Transcripts For CNN Early Start 20120312

rebel groups are claiming over 100 people were killed sunday in government crashdowns. . the doonesbury comic strip has been pulled from several u.s. newspapers outrage after that comic strip tackled texas's new law requiring ultrasounds before women can seek an abortion. kentucky, syracuse, north carolina and michigan state earning the top seeds in their regions. kentucky's the favorite to go all the way. but the madness will get under way on thursday morning. and mississippi and alabama holding primaries tomorrow. mitt romney's getting a little help from a southern comic who just might be a red neck. and that rick santorum is counting on conservatives to provide him with a little bit of southern comfort as well. up first here, the killing spree that could threaten the u.s. mission in afghanistan. an american soldier going on a house-to-house shooting massacre in two southern afghanistan villages early sunday. 16 civilians were killed, 5 others were wounded. afghan president hamid karzai says this was an intentional act. he calls it unforgivable. a pentagon spokesman says the u.s. is certain that the gunman acted alone. >> it was noticed when the individual left the outpost and was reported up the chain of command. they did exactly what they should do, which is try to take a proper accounting at everybody at the outpost. there was in fact one person missing and they knew who it was. >> sara sidner is live in kabul, afghanistan. if we can begin the fact that it was one soldier. there were some suggesting it was several soldiers. what can you tell us about that? >> officials are sticking with the one soldier story that just one army staff sergeant left the base, went on a shooting rampage and return and turn himself in. they are still saying this morning this was the work of one person, there was no mission going on at the time in the area, that person obviously has been detain and an investigation, a full investigation, is under way. i want to tell you a little bit about some really gruesome images i've just looked at coming from one of the locals in the area who took a lot of photos and video of the villagers. the scene is gruesome. there are pictures of perhaps the worst pictures are burned bodies, including a toddler who has what appears to be a bullet hole in the toddler's head. there are images inside of one of these small homes of blood covered floors and blood splattered on the walls. we're also talking about a shell casings that are on the ground being picked up, obviously from investigators who have come in the next day. this apparently happened somewhere between 2:00 and 3:00 this the morning on sunday morning. since then, the villagers have been accusing the rus government of not telling the truth, saying there were more u.s. soldiers on the ground when this happened. but we did hear from a couple of people saying that all they know is that at least one of them did open fire. that person as i said has been detain. gruesome images coming out of the distract. this is an area known to have a strong taliban presence, an area where villagers say we were told by the u.s. to come back to this area and look what has happened to us. a lot of sorrow, a lost people crying and trying to explain what happened through tears, in the western part of kandahar. zoraida? >> are we worried now about reprisals, perhaps? >> reporter: the taliban has already this morning said there will be reprisals, perhaps violent ones. we also know that members of parliament have decided to close down the parliament here in protest of the killings. so here in kabul, parliament will be closed. there is a lot of anger brewing. we know there have been the villagers that have gathered outside of the base, gathered both yesterday and they are gathering today, of course, the funerals will happen today as well. so we'll be getting more and more information from that area. but the anger is growing and there's a lot of speculation that this really plays right into the hands of the taliban who is trying to divide people and trying to say, look, you can't really trust these coalition forces who claim to be here to help you. the u.s. government, nato, and afghan officials are looking into this but there are a lot of people asking for swift justice and wanting the person who perpetrated this crime to be tried right here in afghanistan. we don't know if that's likely to happen or not, zoraida. >> have you heard anything about how this affects the strategy moving forward in afghanistan? >> yes, right now, everyone is just expressing their anger or sorrow or both over what happened. this is certainly going to strain ties again between the afghan government and the u.s. the president as you mentioned has said he is deeply satined by what happened. this is a de-floridaib flooploa regrettable incident. in a statement yesterday, hamid karzai made it seemed like he believed there was actually some sort of a mission that went wrong. we're still trying to clarify exactly what he meant by his words. but certainly, there is anger now and there's going to be have to be a lot to get worked through because of this incident, zoraida. >> sara sidner, great to have you this morning, live in afghanistan. while israel engages in a round of cross border fighting with militants in gaza, the former head of israel's intelligence agency is warning against a preemptive strike on facilities. rather surprisingly, he said aing toing iran could set off a regional war and said there are still more time for diplomacy. >> you have said publicly that bombing iran now is the stupidest idea you've ever heard. that's a direct quote. >> an attack on iran before you exploring all other approaches is not the right way how to do it. >> on subject of diplomacy, our president urged israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu just last week to be patient when it comes to iran. meir dugan said a nuclear armed iran is not an israeli problem, it is an international problem. time now for "early start" news you will be tacking about tonight. marie colvin will be laid to rest tonight. many syrian-americans attended her wake though they did not know her personally, to thank her for giving a voice to people struggling for freedom. a ruling is expected in the jerry sandusky case. it will be decided how much evidence will have to be forked over, including times and dates when the alleged abuse took place. the kony 2012 video, another one is expected to be released today. this one to answer critics who question the group's management and motives. the creators joined cnn's don lemon just last night. >> we're going to release a ten-minute video that clicks through some of the questions where we say here's all the answers. here's all the figures. you know, there's nothing to hide. invisible children has been transparent since 2004 when we started. that's our intention. we want to show this campaign is part of a strategy and model that's comprehensive and that we stand by it. >> the video was posted to bring attention to the atrocities committed by ugandan warlord joseph kony. the dow, nasdaq and s&p 500 all making gains for the week last week. u.s. markets closed higher on friday after that stronger than expected jobs report. >> let's bring in christine romans, telling us about a new survey about student loans threatening the u.s. economy? >> this is a bankruptcy attorney group that is warning that they think the next debt bomb is student loans. of course they would like their clients to be able to discharge their student loans in bankruptcy. did you know if you file for bankruptcy, your student loans stay with you on the other side of bankruptcy? in bankruptcy in general, your alimony, child support, court fines and restitution and student loans cannot be wiped away in almost all cases. there are rare exceptions. this bankruptcy group is saying, look, we are seeing among our clients the same kinds of signs we saw early on in the mortgage crisis of people who are drowning under these student loan debts. it's interesting. it's not just students. it's their parents, baby boomer parents and in some cases grandparents who are taking on the student debt. the average student graduates with about 25 grand in student debt. this is as of 2010. this study finds little chance of loan relief. that's surprising to a lot of people. tuition keeps going up and up and up. even as the class of 2010, 2011 and hopefully not the class of 2012 are having a hard time finding jobs, you guys. this is something that's important to watch here. i want to say something. what we know from the data is we're not doing a very good job in this country of managing our student debt. parents in too many cases are taking on student loans and shouldn't be. they don't have enough working time to be able to pay them off. >> they're also paying off their mortgages, too, at the same time. >> their income is down, might be under water on their loan. bureau of labor statistic data is clear, pugh research found last year if you have a ba, bachelor of arts or sign agree, on average you'll make $650,000 more over the course of your working life than if you don't. $650,000. seems you should be able to pay the $25,000 if it's the students taking the loan, managing them properly and getting the right kind of degree. we need to be a little worried