for gas, once again becoming the new normal. what's behind that sharp price hike? wolf blitzer is off today. i'm candy crowley, you are in "the situation room." an alleged plot for a suicide bomb attack on the u.s. capitol busted today in an undercover operation. officials say a moroccan man is under arrest after accepting a vest he believed was filled with explosives. cnn's brian todd is at the courthouse in alexandria, virginia. what's the latest there? >> reporter: candy, we're told the suspect has arrived at this federal district court in alexandria, virginia, for a court appearance this afternoon. we're also told that authorities are searching at least two locations in the northern virginia area, including possibly his home. here's what we know about the suspect. he is identified at 29-year-old amin caliphi, we are told he's living in the u.s. illegally. this official said regarding this alleged plot, that mr. kalifi had various targets, settled on the capitol, but previously considered a military installation, synagogues, and possibly a restaurant where military and government people were known to frequent, but he, according to this law enforcement officials had settled on the capitol as a target. they said he came to law enforcement's attention because of his extremist views he had esupposed. in december, according to a law enforcement official he started moving down the path toward conducting an attack. he was arrested today when he apparently met up with undercover agents who were posing as people who were going to give him a suicide vest and a gun, but the suicide vest and the gun were rendered inoperable. he was arrested at a parking garage near the capitol. we were at a garage where there was a lot of activity this morning, and i talked to one of the parking garage attendants about how this all went down, what he saw. did they tell you why they wanted you to leave? >> no. just just to move from the garage. >> reporter: i also spoke to phillip mudd, a counterterrorism official about the kind of case that could be made against suspects like this, and how a sting operation like this, what that kind of operation would entail at some of the critical moments. >> as you go into a criminal proceeding, you want to say he was ready to move. the fact he's wearing a suicide vest would suggest to anyone, including someone on a jury, that he was going to act on what he believed. >> reporter: now, a law enforcement officials tells us that mr. kalifi has been under close watch for the past couple months, but the public was not in danger. we're also told that members of congress have been briefed on this entire operation on the law enforcement operation, and that they were never in danger as well. again, the suspect amin kalifi, 29-year-old moroccan national, has arrived at this courthouse, expected for a court appearance this afternoon. candy? >> brian todd, in alexandria, virginia, staying on the story for us. thanks, brian. we want to get more on this thing with cnn contributor ton if went, and fran townsend. she serves on the cia and is -- is also serving on the homeland security advisory board. fran, first to you, what are you hearing as you called around about this story? >> well, sources are telling us, one, this is an investigation that's been going on almost a year, that originally law enforcement sources came in contact with this man as part of a criminal investigation. not a terrorism investigation, but sort of an other criminal investigation. as they had this contact with him, they realized his aspirations were quite different. when you push law enforcement sources about will there be a valid entrapment defense? they tell me no. this guy had him sell gone out. fran, from what you're hearing, there any way to know thousand this is what they call a digital terrorist, someone who learns everything he knows over the internet or someone who may have been trained elsewhere. there any way to know that at this point? >> really hard to tell. what i do know from the course is this was part of a criminal investigation, and so he was probably part -- it sounded like he was part of a group, a network of guys involved in some sort of criminal activity, didn't sound very serious, so it's hard to say. we don't have enough facts whether he was radicalizesed over the enter net, but we heard he had gone and prayed at a mosque before meeting with the agents. >> tom it seems there's always a fine line there, between sbiszing someone and allowing them to go thus far and no farther. where is that line? >> in a case like this, it would start with many cases of the fbi, an individual is expressing a desire to conduct a terrorist attack. when they start the investigation, they're not sure if he -- is he serious? does he have the knowledge or expertise? in this case, they start looking at him, and then as recently as december they start to realize he's serious, he's trying to find people who can help him and assemble the explosives into a suicide vest, get him a weapon, and then make hi trip up to capitol hill where he would have the greatest impact obviously. in the case of the fbi, they're looking to make sure that he wants to do this. they want him to establish that this is what he wants to do, and he's seeking help. >> so it would be important, it seems to me, what fran was telling us, that it appeared he had been purchasing things on his own, so that's obviously key to not having this being key -- >> it's a huge key. of course, of course the course of the months from december until today, you want to see that he is trying to push this, trying to get the additional equipment, the assistance he needs, laying out the attack plans. meantime, the fbi is trying to determine is he alone. is he part of a network? and they wouldn't want to take the case down until they have identified all other subjects that might be involved or have similar intentions. >> fran, first to you, and i want to ask tom the same question. what caught my attention here? let's set aside the underwear bomber who clearly was willing to blow himself up to bring a plane down, coming in i believe from london -- i can't remember now -- but nonetheless he was willing to kill himself. part of what i think gave the measure of safety to americans is suicide bombers seem like someone that would do that in some other country. we have not seen that here before. there's a huge distinction, someone willing to leave a car bomb and someone who says i'll go. >> candy, that's right, and i think you state it correctly. americans have taken this with a sense of confidence, but remember the first world trade center bombing, they did plant the car and then left. on 9/11, all those hijackers were prepared to die and did. i think we have a false sense that an individual is unlikely to happen here. it's ununusual, certainly unsettling, but we can assume when you have 19 hijackers all willing to kill themselves, we shouldn't assume we're immune from it here. >> this is the fbi taking some things from a house, you know, we can speculate it's his house, we don't know, but it's in arlington, virginia, certainly near where they're looking to see this guy appear in court. is there a false sense of reasonable safety when you think, well, we haven't seen a suicide bomber in the u.s.? although the -- let's face it, suicide by plane is still suicide. >> the suicide bombers overseas have a network. they have individuals that make the bombs, assemble the vests, motivate the victim that's going to blow himself up. you know, they have this whole group, if you will that helps that person down the path to actually committing the suicide and killing other people