than we have seen all the way along the race until now. mitt romney and rick santorum are really duking it out for this one. in ohio, they are neck and neck in the polls. >> so rush limbaugh apologizing again for calling law student sandra fluke a slut. we have a 15 and counting. the stations are also starting to yank his show. i've got to tell you, we found a guy, an editor and publisher who has been following limbaugh for quite a bit of time who said that apology was sincere and he's going to tell us why he thinks so. >> because the sponsors are bailing. >> that's not what he said. >> another story. this is one of those ones that gets you to shake your head because nfl players are admitting they put together big buckets of cash to pay each other to really take out other team members. they're so-called bounties. and it happened to some of the league's biggest names too. and the investigation is going from locker room to locker room. we'll fill you in. >> i can't wait to see what the league is going to do about this. and slipping and sliding away. drivers -- oh, my goodness. that's a big slip slide. did you look at that? you know what that is? those are the effects of black ice. makes you end up in ditches. you don't see this. you don't see black ice. you have no idea the conditions are so bad. that is wreaking havoc across the midwest. >> you do not want to be the camera man standing in the path. >> holy frijoles. you're better at that than i am. two minutes past 5:00 in the morning. it is the start of our big center tuesday show. it's the final countdown. voting begins two hours, 10 states, 419 delegates up for grabs. and of course we all talk about ohio. it's the big prize. it's got a lot of delegates. a brand-new cnn poll out showing mitt romney and rick santorum are in a dead heat. not just a statistical dead heat but a real dead heat, 32-32. >> romney is telling supporters, if i win ohio, i win the nomination. santorum and newt gingrich are trying to stop that from happening. >> he will be the weakest candidate we can possibly put forward on the most important issue of today. >> he can't close the deal. and he can't close the deal in part because people inherently don't trust what he's saying and think that he is isn't always very candid with them and frankly sometimes isn't straight. >> it will be interesting to see what happens. political editor paul steinheiser is live from mount st. joseph, ohio. you have a breakdown of states for us and then i have some questions for you. >> why don't we start with ohio. we beat everybody. we beat the rush here. we're at a polling station in hamilton county, west of cincinnati. this is pretty conservative country. polls open a little later. it's just me and my camera man and the engineer. it will get more crowded later. yes, ohio, so important. it's a battleground state. why? because of the blue collar vote, the catholic vote. it's open primary, which means republicans can vote in the gop contest. so can democrats. so can independents. rick santorum has been trying to appeal to blue collar voters. he's from pennsylvania. but there are other important states as well. tennessee. crucial southern state. 55 delegates up for stake there. a lot of conservative voters. polls indicate santorum with a slight edge. his big lead seems to have disappeared. also let's talk about georgia with the most of all. 76. that's an important state for whom newt gingrich who represented the 6th congressional district for 20 years, he said i've got to win georgia if i'm going to keep in. our cnn poll that came out yesterday had him with a 20-point margin. ashleigh? >> it's zoraida. >> sorry. >> don't worry about it. it says romney is winning catholics but 8% sampling error. is that really a win there? what can you tell me about those numbers? >> it's a very slight advantage there. i think it can go either way. we made a lot of the catholic vote in michigan. according to the exit polls, in michigan mitt romney won even though he is the mormon candidate. and of course santorum is catholic. we're paying close attention to the catholic vote in ohio as well. in both states it's a sizable population. it could be crucial. a lot of voters we'll keep our eyes on today. >> romney is saying if i win ohio, i win the nomination. >> it is an important state. it is so important because of its symbolism as a big battleground state in the general election. yes, if romney wins here and the momentum seems to be going his way it was a week ago he had a double digit lead in ohio. now one of five over the last few days to show it's all tied up in ohio. he needs to do well in the south, in tennessee and a few other states to show he can win in that region. if he does all this he puts daylight between himself and the other candidates. if not this race goes on for a long time. >> paul live for us in ohio. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> we're all thinking about jobs and housing. two issues certainly that voters today at super tuesday. >> and christine is at the data wall looking at the health of the economy in the super tuesday states. what are you finding, christine? >> good morning, ladies. we know from the exit polling so far from other states that it is housing and jobs that really affect voters the most. where you live and how you pay the bills. let's look at super tuesday states and start with jobs. this is what it looks like for unemployment rates. the jobless rate is lower today than when the president took off. alaska, massachusetts, north dakota. ohio, vermont and tennessee. this is at the end of 2011. the rate is down 7.9% but it's still an uncomfortable level here. a half a million people in ohio are still out of work. in tennessee, the rate is above the national average which remains pretty high at 8.3%. i want to take a look here at some of the place, georgia, idaho, oklahoma, virginia, candidates can rightfully say that the unemployment rate has risen since obama stepped into the white house. in gingrich's home state of georgia, 9.4%. in 2010 that jobless rate spiked to an all-time ohio. idaho, oklahoma, you have higher rates than when the president took office. virginia still better than the national average. let's move on to housing. if you're under water on your loan it means uh-oh more on your house than it's even worth. center tuesday states have some of the highest rates of under water mortgages in the country. georgia, 33% of people who have a loan in georgia are under water. isn't that incredible? ohio, 25%. virginia, 23%. the national average is about 22%. so these states people have higher than the national average. i want to look at ohio quickly where it's 24%. it is almost a proxy for what the gop nominee faces in november. why? because voters can focus on how bad it got, and it got bad in ohio, or they can focus on how things are improving. that will be prove to be so interesting politically about what happens today. >> christine romans, thanks very much. those numbers are amazing. georgia and north dakota polar opposites. >> north dakota, companies are working aggressively to hire people. 3.3%. >> can you imagine? fantastic. >> i lived right above there. it isn't so bad. apart from october, november, december, january, february, march when it's really cold -- >> it's a great deal. >> christine, thank you. it's 7:00 eastern on starting point with soledad she'll be rejoined by a big romney supporter. see what he has to say about super tuesday. and allen west being pushed by sarah palin as a possible vp candidate. she'll talk to him as well and see why he hasn't made an endorsement of anybody yet. coverage tonight at 6:00 p.m. eastern with jong king, usa and complete coverage with the best political team on television at 7:00 p.m. and also for complete super tuesday results, join us tomorrow a little earlier than usual. we will jump on the air at 4:00 a.m. eastern time tomorrow morning for "early start." it's an early start to "early start." you cannot forget that. >> a late night in politics. we will join you early. president obama not letting the gop grab all the headlines. the white house said he will hold his first formal news conference of the year, one day after he met with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. that conference is live at 1:15 eastern on cnn and cnn.com/live if you want to catch it. >> speaking of benjamin netanyahu he will meet with republican leaders on capitol hill. a lot to discuss about the tension that's been going on and a little evident in the white house. lieu at the body language there. he met with president obama yesterday. and the president had to say publicly, quote, the united states will always have israel's back. but that doesn't mean they agree on how to deal with this burgeoning issue of iran and its nuclear program and development as such. this has been a real sticking point between the two leaders. the president is encouraging israel to exercise restraint and give diplomacy a chance. netanyahu was speaking to the american israel public affairs committee and says basically those sanctions you think might work, they're not. >> with nuclear weapons iran could threaten all of us with nuclear terrorism. it could put a nuclear device in a ship heading to any port or in a truck parked in any city anywhere in the world. for the sake of our prosperity, for the sake of our security, for the sake of our children, iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. [ applause ]. >> he makes a pretty powerful argument. but on thor side, iranians say israel probably has nuclear weapons while they don't admit to it. and gop candidates weighing in. did you think that was a surprise? >> no. >> mitt