it's one of those real delicate balance kind of things Suzanne.
[Malveaux:] All right. Thank you, Alison.