the first is the main caucuses where 21 delegates are at stake. ron paul has been there for more than a week. mitt romney is also making his case. also the conservative political action conference will pick its bid for the republican nomination. activists are pleading for help in syria as the death toll mounts in the government's vicious crackdown on protests. if you're a frequent flyer, you'll be able to take the fast lane through the airport. we'll tell you what the tsa is doing to get you to the gates in record time. well, it is another big day for gop presidential candidates mitt romney and ron paul. the main caucuses are under way, and the results will be announced tonight. romney is hoping for a win after a trio of losses earlier this week, and ron paul hopes to break his losing streak. cnn's shannon travis is live in sanford, maichblt shannon, mitt romney is visiting caucus sooits on voting day. that's new for him. what does this mean? >> reporter: yeah. i mean this could be a possibly tweak to his strategy here. as you mentioned, he lost those three races on tuesday, missouri, colorado, and minnesota. this will be the first contest after those races. and he's a favorite son of new england. he was the governor of massachusetts. he's campaigned heavily in republican circles for many, many years. this will be an embarrassing loss for him if he did lose the main caucuses. is that part of the reason why he came here last night into portland, maine, and campaigned, and he came here today to this caucus site and addressed caucus voters, something he hasn't done before this cycle, coming to an actually caucus site? could be. but the campaign tells me this was always on the agenda for them. they plan donald here. they sent over profile surrogates but you can believe this is an absolute attempt to deny ron paul a chance to win this. take a listen to an 11th hour appeal here, if you will, to caucus-goers. >> out of passion for this country, faith in the american people, come to you asking for your support today. i want to be your nominee. i want to beat president obama. i believe i can. i believe i'm the one person in this race who actually can beat the president. >> reporter: so, ted, that was mitt romney. ron paul came to this exact same caucus sooichlt he did not address supporters like mitt romney did. he basically shook hands and greeted people. you know what? this is ron paul's race to lose. he spent a lot of time here as the other candidates were in florida. he was here with his v-neck sweaters that his wife gives him, campaigning here. i was here with him. a lot of people think he might have it here, but, again, mitt romney is a favorite because he's a new englander and has been here for so many years. >> shannon travis, watching all the action as it unfoelsd for us. cnn's coverage of the caucuses begins at 6:00 with a special edition of "the situation room" with wolf blitzer followed by cnn's complete live coverage of the caucus results. that's starting at 7:00. in just about five hours the conservative political action conference will announce the results of the straw poll for its presidential nominee. three of the candidates spoke at the meeting this week trying to assert their conservative kre den chals. here's some of what rick santorum and mitt romney had to say. >> conservatives all agree that departing from these founding principles would represent a departure from the greatness of america from our mission, from our freedom, from our prosperity, from our purpose. i know that this president will never get it. we conservatives aren't just proud to cling to our guns and our religion. we're also proud to cling to our constitution. >> this is the most important election in your lifetime. it's an election about what kind of country you're going to leave to the nextgen rag. are we going be a country that believes as our founders did that our rights don't come from the government, they come from a much higher authority? >> texas congressman ron paul skipped the d.c. event. he won the cpac extstraw poll t last three in a row. fredricka whitfield will be on later. while diplomats talk, the killing goes on today in syria. warning, you may find some of the next images disturbing. opposition leaders say at least six people died in homs today. the u.n. is trying again to condemn what it calls the syrian government's massacre of its own citizens. the people in homes say today is the seventh day in a row the syrian army has shelled their city. one expert says there's little hope of international intervention. >> you have to look very closely at what a military intervention would look like. i don't think it's very likely from the u.s., much less the neighboring countries because it's unlikely that we'd target the right forces and be effective with strikes but if an alternative is arming opposition groups there, that doesn't seem to lead to anything but a militarized protracted stalemate. >> the opposition claims hundreds have died in the last week alone. iran's president says a major announcement on its way is coming out later this week, and it's about the nuclear program in iran. mahmoud ahmadinejad made the kmaunlts during a rally today to mark the 33rd anniversary of iran's islamic revolution. he gave few details, only saying that iran will reveal several major nuclear