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"Super Tuesday" Voting Under Way; GOP Candidates Fight For Ohio; Candidates Address Pro-Israel Lobby; Obama's Plan To Help Homeowners; Gingrich Leans On Home State; Georgia Has Today's Biggest GOP Prize; Interview With Georgia Governor Nathan Deal; McCain: Time For U.S. To Bomb Syria

Aired March 06, 2012 - 10:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Across much of the country the polls are open and the Republican race is being shaped. It is Super Tuesday, the single most important day of the nomination process.

Ten states holding caucuses or primaries and 419 delegates are up for grabs. For the candidates, big wins could help them break free from the pack. Sixty three delegates are up for grabs in Ohio, but the numbers tell only part of the story.

History shows Ohio is a critical testing ground. And right now, Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are locked in a race that is too close to call.

Paul Steinhauser is in Mt. St. Joseph right outside of Cincinnati in Boehner country, right? So, Paul, why is Ohio such an important state? I mean, Georgia has more delegates, right?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Georgia does have a few more delegates. Carol, besides you being from Ohio there are some other reasons why it is so important. You mentioned, there's a battleground state in the general election.

So if Mitt Romney can't win a state like this in the primaries, it shows that he's got some troubles ahead for himself. As for Rick Santorum, he's really been going after the blue collar vote, the working class vote. There's a lot of that here in Ohio.

If he can't win the state that neighbors his native Pennsylvania then, yes, trouble for him as well. That's why you've seen both of these candidates spending so much time here and Mitt Romney and that "Super PAC" backing him, really carpeting the airwaves with ads going after Santorum.

Look how close it is. You mentioned, take a look at our poll, Carol. CNN/ORC came out yesterday. You can't get any closer than that. Deadlocked at the top with former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Congressman Ron Paul of Texas lower down.

We've been at this polling station all morning even before it opened up. There's been a steady stream of voters. Hamilton County is very crucial. It could really decide tonight's outcome -- Carol. COSTELLO: So if Santorum and Romney remain close and close and like one of them wins by just a percentage point and they split the delegates. Will Ohio really, like, clarify this race?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, it might, but it might not. Let's say Mitt Romney wins here, but doesn't do well in the south. Let's say Tennessee goes to Santorum and he wins Oklahoma as well. Well, yes, it's a pretty tight race.

You know, really depends on the outcome of all these states combined. In Tennessee, Santorum did have a big lead there. The polls indicate now it's tightened up.

Oklahoma, another social conservative state on the Republican side, Santorum has a large lead. Let's talk about Virginia, Carol, another important state.

But guess what, Santorum and Gingrich aren't on the ballot there. So Mitt Romney is going to do pretty well there obviously and win a lot of delegates -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Paul Steinhauser, thanks so much.

Let's talk about Georgia now. It is the state with the most delegates, 76 in all, but it's most important to Newt Gingrich. He himself has conceded that he has to win his former home state to keep his campaign alive.

David Mattingly is in Marietta, the hub of Gingrich's one time congressional district. So David, Gingrich seems to be doing pretty well in the polls, but he needs to win 50 percent of the vote to really make this matter.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. He doesn't just have to win today. He has to win extremely big in Georgia. This is his former home state. This is a state he represented in Congress.

And so far the polling that we're seeing, the recent CNN poll, shows that he has a 20-point lead over Mitt Romney. That is very important as he's approaching the 50 percent mark because the way Georgia's 76 delegates are doled out here.

They are portioned based on performance at the district level and at the state level. It's kind of complicated, but the speaker has to do very well across the board to walk away with a lot of those delegates.

He has to do extremely well here in order to convince voters down the road after Super Tuesday that he has what it takes to be the party's nominee. The voting today has been about what you would expect to see during a primary, especially when you have one candidate dominating, people trickling in and out. No lines, no waiting.

But again, it all comes down to percentage about how that -- those delegates are going to be doled out. The speaker though not taking anything for granted.

