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4.0 Earthquake in California; Ohio Not Seeking Federal Help; 21 Killed in Kentucky Alone; Obama, Super Tuesday Involves 10 states; Netanyahu Talk Iran Nukes; Obama Meets Netanyahu; AIG to Pay Back Part of Its Bailout; Candidates Vie for 419 Delegates; Syrian Government Expands Deadly Attacks; 30 Years of John Belushi Memories; Obama, Netanyahu Meet Next Hour; NFL to Talk with Williams Today
Aired March 05, 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: Good morning, Soledad. Thanks so much.
We are following that breaking news out of San Francisco. San Francisco, California, the U.S. Geological Society confirms a 4.0 magnitude earthquake near Richmond. That's about 15 miles north of Oakland.
CNN's Dan Simon is near there. He joins us live by phone. What can you tell us?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): Hi, Carol. It was a pretty sharp jolt this morning. Nice wake-up call for us here in the East Bay of California. You know -- excuse me, about a 4.0 magnitude. Again this is a very sharp jolt. It was really short. Only lasted for a few seconds. From what we understand, no damage. But, yes, very unsettling this morning, about 5:30 this morning -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Unsettling but I dare say Californians are pretty used to this, right?
SIMON: We've very used to it. But anytime it happens, you know, this early in the morning, people are a little bit more unsettled, you know, as people are going to work, getting ready, you know, for their -- for their day. We know that it's standard operating procedure for them to check, you know, bridges and things like that and the subway system. And from what -- again, from what we understand no damage at all.
COSTELLO: All right, Dan Simon. Thanks so much.
Like a war zone or an end of the world movie. That's how people are describing devastating tornadoes that tore through the Midwest and the south. Here's the latest for you. The violent storms are now blamed for 39 deaths in five states.
More than 650 National Guard troops are now on the ground in two of the hardest hit states, Kentucky and Indiana. FEMA has also dispatched teams to those states to begin damage assessment. But even with all of the damage we've seen, one state is holding off on asking for federal help. The Ohio governor, John Kasich, he says first the state wants to assess the damage for themselves before asking the Obama administration for assistance.
CNN's Athena Jones is in tornado-ravaged Henryville, Indiana.
Athena, I want to start with the Ohio governor's decision not to ask federal authorities to come into the states to survey the damage and why he did that.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, from what we understand, Carol, the idea -- there's not as much damage in Ohio as there is here in Indiana. As you can see behind me, just this bus through this home. And so Ohio authorities right now are assessing the damage themselves. They believe at the moment that they are going to be able to handle it. But of course, that could change at any moment. So they are holding off.
And what we understand, they are holding off on asking for federal help until they know that they need it, until they know they can't handle it themselves. As you know, the president, President Obama, has spoken with the governors of each of the affected states, and said that FEMA stands at the ready.
The federal government and his administration is monitoring the situation. And they stand ready to help with anything that they are asked. They want to make sure that any unmet needs are met. They can help meet them. But right now, the Ohio governor hasn't asked for help but that could change at any moment -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I know. The reason I ask you that is because there are liberal blogs out there attacking the Republican governor of Ohio, who say that, you know, he's not allowing federal authorities to come in because of some political reason.
JONES: Well, certainly you can see politics can come into play here when you think about the idea of smaller government, the idea in many states they want to see a smaller federal government. They want to be able to handle things themselves on the state level, whether it's disaster relief or schools or health care or other issues.
And so in some way, if that -- we don't know yet if ultimately the Ohio governor isn't going to ask for aid, but that may be something that's coming into play, the whole idea that a governor of a state will say, we want to handle it ourselves. We don't want the federal government to help because we believe in small government. That's certainly one of the political themes we've seen a lot in recent years -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Indiana is a different story, though. The damage is more widespread there. FEMA is already on the ground, right?
JONES: That's right. And we also have about 250 National Guard troops who have been deployed here to help out. We just actually saw a Red Cross van go by offering disaster relief and assistance. And we've seen a lot of people coming together, whether it's churches or disaster relief organizations coming together to gather goods and water, food, anything that people need to try to help people out. But you can see around me here this school bus ran into this building here. This was a restaurant. The owners there, they've leased it just for the last month.
We spoke -- yesterday with the woman whose parents actually started the restaurant some 20 years ago. It changed location a few times and it moved here. This restaurant had only been open for about a month.
Next to me there's also a lot of damage at an auto body shop. You can still see some of the cars underneath the damage. And of course the snow that's fallen overnight doesn't make things any easier when you've got this much debris to go and collect. And so that's what they are going to be dealing with here today.