about the fact that we're taking on all this debt and we're having difficulty paying it back. >> but what we should most be worried about is the fact that the parents are taking on the debt. >> i'm very concerned about the parents. there are a lot of personal finance experts who will tell you you need to think of it in one third, one third, one third, save a money, the kid pay one third and the parents pay one third. >> what's the percentage of students with under water -- i'm not going to say under water student loans but maybe we're getting there. i don't know. >> kids who recently graduated, by the next year, up to a quarter are late on their student loans or in default on their student loans. it's a big number. it's a big number. there are even new rules, believe it or not, in health care reform to help keep your student loan bill to a certain part of your income. i think the big problem for kids right now, there's no income. they've graduated in late 2000s, 2010, 2008, 2009 and they're still having trouble getting in the work force. that's the real problem here. >> or they're getting ai job that only pays crap because that's all they could get. >> don't take loans on behalf of your kids if you're too close to retirement and you think you haven't saved for retirement. your kid has their whole life to pay back loans. you don't. >> thank you. hard but good advice. storms moving through the south with the potential of more tornadoes. cnn's alexandria steele is in for rob marciano. oh, no. >> not a huge threat. that is not the case. isolated tornadoes, certainly the exception, not the rule by any means. big picture radar in the south, may be waking up in new orleans, i-10 will see wet weather today. in the upper midwest, minneapolis, chicago, also indianapolis. that's where we will see later in the day showers and thunderstorms. isolated severe storm, again, not the rule, though. pacific northwest, maybe you're waking up super early this morning. we'll see rain portland, maybe could have troubles there and snow in the highest elevations. here's the big picture. there's the rain in the northwest. again, here's the potential for some severe storms. isolated probably at best. showers in the south. you know what will have everyone talking today? the heat. today 20 to 35 degrees above average even with the rain and storms in chicago. 67 agrees. 67 in boston. you should be in the 40s this time of year. new york, washington at 70. these temperatures only warming further as we head toward the next couple of days. travel troubles, big american hub, chicago, indianapolis, detroit, atlanta because of some showers and also portland with the rain and the wind. the full forecast coming up in just a bit. back to you guys. >> love the heat wave. thank you. >> i don't know if i love it in march. i've got to be honest. while it's nice, i still freak out. does that mean 110 this summer? >> oh, no, no, no. >> i like the heat waves. i leak them. >> thank you, alexandria. this just in for you. are you ready for it? gas prices, up again. if you weren't paying attention over the weekend, it's the third straight day they're up. the new national average for a gallon of gas stands at $3.80. that's according to aaa. that is a rise of 0.9 cent. experts say the high gas prices are here to stay, at least through the summer. we might be hearing about $4 gas by may. sorry to be the bearer of the bad news. still ahead, a comic controversy. some papers are yanking a doonesbury strip about a controversy abortion law. and tiger woods, rolling, not walking off the course. just weeks before the masters. what do you make of that? 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[ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ 18 minutes past 5:00 a.m. christine romans has been busy collecting news stories throughout the night. she's joining us with a look at all the top stories. >> good morning. the top stories south of kandahar early this morning. u.s. military officials say they're certain sunday's killing spree in southern afghanistan was the work of a lone american soldier. 16 afghan civilians were killed in the house-to-house shooting rampage, including nine children. afghan president karzai calls this slaughter unforgivable. officials in yemen say u.s. drone strikes killed at least 64 suspected al qaeda militants in separate attacks over three days. those strikes targeted insurgent hideouts and arms supplies. the yemeni government says it received no advance warning from the u.s. answering their critics, the men behind the kony 2012 documentary that's exploding online, they plan to release a new video today in response to many critics, including a victim of the abandoned warlord who says the viral video has done nothing but make him a celebrity. and a setback for tiger woods. he was forced to withdraw after 11 holes at the wgc cadillac championship in miami yesterday. forced to withdraw with an injury to his achilles. tiger was even carted off the course. later, he released a statement saying he felt tightness in the tendon when he was warming up. deman for apple's ipad, it's off the charts. preorders are already sold out. apple's website showing march 19 is the earliest possible ship date for online orders. if you want one on the march 16th launch date you'll have to visit an apple retail store, ladies. >> or you have to camp. >> camp outside the store. >> have you gotten a chance to take a peek at it? >> i haven't. i'm still on apple ipad i. i just want a camera. that's all i want. >> the girlfriend, get with the program. they haven't released the new ipads to the press, have they? >> no. there's a big hullabaloo about it. >> the companies that make the cases have to wait until the last minute because they keep all of this under wraps. the case companies are going bananas trying to make sure they have the cases just right. >> i like to try it out before i purchase. >> maybe we'll try to get one. >> that would be lovely. >> or we'll wait in line like everybody else. >> i'm thinking that will happen on this. >> they're never going to do free samples, no way, not apple. we're getting an early read on stories making national headlines this morning. a couple stories from around the horn, the atlantic, "new york times" and "the washington post," let's start with max fish are in "the atlantic" talking about what christine was reporting on, the horrible massacre in afghanistan by what's thought to be a lone u.s. soldier. he lists off the different pressures american soldiers are facing 0en that tour of duty. this is a world where a young man or woman might be on fifth tour. think about it. five tours of duties over two wars in iraq and afghanistan. not only listening to bombs, roadside bombs, fearing roadside bombs, knowing your friends have been hit by road shooid bombs. in iraq, specifically baghdad or at basra, they join at 18 or 19 and for want of a job. they end up spending a fifth or quarter of their adult lives far from home in alien and hostile places surrounded by violence. it is hard not to think of the eric harriss and the dylan klebolds, the exhausted, confused, afraid and angry. that's harsh language if you think about it. max fisher pointing out that afghans also have it bad. they've had a decade of war within their country following a massive civil war, their homeland is a mess, their government's a mess, they're corrupt like crazy and some are acting out in similar fashion as well, through terrorism, et cetera. it's important to talk about the different sides that are a powder keg. what's our role in all of this? that will be the big conversation going forward. >> "the new york times" blog is pondering what will happen next in the case against a u.s. soldier that's accused of the killings. it asks whether he should be tried in afghanistan rather than court-martialed in the united states. it also says it is a trial in situ really so crazy, as a kind of soft power diplomacy as a kind of calming outreach to countries where the united states has a substantial military presence? why not a joint military tribunal or a combined court-martial by u.s. forces and the afghan national army? it forces countries to sign agreements that protect american soldiers from prosecution abroad. many afghan voices suggesting that trying the soldier under afghan law is the only wa i to calm the nerves there, to satisfy the people that live there. >> a lot of people will wake up to gary trudo, love the comic but "the washington post" is actually speaking to the creator of the doonesbury strip about the new controversy surrounding his latest venture. may be funny to some but not to others. several papers have decided to pull doonesbury in response to a story that slams texas legislators and the new law that requires women to undergo an ultrasound before getting an abortion. in the strip, a woman visits an abortion clinic and she's placed in something called a, there it is, shaming room. a male legislator goes on to call her -- are you ready for this word? slut. he talks about why he's tackling the abortion issue, saying roe versus wade was decided while i was still in school, contraception was on its way to being used by 99% of american women. i thought reproductive rights wa i assetled issue. who knew we had turned into a nation of sluts. these are gary trudeau's words, doonesbury creator. 