He's been campaigning here in Georgia seven of the last nine days, including this morning, talking to a group, having some very familiar things to say now about President Obama. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think this is the most important election of our lifetime. I mean that literally. I believe a second Obama term will be a disaster on a scale, which will put us in a situation where the very fabric of the country that we inherited will begin to disappear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Well, back to today, if former Speaker Gingrich does not win, most if not all of the 76 delegates that are up for grabs here in Georgia, today might be a disaster for him as, again, he goes after Super Tuesday to try and convince voters in other states that he does have what it takes to stay in this race -- Carol.

COSTELLO: David Mattingly in Marietta, Georgia. In just a few minutes one of Gingrich's key supporters will be here with us, the Georgia Governor Nathan Deal. He served with Gingrich in the House. Coming up, we'll ask him if today is a make or break for his old friend and colleague.

Three White House candidates are taking time from Super Tuesday campaigning to address the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC. That's the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee.

The candidates are speaking to the group at its annual policy conference in Washington, D.C. Newt Gingrich speaks shortly via satellite.

Right now, Leon Panetta is speaking. Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney spoke in the last hour. Both candidates took a hard line against Iran and criticized the president's Middle East policy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: 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.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's a critical moment. America must not and, if I'm president, it will not fail this defining test of history. The current administration has distanced itself from Israel and visibly warmed to the Palestinian cause.

It's emboldened the Palestinians. They're convinced they can do better at the U.N. and better with America directly than they can at the bargaining table with Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: In his speech to the group, President Obama said all options are on the table to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Less than two hours from now at noon Eastern, Wolf Blitzer and CNN's Political Team will host the "CNN Election Round-Table." That's a live insider chat about what's at stake today in the presidential race. You can follow it at cnn.com/roundtable.

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

On this Super Tuesday, President Obama has scheduled a news conference for this afternoon and we're just learning what he will talk about.

Our Dan Lothian is at the White House. It's interesting the topic the president will begin with. He's going to talk about a new housing plan for homeowners who are under water.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. You know, as you know, the U.S. housing market continues to be under pressure. And economists will say that, you know, this really lies at the heart of the economic recovery.

If you don't get the housing market turned around, it will be much more difficult to get the overall economy going. And so the president will aim yet again to provide some assistance for homeowners as part of some information released by the White House early this morning.

Quote, "Today, the president is announcing two steps the administration is taking to support homeowners and their families, providing relief for service members and veterans, including those wrongfully foreclosed upon or denied a lower interest rate on their mortgages and reducing fees for FHA borrowers looking to refinance."

Just to break that down a bit, those with FHA loans could see smaller fees under this plan and savings, according to the White House, of $1,000 a year. And for those who are in the military or veterans under an agreement with the lending institutions, the president will announce that they could be compensated for excessively high interest rates that they were charged or for being wrongfully foreclosed upon.

Now, Republicans are already fighting back. The Republican National Committee pointing out that this administration has rolled out other housing plans in the past. They have not lived up to promises that were made and that pointing out that the U.S. housing markets continue to be under much pressure -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Of course, it is fascinating. The president is telling the nation this on Super Tuesday, which is kind of unusual.

LOTHIAN: That's true.

COSTELLO: Dan Lothian, many thanks.

We want to talk about the housing crisis because there is more evidence that we are still in a crisis. Christine Romans is here to fill us in.

Christine, is the RNC right? I mean, President Obama has come up with other plans to ease the housing crisis. Have they worked?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, frankly, they work for some people, but not for all the people that were advertised. Let me first zero in on the service members part of this particular story because I think this is interesting, Carol.

It's illegal to foreclosure on an active duty military person but that happened. It happened over and over again during the housing crisis. So this would be an automatic review for any service member who was foreclosed on going back to 2006.

They would get $116,000, plus any lost equity in the house that they were kicked out of. So this is something pretty interesting and the banks are agreeing to look at this.

The banks also, we're told, agreeing that for service members who had to move because of their job and they lost value in their home and they suffered that loss, banks are going to step in and pay for that, too.