We spoke with the state police a little bit earlier today. They say that about half this town of Henryville now has electricity and gas. But of course you can see that there are a lot of these buildings that no one is going to be in them anyway. And so there's not a lot of activity right now. But we expect more or less more electrical workers and more cleanup to go on today -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Athena Jones reporting live from Henryville, Indiana.
A Kentucky town nearly wiped out -- by some powerful storm -- by a powerful storm system, I should say, is facing a new problem this morning.
Meteorologist Rob Marciano is following that part of the story. He's in West Liberty, Kentucky.
Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol. The only vehicles that have been in this area still emergency vehicles and a lot of power vehicles, power company vehicles. Residents still not allowed to come here. There goes another power company truck. They are trying to string some lights. At least get some juice going on here because power and communication, that's -- those have been the two biggest obstacles here in West Liberty.
There haven't been many buildings that have gone untouched. At one point, this storm was a mile in width. Only the most sturdy standing buildings like that one down there, that's the courthouse, cement and brick, they have actually just spent a ton of money renovating that. So that's heartbreaking to see the damage there.
But the problem with the snow, and it's still snowing now. We got about three inches of snow on the ground. It eased up, but now it's snowing again. When snow covers debris like this, nails, glass, shards, sharp pieces of metal, that's dangerous to begin with. Now it's hidden, it's slick, and it's cold. So dangerous again, residents won't be allowed to back in here today.
They've got heavy equipment to come in here. We caught up yesterday with a CNN Hero who leads a response team cleaning up debris with specially designed equipment just for storm debris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAG AGOGLIA, FIRST RESPONSE TEAM OF AMERICA: Time is of the essence. You know, there's a lot of people that live in this small country town. They want to get back in here. They want to get to their home sites. They are looking for photos, important documents, anything they can salvage. But they can't actually get through the roads and so we're going to have to clear those roads. And we want them to be safe.
This truck is specifically designed just to handle storm debris.
MARCIANO: No kidding.
AGOGLIA: It's got a crane mounted on the back of it. And in the front of the crane, it's got a huge claw that can come out of this large box and actually grab storm debris because storm debris is very tricky to deal with. After a tornado takes a home or a commercial building or like what we have here, a bank, it just twists everything together. And it's very hard to handle. So you need claws to specifically grab the debris.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: Yes. It's tricky. Trickier now that we've got snow piled up on top of that. One of the other reasons they're not letting people in, Carol, today is because not only the snow, but they're going to start demolishing some of these buildings. I mean there's just no sense in keeping them around. And on the main street, that's really closely packed and tight, you just have -- it's tough to get around.
So West Liberty, Kentucky, one of the hardest hit with this. The state of Kentucky, the hardest hit, 21 of the 39 fatalities in this state, and they are reeling. The worst outbreak here since at least 1974 -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And snow on top of it. Thank you, Rob.
To find out more on how you can help those affected by the tornadoes, go to CNN.com/impact. There you'll find all the organizations and ways you can help those in need. That's CNN.com/impact.
Did you know tomorrow was Super Tuesday? I bet you did. There's a lot at stake in tomorrow's Super Tuesday primaries. A total of 419 delegates up for grabs. The GOP candidates are making a final push in the 10 states holding contests. The results could clarify the picture for a nominee.
Our political editor Paul Steinhauser joins me now.
I know you have some new polls, but do you really think this will be the definitive answer as to who the nominee will be? PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Not the definitive answer, but if Mitt Romney has a very good night, Carol, if he does have a very good night, I think it gives him some more daylight, some room between him and the other, other rivals for the GOP nomination.
And, yes, I do have new polls and we're going to start with Ohio because of course you know that state very well.
COSTELLO: I do.
STEINHAUSER: Listen, not all Super Tuesday states are created equal. Ohio seems to be the most crucial. Take a look at this, brand new from Quinnipiac University, it came out this morning. Look at the numbers on the left. For the first time, a brand-new poll has Mitt Romney on top, three points over Santorum. That's within the sampling error basically all knotted up.
But look what it was a week ago, Rick Santorum had a seven-point lead. So we're really seeing momentum shift to Mitt Romney.
Let's go to Tennessee, a southern state, one without Newt Gingrich, so it's kind of more evenly up for grabs. And Rick Santorum, you know, he used to have a double-digit lead in Tennessee. Now down to just four points, which again basically all knotted up. So I guess the theme here in a a bunch of these states is momentum moving to Mitt Romney.
COSTELLO: Why do you think that is?
STEINHAUSER: A couple of reasons. A lot of ads. Him and the super PAC that's supporting him has been blanketing these states with ads. Santorum, Gingrich, Paul not really keeping up. But also those wins last week in Michigan and Arizona are helping. Momentum really an important factor in this race for the nomination.