24 minutes past the hour. still ahead, whitney houston's daughter speaks to oprah winfrey. what she had to say about how she is dealing with her mother's death. also jagged rocks, high wind, pouring rain. the italian coast guard choppers are battling almosts to save a ship wrecked crew. look at the pictures. you'll get an update on that in just a moment. >> look at the waters. ewhere al, emily went right on living. but you see, with the help of her raymond james financial advisor, she had planned for every eventuality. ...which meant she continued to have the means to live on... ...even at the ripe old age of 187. life well planned. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. aflac! ha! isn't major medical enough? 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[ male announcer ] it's chevy truck month. now get 0% financing for 72 months when you purchase a 2012 chevy silverado custom sport. or trade in your eligible vehicle to get a total value of $6,000. women and children killed in their homes as they slept. a u.s. soldier turning himself in after a cold-blooded shooting spree. >> this could not have happened at a more sensitive time after koran burnings in afghanistan. where are we going in this country and are we going to get out? you're watching "early start." good morning to you. 28 minutes past the hour. welcome back to "early start," i'm zoraida sambolin. >> i'm ashleigh banfield. time to check the top stories. the taliban is vowing revenge after a lone u.s. soldier it's believed has killed at least 16 afghan civilians in a house-to-house execution style shooting spree. president obama is calling this incident, quote, tragic and shocking. afghanistan's president hamid karzai says this was an unforgivable crime. invisible children, the group that's kind of viral kony 2012 video is planning a follow-up to answer critics who have questioned the group's management and the grupp's motives. the video about a wanted yew beg -- ugandan warlord. take a look at this, after a cargo ship ran aground. they rescued 19 crew members on board that vessel which had started to take on water. we are happy to report that the crew is safe. the deep south will host two big gop primaries tomorrow, mississippi and alabama. comedian jeff foxworthy is planning to campaign with mitt romney in both states to date. newt gingrich and rick santorum are in a head-to-head battle for conservative evangelical voters. it's time to fill out your brackets. kentucky, syracuse, north carolina and michigan state earning the top seeds. kentucky is favored to go all the way. the madness will begin on thursday morning. the final four in new orleans this year. it is 30 minutes past the hour now. it is somewhat unclear this morning about a shocking door-to-door killing spree by a u.s. soldier in afghanistan as to the who, what, why and where. and also whether this is going to threaten the united states' mission in that very volatile country. anmy american sienement already on the rise because of koran burnings may explode. don't forget, there were many people killed after the holy book was burned several weeks ago. now execution-style killings among villagers, afghanistan's president is saying the shootings were, quote, unforgivable. 16, at least at this count, civilians count. 9 of those 16 were kids. cnn's barbara starr is live at the pentagon. i don't know where to begin with you on this one. i have so many questions. i'm not sure what's worse. the koran burnings which spurred at leeftd 30 revenge killings or this massacre. i'm wondering what the pentagon is thinking about this at this point. >> good morning, ashley. let's circle back. on the koran burnings by all accounts and even the afghan government does this, this was an accidental, inadvertent incident. there was no intention on the part of u.s. troops that anywhere is aware of that they intended to burn the koran. that was a different situation, inadvertent that they burned religious materials. that's under investigation. that said, it certainly adds to the rising tensions in the country there. and this latest incident for which no one can figure out a motivation why a u.s. soldier would do this, is going to add to that by all accounts. people are really trying to make the effort to sort of keep a lid on it, if you will. make no mistake, every u.s. military official i spoke to about this incident in the last 24 hours is both angry, furious, that this could have happened at the hands of u.s. military personnel and heart sick about it. it's a real punch to the gut for the u.s. effort in that country. >> barbara, the strange part of afghans is that they are a people who know war more than just about anybody i know. for the better part of four decades they've been in civil war. they get that people die in war and they also get there are unexpected casualties, too. at this point, though, do we expect that the backlash will be worse than the koran burnings? are we concerned at this point about the u.s. citizens who are in place there, the embassy staff, et cetera? >> well, what officials are telling us is that they are taking precautions, they're warning people who are american citizens, mainly obviously working for the government, also working there privately for private organizations, to be cautious, to be careful. they are not telling us what extra measures they may be taking to protect u.s. troops there. the promise that the u.s. is making that they're going to investigate it, get to the bottom of it very quickly, and hold the person, the suspect accountable, for his actions. but afghans are going to want to see some justice done here. >> all right. barbara starr, live with us from the pentagon this morning. thanks for that. also a reminder at 6:30 eastern we'll get perspective on the tragedy in afghanistan when we're joined by thomas cotton, who served as a u.s. army captain in afghanistan and iraq and is currently running for congress in arkansas. 33 minutes past the hour. ahead on "early start," the gop road show heads to the deep south. alabama and mississippi are up for grabs tomorrow. can the king of red neck jokes deliver votes for mitt romney? 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this is big news. good morning, washington, d.c. that is one of my favorite shots around the country. the capitol all lit up in the night sky. we'll call it the morning sky. it just kind of looks like night. if you're awake with us, it's your morning. 45 in the nation's capital. are you ready for this? later on, it is going to be 70. lovely day. >> a heat wave there. the republican race shifts to the deep south with primaries scheduled tomorrow in two ultraconservative states, mississippi and alabama. hawaii and american somol. >> i want that the assignment. jeff foxworthy is campaigning with mitt romney in alabama and mississippi. rick santorum and newt gingrich both want to get rid of the other to become romney's challenger. santorum winning kansas and sending a gentle message to gingrich. >> the speaker can say as long as he wants but i think the better opportunity to make sure that we nominate a conservative is to give us an opportunity to go head to head with governor romney at some point and hopefully that will occur sooner rather than later. we'll wait and see what the speaker decides. >> let's talk about the south. from chicago, conservative columnist, lenny mccallister. from washington, roll call political strategist. david, i'll start with you. romney has jeff foxworthy in his corner. >> i'm learning to say y'all and i like grits and things are strange, things are happening to me. >> a little awkward there, right? we know that he's awkward. everybody's talking about that. none of the candidates are appealing to the southerners. what can they do in order to appeal? david? >> well, i think that southerners are not as unsophisticated as some people think. they're going to respond to appeals for lower gas prices, jobs, foreign policy, just like voters anywhere else. clearly they're more conser conservative but they're concerned about the same things. i think that's why you see a really tight race in alabama and mississippi. surprisingly tight given that the expectations for mitt romney are not good. we figure this should be santorum or gingrich territory. but there's a good chance there could be a surprise this week. this has been a volatile race overall. we might be surprised on tuesday yet again with romney finishing surprisingly strong, even if he doesn't win, if he can walk away with delegates, he continues his sort of path here that's slow but steady. it doesn't really even change things. i think for gingrich and santorum, it's important for them to do well, given that they've said this is where they will do well. so for the first time in a while, the expectations are reversed with romney not necessarily needing to do well and the others having to show some -- having to have something to show for tuesday night. >> all right, all of this talk appealing to southerners might not matter, right? senator lindsey graham asked of santorum if gingrich should drop out. we'll put it up for everybody. mathematical mathematically, this thing is about over. actually, let's listen to it. >> mathematically this thing is about over but emotionally it's not. everybody believes if i could get a one on with romney, i could win this