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Super Tuesday Voting Under Way; Gingrich Banking on Georgia; Santorum Talks Iran at AIPAC; Netanyahu Goes to Capitol Hill; Paula Deen Accused of Harassment; Economic Worries to Hit Stocks; Interview with Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota; Romney Speaks at Pro-Israel Conference; NFL Coach had "Bounty" Program; Child Trained for the Campaign Trail

Aired March 06, 2012 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to talk about, first off, Super Tuesday.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Super Tuesday is under way. Voters in 10 states hitting the polls on this single-most important day of the nomination process. Four hundred and nineteen delegates are at stake and the candidates are desperate to break free from the pack.

Paul Steinhauser is in the battleground state of Ohio where Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are deadlocked. And David Mattingly is in Georgia, a state Newt Gingrich says he must win to keep his campaign alive.

So let's begin with Paul. He's in Mount Saint Joseph, right outside of Cincinnati.

So, Paul, tell us again, why is Ohio such an important state?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, because you're from there, Carol. But there are other reasons as well. Listen, it's -- but that's a good answer. It's a battleground state. We know that. It's such a crucial state in the general election but it's also a real player in the primaries. And I guess arguably the most important on Super Tuesday.

A blue-collar state, a working class state. Mitt Romney needs to win here. If he doesn't, questions about whether he can really win the nomination. For Rick Santorum, who's been trying to appeal to blue-collar voters, a very important state for him to win. It's also the neighboring state to Pennsylvania where he's from. A large Catholic population here. A lot of conservatives. That could all be at play.

Today, look at this, can't get any closer than this. Here's our CNN/ORC poll. It came out yesterday afternoon. That's about a dead heat, isn't it? I think it's pretty much all tied up at the top according to our poll with Gingrich and Santorum a little lower down -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So I know it's early, but I just wondered, do you see voters rushing to the polls?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, we've seen a steady stream of voters right here. We are in Hamilton County, just west of Cincinnati, just a stone's throw from downtown. Very important county. Third most populated in the state. A pretty conservative county so we're seeing a lot of that.

We're seeing a lot of the candidates as well and a lot of campaign commercials especially from Mitt Romney and his super PAC. Mitt Romney, his last closing argument here is really more directed against President Obama. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This man is out of ideas and he's out of excuses, and in 2012 he's going to be out of office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Mitt Romney really going after the president and not really his rivals. But Rick Santorum really trying to bring Mitt Romney down. Here's what he said yesterday in Ohio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When you have $12 million and you can you outspend someone 12 or 20 or 30 to 1, you cannot stop and ignore answering the questions. He won't be able to ignore -- and avoid answering the questions in the fall and as a result he will be the weakest candidate we could possibly put forward on the most important issue of today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Rick Santorum going after Mitt Romney.

What about Ron Paul, the congressman from Texas? He's out west right now. He's in Idaho and North Dakota. He's really concentrating, Carol, on those caucus states -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You were talking about those calls, those political calls that are coming in. My mom said, my mom lives in Ohio. She's a Republican. She's getting a call every 10 minutes from somebody with some campaign. It's driving her crazy.

STEINHAUSER: It is ground zero. No doubt about it.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: No doubt about it. Paul Steinhauser, thank you.

Now let's head to Georgia where Newt Gingrich is relying on a big win to keep his candidacy alive.

David Mattingly is in Marietta, the hub of Gingrich's one-time congressional district.

So, David, does Gingrich have his former power base locked up?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he says that he's predicting a very, very decisive victory here in his former home state. And all indications are he's going to get exactly that. The former speaker in the latest CNN poll showing he's got 47 percent of the likely voters in today's primary. That's -- look at -- that's ahead of Romney with 24 percent, Santorum 15 percent, and Ron Paul with 9 percent.

The former speaker spending a lot of time here on the ground. He wants to rally his Republican base here. He has a very long and influential history with the Georgia state Republican Party and in looking at the polls today, typically we don't see a lot of people showing up to vote on primaries, but it has been steady. No lines, no waiting. But again Gingrich very strong with those traditional Republicans. And those are the people who typically come out today.

Now the speaker has been spending -- the former speaker has been spending a lot of time here, probably seven of the last nine days he's campaigned in Georgia. And that includes this morning. He had just a few comments just a little bit -- a while ago. And we have some of that sound for you now. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So the president goes on after that and he says the Republicans have a strategy, a three- part strategy. Part one drill, part two drill, part three drill. And --

(CHEERS)

GINGRICH: I just want to say, Mr. President, you understand exactly, drill, drill, drill. OK?