COSTELLO: What about endorsements? Because Mitt Romney got a big endorsement from Eric Cantor. And Eric Cantor was on "STARTING POINT" this morning and here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ERIC CANTOR (R-VA), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: Well, Mitt Romney is really the only man in the race who has a plan, a bold pro growth plan, to create jobs and get this economy back on track. And this is a central issue for this election. It is about how we're going to make the economy better, how we're going to get small businesses back in gear to begin in gear to begin to grow jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: OK. You know how I feel about endorsements. I don't think they much matter. But he is a big Tea Party guy, Eric Cantor, and the Tea Party hasn't been exactly supportive of Mitt Romney. So could this help him as well?
STEINHAUSER: You just nailed it. I don't need to talk. You just nailed that one. Seriously. Endorsements really don't matter that much this cycle, but, yes, you add the endorsement by Cantor, you add the endorsement by Senator Coburn of Oklahoma, another very conservative, and it could help Romney with a part of the base he has not really done very well with.
COSTELLO: Well, is part of the reason that Rick Santorum's surge has sort of ended because of the things he said about a college education, about Barack Obama being a snob for wanting to send your kids to college, or have, you know, extra education at the end of high school? I mean do those things matter in a state of -- in a state like Ohio?
STEINHAUSER: Yes. And in a state like Ohio where it's more about the economy, it may, may hurt Rick Santorum. In a state like Tennessee or Oklahoma where social conservatives are so important, even here in Georgia, as well, it may help Rick Santorum.
I'll tell you one thing, though, if Santorum does end up winning Ohio, we'll be talking very differently on Wednesday morning, won't we?
COSTELLO: Yes, we will. Paul Steinhauser, I know you're going to stick around. Thanks so much.
Tomorrow, Super Tuesday, noon Eastern. Join us online. Wolf Blitzer and CNN's political team will host the "CNN Election Roundtable." It's an insider chat on the implications of Tuesday's results on the presidential race. That's at CNN.com/roundtable.
Then join us here on CNN tomorrow night when the votes start coming in. We'll start with the special edition of "JOHN KING, USA" at 6:00 Eastern followed at 7:00 with complete live coverage of results.
Coming up this morning, the debate over Iran's nuclear program. President Obama urges diplomacy. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning a possible military strikes. In the next hour the men search for common ground.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: In the next hour, President Obama wades into high stakes debate with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The U.S. is urging Israel to hold off at least for now on launching any military strikes against Iran and its nuclear program.
CNN's Brianna Keilar is at the White House where the men will meet.
And, Brianna, the two aren't exactly close. So how high is the tension between them really?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol. You know, and we have some pretty serious examples that we've seen even in the last year or so to show that. I think that you look somewhat separately at the relationship between Israel and the U.S., which is certainly very strong. But, of course, may also be at this critical moment where this allegiance may be tested.
But then you also look separately at the relationship between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu, which at times has been frosty, to say the least.
We saw last year, Prime Minister Netanyahu essentially lecturing President Obama in the Oval Office. You can imagine that didn't go over so well here. And we heard of President Obama being caught by an open mic, sort of bemoaning his dealings with Netanyahu.
So, are they best buddies? No. But they must get along. And I think what you'll see today in these meetings is obviously publicly a very positive face.
I think that you'll see both men put on their dealings. And then you'll be seeing a whole lot of spin behind the scenes as both sides really try to frame what they want to see happen going forward, Carol.
COSTELLO: So what does President Obama want to hear?
KEILAR: You know, I think what he wants to hear and we've seen him say this publicly, Carol, is that he wants some restraint on the part of Israel. He wants to know obviously that the U.S. will not be pulled into some altercation with Iran, that by the president's measure may be unnecessary depending on the point when it could happen.
But you also have Israel that is seeking some clarity. Prime Minister Netanyahu wants some clarity from President Obama on sort of what is the trigger for a military strike on Iran.
You've heard President Obama talking about how all options are on the table, and that includes militarily. But there are sort of different triggers here for Israel and for the U.S. Israel's trigger is this capability that Iran could have for creating a nuclear weapon.
It appears for the U.S. that seems to be more building a nuclear weapon, although it's a little blurry. President Obama hasn't really made a line in the sand there, and certainly that's something that the prime minister would very much welcome and may press the president on, Carol.
COSTELLO: Brianna Keilar live at the White House -- thanks.
On a whirlwind tour of the Caribbean, Prince Harry charms crowds in the Bahamas. But will he receive the same warm welcome on his next stop, Jamaica?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: He ate, heck, he did a shot, and he danced.