advancements. the west says iran is developing a nuclear weapon. iran denies that. >> translator: the whole world has witnessed that pours have tried to put pressure on us. they have put on different types of pressures in order to prevent the iranian nation from acquiring nuclear knowledge, but today you see that the iranian nation has become nuclear and can supply many of its -- meet many of its demands in hopefully the near future. with the grace of god all the iranian's nation's demands will be met by iranian scientists, and god willing, in the next few days the whole world will witness the inauguration of several major achievements in the nuclear domain. >> the cia's website is back up and running after hackers brought it down. the group anonymous is claiming responsibility. hackers also hit websites run by the state of alabama and the mexican mining ministry. cnn's amber lyon spoke to a member of annonymous about why the group attacked government websites. >> basically the power of a massive group of people coming together. they're not happy. this wouldn't be possible with one or two people, you know. it's one of those things that's generally an expression of how many people are angry. ice part of the big picture that's taking place -- has been taking place over the past number of years. it's a very big slide toward internet censkrencensorship on garn tick scale. that's just in the united states. it's happening all over the world. we saw it earlier this year. it can even be used in political movements. >> both the cia and alabama government officials say they're working to find those responsible for the cyber attacks. finally, employees of britain's best selling newspaper "the sun" are under arrest, it's part of the investigation of alleged illegal payments to police and other officials. "the sun's kwnts parent corporation news corporation is already being investigating. they also arrested a police officer, defense ministry employee and a member of the armed forces. the new martin luther kings jr. memorial in washington is being updated. that's because the paraphrased quote on it caused such an uproar. it reads now "i was a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness." critics say that changed the meaning of dr. king's words so it will be replaced with the exact quote. "yes, if you want to say that i was a drum major, say that i was a drum major for justice, say that i was a drum major for peace, i was a drum major for righteousness. all of the other shallow things will not matter." the controversy for contraception is not over yet. the catholic bishops are crying foul. we'll tell you what they're saying coming up after the break. [ tom ] we invented the turbine business right here in schenectady. without the stuff that we make here, you wouldn't be able to walk in your house and flip on your lights. [ brad ] at ge we build turbines that power the world. they go into power plants which take some form of energy, harness it, and turn it into more efficient electricity. [ ron ] when i was a kid i wanted to work with my hands, that was my thing. i really enjoy building turbines. it's nice to know that what you're building is gonna do something for the world. when people think of ge, they typically don't think about beer. a lot of people may not realize that the power needed to keep their budweiser cold and even to make their beer comes from turbines made right here. wait, so you guys make the beer? no, we make the power that makes the beer. so without you there'd be no bud? that's right. well, we like you. [ laughter ] ♪ the conference of catholic bishops is not happy over the comment. the plan raises, quote, serious moral concerns. the government's new health policy yornl nalley wanted hospitals and schools with religious ties to offer full contraception coverage, but after days of opposition from the catholic church, the white house dropped that requirement, leaving insurers to pick up the tab. president obama says the core principle of the policy remains unchanged. >> today we've reached the d decision how to move forward. under the rule women will still have access to prepreventive care that includes contraceptive services, no matter where they work. so that core principle remains. >> there will be a one-year transition period for religious organizations after the policy informally takes effect on august 1st. florida's governor rick scott will address the political action conference, cpac later today. i spoke to him earlier about his message and the 2012 elections. >> run your state like you run a business. keep your costs low and in our case keep your taxes as low as possible. treat people like you want them in your state, and, gosh, it works. you know, our unemployment dropped the fastest -- other than one state, we dropped 1.2%. generated thousands of jobs. what i'm talking about is if we want our fed raleigh-durham economy to get going, we've got to reduce taxes, reduce regulation, reduce litigation, and say we want american companies to be more successful than companies anywhere in the world. >> if you're a rising star in the republican parties, how important is this opportunity for you to address the folks at cp cpac? >> oh, this is -- you know, this is a great opportunity. it's -- you know, the conservative bedrock of the country. it's the individuals