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: That was actually a comment from yesterday when he was campaigning in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The speaker today repeating that. Very big part of his speech now is about gasoline prices. He says that with his energy policy he could bring gas prices down to $2.50 a gallon. AAA today reporting that gas prices have actually come down just a fraction to $3.76 a gallon nationwide.

So that trending the wrong direction for the speaker, but today it's going to be the voters who are going to be having the floor. They are going to be talking today and they will be telling the former speaker if he has what it takes to actually stay in this race past Super Tuesday -- Carol.

COSTELLO: David Mattingly, Marietta, Georgia this morning, thank you. Three candidates including Newt Gingrich taking a Super Tuesday time-out later this morning. They're speaking in front of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. AIPAC for short. Rick Santorum is addressing the pro-Israel group right now in Washington. And guess what he's talking about? Iran, Israel, and nuclear weapons.

Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich speak within the hour by satellite.

Our CNN political director Mark Preston is here.

And Mark, with so much at stake in states like Ohio and Georgia, why aren't these candidates speaking in front of AIPAC.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, I think it just shows how important Israel is in this primary election, but also the general election. It says a lot that Rick Santorum left Ohio to come to address AIPAC in person. And by doing so what he's trying to do is build up his creds with the Jewish vote here in the United States.

You know it would be remiss without pointing out that Newt Gingrich's campaign, which has really been running on fumes financially, has been backed by Sheldon Adelson, this casino magnet out in Las Vegas. Some people think that the reason why he's doing that is because Newt Gingrich has been such a strong supporter of Israel.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Of course the U.S. and other countries have made another offer with Iran to negotiate over its nuclear program. But Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says time and patience are running out. He talked about Iran with President Obama and then spoke at AIPAC himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Israel has waited, patiently waited for the international community to resolve this issue. We've waited for diplomacy to work. We've waited for sanctions to work. None of us can afford to wait much longer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, you know, we play that sound bite for you because this means much more than an American election. This could lead to what, nuclear war? That's what some people say.

Anyway, so let's go to CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney. She's in Jerusalem.

Fionnuala, is there a sense in Israel that war is inevitable, that Netanyahu has already made up his mind?

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, Israeli media here, Carol, is saying that in his meeting with President Obama yesterday Benjamin Netanyahu said he hasn't yet made a decision about whether to strike Iran. The fear about all out war would be a consequence of any Israeli strike against installations in Iran, and the question for Israel is, if they made such a strike, would they be able to contain the fallout on all four fronts from Hezbollah, possibly in Lebanon, from Hamas in Gaza, from Iran itself.

And indeed people are very concerned about what's happening across the border in Syria. So essentially what you saw yesterday and what you had from Benjamin Netanyahu last night is both the United States and an Israel sticking to its same core positions of how they were the last two weeks. Both are saying that all options are on the table. Both are saying that Iran will not be contained and both are really trying to focus on where interest dovetail the question for Benjamin Netanyahu is when will he decide that the time to give sanctions a chance to work are up?

COSTELLO: And Fionnuala, I'm sure people in Israel are closely listening to what people in America are saying. Rick Santorum just spoke in front of AIPAC. We were talking about that a short time ago. We want you to listen to some of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANTORUM: We need to say to the Iranian government, the time is now. You will stop your nuclear production now. You will open up your facilities for inspectors from the United States and other countries so we can certify that those efforts are stopping and being dismantled now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTORUM: So, Mark Preston, I want to bring you back in because we heard what Fionnuala said. And this is serious stuff. So when the candidates speak in front of organizations like AIPAC, and they talk tough about Iran, does the bigger picture enter into their picture?

PRESTON: Yes. There's no question about it. In fact, when Mitt Romney addresses AIPAC in just a short time, one of the things he's going to say according to what his campaign is telling us is that hope is not a foreign policy, which is a direct criticism of President Obama's play on the word of how he was going to bring hope to Washington and hope to the world.

So what we're seeing here in the United States is the fact is Israel now has become a political football in this general election campaign.

COSTELLO: And can you just tell people the differences between President Obama's position on Iran and Israel, and these Republican candidates' positions on Iran and Israel?