thing. if romney does well in alabama or mississippi and wins illinois, i think it's virtually impossible for this thing to continue much beyond early may. >> excuse me. i should have said him saying it. so mathematically, is it over? >> well, you know, he has a very different math for me. from my perspective, this could go on for a while. the reality is, romney is in a commanding position. he's building up delegates delegate by delegate. he's pretty far ahead. the others are far from mathematically eliminated. if gingrich were to drop out, i think that's more likely if santorum can take on romney head to head, the math is a long shot but he's certainly not eliminated at this point. >> all right. lenny, i want you to weigh in on that. do you think mathematically it's over? >> no, it's not mathematically over. we heard the same thing after florida. once romney rolled through florida and got nevada, this was all but over, but the screaming and the shouting and then rick santorum took three states in one night. this will go on for a little while, as long as mitt romney can't be comfortable in his skin, can't talk to conservatives and make a 50-state strategy. he has a 50-state structure but he doesn't have a 50-state strategy. going into the south for someone who was the governor of massachusetts and grew up in detroit is not a good thing to do. >> you don't think that was endearing, him saying y'all? >> as somebody that lived in north carolina for ten years, no. it was bad, horrible, it was fake. that's been the criticism of mitt romney, that he's fake, he can't connect to people. what does he do? he comes acrosses afake, does something that's not connecting with folks. until that changes it's still anybody's game, especially if you see a surprise on tuesday or see a surprise at the end of the month here in illinois. >> i want you to weigh in. i'm not just going to give you one or another choice. the final question is, there are rumors that gingrich asked perry to be his vice president. i want you to weigh in on whether this is a good move, bad move, too late or who cares? john? >> the thing i'm looking out for, the crazy move, what if gingrich decides to run as an independent? that could be -- that could be wild. i think it could happen. >> david? >> who cares. >> lenny? >> good move. if he wins both southern states and gets back into the mix, that will be a differencemaker. >> you think that makes a good ticket there? >> well, it will invigorate the conservative base and establishment that doesn't like gingrich but was in love with perry before he had his gaffes in the fall. >> thank you for joining us this morning. we'll see you again in the next hour, actually. >> thank you, ma'am. our special coverage of alabama and mississippi primaries begins tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. eastern with aarer burnett. a small plane coming down in someone's backyard. >> oh, my goodness. >> if you can believe it, it was just feet from a home that was filled with kids. we're going to get you the scoop on that one. also, big interview, whitney houston's daughter talking to oprah. what are her plans about show biz? 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[ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios... five whole grains, 110 calories. will be giving away... passafree copies of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. welcome back. it is now seven minutes to the top of the hour. whitney houston's only daughter has given her first interview since her mom died. >> bobbi kristina is telling oprah she can still hear her mother's voice and feel her spirit urging her to carry on. >> i can savor music but to hear her right now, i can't. i can hear her voice in spirit talking to me and telling me, keep moving, baby. you know? i'm right here. i got you. >> carlos diaz joins us. i put this out on facebook that you were joining us. people said, gosh, it's just too soon for her to talk. >> yeah, the funny thing is, people say it's too soon for herta talk. those same people, it's too soon for her to talk but what's she going to say? that's the thing, everybody wanted to hear from bobbi kristina. you have to wonder, was it planned? oprah was talking to patricia houston which is whitney's sister-in-law and manager and all of a sudden she asked is bobbi kristina in the house? all of a sudden, bobbi kristina walked in and boom, we're doing an interview. it was whitney talking to bobbi kristina, the daughter, the 19-year-old daughter of whitney houston. as you just heard, bobbi kristina said she can't listen to whitney's music just now but she truly believes that the ghost of whitney houston is alive and well inside the house. listen. >> have you had the visitation? i know some people might think we're crazy but a lot of people -- >> yeah. oh, yeah. >> get where they come to you in your dreams. >> oh, yeah. >> you've had that? >> yes. especially throughout the house. throughout the house, you know, the lights turned on and off. i'm like, mom, what are you doing? >> really? >> i still sit there and i can still laugh with her. i can still sit there and talk to her. >> now, zoraida, i have to tell you, when you listen to that interview and hear that part, you say to yourself, she's still coping with the loss. it's only been one month and one day since she lost her mom. it reminds me of when michael jackson's kids spoke for the first time. after that interview, you said, they are so well adjusted, they seem to be coping with their father's death so well. it seems that bobbi kristina, it's still raw, still dealing with it. >> she looked good. did they talk at all about her drug problem? >> you can tell that oprah, i'm never going to critique oprah's interviewing style. she's the best. she didn't want to go hard at her talking about her mom's alleged drug use and the things that had come up in the past. in fact, bobbi wanted to more talk about the legacy she wanted to move forward and bobbi kristina's plans moving forward. >> even bobbi kristina's alleged drug use, she didn't discuss that at all? >> no, no. she said the first night after the death, bobbi kristina couldn't stay at home. when i woke up that next morning, she didn't say what she woke up after doing, i heard my mom's voice saying let's move forward and get back home. she's really talking a lot about how she's hearing whitney houston's voice and that's helping her. >> maybe that's the way she copes. carlos diaz, thanks so much for joining us this morning. >> thank you. four minutes before 6:00 a.m. on the east coast. still ahead, a cold-blooded execution-style killing spre in afghanistan, all at the hands of a u.s. soldier. what will that do to our mission in that country? how is the pentagon going to handle this one and will there be revenge attacks against our guys? you're watching "early start." named a 2012 iihs top safety pick. not...that... we'd ever brag about it... turn right. come on, nine. turn left. hit the brakes. huh? how did that get there? 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[ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ helping you do what you do... are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers. a very good morning to you, everyone. welcome to "early start." i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. we are bringing you the news from "a" to "z." a u.s. soldier's cold-blooded killing spree in afghanistan. it is threatening the mission there this morning. we're going to talk to someone who served on the front lines in iraq and afghanistan, what needs to be done in order to diffuse the anger. the rush limbaugh scandal just won't go away. in fact, the word contagious now emerging. the advertisers have been jumping ship, and now the radio bosses are getting a little nervous, too. and not just about rush. other shows just like his. john avlon is going to join us on a move that could really have a huge effect on right wing talk radio. it is one minute past the hour. christine romans is here with the check of the stories making news this morning. it is a tough news morning. >> it really is. i want to start in afghanistan where it's, quite frankly, a lit fuse this morning. u.s. soldiers are warned this morning anti-american sentiment is rising after an american soldier went on a shooting spree early sunday morning killing 16 afghan civilians, including 9 children. and in syria this morning, 45 women and children have been slaughtered in a terrifying massacre there. rebel groups say government forces stormed the city of homs going house to house, stabbing women and children. and then burning their bodies. syria's government is blaming the killings on armed terrorist groups, not the government. rebel groups are claiming more than 100 people were killed sunday in government crackdowns. the doonesbury economic strip pulled from several u.s. newspapers this morning outrage after that popular comic strip tackles texas' new law requiring ultrasounds before abortions. let's dance, the ncaa tournament is set and it is kentucky, syracuse, north carolina, michigan state earning the top seeds in their regions. kentucky is the favorite to go all the way. the madness will begin on thursday morning. mitt romney enlisting the aid of comedian jeff foxworthy on the campaign trail today in mississippi and alabama. those two states hold