This is really important information here for veterans who have been hit very, very hard by the housing crisis. You ask me whether the other plans have worked. This is just the latest in a suite of housing rescue plans that, frankly, have under delivered.

Here's why, because the housing crisis was so much worse than anybody thought. There was something called "HAMP," you will remember that. It was designed to help four million people. It actually helped 910,000. There was something called "HARP." This was a refinancing program. That was designed to help five million people. It actually helped about 962,000.

So some people were helped, but seriously not as many people as we had thought. What Dan was saying at lowering the fees for an FHA- insured loan, this could help people refinance into lower rates.

That's something that's really important to putting money in people's pockets. But conservatives, people who oppose the president's housing plans will say, OK, we'll see if that works, too -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Christine Romans, many thanks.

You will probably be listening to the president's speech that comes your way at 1:15 Eastern Time. CNN will carry that live. The president will outline more of his housing plan and there will lots of questions from reporters about Iran, Israel, and, of course, nuclear weapons.

Time to start bombing Syria? That's Senator John McCain's suggestion to end the brutal government crackdown. Now a top general is speaking out saying that might not be a great option.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Newt Gingrich is betting big time on Georgia. He has been campaigning nonstop, a speech this morning outside of Atlanta and right now, he's speaking to the pro-Israel group AIPAC on Israel, Iran, and nuclear weapons.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRICH: I'm not sure anybody thinks Romney can out race Obama. It ain't going to happen. You better be prepared to wage a campaign of ideas this fall because the only hope we have to beat Obama is to have better ideas to communicate it clearly and cutting through his billion dollar campaign because he will be relentlessly negative.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The governor of Georgia, Nathan Deal, is a big Gingrich supporter and he's here with me now. Welcome.

GOVERNOR NATHAN DEAL (R), GEORGIA: Thank you, Carol. Nice to be with you.

COSTELLO: Thank you so much for coming in. We appreciate it. So Newt Gingrich has to win big in Georgia. I mean, he can't win with like 35 percent or 40 percent. He has to win 50 percent of the vote. Do you think he can do it?

DEAL: Well, he has to win 50 percent to get all of the 76 delegates. Obviously, it's a proportional if you are less than that percentage.

We think he's doing extremely well, the polls indicate that. The weather is beautiful in Georgia today so there's no excuse for people not to get out and vote. We're hoping that he's going to have a big win here.

COSTELLO: What if he doesn't though. Will he remain in the race?

DEAL: Well, that's certainly his decision and not mine. But I do think that it will show that he has significant support for people who know him the best. That's the people in Georgia where he represented our state for 20 years, brought the speakership to our state, which is a huge distinction.

COSTELLO: Is this the strangest Republican primary that you can remember?

DEAL: It would certainly fit that qualification. It has certainly been one of the most brutal, I think, in terms of negative ads. I think people are getting tired of that.

You may recall that Speaker Gingrich started out with a pledge that his was not going to be a negative campaign. I think until about middle to the latter part of December last year, he held to that pledge.

But of course, he was getting bombarded during the whole time of that and certainly I think he felt like he had to retaliate or answer, but --

COSTELLO: So that kind of puts a politician in a rough spot because, you know, they can pledge not to do any negative campaigning, but it works, right?

DEAL: Unfortunately.

COSTELLO: But it also turns off voters in the end. So you're caught in this weird place. So what do you do?

DEAL: It is very difficult. You know, people profess that they don't like negative advertising, but the polls and the results indicate that it does work in some cases. I think that's unfortunate.

I think when you have it over such a prolonged period of time as we have seen in this primary season, I think it does begin to wear thin and people want to know, what are your ideas, how can you implement your ideas?

I personally think that having served with Speaker Gingrich in the Congress of the United States, I saw what he was able to do, translate his big ideas into reality. Welfare reform, balance in the federal budget. Those are things that are still issues that are important to conservatives in this country.

COSTELLO: One of his big issues is $2.50 a gallon gas. Most economists say it's just not reality. He can't do that, especially in the short term.