PRESTON: I think it's very hard except to put it in very simple terms is that the Republicans are taking a very hard line with no wiggle room on negotiations with Iran and what we heard on Sunday was President Obama saying we should not have a rush to war but in the end we would have Israel's back. So there's a little wiggle room with President Obama. Republicans are straight down the line. COSTELLO: Mark Preston, Fionnuala Sweeney, thanks so much.

And be sure to joins us tonight. Our coverage of the Super Tuesday primaries begins at 6:00 Eastern with a special edition of "JOHN KING, USA." That's followed by CNN's complete live coverage of the primary results at 7:00 with John, Wolf -- Wolf Blitzer, Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, Candy Crowley and so many more people.

Paula Deen is the face of southern cooking and hospitality. A former employee says working at Deen's empire, though, wasn't so hospitable. We'll tell you about the latest accusations against Paula Deen.

Plus, a woman polishes her nails on a Southwest Airline flight and when the plane lands, she is hauled off to jail. What the heck happened? We'll talk about that just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking stories "Cross Country" now.

We begin in New Jersey where a former Rutgers University student is on trial accused of spying and intimidating his roommate who later killed himself. A witness testified Dharun Ravi texted her about a viewing party supposedly would show Tyler Clamenti being intimate with another man. Ravi is accused of setting up a secret Web cam to watch Clementi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where's he at? Where's he at?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: To Utah and this incredible video showing a snowmobiler getting caught in an avalanche. His friends sprang into action. About 30 minutes later they dug him out from under 10 feet of snow. It's unbelievable. He's A-OK this morning.

And a dispute over nail polish lands the Southwest Airlines passenger in a Houston jail. Jeannie Daniels allegedly used a curse word in a heated argument with a flight attendant about polishing her nails. When the plane landed Daniels was arrested. She spent more than 10 hours in jail before a judge finally set her free.

Paula Deen, the queen of her own southern cooking empire, is under fire from one of her former employees. Deen and her brother, Bubba, are being sued by Lisa Jackson, a former manager of one of their restaurants, for among other things, sexual harassment.

CNN's legal analyst Sunny Hostin joins me now.

This hasn't been a good year for Paula Deen, Sunny.

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: That's right. I mean, she's coming off of the controversy of her diabetes and her alleged spokesmanship for a diabetic company. But let me say this -- I mean, this certainly was filed yesterday, March 5th. We're talking about a 33-page complaint alleging, as you mentioned, sexual harassment, battery, many things.

And Lisa Jackson, the former manager of it's called Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House, she alleges that Paula -- which is Paula Deen's brother's place, she alleges that Paula Deen condoned sexual harassment, racism. She used racial epithets.

And really startlingly, Carol, she alleges that Bubba displayed pornography at work, was physically abusive towards here, towards other workers. And interestingly enough, she says that Paula Deen also used these racial epithets and discussed having a Southern plantation style wedding and using a racial epithet towards African- Americans, said she wished they could wear long sleeve white shirts, black shorts, black bow ties in the Shirley Temple days. But she said that wouldn't work out because the media would have a field day with her.

Of course, these are just allegations. It's unclear at this point whether anyone else heard these words coming from Paula Deen. But the complainant here says that this conduct, Carol, was universally known at Paula Deen's establishment.

So really a tough, tough complaint alleging some pretty terrible behavior by Paula Deen and her brother, Bubba.

COSTELLO: I mean, most of the complaint seems to be about Bubba, right? I mean, could Paula Deen just walk away from this cleanly?

HOSTIN: Well, you know, a lot of it does have to do with Bubba's behavior, but she also alleges, again, that Paula Deen was knowledgeable about this behavior and that she, too, took part in a lot of this behavior, especially using racial epithets.

So, I don't think that she will just walk away from this because she also is part owner of this restaurant. This is her establishment. And, in fact, Paula Deen hired Lisa Jackson.

So, you know, Paula Deen certainly is a big part of this complaint and, again, we need to remind our viewers, these are just allegations. Paula Deen hasn't responded to these allegations. But she's seeking unspecified damages. And so, this is a civil suit filed in Savannah, Georgia state court. And not a good thing for Paula Deen.

COSTELLO: Sunny Hostin, thanks so much.

A fight over underwear. It's true. The Navajo Nation is suing Urban Outfitters. The tribe says the retailer stole its name and with it millions of dollars. We'll talk about that after a break.

