we're only a day away from a crucial primary that could determine where this republican marathon is headed. fresh off a run away win in puerto rico, mitt romney is now looking to score big in illinois. rick santorum needs a strong showing as he tries to deny romney the nomination. the two rivals have long since taken off the gloves, but now they have put on some brass knuckles as well. our national correspondent jim accosta is in chicago with the very latest. >> the top two gop contenders are practicing their own brand of chicago style politics on this day before the illinois primary and both rick santorum and mitt romney are proving to be untouchable. >> reporter: the battle for the gop nomination has come to illinois and in the land of lincoln the republican party is a house divided in an uncivil war of words. >> i'm somewhat experienced in the economy, i'm not an economic light weight. president obama is. we're not going to be successful replacing an economic light weight with another economic light weight. santorum calls romney another gordon gecco. >> i heard mitt romney call me an economic light weight because i wasn't a wall street financer. >> reporter: the chicago style brawling sounds like it's straight out of the mobster classic the untouchables. >> when santorum -- on to the roof of a car in a crate, the former pennsylvania senator wasn't about to give his rifle a pass. >> as what are as shamus the dog, all i would say is the issue of character are important in this election. >> nobody puts words into my mouth. >> reporter: but the romney campaign has it's own blast from the past featuring santorum endorsing the massachusetts governor in 2008. if you want a conservative as the nominee of this party, you must vote for mitt romney. >> reporter: a look at the latest poll shows why santorum would like gingrich out of the way. >> as the race goes on, it shows that the he certainly can't get any amount of the vote anywhere. >> these pancakes are something else, i tell you. these pancakes are as large as my win in puerto rico last night. >> reporter: but boasts of an island victory is just the latest sine that romney is far from -- something he tried to do in mr. obama's backyard in chicago. >> he's put us deeper in debt, he's slowed the recovery and he's harmed the economy. >> even though early in the day, romney admitted the economy is improving. >> i believe the economy is coming back, we'll see what happens, it's had ups and downs, i believe it's finally coming back. >> reporter: both santorum and romney have been in different parts of the state, romney was here in chicago earlier today. santorum was in dixon, illinois, the former boyhood home of the president, it was there where santorum talked about mitt romney having abandoned freedom. that boyhood home of ronald reagan, ronald reagan we should mention coined the phrase, thou shalt not speak ill of another republican. >> and wrong paul and newt gingrich are not in illinois right now? it's a two-man race between romney and santorum? >> reporter: and it's interesting to see if mitt romney and santorum will be here tomorrow. he will be in the suburbs outside of chicago where he hopes a lot of those moderate republicans will come out and vote for him. santorum will be in gettysberg, pennsylvania in his home state, gettiesberg, of course obviously one of the classic battles of the instinctively war. wolf? >> we'll watch and see what's happening, of course we'll have extensive coverage tomorrow night, jim, thank you. after a steady drum beat about the overriding importance of the delegate count, mitt romney is sounding a rathwratra different tone. >> it's all about delegates, and if we get more delegates, we'll pick up some delegates and that's what it's all about. i know a lot of people will talk about delegates and strategies and math, and that's all good to the insiders, but i think the people want to see someone who has the leadership skill and presence to defeat the president and conservativism that will get america back on track again. >> sounds like a pivot. >> a big pivot. his advisors told him you have to stop talking about math, you have to take a turn and start talking about the economy and about how you're the man to fix the economy, which is exactly what we heard him doing. he's also going to be a little nuanced on the economy. and jim accosta's peace showed another pivot. because earlier on in this campaign, he hadn't said that the economy is coming back. today he at least acknowledged that the economy might be getting better. because the worst thing that a candidate can do is seem to be rooting against an economic recovery. >> having said that the climb for rick santorum seems to be getting steeper and steeper. >> rick santorum left all of those delegates in puerto rico. he now has a very, very steep climb, but our count at cnn, rick santorum would have to win 70% of the remaining delegate in order to get across that line. he's losing by double digits so far in illinois. he's got a long haul to go. which is why the romney people called him an obstructionist, someone who's just trying to be spoiler if he takes it into the convention. >> which raises the question, this goes on and on and on, is this going to be good for the republican party or bad. >> some republicans are trying to put a positive spin on it, saying this is good, this is going to make a candidate stronger, this is always good for the party, to get its differences out before the convention where we can all unite. this poll takes a look at independent voters, look at the favorable ratings for romney. rick santorum even lower at 23%. as for the president, wolf, his favorable ratings with independent voters is 53%. that's way higher than either of these republican candidates and you have to believe that this campaign has driven down those ratings with independent voters. it's just a snapshot, it could certainly go back up again. but it doesn't look like it's wearing well with independents. >> as we always say, a lot of time between now and november. those things can obviously change, this is a snapshot. president obama's campaign reports it took in $45 million last month alone. most of it was in small donations, the average amount $59. so is there anything wrong with that? brianna keeler taking a closer look. what about all those fat cats? what are you finding out? >> reporter: president obama has certainly lost some friends in the last few years, but that may not be his biggest challenge as he raises money. president obama is busy bringing in the bucks, from his dinner with barack contest which draws people to his website where they can donate. >> hello, georgia! >> reporter: that one day of fundraising likely netted about $5 million for obama's campaign and the dnc. some top fund-raisers are rewarded handsomely. 47 were invited to the state dinner for the british prime minister last week. even so donations from the big money donors have dried up. at this point in the election in 2008, 23,000 donors had given obama 2,000 or more. why is that? it could be because president obama hasn't exactly been making friends in rich circles. >> i did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of, you know, fat cat bankers on wall street. >> republicans insist the trend spells big trouble for the president. rnc chairman says -- campaign finance experts say the lack of big donors matters little. >> obama looks to be in a weak position only relative to where george w. bush was in 2004 and where obama himself was four years ago, but neither is really a relevant comparison, this time obama is unopposed for the nomination. and frankly, he's outraising all of the republican candidates put together. >> the obama campaign has brought in $300 million since april of last year. republican front-runner mitt romney, just about $75 million. the bigger challenge for the obama campaign are the super pacs that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money for a president. priorities action usa is the main superpac backing obama. and that may be what all t ultimately -- >> -- the republican superpacs will raise and spend more than their democratic counter parts, but that overall, the resources will be roughly in balance. >> reporter: and wolf, president obama continues his fundraising tonight, according to a campaign official, he will be attending a fund-raiser at a local hotel, the w. hotel. approximately 20 people will be in attending. >> yeah, which is the maximum that they can contribute in a cycle, if you will. i can't