their primaries tomorrow. rick santorum hoping conservatives can deliver him some critical delegates after winning kansas over the weekend. mitt romney, jeff foxworthy. >> oil and water, i don't know. can you see what jay leno -- >> i think he's trying -- between the grits and the y'all and trying to show his down home self a little bit in the south. >> some say that. some say pander. >> did you watch the clips? >> they were great. >> i think that would be fun late night tv coming, my thoughts. >> there's always a lot of fun late night tv in the primary season. get you up on your big stories of the day, and right now nobody knows for sure if a tragic house to house execution style shooting spree by a u.s. soldier in afghanistan is going to wreak havoc in american's mission in a very unstable country. u.s. soldiers are warned that anti-american sentiment is again on the rise. president of that country isle aing the shootings unforgivable. in the end, we've got a count so far, 16 afghan civilians killed and, among them, 9 children. barbara starr is live at the pentagon for thus morning. my thought is the investigation is only just beginning right now. barba barbara? >> that's right, ashleigh. by all accounts this soldier about 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning on sunday walked out of his base in a remote area of kandahar province in the south, went to villages nearby and conducted these killings. brutal business. very tough. i mean, you know, just think about this one little area where the u.s. troops were operating. they were there specifically not just route out the taliban but to help the people who live in that area, to convince them that they would be kept safe, that they could proceed with their lives. this was all about trying to be the one voice of safety and stability for the people in that regioned. and, of course, it has gone so terribly wrong. u.s. commanders we're talking to absolutely heart sick, a real punch to the gut on this one. they are promising a full investigation. so far, no one can say what the motivation was of this soldier to do what he did. >> so maybe it is one soldier, maybe it is a mental instability, but the facts don't always translate on the ground among afghans where communication is sketchy at best and taliban is always exacerbating things. what's your departure plans for 2012 and long-term plans in afghanistan? >> look, the taliban are already claiming there will violence, retaliation, really trying to stir things up. that is to be expected in afghanistan. rudimentary communications, it may be several days before word of this really filters out across the country. i think that is a typical concern, that you could see a delayed impact in towns and villages and cities across afghanistan as word of this begins to filter out. right now, no change, we are told, in the u.s. strategy, which is -- the nato strategy, which is to have operations wrapped up by the end of 2014. the u.s. continuing its drawdown of its forces between now and then. but, look, the practicality is, this is going to put a lot of pressure on the u.s. and on nato to really show some progress and get things wrapped up in afghanistan. >> what about the base where the soldier's from, lewis mccord in washington state. this was also the base where four soldiers went on a thrill-killing spree, were jailed in 2010. is there an issue with the base or is it really this province area which is so troublesome that may just be causing this kind of potential for violence? >> well, i think you'll find that that other incident was in a different location in afghanistan. there have been issues at this base in the past as there are many places. you know, i think what people are going to want to be careful to really figure out first when this soldier really started serving out of lewis mccord in washington. did he recently arrive there and deploy to afghanistan, is there some longer history here, are there ties to be made, are there command problems there? all of these things will be looked at, ashleigh. >> were bra starr live at the pentagon this morning. also want to let you know that the the afghan parliaments a issued a startement. we strongly request if t. government of america to give punishment for this wild act and have a public trial in front of people of afghanistan. i'm sure that that's the way it would work, likely the trial might be on u.s. soil but certainly that soldiering is going to face some kind of american justice. probably u.s. military justice. at 6:30 eastern we're going to get perspective on the tragedy in afghanistan when we're joined by thomas cotton, he served as a u.s. army captain in afghanistan and iraq and currently returning for congress in arkansas. we'll talk to him about that statement, as well. every morning we like to give you an "early start" to your day by getting you up to speed on stories big tonight. let's start with this one. slain war reporter colvin will be laid to redd today in long island. she was killed in the city of homs. many attended her wake even though they didn't even know her personally, just to thank her for giving the people a voice. key ruling expected today in the jerry sandusky sex abuse case. the judge is expected to decide how much information prosecutors must share with sandusky's lawyer, including exact times, dates, and days of the week when the alleged abuse took place. invisible children, the group behind that viral kony 2012 video which exploded on the web with 23 million views, is expected to release another video and plan to do it today. this one can answer critics questions that can ask about the group's management, motives, and money. the creators joined cnn's don lemons last night and had this to say. >> going to release a ten-minute video that clicks through some of the questions where we say, here's all the answers, here's all the figures. you know, there's nothing to hide. invisible children has been transparent since 2004 when we started. that's our intention. we want to show that this campaign is a part of a strategy and model that's comprehensive and that we stand by it. >> that video was posted to bring attention to the atrocities committed by ugandan warlord joseph kony. nine minutes past 6:00 in the morning on the east coast. still ahead, rush limbaugh's scandal is becoming contagious. advertise er have been jumping ship and now radio bosses are making very con ttroversial mov and it could affect other right wing talk shows, as well. tiger woods was carted off the course. this is just weeks before the masters. will he or won't he play? quick check of your travel forecast with alexander steel. good morning to you. >> good morning. quick peek around the country. severe storms today. late this afternoon and tonight in the upper midwest. maybe an isolated tornado, some hail, gusty winds. some showers in the south, but the story, record heat potentially today from chicago, 67, all of the way to boston, new york, albany, could all flirt with records today. the heat is on. 44 in seattle and portland. rain coming in there today. 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[ male announcer ] with wells fargo advisor's envision plan, you always know where you stand. in fact, 93 percent of envision plan holders say they will retire on their own terms. get started on the plan you need today -- wells fargo advisors. together we'll go far. over a million people have discovered how easy it is to use legalzoom for important legal documents. so start your business, protect your family, launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com, we put the law on your side. it is now 14 minutes past 6:00 on the east coast. and christine romans is busy looking into the the top stories of the day, bringing us the headlines for the morning. >> the top story is what happens in kandahar, u.s. soldier is being investigated for murders, many murder there's. and there's worries that anti-american sentiment is rising this morning after reports of that door-to-door shooting spree. afghanistan president karzai calling the slaughter unforgivable. the afghan parliament just issued a statement calling for the u.s. to hold a public trial in front of the people of afghanistan. we'll continue to follow this story all morning. mitt romney will be joined by the king of redneck jokes on the trail today. comedian jeff foxworthy planning to campaign with him in alabama and mississippi. those two states hold primaries tomorrow. and demand for apple's new ipad saare off the charts. apple's website showing march 19 as the earliest possible ship date for your online orders. if you want one on march 15th, the official launch date, visit your apple retail store. a setback for tiger woods. he was forced to withdraw after 11 holes at the wgc cadillac championship in miami yesterday. pulled out with an injury to his achille's. he had to be carted off the coast before later h we releae a statement saying he felt tightness in the tendon when he was warming up. the master's is just around the corner. >> he said, in the past i may have continued to play but this time i decided to do what i thought was necessary. they said he was looking really good, too. >> does not want to jeopardize next few weeks. >> the masters, a few weeks? >> two weeks away. >> what is happening with this year? >> i know. it's already march madness. >> crazy. >> leap forward -- no, a leap year and spring forward. >> have you adjusted yet? >> no, i lost it and i vice president gotten it back yet. >> isn't it hard going to bed in 5:00 in the afternoon when you get that extra hour of daylight. hard. >> thanks, christine. 