And the prince and the Olympian just hours after his arrival in Jamaica. Prince Harry plans to hit the track with the world's fastest man. I hope we have pictures. We'll have a live report for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Prince Harry, he's in Jamaica and on the track with Olympic sprinter and world record holder, Usain Bolt.

CNN's Max Foster is in Kingston with the prince as he wraps up his queen jubilee tour in the Caribbean.

So, Max, the prince is in training with the Olympian today. Will he actually take to the track and try to beat Usain Bolt?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, I was thinking not, but looking at the banter between the two of them, I think we could be set for quite a lively race. They're currently having a chat with each other in front of an audience. And someone suggested to Usain Bolt that he looks a bit scared and Harry says, "That's because I'm right here and I'm in my prime of 25."

So, they're lining up for a race. Lots of joshing going on between them. Harry really here to promote sort of British sport, but also to get involved in this race. They're going to do some starts, but we hope to see them run the whole race. It's going to happen in 10 minutes, Carol. We'll have a picture.

COSTELLO: Yes, I was hoping Prince Harry would have his track suit on. Maybe he'll put it on.

FOSTER: Yes, he has put a track suit on, fully (INAUDIBLE) out, looking very serious about the mission.

COSTELLO: Oh, darn, I missed that picture.

We have to get a little serious now because the prince is meeting with Jamaica's prime minister. And, you know, she wants to cut ties with the British monarchy.

So, is this sort of thing helping patch things up between Britain and Jamaica?

FOSTER: Well, the prime minister speaks very highly of the queen and of Britain. She says it's a broader thing than that. She's welcoming Prince Harry. They are going to be meeting a bit later on.

And it will be interesting to see if there is any awkwardness because she has said she wants to get rid of the queen. Harry's here representing the queen in her jubilee year. It's going to be interesting to see.

But speaking to the people on the street, certainly a lot more republican I'd say -- a lot more people wanting a republic here than the other stops in Belize and Bahamas.

COSTELLO: Well, at least it looks like he's having fun as well, as dealing with some serious issues.

Max Foster reporting live for us from Jamaica -- thanks.

On Wall Street, stocks are set for a bit of a selloff this morning. Dow futures down just about 90 points, just a few minutes before the opening bell.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.

So, Alison, what's the problem today?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes, get ready for the Dow to hit a deep inside hit at the open. Investors, Carol, woke up to where the global economy is headed. The eurozone economy, we found out, contracted at the end of last year, meaning its GDP shrank. One analyst says Europe could be in a mild recession at this point.

And then you look at how other countries are doing and you realize that Europe is really having a hard time of it. Look at our GDP here in the U.S. Our GDP grew at a 3 percent annual rate in the final three months of last year and we're still having a tough time.

Look at our job market. It's still slow to recover. Housing market, it's still depressed. Our recovery over all is pretty spotty and we're at 3 percent.

Other countries, though, are even stronger. India's economy is growing at a 6 percent rate. China's is growing at 9 percent. That's considered really, really fast.

So then you step back and say, well, why worry about Europe? You know why? Because Europe is our biggest trading partner and what happens in Europe can affect us -- Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. We must talk about Urban Outfitters because this is such a strange lawsuit. Urban Outfitters is in hot water because it sold clothes labeled as Navajo. We're specifically talking about this -- well, they're cute, I've seen them, underwear with a little Navajo pattern on it.

But the Indian nation doesn't think they're so cute.

KOSIK: Right. They're not laughing about this. You're talking about Navajo Nation. That's a large Native American tribe.

And what it's doing, Carol, is suing Urban Outfitters. This lawsuit says the retailer sold lots of products with the Navajo name -- products like jewelry, shirts, even slacks. These products had names like the Navajo hipster panties. Staring at star's strapless Navajo dress. Hmm.

Well, the Navajos say Urban Outfitters -- they didn't have their permission to use that name. So, the group went ahead, filed a cease and desist order last fall. Urban Outfitters went ahead and removed some of the items, but not all of them.

So, now, the group is suing. Navajo says that they want some of the profits from some of those items -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Alison Kosik, thanks.

Right now, voters in 10 states are redefining the Republican presidential race on this Super Tuesday. We'll talk to a candidate who was part of that race until just a couple of months ago. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann will join us in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking our top stories now.