Prince Harry is known as the party prince, and did not disappoint on a tour to honor his grandmother's 60-year reign.
CNN's Max Foster has more from the Bahamas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A private jet for a very public visit. The red carpet, the guard of honor -- all the formalities you'd expect from a royal tour, but with a Harry twist.
Gesturing to the gathered media, he jokes, "They're not with me".
A motorcade took Harry to the capital Belmopan. The route lined with well wishers.
A street party awaited him. He's here representing his grandmother, the queen, who is the Belizean head of state.
And then we saw Harry, the party prince. He sampled local dishes, including cow foot soup and washed it down with some punchy local cocktails.
After all that, how could he turn down an invitation to dance?
(on camera): Well, Prince Harry didn't disappoint. He came to this street festival. He ate, he drank, he even danced.
(voice-over): The next morning, Harry hit the great outdoors, climbing to the top of this Xunantunich Mayan temple. A prince clearly with a head for heights.
This was a whirlwind tour of less than 24 hours. And before we knew it, Harry was in the Bahamas, and in tropical military uniform. A quick change, and time to tease his brother William about landing a trip to paradise.
PRINCE HARRY: I'll certainly be showing off about it to my brother and sister-in-law when I return home.
FOSTER (on camera): You met Diana when she came to the Bahamas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
FOSTER: And now, you're going to meet Harry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right, her baby. Her baby.
FOSTER: The third generation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. So, it's wonderful.
FOSTER (voice-over): Then he was off again. It's difficult keeping up with him.
(on camera): I think this is a first for a press pass, rushing to the airport to catch up with Prince Harry, who is always one step ahead. We're still chasing Prince Harry. We are now going by speed boat on the way to Harbor Island in the Bahamas, hopefully getting there before him.
(voice-over): Harry, meanwhile, was at breakneck speed in his boat, until it broke down. Luckily, there was a spare.
We managed to beat him to Harbor Island, this small oasis of paradise where they went wild for their prince.
After wowing this usually sleepy group (ph), Prince Harry sent off accompanied by his mother's bridesmaid, India Hicks, who helped show him around the island.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: OK. That was Max Foster. He is live in Nassau today where Harry was well received as well.
But on his next stop in Jamaica -- the reception, Max, it could be different?
FOSTER: Yes. Absolutely. Since this trip was announced, a new prime minister was sworn in in Jamaica, and she swore to get rid of the monarchy, to get rid of that link with the queen of England, who is also the queen of Jamaica, queen of Bahamas, queen of Belize.
So, that's going to be really interesting. We're going to see them shaking hands.
But we saw a similar thing last year when the duchess of Cambridge and the duke of Cambridge, William, went to Quebec in Canada. They are also generally anti-monarchy but actually were pro the young prince and the young duchess.
So, we'll see if Harry manages to turn things around in Jamaica. He is a popular guy. He went down well here. He'll probably go down well with young people in Jamaica.
But also in Jamaica, we'll see a pretty good Harry moment, I think. He's going to meet up with Usain Bolt, who is practicing for the Olympics. He's going to race him on the track. So, we'll bring you that live tomorrow, Carol.
But loads of great pictures coming in. I mean, it goes for anything. I mean, racing Usain Bolt. I mean, the guy is crazy.
COSTELLO: That is crazy. I bet he's going to lose.
Max Foster, thanks.
FOSTER: I pretty much think so. Maybe he'll let him win. Yes, OK.
COSTELLO: Yes, maybe he'll let him get a big head start. Thanks so much, Max. We appreciate it.
The biggest bailout of the insurers, AIG, got more than $180 billion from taxpayers. Now, AIG is taking steps to pay it back.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with an update.
Good morning, Alison.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
So, what AIG is basically doing is taking another step to get out from under the thumb of the U.S. government. So, AIG, as you said, is selling more assets to pay us, the U.S. taxpayer, back.
Now, it's been doing this for a few years now. But today's step is a big one. It's going to go ahead and sell some of its stake in an Asian life insurer called AIA. And analysts say what this sale should do is raise about $6 billion, and AIG says it will take that money and pay back taxpayers.
Now, keep in mind, AIG still owes about $50 billion. So after selling this stake in AIA, Carol, the rest is supposed to be recouped when the government sells its 77 percent stake in AIG shares which reportedly could happen within the next few months -- Carol.
COSTELLO: OK. So, how do the markets look today?
KOSIK: We're going to be seeing the opening bell happen in about five minutes. Expect stocks to open lower because of there are some concerns about how the global economy is doing. China said it expects its economic growth to slow this year. Also, business activity in Europe, that's slowed more than expected in February.