in the process. to do that in the united states, what the fbi and the police and all of the other agencies are hoping for is that that person, in trying to get assistance to either create that support group is -- that's where the authorities will come in contact. that's why the tremendous effort at community outreach in the communities where individuals like this would be looking for helpers, co-conspirators, if you will, that's why they want to do that, so when a person begins to seek assistance, someone in the community reports it to the police or fbi and says, hey, this individual is talking about doing something bad. that's when they begin the investigation and very cautiously deliberately in the process to find out is that person serious. you know, fran, i know during the bush administration and your knowledge is probably not as good now in terms of what's happening on the ground now are there a number of things that are ongoing? can you put any -- on how broad-based this is? if you pick a guy on low-level crime. >> you know there's been a real effort in the fbi going back to my time in government to build the capability to intercept, detect, intercept and intercept before the guy has the materials or is assembling the bomb. and when they find these opportunities, they understand how legally and constitutionally to be able to per sue them, to identify the real threats as opposed to the wannabes, aspirational, but no real intention of making it a credible threat. thank you both so much for your expertise. we will get more targeting the u.s. capitol in our next hour. congressman peter king will join us. coming up this hour, a syrian city laid to waste by 14 straight days of shells. arwa damon manages to get inside to see the devastation firsthand. plus a defection by a high-profile mitt romney supporter who's now backing rick santorum. but we couldn't simply repeat history. we had to create it. introducing the 2013 lexus gs, with leading-edge safety technology, like available blind spot monitor... 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[ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday. at meineke i have options... like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke. republican presidential candidate rick santorum has plucked an endorsement out of mitt romney's hands. cnn's senior correspondent joe johns hughes the latest. >> reporter: is the earth did not shake, but it was at least another little drip of news about the momentum shift. >> i am endorsing rick santorum for president of the united states. >> reporter: he begin his dame in michigan, singing familiar tune to the faith and freedom rally. the social issues that have propelled him in this race were front and center. he got a chance to -- >> we are children of a loving god. >> reporter: and of his positions on birth control, especially the criticism of the obama administration and recent positions which, on requires catholic hospitals and universities to pay for insurance that covers birth control. >> >> it's not about contracepti contraception. it's about your constitutional rights. >> reporter: though it wasn't all smooth sailing, mostly due to this man, santorum's big money donor foster friess. >> he creates an uproar. >> back in my days they used bayer aspirin for contraception. santorum was forced distance himself. >> this is someone who is a supporter of mine. i'm not responsible for every comment a supporter makes. lots of folks they say it was a bad joke, it was a stupid joke, not reflective of me or my record on this issue. >> reporter: but then he tried to rewrite history by comparing the situation to barack obama's trouble in the last election with the reverend jeremiah wright. santorum suggested obama got a break from the media even though wright's comments came close to crashing the campaign. >> in fact with president obama you went out and defended him who sat up in a church for 20 years and defended him, he can't possibly believe what he listened to for 20 years. it's a double standard, this is what you're pulling off and i'm going to call you on it. >> >> reporter: foust are friess apologized for the comment later, but polls show conservative voters consider it a plus at least in the primaries, though it could come back to haunt santorum if he gets the nomination. candidate? >> there is another new poll confirming the front-runner status. the arg group surveying of likely republican primary voters shows 34% backing santorum compared to 32% for romney. that is a statistic cal tie. let's bring in gloria borger. gloria, it looks like romney could use some reinforcement. >> yeah, and he's going to get it and is going to spend an awful lot of money. we have learned today his super pac, separate from the campaign, called restore our future, is going to put in $6 million in eight states coming up s. $900,000 alone in the state of michigan, primary in ten days. these adding don't have miley faces on them. >> in a single session, santorum co-sponsored 51 bliss to increase spending and zero to cut pending. he voted to raise his own pay and joined hillary clinton to let convicted felons vote. big spender, washington insider. >> two things strike me about this. >> could there be back lash? >> absolutely. first of all rick santorum has a very good ad that shows romney swatting him with mud. it plays into the david/goliath story. santorum is fighting back s. saying that he voted to give convicted felons the right to vote. he makes at the case on the merits. he voted for them once they're out of jail, have done that are due pencens, and by the way, is it massachusetts did the same thing. so there's a lot of back-and-forth on that, but people are kind of sick of it. newt gingrich, someone trying to get him back in the game? >> kitchen bonn, our senior producer broke the news that sheldon adelson will probably pour about $10 million more bucks into the super pac supporting newt gingrich, probably within the next month. as you know, that will give is newt gingrich the money and wherewithal to fight on through super tuesday. if romney doesn't do well in michigan, maybe newt gingrich can rise once again. >> money helps. it's not everything, but if you have a backer willing to pile money -- >> and what's the incentive for you to get out of the race? none. >> gloria, have a good weekend. >> you too. >> we continue to following the breaking news. officials say they arrested a man plotting to bomb the u.s. capitol. we'll bring you that as soon as it happens. the contraception controversy. is the gop out of line when it comes to decisions about women's health? that was me trying to be discreet with my vial and syringe. me, drawing my insulin dose. and me the day i discovered novolog flexpen. flexpen is pre-filled with your mealtime insulin. dial the exact dose, inject by pushing a button. no vials, syringes or coolers to carry. flexpen is insulin delivery my way. novolog is a fast-acting insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes. do not inject if you do not plan to eat within five to ten minutes after injection to avoid low blood sugar. tell your healthcare provider about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions, including if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. the most common side effect is low blood sugar. other possible side effects include reactions at the injection site. get medical help right away if you experience serious allergic reactions, body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat or sweating. with flexpen, vial and syringe are in the past. ask your doctor about novolog flexpen, covered by 90% of insurance