Opposition activists say Syrian security forces have killed at least 14 people across the country today. Senator John McCain is calling on foreign air power to target the regime.

Three GOP presidential candidates are taking time from Super Tuesday campaigning to speak to AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group. The candidates will likely discuss growing tensions over Iran's nuclear program.

The suspect in the Chardon, Ohio, high school shooting is back in court today. T.J. Lane is charged with three counts of aggravated murder. A funeral service will be held today for one of his victims, his alleged victims.

And just in, Congressman Donald Payne has died. The New Jersey Democrat had been battling colon cancer. He was 77 years old.

Today, Super Tuesday could be the day everything changes in the Republican presidential race. It could bring clarity or it could just bring more chaos. It's up to the voters in 10 states now. The race in some crucial places like Ohio in a dead heat.

Let's talk about all of this with someone who knows this race as well as anyone, congresswoman and former presidential candidate, Michele Bachmann, joins us.

Welcome.

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: Well, thank you. It's great to be on with you this morning. It's a big day.

COSTELLO: I know it is a big day. You know, I have to ask you this. Have you endorsed anyone yet? Will you endorse someone today?

BACHMANN: I won't be endorsing anyone today. I think it's really important that people across the country in the primary field have their say for who they believe our nominee should be. I think we will find greater clarity after the end of this evening's tallies come in.

And I think the voters are anxious to get in touch with who our nominee will be so we can press forward and unite as a party.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about uniting as a party. There's been some vicious rhetoric of Republicans targeting Republicans. You suffered that yourself when you were in the campaign. I just wanted from a human standpoint -- how does that feel?

BACHMANN: Well, it's just part and parcel of the race. It really is a difficult thing to be a candidate, but it's very important that a person goes through this grinding machine of the whole process -- whether it's the debate, the interviews, the vetting process. It's all good. I favor this process because our nominee has to be at the apex of their game because when the final debates come, the primary debates are over, there won't be anymore debates.

The final debates will be this fall with President Obama. Our candidate needs to be at the apex of their game because over 100 million people will tune in and there's no margin for error. But I am fully confident that our nominee will be up to that task and have a positive, pro-job growth message that the people will want to hear.

COSTELLO: And you say positivity. I think that's what voters most want now because there was a "Wall Street Journal" poll taken just yesterday. It was in the "Wall Street Journal." And it said all of this negativity, you know, Republicans targeting other Republicans, which is really un-Reagan like, right?

All of that negativity is turning voters off and making them not want to vote in this primary.

BACHMANN: Well, the problem is it's inevitable, when the candidates have to show their distinctions, there is negativity that comes forward. So, it is inevitable, but, again, if you remember people thought the, quote, "bloodletting" that was occurring between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would have a decisive impact and they thought especially that women wouldn't be able to get behind Obama because they had backed Hillary Clinton, they had a unity occur in 2008.

I think you're going to see that on the part of the Republicans. In fact, I think you're going to see more than Republicans unite. I think you're going to see a lot of disaffected Democrats and independents unite behind our candidate as well because they have looked at Barack Obama, they've looked at his mishandling, unfortunately, of the economy and they're now casting about for someone else because they want to see jobs grow, they want housing prices to increase, and they're very nervous about escalating gas prices.

So I think that the Republican nominee has a very, very strong chance of being the next president in 2012.

COSTELLO: Is there a Republican war on women?

BACHMANN: Oh, of course not. I'm a Republican woman, and I think one thing that I see as a woman -- women are overwhelmingly are the greatest purchasers of health care. And what women see is that health care costs have only spiked into the stratosphere after the passage of Obamacare. So, they know Obamacare won't be good for their family or for themselves.

They want to attack the real problem in health care which is costs. They want to bring costs down. And I think that's what our nominee will bring forth -- the positive, obvious common sense solution to address the real problem that's access to care by bringing the cost of health insurance down.

COSTELLO: I hear you, but I've got to say, I have to ask you the Rush Limbaugh question, because Republicans haven't exactly come out strongly and condemned him for calling that Georgetown law student a slut and prostitute.

Why is that? Why doesn't some Republican, a Republican woman like you, say, Rush Limbaugh, friend of mine, but come on, you were wrong?

BACHMANN: Well, I think Rush Limbaugh has already addressed this issue. He came out and he very forcefully said that he was wrong. He apologized not once but several times. I think he's put that issue to bed.