tell you how many of those wall street bankers who supported the president four years ago and gave him a ton of money were so deeply irritated, i did not run for office to help fat cat bankers on wall street and that's why they're holding back right now. let's see if they come forward in the months to come. good report, brianna, thanks very, very much. we'll stay on top of the money trail. he only has two primary wins and he's trailing badly in the delegate count so why is newt gingrich still in the race? jack cafferty is coming up with "the cafferty file." one expert says it simply doesn't add up. and severe weather happening right now across parts of the united states. we're monitoring storm chasers, they're out in the thick of it. [ male announcer ] the cadillac cts sport sedan was designed with near-perfect weight balance from front to back... and back to front. ♪ giving you exceptional control from left to right... and right to left. ♪ the cadillac cts. ♪ we don't just make luxury cars. we make cadillacs. jack cafferty is here with "the cafferty file," jack? >> wolf some people just can't take a hint. newt gingrich was seen dining at a trendy restaurant with his wife. the voters have made it abundantly clear they are not interested in mr. gingrich being our next president. he's won a total of two states, south carolina and his home state of georgia. he was supposed to do well in the south, but rick santorum busted him up big-time last saturday. the republican party has finally made it known that it would be a good idea for mr. gingrich to acknowledge what others seem to be able to recognize and make his own exit. but like an old hoofer, he just can't bring himself to get off the stage. the longer he stays in, the wider romney's delegate lead becomes, as long as he and santorum cut up the conservative votes, romney gains more and more delegates. the whole thing is becoming uncomfortable to watch. here's the question. what's newt gingrich up to? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile or go to our post, "the situation room's" facebook page. >> why is ron paul in this race? he has even fewer delegates than newt beginning rip. >> i don't know, i was asked about newt gingrich. >> i understand ron paul to a certain degree, because he's got a real agenda, he's pushing. >> and there's a core constituency. and you can't say that newt gingrich has a poor constituency. if he had, it would have shown up in mississippi and alabama. >> at some point it will be a two-man race, romney and santorum. but the two are going to be fighting it out. >> thanks very much, jack, we'll get back to you, but i'm interested in what our viewers think as well. an american teacher assassinated in yemen. some of the top stories in "the situation room" right now, lisa, what do you have? >> the al qaeda affiliate there is claiming responsibility for the shooting death of the teacher who's not being identified right now. the terror group sent a text message to local news media saying the man was a missionary spreading christian si in a muslim country. the average price of gasoline is now just 28 cents from it's all-time high set in the summer of 2008. aaa reports the price inched up yesterday for the ninth day in a row to just under $3.84 a gallon. but the average is already over $4 a gallon in seven states and district of columbia. quarterback peyton manning is reportedly in talks to join the denver broncos. espn and the denver post are among those reporting a deal in the works. the mvp ended his career with the indianapolis colts this month after missing the entire 2011 season following neck surgery. and congratulations to u.s. taxpayers, you just made a $25 billion profit. the treasury department sold one of the mortgage backed security portfolios it bought at the height of the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009. treasury is now reporting it sold the securities for $250 billion, possibly the department's largest profit ever. >> i suspect most of our viewers, congratulations, to the u.s. treasury. suddenly, sounding a different tune on the economy. >> i believe the economy's coming back, by the way. we'll see what happens. it's had ups and downs. >> so if mitt romney's right, how would he run a campaign against barack obama. our strategy session is coming up. [ male announcer ] any technology not moving forward is moving backward. [ engine turns over, tires squeal ] introducing the lexus enform app suite -- available now on the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. see your lexus dealer. there's no going back. oh dear... oh dear! ohh dear... i'm not sure exactly what happened here last night. i was out helping people save money on their car insurance. 2 more! you're doing it! aren't they doing great?! hiiiiiii!! come sweat with me! keep going richard. keep sweating!! geico. fifteen minutes could save you sweat! sweat! fifteen percent or more on car insurance. i worked at the colorado springs mail processing plant for 22 years. we processed on a given day about a million pieces of mail. checks, newspapers, bills. a lot of people get their medications only through the mail. small businesses depend on this processing plant. they want to shut down 3000 post offices, cut 100,000 jobs. they're gonna be putting people out of work everywhere. the american people depend on the postal service. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." here are some of the stories we're working on for our next hour. the justice department in washington steps into a racially charged case in florida. an unarmed teenager shot to death by a neighborhood watch captain. plus a collision at sea. a luxury cruise liner slams into a cargo ship. passengers share their ordeal with us. stand by, you're in "the situation room." let's get back to the race for the white house right now. joining us in our strategy session, the democratic strategist jamaal simmons and cnn contributor mary matalin, a republican strategist. mary, let me start with you, santorum got clobbered in new england, he spent two days there, in the political scheme of things a waste of his time, because it was embarrassing how badly he did because romney got 80%, 85% of the vote. and in illinois, he's not even on the ballot in four of the congressional districts in illinois. here's the question, it's a tough question, is santorum ready for prime time, ready to challenge the president of the united states who has a ton of money and a huge organization. >> that is a good question, but as jamaal and i have always said, if the election were held today, but it's not held today. i guarantee you when they have a nominee, there will be a united party. things will go well for the republicans in the fall. we have higher registration, our money's coming in at rates greater than it is in the zr democratic committee. what you're seeing here is the power of momentum. and romney had a solid, really strong organization and the governor in puerto rico, see he deserves a lot of credit for thinking ahead and having this organization built for the long haul. >> maybe you can explain this to me, jamaal, obama's super pac, it's pitiful how limited their fundraising has been similar to the pro republican fundraising that karl rove -- why is there such a disparity in the super pac money. ? >> the president clearly was not in favor of super pacs, that's what most americans believed. now it's a signal that he's okay with the idea because he sees the disparity. it's a miserable situation. there's no getting around it. the numbers don't make any democrats feel comfortable. to the democratic donors are really going to have to step up and get in the game and fund that super pac or any of those. the president's doing a good job in the campaign, they're raising a lot of small dollar done fors, they need some big dollar don donors. >> i want you to listen, mary, to romney talking about the improved u.s. economy. >> i believe the economy is coming back, by the way, we'll see what happens, it has had ups and downs. it's finally coming back, the economy always comes back after a recession. there's never been one that we didn't recover from. the problem is that this one has been deeper than it needed to be and a slower recovery that it should have been by virtue of the policies of this president. >> i think you'll acknowledge if the economy continues to improve between now and november, that's very good news for the president's reelection chances. >> real people in real homes with real cars to put gas in don't measure