that are going to -- you know, they're going to help elect the next president. you can hear behind me they're applauding. they're veryive. they're activists. they care about our country. they care about the constitution. they care about limiting government, lower taxes, less regulation. so this is great opportunity for me. i'm really honored to be here. >> we've heard from a lot of people. what's the overall message you hear coming out of the conference this year? >> i think the message is, one thing great about our country is people are active. we're having a healthy debate in the country. do we want larger government or smaller government, do we want more of government regulation or less government regulation, higher taxes or lower taxes, more litigation or less litigation. and so it's a clear choice this year. and e think what everyone's talking about is the fact that if we want jobs, which is the biggest issue we have in our country, we've got to change the direction of the country and really say how do we make american businesses be more successful so they can hire more american workers. >> you did not endorse before the florida primary. instead you let the voters choose. you picked romney. do you agree with their choice? >> look. i think that across the country, voters auts to be -- look at all these candidates. they ought to look at them based on are they going to help turn our economy around? it's the biggest issue they have. it's jobs, jobs, jobs. i think the debates are healthy. i think having the candidates come to your state and campaign is really healthy as they did in florida. i know they're going do that across the country. >> rick scott failed to endorse anyone during our interview. we'll see if he does it later today in his speech at cpac. saving money is easier than you think. we'll have some tips to help you. and it's not lebron or kobe. this guy has suddenly become an overnight and some say unlikely star in the nba. great story. we'll have it coming up. to pick up some accessories.ad a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. ...we inspected his brakes for free. free is good. free is very good. my money. my choice. my meineke. well, let's face it. money is tight for a lot of us right knew. but it's easy to save money, easier than you think. we talk about tips that can help you save. two words. round up. you go ahead and replace the money. >> a little bit here and there. you also say give it meaning. if i retire at 65, save 65 a week. >> real simple. i want to retire at 65, save $65 a week. >> a lot of this is just changing your mindset it's changing your mindset. getting in the habit of doing it and it becomes routine and look like a game. >> savings is a bill. >> savings is a bill. pay yourself first. people hear it but they don't listen. when i'm writing that check out to myself every month it's a bill. i make sure i pay myself. i won't come after myself, i have to make sure i'm conscious of saving the money. >> you figure out how much -- >> i play collide anderson incorporatedive month. >> savings support group. >> get around people. like minds think alike. if you have that goal, get that energy, that synergy going on. you want to be around people that have that same goal and hold each other accountable. >> a lot of times peel feel like they're under water, they're just so deep there's no way out. how important is it to just start small and stick with it? >> well, i think it's really important. start somewhere. and people say, it's not a lot of money, i'm not saving a lot. when you add up -- some of these simple tips we're talking about, $7,070. i saved my silver change and had about $670 at the end of the year. >> save your dollar bills and your silver and put them in a piggy bank. >> you think about it. you break a 20. you don't know what happens to the dollar bills once the 20 is broken. it's gone. save them or the quarters and the nickels and the dimes. >> quickly, how much do you think someone could save if they just put their mind to it? >> i'm saying at least $7,000. save $7,000 easily with those tips i gave you right there. >> all right. would you kiss and tell? you'd be surprised to find out how many people do. it's all part of something called the sex project, and we'll take a peek coming up next. are you bored with your job? not aryan cowan. her job is collecting sex diaries. she's amassed over 2,000 of them and now they're coming out in her new book called "sex diaries" project. >> what you get out of that is a snapshot of how they're connecting and disconnecting from people, and when you get 2,000 of those, you get a portrait of what americans are doing behind closed doors. and we all assume that people are doing something similar to what they're doing. let me tell you, you have no idea what people are doing behind closed doors. >> let's read a couple of the things that people have wrote in to the diaries. this is one entry. last night it appeared to me that nancy purpose employ rolled over on her stomach so i couldn't touch her. that's from an 81-year-old sara sew ta county, florida, man. next one, i must be the odd man out because sex and relationships don't compete for my time as much as the kids, the dog, and the house. that's from a 43-year-old in atlanta. came home, had some vodka, played pretend with the