16 minutes past 6:00. and still ahead, this is big, folks. it's being called a talk radio bomb. close to 100 advertisers are making it known that they're nervous about rush and other strident radio talk show hosts. what does this mean for all that polarizing media out there and what about tv? is that close behind? take a look at these pictures. high risk, high drama. an italian coast guard chopper battles the element to save a shipwrecked crew. the outcome? we're going to tell you. you're watching "early start." i am loving this greek yogurt. i like yoplait. it is yoplait. but you said it was greek. mmhmm. so is it greek or is it yoplait? exactly. okay... 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"saturday night live" had some fun at rush limbaugh's expense. >> it might have been very funny but the truth is that sponsors are bailing in the wake of his comments about that law student sandra fluke. >> i am not worried because i have new, better sponsors, great american companies like sherman's imitation mayonnaise, it might not be mayonnaise but it is a bargain. the syria tourism board. ah, no, there's nowhere to hide! syria. >> once again, it may have all been laughs on saturday night but the truth is there are some signs this morning that all talk radio is starting to feel the effect of what's been going on with rush limbaugh. no one knows that more than the guy who has been writing about it. joining me now is john avlon, normally i have you here on a panel, john avlon, but today i got to catch you up on all the stuff you've been writing about because this is big time. this isn't just a bunch of advertisers saying i'm pulling out. this is now the distributors talking. >> that's right. so on friday, premier network which distributes rush and many other talk radio folks, especially on the right, sent out a memo to their stations saying, look, we've got 98 major advertisers. these are big names, things like mcdonald's, subway, geico, ford, saying that these advertisers no longer want to have their ads played an radio shows which could be deemed offensive or controversial and explicitly listed the shows, not just rush but glenn beck, michael savage, mark la vin. this could send a fascinating message to the phenomenon of polarizing, hyper partisan talk radio because at the end of the day it's all about follow the money. and this is not a censorship. this is a free market working out. the key advertising demographic, the most prized is women age 24 to 55. those are the folks most offended by some of rushes's most recent comments. potential repu potenti potential repercussions are felt. >> quote, we specifically ask that you schedule their commercials in dayparts or programs free of content you know are deemed to be offensive or con ttroversiacontroversial. for example, rush limbaugh, michael savage, glenn beck and you mentioned others as well. do you think this is a temporary way for a lot of these big advertisers, like the car companies, insurance companies, restaurant companies, to just leap over the problem spot or do you think this is more staying power? without pulling out the commercials completely, they're looking to be moved away from these contentious broadcasters? >> once advertisers leave they rarely come back. >> but are they really leaving? >> i think it's a sign that they are responding to pressure from consumers. this is consumer driven. this is social media driven because the power of social media, folk can create a grass roots protest among content they find offensive quickly and that will make its way to the advertisers who at the end of the day will do what their consume consumers encourage them to do. this is a fascinating new development in ways that consumers can hold advertisers accountable. >> and i think what's really interesting, especially since you wrote the book called "independent nation" i want you to get your independent hat on. while, yes, this is the free market dictating that. it's also, you got to admit, being driven by a lot of politicos. to that end, people have been very critical that the leftist, you know, radio talk show hosts don't get nearly the scrutiny. bill maher, by the way, commented on this because he said strident things about conservative women. i never expected him to hear him somewhat come to the defense of limbaugh but let's hear what he has to say about this. >> i don't like it, that people are made to disappear when they say something or people try to make them disappear when they say something you don't like. i'm not defending him. i'm defending living in a country where people don't have to be afraid, that they might go out of the bounds for one minute. do we all want to be talking like white house spokesmen? >> he made such a good point, john. do we want people to be so homogenous. is this really the free market or a bunch of pushing and shoving by people who have an agenda? >> no, this is not about first amendment rights. this is the free market working out with new pressures that allow consumers to hold companies accountable for where they advertise. i appreciate his point but i also appreciate the people on the right saying left wing talkers can be just as hateful in the past and haven't gotten the same kind of criticism, fine. take a look at the largers demographic changes going on. women, younger people leaving talk radio because they feel it so alienating to the way they would rather have polic thes the talked about. a sea change from the talkers who disproportionately dominated the debate over the past several decades towards something different,ing? new. >> five seconds left. tv is next. this is radio we're talking and tv is somewhat partisan are well. are we? >> the rise the partisan media may have hit a high watermark. people looking for something more independent, a little less hyper partisan. >> i love what you've been writing. it's fascinating stuff. you're getting to the nitty-gritty and i love it. thank you, john. 26 minutes past the hour. coming up on "early start," american soldier kills 16 afghan civilians. we'll be joined by tom mag cotton, he served as a u.s. army captain in afghanistan and iraq. we're going to get his perspective on all of this. you're watching "early start." you know when i grow up, i'm going to own my own restaurant. i want to be a volunteer firefighter. when i grow up, i want to write a novel. i want to go on a road trip. when i grow up, i'm going to go there. i want to fix up old houses. 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[ male announcer ] with wells fargo advisor's envision plan, you always know where you stand. in fact, 93 percent of envision plan holders say they will retire on their own terms. get started on the plan you need today -- wells fargo advisors. together we'll go far. it is 29 minutes now past 6:00 on the east coast. welcome back to "early start." i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. it is not clear if the u.s. mission in afghanistan will be jeopardized by the killing of 16 civilian business an american soldier. president obama has called afghan president hamid karzai to offer his condolences. karzai, however, calling the attack unforgivable. and the afghan parliament has issued a statement. they want the u.s. to hold a public trial in front of the people of afghanistan. invisible children, that is a group behind the viral kony 2012 video. they're planning a follow-up to answer critics that question the group's management and motives. the video is closing in on 73 million views. the italian coast guard is rescuing 19 crew members on board a cargo ship after that ship ran aground off the coast of sicily. coast guard helicopters battled heavy rain, high winds to carry out this harrowing, look at these pictures, operation. the crew is safe and in good condition, we're happy to report. don't be surprised if you hear a few redneck jokes on the campaign trail today. comedian jeff foxworthy, yes, jeff foxworthy will be stuffing with mitt romney in alabama and mississippi, those two states are holding their primaries tomorrow. just wait for the late night comedians. 