romney saying, quote, while obama frets in the white house, the iranians are making rapid proceeding towards obtains the most destructive weapons in the history of the world. strong words on the stump. >> and it's 12 minutes past the hour here. 12 advertisers pulling the plug on rush limbaugh. hawaii and massachusetts. that's in reaction to three days now of those offensive rants against georgetown law student sandra fluke for her testimony on contraception. limbaugh called her a slut and prostitute. we played a little bit of it for you yesterday. now 12 advertisers pulled their business. >> those are big names. >> they are big names. >> look at those. >> he should have written an apology. he told his radio listeners monday that his apology was sincere. but that was before taking a jab at liberals. >> i, again, sincerely apologize to ms. fluke for using those two words to describe her. i descended to their level when i used those two words to describe sandra fluke. that was my error. i became like them. >> two words. >> there were more words than just two words. >> you said get her name right. >> for starters. he didn't just call her a slut and prostitute. he said put your sexual exploits allline so we can watch. >> his target sandra fluke said his statement doesn't change anything and there are a lot of prominent political voice weighing in as well. michele bachmann and david axelrod on ac "360". listen. >> i have gone through myself and experienced more things said about me and i have never seen this level of outrage on the left about what comment airs say about me. no, really. honestly. if you're a conservative woman it seems like there is no level that's beyond the pale. >> there's been a coarsening of our politics from left to right. i don't excuse anybody's inappropriate and vile language, whether it's on the left, right, middle. >> i've got to tell you, i put this out to facebook to see how the general public was feeling about this. only one person who supported rush limbaugh. one. >> i have an e-mail from somebody named michelle? your outrage is famed. bill maher called conservative women all sorts of name. i'm not sure if you noticed yesterday that i also brought up ed schultz who had a filthy way of describing ingram. he also called her a slut. no, it has nothing to do, nothing to do with -- >> using that word regardless. >> yeah. i don't care what party you belong to. i don't think that's appropriate to take a political hit at somebody by calling them that time. >> somebody believes this was an absolutely sincere apology and it had nothing to do with the advertisers pulling their money out. so we'll have that coming up for you at the 6:00 a.m. hour. >> it's 15 minutes past 5:00 to get you caught up on top stories. it's only half of super tuesday. nonetheless, 419 delegates up for grabs in 10 states today. so it's a big day. ohio is a big prize. romney and santorum are campaigning in the buckeye state. they were making last minute appeals to voters. it looks like every vote could really matter. according to a brand-new poll, mitt romney and rick santorum are in a dead heat. not a statistic one, folks. look at your screen. 32% apiece. in the meantime, the president of our country is speaking on super tuesday. the white house says president obama will hold his first news conference of the year today. timing. i know. isn't it everything? >> it is good timing. >> cnn will carry it live at 1:15 eastern time. syrian forces are stepping up attacks on civilians throughout that country. there are reports of explosions and gunfire in the capital city of damascus. hundreds of syrian refugees crossing the border into lebanon every day. many of them families with small children carrying plastic bags filled with whatever belongings they could spirit out of that country. it is his town, chicago. the president has changed plans to hold the upcoming g-8 summit in the windy city. he will host world leaders at camp david in maryland instead. it was very last minute decision there >> and the nfl stepping up its investigation into a bounty system on the new orleans saints. former saints defensive coordinator tpwreg williams admits paying bonuses for vicious hits. the league is looking at whether williams did it with three other teams that he worked for. a lot of people say, hey, we've always known this has happened. what's the problem? it's quite a story. >> players pulling their money to create the funds for this. >> i cannot wait to see what they're going to do about this. >> i know, i know. and he thinks it's going to be a wide-ranging investigation. there's a big one ongoing with the young man named t.j. lape, the suspected gunman in the chardon high shooting. he's due back in court today. there could be, could be more charges on the horizon for that young man. and what about adult court? you'll find out in a moment. >> and president obama is getting a major boost on the campaign trail. the ultimate democratic atm card. you're taking a look at a picture. it's bill clinton. you're watching "early start." whwheeee! ! whwheeee!! whwheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! ahah h heaeadsds u up. whwheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! evevererytythihingng y youou l , nonow w momobibilele.. dodownwnloloadad t thehe n nep totodaday.y. ♪[music plays] ♪[music plays] purina one beyond. food for your cat or dog. so i wasn't playing much of a role in my own life, but with advair, i'm breathing better so now i can take the lead on a science adventure. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, take the lead. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. 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. oh, love this. this just in to cnn. we have good news when it comes to gas prices. >> what did you just say? >> good news. >> really? >> yeah. gas prices are actually falling. the average price went down .03 to $3.76 a gallon. it's not great. it's good. so far gas prices are up 15% since the beginning of the year. i have to give you the yin and the yang here. >> we are going to switch gears and talk about the big story we covered in ohio, the teenager charged in the deadly school shotting. his name is t.j. lane. he is set to appear in juvenile court not adult court yet. it's another pretrial hearing. he admitted, according to police, to shooting three of those students who died and then of course the shooting injured three others as well. prosecutors are moving to block the media's access to a lot of the records that relate to this young man, the juvenile records. they're also planning to move him to adult court. also today, funerals will be held for the -- the funeral for one of his alleged victims. martin savage is live with the latest. so i have a question for you about the expression issues. the reason the prosecutors are pushing to keep a lot of t.j. lane's juvenile records quiet i guess is to make sure the people in that community who could potentially become jurors don't form opinions before they end up in a potential courtroom. >> yeah. i think that is the real concern. t.j. lane of course is still a mystery to many people. and a lot of this is trying to figure out what may have motivated him in the attack for which he is now accused. that's going to be argued by members of the media. but it's trying to get records really pertaining to either abuse, neglect or dependency in the background or life of t.j. lane. of course he's a juvenile, 17 years of age. those records are normally not made public in any way, shape or form. the prosecutor craig swenson he wrote the reasons why he was opposed to releasing these records to the media. he said the family of t.j. lane and t.j. lane himself has been under great scrutiny and increasing these would only increase the scrutiny by the media and they could have some sort of psychological harm against t.j. and the last thing he said, and this raised the ears of a lot of journalists. he said the worry is the quote, unquoten saeurbl and extraneous information could somehow impact the potential of the jury pool. when you say sensational and extraneous information of course that only makes the media that much more curious as to what could possibly be inside those records. the initial hearing is slated today for t.j. lane. that will be at 3:00 this afternoon. it's expected the charges will be read against him. three counts of aggravated murder. two counts of attempted ag murder and one count of tphrault. they will also talk about bond. they may talk about when and how to bond him over to try him in adult court. >> yeah. that was going to be my next question, and you just answered it for me. it's still to come. maybe not dealt with today. but most people in this profession say it's just about concrete in this case since he's 17. i want to touch on this later with you in the next hour as well. thanks, marty. >> it is 24 minutes past the hour here. still ahead on "early start," you know the deadly storms across the midwest? apparently there was a breakdown in the early warning system right before the twist thaer tore a hole through branson, missouri. a call was supposed to be placed that never made it. we'll get some more details for you on that. you're watching "early start." when i was a kid. i didn't know how i was going to do it, but i knew i was going to get that opportunity one day. and that's what happened with the university of phoenix. nothing can stop me now. i feel like the sky is the limit with what i can do and what i can accomplish. my name is naphtali bryant and i am a phoenix. in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. 