husband, wow, i needed that. that from a 30-year-old baltimore, maryland, woman. and all i think about is sex. i think i'm going to explode, a 23-year-old from dayton, ohio. were you surprised -- maybe not from the last one, but are you surprised by what people were saying and open about and what they're doing behind closed doors? >> absolutely. i think i was really surprised by two things. the first is i grew up with this idea that people are either in a relationship or dating to be in a relationship, and that's objectly not true. about 20% of the diaries are called solo which means they're not looking to be in a relationship and they're meeting their own needs. it doesn't mean they're sell bat. they're just not trying to be in a relationship right now. the second thing that surprised me is that couples aren't similar. one couple is not the same as the other and i was able to map out the three different kinds of couples that i found and track their goals and the pros and cons of their relationship and think it's really helpful to know what kind of couple they're in and how it works. >> how do you know people are telling the truth and how do you get them to do it in the first place? >> i ask everybody i see at the grocery store, on the street, and i like to say that no is the first step of the path to yes. people, i ask them and they say no. and they say that they're single or they're busy or they're not an exhibitionist. i say, that's great, you're really perfect for this project. we often talk about how everything we learn is from what we see other people do in their careers or lifestyle. you see somebody do something and you say, oh, i really want to do that, and in our private lives we're really closed off from information and it's a disservice to people to not know what their options are. >> well, from zero to hero, in the span of a week, you'll meet jeremy lin, basketball's newest star. you'll also meet blue ivy, the new princess born into music royalty. stay with us. [ male announcer ] what if you had thermal night-vision goggles, like in a special ops mission? you'd spot movement, gather intelligence with minimal collateral damage. but rather than neutralizing enemies in their sleep, you'd be targeting stocks to trade. well, that's what trade architect's heat maps do. they make you a trading assassin. trade architect. td ameritrade's empowering, web-based trading platform. trade commission-free for 60 days, and we'll throw in up to $600 when you open an account. the latest news from syria is grim. at least six are dead today as the government steps up its brutal crackdown on the opposition. diplomatically if you thing of syria as a puzzle, russia seems to be the one piece that just doesn't fit in. it refuses to condemn the government's attacks. still the opposition forces are making gains. earlier i talked with "time" magazine's correspondent jane newton small. >> really it's the first time they've come close to damascus and it's the first time it's even within syria shown that they have the power to kind of put a crack in the veneer of assad's power and say, look, we're not just completely unified and a bunch of tribes and providences. we're making a real dent. >> so do you think this is the beginning of the end for assad? >> it could be. certainly international observers and, you know, the arab league have turned against him in ways that's pretty unprecedented. they wanted to send in observers originally but a couple of weeks ago the violence was too much there. they didn't send the observers in. the real sticking point right now is trying to get international support to coalesce around a u.n. resolution which up until this point last week, china and russia actually vetoed that u.n. resolution. >> explain that. why did russia and why is russia still withholding support for the force transition in syria? >> well, syria is russia's biggest ally in the middle east. they are home to russia's last remaining naval base in the mediterranean. they're also a big trading partner with ru shachlt they just inc.ed a $500 billion deal for earn parts, so they're a pretty important strategic and economic ally for russia, and russia doesn't want to give that up, that foothold in the middle east. it's a strategic play for ru shorthand they have elections comings up next month and vladimir putin doesn't want to seem weak with the west. >> with all this video coming out and the world watching this, doesn't this put russia in a precarious position, yeah, they want to help out their buddy and partner, but to what end? ? certainly it becomes more and more embarrassing and that's what you see with the u.s. and the west. they bring up resolution after resolution, embarrassing russia, say, look, this is really getting bad. do you really want to be supporting this guy assad. you notice last time they brought up the united nations resolution last week, even though they vetoed it, the foreign minister had some harsh comments about assad. russia is wavering or starting to realize this is a bad appearance for them to keep vetoing these kinds of resolutions, especially with so many people dying in syria. the stop stories now. this morning police arrested one of three men allegedly seen taking part in a brutal surveillance camera beating. police say the tape shows the trio attack 20g-year-old brandon