30 minutes past -- 31 minutes past the hour here. right how, president obama and military rushing to diffuse a potentially explosive situation in afghanistan. nato says one u.s. soldier is accused of killing 16 civilians. that attack took place early yesterday morning in kandahar province. it is an area known as the birth place of the taliban. what prompted the attack? that is still unknown. but it could further inflame the tensions after last month's burning at korans. thomas cotton served as a u.s. army captain in afghanistan and in iraq. he is currently running for congress in arkansas. he joins us this morning. thank you so much for being with us. i want to start with you serving on the front lines. you were in both iraq and afghanistan. what did you feel when you heard this story? >> well, i felt like so many american leaders, that it's a terrible tragedy and i wanted to extend my condolences to the families. obviously the loss of family and loved ones anywhere is a terrible tragedy. also, press regret, but also ensure that the american people and people around the world know this doesn't reflect on the american military. this is an extremely rare circumstance and the american military is the most disciplined and professional and humane military in the world. >> if we could talk about some of the details emerging. there are some reports that this soldier actually walked a mile or two off base. is that something that's easily accomplished? >> no, it's not easily accomplished. it would definitely require some kind of plan and attention. all bases have perimeters and those perimeters are guarded 24 hours a day. so it's possible but it would definitely require some kind of design and planning. >> as you heard all of the details and you watched with the rest of us, there were some reports that perhaps it was more than one soldier. what do you think about those reports? >> no, i read some of the reports. obviously there's an investigation being conducted by the military and on that front we need to wait until the investigation is complete. from what i have seen, it seems to be the work of one lone soldier. >> he's married, father of two. it's also reported that it was his fourth tour of duty. and as you said, it's very early in the process here, the investigation. but a lot of folks are talking about post-traumatic stress and the effect of multiple tours on a soldier's mental health. what do you think about that? >> well, any tour of duty in iraq and afghanistan obviously is very stressful not just for the soldier but families at home. there are have been hundreds of thousands of soldiers over the last ten years that have made multiple tours in both iraq and afghanistan without committing any kind of crimes like this, so i think it's possible but it's not something that necessarily directly attributable. we'll have to wait again, until the investigation is complete. but i think, like a school shooting sometimes, you can't really know what the motives of someone who commits a crime like this is. >> is there something in place to check a soldier's mental health? does the military have something in place? >> absolutely. the military from the lowest level to highest level takes post traumatic stress syndrome seriously. we have battle buddies in place where on the front lines with your soldiers, they know you, they love you, with you 24 hours/7. they're monitoring soldier health and well being on a constant day to day basis. there are lots of systems in place to check for soldier mental health and well being. >> there is a waive on condemnations. president obama offered his condolences to the victim's families and said it doesn't represent the exceptional character of our military. panetta said he was clearly acting outside his chain of command. but you know what, we're looking a all of the images. we had a reporter there who was telling us about a toddler being shot in the head and perhaps burned. and so as we look at all of these images that we're seeing from that area, the protests that are happening on the ground. how does this affect the relationship with the afghan people and soldiers who have to stay there? >> well, it has the potential obviously to have a very negative impact but it doesn't necessarily have to have that kind of impact. i think the response should be measured and calm and we have seen that response from american leadership and also from some afghan leadership as well. governor of kandahar province who has to work every day with american forces because this is the home of the taliban has called for calm. he's asked for no protests. he said the protests obviously wouldn't be productive. right now we need to let the investigation carry its course and the american troopers on the ground there will keep doing what they do every day and work with afghan sillvillians hand in land. >> thomas cotton, thank you for joining us this morning. good luck with your campaign. 35 minutes past 6:00. mitt romney says he likes grits. his opponents say he lacks grit. so how does the decision in the deep south make things better or worse for him and could tomorrow night be a serious game changer? >> but first, let's get a quick check of your travel forecast with alexandra steele. good morning. >> a few hot spots to be careful of today. especially around the upper midwest. we could see severe storms. isolated this nature but strong winds, damaging hail, isolated tornado. pacific northwest, rain and snow in the higher el investigation. gusty winds. showers in the southeast. a few big hubs impacted. 40 minutes at the very least today at around chicago and midway. indianapolis, detroit, atlanta, portland. the heat, 20 to 30 degrees above average at the very least and a very warm week. that's more weather ahead. 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[ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios... five whole grains, 110 calories. it is 40 minutes past the hour. in the next 36 hours newt gingrich's campaign could be resurrected or just crumble. >> or none of the above, really. at this point, who knows. former speaker hope for a little bit of southern comfort heading into tomorrow's primaries and admits he needs a strong showing in alabama and mississippi in order to for ahead. but then again, he's got the money so why dump out? he's not passing up the opportunity that he takes serious shots at mitt romney. >> the romney camp has been trying to sell since last june that i should get out of the race and that the romney is inevitable inevitable. the fact is romney is probably the weakest since leonard wood in 1920 and wood lost on the tenth ballot. >> pretty strong words. here to talk about that from chicago, conservative columnist lenny mcallister, from washington world health political reporter david drucker and here in new york, democratic strategist john palenco. the weakest republican front runner? strong stuff from a guy who is probably on the brink at this point if he doesn't do real well in mississippi and alabama. lenny mcallister, does he have to do real well or does he have to win them? >> no, newt gingrich has to win them. he has to be able to show some type of home turf. if it's south carolina, which january seems like it's forever ago in georgia which is his home state when he was a congressman, he needs to have some type of real home turf. otherwise, saying that there's a weak front-runner when you're behind him like a 3-1 delegate count only shows how much weaker you are as a candidate. he has to win on tuesday. >> so, dick gephardt, the former house speaker and democratic presidential candidate was on the sunday morning talk shows, he was on with candy crowley. he had something pretty specific to say about how on the bigger picture, the general election, you got the tourist and the hair thing going on, where all of these conservatives or the hairs are battling it out and duking it out and the tortoise is just slowly watching things get a little bit better. have a listen to dick gephardt. >> if the economy is still going forward even at 40 miles an hour, 50 miles an hour, i think most people will stick with president obama. i think people look at politics like they hire a plumber. i hire you to fix the bad pipe. if you fix it, i'll rehire you. if you don't fix it, i'm not going to rehire you. >> and that all sounds fine until you look at the head-to-head match-ups. look at the recent poll by "washington post" and abc. head-to-head match-ups between romney and obama? uh-uh, romney has him by two points. santorum is trailing by three. you know something, john, those numbers don't always lie, they don't always tell the truth either. but what do you make of that? >> well, at this point, even if the election were held today according to the polls it would be a close race. it could go either way. i think the real key is what congressman gephardt said, how does the economy keep moving in the next few months? do we have another dip or relatively strong job growth. if the things are heading in the right direction and looking good, president obama will win re-election. >> and gas prices probably will fatter in heavily, right? >> yeah. big time. the thing about gas prices is that's something that impacts people on a daily basis. if there's -- you know, if war breaks out in iran, if there's continued instability in the middle east or accelerates and we start seeing $5 or higher a gallon gas, people notice that. that makes an impact and that could hurt president obama's chances. >> i'm doing to do a turn here and direct us all to what your doing on saturday night. i have a feeling it was snl but definitely hbo. "game change" aired on hbo saturday night and the movie about the book that was real rough on the mccain/palin campaign, particularly on sarah palin, outlining that she essentially knew almost nothing about the national scene, the international scene. and nicolle wallace, who was her senior adviser, actually spoke on abc's "this week with george stephanopolous" about i always worry, i wonder how much do they take but she set the record straight with her version. have a listen. >> drew enough to make me squirm, but, you know, this isn't a movie about campaign staff or really about mccain and palin. this is a movie about the fast gray area in which 99% of our politics actually takes place. >> i kind of