To me, the bigger issue in alL of this is this was a 3D example of what Obamacare will look like in all of our lives because now one person is a health care dictator. And they can decide what health care we get, what drugs we get, what procedures we get. What's worst, what we won't get. That's the bigger story of Obamacare in the future because it will be what government takes away from women.

COSTELLO: I think when Republican leaders don't come out and strongly condemn remarks like Rush Limbaugh made, the more intelligent argument gets lost in the weeds. So, if Republicans don't come out and say, you know what, those are vile comments, Rush Limbaugh, vile, and I think you should stop it right now because nobody has the right to call any woman expressing her opinion that name.

BACHMANN: I can tell you during the course of the campaign, I was called name after name after name. There was no media firestorm when it came to me being called a name like that.

Unfortunately, what we've soon seen is conservative women have an open field day. That isn't right. If a woman is liberal or conservative, we need to be respectful on both sides not just depending upon what their political persuasion is.

COSTELLO: So, can you say to Rush Limbaugh now, Rush, you were wrong. This was vile. Please don't ever do it again.

BACHMANN: Well, I think, again, he's taking care of that issue. Actually, I --

COSTELLO: I think some Republican women who admire and respect you and your stature want you to do it.

BACHMANN: Well, you know what's interesting, that's the focus that the media has taken. I'll tell you what I've been doing in the last three weeks. I sit on an intelligence committee.

There's so much happening in the international world right now. We deal with the nation's classified secrets and I literally spend dozens and dozens of hours a week. We had an attack here, a potential attack on our United States Capitol where we had an Islamist inspired terrorist what he thought was a bomb on his body and be try to blow up our Capitol. I was in the capitol with 435 members of Congress voting. We could have a very different discussion this morning if he would have succeeded and the FBI interdicted and stopped him just blocks from the Capitol.

That's been my focus, and the media's been focusing on these little pinprick issues when really I think we should be focusing on these bigger issues that people really do care about and have greater impact to change the future of our nation.

COSTELLO: Michele Bachmann, Congresswoman, thank you for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

BACHMANN: Thank you. We'll be back. Thanks again.

COSTELLO: I hope so.

Today at noon Eastern, Wolf Blitzer and CNN's political team will host the CNN election roundtable. That's a live insider chat about what's at stake today in the presidential race. You can follow it at CNN.com/roundtable. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oprah has scored another first. Since the death of Whitney Houston, everyone has wanted to talk to her daughter, Bobbi Kristina, and Oprah will.

"Showbiz Tonight" host A.J. Hammer has that and more from New York.

You know, Bobbi Kristina could have chosen anyone. Why Oprah?

A.J. HAMMER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT HOST: Well, Carol, I think it really comes down to history. You know, Oprah did have a relationship with Whitney Houston and even though you'll remember they covered some pretty tough ground in that interview, the two of them did back in 2009, Oprah was very fair with Whitney. There's inevitably a lot of trust with the family there, so I think it does make a lot of sense that she's the one to do this interview.

In addition to Bobbi Kristina, we will also get to see Oprah speaking with Whitney's brother Gary, and her sister-in-law and manager, Patricia.

The special episode will air on Sunday night. Now, she taped the interviews last week. Oprah is saying Bobbi Kristina recalled memories of her mother, talked about how she wants the world to remember the legendary singer, and, Carol, Oprah took to Twitter. She wanted to reassure her fans who are obviously worried about how the Houston family is doing. And Oprah tweeted that there is a lot of love flowing through the family right now.

But, still, Carol, you know this is going to be an emotional interview on Sunday night.

COSTELLO: Yes. Your heart goes out to Bobbi Kristina. She's to put up with so much. She's had in her life, her mother has died. So, it'll be a touching and fascinating interview, that's for sure.

Let's talk about Davy Jones. Some of the Monkees might not show up for his funeral?

HAMMER: Yes. I thought this was very interesting. The reports are that Jones' family wants to keep it a low key and private service.

So, out of respect, the other Monkees are apparently worried about being a distraction. And they're going to show up.

But Mickey Dolenz is saying they are expecting to hold public memorials for Jones probably both in New York and somewhere in the United Kingdom. The rest of the band would be at those events. And he did say that he could see the rest of the group playing some kind of a memorial concert somewhere. No dates for those services just yet.