Now, you have to remember, these are some of our biggest trading partners, so a slowdown overseas affects us. That is putting investors a bit on edge a little bit before the opening bell -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange.
Maybe you've heard, it's Super Tuesday tomorrow. A lot of stakes at the GOP presidential race. We'll talk more about the battle for Ohio, the most coveted prize of all. That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Checking our top stories now:
The death toll from a series of tornadoes in five states now up to 39. Among the victims, an Indiana family of five, including three small children. The decision was made yesterday to take the 14-month- old survivor. She had significant head injuries. They took her off life support.
President Obama is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today. They'll focus on Iran's nuclear program. Israel says it reserves the right to defend itself against Iranian threats. The president wants to press diplomacy.
And gas prices are climbing to that $4 mark. Pump prices up for the 27th straight day, tied to the soaring price of oil. The nationwide average now at $3.77 a gallon.
Did I mention Super Tuesday is tomorrow? Ten states and 419 delegates up for grabs. Ohio is the crucial prize. So, let's talk.
CNN contributor Will Cain is here. Welcome, Will.
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Carol. Congratulations.
What, you got two hours. We're going to miss you here in New York, but small price for two hours of Carol, right?
COSTELLO: I'm glad you're on my debut show. It makes me happy.
CAIN: Thank you.
COSTELLO: OK, Will, let's talk about Santorum. He was surging in Ohio and then all of a sudden the surge disappeared. Why?
CAIN: Well, we know the answer to that, right? It was contraception, college, and Kennedy. It was three controversial statements in a couple of day's time that I think even among conservatives, it made you cringe a little bit.
Here's the deal. Even if you could explain each of his positions on each one of these issues, and I think you actually can on some of these. Some there are legitimate explanations for how he arrived at his positions.
But the initial reaction to all these positions for everyone, he said, what, snobs? It makes it feel like the campaign is swerving in, you know, and out of its lane and it feels like he needs to get a hold of the steering wheel and hold it down the middle.
COSTELLO: On the other hand, you know they are early voting in Ohio and apparently not many people are flocking to those polls, at least in early voting. So, maybe people aren't so excited about Mitt Romney either, even though he appears to be catching up with Rick Santorum.
CAIN: Well, that's clear, right? I mean, we have talked about this from the beginning that Mitt Romney has this enthusiasm gap, that people can't get excited about him.
Here's the deal. We have to recognize the limitations of Mitt Romney's personality. He's never going to inspire fandom. People aren't going to wear Mitt Romney t-shirts and stand in crowds and cheer his name outside of, you know, the really strong political nuts. But he has to -- I think the way, Carol, he begins to generate enthusiasm is stand for something more than himself, and he can do that by letting his opposition define him, I think.
This is how somebody like me begins to get excited. If he can defend success and wealth and become a proxy for capitalism, then you can generate energy and excitement. That I think is his path to enthusiasm.
COSTELLO: Really?
CAIN: Yes.
COSTELLO: Because I see the Democrats in Ohio doing the happy dance.
CAIN: Well, that's the interesting thing. I think you're right. I think they would like to define him that way, and I would like liberals to define him that way. Then we can at least have an honest debate, can't we? We can say we both disagree on this promise whether or not his wealth is honestly earned and whether not it should be counted as a demerit or merit for him in this race.
I'm happy to have that debate. That would be refreshing. We could agree on our disagreement.
COSTELLO: Oh, that's so odd to even think about, I can't even fathom that.
I forgot to ask you about the House Majority Leader Eric Cantor because he came out and endorsed Romney. Earlier this morning, CNN's Soledad O'Brien asked him about what seemed to be lukewarm endorsements from everywhere, came from "The Detroit News" and "The Cleveland Plain Dealer."
Listen to Eric Cantor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ERIC CANTOR (R-VA), MAJORITY LEADER: I am very excited about his plan to fix the economy. And that's the issue, Soledad. I know you don't want to hear that.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, ANCHOR, CNN'S STARTING POINT: I do. I love talking economy. I truly do. I just -- I guess I just want you to specifically answer my question. I feel like that's a lukewarm, halfhearted endorsement. Do you feel the same way?
CANTOR: No. I mean, again, I disagree with anybody who said, you know, that there is not energy surrounding Mitt Romney's campaign. If -- when people take time to look at his economic plan, I think they'll get excited about it. You are already see him gaining momentum.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Oh, come on. Seriously, Will?
CAIN: Seriously what?
COSTELLO: Seriously? Mitt Romney is gaining momentum? I guess you could say that in Ohio. But I don't think that equals enthusiasm for heading to the polls to actually cast a vote for the man.