plans, including medicare. mary snow is monitoring other top stories in "the situation room" right now. there's a five-mile-long oily mess. >> unfortunately. two barges collided this morning carving out a 10 by 5 foot gash that leaked oil into the mississippi. barriers were set up to contain it. the problem is the coast guard isn't sure how much exactly spilled into the water. authorities shut down water intakes. the syringe designed -- mcneill received complaints that the dosing system for the grape-flavored system is difficult to use or doesn't work properly. in georgia 15 high school students and their bus driver went to the hospital this morning after the bus ran off the road and flipped on its side. a school representative says the bus driver blacked out and lost control. none of the reported injuries is life-threatening. candy? >> thank you very much, mary snow. appreciate it. a dangerous assignment to a city under siege. >> there's only certain roads that we can take because of sniper positions, and some parts driving really have to gun it to get across to avoid being targeted. >> cnn's arwa damon is inside homs, a scene of devastation after two weeks of shelling. victims of the government crackdown say they are dying of hunger and fear. why getting help to them is so difficult. 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[ engine revving ] the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. we are of course following the story of a moroccan man arrested by the fbi. it is alleged hi wanted to be a suicide bomber. they arrested him with a disarmed bomb just before he got onto capitol grounds. indeed a fascinating case. we want to go to our brian todd. he is in virginia at the courthouse, where we expect an appearance by the suspect s brian? >> reporter: he has just made the appearance, the suspect now identified as amine el cliffi, he's appeared in court, came in wearing a green t-shirt, tattoos on his arms. he was not in shackles. he was made aware of the charges against him. we have a complaint here, a court documents saying he was arrested for, quote knowingly and unlawfully attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against property that is owned and used by the united states or by any department or agency of the united states. but maybe even more telling is a quote on the new released from u.s. attorney neil mcbride says the complaint alleges that amine el khalifi sought to blow himself up in the u.s. capitol building. he allegedly believed he was working with al qaeda and devised the target and methods on his own, according to the u.s. attorney in virginia here. mr. khalifi has just appeared in court. we're also told that fbi agencies and other authorities are searching a property not too far from here in arlington, virginia. not sure if that's his home or not, but searching a property in connection with this case. to recap some of the information we've been bringing you, he was arrested today, as he was attempting to get a suicide vest that he thought was operable. it was not. he was arrested by undercover law enforcement agents who had been tracking him for a couple months. they had given him in inoperable vest and a gun that was also inoperable. he was arrested today at a parking garage near capitol hill. >> brian todd, as always on the case for us. i'm sure we'll be getting back to you. i just want to make it clear. he thought he was working with al qaeda? but in fact he was working with fbi undercover informants. is that correct? >> reporter: that is correct. he thought he was working with al qaeda operatives who were going to help him in this plot, when this fact he was working with undercover fbi agents. they had been tracking him for a couple months. this law enforcement official told us earlier today that the public was never in danger. this official said he thought of various other targets, including a military installation, a synagog, possibly a restaurant known to be frequented by government and military personnel, but this official said he had finally settled on the capitol and in december started moving down the path toward conducting an attack. we of course will have much more of this story as we go along. stay tuned at the top of the hour where we have other interviews and details about this breaking news. more than 50 new deaths are being reported in syria today, as the brutal government crackdown continues, after a u.n. resolution yesterday calling for an end. 14 straight days of shelling. arwa damon managed to get inside the besieged city. what she saw is very disturbing. >> reporter: it's very different to get around. there's only certain roads we can take because of sniper positions. and some parts drivers really have to gun it to get across to avoid being targeted. the streets are mostly deserted, the majority of residents are staying indoors or have already fled. just the constant sound of gunfire, nonstop. >> they used to bury the dead in the old graveyard over there, but once government forces came in, they stopped being ability to do that of the this is 508 position where we could move out into the road, because once again you're exposed to sniper positions that are just around the corner on the other side of those buildings. we come across some members of the free syrian army who take us around. this is another spot that apparently you can also see taking a position from. if you look up here through this hole in the wall, just to the right, up against the wall of the building, you can see one of the tank positions they have said up. this room that we're taking the video from, just take a look at it, there's a baby's crib right next to the bag, a winnie the pooh back hanging off the side. in a lot of these homes it looks like the families just fled in a panic. shoes have been left behind. obviously there were children who were living here. one can only imagine what took place, because this building also was hit in one of the sfas strikes. personal belongings are all still inside. we're going through this hole in the wall right now, because it's safer. these types of holes were dug into various walls inside the neighborhoods, we're being told, by the free syrian army. this is how they were getting families out. there was so much firing from the front end, they weren't able to evacuate. they were forced to come out like this to get to relative safety. when residents are finally able to come back home. this is what they're going to return to. arwa damon, cnn, homs, syria. the crackdown ah spawned a growing humanitarian crisis and desperate cries for help. cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr takes a closer look at the options. >> reporter: for syrians now being used as human shields, suffering from the violence, short of water, food and medicine, help is not on the way. at least not anytime soon. private relief organizations are already hearing horror stories from syrians on the run. >> that it's very difficult to cross the border, because it's continuously shelled, and mined in parts. the people we have talked to have rather terrible stories to recount one lady just told us that her son disappeared two weeks ago. >> reporter: with no international agreement about what to do, and no sign the regime will stop its attacks, talk of sending aid into syria remains stalled in every direction you look on the map. >> we are talking about diplomatic and humanitarian steps to be taken, but for other scenarios, we hope that those things will not be needed, but we need to think about contingencies as well. >> reporter: humanitarian relief from turkey may be the most politically likely, but only if the conflict