DEAL: Well, I think we all recognize that we are in a global economy in terms of the cost of energy. But the reality is that's a contrast with the administration's position about not allowing us to fully utilize the resources we have available to us here domestically.

COSTELLO: But even that will take a lot of time, I mean, we can like develop the Keystone pipeline, you know, if the president would allow it, right?

DEAL: Right.

COSTELLO: But that will take a long period of time and we're not going to see $2.50 a gallon unless the markets say we're going to see $2.50 until maybe that pipeline is completed and we increase domestic oil production.

DEAL: Well, the sooner we get at it the better and the closer we will come to $2.50 a gallon. The problem has been we have talked about this issue for a very long time and have not really significantly addressed it.

We have the capacity to be relatively self sufficient over the long haul with our natural gas, with our shale oil and with other traditional oil resources, both onshore as well as offshore.

We have put ourselves in a posture of sitting in a time-out corner for a very long time and when you do that you become subject to these international sources. I think that's what Speaker Gingrich is addressing.

COSTELLO: I would also like to talk to you about Obama care and something that Mitt Romney said yesterday in Youngstown, Ohio. He was comparing his health care plan in Massachusetts to Obama care.

And he said that his plan differs from President Obama's and he wishes the president would have called him at the time. So let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: Mr. President, one more thing, why didn't you call me when you were working on this thing? Why didn't you pick up the phone and say, is what you are doing in Massachusetts a good model for the nation? I would have said, no, no, what you're doing is wrong. It's going to make a mess.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So you served in the U.S. Congress and one of your last vote, right, was against Obama care.

DEAL: Right.

COSTELLO: So as you listen to MITT ROMNEY and he strives to put, you know, a different stamp on his plan from President Obama's, is it -- are they different plans?

DEAL: Well, I'm not going to try to address what the Massachusetts plan is. It's not one that would work in Georgia, in my opinion. But I think the real distinction here is whether or not government is going to mandate that individuals purchase something.

You know, we've talked a long time about doing away with the death tax. This is a living tax. If you are alive, you're mandated to buy something. And I think that's the main difference here between conservative opinions and the Obama care plan.

COSTELLO: It doesn't really matter what Mitt Romney would say though because you have to buy insurance in Massachusetts.

DEAL: That's right. And the mandate, I think, is the critical focal point on which much of the discussion is hinged. I think, quite frankly, when the Supreme Court rules on it, it will be that question on which the decision may very well pivot.

COSTELLO: Governor Deal, thank you for coming in today. We appreciate it.

Less than two hours from now at noon Eastern, Wolf Blitzer and CNN's Political Team will host the "CNN Election Round-Table," that's a live insider chat about what's at stake today at the presidential race. You can follow it at cnn.com/roundtable.

And be sure to join us tonight, our coverage of the primaries at 6:00 Eastern with a special edition of "JOHN KING, USA" followed by CNN complete live coverage of the primary results at 7:00 with John, Wolf, Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, Candy Crowley and more.

Senator John McCain calling for U.S. led air strikes against the Syrian government, but one top general says not so fast. What he calls some extreme challenges.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We're now hearing from a top U.S. general one day after Senator John McCain called for U.S.-led air strikes to stop the brutal government in Syria. The Arizona Republican said it is the best option to stop the slaughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: The United States should lead an international effort to protect key population centers in Syria, especially in the north, through air strikes on Assad's forces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So let's talk about that. Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is here with us. Air strikes happened in Libya. Why not Syria?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it's a question that a lot of folks are asking, that what the administration is saying and even Senator McCain is acknowledging that air strikes in Syria are very complicated.

The Syrians have a very capable air defense system. Even at this morning's hearing, we're hearing about the fact that they have thousands of surface-to-air missiles, radars, all the capability that would make it very tough for U.S. warplanes or anybody's warplanes to really fly into their airspace.

Much more complex than Libya's situation, but Senator McCain is very adamant in this hearing that we're watching this morning, right now, on the Senate -- in the Senate on Capitol Hill. He is quite adamant that saying that it's tough is not a good enough reason not to do it.