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[ laughter ] ♪ it is 28 minutes past 5:00 on the east coast. welcome back to "early start." i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. 419 delegates at stake. mitt romney and rick santorum are looking for the last votes in ohio. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu will meet with congressional leaders on capitol hill this morning. he says israel cannot wait much longer and must defend itself against a nuclear threat being posed right now by iran. expected to get a warm reception there. another night of violence across syria. take a look. explosions and gunfire rocking the capital city of damascus. the massacre of civilians growing so dire. senator john mccain is urging the united states to lead an international effort to carry out air strikes on syrian forces. >> if we want to stand by and watch syrians being massacred in the most brutal and incredibly genocidal fashion that is a decision we can make. but please don't tell me we can't do it. we can if we have the will. >> shame the united states for standing by. mccain is calling to begin arming syria's sources. officials in branson, missouri say their tornado warning system failed and that no one got a warning before that massive storm tore through. the code red system was supposed to call residents with a storm warning. officials say that company did not turn it on. former president bill clinton agreed to make joint appearances with president obama at a series of fund-raisers. bloomberg news said they will appear together at events in los angeles, chicago, and new york. >> happy super tuesday. in 90 minutes the polls open in 10 states. by tonight, the republicans could be a lot closer to choosing a nominee to take on president barack obama. 10 states, 400 plus delegates up for grabs on this super tuesday. ohio is the big prize. romney and santorum campaigning there yesterday. 63 delegates at stake in this critical bellwether state. a new cnn poll says romney and santorum are in a dead heat in the buckeye state. santorum is desperately trying to take down romney. >> he will be the weakest candidate we could possibly put forward on the most important issue of today. >> this is a campaign about whether young men and young women coming home from war could find a job when they get here. or people graduating from high school and college could find a good job consistent with the skills they developed. that's what this election is about. this is about the soul of america. >> cnn political editor paul will join us live from mount st. joseph, ohio. also live from washington, democratic strategist penny lee and republican strategist matt. thanks for being with us, everyone. paul, i'm going to start with you. paul, as you said, we're in a dead heat there. they're tied up in ohio. could be a late night. we're coming in at 4:00 tomorrow morning to start our show. we may have to wait for every district, right, to weigh in. so what are the last-minute issues that could potentially sway this race? >> i'll tell you one thing that could make the difference here is advertising. i turn on the tv here last night in cincinnati and my lord, it's one romney commercial after another. and that superpac swefplt they have been flooding the airways in ohio and berately outspent rick santorum. a lot of ads are attack ads that bring rick santorum down. that may be one of the reasons. remember, two weeks ago he had a double digit lead here in ohio. as you mentioned, according to our poll, it is dead even. >> what about the issues in that particular state? we understand unemployment is 7.9%. one in four homes is under water. who does that favor? >> listen, the economy favors mitt romney. this team for all along has been i am the person who can fix the economy. i am the one with the real world experience. as long as you're in a state where the economy matters the most, and this is one of them, it favors mitt romney. there are also a lot of catholics, conservative voters as well and they may appeal to somebody like rick santorum who really wears his religion on his sleeve. >> let's stay with mitt romney here. he's a noted con receiver active, eric cantor. she asked why he is endorsing mitt romney. listen to this and then we'll talk about it. >> what we're tkpwoeupbg see is a crystallizing against the election of barack obama. we are pro growth, bold, free market individual liberty and economic freedom party. and so what we're doing is coalescing around mitt romney's plan to actually address the economic challenges we have so we can see a growth-oriented future. >> we know that the party wants the bloodbath to end. nobody is in love with these candidates. is the focus on the economy trying to show conservatives that there is something to love about romney? >> well, certainly it is romney strongest. yesterday in ohio rolling out his new slogan, his new campaign motto of more jobs, less debt and smaller government. you are seeing both romney and santorum focus on the white working class. two-thirds of the vote in ohio is folks that make between 30,000 and $100,000 a year. i do think you're starting to see the republican party establishment skpefpb some conservatives line up behind romney. and that process is really going to speed up. if he does win ohio, if he does have a good super tuesday. what's different in the 2012 race is the super pacs are allowing them to continue running. their finances may not be as strong as they would like. santorum really needs to win ohio tomorrow. excuse me, tonight. and he may also be of interest to win oklahoma and potentially tennessee. gingrich wants santorum to not perform well. >> has something they're trying to get out of super tuesday. i think romney performs well enough you see the party coalesce behind him. >> does gingrich really stand a chaps here? >> no. i don't envision a scenario where he stands a chance. i think he will win his home state by a large margin, which will give him a reason to stay in the race. if santorum does not perform well on super tuesday and if he does not have a path going forward, gingrich could be the final anti-romney candidate. at this point he has a delegate lead. he will win on center tuesday and he will be in the strongest position going forward. >> there's something i want you to weigh in on here an op ed from mark thiessen, former speech writer for george w. bush. if ropl knee secures a nomination he will be far from the perfect standard there. to paraphrase don rumsfeld you go to war with the candidate you've got. we can form an alliance of convenience with him. he goes on to say that romney can defeat your candidate, president obama, and really that is a priority. president obama is bringing out the big gun. former president clinton is joining him on the campaign trail. is this because he is concerned about on mitt romney being the final one. >> i think they have been preparing that all long. many of what the differentials have been have been about mitt romney. the inconsistency of his character. so i don't think it's going to be any surprise if mitt romney ends up being the nominee. he has a sound record and has put into place the necessary campaign and there's going to be a very hard-fought campaign. so, you know, nothing is going to be taken for granted. it is going to be every vote out there will be fought for and fought for vigorously. >> paul, matt, penny, thank you. see you in the 6:00 hour. >> thank you some and super tuesday coverage begins tonight at 6:00 p.m. eastern with a special edition of "john king, usa." and complete coverage at 7:00 p.m. it is a nice and early start for us tomorrow morning. complete super tuesday reaction and results beginning at 4:00 a.m. eastern tomorrow morning. we'll take a quick break. we'll be right back. named a 2012 iihs top safety pick. not that we'd ever brag about it. 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[ male announcer ] get the venture card at capitalone.com and earn double miles on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? cover for me. i have an audition. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. p.m. ts, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. good morning to you, minneapolis. sit 31 degrees right now. a little bit later, 57 degrees. not too bad. >> i'll bet it feels really cold. >> at 31, yes. but 57. >> with the windchill? i learned that living it. listen, there's a story that came to our attention out of minnesota. minnesota has one of the larger school districts that somewhere around 40,000 kids in it. and they had this policy to paraphrase it like a neutrality policy whereby any kids had a complaint that was sexual in nature the teachers and administrators couldn't discuss it if it had to do with homosexuality. it had to stay neutral. well, all of a sudden people were calling them gay and they couldn't get help from teachers because the policy was so nebulous. the teachers themselves had no idea what they could and couldn't do. and the neutrality policy the way it was worded was confusing for them. so it turns out now there have been a couple of lawsuits and there's been a settlement. it's curious to see how they're going to do with the settlements. maria, can you hear me? >> i can hear you. >> i was just fascinated by this neutrality policy. before i get to the settlement and the resolution of this case, how is it they ended up with a policy that the teachers themselves didn't even understand? >> well, it's funny there's been widespread misunderstanding of policy. it came out of a health curriculum policy the last decade. actually it was 1995 that said in health class, homosexuality could not be discussed as a normal -- >> in health classes. how