dies down enough to get aid in. >> it's a tall piece of ground and not a major line of communication, but there are nor major roads or railway networks there. it's a -- it's a relatively isolated area. >> reporter: wesley clark, a former nator commander, warnds a political settlement comes first. without it tens of thousands could try to get out to turkey, and with massive amounts of aid trying to get in, it all becomes a target for syrian forces. >> it's easier to talk about this than it is for turkey to do it. >> reporter: other geographic avenues for aid trucked in and refugees getting out are all difficult. already some syrians are crossing into northern lebanon and into jordan. iraq is another option, but pressure from iran, which supports assad's regime could hinder all of this. clark suggests another option, bringing aid into syrian ports closer to the people who need it, but without an agreement from syria, it could all be disastrous. >> we're not going to have that left of cooperation from the syrian military. >> reporter: and that is the problem, candidate. as long as the violence continues, there's going to be very little action on any type of humanitarian relief corridor, safe haven, any time of help for the people trapped inside syria. barbara starr, awful to watch, really frustrating to not be able to get any kind of help in there. thank you so much today. we are getting more information about the man federal officials say was plotting to bomb the u.s. capitol. sources tell cnn that an fbi search this afternoon in arlington, virginia, is related to the terror investigation. the suspect amine tell khalifi entered the u.s. in 2009 on a tourist visa, but it expired later the same year. he has been in the u.s. illegally since 1999. some politics, the boiling controversy about contrasteps. the political debate that some are calling a war on women's health. the high price of gas, why it now causes more groans than gasps. 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president obama's mandate that religious institutions have to provide contraceptive health care coverage to employees lit a fire under a lot of people, including republicans, but some of their responses now have democrats on the attack, with democratic senator patty murray accusing republicans of, quote, raising a war on women's health. joining me for today's strategy session" paul begala and mary matalin. murray is specifically angry about the all-male panel at the house oversight committee hearing on this whole issue, and i want to start out by saying this is a church/state issue, but i now believe this is a great base issue for both sides, because republicans can accuse the president of trying to interfere in religion against the constitution, and democrats can accuse republicans of trying to hinder the women's movement. paul, i dare you to tell me i'm not right. >> here's the big difference. the many has compromised, the republicans have not. president said hhs secretary issued an order with the president's approval that a lot of people, including myself, thought went too far in fousting catholic schools, hospitals, other institutions to pay for contraception against their religious precepts. he changed action backed off of that. no religious institution has to pay, and i admire that, but women will have access to free for contraception. what the republicans want is to end federal support for birth control for women. mitt romney's position is to defund title x, it's the support that poor women get to birth control. republicans want to end it, and ultimately for all women. >> okay, mary, i don't think i even have to ask you a question. go. >> we have absolutely no problem -- you can get the pill, the morning-after bill, you can get an abortion, a late-term abortion, and get that on demand anytime you want and it will be subsidized. no one is banning birth control. there was no compromise, no accommodation. the bishops have can um out strongly. what this is is -- and it's not a women's health care issue, either. it's a government coercion issue. now the government can dictate what is health care, who gets it and who pays, and yes, that is an animating issue for republicans. obama has made a risky strategic calculation to pit the pro-against catholics and they're in swing states. >> so let me bring in another element into this, paul. that's foster friess, a big-money backer. he gets money to the campaign, he doesn't for it. he said yesterday kind of early on to msnbc the following. >> back in my days, they used bayer aspirin for contraception. the gals put it between their knees and it wasn't that costly. >> foster friess apologized. he said i can see how i confused people. so case closed, paul? >> yes, force foster friess, but rick santorum probably wouldn't want women to have the aspirin. the stated position is birth control is bad for women, states should have the right to outlaw the way they used to be able to. and mitt romney is barely better. he want to ends all federal funding. title x which george bush sr. helped to write into law. >> go ahead, mary. >> complete utter fabrication. paul knows this, it was an epicenter of catholicism. he was talking about his catholic faith. he specifically said he would not ban birth control. that's a -- >> that's not true. he says griswold was wrong, states should have the law right to outlaw contraception. >> griswold was wrong and roe was wrong. but that's not the same as saying anyone is supporting banning birth control. they're trying to get their pro-abortion feminists all gassed up. it's not going to work. >> you both come back. i've got to run. $4 a gallon gasoline is back for millions of americans. is $5 a gallon far off? details for what's the -- plus a tornado as big as the earth on the sun. you really are going to want to see these incredible images from nasa. 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. cnn is getting in new details about this terror plot against the u.s. capitol. the fbi and other antiterrorism officials arrested this man. no one was ever in any way threatened, nonetheless the man has been hauled into court. he is under arrest. police are searching various places, and i say we're getting in new details of what this investigation in fact involved, and some of the things the suspect is alleged to have said to authorities. we will bring you those at the top of the hour. now if you have filled up lately, you know gas prices are up again. a combination of factors may keep them that way for the foreseeshl future. mary snow is here to explain way. it's unusual to see prices this high this early in the year. >> 3.43 may be considered a bargain. across the country prices have gone up about 15 cents in the last month, almost 40 cents from a year ago. drivers at this jersey city gas station say it's forcing them to scale back on other things just to fill their tank. >> it's terrible for the working man, getting harder and harder to drive around. >> it's insane, and i'm using regular. the think is i like to use the super, but it's so expensive now. >> reporter: in hawaii prices have topped $4 a gallon. california and new york are almost at the $4 mark. the rest of the country isn't far behind. a big culprit -- oil prices which have gone past $100 a barrel as the world eyes events in iran. >> if iran attempted to shut down the strait of hormuz, there's no telling how high prices could spike. more than a fifth of the world's ode passes through the strait of hormuz. just the possibility that there might be a disruption has kept oil prices high. oil producers pass the cost onto refineries who pass it onto gas station owners, who