CAIN: I think that's fair. I do think he is gaining momentum, but I'm not sure that translates into gaining enthusiasm. You just heard what I thought about his enthusiasm gap. And I think Representative Cantor is now endorsing Mitt Romney, and he has to say things like that.
By the way, Romney also gathered the endorsement of Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, which is no small feat. Coburn is basically an unimpeachable conservative. Among conservatives, he is, you know, almost a revered figure. That's a huge endorsement for Romney.
So, I think he is getting momentum in endorsements and some in some of the states like Ohio. Does that mean he is getting enthusiasm, energy, excitement? That's a totally different question and story.
COSTELLO: Not that I expected Eric Cantor to go, woo hoo, Romney! He doesn't seem that enthused.
CAIN: Right.
COSTELLO: OK. Thank you, Will Cain, so much. Appreciate it.
CAIN: You bet. Thank you.
COSTELLO: Today in Syria, we are learning the government is expanding its deadly attacks.
Next: a closer look at the new tactic used by the Syrian government and how rebels are responding.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: This morning in Syria, reports the government is expanding its deadly siege.
Opposition activists say at least seven people died today as government forces attacked cities in the north and south. Rebel fighters say they are now stepping up their own offensive because unarmed civilians are being massacred. They say more than 60 people died across the country just yesterday.
Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson -- he is in neighboring Lebanon. He joins us live from Beirut.
So, Nic, there's just no stopping the violence there.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There absolutely isn't. The shelling continues in neighborhoods of Homs. We have been talking to an activist just in the last few minutes in that city, and he said that there are several districts there where the Free Syrian Army are sill in some areas, those areas are being shelled. There is smoke we've seen rising from the Baba Amr neighborhood where the Free Syrian Army withdrew from at the end of last week, that government forces are now inside of.
People say they believe this is bodies being burned. There certainly been videos that showed up over the weekend that activists say are people who have been summarily executed, people in the Baba Amr neighborhood executed by government forces.
And the town just north of Homs, Rastan there, video coming out from there and a statement by the Free Syrian Army saying they are having a tactical withdrawal there. But they say this withdrawal is to protect civilian casualties there. There were a lot of civilian casualties there over the weekend from government shelling, and they say they're now going to concentrate and regroup and focus on offensive operations.
And they released video overnight of an attack at Damascus, an attack on the government air force intelligence building -- a very feared institution in Syria. The Free Syrian Army attacking that last night, Carol.
COSTELLO: I'm just curious, what kind of weapons are the rebels using?
ROBERTSON: Rocket-propelled grenades and RPG and automatic small arms. They have Kalashnikovs, ands the rocket propelled grenade and very little else.
They do have homemade bombs. They are using some roadside bombs in some cases. But they lack heavy weapons. One rebel commander did say in a statement this morning that he hoped in the next few days to get more information indicating that they would get heavier weapons, things that perhaps can more effectively attack and target tanks and such like.
But for the Free Syrian Army, their problem is a lack of ammunition, a lack of weapons, they say, lack of weapons. Some are being bought from -- they are actually purchasing them from militia that says are loyal to Bashar al Assad and from the Syrian army. They are buying some there to getting some shipped in from Lebanon.
But it's a shortage of the heavier and stronger weapons that they say is really impacting their fight against the much better equipped government forces.
COSTELLO: Nic Robertson, live from Beirut. Thanks.
Imagine walking away from this -- the crew on this helicopter did. The crash caught on camera. We go more on this amazing video right after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Checking stories across the country now.
From Arizona, heart stopping footage of a helicopter crash caught on camera.
The aircraft was filming a change in the Korean version of the car show "Top Gear" when it went down. Amazingly, the pilot and copilot survived. No word on what exactly caused the crash.
In Alabama, a historic walk across one of America's most famous bridges. Activists are retracing the steps of the civil rights era march from Selma to Montgomery. On March 7th, 1965, protesters were beaten by police in a brutal attack that became known as Bloody Sunday. That march led Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act, getting African-Americans across the United States the right to vote.
And the 40th Iditarod is underway in Alaska. Sixty-six people registered for the 975-mile race which will take place over the next few weeks. The first 30 finishers will split a prize of $550,000.
It's been 30 years since comedian John Belushi's death, but much of his comedy is still alive in reruns and movies.
"Showbiz Tonight's" Nischelle Turner is in Los Angeles.
And it's -- I can't believe it's been 30 years, first of all.
NISCHELLE TURNER, HLN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
COSTELLO: And Belushi's good friends are just now speaking out about it, like Dan Aykroyd.
