>> a high-stakes pardon showdown. could we learn today if most of those prisoners released in mississippi will have to go back to prison? along those, four convicted murderers. >> classes are resuming at that l.a. school where the entire staff was fired after two teachers were arrested on child abuse cases. investigators at this point have made yet another disgusting discovery. >> they were not fired, they were reassigned temporarily. >> should say not fired but cleared out. >> the bombing is unrelenting in syria. families are afraid to escape their homes. these are some of the most disturbing images our network has ever seen. >> we'll do that story, first we'll begin with what is welcomed news for almost 1 million people who own homes in this country. if you owe more money than your house is worth, you're under water, but there could be finally some relief coming your way. >> all of this comes as new york and california are signing into the deal. so let's run the numbers. we're talking about a $25 billion part of money. it's part of a settlement between the government and some of the largest mortgage lenders and servicers. what that means to you? you could be getting $20,000 relief on the principle you owe. christine romans is here to tell us more. >> they are still negotiating. we were told they were still negotiating also a night. the details are forthcoming, but we know more states are on board, it's a much bigger settlement. it could be worth up to $30 billion, and that this is meant to help 1 million underwater homeowners, people who owe more on their house than the shows worth. california, new york, florida said to be on board. here are the banks who would be ponying up. the biggest names, bank of america, wells fargo, jpmorgan chase, citigroup and ally financial. not only would there be relief for those million homeowners who are underwater to the tune of $20,000 in principle, there could be cash payments to borrowers who were in foreclosure between september 2008 and december 2011, $1500 to $2,000 each. still working out details on that. if you're in the foreclosure process right now, one of the goals is to amp up the accountability of the banks and servicers, to make them accountable. how many times have you heard i'm paying my bills, they're telling me i'm late. i'm trying to refinance, the bank is giving me a hard time. making things smoother for people in the foreclosure process this is being compared to the 1998 settlement against the tobacco industry for how big it is. this is the most important i industry settlement of claims against consumers in a long time. does this relieve the banks of all responsibility? >> some, but not all. homeowners would still be able to pursue a claim in the bank in the future, but states are limiting some of those charges. one of the problems for the big states, they have big, pow everifeverpowerful investigations going on into the shenanigans. these big states don't want to give up their own investigations and they don't have to. >> people need to know this is about the bad, sloppy paperwork as opposed to i'm underwater because it got so awful under my community. >> this is about robo signing, remember where -- where some of these banks were just -- they were signing so many foreclosure documents per second, it's physically impossible to have actually reviewed them. that's what's part of this problem. >> christine romans, thank you. the mississippi supreme court could decide in a couple hours from now that most of those 200 plus pardons are invalid. we're talking about the haley barber last-minute pardons that happened. the controversy started when he released those criminals. >> there were so many and among them some serious hardened killers. four convicted killers, but all of this could be decided today and all could be reversed or not. martin savidge joins us from jackson, mississippi. is this going to be basically a decision just over how powerful a georgia governor can be? >> reporter: that's right. that's what it boils down to. in the state of mississippi, they are trying to determine how far did the powers of the governor of this state go? of course very serious, which is why it is in the state supreme court so quickly. and it all comes down to the clemency granted by governor haley barber in the last-remaining hours when he was governor here. he granted over 200 pardons. that outraged the public on two fronts. number one, just the sheer number, but then there were those murderers, four of them that worked in the governor's mansion, they were all pardoned. murder is a terrible crime regardless, but their murders were particularly heinous. the argument is on what stated there, does the governor have absolute power to grant a pardon? or as the state attorney general is trying to point out here that there is a certain, well a certain thing you have to follow, which is that you must publish for 30 days that you will be let out of prison. this is a requirement put on the convict themselves, and to take out a classified ad in the paper in the county where they were convicted of their crime. it must run for 30 days consecutively. they found most of those who were pardoned didn't do that. the murderers, by the way, did it 28 days, but the attorney says 28 is not 30. that's what the constitution of the state says. that's the basic arguments. >> i misspoke when i said mississippi, when i said georgia, it's mississippi, and the mississippi governor at the time, haley barber, has been so widely criticized for this. but i read he filed a brief in this, so he's doubling down, he's not suggesting he's not doing the right thing, he's saying absolutely i had this right. >> right. he has not backed off at all. he said this is a state that believes in the christian idea of a second chance and he believes that these men, whom he said he got to know in the governor's mansion are changed men. as a result of that, in his heart, he knows that they can come out and have this opportunity to once again be contributing to society. there are others who say, wait a minute, he was too close to these men to really make a kind of honest assessment, but that's just part of the argument being heard in court. >> thanks. it stands to reason, they are so serious about this. it's hopscotched up to supreme court in that state. want to turn to the humanitarian crisis in syria it's getting worse by the moment, it seems, as government forces continually bombard and attack their own people there. in the city of homs where so much of the fighting has been focused, 60 people were reported killed just today in the fourth day of the massive shelling in that community. look at the pictures, they are just simply remarkable. many of them coming from cell phone cameras in a place where they can barely charge them because they have to electricity. the u.n. secretary-general calls this appalling brutality. an activist describes this grim situation. >> there is no other choice. we are dying, and we try to save each other at least to keep somebody alive. because we believe we all will die here. the city is isolated. it's being under shelling and bombing and everything. and there's nothing to do. >> you really believe you all are going to die? >> we do. >> turkey is now reportedly entering the situation telling reuters it could no longer sit by and watch. the country wants to host new diplomatic talks. we will go live to istanbul, turkey and ivan watson. good morning. i want to read something else that came across this morning th. this is an activist who says some bodies bore signs of electrocution and that children are targeted for torture and rape. what is turkey planning on doing? >> turkey is trying to bring countries together from the region to resolve this somehow, zoraida. but in the meantime the cost of this, in lives, just keeps growing. we are not allowed into director right now or homs. but look at this video that some