in turn pass it along to driver. but while oil prices are climbing, analysts say gasoline prices are rising faster because of refinery shutdowns, and we're still months away from peak demand season. >> one it hits $5, which don't look too far away now, either take buses, walk, or just don't go nowhere too often to save the gas. >> reporter: now, while that driver is bracing for $5 a gallon, some of the analysts we spoke with don't see that in the cards right now. there's one forecast for a national average of $4.05 a gallon, but in many states it will be higher than that, as one analyst p ultimate it, predicting gas prices can be similar to witchcraft. >> anybody that's watched their local gas stations put up the things and bring them down knows that to be true. appreciate it. >> sure. um next, the moroccan man accused of plotting to bomb the u.s. capitol, is in court. plus amazing images of a massive tornado on the sun. why? i thought jill was your soul mate. no, no it's her dad. the general's your soul mate? dude what? no, no, no. he's, he's on my back about providing for his little girl. hey don't worry. e-trade's got a totally new investing dashboard. everything is on one page, your investments, quotes, research... it's like the buffet last night. whatever helps you understand man. i'm watching you. oh yeah? well i'm watching you, watching him. 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[ male announcer ] start asking real owners. treat yourself to the ultimate sleep experience and save up to $200 during the tempur ergo savings event. plus visit tempurpedic.com for full details on our 0% apr with 48 months to pay. don't wait. the tempur ergo savings event ends february 26th. visit tempurpedic.com now. tempurpedic. the most highly recommended bed in america. ...we inspected his brakes for free. free is good. free is very good. my money. my choice. my meineke. imagine a tornado as big as the earth, with winds up to 300,000 miles an hour, you actually don't have to imagine. cnn meteorologist chad myers has details and some incredible images of this solar storm. show me. >> we've known about these for a long time, but we never had pictures like this. this is a 30-hour condensed animation of real images from the sun. that right there, a adviser tess, almost like a dust devil, but that is the size of thor. that's how big the earth would be. 300,000 miles an hour in a big circle. first time we've been able to see this, now how we so tee it because it's on the edge of the sun's surface. it's the gas and the plasma shooting out of this as fast as it can comes, and it spins like a tornado. from the first really solar dynamic observatory, 900,000 miles in space, $865 million project. it will determine the sun's magnetic field. is the sun getting hotter or solder. maybe more sunspots and more aurora or northern lights coming up in the next year or so. >> gorgeous pit turs. thank you. you're in "the situation room," where we're following breaking news right now, a suicide attack on the u.s. capitol stopped by fbi agents. the suspect a 29yards moroccan man is under arrest. he appeared in federal court just a few minutes ago. sources say hi alleged plot was foiled after he started talking about his plans for an undercover agent. we're following all the angles. we want to start with brian todd. he's live at the courthouse in alexandria, virginia. you have new information on what the suspect allegedly did that led up to this arrest. >> reporter: we do, and we have the charges that have been filed against him in this criminal complaint. the suspect amine el khalifi, living in alexandria, virginia, charged with unlawfully attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against property that's owned by the united states, but it's in some of this information in court documents, in fbi affidavits and other court documents that we're just getting that is very, very interesting. according to these documents, during meetings with undercover law enforcement agents, he allegedly handled an ak-47, and indicated his desire to conduct an operation in which he would use a gun and kill people face-to-face. he allegedly selected a restaurant in washington, d.c. for a bombing attack. he handled an explosive as an example of what could be used in the attack, conducted surveillance to determine the best place and time for the bombing and purchased materials as part of the planned operation. law enforcement officials tell us he considered sitting military installations, synagogue and restaurant, but settled on the u.s. capitol. we know on january 15th, el khalifi stated he had modified his plans for his attack. he wanted to conduct a suicide attack in the u.s. capitol building. that same day at a quarry in west virginia, as a demonstration of the effects of the proposed bomb operation, el khalifi dialed a cell phone number he believed would detonate a bomb in the quarry. the test bomb did detonate, and he expressed a desire for a largest explosion. he also selected february 17th, 2012, today, as the day of the operation, according to the affidavit. he was going to hit the capitol building today, candidate. >> so brian, take us back to today's appearance and dial it back a couple hours, and how did how did the fbi take this guy down? >> reporter: officials said he had been given a suicide vest and a gun, but they were rendered inoperable. he thought he was getting that equipment from al qaeda operatives, but had been tracked all along from fbi agents. here's how the operation played out. >> just blocks from the capitol, he was arrested. a law enforcement official tells cnn. officials say he thought he was meeting al qaeda operatives, but in fact they were fbi agents. both the gun and the suicide vest were inoperable. we spotted officials at a parking grauk near the capitol, but they decline to say whether they found the suspect's car. a bistander said the agents cleared everyone out of the garage. did they tell you why? >> no, they didn't tell me why. they followed him for months, and eventually on his hone initiative, went out and bought potential bomb components like nail and glue. he's described as a 29-year-old moroccan living in the u.s. illegally in northern virginia. a law enforcement official said he espoused extremist views, but believe he was acting alone. just two weeks ago director rob mueller said there was growing concern about that kind of individual, a lone wolf not known as part of a group. >> over the last two years, we have seen an increase in the lone wolf activity principally because you have the internet that can be utilized for radicalizing, can be utilized for instruction training. >> over the last two years, one suspect was accused of trying to fly explosives into model airports, and another was accused of tries to bomb the d.c. metro. i spoke to philip mudd about whether the public is in danger when officials mount a sting operation and how they decide to set up a takedown. >> they ask is he going to do something tonight or tomorrow? if you can ensure he doesn't, one of the questions you want to does is can with el prove intention? at that point, as you rule the operation, you own it. he's going to say where do i get a vest? where do i get explosives? at that point, you own it. >> a law enforcement official sell his's under close surveillance for the past couple months, going working with undercover fbi agents, this official said the public was not in danger. candy? >> brian todd, thank you so much. >> congressional leaders have been briefed on this alleged plot. when did you become aware of this? >> the news came to us, it seems almost before this came to