TURNER: Yes, you know Carol it was 30 years ago today that Belushi died. You can see that Dan Aykroyd definitely still misses his old friend. Now "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's" Kareen Wynter, got a chance to speak with Dan Aykroyd who says, "If Belushi had lived he would shown everyone his more intellectual side". Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN AYKROYD, ACTOR: And if he was alive he would be directing plays in New York City. He would be there with the leading likes of theater avante-garde and traditional. He would be directing plays and musicals. He would be one of the premiere director producers on Broadway.
That would have been his destiny because he was so intelligent and so well referenced there. And, yes, he was more of an academic than was given, you know, than the Bluto image would have you believe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: In honor of Belushi tonight, Aykroyd is holding a fundraiser for the House of Blues Foundation in Joliet, Illinois. The foundation provides musical education to underprivileged kids, which is of course is a tribute to Aykroyd and Belushi's classic film "The Blues Brothers", where John Belushi played Joliet Jake on a mission from God. I know, Carol I know that's one of your favorites, yes. And you may be interested to know --
COSTELLO: Of course it was.
TURNER: -- that Dan Aykroyd told us. Listen to this, this is good, that he was writing "Ghost Busters" for himself, John Belushi and Eddie Murphy.
COSTELLO: Oh, it makes you kind of sad, doesn't it?
TURNER: Wouldn't that have been great movie?
COSTELLO: Yes, it was a great -- it was a great, it was a great movie anyway, but that would have been awesome.
TURNER: Yes.
COSTELLO: A day cannot go by where we cannot talk about Lindsay Lohan. I watched "Saturday Night Live". And --
(CROSSTALK)
TURNER: Me too.
COSTELLO: And I just found it kind of sad.
TURNER: You know, it was -- it was interesting. Let me put it like that. And Lindsay Lohan, the good thing is she can still bring the ratings. Because "Saturday Night Live" had its second best night of the season with her as the host.
Now, it seems like people tuned in just to see how Lindsay would do. And doubtless, of course, some people also tuned in to see if she will have a screw-up on the air. And some critics are saying this morning, Carol, that the show really didn't seem to trust her and they relegated her to kind of smaller roles or playing bit parts in some of the sketches.
So you know, we'll -- we'll see. She didn't do terribly. But she didn't shine, I guess, that's -- that's what they're saying.
COSTELLO: That's a very elegant way of putting it.
TURNER: I'm trying to play nice this morning ok.
COSTELLO: I thought it was so pathetic.
TURNER: Some of it was funny though. I did laugh -- I did laugh at points.
COSTELLO: Thanks Nischelle. We appreciate it.
TURNER: All right.
COSTELLO: You can see that entire interview with Dan Aykroyd by the way as he remembers his friend John Belushi on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" that's at 11:00 Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Less than an hour from now, President Obama is schedule to sit down with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And their talk is likely to be tense. The United States is urging Israel to hold off, at least for now, on launching any military strikes against Iran in its nuclear program.
CNN's Dan Lothian has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Obama talked tough on Iran and delivered reassurances to Israel when he addressed Sunday's meeting of the American/Israeli Public Affairs Committee.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Whenever an effort is made to delegitimize the state of Israel, my administration has opposed them. So there should not be a shred of doubt by now. When the chips are down, I have Israel's back.
LOTHIAN: With an election year back draft for high-stakes meeting between President Obama and Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Iran's nuclear program and how to deal with a looming threat are fueling tensions.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The warnings that I and others have been giving over the years will materialize unless Iran is stopped.
HAIM MALKA, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: We're heading into dangerous territory because the Israeli/U.S. partnership has already been under strain over the last couple of years.
LOTHIAN: Haim Malka, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies says while the U.S. and Israel share the same objectives they don't always share the same strategy.
MALKA: The Obama Administration is going to try to convince the Israeli Prime Minister that he should give sanctions a bit more time to work while the Israeli government, the Israeli Prime Minister is going to try to convince the President that time is running out and that Iran needs to be confronted with explicit military threats.
LOTHIAN: The White House has insisted all options, including military action, remain on the table and while some critics may doubt the President's resolve, in a recent interview with the "Atlantic" magazine, he said, quote, "As President of the United States, I don't bluff."
But there seems to be less clarity, at least publicly about the red line that would prompt the use of U.S. military force against Iran.
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Speculation or -- about what we would do if this were to happen and what would trigger what response is not something I would do here from the podium and it's not productive to the success of our -- of our policy.
LOTHIAN: President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu have met eight times over the past three years, the stalled Mid East peace process is always a central focus but the temperature is rising amid talk of a possible attack by Israel on nuclear sites in Iran.
(on camera): Even though the relationship between the President and the Prime Minister is often characterized as frosty or dysfunctional, the White House downplays their differences. The President said that the relationship is, quote, "very functional". And while he admitted that they aren't always aligned on every issue, he insisted they share the same goals.