courageous activists are streaming via bamboozer. this is a skyline of homs and we hear gunshots and explosions almost every second. we may hear one now. just take a brief listen. this is a live feed again from homs, where when we talk on the phone to the people enduring this siege, and this indiscriminate shelling there, we often hear, zoraida, explosions in the background. we just talked to a doctor who is working in a makeshift clinic in there. he gave us his name, ali hazuri. he said this morning alone he has received 40 new bodies and more than 100 wounded people. he said he has basic supplies, rubbing alcohol, gauze, sutures, no antibiotics whatsoever. he cannot operate on these wounded people who are coming in. and you hear the desperation in his voice when he said "everybody is sitting in their homes and waiting for their turns for a rocket to hit them and for us to find them dead under the rubble." zoraida? >> ivan, speak about the humanitarian aid effort there. is turkey trying to do anything about that? we do keep hearing those reports you're talking about, children dying because they don't have medicine, they don't have food. is there any effort to try to get that into that region? >> there's no official effort underway right now. the syrian government is still the predominant military force and security force in syria. we do know activists are smuggling themselves, smuggling some weapons, some aid across borders, but there is no official effort underway thus far. i've talked to activists in the capital damascus, they got food together and want to send it into homes, but that the area is circled by tanks and they cannot get in there. it's not the only city, there's another city by the lebanese border also encircled now. we have gotten reports after shelling of that opposition strong hold for several days, that the syrian military moved in over night. we do not know what's happened thus far because the telecommunications have been cut off to that town as well. >> ivan watson, thank you very much. >> also hearing that it's just difficult to even air drop any supplies into there because of the danger of where you're air dropping it. a, you could kill someone in an airdrop, and anybody coming out to get supplies could be killed right away. >> here's a look ahead on "early start." students at a los angeles elementary school will return to classes today with a whole new staff. you will remember two teachers at that school were arrested on child abuse charges, now investigators say they found 200 more photographs of students allegedly taken by one of those teachers. in the uk, hacking probe. heather mills, the ex-wife of former beatle paul mccarthy will testify about piers morgan. and it's a conservative political action conference time. it's cpac 2012 and it kicks off in washington. it's the largest gathering of conservative leaders and activists, and on saturday it's the big one, the straw poll to endorse a republican candidate. for the next few days, soledad o'brien will broadcast from cpac. it is 13 minutes past the hour, we head over to rob marciano. good morning. just when you thought winter was never here, it will be here in a couple days. >> say it ain't so. >> not too bad. you got a taste of it yesterday. a little pulse of snow, maybe enough to dust the roadways in d.c. or north and west where we saw a couple inches of snow. it's heading off to cape cod and out to sea. colder air, here it is see the cloud streaks? it's up there in canada it's been there all winter long. if you are traveling, boston to detroit, wind. showers in miami and seattle. san francisco, low clouds. you look at this weather map, it's quiet. just a couple of snow fur thinks across the midsection. weak storm there. west coast looks dry, at least so cal. and a pacific storm system coming into the northwest. temperatures today about where they should be for this time of year, maybe a few degrees warmer again in new york. 48 degrees. 55 degrees in atlanta. look as we go through time today and through the next couple of days. that arctic cold front will make inroads towards the great lakes. 40 for the high temperature tomorrow. as we get towards friday, temperatures drop into the teens and 20s and 30s across the western great lakes. we'll drive this as far south as dixie where temperatures will struggle to get into the 30s in nashville and 37 in new york city. with that a bit of snow. no major snowstorm or blizzard in the offing. keep the parka handy. >> like he's excited about it. tosses it to us. >> thanks, rob. still to come, a bizarre story and sad at the same time. he's the victim of a vicious beating by a gang that was showing anti-gay slurs. he has come forward and is demanding justice. you will hear him in his own words. and new this morning, roles for women in the military may be changing. why they may be getting jobs closer to the front lines. you are watching "early start." capital one's new cash rewards card gives you a 50% annual bonus! so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? 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[ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. 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. ♪ made with only milk... cream... a touch of sugar... and pure natural flavors. ♪ who knew being natural could be so delicious? coffee-mate natural bliss. from nestle. add your flavor naturally. coffewill be giving aways. passafree copiese. of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. ♪ >> that will wake you up. a little bon jovi "have a nice day." wake up, boston. 31 degrees right now. heading out to sunshine and 45 degrees later on. >> it's 19 minutes past the hour, time to check the stories making news this morning. up to 1 million homeowners under water in their mortgages could see up to $20,000 in aid soon here. this after new york and california will join in a settlement with the nation's largest banks. mississippi's attorney general is asking the state's high court to throw out 200 pardons this morning claiming not enough public notice was given to the communities where the pardoned convicts committed their crimes. and the 911 call center in pierce county, washington is launching an investigation after it took dispatchers 8 minutes to send a police car to the home of josh powell. government forces in syria have been hard at work bombing their own people. overnight the city of homs was decimated. you can see the pictures as they play out. just remarkable scenes. another 60 civilians reportedly killed. we can't independently confirm this because we can't get reporters in there. now turkey is reportedly getting involved and hoping that perhaps they can have some diplomatic conversations with the administration in syria. there just could be an expanded role for american women in our military. a combat role. 14,000 new jobs might soon be available to women including combat support roles like radio operators, medics, tank mechanics. they are still going to be ba barred, though, from fighting on the front lines. in just the 24 hours following rick santorum's three-sweep on tuesday, his campaign took in nearly $1 million, most of it coming in online. the surge was so incredible it took down santorum's own website. i'm sure he was just fine with that. that's a good way to have your -- >> so many people could not contribute during that time. >> if they're that thrilled, they'll come back. 21 minutes past the hour here. we're hearing from the victim in a horrific anti-gay video beating. before we show you, we want to warn you this video is disturbing. if your children are up at this hour, take them away from the tv. brandon white was attacked over the weekend in atlanta. that attack was videotaped and it was posted online. we want to let you know there are a lot of things happening since this beating became public. the mayor of atlanta has doubled up on a reward to try to find the