people who were working in the capitol. reaction to this arrest and this operation here has been mostly shock and surprise. when you look at the timing, it occurred mere moments after the senate just wrapped up its voice on the payroll tax cut extension. the house had voted earlier, but i remember noticing that the capitol was very busy with tourists at the time. a congressional source does say the top leaders were briefed, but they wouldn't give us any further detail. an aide to eric cantor says the majority leader's office was also briefed, but this was after the the fbi aremembers. i spoke as the news was breaking, and as many people were leaving the capitol for their week-long break, i spoke with many members of congress as well as their aides. it's most were unaware. we did receive a statement from the top rpg on the senate homeland security committee, senator susan collins, and i'll read you what she says in part, she says -- the bracen nature of this plot targeting the u.s. capitol building with the aim of killing innocent people and deck crating a symbol of our democracy is disturbing. she goes on to say -- while we are still learning details, this plot appears to be yet another example of radicalized extremists attempting to attack americans from within our borders. we received that statement this afternoon. as has been noted on the u.s. capitol police, they were involved with the investigation and the arrest of this man that did not happen on the capitol, but in the u.s. capitol area. brian stressed earlier the u.s. capitol police and anyone involved stressed at no point was any member of the public or any member of the congressional community in danger, but i'll tell you, candidate, as someone who works up here in capitol, it was a scary reminder of what dangers could be there. >> absolutely. i understand. kate, thank you so much. we want to pursue this a little further. wee now jon by the chairman of the house homeland security commit aye, peter king of new york. what do you know about this suspect right now? >> he first came, i believe known to the fbi about a year ago. he was meeting with people in arlington, virginia, i believe. they were talking about jihad and an ak-47 was shown. in december of this year, he actually met with fbi officials, undercovers. that's when he said he wanted to attack military, and that he wanted to attack synagogues and engage in jihad. on december 8th, there was a follow-up meeting he had. by the way, that was one day after joe lieberman and i held a hearing on the threats against the military in this country. sometimes in jag wand, i guess, he decided to change. he wanted to put a bomb in a restaurant that was frequented by military officials. then he decided on the suicide bombing in the capitol, but i agree with everything that's been said. no one was ever at risk. i also agree with susan collins, who says this shows how dangerous a threat is in this country. too many people choose to ignore it horrid don't realize the full dimensions. the fact is you could have had many americans killed in the heart of our capitol, and apart from the tragedy, what signal that would have sent to the world. >> as scary as this is, and reading the afterward is pretty darn scary, when you see how hi mind was working, but this is in some ways our intelligence community and law enforcement community getting it right, correct? >> absolutely. the fbi has done a phenomenal job. my concern is i'm hearing people saying they're too aggressive, but the fbi is should be doing and area agency allowed to do what they have to do, then we have a much better chance of being safe. my concern is if people start to lose interest, if there's political pressure brought to back off these operation. these sting operations are absolutely essential, because al qaeda has a very difficult time from attacking us from outside. that's where the main threat comes from right now. >> were you briefed about this beforehand? did you know anything about this operation? >> no, i did not. i've got in several briefings this week. this was not brought up. i was told about it afterwards. i got ahold -- listen, i have no probeen with that im:not here to play cops and robbers. as long as i'm updated on what's happened, and what the fbi plans on doing, that's fine. i don't have to be doled day by day what's happening, but certainly within a short time, i received all of the details. >> i know you've had several hearings i wonder if you can give me some kind of picture how many sorts of these operations are under way. it does say a lot about these undercover agencies. is this fairly -- and i hate to use the word "routine" but is it? or is it out of the ordinary? >> this is the type we have to expect. we've had a number in washington, and the fbi is constantly monitoring this type of activity. now we have an added element coming up, and that's with hezbollah -- not coming up, but it's right there now. but, you know, our place and fbi, everywhere in new york, downstayed new york, long island, fbi, police departments across the country are so much alert and in tune. this is what they live with every day. while you and i go home, and relax with our friends, police are going 24/7, worried about these types of plots and threats. >> so there's not a doubt in your mind that law enforcement and however are define that from local cops all the way up to the cia, if allowed to do their job, they're up to the task of finding what is really different, which is individuals, as opposed to anyone tied to a group? >> absolutely. >> they have full-time squads, and new york, stays police, fbi, c cia, and nsa, it's there. if they are allowed to do their job, there's no guarantee, but sooner or later the bad guys will get through. we have to expect that may happen, but the enact is as much as humanly possible, our law enforcement agents can do the job if we get off our back and stop complaining the way too many groups do. >> how did you find out about the arrest? was it a briefing? >> no, i was actually on a plane to new york. when i got off the plane, i had several phone calls tell me what had happened. >> thank you so much, chairman of the homeland security committee, we appreciate it, peter king of new york. our national security contributor fran townsend is working her sources. she will join us with new information on the agoed plot to attack the u.s. capitol and the suspect now in custody. we will take you inside the antigovernment protests in northern syria. ivan watson is in the thick of it with exclusive reporting. when i grow up, i want to fix up old houses. ♪ [ woman ] when i grow up, i want to take him on his first flight. i want to run a marathon. i'm going to own my own restaurant. when i grow up, i'm going to start a band. 