beg to differ, david drucker. i feel like this is a movie that's going to have a lot of people real worried about the caliber of candidates and how they can squeak through. and if she's saying it was real enough to make her squirm, it makes me squirm. >> well, look, i think the movie was boring because we didn't really learn that much that we didn't already know. >> not unless you didn't read the book and not everybody read the book but a lot of people watch hbo. >> the acting was great but no drama in the story. we knew where everything was headed. we maybe saw a few glimpses behind the scenes, if it's true, and maybe it is true. i thought it was a movie, you know, for washington, by washington, in the sense that i found the drama at the political consult aboutants -- >> how can you say that? she didn't know there was a north and south korea, she didn't know what the fed was. those are pretty big revelations for a broader audience than the book readers. >> yeah, possibly so. again, i just don't think that it's going to have a large impact. i think it's something you and i are talking about. i don't think the rest of the country is really going to care. and i think, you know, part of the reason is it's not as though everybody already thought that the former governor of alaska was a genius and now we're finding out we were all hood winked. you know, we knew that maybe there were certain things she didn't know. maybe we know that now in a little bit more detail but this was not revelatory. and she was not a candidate for president. had she been a candidate for president this could have been possibly damaging or much bigger news. but don't -- >> david drucker, she did say last week, i wouldn't take my name off the ballot. >> she always says that. if she was serious she would not have resigned as the governor of alas alaska. >> always good to hear from you and hope you will come back again. thanks. nice to see you. 46 minutes past the hour here. christine romans is here to check the stories making news this morning. >> good morning. let's start in afghanistan. this morning where major concerns from the president of that country, karzai, calling the killing of 16 civilians unforgivable. a lone u.s. soldier is suspected of going door to door in southern kandahar yesterday morning and opening fire on families. the afghan parliament issued a statement they want the u.s. to hold a public trial in front of people of afghanistan. president obama calls the incident shocking and tragic. he has called president karzai to offer condolences. meantime, a terrifying massacre in syria. 45 women and children slaughtered in the city of homs. syria's opposition accusing government forces going house to house, stabbing women and children, and then burning their bodies. but, the syrian government is blaming the killings on, quote, armed terrorist groups. invisible children, the group behind the viral kony 2012 video planning a follow-up to answer critics who question the group's management and motives. this video about wanted ugandan warlord is closing in on 73 million views. wow. unbelievable how that has taken over the -- >> exponential. >> -- public conversation. it is. >> reporting on friday, by the morning show we were something at 40. by midday, 60. and now up to 75. remarkable. >> truly viral. you wanted to clear up the masters, right? >> we were talking about tiger woods and the masters. needs maybe a few weeks off. >> 3 1/2 weeks. >> right. april 5th is the first round of the masters. >> i misspoke. thank you very much. soledad o'brien joins us with what a ahead on "starting point." good morning to you. >> good morning, ladies. this morning on "starting point" we're going to walk you through critical race theory. we had kind of an argument about it on thursday from the folks. this morning we'll talk to the woman who literally wrote the book about critical race theory and discuss what it is. also, did you see this videotape of this flight attendant basically freaking out on a plane, american airlines flight? finally she was refrained by the other passengers who jumped up and had to hold her down? we're going to talk to one of those passengers who was able to restrain the flight attendant, asking exactly what went down on that flight. also, we're talking to the creator of what is basically the "daily show oh" but focused on iran. he's south by southwest presentation talking about a plan to try to end internet cent korship. those stories and much more coming to you right at the top of the hour on "starting point." see you then. they are rooted not in the 21est century but 19th century. kids need to create their own world. they need to to have risk, the opportunity or failure. they need to see what happens when they create something singular and link it with a community. >> if we can hone our understanding of being an inquirer along with our students, then we can bring a little bit of blue into every other school. >> that passionate, they're practical, and they're inspired. that's the kind of energy you want in a great school. 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[ female announcer ] yoplait. it is so greek. the benefits of calcium in a sweet, delicious treat. enjoy vitafusion calcium gummies today. such a great dialogue. >> i know. i know. >> we all have kids and sitting here at break -- >> she's over here. >> about save for college. >> 6:53. parents, listen up. don't go into bankruptcy to put your kids in school. basically that's what you mean. >> that's basically it. christine romans is going to talk about this, you call it a real threat to the u.s. economy. >> there's a bankruptcy group that has a new report saying that they're seeing signs in their practices just like the mortgage crisis, where people are having trouble handling their mortgage debt. now it's families having trouble handing their student loan debt. it's not just students taking on the debt, it's their parents taking on the debt, too. imagine if you're borrowing 30 something thousand dollars for your kidsee college, it's going to be $50,000 when you pay back when you're also trying to save for your own retirement. look, this is a real issue right now. it feeds into this whole conversation about whether college is worth it or not. by the way, in bankruptcy you can't get rid of student loans. so you know, in bankruptcy, there'sal loan any, restitution for, you know, for something that happens in the court, there's a child support and student loans. but here's another statistic for you. $650,000 more in earnings over the course of your lifetime if you have a college degree. >> that's huge. >> clearly it's worth it. >> it's worth it if you can manage the debt properly. and if you don't let this student loan, you know, mess get you down in the very early going. 27% of kids graduates with student debt are not paying their bills. >> you said earlier which i thought was interesting. a third 1/3 1/3. this is how you pay for college. how do you do that? >> moms and dads, it's not your responsibility to pay 100% of your kid's education. i just isn't. you probably can't. the kid has got to save a third. the kid has got to get student loans for a third and you can work over a third. and if you from very young -- look, i didn't make this up. a lot of personal finance people say this is how you have to think of it because american family just can't afford to put their kids through school. especially if they have more than one kid. you've got to start very young thinking of how you're going to parcel out this expense. >> crust teen, depressing. >> challenge. >> it's not depressing, it's inspiring. if you get the degree the studies show you will make more money over your lifetime. >> true. there is a critical piece of video that we need to show you after the break because you will not believe what's going on in the coast of perth, usaustralia. why do you care? because it's sharks. >> in case you want to go swimming there. >> sharks. that's all i need to say. ♪ oh! 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[ male announcer ] brake problems? stop in to meineke today for a free brake inspection and you'll say... my money. my choice. my meineke. are you having trouble getting started on this monday morning? be thankful you're not in the middle of this. remit payment for this ticket. a shark feeding frenzy. beaches off the perth, australia, closed after a chopper spotted dozens of sharks circling just a few hundred yards from the shore. >> yum-yum. >> dang, you don't want to be swimming in that pool, my friends. no, you do not. that is "early start." the news from "a" to "z." >> "starting point" with soledad o'brien starts right now. >> welcome. our "starting point" this morning is this cold-blooded rampage a u.s. soldier targeting women and children as they slept in an afghan village. the taliban today vowing revenge. bobbi kristina remembering her mom's last days, talking about plans to follow her plan in showbiz. she spoke to oprah. >> i can hear her voice in spirit talking to me, telling me, keep moving, baby. homeless people used as internet hot spots. have you seen this story? south by southwest festival. the idea is the donation and you can get some speedy wi-fi. causing a bit of an uproar. folks behind it though are standing be hind it. tot

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