white outside a convenience store in atlanta a week ago. the attackers shouted anti-gay slurs as they beat white. a rally is planned outside the store today. the fbi is looking into whether the beating was a hate crime. funeral services will be held today for charlie and brayden powell. they're the two boys allegedly killed by their father in a fiery murder/suicide. they say he set his house on fire last sunday. also word that police found blood in a storage unit belonging to powell. he was suspected in his wife's disappearance. a navy ship will be named after former congresswoman gabrielle giffords. six other people died in that attack. the ship will be the 17th named ship for a woman and the 13th named for a living person. jeremy lin is the talk of the town in new york today. he's the new york knicks player who's gone from basketball obscurity the to the top of the game in just a month. since coming to new york knicks, lin has helped his team rack up four wins including a big one over kobe bryant and the los angeles lakers. the harvard graduate's last job, a player in the d-league, e.r.a. bay hawks, is now the toast of the town in new york. they're calling it linsani tikzy. blue ivy. bee on jay and husband rapper jay jay-z shows pictures. thank you for sharing our privacy during a beautiful time in our lives, the carter family. winter has burst on the scene in some mountainous areas across the country and that makesing tos like this one invaluable when there's a danger of avalanche. we'll have that story coming up after the break. le grains... mmmm. ...and a touch of sweetness. you'll be delighted to discover how good they taste. get your free sample of quaker oatmeal squares on facebook. well, things are going to get downright frigid in the upper midwest today. reynolds wolf is in the severe weather center. how cold are we talking, reynolds? oh, ted, you are so right. if you were to take a look at this map and your eye were to hop over detroit or chicago, it's very cold. 14 degrees, current temperatures. when you take a look at this part of the map, it's crazy. in bismarck, duluth, it's zero for the time being. that's only part of the story. strong winds at 20 miles an hour. it ooh going to feel like 20 or 25 below at some points. again, very, very cold. it's on the move. it's not going to stay locked in in parts of the north. it's not going to be just in denver or parts of st. louis. what's going to happen is we're going to see some of it slowly head toward the south. the reason why, you have an area of high pressure in the central plains, wind spins. counter clock-wise, that's going funnel in a lot of this cold air into the deep south. we have some pretty interesting scenarios, too, where if it happens to mix in with moisture, we might see snowfall. the highest place is going to be the appalachians where it could get up to a foot. 6 to 10. plenty of high spots across the plains. here it's difrp where we have low pressure tapping into moisture. not only the pacific but the gulf of california. back into here, even into the central rockies. one thing that's very interesting to mention about that part of the world, ted, is we've seen a really weird season in terms of snowfall in the rockies. today's condition is going to help. denver, certainly cold. 23 degrees. 25 your high expected in billings. 52 in salt lake city. 59 in san francisco. let's make our way toward the east. 34, memphis, easy for me to say. 37 in new york. 40 in washington, d.c., and 60s and 70s in tampa and miami. what's interesting, ted, we were talking about the snowfall. one big issue we have with places that are deep, you have the threat of avalanches. in breckenridge, they have an ave language rescue team, and they're pretty amazing. check them out. about 10,000 feet above sea level, breckenridge, colorado, is home to amazing views, rugged peaks, great skiing, and one remarkable rescue team. six certified avalanche rescue dogs work with the breckenridge ski patrol. these two have been together for eight years. >> he has been tested, mission-ready since 2004, and he has been on three live mentions and three body recoveries. >> a harsh realgt in this alpine environmental. with steep terrain and heavy snow, the threat of an avalanche is always there. >> our snow pack right now, it's very shallow in the colorado rockies. shallow snow packs don't predict to good avalanche situations once we get weighted with snow. if we get a few storms, not a big deal. but a couple dumps, you're going to go through a cycle. >> the type of dog they use varies. no matter the breed it must be able to ride on ski lifts, snow mobiles and at times helicopters. >> we use smaller breeds. it's better for the ability on snowmobiles a lot easier. >> their efforts are always rewarded with play. but he's more than just, say, a pet. i mean he's a co-worker. >> he is. absolutely. he gets dressed in a uniform every day and coming to work every day ready to work. >> all right. let's see how good he works. let's see his skills. >> this will be cover you up so i don't dump on you. >> rudy, we've got to go to work. we've got to go to work. are you ready to go to work? >> it isn't fun. the snow is tight around my legs and chest, claustrophobia setting in. luckily rudy picks up the scent and the rescue begins. >> there we go. all