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>> today when he was arrested he was targeting the u.s. capitol. the justice department has informed the media that an earlier target had been a restaurant. recently there was an iranian plot against the saudi ambassador where he was going to be targeted in a restaurant. that really is disturbing. we don't want suicide bombers to targets government facilities, military facilities, but the most difficult thing to protect are civilian targets like public places and restaurants. now, clearly this individual, who is in custody moved away from that. but people have got to remember, the fact that we were -- the government is able to insert undercover officers to understand the magnitude of the threat, the intentions of our enemies, that's really an achievement. and that's the good news. how far does this sort of investigation go up the chain as it's developing? this really came to their attention almost a year ago how does that work? >> oh, absolutely. it's not unusual. i think people are surprised when they hear things go on so long. the reason is, one, you want to make sure that the defendant, the man in custody, it was his idea, not law enforcement's. two, you want to make sure you identify the entire web of people he may be working with or affiliated with. we don't know that now. it sounds like he's working alone, but that's one of the things they would be looking for. as the investigation develops, it would be briefed initially to the director of the fbi who then will brief it to now john brennan. that was my job. and we would have talked about making surthe secretary of homeland security was briefed and ultimately the president. under what circumstances. the president and his staff would have fully been informed in advance. >> we're now 11 years away from 9/11, quite a turning point in history. trying to get a grip on how common this sort of operation is that gets carried this far, because we have heard of a couple in the past several months. are there hundreds of these cases going on? >> at any girch time they are dozens most of which we may not hear about, because they don't go anywhere. there's a handful that gets the attention of the cabinet members, but the fact is you work very closely, often they're fed into the fbi through state and local law enforcement, because they closest to the street, closest to the individuals who may be talking or able to identify the threat. i think we're hearing about them more now, seeing more of these cases, because in the 11 years since 9/11, we have built this capability to be able to have the feds work closer with state and local law enforcement in developing these cases. >> you are looking at live pictures, taking things out of a home in arlington, virginia. we can make a lot of assumptions, but the truth is we do not know who for sure that is. and what they're bringing out. as soon as we find out, we do have lisa siylvester on the scene. is there any doubt in your mind that officials are up to however broad the task is within the united states? >> i will say my one caveat, of course, is the most difficult thing is the lone actor or lone wolf. those are very difficult to identify in advance. it may be this is an example of the fbi doing that. we don't have enough facts yesterday to know that for sure. they are sshl better equipped, trained and prepared to identify the lone wolf now, but we should be mindful, it's a very difficult threat. you heard me say it when i was in government, and i'll say it now because i believe it. they only have to get right once and law enforcement has to be right every day. >> but you believe we should be more comforted by the ability of law enforcement to break this up that is fearful of what was planned? >> slewly. i think the u.s. -- lisa monaco, the assistant attorney general for national security at the justice department, and the fbi agent in charge all sort of pointed to the fact they've been more confidence, more capability and more resources to be able do this kind of job. >> fran townsend, thank you so much for your time. >> thanks, candy. a little politics now, president obama is in california, raising a lot of money. does hobnobbing with hollywood project the right image? 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[ male announcer ] it's the perfect time to save up to $200 on your own ergo. find out more at tempurpedic.com. tempurpedic. the most highly recommended bed in america. president obama is wrapping up a three-day swing out west with a visit to the boeing plant in washington state, and four fund-raisers, seen as a cash machine for the president's reelection campaign out there. our white house correspondent dan lothian is traveling with the president. >> reporter: in sports terms, president obama's west coast fund-raising blitz was mostly for the skybox and courtside crowds. events at lavish estates with ma gistic views. the invite lists also impressive like george clooney, jack black and jim belushi. the ticket for entering, up to $35,800, more than most americans make in a year. flying west has been good to mr. obama's reelection coffers. >> there are people who say california is in the bag, and we're just an atm. you know what? they're kind of right. california is in the bag for the president, and we are a bit of an atm. >> reporter: eight fund-raisers over three days will benefit an estimated $8.5 million, this on top of a big month in january as more ammunition for critics like the it's clear president obama's priorities is saving his own job instead of working to create jobs for struggling americans. it's political tightrepresent, casting himself as a champion for the middle class, as he did at the trip's only $100 low-cost fund-raiser thursday night in san francisco. >> this is the defining sure of our time. >> reporter: at the same time these high-cost elections are fueled by deep pocket donors. >> it sends a picture that our entire system is completely broken. >> reporter: according to a "usa today" survey he out-raised mitt romney in two thirds of the country and all republican hopefuls in 19 states. while some also hold laugh irk events, the president gets more scrutiny, because his trips are partly funded by taxpayers, and on this trip, just two officials events, in wisconsin and washington state. far outnumbered by fund-raisers. >> it's not an attractive picture to see our president raising funds from the wealth,and special-good groups. >> reporter: jay carney said since they were coming out west, they decided to consolidate the trip. they want they're following the rules, and he also points out this is what other presidents have also done. >> dan lothian, thank you so much. republican president atcandidate rick santorum has been gaining support, but not with an elite group of republicans, members of the u.s. senate. and an ominous warning about mower celebrities who may suffer the same fate as whitney houston. stand by with my interview with dr. drew pinsky. you might think as an ex-senator rick santorum could be getting a lot of support from his former colleagues still in office, but not really. our senior congressional correspondent dana bash has been doing some digging on the held talking about people and santorum and hi days in the senate. >> reporter: you know there's one desk in the senate which has what's known as the candidate drawer. whomever gets that desk has to give out candy. rick santorum had that drawer, but still no endorsements from his colleagues still serving here. ask rick santorum's old senate colleagues about his bid for president. you get some of this. >> i came out early for governor romney, and i think he's best positioned to win the general election. >> reporter: a little of this. >> that's not the purpose of the news comfort. >> reporter: this. >> don't have time. >> reporter: and this from this senator. >> senator hutchins, you -- you really served with rick santorum. do you have anything good to say about him? >> oh, yeah, certainly a very nice person, but i'm not going to do presidential politics right now. >> reporter: he was in the senate 12 years, four years in the house, yet mitt romney has far monday congressional endorsement, 77, 12 in the senate alone. santorum has zero in the senate, no sitting nors have endorsed him. >> thank you, leader. >> reporter: and santorum was a senior member of the senate republican leadership. so why the lack of support? questions about electionability. multiple gop senate sources tell cnn many who were in the