did this extrapolate that to everything else that was going on. >> right. so it was rewritten in 2009 to say teachers had to remain neutral. it didn't mean the issue couldn't come up. they couldn't be positively or negatively when it came to issues of homosexuality. >> maria, i was reading a piece in rolling stone magazine that laid out some of the instances kids were complaining about. teachers, according to this report, that saw physical violence and heard a report from a kid who said he was urine ated on and they were told to keep a low profile. it was probably water. it all had to do with kids being called gay or lesbians or other derogatory words. >> and all of that information is in the lawsuit. i don't know what happened in those cases. i wasn't there. and certainly i have read some of those really horrific stories. >> it's terrible. >> the policy itself did not prohibit teachers from intervening. it was interpreted -- actually, it wasn't interpreted. the problem was, as you said, teachers found it confusing. in practice what i'm told is some teachers who just chose not to do anything. >> so in the same vane, maria, a lot of kids and the people who complained about this if there were instances that involved bullying, physical violence or any attack that had to do with racial customers, those teachers were on it. they knew they could get on it and would get out. when it came to gay kids, they just left it nebulous. >> i've heard the same thing. >> so this lawsuit, the settlement of it, as i understand it it, it deals with a quarter million dollars in money they can divy up. maybe more importantly there are going to be changes in policy, right? >> right. and to be completely fair to the district, the changes have been in the works for quite a while. if you followed the district over the course of this school year, there are lots of changes in training and policy and procedures and in the messages that teachers are getting as to how they should be reacting to those is going to happen. >> everybody happy about it? >> just about a month ago i spoke with dozens of students, many of whom said things are getting better. it's still high school and middle school. it's never going to be nirvana. but they do feel they can trust. they say what they know if they're in crisis. kids who are glbt. >> maria elena baca, thank you for joining us from the star tribune in minneapolis and bringing the story to our attention. >> fascinating story. >> i know. imagine a that. especially these instances of violence witnessed by teachers who felt whether they had a personal opinion about it or didn't know what to do didn't do anything. >> 46 minutes past the hour here. have you heard of these nfl pwoupty hunters? apparently they were putting a bunch of money into a kitty and paid for vicious attacks. crazy story. we'll try to figure out what's going on and who is going to be held accountable for this. will they be held accountable? you're watching "early start." r. 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[ male announcer ] head & shoulders active sport with the high-performance hydrazinc formula, helps lock in scalp moisture for hair that's up to 100% flake-free. head & shoulders active sport for men. wash confidence in. still ahead on "early start," nfl bounties for big hits. this started with the saints but now they're looking at more teams. the league could come down hard on the teams, perhaps the players as well. also, happy super tuesday, folks. mitt romney is telling those folks out there keep your eye on the prize, my friends. jobs, jobs, jobs. and for an expanded look at all our top stories head to our blog. cnn.com/earlystart. and like us on facebook.com slash earlystartcnn. and follow us on twitter @earlystartcnn. we'll be right back. now, in every box of general mills big g cereal, there's more whole grain than any other ingredient. that's why it's listed first. get more whole grain than any other ingredient... just look for the white check. you'd chose an intel core i7 processor for maximum processing power. you'd use carbon fiber and machined aluminum, to make it more beautiful and more durable. you'd even use edge-to-edge gorilla glass for a stunning display in a more compact form. everything that you would ever want in a laptop. introducing the dell xps 13 ultrabook. everything. and more. ♪ will be giving awaye. passafree copies of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. so the national football league is being rocked by some revelations about something called a bounty system that had saints players being paid for inflicting game-ending injuries on some targeted players. the bounty fund that all the players were paying into. maybe not all but certainly a number reached as high as $50,000. this is something they put together to pay out themselves. and the coach who ran it was named greg williams. he was meeting with league investigators yesterday and having to cough up the information on this. he's now defensive coordinator for the rams. he issued a statement saying this, it was a terrible mistake and we knew it was wrong when we were doing it. instead of getting caught up in it, i should have stopped it. >> the league is investigating other teams now that williams worked for. among them, the redskins, the bills and the titans. so peter king, "sports illustrated" senior writer, expects all the penalties to be really harsh. >> i think it's going to be a huge scandal. i think it will involve multiple suspensions, some of them a half a season or more in length involving coaches, players, and also heavy sanctions towards one of the league's growing, exciting franchises, the new orleans saints >> cnn is following the developments and he is live in dallas. so we heard peter king say this is going to be a huge scandal. but the players are saying, what's the problem? we all know this has been happening. >> you've been hearing a lot of that over the last few days or since this scandal erupted last friday. and many players are saying this is kind of unofficially been going on and supported for many years in the nfl. so there's definitely that group of players who are wondering why this is so overblown. there's a former player at the washington redskins by the name of arrington who writes a blog for the "washington post" newspaper who wrote yesterday saying, you know, he's kind of baffled why everyone is so upset by this. we spoke with a man by the name of kroy wire who used to play for williams in buffalo eight years ago. he said they had a similar thing back then. it was most hi about performance, fumbles and interceptions and that sort of thing. he said greg williams is one of the best coaches he ever played for but he went too far in this particular case. >> what is the doing about -- oh. we're listening. >> you want to get an edge mentally. football is unique like mma, o hockey, the best way to break your opponent's will is to break their body. so that sort of attitude and mentality is unique to football and why this is a touchy subject and we have to really figure out where do you draw the line. what kind of rules and regulations need to be drawn up to make sure nothing goes too far anymore, that we can make a safer game for the future of the players. >> you know, one of the things that coy wire told us about he was worried but this trickles down through the sport. what happens when college players see how the nfl players behave and into peewee football, creating this atmosphere that's allowed to thrive. >> i think that's a very valuable point. we have run out of time here. very quickly i want to know do you think they will impose big fines on the league? >> in the league statement last friday it said suspensions and fines are very likely and everyone in the nfl community is expecting something very big here. >> i would imagine that's the way you will effect change here. ed, thank you so much for joining us. we appreciate it. >> you bet. >> and later at 8:15 stearns, soledad o'brien talks with former nfl player izell reese who played for greg williams. >> it is 57 minutes after the hour, also known as 3 minutes to the top of the hour. happy super tuesday. what did you get me? actually, what did you get these guys? because they want to know if they're going to come out on top. and everyone wants to know if someone is going to drop out. you're watching "early start." ws named a 2012 iihs top safety pick. not that we'd ever brag about it. 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[ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? ha ha. ♪ ha ha. 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. welcome to "early start." i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. we are bringing you the news from a to z. it's 6:00 a.m. in the east. super tuesday is finally here. polls start opening in one hour. we have more delegates at stake today than all the races up until now. mitt romney and rick santorum are neck and neck in ohio. big day for the president, too, because mr. obama has picked today to hold his first news conference of the year. it's the day after he told israel's prime minister, we got your back. and israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu heading to congress today. he's meeting with republican leaders now. and he's looking for something a little stronger than all options are on the table with iran. he's probably going to get it. also, rush limbaugh has apologized again and again. all of this after calling this woman, sandra fluke, a slut and a prostitute and, oh, asking her to post her sexual exploits online because she testified on behalf of the contraception and contraception for people with health problems, not just birth control issues. more sponsors are dumping away from this guy. how bad is this going to get? just one hour to go before the polls begin to open as super tuesday finally gets under way. ten states, 419 delegates at stake. mitt romney is hoping that he will be close to clenching the nomination when this day is done. ohio is the coveted prize here. look at this fresh cnn/orc poll. look at that. romney and santorum in a dead heat in the buckeye state. 