right. >> dude, wow. you did a great job. thanks, buddy. >> you know the weird thing about this, ted, is whenever i think about a rescue dog, i have in idea how they should look. should it be a st. bernard, alaskan malamute, something like that. shouldn't be these kind of dogs. the may iowa amazing thing is these are dogs h e we saw. no chihuahuas. >> you were petrified because you're clos traphobic. >> when they put me in here i said i'm not going to be around too much to deal with it. they were very accommodating and they made the extraction happen very quickly. >> and for rudy finding reynolds. >> he's the best. he's the man -- or the dog. it's snowing and temperatures are hovering around freezing but maine voters are leaving their homes to caucus for their republican candidate. we'll have more on that coming up after the break. till stubbed. 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[ male announcer ] one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. although not a favorite rick santorum hopes to add to his momentum in tonight's main caucuses. he's surge after hesitate sweep in minnesota, colorado, and missouri. although some wonder if he can really win the nomination. earlier i talked with maria cardona and republican analyst lenny mcallister. lenny likes to draw a hollywood analogy. >> well, he's no longer rick santorum. this is rocky san tore rupp. he is the underdog that keeps fighting against all odds. he needs to -- i keep saying this. he needs to run down the streets of philadelphia in a sweater vest and sweat pants with his arms up in the air and run up to the rocky statue because he keeps coming from behind and showing that an underdog can do it in america. and if he takes part of the play book from 200078 from president obama and say, listen,ky be the inspirational figure to win back the white house, he can take this momentum and move forward. we've seen his fund-raising numbers come up over the past week. i think if he continues do well in the debates and continues to do well with momentum moving into super tuesday, rocky santorum can do a number in march. >> yeah, but can rocky santorum really go all the way to the white house, maria? i would think he would be the candidate that the administration would love to go up against. >> well, there's no question about that, ted. that's certainly true. now, i -- the surge is for real. i think that mitt romney and newt gingrich need to take him seriously, and clearly they are. we're seeing mitt romney focusing all of his fire on rick santorum, which means they are taking him seriously. what we've learned from this political season is conventional wisdom has just completely gone out the window, and who knows what's going to happen. i believe, though, still the smart money is going to be on mitt romney, he's going to end up being the nominee. but the problem with that, and we saw that in his own speech at cpac, is he still has a tremendous way to go to convince conservatives that he can carry their mantle. he talked about being severely conservative when he was governor of massachusetts. what does that even mean? that's such an awkward phrase to use. you can see the people in the audience kind of awkwardly applaud. they really didn't understand what that meant and i don't think liked it very much. he still has a problem connecting with conservatives, and for general conservatives if he is a nominee, more importantly than that, he has a huge problem connecting with everyday americans who are struggling in this economy. >> and "newsroom" continuing at the top of the hour with fredricka whitfield. good to see you. what else. >> we'll be talking that all day long and talking the main caucuses. and there'll be the straw poll with the cpac later on today. we'll take you there to all those places. of course, you're a parent. you know what it's like to try to get your kids off to school on time. if you're late a lot, particularly if you're in loudoun county, virginia, you'd face a fine. our legal guys will be along to explore a case of some loudoun county parents who are potentially facing a $3,000 fine for getting their kids to school too late, we're talking three minutes but 30 times tlanld are strict rules in that district. with ee going find out how -- >> three minutes? >> are you ever late getting youryes. >> are you ever late getting your kids to school? >> well, actually, no. >> sometimes i make my little guy late and it's usually because of me. anyway we'll explore that case and find out how harsh is it. and everyone wants to try to hold on to their money. you want to get some better deals. so the dolans will be back with us, the financial duo that they are, will be with us later on today to give us five great tips on how to save money. one involves traveling, the best time to get the best deal on your air travel tickets. >> all right. >> then, did you grow up with "fame"? >> yes. >> debbie allen, she of course was lydia, the tough-love teacher in fame. i sit down with her face to face and she talks about "fame," she talks about dance, she talks about michael jackson. he was a great friend and one of her best dance students. hard to believe that he went to her for tap dance lessons, et cetera. she also talks about why it's important to impart on the next generation of dancers something that she had a