senate with santorum like him, but don't think he can win the presidency. they recall speeches like this about gay marriage. >> as a union between one man and one woman. i think traditional marriage is good for everyone. it results in a healthier society, more stable children. >> reporter: one veteran gop aide called him a -- >> i know life begins at conception. >> and gop senate sources tell cnn colleagues obvious privately point to his crushing 18-point loss in the 2006 reelection bid. but one of the three house members to endorse santorum. >> he recognizes the number one task and hurdles in this country. he talks about manufacturing and small businesses in particular as the backbone of this country. >> and some of his former colleagues do say nice thing. >> he's knowledgeable, he's conservative. >> i love rick santorum. i think he would be a great president. i haven't endorsed anybody. >> reporter: i heard that from several of his former colleagues in the hallways, that they do like him, but they just decided not to endorse anybody in the presidential race this year. as for santorum eighths, they're trying to downplay. the fact he's got no endorsements. and they point out that mitt romney's high-profile endorsements haven't always helped. >> dana bash, thanks so much tonight. on the eve of whitney houston's funeral, new insights into her struggle and whether it may have caused her death. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] offering four distinct driving modes and lexus dynamic handling, the next generation of lexus will not be contained. the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. see your lexus dealer. friends and loved ones will remember whitney houston tomorrow at a funeral at newark's new hope baptist church. fans have been leaving flowers and other tributes all this week. performances by stevie wonder and aretha franklin on saturday. the family attended a private viewing today. investigators are still trying to learn the exact kaus of hers doe. sources telling cnn that xanax was among the prescription drugs found in the singer's room. i spoke with hln's dr. drew pinsky about the circumstances surrounding her death. dr. drew, let's start out with the fact that we don't know what whitney houston died of. died o. we do know that she had a history of addiction, that she had been to rehab, it sounds like a couple times, if not more. it's human nature when someone dies young to blame something or someone. let's take it out of the whitney houston file but when you look at the case of a drug addict, whether it's for prescription drugs or otherwise, where is the blame? >> well, boy, let me just start by saying although we don't have absolute confirmation, we have an autopsy where there are no causes of death, meaning there's no heart disease, no lung disease, no strokes. when a drug addict dies young, i've never seen a situation -- and i mean never -- where drug addiction didn't figure into that demise. when it comes to who's to blame, i don't think in terms of blame. but if we're going to prescribe blame, certainly the addict has some role. abstinence is their goal. they know they are not supposed to be drinking or taking pills. the people around her should have known that. even those who employed her should have known that this woman was in very serious trouble if she was seen drinking. and number three, af real concern about physicians that would prescribe benzodiazepine prescriptions. there's plenty of blame to go around. >> i want to talk a minute about the folks around -- who loved the person who's in trouble here, be it with prescription drugs or other drug addictions. i've been touched by a clip we're seeing and it's whitney houston talking about how her mother came to her and basically sort of intervened and said, you've got to go to rehab. take a listen to this. >> one day my mother came to my house and she said, let's go. she said, let's do this. she said, i'm not losing you to the world. i'm not losing you to satan. she said, i'm not doing this. i want my daughter back. i want you back. i want to see that glow in your eyes, that light in your eyes. >> so basically what we have here is the person apparently that whitney hughes houston is closest to begging her to go to rehab. if the loved ones around you can't help you stick to a rehab program, what can can? >> well, loved ones around an addict never can. in fact, my understanding it, i've spoke to people in that initial intervention with whitney. although mom may have gotten through, there was a show of force in her life that went there to get her into treatment. that's what is required an absolute show of uniform. everyone in her life may be telling her the same thing, holding her accountable in the same way. to the extent that they refuse to do that, they must wash their hands of that individual. >> anyone who has a loved one that has been sort of sucked into this spiral of drug addiction, your advice sounds like you have to be lk to be tough and you have to be willing to walk away. is that right? >> that's exactly right. i cannot tell you how often i tell family members and loved ones to get their own therapist, go to al la nonand work steps. they say, we will do everything. i say, this is the one thing that will make a difference. go to alanon, they don't do it. >> thank you so much for your insight. way too many of these caseses, we appreciate it. >> and there is more to come. this is just the beginning of a tidal wave rolling over us. >> yes. thanks so much. we now have something that we want to add to our coverage of the terrorist plot broken up by officials. a man intent on a suicide bombing against the u.s. capitol. no one ever in danger. he has been arrested. this is from the principle deputy to the white house. he said the president was informed yesterday afternoon about the fbi's plans. john brennan told the president of the plot and the planned arrest. now, a new york times journalist who was captured and then freed in libya last year ended up dying today in syria. up next, anthony s father talks about the son that he lost. want. that's the way i need it. we just had ourselves a little journey moment there. yep. 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[ female announcer ] travelocity. get great deals on all kinds of beach vacations. getwill be giving away kinds passafree copies of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. as we told you earlier, new york times reporter anthony shadid died in syria of an asthma attack. his father was seen in an emotional interview earlier. >> his wife called me. he was she was in turkey with their son waiting for them to come out of syria. they were going to go on a vacation. they were all excited and they called her there on her cell phone and she called me and i couldn't believe it. >> i'm so very sorry for your loss. >> he had been in so many hot spots. they would send him to all of the hot spots because he understood the language and he felt like he could cover the story better than anybody else. and i had gone through this i don't know how many times in the west bank and then in egypt, in libya, everywhere, it's always dangerous. and he always made it out. >> yeah. >> and i was afraid of bullets and bombs before and to find out that he died of an asthma attack was a shock. his friends and everyone loved him. he never talked to anybody that wasn't his friend and that admired him and he just didn't have a -- he was a humble man. he was dedicated to being a journalist. he wanted to be a journalist all his life. he wanted to be the best and he was the best. >> he truly was. buddy shadid, she's are things that y