He feels very strongly the Syrian people are desperately suffering and that somebody has to step in. So he's calling for air strikes, establishing safe havens, so humanitarian relief can be brought in.

Even as he acknowledges that would be very tough to do. I have to tell you, he is also very much challenging the administration and the military assumption that the opposition in Syria may be part of al Qaeda.

He says he has heard this throughout the Arab spring and he simply doesn't believe it. So this is -- this is quite an adamant hearing of Senator McCain, although a Republican in the minority on that committee, a very strong voice for somebody stepping up and trying to help the people in Syria -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon today. Thanks.

Former first lady Barbara Bush says the current Republican primary race is the worst she's ever seen. The "Political Buzz" panel on why the harsh words. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Political Buzz" is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. Playing today, Democratic strategist, Robert Zimmerman. For the funny side, Dean Obeidallah, founder of the Arab-American Comedy Festival.

And Boris Epstein, Republican strategist and opinion columnist for "U.S. News." Welcome to all of you. First question, I want to start by playing some sound as we say in the biz from former first lady Barbara Bush. This is what she had to say about the current Republican presidential campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY: It's been, I think, the worst campaign I've ever seen in my life. I just hate it. I hate the fact that people think compromise is a dirty word.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK, so here's the question I want to ask all of you. How bad is it when your grandma stalled you? Let's start with you, Boris.

BORIS EPSTEIN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: It's not good. And the candidates should look up and notice that Barbara Bush is telling them this is the worst campaign she's ever seen. There have been some pretty strong campaigns in the background. Let's not forget the Lee Atwater campaign for George H.W. Bush her husband.

So Santorum and Gingrich specifically should notice and probably at this point in time realize that their time is up. It's time to get out. Stop being nasty and let the Republican Party coalesce around the best candidate that we have, which is Mitt Romney and our best shot for bringing the presidency to the Republicans in 2012.

COSTELLO: Time out. Robert? ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: You know, it wasn't just that grandma scolded, grandma really nailed it. And the reality is Mrs. Bush has an important message to political activists in both parties.

But in the Republican Party, where leading conservatives like former Senator Bill Bennett was defeated by the Tea Party or Mike Castle was defeated by Christine O'Donnell in Delaware or even Richard Lugar and Orrin Hatch, two conservative icons who are threatened with primary challenges.

The message simply is that the Republican Party, because it's being controlled by this extreme fringe, is not prepared to lead or build coalitions to win.

COSTELLO: Dean?

DEAN OBEIDALLAH, FOUNDER, ARAB-AMERICAN COMEDY FESTIVAL: Well, you know, Barbara Bush continued on in her statement, Carol and said "I think the rest of the world is looking at us these days and saying, what are we doing?" With all due respect, I think they were saying the same thing when her son was George W. Bush was president.

And let's be honest, in 1988 George Bush her husband ran one of the worse races campaign ads ever with the Willie Horton ad. But to be honest I'm tired of blaming the politicians. We elect these people and re-elect them. We're like Dr. Frankenstein. We've created a monster and then we're upset when the monster went goes out. We have to elect people who want to compromise or like Dr. Frankenstein we will be killed by our own creation.

COSTELLO: Second question. Let's hear from Ann Romney first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANN ROMNEY, MITT ROMNEY'S WIFE: For me, I just want to make my family bigger. Those that are suffering from MS or from cancer or from any disease, I feel like I just want to throw my arms open and just say, welcome to my family and welcome to the place where I've been.

And -- and so, you know, we can be poor in spirit and I don't -- I don't look -- and I don't even consider myself wealthy, which is an interesting thing. I -- I -- it can be here today and gone tomorrow. And -- and how I measure -- how I measure riches is by the friends I have and the loved ones I have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Ok that is a lovely sentiment but some people, and you know who you are, seem to be taking parts of that out of context. They're just using the "I don't feel wealthy" part, of course. But the question today though, is there anything either of the Romneys can say about money right now that won't get twisted -- Robert?