Dan Lothian, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Stories we're working on later today in the CNN NEWSROOM.
At 12:30 Eastern Time, the TSA will outline its strategy for dealing with counterterrorism and improving airline security.
Then at 2:30 Eastern, a congressional panel will investigate a humanitarian crisis as China deals with a wave of North Korean refugees. China sends them back, where they could face punishment and execution.
And at 5:30 Eastern, Attorney General Eric Holder will justify the U.S. position behind last year's drone strike that killed the American Anwar al-Awlaki, a man with alleged terrorist ties in Yemen.
We're following a lot 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 looking at Super Tuesday and I'm looking at the latest polls, is the big momentum moving Mitt Romney's way? We'll break down the numbers at the top of the hour.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Athena Jones in -- I'm Athena Jones in Henryville, Indiana, a town hit hard by Friday's tornado. We'll have more on cleanup and recovery efforts at the top of the hour.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elizabeth Cohen in Atlanta. The artificial pancreas is a potential game changer for millions of Americans who have diabetes. I talked to a 12-year- old girl who is one of the first to try it out and I will have that at the top of the hour.
COSTELLO: Thanks to all of you.
Also ahead, oil and gas prices keep going up, I know you feel the pain. One small town, though, enjoys the profits. Ali Velshi joins us from Cushing, Oklahoma, the hub of the nation's oil pipelines.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Big all season news in the NFL. The league's investigating illegal bounty programs. I'm sure you have heard. Jeff Fischel joins me. This is like disgusting.
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: Yes, it's really embarrassing for the NFL right now and that's why I think you are seeing them move very quickly. The NFL announced Friday it was investigating claims that defensive coordinator Greg Williams and some Saints players were using an illegal bounty system. Now, sources say the league has summoned Williams to New York today for talks about it.
The NFL is looking into allegations that Saints players were rewarded for big hits, including knocking opponents out of games in the 2009, 2010, 2011 seasons. After the investigation was announced, five former Redskins told the "Washington Post" William had a similar system when he was with the Redskins. Williams is currently now the Rams defensive coordinator. We, of course, will be following this story.
NBA now, the Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. He's been the subject of trade rumors and now there's Knicks point guard, Jeremy Lin back in Boston where he played for Harvard. They went back and forth. Here, under two minutes left, Lin gets open and hits the three- pointer.
COSTELLO: Oh.
FISCHEL: In Boston. This would go to overtime. Great battle between the Celtics and the Knicks. Rondo takes control in overtime. Look at the offensive rebound and the score. The Celtics win. Rondo -- 18 points, 17 rebounds, 20 assists.
The last guy to do numbers like that in the game, Magic Johnson 23 years ago. Great win for the Celtics.
We have the Lakers, the legend of today. Kobe Bryant still wearing that protective mask. Remember Dwyayne Wade broke Kobe's nose from the all-star game last week. Wade, Lebron and the Heat taking on the Lakers. There is Dwyane Wade. Kobe though gets revenged, the Masked Mamba, 33 points for the game, his third straight 30-point game, D wade fouls out, Lakers win 93-83.
COSTELLO: The best thing that ever happened to him was that broken nose. He can't be stopped.
FISCHEL: Although he says he sweats inside the mask. Gets a little stuffed to play --
COSTELLO: I can't imagine.
FISCHEL: But nothing slows him down.
Here is Charles Howell III, aka, Thurston, "Lovey, would you pass me the 4-iron?" A hole-in-one. Tiger Woods was fantastic yesterday in the final round. This is an eagle. He was -- shot a 62 -- that's his best final round ever. He got within one stroke of Rory McIlroy. But McIlroy, just 22, unfazed by Tiger lurking. The 22-year-old McIlroy finished strong, ends up winning the tournament with this putt right here, he is now the number one player in the world, second youngest ever. Youngest, of course, ever, was Tiger. And if Tiger's back at full strength, these two are going to have great battles all spring and summer.
COSTELLO: They'll be fun to watch. That's for sure.
FISCHEL: Yes.
COSTELLO: Jeff, I'm feeling kind of a twinge of March Madness.
FISCHEL: I'm feeling it, too.
COSTELLO: I'm getting a fever. It's just six days away. You could actually check your brackets against me and the official NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge Game.
FISCHEL: Carol knows her stuff.
COSTELLO: Not really. But Jeff does. He's going to compete against me. Go to cnn.com/brackets and join the CNN group. It will be a lot of fun.
FISCHEL: I'm in.
COSTELLO: I'm in, too. Thank you, Jeff.
FISCHEL: Ok.