people responsible. it's now $10,000. and the fbi is now getting involved as well. the feds. all of this because they want to see if maybe there was a hate crime that they could litigate. our cnn reporter george howell is following this story. brandon is now speaking out, george, for the first time. but at the very beginning he didn't even come forward to the police, as i understand it. >> his plan was to remain silent. but he's decided to speak out for the first time, held a news conference yesterday. basically said, look, i could have died after this happened. you see it in the video. you see these men kicking and punching him, laughing while they do it. making derogatory statements about his sexuality. brandon spoke out at this news conference but also spoke to our sister network, hln, the jane velez mitchell show, to explain the first moments of that attack you see there and to also explain how difficult a decision this was to come forward. take a listen. >> out of nowhere someone just punches me on the side of my head. i'm not expecting this, so i don't really know how to react from there. and it goes on from there for about a good 30 seconds, i would say. and once i finally get up, they finally run off and i go home. you know, at this point i'm beyond mad. so i actually go back, because i wanted to see who they were. when i first found out that it was uploaded on the internet and that it was on the news, when i finally seen the clip of it, i was embarrassed. i was humiliated. i didn't want to deal with it. i was going to let it go. >> why did you decide i'm going to the cops? what was that thing inside of you? because once they put it out there, they set themselves up. >> police believe it was a neighborhood gang that basically was behind this attack. they believe that one of the men involved uploaded that video online and that's when branden says he realized that it was online. his family and friends helped him make that decision to come forward to speak publicly and talk to police. what's fascinating about this, as well this may be a 30-second attack, but it could end up leading to a long future in the state of georgia. it could pave the wait for a hate crimes law. right now there isn't one. there's no statute in that state for hate crimes. >> there's a lot of talk about that. the family, friends, definitely want to see the federal government get involved that will be the only way to see this prosecuted under hate crime laws. but, again, definitely a lot of talk about that given what happened here in atlanta. >> also the u.s. attorney is looking into civil rights violations, so there could be a whole heap of trouble here, but they don't have anybody. what's the status in trying to find the guys who abodid it. >> just yesterday the atlanta mayor doubled the reward from $5,000 to $10,000. always the concern these men may have left atlanta and georgia. getting the word out is important and getting the information out about this reward, $10,000 for any information leading to the arrest of these men who clearly recorded themselves and put themselves out there. >> george howell, thank you very much for that. coming up later this morning at 8:00 eastern, soledad o'brien will speak live with brandon white. again, that's cnn's "starting point" at 8:00. 25 minutes past the hour. still to come, top stories are up after the break including the battle over birth control. students from catholic universities now speaking out on the controversial health care policy. plus what rick santorum needs to say at cpac to prove he is the conservative alternative to romney or gingrich. so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? 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[ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? 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>> we'll find out. live from cnn center in atlanta, independent political analyst goldie taylor is joining us. from washington, ed espinoza, democratic political consultant and from washington, matt mccowiak, republican strategist. talking all things santorum. we'll start with ed. santorum is heading to cpac and will be speaking tomorrow. all of the republican elite will be there. it's not just about votes. he needs more money. he's on a momentum here. what does he have to say or prove that he's the alternative republican choice to romney? >> one thing that makes romney the strong front-runner is he has the money and organization to go in a long primary. santorum needs to demonstrate that if he has the money, he too, has the organization to go the distance. he already has shown he can win competitive races. >> he raised $1 million in a 24-hour period. is that enough to keep up with romney? >> no. but if he can keep doing that every 24-hour period, yes. >> all right. matt, react to something santorum said. listen to it and then we'll talk about it. >> the intolerance of the left, the intolerance of the secular ideology, it is -- it is a -- it is a religion unto itself, just like we saw from the days of -- of the atheists in the soviet union. it's completely intolerant of dissent. >> all right. he went on to say that the left wants you to accept their view without questioning and if you do question, they brand you as bigots and unfit for the public square. independent votes are key here to the national election. how do you think that voter also react to that message? >> well, i don't think that's going to be a big part of his message if he is the nominee. it's not something i've heard from him. i've seen him speak in iowa and south carolina. we'll see. look, part of santorum's strength is that he has a core message. it creates excitement. he gives you something to be for. he's not running on inevitability argument like romney is. obviously he will have to moderate slightly, i think, if he becomes the nominee to address electability questions. he did not have a successful last election in pennsylvania, but he also won twice in a purple state like santorum. so he has evangelicals, he needs to broaden that out. his challenges are financial and organizational. if you look forward, you have two huge primaries on february 28th, which follows the cnn debate on the 22nd in arizona basically every tuesday and saturday in march has a contest. santorum has to win some big states. >> goldie, one thing that santorum is popular for, he's true to his beliefs. do you think what he's saying is necessarily a bad thing? >> i think for the kinds of reasons that santorum has the ability or possibility of winning what he's saying is a good thing. he's very good in caucuses, where the most conservative republicans tend to turn out and that's where santorum's sweet spot happens to be. you know, there is a coalescing of grassroots conservatives around him. sort of the die-hard true conservatives around him. that's what he has to take forward through both february and into march. does he have a real pathway to the nomination? it is extraordinary narrow, maybe a bit more broad than gingrich has. extraordinary narrow. what happens is the race gets drawn out a bit more possibly into early april, but mitt romney comes away with it. >> i want you guys to weigh in on one controversial issue but i don't have a lot of time. so follow my rules here. we've seen in the last few weeks the controversy over mandatory contraception coverage. the white house is trying to find a compromise here. we will hear students weighing in on this as well. so women could get coverage from an outside plan and religious employers wouldn't have to pay. answer me in one of these three ways, no expanding on that answer, please. is it a big issue now? will it be a big issue in the general election or is it a non-issue, goldie? >> it's a big issue now. >> matt? >> big issue now, big issue later unless they get a compromise that satisfies all sides. >> ed? >> big issue now, but it's the right issue. >> thank you for playing this morning, appreciate it. we have the best political coverage on television and some big interviews coming thank you morning. soledad o'brien does talking to john mccain. he is suggesting that the united states should consider arming the opposition in syria. and at 8:00, soledad o'brien will talk to congressman paul ryan on what he plans to say at the cpac. still to come, it's one of those stories where you shake your head. two teenagers, one of them on trial for murder, the other dead. but is the defense of murder i was drunk? you'll find out why alcohol is being featured in the courtroom. and was safety ignored here? new questions this morning in that deadly stage collapse. remember that? that was at the indiana state fair. did the stage production company know about safety concern before that collapse? 