they were desperate to tell the monitors about the government cra crackdown there. opposition activists say regime forces have surrounded the city for three days and that power and water have been cut. this was said to be the scene in the city. they cannot verify the images, but they are said to be of an opposition rally in support of military defectors known as the free syrian army. a message was delivered to bashar al assad during a visit to lebanon. today i say again to the president of syria, stop the violence. stop killing your own people. the path of repression is a dead end. meanwhile, syrian media report al assad said he s granting amnesty for the crimes. it s the top of the hour. the cnn newsroom starts all over again right now. we re following two major developments in the cruise ship disaster on the italian coast. two americans are among the missing. that s according to to the state department. 120 were reportedly on the ship. only 118 are accounted for. da
help, the claims their government is out to kill them. cnn s nic robertson with an exclusive story. what does this now mean now? i ll able to pay my mortgage every month on time. solving the mortgage crisis from a very unlikely savior. could he help save your home? we find out this hour. that and more right here, right now on cnn. this is cnn breaking news. i m don lemon. thank you so much for joining us. we re going to begin this newscast with breaking news tonight. a major shake-up in the republican battle for president. he said he had a ticket to ride after finishing third in new hampshire butt trip is now over for jon huntsman. huntsman is dropping out of the race for president. and he plans to endorse mitt romney. cnn pleas political reporter peter hamby broke this news for us. when is the official announcement? the official announcement will be tomorrow they sheraton hotel where there s a big debate sponsored by the republican party. the official endorsement