their economic futures on jobs numbers. they look more at underemployment and labor force participation. they don't call it that, but almost everybody nay know -- they want sustainable long-term jobs, they see energy going up and they see health care going up and they see this rate of growth having the velocity of a belly crawl and that bodies not well. i'm talking about obama 2008 voters have that sentiment, not republicans, so it is improving and they credit the improvement that they do see to their own hard work and their sacrifice. i don't think the fundamentals for a bad economic job performance of the president has changed at all. >> all right, jamaal, does she have a good point? >> no, wolf, in the last segment you did, you had gloria borger talking about -- mitt romney and santorum versus the president. those are the kind of things that matter. when people vote for president, it's not just about this issue or that issue, though the economy is the biggest issue, people wanting to move forward and finally the republicans are acknowledging what's happening, they also vote on qualities, like leadership and temperament, we know santorum doesn't have the temperament to be president, we saw that in puerto rico. and we also know that mitt romney doesn't have the leadership. so i think when we look at those kind of qualities you see a president that really ought to do really well. >> who has a better answer for this question, mary, you remember ronald reagan made it famous, are you better off now than you were four years ago, if barack obama says that to the american people in november, are you better off now than you were four years ago in november 2008, or let's say if mitt romney or rick santorum were to ask that question, what would the american people go with? >> everything is about context, the better off now for barack obama, the new normal for barack obama is the absense of a free fall. it's over 20% unemployment. when ronald reagan asked it, and subsequentably in his reelection, the trajectory was 1.7%. elections aren't got the present course, and as jamaal rightly says, they're bigger than the economy. they're really about an aspirational future and people do not feel that now and they're likely, by polls now say they don't think they're going to feel that way in the fall. >> very quickly, jamaal, do you think the president is going to be asking the american people that question? >> i think the president will have a very good case to make if he says we're on the right path, we have got a ways to go, stick with me, we can do it, if you go the other way, mitt romney will take you the way we were in the last administration. a mystery man surfaces in iraq who claims he was kidnapped. the story simply doesn't add up. we have the latest. a tornado watch just issued for a major metropolitan area, we're tracking severe weather right now. [ male announcer ] the next generation of lexus cannot be contained. [ clang ] the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. see your lexus dealer. an american turns off in baghdad saying he had been abducted and held for months by militants. no one apparently even knew he was missing. our foreign affairs continue ji jill -- this man who has been at the u.s. embassy now since he was released is getting medical attention and is also being debriefed. but there are more questions than answers. >> he seemed to come out of nowhere, he says he's a former u.s. soldier, now a civilian contractor, kidnapped nine months ago in iraq by shiite paramilitaries, then freed. >> i was taken inside baghdad and have been kept in and around different locations within the city. it was explained to me that my release has been for humanitarian reasons and there was no exchange involved. >> reporter: but no one seems to have known he was gone. eventually identifying him as randy michael hultz. not an employee of the u.s. government in iraq on private business. in this interview two years ago with u.s. tended al-hira tv he downplayed the zarn in iraq. >> being an investment company we have to send a message and that is that we sand behind what we are saying to our investors, that iraq is improving, that it is relatively safe here. that it didn't what we see in the 5:00 news. life goes on. >> reporter: the defense department says that so far there's no indication that hultz served in the military. the state department calls the kidnapping and release a curious story. >> we did receive an e-mail around june of 2011 from an iraqi acquaintance of mr. hultz saying that he had not heard from this guy for several days and the iraqi indicated in that e-mail that he was of the impression that mr. hultz was planning to leave iraq in the near future. >> the department says it found his hotel but found no trace of him. former fbi assistant director tom fuentes says hultz's story does not add up. >> maybe they realized they had someone who was worthless to them either in political gain or economic game and they tried to make the best of it and say that they released him for humanitarian reasons. >> reporter: some are speculating as to whether hultz might have been working as an intelligence agent i. in fact this looks for weird than operational. wolf. >> certainly does. but he's still in baghdad? or is he back here in the united states already? do we know? >> as far as we know, he has been at the embassy, but he soon will be free to come back, but maybe we'll find out more. >> thanks very much, jill, for that. a tornado watch has just been issued for the dallas-ft. worth area, there's a severe weather threat from texas all the way to iowa, beyond, we're tracking it all, chad myers is standing by. also, apple is offered a billion dollars for its stockpile. how much of this is made in china. [ male announcer ] this is the network -- a living, breathing intelligence teaching data how to do more for business. [ beeping ] in here, data knows what to do. because the network finds it and tailors it across all the right points, automating all the right actions... [ beeping ] ...to bring all the right results. it's the at&t network -- doing more with data to help business do more for customers. ♪ since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪ i like yoplait. it is yoplait. but you said it was greek. mmhmm. so is it greek or is it yoplait? exactly. okay... [ female announcer ] yoplait. it is so greek. the passat is one of nine volkswagen models named a 2012 iihs top safety pick. not that we'd ever brag about it. turn right. come on, nine. turn left. hit the brakes. huh? how'd that get there? [ male announcer ] we can't hide how proud we are to have nine 2012 iihs top safety picks. so we're celebrating with our "safety in numbers" event. that's the power of german engineering. right now lease the 2012 passat for $219 a month. we're just getting word of a tornado watch for parts of texas, including the dallas-ft. worth area. let's go straight to our severe weather expert. our meteorologist chad myers, he's following the system. chad, large areas from the south all the way through the midwest? what do you see? >> all the way from del rio, texas or even northern mexico, even in iowa, and even in ohio. a very large area to the east of the cold front. it has been snowing for days now in flagstaff. it's been in the 80s to the east of this cold front for days here. cold, warm and now they are clashing. and as they clash, we are going to see severe w and we have seen a couple of storms up around mineral wells, and these storms are rotating with a report of a tornado on that storm there. there will be many tornadoes tonight, i need you to pay attention and keep that weather radio on. the hail marker in a rotation right there. probably seeing golf ball-sized hail and we could see a tornado pop-out of that at any time. we are watching many chasers here, wolf, there's one right here. mr. twister, zack roberts. we have about a dozen cars east of this location. we'll watch these chasers, we'll get some video on tv if we do see anything on the ground. we have chasers on the ground to the west all the way into dallas ft. worth. that will be the next big city that gets hit with hail. meanwhile apple rings up massive sales of ipads, iphones, but should it be employing americans to make those devices right here at home instead of paying cheaper wages in china. and the neighborhood watch captain who ended up shooting an unarmed florida teenager. you're going to hear those 911 tapes. >> they always get away. >> are you following him. >> yeah. >> okay, we don't need you to do that. >> okay. ♪ there's another way to minimize litter box odor: purina tidy cats. our premium litters now work harder to help neutralize odors in multiple cat homes. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. apple has just announced 3 million of its new ipads since friday. and today the company also revealed plans for its almost $100 billion stockpile of cash. apple says it will pay a stock dividend for the first time since 1995 and buy back $10 million worth of its own shares. china may be the biggest beneficiary as lisa sylvester is working this story for us. explain what's going on, apple, china, american workers, go ahead. >> if throngs of people lined up outside the apple stores to get the new ipad. and apple hasn't been an engine of u.s. manufacturing job growth in the united states. apple has made so much money it's worth more than several countries like bangladesh, but the people who actually make the ipads and iphones, not americans. it's hundreds of thousands of workers in fox come factories in china. working long hours, even sleeping in the dorms in the factories. one of our staff ordered -- the parts made in china, assembled in china, even packaged in china. this man with a group that fights to keep jobs in the united states. he says apple like many multinational corporations maximizes profits by moving to china. >> apple's success is a classic and glaring example of an american company free riding on american prosperity and not paying any of the costs for maintaining that prosperity. >> at a twitter town hall meeting president obama gently prodded apple executives. >> it's great that you're making ipads and iphones and creating the software, but it would be nice if we're also making the ipads and the iphones in the united states. >> why has apple fled to china to make its products. we contacted apple but they pointed us to their website. while there are only 47,000 u.s. employees-they like to -- a multiplier effect of 5,014 american jops from the people who make the fedex planes, to the developers of new ipad app. apple is doing what it's supposed to do maximizing shareholder value. >> in china, it's very difficult to sell into china if your company isn't based in china. they look at china as a place to manufacture because that's where the next generation of purchasers are going to be. >> reporter: what about boosting the u.s. any. he says the blame lies with -- >> these trade policy decisions starting with nafta back in the early '90s have enabled companies like apple to en -- from super low cost, almost regulation free companies like chesapeake bay. >> reporter: apple has been able to create cutting edge products but it hasn't been able to directly create u.s. manufacturing jobs. a software en -- $11 to $18 an hour. fox com workers in china make only about $300 a month working incredibly long hours. apple says it insists that they provide safe working conditions and treat their employees with dignity and respect. >> and those ipads in china are much lower than they would be if they were manufactured in the united states. millions of american consumers can buy a new ipad for $500 instead of $1,000 potentially if they were manufactured in the united states. so there is a benefit to millions and millions of americans when they make this stuff in china. >> that's 3 million ipads. since friday. cnn's erin burnett is going out with apple stock. at $600 a share, a lot of people own it even without knowing they own it. >> that's right, a lot of people may have too much exposure to apple. given that apple has doubled ore the l.a. -- in the event that anything goes wrong, whether you have a pension or a 401(k), or if you do invest on your own, you probably have apple everywhere. tia creff, that's fidelity, if they manage your 401(k), or you have a mutual fund there, you probably own apple and what happened today is because apple initiated a dividend. it's not that high. it's still a little bit low, but that will mean that a lot of dividend funds or people who are looking for more income, older americans may end up buying shares of apple too. it did end up over $600 for the first time ever, $600 a share. and coming up in our next hour, a deadly attack on a jewish school in france prompts precautions to protect communities right here in the united states. also the dramatic 911 tapes that shed new light on the shooting of an unarmed black teenager, now it could become a federal case. ♪ [ male announcer ] you're at the age where you don't get thrown by curveballs. ♪ this is the age of knowing how to get things done. so, why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor. oh. let's go. from the crack, off the backboard. [ laughs ] dad! [ laughs ] whoo! oh! you're up! oh! oh! so close! now where were we? ok, this one's good for two. score! [ male announcer ] share what you love with who you love. kellogg's frosted flakes. they're gr-r-eat! at meineke i have options... like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke. jack cafferty is back with "the cafferty file." >> the question this hour is what's newt gingrich up to? he can't win and he won't which. jay writes i believe he just wants to appear at the convention, give his speech and get more attention, maybe get a spot in the new republican administration if they win. he seems delusional got winning the white house, but if he drops out now, people will just forget about it. he's not think about the country, only about his own ambition. paul writes, many newts produce toxins in their skin secretions, ahn with the initials of mr, rs or even rp. stephen writes, newt's not stupid. he knows the washington game and electoral politics as well as anyone. it's possible the establishment we keep hearing newt to pack it in his privately telling him to stay in the race and teach santorum at bay. and david says your assignment should you choose to accept it is to keep running to deny santorum the delegate count, get romney in the front seat to allow our best chance to unseat obama. jenna says newt knows he doesn't have a chance, what he's looking for is a nice cush job. j.d. in new hampshirablys, he's up to a couple of things, speaking fees and a vendetta against romney. and richard writes from south dakota, what's a dog and pony show without the dog. if you want to read more on this, go to my blog, cnn.com/caffertyfile. and you're in "the situation room," happening now, fears of a possible attack on jewish neighborhoods height here in the united states. this hour, new information about the possible danger and security precautions being put in place right now. plus, growing outrage over the killing of an unarmed teenager in florida and new questions about why the shooter has not been arrested. now federal authorities are getting involved in this racially charged case. and cruise liner ram into a container ship, punching holes in both vessels and terrifying passengers. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. breaking news, political headlines and jeane moos all straight ahead. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." jewish communities in the united states and around the world are tightening security right now with new york city police taking extra precautions, this just hours after a deadly shooting at a jewish school in southern france. police say a teacher and three children were gunned down by a man on a motorcycle. one of the victims was just 3 years old. the president of the france says it's obvious the attack was anti- sem mettic. our mary snow is standing by, but let's go to our senior international correspondent jim bitterman in france. >> reporter: wolf, it's been a day of a lot of hand wringing in france, a day that president sarkozy flew down -- it all began with a drama that started unfolding at the beginning of classes just after 8:00 this morning. it was a nightmare that touched every parent, out of nowhere, a gunman appeared in the courtyard of the jewish school just as students were arriving for morning classes, according to witnesses he got off a motor bike, took a few steps past the front gate and began firing randomly with two different weapons. four people were killed instantly, three children an an adult. and then the gunman just as deliberately got back on his motor bike and drove off. the french president said the shootings were a national tragedy. >> translator: this is a tragedy across all the communities. i have asked the minister of education to devote one minute of silence in all schools in memory of