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"21st century breakdown." you might just say that'scrisis. up to 1 million of you folks under water on your mortgages which means you owe more than your house is worth, there could be relief in sight to the tune of about $20,000 for you and very soon. all of it coming after new york and california finally decided to jump on board in massive national settlements with some of the nation's largest banks. the mississippi supreme court will be hard at work possibly deciding in a couple hours that most of those 200 plus pardons that governor hayley barber signed on his way out of office, including four killers, may just be invalid and back to prison you go. also the labor department in indiana handed out $80,000 in fines for this -- remember last summer's deadly stage collapse at the state fair? the largest fine, $63,000. it was levied against the mid america sound corporation, the company that built that stage structure and leased it to the state fair. a new alleged hazing incident involving the university of florida triggered a temporary suspension of the school's alpha phi alpha fraternity. the incident allegedly took part off campus and is being investigated by university police. and the university of north dakota will keep using the fighting sioux nickname and logo over objections of the ncaa. a statewide vote could permanently reinstate the nickname. let the people decide. and gary busey filed for bankruptcy in california. the 67-year-old actor reporting assets worth up to $50,000 while owing his creditors between $500,000 and $1 million. >> so strange when these actors who seem to be on tv and on the big screen all the time -- >> making a lot of money. >> are in financial crisis. still ahead on "early start," this is one for the what books? a judge sentencing that guy to buy his wife flowers and take her out for dinner? >> should i not be laughing? >> you'll find out what was behind this extraordinarily strange sentence. >> here's the latest celebrity to join twitter. look at that picture. it's marilyn monroe. >> tweeting from the grave. >> we'll explain how this all happened. you are watching "early start." ♪ made with only milk... cream... a touch of sugar... and pure natural flavors. ♪ who knew being natural could be so delicious? coffee-mate natural bliss. from nestle. add your flavor naturally. coffewill be giving aways. passafree copiese. of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. good morning, jacksonville, florida. what a beautiful tower cam shot. you are going up to 65 later, nice sunshine. >> beautiful shot. >> st. john's river. i like jacksonville. i like all of florida. >> so do i. speaking of florida, a judge in b broward county, florida making headlines after an unconventional ruling. this is in a domestic court case. here is the ruling, buy your wife flowers and take her to red lobster. joseph frey forgets his wife's birthday. the wife claims he shoved her against the sofa and put his hands on her neck. the wife says "didn't get hit." wanted to work things out. that's what she says. the judge orders him to buy his wife flowers, birthday card, dinner out to red lobster, perhaps, and after dinner, the couple has been ordered to go bowling. >> it defies logic. >> that's unbelievable. >> it happens a lot it may be strange to hear for the first time, but this happens a lot. judges who don't have the sensitivity to domestic violence have been known to do these kinds of things. >> i don't know, ashley -- >> one husband was ordered something like this, he ended up burning his wife after a similar order like this. it's a serious issue. clearly it's getting national attention. that's critical at this point. >> i will find the story and put it on facebook for you. >> that is amazing. >> something else that ought our eye that was floating out there on the webs today. marilyn monroe, she's no stranger to anyone, but a twitter account? she died decades ago. how could she be on twitter? the firm that owns her estate decided to open a an @marilynmonroe. she has 14,000 followers now. >> do we have some of her tweets? >> what would they say on her behalf. it's kind of weird, isn't it? >> everyone deserves a sparkle in their day. so many more. >> really? what about happy birthday or something more exciting or apropos. >> 56 minutes past the hour here. top stories next on "early start." there are new rules on women in combat. we'll share those with you. >> also a lawyer says that jerry sandusky is no threat to nearby school children. but there are neighbors who say, really? because the school is so close, he's been seen watching the kids from his home. and a cnn exclusive, tyler clemens brother speaks out about tyler's suicide. he killed himself after his college roommate allegedly used a web cam to spy on him kissing another man. >> he probably had so much hope and optimism for a great experience at college, and found himself living through a nightmare. >> gosh, they look so much alike, don't they? 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[ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good morning, everyone welcome to "early start" i'm ashlie banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. a $25 billion good one, if you're under water on your mortgage, have we got a deal for you. a big pot of money you might get a part of, but there are qualifications, we'll let you know what it. a high stakes pardon show-down. could we learn in a few hours, we could learn if most of those prisoners released in mississippi by outgoing governor haley barbour will have to go back to prison. among them, four convicted murders. a cnn exclusive tyler clemente's brother is speaking out. he jumped to his death after his roommate allegedly outed him as being gay at rutgers university. you will hear from him about the suicide. jerry sandusky neighbors fearing for their childrens safety accusing him of watching their children from his porch. we'll talk to one of the fathers. one minute past 6: -- 6:00 in the east. >> good news, a million homeowners, where you're under water in the house, the house is not worth as much as you owe on it, you might be in the running for some big relief. >> all this comes as two very large states, new york and california, are signing on to this deal. let's look at the numbers here. talking about a $25 billion pot of money part of a settlement between the government and some of the largest mortgage lenders and servicers, what that means to you. you could be getting up to $20,000 relief on the principal you owe, and christine romans will explain that to us. we're excited. we're not sharing happy news, and this is great for those folks that owe. >> reporter: they are comparing this, people who watch this consumer groups comparing this to the big tobacco settlement from 1998, big settlement between states, federal government and the industry, the banking and this mortgage servicing industry. what does it mean? 11 million of you are under water, this would target a million homeowners, california, new york, florida are on