32% piece. >> both candidates are stumping for votes. yesterday was big-time ohio time. romney was telling them he needs their vote to win that nomination. rick santorum and newt gingrich both trying everything they can do to stop that from happening. >> he will be the weakest candidate we could possibly put forward on the most important issue of today. >> he can't close the deal, and he can't close the deal in part because people inherently don't trust what he's saying and think that he isn't always very candid with them and frankly isn't straight. >> cnn's political editor paul steinhauser is live from mt. st. joseph, ohio. here's the deal, everybody says ohio is the big grab, the big kahuna, you've got to get ohio. 63 delegates. fewer people, not nobody, but fewer people are saying that georgia is really the big kahuna because that's 76 delegates. by my math, h ch which is not g it's more. >> you're right. 76 for georgia today. that's a pretty important state for newt gingrich. he has to win his home state if he wants to continue on for the nomination. all eyes are really here on ohio. that's why you see santorum and romney campaigning. you see a lot of ads, tv waves, getting the tv airwaves are flooded. look behind me. last hour we were by ourselves. doors are going to open here in less than an hour. there are other states, as well. virginia, this will be important for mitt romney. why? he and ron paul, the congressman from texas, are the only two on the ballot there. those delegates at stake in virginia, 46 of them, romney is way up in the polls. oklahoma, this could be a very good state for rick an store sa. 40 delegates at stake. let's talk about idaho, there are a lot of mormons there, that could help mitt romney. ron paul has spent a lot of time campaigning there. he's concentrating on those caucus states, ashleigh. >> i keep going back to ohio not because of the numbers but the psychology, the old status that no president has ever gone to the white house without winning ohio since 1960, jfk,he did it. but that's the general election. we're still in the primaries. is it psychological? >> yeah, i think so, because it's such an important swing state as you jeust mentioned. if you can't win ohio, it hurts his campaign. it's a blue collar state. santorum is trying to win blue koler vo collar voters. you're seeing both candidates spend so much time right here, ashleigh. >> paul, i'm glad you have some friends with you now. it looks like a warm and inviting place. >> yes. >> enjoy your day today. i hope it's super. paul steinhauser live for us today. >> i hope it's full there eventually. six minutes past the hour. jobs and housing, two issues gop primary voters will take with them to the booth today. >> an an issue that christine romans thinks of nothing else. she's on it. she's looking at the health of the economy. it's critical for these voters. >> i want to pick up on something paul said, some are calling it super ohio, not super tuesday because ohio looks loo a. lot like the country as a whole right now and ohio is looking a little bit like the future, manufacturing, finance, things are improving a little bit there. a lot of folks are saying ohio is key. i want to look overall at the super tuesday states. where you live and how you pay your bills, most important things here. let's start with jobs. in six of the ten super tuesday states, ladies, the unemployment rate is lower today than when the president took office. alaska, massachusetts, north dakota, ohio also at 7.9%, tennessee and vermont. in ohio that rate is down from its peak but still an uncomfortable 7.9%. still a painful situation but getting better. in tennessee the rate is above the national average, which remains pretty high, 8.5%. but also coming off of its worst levels. i want to look at these other states here. you've got georgia, idaho, oklahoma, and virginia. candidates in these states can rightly say the jobless rate is higher from when obama stepped into the white house. in newt gingrich's home state, in 2010, georgia's unemployment rate, guys, was an all-time high of 10 1/2%. idaho, oklahoma, virginia, higher unemployment today. look at oklahoma and virginia, just above 6%. that's better than the national average. on to housing quickly, because a lot of folks are underwater. that means you owe more on the home than the home is worth. they will be going into the ballot box with that in the back of their mind, in the back pocket. super tuesday states has some of the highest levels of underwater mortgages in the country. georgia, 33%. think of that, a third of the people in georgia are living in the house that's worth less than what they owe on it. idaho, 25%. virginia, 23%. ohio, 24% there. national average is 22%. so those folks that are going to the ballot box in ohio or voting booth in ohio, a quarter of them are under water right now. it's one of the reasons why people say that ohio is almost a proxy really for the gop nominee, what he faces in november. do voters focus on how bad things got or on the fact that things are improving slightly? and that's what these -- that's what these candidates have to bank on. >> depends on who is stumping, right? >> you're right. and where, yeah. >> you hear how good it is from president obama. christine, great numbers. fascinating stuff. >> i can't wait to see the exit polls on this as well. thank you. >> i think she's going to be really busy tomorrow. get some sleep. 7:00 in the morning, i want to let you know about "starting point" with soledad o'brien, joined by republican congressman jason chaffetz of utah and congressman allen west from florida, being pushed by sarah palin as possible candidate. we're going to ask him why he hasn't thrown his hat behind anybody. and super tuesday coverage begins tonight at 6:00 p.m. eastern, with "john king, usa" and complete coverage with the best political team on television, that starts on 7:00 p.m. we have a very "early start" tomorrow. we are going to air at 4:00 a.m., an hour early on the east coast. make sure you join us for the early start to "early start." 4:00 a.m. eastern. i guarantee you we may still calling some races at that point. we might have to kick wolf blitzer and crew off the air so we can continue the coverage. >> poor folks but they have a lot of fun. >> they will thrilled. >> a lot of fun. i'm going to talk about your favorite story. >> please. >> the last couple of days, new big sponsors are pulling their ads. aol now on the list of 13 advertisers dropping limbaugh after conservative radio host went on a three-day offensive against georgetown law student sandra fluke for her testimony on contraception. so now he's famously called her a slut and prostitute and suggest that she and georgetown women post sex videos online as well. two radio stations are now pulling his program from their air, kku in hawaii around in massachusetts. limbaugh issued an apology for, quote, two words. telling radio listeners he is sincere, then he slams liberals. >> i again sincerely apologize to ms. fluke for using those two words to describe her. i descended to their level when i used those two words describing sandra fluke. that was my error. i became like them. >> so fluke says that the statement doesn't change anything. she says rush never called her, rush limbaugh, that is, never called to apologize personally. we have a lot of political heavyweights weighing in as well. congresswoman michele bachmann on "piers morgan" and david axelrod on "ac 360." listen. >> i have gone through myself an experience, more things said about me, and i have never seen this level of outrage on the left about what left-leaning commentators said about me. no, really, i mean, honestly, if you're a conservative woman, it seems like there is no level that's beyond the pale. >> from left to right. i don't excuse anybody's inappropriate and in this case vile language, left, right, or the middle. >> michael harrison, thank you for being with us. it is a hair apology for rush limbaugh, although he did not call her directly to apologize. you followed his career for decades. and i got to tell you you're probably in the minority this morning because you really do feel that his apology is sincere. why? >> i think he's a very smart man. and i think if he did not really have sincerity in apologizing for the use of the words, he diplomat apologize for the sentiment behind it or his political stance, just the use of those words, knowing rush limbaugh, he wouldn't have apologized. he would have dug in. he thrives on this kind of c controver controversy. he's not sitting there going, oh, my gosh, people don't like me anymore. he's being talked about by politicians. he's being talked about by us. this man is just a radio entertainer at the core of what he does. he's being talked about on same level as if he's a president or a senator or an appointee, a supreme court justice. it's amazing the kind of gravity that surrounds this man. so if he actually said, i apologize, something he has never done in many situations that were even more controversial and he faced even more heat, i think he means it. >> well, don't you think there's a little pressure here, right? we have 13 advertisers that have