But, Carol, I think everybody is still getting over the shock of Davy's death. Another one that we couldn't have imagined and it caught us all by surprise.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes, just 66 years old. Thanks, A.J.

A.J. will be back with us in the next hour with more showbiz headlines. Kim Kardashian's lavish and short-lived wedding back in the news. Aren't you excited about that? This time it has something to do with charity. A.J. will explain it all.

Quick check of the big board. Right now, the Dow is down 150 point points. There it is. I was looking all over for it. Not good news. Hopefully, it will improve throughout the day. We'll keep you posted.

And we'll be right back.

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COSTELLO: Three of the Republican presidential candidates are taking time out from the campaign trail to address APAC, a pro-Israel group that's quite influential. Addressing them Mitt Romney. We'll turn up some sound for you. Let's listen.

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MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In recent days and weeks we've heard a lot of words from the administration. It's clear message has been to warn Israel to consider the costs of military action against Iran. I don't believe we should be issuing public warnings that create distance between the United States and Israel. Israel doesn't need public lectures about how to weigh decisions of war and peace. It needs our support.

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COSTELLO: We'll have more from APAC in the next hour of NEWSROOM.

In the world of sports, an NFL defensive coach has admitted he used a bounty system with his players giving them cash bonuses if they injured other players.

Brian Todd explains what all of this could mean to the game.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's wildly popular and recession proof; in no small measure because of its violence. Now the NFL has got a major scandal on its hands at a time when it's enforcing new rules on concussion injuries.

According to a league investigation, the New Orleans Saints had a bounty program that paid players for injuring opponents. As many as 27 players were involved, the NFL says, were paid $1,500 for a knockout that took an opposing player out of a game. $1,000 for a so- called cart off, when a player had to be carried from the field.

PETER KING, SENIOR WRITER, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": I think it's going to be a huge scandal. I think it'll involve multiple suspensions, some of them a half or season or more in length, involving coaches, players, and also heavy sanctions toward one of the league's growing, exciting franchises, the New Orleans Saints.

TODD: "Sports Illustrated" senior writer Peter King says he's seen a confidential NFL memo sent to all 32 teams, part of the investigation. King says the memo details some of the bounties, including one in the 2010 NFC championship game between the Saints and the Minnesota Vikings who had 40-year-old quarterback Brett Favre under center.

KING: The NFL has named a player, line backer Jonathan Vilma, a star defensive player for the Saints, that before this game he offered $10,000 in cash, according to the NFL, to anyone on the field that day for the Saints who would put Brett Favre out of the game.

TODD: Favre took several vicious hits in that game, left the game temporarily, but finished. We could not reach Jonathan Vilma for comment. The Saints issued a statement saying the team is cooperating with the NFL's pro.

The bounty program was administered by then Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams who's now with the Saint Louis Rams. Williams issued a statement to the "New Orleans Times" Picayune taking full responsibility. Saying, "It was a terrible mistake and we knew it was wrong while we were doing it. Instead of getting caught up in it, I should have stopped it."

(on camera): This maybe only the beginning, the "Washington Post" reports that the Washington Redskins had a similar bounty system when Gregg Williams was their defensive coordinator in the mid 2000. The "Post" reports the NFL will also investigate the Redskins.

I spoke with Cynthia Boran of the "Post".

CYNTHIA BOREN, "THE WASHINGTON POST": If they will investigate the Redskins. There are some allegations about the Titans when Gregg Williams was with Tennessee. I'll be surprised if they didn't look into that.

TODD: Contacted by CNN, the Redskins would not comment on the "Post" report. Joe Gibbs, who was the Redskins head coach when Williams was defensive coordinator, has said he had no knowledge of a Redskins bounty program.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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COSTELLO: The Drexel Dragons bring a 19 game winning streak into the Colonial title game. But VCU not only stops their streak but take their ticket to the big dance. More sports highlights in seven minutes.

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COSTELLO: Stories we're working on later today in the CNN NEWSROOM.

At 1:15 Eastern President Obama holds his first formal news conference of the year on Super Tuesday.

At 3:00 Eastern T.J. Lane has a pre-trial hearing. He is the teenager charged in last Monday's deadly high school shooting in Chardon, Ohio.

And at 7:00 Eastern, the polls close in the first of ten Super Tuesday. CNN of course, will bring you live results.