board. a national deal they are negotiating still. these are non-fannie and freddie loans. this is not you, but many of these programs so far have targeted fannie and freddie, how do you know if you qualify? you don't yet. when we have the details for who qualifies, how to make sure you are considered we will let you know. these are the banks that are the mortgage servicers involved, bank of america, wells-fargo, citi group and allied financial. there could be cash payments for people going through the foreclosure process from december, 2008, september 2008 to december, 2011, that would be $1500 or $2,000 cash payment the banks would have to pony up. for many people who lost their home are now renters have lost the american dream, i don't know if that is enough to make them whole but there could be cash payments for people. also according to the big papers, refinancing part of this, too, get more people to refinance. the hope is this will be money into the housing sector at a time when congress has to pass any kind of new housing rescues. you said sis-boom-bah, the housing rescues to date helped a quarter of the people as advertised. part of the problem is the housing market has been a nightmare, a much bigger crash than we thought, much harder to try to stablize it. >> you said a million people but so many more. >> 11 million under water. >> all right, i'll start celebrating. >> i want your enthusiasm. >> four minutes past the hour. controversial pardons in mississippi could be deemed invalid. in a few hours from now the supreme court will hear arguments a little later this morning. that big controversy started when haley barbour pardoned almost 200 criminals. >> they weren't just any old criminals, four of them were convicted killers. martin savage joins us from jackson, mississippi. this thing, you know, is so fast-tracked and speaks to the politization of the story, martin. last week you and i talked about a hearing at trial level now supreme court. we might have action by later today? >> reporter: exactly right, yeah. this was always anticipated it was probably going to end up in the state supreme court, anyway. because there are people that are being detained or being held in prison that have already been pardoned, there is the essence of speed that at least the defense attorneys are trying to argue. here are the arguments we'll hear in the courtroom today. primarily from the defense point of view this is the attorneys or these are the attorneys that are representing those that have been convicted and pardoned, they are going to say look, the power of the governor of mississippi to grant clemency, in this case pardon these people, is absolute. no court and no judge can change that ruling. the state attorney general is arguing something a little different. he's saying it's not so much the question of the pardon, it is part of the pardon process requires the criminal to do something. and that something is to advertise in the newspaper, take out a classified ad that must run for 30 days consecutively in order to be granted the pardon. in most of the cases the state attorney general says that did not happen. 203 pardons, about 180 did not meet the 30 day requirement, thereby their pardons are invalid. that is how the argument will go. >> does it mean we'll have action right away, marty? you know a supreme court can kick it back down to trial level, this could drag on and on for longer. if the supreme court says the pardons are invalid, what is next? >> reporter: yeah, two questions, really you have there. one is the time frame. we don't know, we anticipate the court wants to rule until a fairly speedy fashion, there were people that were scheduled to be released that were held back at the last minute because of the question of whether the pardon is valid or not. so they are being jeopardized as a result of any wait. then the other question is what if they are turned invalid, what happens to those that have already been released? that is a very good question. we're now in sort of unchartered territory, what would really happen? could it be kicked down to a lower court? we don't know we'll have to wait and see what the high court's ruling is first. >> we know one of those killers never bothered to show up and file a brief, he's out there, joseph ozment. keep an eye on it for us, marty, thank you. we give you early start to your day alerting you to stories that will make news. a los angeles school reopens today. milamonte has new staff. two former teachers arrested, more than 200 photos of students allegedly taken by one of those teachers. paul mccartney's ex-wife heather mills, will be testifying as part of a uk hacking probe. she will be asked some questions about the former news of the world editor and our own cnn's p piers morgan. he refused to disclose a source that played him a message from paul mccartney to heather mills. cpac 2012 is gets underway, the largest gathering of conservative leaders and activists. ends saturday to endorse a republican candidate. our very own soledad o'brien starting point kicks off at 7:00. a cnn exclusive the older brother of tyler clemente is speaking out. he is the rutgers freshman who jumped from the george washington bridge after his roommate allegedly used a web cam to spy on him while he was secretly kissing another man. >> prosecutors want jersey -- jerry sandusky kept indoors over allegations he's watching children from his porch. we'll talk to one of the neighbors live from state college. is rick santorum's political star rises, his website crashes. we'll let you know why that might not have been a terrible thing as the money poured in. you're watching "early start." rob marciano is live for us in atlanta, good morning. >> stop the presses, it snowed across parts of the east yesterday. maybe an inch, maybe two, tops most i found in western maryland that little pulse of snow heading off the east coast, philadelphia, dc, baltimore got a trace. not cold behind it, some wind, no big storms behind it we're watching something in the pacific northwest and cold air in canada, for now, boston, detroit, wind will slow you down, miami and seattle showers as well. temperatures still mild, but look for the cold air beginning to drop in from canada, temps in the 30s on friday in chicago, in the 20s, lake effect snows, maybe snow across new york on saturday with a high temperature of 37 degrees. that is a quick check on weather, "early start" coming right back. ♪ a refrigerator has never been hacked. an online virus has never attacked a corkboard. ♪ give your customers the added feeling of security a printed statement or receipt provides... ...with mail. it's good for your business. ♪ and even better for your customers. ♪ for safe and secure ways to stay connected, visit usps.com/mail for fastidious librarian emily skinner, each day was fueled by thorough preparation for events to come. well somewhere along the way, 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. i like yoplait. it is yoplait. but you said it was greek. mmhmm. so is it greek or is it yoplait? 