those martyred children. the minister of the children will remain here in tuloose. >> reporter: authorities quickly made a connection between the school attack and another attack in the area. in all three incidents, the gunman arrived on a motor bike and appeared to shoot randomly before riding off. and police sources have now confirmed that the same gun was used in all three killings. a number of political figures described the attacks a anti-semitic or racist, and the jewish prosecutor's office has opened a terrorism investigation into the crimes. faced with an apparent serial killer on the roof, french residents are understandably nervous. >> translator: it's a horror, we're all heart sick and we hope that the police work the find the killer so he can be judged a terrorist. the whole community is affected. >> translator: we heard the shots in the courtyard and all of us were very scared. they called the police and firemen and we were all shocked. >> reporter: president sarkozy said because of the apparent nature of the attacks, security will be stepped up at jewish and islamic sites across the country. in addition to that re-enforced security the french will wake up to tomorrow morning, there will also be a moment of silence in schools across the country. >> jim bitterman in paris for us. let's go to new york right now, new fears that jewish americans might be in danger after the bloodshed in france. mary, what's going on there? >> reporter: well, wolf, the nypd is saying it has no information on any specific threat because, though, of the significant jewish population in new york city, the police commissioner says he felt it was necessary to increase police security and police presence at synagogues like the one behind me and jewish schools. the police commissioner says his main concern is of a copycat attack and he says what will now happen or has been happening since this morning, more uniformed police officers have been sent to jewish institutions around the city. he says at least 50 locations are seeing beefed up security. wolf? >> and how are folks responding? i know you have had a chance to speak to some of the people over there at the central synagogue in new york. >> reporter: there's certainly concern at some institutions. achieva university just sent out an e-mail to its students tell egg them about the increase in security. but also telling them to keep their eyes out for anything suspicious. behind me there is a nursery school here, we talked to one of the teacher who is said yes, she was aware of the attacks but she says she feels very protected here. >> it doesn't take away from the amount of safety i feel at my job or working at central synagogue, so you feel for these people. you know, you would never want that to happen to anybody. but it doesn't -- i still feel very safe and very protected. >> reporter: and this kind of beefed off security in new york after an international incident is not uncommon. the nypd has increased security before when there's been attacks overseas, mumbai and terrorist attacks. >> mary snow in new york for us. thanks very much. we're also learning today a little bit more about the u.s. soldier accused of a brutal massacre of civilians in afghanistan. the army staff sergeant robert bales is meeting with his defense lawyer for the first time since the shooting a week ago. what's the latest there? >> reporter: we do understand that he has met with his attorney, john henry brown for most of the day and according to a spokesperson at ft. levin worth, brown will be in town until wednesday, presumably continuing his meetings with his client. bales is being held in a single cell. most people think of ft. levin worth. these are folks who haven't gone through the system yet and it's only a medium security facility. but according to a prison spokesperson that we talked to they're putting him there because despite the serious charges, he is innocent until proven guilty, so they're treating him like any other soldier in trouble. >> he is in pretrial confinement and the joint regional reck summ correction facility can house pretrial as well as post trial inmates up to five years. you have pretrial who are separated from the post trial population and that's because pretrial service members are innocent until proven guilty and therefore we don't want the populations mixed together to keep that level of innocence for the pretrial population. >> reporter: meanwhile back in washington state a few hours ago, moving vans were outside of bales home, we talked to the moving company, they say they are moving the family's belongings to where bales' wife and children have been taken for their safety. ohio and washington, he had a condo that went into foreclosure in washington, but we're just learning some more details out of ohio that he was a financial analyst before he joined the army. this was just before september 11, the company that he was involved in was accused of bilking a couple in ohio out of $1.5 million and that couple has never been paid back in restitution. and a report in ohio did name bales specifically and said that he engaged in fraud. now of course john henry brown points out somebody engaging in fraud or having financial difficulties has absolutely nothing to do with somebody who goes and kills 16 innocent people including 11 members of one family and nine children. the answer to that question, what happened, we still don't have. >> finally ted, cnn has learned more about bales from his own friends over the years. tell our viewer what is we're learning. >> reporter: we talked to a gentleman that grew up basically with bales in his life. he had a handicapped song and he said that bales from the time he was in high school, took care of his son and brought him in with the group. he said this is a person that he absolutely cannot fathom by any stretch of the imagination being involved in this, he said his heart absolutely broke when he learned the name of the soldier that was accused of this shooting rampage in afghanistan and said that it just doesn't simply add up with the robert bales that he knew. >> i suspect that we're going to be learning a lot more about this individual. after 911 calls add to doubts that the shooting was in self-defense. >> so you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> all right, what is your name? >> stand by for new information about the investigation and why there hasn't been an arrest. also rick santorum is explaining his view that -- and a passenger says he was horrified by what he calls a major collision aboard a cruise ship. stand by. [ 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. a living, breathing intelligence teaching data how to do more for business. [ beeping ] in here, data knows what to do. because the network finds it and tailors it across all the right points, automating all the right actions... [ beeping ] ...to bring all the right results. it's the at&t network -- doing more with data to help business do more for customers. ♪ here's a chance to create jobs in america. oil sands projects, like kearl, and the keystone pipeline will provide secure and reliable energy to the united states. over the coming years, projects like these could create more than half a million jobs in the us alone. from the canadian border, through the mid west, to the gulf coast. benefiting hundreds of thousands of families throughout the country. this is just what our economy needs right now. ♪ home was an airport lounge and an ipad ♪ ♪ made sure his credit score did not go bad ♪ ♪ with a free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ app that he had ♪ downloaded it in the himalayas ♪ ♪ while meditating like a true playa ♪ ♪ now when he's surfing down in chile'a ♪ ♪ he can see when his score is in danger ♪ ♪ if you're a mobile type on the go ♪ ♪ i suggest you take a tip from my bro ♪ ♪ and download the app that lets you know ♪ ♪ at free-credit-score-dot-com now let's go. ♪ vo: offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com™. jack cafferty is here with t"the cafferty file." >> the gas price saga is kind of like the movie ground hog day. we have been here before many times. president obama says gas prices make things harder. mitt romney says obama wants higher gas prices. when gas prices get to a certain level, it becomes the president's fault. it's like murphy's law. it happens over and over again. the president's response doesn't matter who the president is, they all do the same thing, first they name a commission to look into speculation, then