We're following lots of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with Paul Steinhauser.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey Carol, I'm at a polling station just outside of Cincinnati. And yes ten states today, 419 delegates at stake. Such a crucial day in the battle for the GOP nomination, the whole story coming up in a few minutes.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dan Lothian at the White House. President Obama will be holding a news conference here this afternoon. He will be asked a number of questions about foreign policy, domestic issues, but also will be announcing a new housing plan to help those in the military and veterans. I'll have more details at the top of the hour.

ELISE LABBOTT, CNN SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: I'm Elise Labbott in Washington. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Capitol Hill after talks with President Obama and a tough speech at the Pro-Israel lobby about Iran's nuclear program, coming up in the next hour.

COSTELLO: Thanks to all of you.

Also in the next hour one of Newt Gingrich's key supporters will join us, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal. We'll talk about Super Tuesday and ask if today could make or break the Gingrich campaign.

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COSTELLO: It is conference championship week in college basketball and four more teams have cards to the big dance. VCU used their panic (ph) defense to knock off Drexel and take the Colonial Tournament. The Dragons had won 19 straight before falling last night. The Rams back in the NCAAs after making it to the final four last season.

To the West Coast Conference now and the title game there. Gonzaga's alley oop (INAUDIBLE) buries the deep three to send the game with St. Mary's into overtime. But the Zags couldn't find the same magic in OT. The their final shot, yes, it misses. St. Mary's holds on for the win and its second NCAA bid in three years.

It took two overtimes to decide the Southern Conference Championship. Davidson's Clint man gets the ball on the baseline and he jams it home. Western Carolina has one last chance for the win but three misses the mark. Davidson returns to the NCAAs for the first time since 2008.

And Fairfield facing off against Loyola of Maryland for the Metro Atlantic Crown. Erik Etherly hits the baseline jumper to put Loyola up by six. The Greyhounds hold on to win. They're going to the big dance for just the second time in school history. I am a Loyola fan, and, yes, I was watch that game last night.

Selection Sunday is just five days away. We want you to join our bracket challenge. Go to cnn.com/brackets and see if you can pick the NCAA winners better than our anchors. I kind of bet you can.

A politician's appearance with his son led to a mystery. Here's Jeanne Moos.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kids on TV. They scratch, they sigh. They love to make faces. But that isn't why this interview by Fox's Neil Cavuto was pronounced creepiest thing ever by the blog Mediaite. It wasn't what the kid did, it was his dad.

NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS HOST: What are your friends saying when they see you on TV?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know right now.

MOOS: Did you notice the dad's lips moving? Sort of like a bad ventriloquist? The boy is 5-year-old Hudson Hinckley who did a cute political commercial for his dad, a Republican from Rhode Island, running for the U.S. Senate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is that national debt when I was born and this is the national debt what it is now. Yuck.

MOOS: But when they were interviewed by Cavuto.

CAVUTO: Hudson, are you worried about our debt?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you worried about paying back the money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

MOOS: What do you expect, the kid is 5. The creepy part, the part that made Mediaite's writer want to go wash my eyes out, was watching the dad when Hudson was asked what he wants to be when he grows up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to be in the war and save the country.

MOOS: When we showed the clip, everyone had a theory.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's already told him what to say.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looks like they're both reading from the same script or teleprompter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to be a good senator.

CAVUTO: Really?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It reminds me of like a stage mom. They rehearse it and then they see their kids on stage and they're like, say exactly what I told you to say.

MOOS: Why were you mouthing the words that he said?

BARRY HINCKLEY (R), RHODE ISLAND SENATE CANDIDATE: Well, I'm not sure. You know, obviously we were a both a bit nervous because it was the first time we did national TV. That's all. There was no conspiracy theory. There were no cue cards.

MOOS: A psychologist told CNN this type of repetition can happen when someone is anxious about how a child or a spouse is being perceived. Some suggest that it might be a verbal tick. The involuntary tick of echoing.

HINCKLEY: God, no. I've done hundreds of interviews myself. It was the first time I've ever worked with a 5-year-old live. So, obviously it didn't go as planned but live and learn.

MOOS: And if it all feels a little bit like a ventriloquist act, say Maxwell and Hugo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You tell them it wasn't my fault.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What sort of dummy do you think I am? MOOS: At least Hudson and Barry survived the interview unlike Hugo.