pulled their ads from the show. so is he bowing because of the money that's effected here? >> i don't think so. i think the "rush limbaugh show" having as many listeners as it does, in fact, it will have more listeners as a result of this than it had before, i think that it just has so much momentum and you have to remember, the people that listen to him like him. they're still listening. the only people who hear those advertisements, ironically, are the people that like rush limbaugh and like to hear what he has to say. so it's not as if somehow these advertisers are being d dismerched, as a matter of fact, many of them are getting far more publicity of staying on the show. i'm not accusing any specific one of doing that but it doesn't appear out of the possibility that some of them are thinking that way. just as two radio stations that dropped him, they're being talked about all across the nation, two stations that otherwise probably never would have attention outside their own markets. >> well, i know that his getting a lot of attention but it is negative attention. sandra fluke appeared on "the view" on monday on nbc. listen to this. >> i'm going to leave that up to the sponsors, up to clear channel communications, and to the members of the american public who support those companies. and what i'll just say is that americans have a long tradition of supporting companies that share the values that they have, and i'm sure that they will continue to uphold that tradition. >> she is credible. she is well spoken. she appeals to a lot of people. she is calling for a boycott. do you think more companies will listen? >> i think maybe one or two or three might. i think in the long run attention deficit disorder will kick in and rush limbaugh will continue and others will be forgotten. just like the stories i've been talking about for the last 20 years have been forgotten. i'm not condoning what he did. i certainly am not even weighing in on my opinion about it. i'm just looking at it from a broadcasting industry perspective. and we've been down this road so many times. >> you know, let's talk about that. don imus lost his job in 2007, right? it was over racist and sexist comments that he made on air about the rutgers women's basketball team. do you think that we'll go there with this? do you see any similarities? >> there are many similarities. the only difference is rush limbaugh has a very larger and more loyal following than imus did and rush limbaugh is, to be frank, more successful at this time than imus was at that time. so limbaugh has more momentum and in some cases i guess the term is, he's too big to fail at this point. his leaving his show and his suddenly disappearing from the scene would be a terrible blow for the broadcasting industry. and not just the conservative branch of news talk radio, the entire broadcasting, the radio broadcasting industry would suffer, whereas imus really was just an interesting story. so i think they're similar but i also think there are differences. >> it's going to be interesting to see how this continues to play out. michael harrison, editor and publisher "talkers" magazine. thank you for sharing your thoughts today. >> i think the headline on this one, money talks. is that what this comes down to? if you're really, really successful you can say whatever you want. michele bachmann, if anybody ever called you a slut, i would be with first one on this airwave and complain about it. i don't know that i heard that. her comments, i'm not sure how ugly it got to her on the trail you but i hope it didn't get that ugly for her. t.j. lane is a young man facing a lot of trouble. he's the suspected gunman in the chardon, ohio, school shooting. he's back in the courtroom today. what's he going to hear, more charges possibly or something else? senator john mccain tough talk on the senate floor saying air strikes in syria led by us might be necessary. can we afford this? can we stomach it? are we going to do it? you're watching "early start." 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[ female announcer ] yoplait. it is so greek. and still ahead, senator john mccain is calling for air strikes in syria. defense secretary leon panetta says, not so fast. the two are set to square off face to face tomorrow. hold on to your hats, check out this disorder in the courtroom. oh, my goodness. a couple of guys trying to get their hands on an accused killer in a courtroom. and the court officers getting busy. it's not the only time it happens, folks. this happens a lot. this one caught on tape. you're watching "early start." hi, america. i'm quentin darington. i'm an actor and i travel every single week of the year. it is a fantastic musical. it's about the birth of rock 'n roll. welcome to my dressing room. this is where it all goes down before the show. i do have a very, very specific ritual that i developed. i study one of the greatest blues singers we've ever had before i go on stage. we have some hair and makeup going on over here. what's up, ladies? this is one of our prop areas. i use a cigar in the show. it's totally fake, mama. i don't smoke. my key to success in this business is giving to these. i volunteer wherever i can. ♪ make just one someone happy i love to always sing and put a smile on their face. that's what i really, really, really love. thank you so much, america, for joining us. god bless you. hope to see you in the city soon. i wouldn't do that. get married? no, i wouldn't use that single miles credit card. nice ring. knock it off. ignore him. with the capital one venture card you earn... double miles on every purchase. 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[ female announcer ] yoplait original. 25 flavors for you to love. 25 minutes now past 6:00 on the east coast. 26 people, 26 more killed srnd s around syria in the last 24 hours. it's as bad as it has been. senator john mccain says this is now the time to bomb syrian president bashar al-assad right out of power. >> the united states should lead an international effort to protect key population centers in syria, especially in the north, through air strikes on assad's forces. >> the pentagon says that the time is still not right for the air strikes. they're kind of looking at the circumstances here. barbara starr is live at the pentagon for us. another thing that senator mccain said is that shame on the united states for standing by. the united nations says 7500 deaths right now and people on the ground are saying perhaps 9,000. what needs to happen in order for there to be a u.s. intervention? >> for right now, zoraida, the obama administration is holding firm that they are hoping diplomacy and economic sanctions work. it's been the case all along that what they are looking for would be, i think, starting with arab league nation involvement. they want nations in the region who are already pressuring the assad regime to get more involved in all of this, as well. the simple fact is, as senator mccain even said himself, air strikes are very problematic. syria has a very significant air defense system. all the radars and missiles that would pose a significant threat to aircraft coming into the country, and it could be a massive bombing calm pmpaigcamp. you don't just bomb someone out of power. i think that's perhaps a lesson learned over the last ten years if nothing else. it was something that mccain himself talked about. >> what about the humanitarian relief efforts? we've heard a lot about an effort being made, but actually because we keep on seeing all of the bloodshed, right, and we want to see something happen, is there an effort to make that happen? >> one of the things mccain was talking about is this very point, which is, could you take out enough of the syrian military capability in key areas like northern syria to establish a safe haven, to give the people of syria who are so beleaguered, somewhere to go to be safe and then use it as a staging area to get humanitarian assistance into the country. still a very difficult proposition by all accounts. >> all right. barbara starr live at the pentagon for us. thank you. at 6:28 and still ahead, president obama is getting a major boost on the campaign trail in one former president bill clinton. is this his new money man? how's that going to work out for him? you're watching "early start." the other office devices? they don't get me. they're all like, "hey, brother, doesn't it bother you that no one notices you?" and i'm like, "doesn't it bother you you're not reliable?" and they say, "shut up!" and i'm like, "you shut up." in business, it's all about reliability. 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[whispering] big dreams. forty years ago, he wasn't looking for financial advice. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement planning for our military, veterans and their families. now more than ever, it's important to get financial advice from people who share your military values. call now for our free guide and tips on planning for your retirement this tax season. have 46 grams of whole 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. top of the morning to you. welcome back to "early start." i'm zoraida sambolin. >> hi there, i'm ashleigh banfield. it's time to get you caught up on the top stories. it's super tuesday. if you're in one of the ten states, guess what, 419 delegates in those states up for grabs today. so it's a big one, folks. and ohio, one of the biggest. it's 63 delegates. that's really one of the most coveted states. right now mitt romney and rick santorum want it and want it bad. they are in a dead heat. not statistical die, a dead heat. each korrd coing to a brand new cnn/orc poll. police in houston are hoping a $10,000ry reward will help them resolve a bizarre mystery. she was gunned down while she was driving home two months ago. now the case is getting worldwide attention because there is some speculation that she may have been the target of an iranian political attack. take a look at your screen. have you experienced this? your car slipping and sliding, wiping out perhaps? this was the icy streets of ohio. it's black ice. it's sending several cars flying into guardrails and into ditches in columbus. i got to tell you, folks are lucky that there were no major injuries reported there. good gracious. >> oh! i hate seeing those. >> it's terrible. terrible. you don't know it's there. >> good place to sprinkle salt. >> yeah. former president bill clinton will be making several appearances with president obama on the campaign trail this year. bloomberg news is reporting they will appear together in new york, los angeles, and chicago. 33 minutes past 6:00 on the east coast. >> you do that math fast. >> i actually did it while you were talking. which means i was trying to process everything you were saying, too, really. >> excellent. >> so tomorrow by this time we could actually be reporting some real winners and some real losers to you. we may be closer to perhaps knowing who the nominee is going to be to challenge president obama. we're not going to know who it is. like i said, with numbers like this, 419, we may know a little bit better who has got the mojo going in. ohio is really the coveted prize in terms of mojo. both romney and santorum were campaign ing there yesterday. there are 63 delegates at stake in this critical bellwether state. it's not the most delegates of all the contests today. but it's a critical one. a new cnn/orc poll has romney and santorum, look at that, neck and neck, dead heat at 32% apiece. so what does this mean? does it mean anything? let's just talk about it anyway, shall we, with cnn political editor paul steinhauser live in mt. st. joseph, ohio, smiling because he's in a polling station and finally being joined by real people there. also live in washington is democratic strategist penny lee and republican strategist matt is with us again today. paul, i'm going to start with you only because you're the numbers guy and every day we've been coming to you with a new poll, whether it's a cnn poll or another network or other news organization. little by little mitt romney going up into almost every contest in my recent memory, has been chipping away at his deficit margin. i don't know what's at stake or what's at work or what's at play, but how has he been doing this right up to the very day when he seems to close them almost entirely? >> well, here in ohio i think tv has something to do with it. both mitt romney and the super pac supporting him, restore on future, ohio, spending a lot more money than rick santorum or newt gingrich or ron paul. one of the reasons why here in ohio, dead even four other polls also show it is not enough here in ohio. two weeks ago rick santorum had a double digit lead per. i think that's one of the reasons we've seen in tennessee a similar story. romney spending a lot more money on the airwaves. also tied it up there according to the latest public opinion polls. ashleigh, two weeks ago rick santorum had a large lead. now it's just the opposite. mitt romney has that lead. >> we've been talking about great length about ohio with its 63 dell greats egates at stake. georgia with 73, two big states. the big number which we all have to keep our eye on is 1144. that's what is needed to actually pull off this race. and by doing the math, matt, there's very little chance anybody can come out with what's needed to actually win. talk to me a little bit about the best it can get. say, for rick santorum or for mitt romney. while you're at it i would throw in a little newt gingrich there. >> okay. yeah. there is a math lesson here. the proportionate delegate system this time around means it's a slower start. this past period goes into april. winner take all primaries in every state. so i think what most republican folks believe that is watching this closely in washington are, they believe that romney is going to have a good night tonight in super tuesday. >> a good night means about 400 and a bit? >> well, there's only 400 at stake. >> his total, his tally will go up to 400 by tonight? >> sorry. i didn't understand. >> i'm not always clear. >> yes. it's also going to be about the narrative coming out of super tuesday. does he win ohio, if so that's a battleground, midwestern blue collar state that goes towards his narrative on the economy. i think what romney -- romney's campaign wants to say after the super tuesday contest is that no other candidate can get to 1144 but us so it's going to force the unification that romney knows that he needs from conservatives, from the establishment, from the different demographic group, different folks across the country, that's what he's going to want to say. what santorum is looking for is an opportunity to perhaps pick up ohio, win some southern states like tennessee and oklahoma. and essentially end the newt gingrich candidacy. and what newt is looking for again is seeing santorum's, you noe know, turn at the wheel so he wins georgia and going forward winning alabama and mississippi next week. it's all about momentum. all about a narrative and a path to the nomination. my sense is sh that super tuesday will result in romney being by far the strongest candidate, likely the nominee, and i think the party is going to unite behind him. >> let me throw in a bit of wisdom from one of my favorite people from the entire political landscape and it's former first lady barbara bush. she had this to say about this race and how she has discovered it -- let's see. it's her assessment of what this race has become. have a listen. >> it's been, i think, the worst campaign i'ver se ever seen in life. i just hate it. i hate the fact that people think compromise is a dirty word. >> penny lee, does that mean they all come out losers or is that barbara bush appealing to all of us and yet it's still all going to go on exactly as i planned? >> those are strong words coming from the formers first lady. i think we can all agree this has not been a good event -- set of events for republican candidates out there. they have continued to see as they have shrunk mud and they've really got into kind of hand-to-hand combat out there and with high negatives, you have seen all of the candidates have increasingly negative numbers as they've gone through this process. it has not been healing. it has not been uniting. unlike what the democrats went through in 2008 where we actually did have momentum coming out of the primaries and we did propel us into november, that has not been the case. four out of ten of the last surveys have said this has been a highly negative and unproductive part for the republican party. they have got -- if they are to kind of heal some november, they have got a lot of work cut out for them. >> just makes me wonder though if it's going to force them away from the polls or because they'll be outraged about the negativity they will go right for the polls. well have to watch for it. paul, penny, matt, nice work. plus, cnn super tuesday coverage, need to remind you, begins tonight at 6:00 p.m. eastern with a special edition of "john king, usa," immediately followed by primary coverage with the best political team on 28 television at 7:00 p.m. and then an early start for us on "early start" tomorrow. you can set your alarm for it, why not? if you're that keen for the politics we go to air at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow with complete primary results and reaction. and the races may not even be over by then. in the meantime, quick break for us. back in a moment. ashlee! ashlee! ashlee! ashlee! what were you looking for when you bought your edge? um, i was definitely looking for fuel economy. that's the whole reason we, we wanted to look at the ecoboost. can you talk a little bit about the style of the edge? um, well, i think it's very hip. i even have several guys were like "whoa, do have twenties on those". like, don't even know what that means, but i guess it's cool. 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[ male announcer ] with wells fargo advisor's envision plan, you always know where you stand. in fact, 93 percent of envision plan holders say they will retire on their own terms. get started on the plan you need today -- wells fargo advisors. together we'll go far. welcome back. it's 43 minutes past the hour. t.j. lane, the teenager charged in the deadly ohio school shooting will appear in juvenile court today for a pretrial hearing. lane has admitted to shooting -- to that shooting that killed three students and injured three others. prosecutors are planning to move lane's case to adult court. also moving to block media access to other records that are related to lane. officials have already released records revealing lane's violent pass. at 15 he was charged for putting piece uncle in a choke hold and punching him in the face. also today there's a funeral planned for one of lane's alleged victims. 