they call for a release of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve. that's not what that oil is meant for to play presidential politics in an election year, then they threaten to remove the subsidies given to the big oil companies, the subsidies are never touched. sometimes the strategic oil reserves are released and the -- it's like the government commissions to reduce the deficit or cut spending, meaningless. if you think the government's going to get aggressive cutting oil company subsidies in an election year, well, you're dreaming. you know how much money these outfits donate so their subsidies are left alone? it's all a three card money game designed to sucker the citizens, that would be you and me to think that the government really cares and is actually doing something meaningful. nothing could be further from the truth. we'll pay the higher prices until the market decides they're high enough, then they'll turn around and come down, that's how markets work, as opposed to the government which doesn't. here's the question, what's the real answer to rising gas prices. go to cnn.com/caffertyfile. or go to "the situation room's" facebook page. it's a charade, is the operative word. rick santorum is making a final big push before tomorrow's illinois primary, he's firing back admit romney's charge that he's an economic light weight. both presidential candidates are campaigning in illinois tads. and a new gop poll shows romney is ahead of santorum in illinois right now. santorum is trying to close the gap by invoking ronald reagan's name. joe johns is joining us from moli ne moline, ill. >> romney just wrapping up an event here in illinois. he says a win in illinois would profoundly change the race. he did come in considerably behind mitt romney and now he's sharpening his attacks. santorum's earlier prediction that the illinois primary could be his water shed moment is now starting to look like a fantasy. >> i believe that if we can win here in illinois that will pierce the bubble of inevitability of mitt romney and we will get a conservative nominee and i believe i will be that nominee. >> reporter: predictions aside, santorum was either toughening up the front-runner or breaking him down with the very attack he's likely to see should he get the nomination. >> i heard governor romney call me an economic light weight because i wasn't a wall street financer like he was. do you really believe this country wants to elect a wall street financer as the president of the united states? do you think that's the kind of experience we need, someone who's going to take and look after as he did his friends on wall street, and bail them out at the expense of main street america? >> reporter: so much of this now is about the country's finances but santorum says there's more to this race. >> the issue of this race is not the economy. >> reporter: he's not shied away completely from the social issues. on the radio, he took a question about his position on prenatal testing as the gateway to abortion. >> financing is importance and to give people an opportunity to know that, there are some prenatal tests that, again, i personally wouldn't use because i think they're invasive and they can cause miscarriages. i'm the father of a disabled child. >> and i'm the aunt of one. >> and these are used primarily to discover things that are wrong with the child and abortions are encouraged thereafter. that is simply a fact and we see 90% of downs syndrome children are aborted in this country, that to me is an absolutely devastating statistic. >> reporter: given the reputation some say preference for moderate republicans for politicians and a state that is known as the land of lincoln. >> in a state like illinois, which is much more moderate than the south, you really have to go in and talk to what people care about which is the economy, high gasoline prices, and high unemployment and the solutions to those problems. >> reporter: the romney and s g santorum people are really going head to head about what they believe the issues in the fall campaign. the romney people think it's going to be the economy. but santorum's people say it's going to be legislation. when the supreme court starts three days of hearings on the president's signature piece of legislation. >> we'll be covering every single one of those days. new 911 calls from neighbors desperately crying for help. >> it's probably going to be best if you stay inside your home for the time being, okay? >> i know. i can't believe somebody's killed. he was saying help, why didn't someone come out and help him. ? >> this is the story that's sparked outrageoff the country. now the justice department might be getting involved. and a mysterious disease is causing children to randomly walk off into the wilderness, we'll explain what's going on. all energy development comes with some risk, but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. a little bird told me about a band... ♪ an old man shared some fish stories... ♪ oooh, my turn. ♪ she was in paris, but we talked for hours... everyone else buzzed about the band. there's a wireless mind inside all of us. so, where to next? ♪ a second gen intel® core™ i5 or i7 processor. everything. and more. ♪ lisa sylvester is monitoring some of the other top stories in "the situation room" now. including a tough question for the united states supreme court. >> this is an interesting one, if a child is conceiveded after the father has died, should he or she be considered a survivor? the justices are trying to answer that question, and trying to determine whether twins of in vitro fertilization are entitle to benefits. doctors worldwide are rushing to treat a rare disease. more than 23,000 children suffer from the mysterious nodding disease which causes severe epileptic type seizures. tax masters is filing for bankruptcy, the company that advertises it can help you with your tax problems owes creditors between $1 million and $10 million. the state is suing the company for illegal practices. and apparently scott brown has no problem making fun of his fellow republicans. appearing at the annual st. patri patrick's political roast in boston, the massachusetts senator let loose on the gop candidates. >> i see that both newt gingrich and rick santorum now have secret service with them on the campaign trail. and in santorum's case, i think it's the first time he's actually ever used protection. >> brown also joked that ron paul is from another planet and said when his truck broke down mitt romney gave him one of his cadillacs. >> i'm looking forward to that interview of scott brown, he's got a tough re-election cam pang. she's one of the most famous women in the world. but chances are you haven't heard her speak until now. stand by to speak, the duchess of cambridge goes solo. and a cruise ship hits a cargo ship. and federal authorities are looking at the shooting death of an unarmed teenager in florida after calling 911 after chilling 911 calls are released. >> these [ bleep ] holes, they always get away. >> are you following him? >> yes. >> okay, we don't need you to do that. ok, guys-- what's next ? chocolate lemonade ? susie's lemonade... the movie. or... we make it pink ! with these 4g lte tablets, you can do business at lightning-fast speeds. we'll take all the strawberries, dave. you got it, kid. we have a winner. we're definitely gonna need another one. small businesses that want to grow use 4g lte technology from verizon. i wonder how she does it. that's why she's the boss. because the small business with the best technology rules. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006. ♪ when your chain of supply goes from here to shanghai, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ chips from here, boards from there track it all through the air, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ clearing customs like that hurry up no time flat that's logistics. ♪ ♪ all new technology ups brings to me, that's logistics. ♪ four walls and a roof is a structure. what's inside is a home. home protector plus, from liberty mutual insurance, where the costs to both repair your house and replace what's inside are covered. and we don't just cut a check for the depreciated value -- we can actually replace your stuff with an exact or near match. and with the liberty mutual home gallery app, you can use a mobile device to easily catalog your belongings in advance, so you're always well prepared. home protector plus, from liberty mutual insurance, so your life can settle right back into place. to get a free quote, call... visit a local office, or go to libertymutual.com today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? in what passes for common sense. used to be we socked money away and expected it to grow. then the world changed... and the common sense of retirement planning became anything but common. fortunately, td ameritrade's investment consultants can help you build a plan that fits your life. take control by opening a new account or rolling over an old 401(k) today, and we'll throw in up to $600. how's that for common sense? friends and family of a florida teenager are demanding justice after he was shot dead by a neighborhood watch volunteer. federal authority now are getting involved in this racially charged case. the release of chilling 911 calls have raised a lot of questions about the shooter's claim that he acted in self-defense. cnn's david mattingly has been following the story for us. what's the latest? >> reporter: listen very closely to these 911 tapes because a lot is riding on determining exactly who we hear yelling for help. listen as calls to 911 tell the story of a tragedy in the making. >> these [ bleep ] holes, they always get away. >> reporter: that's the voice of neighborhood watch captain george zimmerman, apparently frustrated by recent break ins. he gives the dispatcher his poor -- >> this guy looks like he's up to no good for he's on drugs or something. >> less than a minute, martin is running a away, zimmer manage gets out of his car. >> okay are you following him? >> yes. >> okay, we don't need you to do that. >> but instead, zimmerman and martin end up fighting. >> there's someone screaming outside. >> in the background, listen for the sound of a fight and a panicked voice yelling for help, followed by a gunshot. >> and is it a male or a female. >> it sounds like a male? >> and you don't know why? >> i don't know why, i think they're yelling help, but i don't know. >> so you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> all right, what is your name? >> there's gunshots. >> you just heard gunshots? >> yes. >> how many? >> just one. >> reporter: the cries for help stop, but whose voice is it. >> who's that crying? trevon's crying. >> reporter: monday morning cries of justice for trevon martin continue. >> it could so easily have just been any one of us. so i feel like the reason y'all are out here is because you were affected the same way i was affected. >> reporter: the justice department is watching this case, but say they're not involved in the situation. at this time, sanford says they welcome any kind of federal scrutiny in this case, they are confident they have handled themselves correctly in this investigation. >> so far no one has been arrested, right? >> no one has been arrested. the problem, they say is finding enough evidence to have probable cause that zimmerman did not act in self-defense and they say they just don't have that here. >> i want to dig in a little bit deeper into this case with our senior political analyst jeffrey toobin. explain the law in florida in a case like this. >> the clearest way to do it is to talk about the law in other states. in most other states there's what's called a duty to retreat. you have to step back in a threatening situation. in 2005, florida changed the law. and they have what's called the stand your ground defense, which means if you reasonably feel threatened, you can use deadly force in response. and as a result, there have been several cases where people have shot unarmed people and not been prosecuted because of this stand your ground law. it gives a lot of -- it gives self-defense a much broader interpretation than in most other states. >> as you know, there are now really strong calls on the justice department in washington to get directly involved and investigate, bring the fbi in, how does that unfold? what's going on? >> well, what -- if the fbi were to get involved, they would have to investigate or if they want to prosecute, they would have to find that zimmerman, the shooter shot this young man because he was black, that it was a civil rights crime. you don't need that sort of intent if it's just a state offense. that's hard to do to find that sort of moetive. especially since we don't have any witnesses of what went on. there are suggestions of what happened, but in terms of who approached who first, who is the only witness at this point is zimmerman himself and obviously he's not going to talk to the authority. >> and the notion, the stories out there have suggested that the young teenager had gone to the store to get some skittles, maybe a soft drink, a bottle in his hand, is that enough to justify that this guy may have felt threatened by this? >> again, it's really lard to say in the abstract. you need more information. but it is true, under florida law that unarmed people have found to be threatening to armed people who have then shot them and not been prosecuted. and this is an unusual law that really gives a broad definition of self-defense, so it is not out of the question, that even if, as it appears clear, this young man was not armed, it could be found lettigitimately be self-defense, but it could be important to find eyewitnesses, anything possible that could corroborate or not zimmerman's story. >> the 911 dispatcher clearly says do not follow him. but apparently zimmerman did continue to follow this teenager. what if anything does that mean legally as far as zimmerman is concerned? >> it's certainly not good for zimmerman, it doesn't help his case. but it doesn't completely rule out a stand your ground defense either because it depends what happened at that point. zimmerman may claim that this young man-made an aggressive move toward him, we don't know the fact there. that's a bad fact for zimmerman, the fact that the 911 operator said, leave him along. but under florida law, that's not the end of the story, he could still be threatened if the right circumstances took place. >> it's obviously a complicated situation, we'll see what happens. a lot of outrage across the country on this story. jeffrey, thanks very much. stay with cnn by the way for a new interview with the father of the teenager killed in florida. a passenger witnessed the collision between the cruise ship he was on and another huge vessel. you're going to hear what happened, stand by. plus, powerful winds send a hot air balloon right into a storm. we're going to tell you how the pilot risked his life to save the lives of five others. and you've definitely seen her pose for cameras. now you'll hear her in her very first speech. how did the duchess of cambridge do? stand by for that. [ male announcer ] this is the age of knowing what you're made of. why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor. lisa sylvester is monitoring some of the other top stories in "the situation room." including the fight in syria, moving to the capital of damascus. what's the latest? >> intense fighting is under way in damascus, at least 18 security members are injured from clashes with rebels. it is the worst violence since the start of the uprising. and the closest fighting for the major center of operations. an opposition group says 30 people died across syria today. it was a different kind of march madness that broke out in athens. a match between two soccer teams had to be stopped because people were throwing molotov cocktails. crews are now working to repair damages to the stadium. and the body of a missing balloonist in georgia has been found. 