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[ male announcer ] one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. i don't care who you are it's a good way to wake up to the rolling stones "start me up" also applies to our next story. a lot of people feeling stagnant in their mortgages, guess what? we have something to start them again. >> 13 minutes past the hour. one million homeowners with mortgages under water could see up to $20,000 in relief this should happen soon. that is thanks to a $25 billion deal between the government and some of the country's largest mortgage companies. mississippi's attorney general hard at work asking the state supreme court to throw out former governor haley barbour's 200 pardons should happen this morning. they claim there was not enough public notice to communities where the pardoned convicted committed their crimes. the 911 call center in washington is launching an investigation because it took dispatchers eight minutes to send a police car to josh powell's home. moments after the calls, he blew up the house, killing himself and two young sons. he set it on fire. also, 60 civilians killed overnight as government forces in syria continue the bombardment of the town of homs, turkey will get involved to end the violence. pentagon will announce an expanded combat role for women, they are appealing to congress with 14,000 new jobs they would like to become available to women including medics, radio operators and tank mechanics. they will be barred from the front line fighting. rick santorum, three-peat and the money started coming in, raised a million dollars in a 24 hours after winning the three contests on tuesday, most of the money donated online. the website crashed, hope nile they will get it running soon. that is important to them. got momentum. >> they are working on it feverishly. an interview with the brother of tyler clemente, a rutgers coullege suicide in 201. >> his roommate is accused of spying on him with another male student. jason carroll spoke to his brother james, it was believed robbie outed tyler, but that is not necessarily the case. it is confusing. >> reporter: basically what happened was tyler came out to his brother. when he was 18 years old. that is what tyler told me during the interview. >> james told you. >> reporter: that is what james said during the interview. james said that he himself is gay, and so he understood where his brother was coming from, in fact he thought his brother was gay before he came out. and what is interesting is james also talked about tyler, he talked about what tyler had said about robbie and to me that is one of the most interesting parts of the interview. take a listen what he had to say about robbie. >> reading the accounts of what happened is very difficult for me in realizing the environment that my brother found himself in and he probably had hope and optimism for a great experience at college and found himself living through a nightmare. >> is forgiveness something that you think about? >> yes, and i think there's a time for that. i don't know if i'm there right now. the trial is going to be incredibly emotional and every day will be harder than the last i think, and i want to get through this and make sure my family gets through that period. i think we're hoping for justice in the court system and i'm putting our faith in the prosecution to do what they need to do. >> reporter: james had said of the two of them, he felt as though tyler was the stronger of the two of them. that is why it's so disheartening. >> an incredible surprise and shock. why is he talking now, this has been going on for quite some time? >> reporter: the grieving process is a long one i think the family couldn't speak about what happened, it was too painful for them. they are still grieving, still in a lot of pain but i think at this point they want to get the message out in terms of trying to help other people. so listen to what he had to say about that. >> words are devastating and until you've been the target of that kind of hatred, you don't understand the pain that you're inflicting on other people and i think about the epidemic that suicide has become among gay youth and it breaks my heart and every child that i've seen on the news since and before my brother's death, he is one of many, unfortunately, and this needs to stop. it's not the answer. there is always somewhere that you can go and there's -- at any point no matter what, as long as you're still here, there is something to worth fighting for. life is the most valuable thing, and i think about my brother, i think if he had gotten through that night and that dark hour, i think a day, week or year later he would have looked back and been grateful he didn't do it. >> reporter: so very painful for him to talk about what happened there. another point we should bring up about justice. i think in the beginning if they received an apology in some way, shape or form, maybe it would not have gotten to this stage. they haven't received an apology from robbie, and i think at this point since it's gone through the legal process, they want to see it through the entire legal process, and see what sort of justice they can get. >> legally an apology is a difficult thing to do, can seal your fate and lawyers will say you may be sorry for this, don't say a word. >>. >> reporter: one more quick point, they don't want tyler's life to be defined by what happened in the end. he lived for 18 years they are hoping that can be put out there as well. >> this is very courageous, thank you for bringing that to us. still ahead on "early start" jerry sandusky's neighbors accuse him of watching children from his porch. we'll talk to one of those neighbors coming up next. the founder of the susan g. komen for the cure is speaking out for the first time since they reversed their funding to planned parenthood, hear what nancy brinker has to say about her role in all this and how she feels about it now. 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? 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[ female announcer ] yoplait. it is so greek. 24 minutes past 6:00 on the east coast, neighbors of jerry sandusky are speaking out, worried about the safety of kids in their neighborhood. >> the former penn state coach lives near a school and playground, the neighbors say they have seen him watching their children. they say he should not be allowed outside while he is under house arrest. this decision will be decided to more oh in court. of -- tomorrow in court. jody harrington joins us live now, thanks for being with thus morning, we appreciate it. you were saying --. >> you're welcome. >> having sandusky makes you feel violated. can you explain what is going on? >> i think given the severity of the crimes that mr. sandusky is accused of, to have him still in such proximity of my children and other children that are in the neighborhood, it's a bit unsettling. >> do you see him, is he sitting on his porch watching the children from his back porch? >> yeah, i've seen jerry sandusky on several occasions watch children, my own children, other children of the lamont elementary school, have been outside, several occasions. >> do you see him outside all the time or just specifically when the children are out of school or headed in to school? >> i think during the time of j jerry sandusky's house arrest, hard to put in a time frame now, i think safe to say i've almost seen him daily. >> what is it you're concerned about? >> well, it's not just the safety of my children, our children, it's also just the quality of life. i think that given the crimes that jerry sandusky is accused of, it's very difficult to sort of not have a very guarded state of mind when you think about what i've heard about his crimes. that he is accused of. >> have you talked to him, have you told him you're concerned as a parent? >> no, i have not. unfortunately i have not mustered the courage for that, and so that is why i'm happy to have the opportunity to speak with you today, to know that other parents and apparently members of the lamont elementary school have taken a stance on this and said that we're very uncomfortable with this in our community. i felt very motivated to express my opinions about it as well. >> jody, what is it you want? for him to have to stay indoors the entire time that he's on house arrest? >> well, i mean that sounds very reasonable to me. i mean, i have a very shallow understanding of what the legal system enables someone to do in his situation, but again, given the severity of the crimes he's accused of, i really feel that erring on the side of caution is not that much to ask for. >> something struck me and you said that you had to have a conversation with