16-year-old demetrius hulen. our martin savidge is live right now. martin, there's a lot of talk about moving this case to adult court. but there's not as much talk about the number of charges that this young man is facing right now. is it possible there could be more? >> it is possible. and it probably, if it's going to happen, ashleigh, would happen at the time when he is bound over to adult court. right now he's going to make a second appearance, actually, his initial hearing in juvenile court the charges will be read against him. there are six charges right now including three counts of aggravated murder. however, if he were to go to adult court, in ohio in the past what has happened is that they have filed sometimes additional charges based upon the number of potential victims that were in the room. well, in this particular case, you're talking about chardon high school, the cafeteria. at that time, and i'm roughly guesstimating, 50 students could have been there. could be additional charges of 50. it could go that way but probably not until he gets to adult court. >> oftentimes in a case like this i have no idea about the finances of his family or what kind of legal help they can afford or if they have just been given a public attorney. what is the story behind his representation? is it adequate? >> you know that question has been raised a number of times. we believe that this attorney has been selected by the family. we don't know the circumstances. but the man who is currently representing t.j. lane is known as an equine attorney, as in horses. this is very big horse country here. he's very prominent when it comes to selling or buying ors or putting horses out for stud. millions and millions of dollars worth of business. but not criminal defense. and that's what some of the legal experts that i've spoken to are very concerned about because they say, look, big difference between selling a horse and defending a young man who is in a lot of trouble. we should point out there's already been some early gaffes on both sides. the prosecutor came out last week and he described t.j. lane as not well. well, many picked up on that and said, look, the prosecutor was giving the perfect defense for the defense team. the prosecutor isn't supposed to do that. >> no, you're right. i think i remember hearing his defense attorney saying as well that he was sorry. g good luck with any kind of defense that involves your head and what your state of mind is as well. so we'll have to watch for that. martin, thanks very much for that. appreciate it. it is 46 minutes past the hour here. time to check the stories that are making news this morning. voters begin heading to the polls. just about 15 minutes here, with 10 states, 419 delegates up for grabs on this super tuesday. ohio and its 63 delegates are considered the top prize with mitt romney and rick santorum in a dead heat now in that state. president obama speaking on super tuesday as well. the white house says he will hold his first news conference of the year today. cnn will carry that live at 1:15 eastern. soledad will ask dnc chairman about the timing of this. that's happening in our next hour. take a good look at your tv screen, folks, yeah, quiet in this courtroom in springfield until that, whoa. yeah. that's the family. whoa, whoa. look at those officers. it's the family of a murder suspect's victim, alleged victim going after that suspect as he was brought into the courtroom. the courtroom officers had to tackle the alleged assailants in all of this. a real mess. total disorder in the courtroom. no word at this point, though, if anyone is going to be charged for whether that hearing got back. >> oh, goodness. >> violent. >> the mood in those kinds of hearings is just so tense. that's why you have that many officers in a courtroom, especially when you're talking about charges that serious. all right. 48 minutes past the hour. soledad o'brien joins us now with what is ahead on "starting point." good morning. >> good morning to you. so much is ahead this morning on "starting point." we're going to talk to sam lahood, he's going to join us for his first television interview since detained in egypt. of course he is the son of the transportation secretary ray lahood. he was not allowed to leave egypt. there was a travel ban on him. we're going to talk to him about what happens now that he's back in the united states. also, you've been talking about super tuesday. we will continue those conversations. we're talking to congressman jason chaffetz, congressman allen west, and congressman aaron schock and focusing on super tuesday. and a huge scandal in the nfl that those bounty pools that coach has now admitted to. we're going to talk to a former player who says it happens all the time. he's not surprised. those stories and much more straight ahead right at the top of the hour when "starting point" begins. see you then.g 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. that is better than today. since 1894, ameriprise financial has been working hard for their clients' futures. never taking a bailout. helping generations achieve dreams. buy homes. put their kids through college. retire how they want to. ameriprise. the strength of america's largest financial planning company. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you, one-to-one. together, for your future. ♪ welcome back to "early start." 6:52 on the east coast. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu will make the rounds on capitol hill this morning meeting where house-senate leaders. at the white house yesterday, netanyahu and president obama tried hard to present a united front on that growing nuclear threat that's coming from iran. but they're far apart. president urging restraint to the israelis to perhaps let diplomacy and sanctions work. but president netanyahu says israel needs to protect itself and he drove that home in a speech last night to a pro-israel lob b by group apac. >> israel has waited, patiently waited, for the international community to resolve thisser shoe. we' -- this issue. we've waited for diplomacy to work. we've waited for sanctions to work. none of us can afford to wait much longer. >> concerning a military option in iran, "the new york times" op-ed says this morning, the united states military is far more capable of doing serious damage to iran's facilities than the israeli military. but the cost would still be high, with many of the same dangers and uncertainties, mr. obama is right that military action should only be the last resort, but israel should not doubt this president's mettle, neither should iran. cnn's dan lothian is live at the white house. dan, prime minister netanyahu also said i will never let my people live in the shadow of annihilation. has his patience worn thin? >> well, it certainly, as you heard there, clearly benjamin netanyahu is impatient. they have been waiting on the international community to see if sanctions will work. and there's a skepticism that despite this pressure from the international community, these economic sanctions and otherwise, that iran has still not been moved off its nuclear ambitions. so that's why you heard that message from benjamin netanyahu saying that ultimately israel is responsible for its own security. >> so do you think that he will be able to convince the president that his approach is the better approach? >> well, look, you know, based on yesterday, u.s. officials tell us that, no, you know, there was no real moving off these positions. in fact, the president reiterated many of the key positions, one of them being that the u.s. seeks to stop iran from. developing a nuclear weapon, where israel sees it differently, they want to stop iran from getting the capability to develop a weapon. they were, however, reassured by the u.s. position that all options remain on the table, including a military one. >> well, it was, i think, back in early february where "the washington post" has an israeli official who says said you stay to the side and let us do it. do you think we've arrived at that point? >> well, you know, i don't think that the u.s. will stay to the side. i mean, you heard yesterday benjamin netanyahu just before he met with the president face to face, that they said that, you know, you are us and we are you, that's how iran sees them tied together. so there is this sense of unity. they will remain by each other's side by israel clearly making the point here that they have to make the ultimate decision. >> dan lothian live at the white house. thank you. five minutes now to 7:00 on the east coast. just ahead on soledad on "starting point," taliban israeli prime minister bennia man netanyahu's chief of staff is going to talk about preventing a nuclear iran. stay tuned for that. you are watching "early start." [ pilot ] flying teaches me to prepare for turbulence. the key is to have a good strategy. the same goes for my retirement. with the plan my financial advisor and i put together, a quick check and i know my retirement is on course. [ male announcer ] with wells fargo advisor's envision plan, you always know where you stand. in fact, 93 percent of envision plan holders say they will retire on their own terms. get started on the plan you need today -- wells fargo advisors. together we'll go far. oh! [ baby crying ] ♪ what started as a whisper ♪ every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned to a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? ♪ amen, omen at meineke i have options... like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke. officially, that is the news from a to z. i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. "starting point" with soledad o'brien starts right now. >> good morning. it's super tuesday. the biggest payout of primary season. the polls are open right now along the east coast. there are ten states in play today. mitt romney and rick santorum are neck and neck in the state of ohio and newt gingrich is hoping his home state can save him. out of egypt, sam lahood, son of ray lahood will speak to me since his arrest and interrogation in cairo.