chance to indulge in and benefit from as a kid. >> i know when i was 12 and i could not go to dance class because i was black, i know i needed someone to see me and to give me an opportunity or else i could not become who i am right now, and that happened for me. and i want to give that opportunity back. i really do. >> everybody, quickly, quickly -- >> she is extraordinary. she has the debbie allen dance academy there in california and she invited us to her home, she invited us to the studio there and you can see she is teaching the kids and they are listening intently because they have an incredible experience there. we actually talked to one of the students from that dance academy who says being a part of that really changed his life and he is -- >> not just because of the dance. >> right, because discipline that it taught him that he takes outside the dance studio. so all that straight ahead beginning at noon. stick with us 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, the whole day. >> absolutely. can't get any better than that. thanks, appreciate it. well, dream of breezing through airport security? you don't have to dream anymore. it's actually happening. you don't have to take off your shoes, your jacket. we'll tell you exactly how you can do that coming up after the break. the transportation security administration is changing the way we go through airport security. it could help thousands speed through those long lines we all dread. earlier i talked with nadia bilchik about how it works. she's gone through it before and now certain passengers won't have to, believe it or not, take off their shoes or jackets anymore. >> it's only in seven airports at this point and those are dallas, miami, l.a.x., vegas, minneapolis, atlanta and detroit. but the good news is by the end of this year there will be 28 more airports and there will be 35 altogether. and right now the seven are in association with delta or american or in some cases both. >> so how does it -- you know, do you have to do all this other stuff? how are they able to do it and still provide the safety measures that everyone wants. >> well, they have checked you. so there's two ways that this actually works. the airlines opt you in usually if you're a frequent flier. you will get some kind of notification and they opt you in. that is the one way of doing it. and the second way is you actually sign up for the custom border protection's trusted traveler program. in that case you go onto globalentry.gov but that one costs you $100 because they have to do to do an entire precheck. >> wait. a frequent flier status gets you in. >> not automatically. but i have found talking to people that if they're frequent flyers, like you are or like i am, i have been opted in. so i have been through the system twice. the first time i was so surprised, i walked through the precheck and i was about to take off my shoes and one of the assistants said to me you don't have. and there's this wonderful sign that says "keep those shoes on, you busy traveler you" which is such a great sign. >> there it is. >> we're so conditioned at this point. >> well, it's nerve-racking too. you've got to take everything off and put it back on so quickly. >> and what a pleasure with this. remember, you either get opted in by the airlines or go to globalentry.gov. also the tsa.gov website has a lot of information, but that's going to cost you $100. >> a one-time fee? >> yes, and they do an entire background check on you. already about 300,000 -- in fact i spoke to greg from the tsa and he had already 330,000 people have already been through. but i have to tell you that the tsa administrator says at the end of the day precheck moves us closer to our goal of delivering the most effective and efficient screening by recognizing that most passengers do not pose a threat to security. >> all right, cnn newsroom continues right now with fredricka whitfield. >> that might come in handy for you since you travel so much. >> probably worth the 100 bucks. >> you'll have to update us if you end up indulging in that. thanks so much, ted. see you tomorrow morning. >> all right. a stamp of approval from politically influential conservatives. that's what all four republican presidential candidates are fighting for today at cpac, the conservative political action conference in washington. cnn political contributor mark preston. results of the cpac straw poll will be released later on today. highly anticipated. what's the buzz in the room there? >> well, a couple of things. one, we don't have ron paul, fred, this year at cpac. in past years he's had such a loyal following of young voters who would come in and stuff the ballot box and he would win the straw poll. however, ron paul did not participate in cpac, instead he decided to stay on the campaign trail. so one, will mitt romney win the straw poll and if he does, will that help change the narrative about his affiliation and attraction to conservative voters. something he has had a little bit of trouble with so much in this race for the presidential republican nomination. another thing is rick santorum. could rick santorum come out and win the cpac straw poll. in fact if he does, will that add more fuel to his candidacy for the presidential nomination. in the past two weeks, we've seen rick santorum go from zero