your children about this. what did you tell them? >> well, you know, given their age, that has to be buffered a great deal, but i guess it's mainly revolved around that one of our neighbors has been accused of hurting children, so you know, you can't talk about the sexual nature of the crimes he is accused of with young children --. >> jo >> jody, has he approached any of the children to your knowledge? >> no, i've never seen him on the other side of the fence of his property. >> all right, jody harrington, good luck with that, i know that is a tough conversation to have with children appreciate your time this morning. >> absolutely. still ahead on "early start" comes to cpac, the biggest grouping of conservative politicians and activists and our panel will weigh in why one of the big candidates is not going this year. a woman says she was jfk's teen mistress, we're talking to a kennedy biographer about that and more, you're watching "early start." welcome back. 30 minutes past the hour. time to check stories making news this morning. a big one you're probably going to appreciate even if you're not under water in your home, so many people are, there may be relief on the way. in fact as many as a million people who are suffering with properties that are worth less than their debt, they could be -- they could get part of a $25 billion settlement with the nation's largest banks, expected to be announced later today, could mean big money for you, $20,000 per homeowner. mississippi supreme court holds a hearing to decide whether former governor's haley barbour last minute pardons were legal. up to 200 convicted prisoners could be headed back to prison. students are heading back to miramonte school today, greeted by an entirely new staff. this after two former teachers were arrested, on child abuse charges and entire staff was redirected. the founder of susan g. komen for the cure is speaking out since reversing a decision to stop funding planned parenthood. nancy brinker admits to the washington post she mishandled the situation, and that she made some mistakes. the first time she is saying that. so it's the hottest ticket in town for the republicans cpac, conservative political action conference begins today. the who's who of the gop will be there. >> i love this time of year it's a hufge convention. doesn't bigger than this, sarah palin. tony perkins. ann coulter. three of the four presidential candidates. only three of the four? methinks there is something going on. joining me is goldie taylor, managing editor of the goldie taylor project and ed he espino and ed, okay you three, thanks for being here, let's start with you, matt. some people say this is like a whole super process to do king making with the straw poll but now i hear that ron paul, the guy who won the big straw poll at the end of cpac the last two years isn't going to show up, matt? what is this about? >> there is a caucus that ends on saturday in maine and ron paul has a strategy about accumulating delegates, unlikely he will be the nominee, so i don't understand why he's not going, the convention cpac start today, today through saturday, there is a straw poll saturday afternoon he could have come for a little bit. but this is a big thing for governor romney, for senator santorum, and for speaker gingrich, activists, media, largest conference anywhere in the country, so it comes at an important time when you look at what happened the other night in minnesota, colorado and missouri. >> jump in here, ed, i often times wonder whether cpac is going to be sort of having an internal dialogue, what is our mission here? is the mission to come up with a big endorsement and make a front-runner and give the front-runner momentum or conversely, is the mission to kickstart the general election and bash the administration? we have serious power here. >> as a democrat i've never been to cpac i don't know it would be a good idea for me to go here. >> i would like to see that, take a webcam. >> closest was being surrounded by cpac attendees last year. any impression of the events not necessarily to define who your nominee will be or give anyone a boost, as much as it is to define what the issues are you care about, to implore those on the candidates. here they will talk about, matt would know more than i, a lot of it will talk about what they are for as opposed what they are against. one of the problems romney has, in particular, is he's running as the not-obama, that is not good enough. one of the reasons santorum is doing well he's espousing things he stands for. >> the core issues that so many people say is critical, but rush limbaugh has been avoiding cpac saying it's not conservative enough. goldie, there was a time when everybody hung on every word of rush limbaugh, especially the keynote address speaker a couple years ago, now i come to hear that sarah palin, the keynote speaker this year, said no to the invitations in the past several years, i'm curious how much influence she will have and if she will reverse course and decide to endorse somebody. >> i think it behooves her not to endorse anyone, it keeps the sarah palin train running for whatever her outcome she wants to be. i think cpac is an important convention, mitt romney has an opportunity if he misses it, this campaign process will drag on that much more longer. people like senator deminute -- demint said he has to step it up, he has to -- he has to figure out where the keys are to the kingdom. >> round table game, one word answer only, the winner of the straw poll, matt? >> santorum. 10,000 activists. >> that is not one word, matt. come on, play. ed, who will win? >> santorum. >> goldie? >> santorum. >> how about that. thanks, guys, we will see what happens, a couple days from now, should be interesting. we also have big names coming up on "starting point" first with arizona senator john mccain who will talk to soledad, and congressman paul ryan will be interviewing, you may be watching "early start" with you make sure you stay tuned for "starting point" as well. we will be right back. 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[ male announcer ] one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. and don't get heartburn in the first place! ah, welcome to hotels.com. i get it...guys weekend. yeah! if you're looking for a place to get together, you came to the right place. because here at hotels.com, we're only about hotels. yeah! yeah! noooo. yeah! finding you the perfect place is all we do. welcome to hotels.com you're walking in the dialogue here, 41 minutes past the hour. if you're young and out of work you're not alone. in a new survey out an hour ago by pew research center, 54% of people 18 to 24 are working. that, friends is the lowest level since the government started keeping track of the number after world war ii. christine romans is here to tell us what we will do about this. we feel this is a big problem for the young people. >> whenever you talk how the great recession hurt different demographi demographics, young beam on -- young people have been hit hard. whether you will buy a house, get married, have a baby, all these things have been put on hold. we know from other surveys and this one that people are young people are polstponing their lie decisions. the recession hit them so hard, when pew surveys people who has been hit hardest or who will suffer the most, adults and young people alike all said young adults will bear the brunt of this, they have really suffered. it's interesting they don't have the assets. >> they don't have a mortgage. >> they are making all these life decisions that have been affected which is interesting. >> is it because we were talking about this earlier, because the baby boomers are staying on their jobs longer. >> that is exactly right. boomers aren't leaving if they can hold on for dear life, they are, there are fewer opportunities to get in because you have