63-year-old avery stano was flying his hot air balloon with five sky divers when strong winds carried him into a storm three days ago. all five sky divers jumped early and have been found alive. and two former queens of daytime talk are parting ways, the oprah winfrey network is canceling rosie o'donnell's show. we'll have to see, wolf, what goes in that time slot. >> we'll catch and see. >> public appearances are all part of the job when you're a royal, but while the duchess of cambridge is no stranger to cameras, she's shied away from actually speaking in public, that is until now. cnn royal correspondent max foster reports. >> the duchess arrived in a $200 dress last worn in public by her mother, perhaps a gesture of frugality in an era of austerity. diana also visited his hospice network. inside the dutch chess met children with long-term illnesses, a dream come true for most of them. this is one of four charities that katherine has agreed to be patron of. and a test for any young royal, her first speech in public. people are used to seeing the duchess, but not hearing her. some close by said she looked nervous. but she stuck to the task. >> i'm really sorry that william can't be here today. he would love it here. a view of his that i share is that through team work so much can be achieved. what you have all achieved here is extraordinary. you as a community have built the tree house. a group of people who have made every effort to support and help each other. >> it wasn't a long speech, and she didn't falter. make use of long pauses to pace herself in front of a live tv a audience of millions and another rite of passage, the tree planting, another engagement carried out flawlessly. having a flurry of public appearances by the duchess, but this is probably the last we're going to have of her in public at least. prince william is returning from the falk lands and they will no doubt be retiring home to spend some time together. one minute passengers were enjoying themselves on a luxury cruise, the next, they were thrown off their feet when their ship ran into another ship. how could this have happened? and a young girl's role and a new jump forward for women in sports. nnesota. 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. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ new alarm bells today about safety on board cruise ships and here's why. we're now learning that a luxury cruise liner traveling through foggy waters rammed into another ship off vietnam. the cruise line is downplaying the incident, re-created in this animation we're showing you, but a passenger is telling a far more disturbing story, calling the collision horrifying. our brian todd has been looking into the story for us. brian is here, what are you finding out? >> wolf, the passenger we spoke with says he cannot get in image out of his mind, he says he was in the observation lounge of this cruz ship looking through the fog and all of a sudden a container ship was right in their path just seconds from impact. you're looking at the cruise ship coming off of a collision. after witnesses say it struck a container ship broad side in hay long bay vietnam. it happened on friday, with pictures, video, eyewitness accounts just emerging. passenger andrew lock who says he was in the observation lounge captured some of these images and tells cnn heavy fog had reduced video in ha long bay to zero. he says the fog alarm has been going off repeatedly. >> the fog horn in the front of the ship suddenly sounded and it was much, much louder and it caused us to look up, and as we looked up straight out of the window and through the fog, we, to our horror, we saw this vietnamese container ship appear sideways on and it was as if our ship was perfectly lined up to hit it in the side. so it was a horrifying moment and in less than about five seconds after the ship appeared, we did in fact collide right in the side of it very dramatically, the vietnamese ship rolled over at a 90-degree angle, we thought it was going to capsize. it then righted itself, and with the forward momentum of our shirngs it pushed the vietnamese ship around so that it actually came down the side, the length of our ship, scraping along the side as it went. >> lock says this picture he took shows the damage to the container shirngs it looks like a major chunk of the bridge was taken off. although there were no injuries reported on the cruise ship, he said that people were lying on the deck of the container ship who appeared to be injured. but it's not clear if there were injuries on the container ship. the silver shadow used an acknowledgement with the container ship. silver shadow incurred limited minor dents and guests' safety was never compromised. after it docked, this video was taken, then posted on youtube by someone who says he was a passenger. it's similar to images taken by andrew lock, but cnn has not been able to verify its contents. . >> so we were slipping right there when that hit. so, yeah, that sucks. >> a key question now is with visibility so poor, was the silver sch silv silver shadow operating any radar. radar is required on most cruise ships, the silver shadow was built -- the cruise line says it's conducting a full investigation. >> the passengers, how did they say the crew responded to all of this. >> the passenger we talked to, locke says the crew was calm and got people to their muster stations relatively quickly. but he says communication from the top brass of the ship was very poor. not enough information and they couldn't get it fast enough. >> okay, thanks very much. let's go to jack cafferty, he's got "the cafferty file." >> the question is what's the answer to these rising gasoline prices, they just keep going higher, ken writes, obama needs to stop talking and nationalize the oil refiningries. if he can assassinate americans, then he can also do something about the upcoming $5 a gallon gasoline. patriot writes, greed took over and the bill oil companies screwed us again. larry in texas says there are few things that can be done. we could also have the army invade the oil companies and take them over. other than that, greed is legal and the free market wins, it's the american way. pete in florida writes, the real answer is suck it up, folks, there are many ways car drivers can improve their own personal economies and spend less on gas. get used to it people, because long-term it's only going to get worse. tom in texas says i don't believe there is an answer to higher gas prices. it's like putting toothpaste back in the tube. we're just now realizing the cost. charlie says for once you and i are in agreement. i do all my shopping et cetera in one trip. the less gasoline i use, the better i'm able to afford to eat this month. and mr. d says apparently the groundhog saw its shadow and we are in for many more weeks of high gas prices. if you want to read more about the subject, go to my blog, cnn.com/caffertyfile. we are about to take all of o our viewers on a ride down hill, and we have a fourth grader to thank for it. ♪ [ male announcer ] the dodge journey was made to explore the real world. it has under-seat storage to bring everything, available seating for up to seven people to take everyone, and the grip of available all-wheel drive to go everywhere. think of it as a search engine helping you browse the real world. this march, get no extra charge third-row seating plus 0% financing on dodge journey. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. will be giving away passafree copies of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. a ten-year-old girl documents her first ski jump and over 600,000 people have seen her brave plunge down the slope. here is jeanie moss. >> this is how ski jumping looks when the big girls do it. to a little girl it looks like this. >> i will be fine. >> have fun. >> i will do it. >> her name is zia, and she is a fourth grade inner park city, utah. >> here goes something, i guess. >> it is not going yet. >> i can do this. i am going to jump. >> you got it. >> my ski is slipping off. >> her mom, jennifer terry, posted the helmet cam video on youtube. she is not up there alone. you can hear an instructor chiming in. >> no snowplows. >> keep it straight and you will be fine. >> okay. >> she is stand ago top the 40-meter jumping will already mastered the 20. >> just longer, just a bigger 20, that's all. >> a bigger 20. >> seen a self described tom boy is entitled to a last minute wimper. >> it is fine. you'll do fine. >> okay. go. whoa. yeah. >> this viral video reminded america's most accomplished female ski jumper of herself. >> you mean you grew up on that very jump? >> yep. i grew up on that jump, and i did that same thing, but 20 years ago. it seemed huge to me then. >> now lindsay skis off jumps more than four times that size. when she was a kid, the goal is to make the olympic team. >> the women weren't allowed to ski jump in the olympics and for years they argued there weren't enough ski jumpers and it wasn't good for reproductive health, a myth became a joke with the uterus fall out? >> your uterus is okay, right. >> my fais uterus is perfect. >> just last year they got it and now they face the fear. >> it is the only thing, it is so fun. >> even on the beginner's 40 meter jump, that last step -- >> here goes something. >> is a >> 60 seems like nothing now. >> better give that little girl a lot of credit. she is very, very brave. good work. thanks very much for joining us. i am wolf blitzer in "the situation om