experienced workers in the workforce who don't want to leave because their house is under water, 401 k got hit, this all feeds in the occupy wall street thread, too, when you talk about young people is this the land of opportunity or is this the land of food stamps and unemployment benefits. why isn't there a place for me to get in and why am i not rising with the economy that is improving here, so another survey from pew just out showing how the young people have been affected by this. when i talk to human resources managers who advise companies how to work with different generations, they tell me they are excited about young people because they are intuitive about technology in a way generation x and above aren't. they are willing to work whenever, not 9:00 to 5:00, a little more flexible as a workforce. there are some bright spots. >> that is a positive to this. >> in the survey from pew it said young people are mainta maintaining optimism, people are saying it sucks to be you, the young people themselves are like we'll get through this. that is also a bright spot. >> i got news when the debt and deficit hits them, that will be a different story altogether. >> don't tell their kids, either. >> thank you for the awful news, appreciate it. >> hey, wait, there were bright spots in there. >> important information, to educate and illustrate the political discussion happening in america. we have another fabulous teammate called soledad o'brien with what is coming up on "starting point." >> wow, i encourage that, fabulous, call me fabulous. we're live at conservative -- $5, conservative political action conference in washington d.c., some of the biggest names joining us, we'll talk to john mccain, paul ryan, mike lee, jim demint, and jason chavis. kirk cameron from growing pains moved on to doing films, we'll talk to him what his next project is, that is all straight ahead this morning, starting in roughly 15 minutes on "starting point" "early start" is back after this short break, stay with us. 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[ dog barks ] ♪ get up off... good morning to you, dallas, 35 degrees, partly cloudy there, but it will be 56 degrees later. >> no secrets this year, good song. that is a great song for this segment. the sexual exploits of president jfk may be well-known but there is a new book called "once upon a secret" revealing details of a relationship he allegedly had with a white house intern. >> mimi alford broke her silence on nbc last night. >> i felt the president getting closer and closer to me. looked me right in the eyes and i actually -- he put his hands on my shoulders, and sort of guided me down to the enl of the bed. -- edge of the bed. >> joining us to talk about this new book is kennedy biographer, thank you for joining us this morning. >> thanks for having me. >> so it's hard to corroborate a lot of mimi alford's account. many people she mentioned are dead. do you believe her story? >> i certainly do. >> why? >> well the detail of it. it's painful to haear it, that woman would tell almost in pornographic detail her relationships with the late president but i think the detail is not that unusual, half a dozen other women's could have written other books. >> why are we hearing about this now in descriptive details, pornographic as you call them? >> one woman in my book was a student at wellsley, kennedy had her get a job in the white house, she realized how she was being used, how pathetic this was and she left. ms. alford even now says she doesn't regret this and she thinks it was a romance. it wasn't a romance. a womanizer at the level of kennedy didn't like women. women were his prey. a measure of his attitude of women there was not a single woman of power. in the eisenhower years, there were any number of women in power. kennedy thought women were for sex or to bring you coffee. >> lawrence, we'll listen to her words and then we'll talk about it. >> i think overpowered in the sense that he was the president, he was this unbelievably handsome man, 45 years old, not overpowered physically that someone had grabbed me and made me do something that i wasn't really willing to do, because i really think i was willing to do it. >> she says "i really think i was willing to do it" yet you contend that he thought women had a different place. >> well, was monica lewinsky willing to do it? that is the nature of power, you have an older person, generally an older man and this power over younger people, they admire you, they see your charisma. is it a right to take advantage of that? is it right to have this young woman do a sexual act on one of your friends as you watch? i don't think so. >> she mentioned she felt that this was not a romantic relationship, let's listen to that and i want to you weigh in on it. >> why do you feel sad now when you talk about it? >> wasn't a romantic affair, i don't really remember the president ever kissing me. and it makes me sad. i don't remember really kissing him, either. >> you never referred to him as jack, always mr. president. >> always mr. president. >> that is tough to listen to. do you think that he had any feelings for her or any of the other women that you say he had affairs with? >> look, whattism important tabt about this is the other women tried to put a veneer of romance, judith exner was his mistress and also a mistress of a mafia man, they try to pretend it's more important than it is. this woman gets it, she was his object and as she admits she was willing to be this object but as you say it's a very sad business. >> i take it you're not surprised by anything that you read in this book? >> no, when i started doing my research, i thought the stories were exaggerated but it was amazing the extent of this. even during the cuban missile crisis, i said publicly it was inconceivable he had these relationships during the crisis that could have been the end of society, according to this woman he did. he was a sex addict, the great story of his life is not sex but his health. he may not have lived during the second term, sex was a way to assert his healthiness. he was in pain half of his life. that is what sex was to him. >> you have to wonder why he was never caught. i want to ask you we hear about powerful men, clinton, kennedy, gingrich, all these alleged affairs, is there a reason folks say or a lot of them say this is none of your business, the american public it's something that happens in their private lives, do you agree with that? >> it spills over. if you cheat on your wife, maybe you'll cheat other people. with kennedy he had a problem with women overall, he couldn't see women in position of power. let's remember that president nixon did not cheat on his wife and it was not a memorable presidency. >> lauren leamer, thank you for joining us this morning. >> they say the president's legacy takes years, how about 50 years, things can make effect. paul mccartney, did you think he had a star on the hollywood walk of fame? yes. >> you would be wrong, isn't that amazing? i was surprised. >> he's getting it, you will see why. you're watching "early start." "lady madonna" 48 degrees in vegas. later 72. paul mccartney gets his star on hollywood's walk of fame. he's the last beatle to get one, will be on vine street alongside three other beatles, john lennon, george harrison, ringo starr. he was selected back in 1993, our understanding was he never committed until now. >> there is a reason for that, apparently they couldn't schedule it. >> that is it for "early start" thank you for joining us. "starting point" starts right now, good morning. hey, ladies, our "starting point" is cpac, live in washington d.c. the leading conservativing and activists come together. what is important it will end with a big endorsement this weekend, but before the kickoff the big names will join thus morning. also obama under fire accused of flip-flopping on super pacs. debbie