ZIMMERMAN: You know, Mitt Romney does have an important message to bring up in this campaign, the debate in this campaign about his business career and his economic record. And that should be the subject of the campaign. I must tell you I think my party does a tremendous disservice and disrespect to Mrs. Romney by taking her statements out of context and members of my party who did that undercut our credibility when we attacked the Romney campaign for taking President Obama's contents out of context.

So I think it's a -- we should respect what she's saying.

COSTELLO: Wow. That was a lovely bipartisan thought, Robert. Boris.

ZIMMERMAN: Thank you.

EPSTEIN: I agree. To continue the bipartisanship, I agree with Robert. There is absolutely no need to take words out of context. And really a great message by a woman who has been a survivor and fighter, survived M.S., fighting M.S. and survived breast cancer. So it's a great message. There's absolutely no need to attack her for it.

And there is nothing the Romneys could say right now that would not get them attack, either money or anything else. And just like on the left, unfortunately on the right we have some who are saying things that are incendiary or unnecessary. Let's stick to the politics, let's not attack the potential First Lady of the United States. Let's stick to the issues at hand which is the economy.

COSTELLO: The buzzer came back, sorry. Thank you, Boris, Dean?

EPSTEIN: The buzzer got me.

OBEIDALLAH: I actually agree with both gentlemen today about not attacking Mrs. Romney for her words. But you know what, Mitt Romney has opened a door on questions about is he out of touch with his wealth. The $10,000 bet, saying things I like to fire people, saying my wife drives two Cadillacs. Mitt's got to do something to connect with the average voter during these tough economic times. He sounds like he's running for the President of a country club, not the United States. He's got to do something -- maybe like Bill Clinton, go to a McDonald's and eat there. But then he would probably make a gaffe Romney say you know what why go there, I have a personal chef or a butler.

You know Romney, this is an issue and it will an issue to the general election -- to average person.

COSTELLO: Buzzer sounded. Ok. Time for the "Buzzer Beater" question now. And I want to draw your attention to these. They are a pair of Mitt flop, one of several designs being sold online. Aren't they cute?

I want to hear your ideas for other political clothing lines that would make us all very wealthy. Boris?

EPSTEIN: I got two. One is a civil war era suit line named after Ron Paul, the Ron Paul civil wars. Ok? And the number two is a line of bibs named after Newt Gingrich, the Gingrich Bibs.

COSTELLO: Loving it. Robert?

ZIMMERMAN: You know, maybe it's just me, but these guys just don't speak fashion to me or for that matter natural fibers. But if I had to choose I would say probably maybe a line of Ron Paul leisure suits because that's where he really represents from the '80s or '70s. And maybe for Rick Santorum, maybe the Santorum bib because he's always throwing up on President Kennedy's speeches. And for Newt Gingrich -- for Newt Gingrich --

COSTELLO: I'm sorry. We can't get to your third one.

EPSTEIN: Full disclosure, full disclosure Robert is wearing a styling three-piece suit today. I just saw him in the hallway.

OBEIDALLAH: They're cutting me into my time Carol please. Stop the left and the right from fighting. It's my turn, gentlemen.

COSTELLO: It is, Dean, go for it.

OBEIDALLAH: I have two things. One, I like to say Newt Gingrich smoking jacket so if you want to impress young women around the office, that's something you can wear and you have the entire thing.

And then for Rick Santorum who is against birth control, maybe like a chastity belt by Rick Santorum with his picture on it. Or you know what? Actually a sweater vest he wears is a former birth control, so maybe the sweater vest birth control unit sold by Rick Santorum. Million dollar ideas, I'm just giving them out there to people.

COSTELLO: I feel guilty for laughing at that, Dean.

OBEIDALLAH: You're allowed to laugh. This is what I do.

COSTELLO: That's true. You are a comedian.

ZIMMERMAN: And Carol, Carol from all of us congratulations on your new time and new program.

COSTELLO: Thank you so much.

OBEIDALLAH: Yes, congratulations.

COSTELLO: I am humbled and quite excited.

ZIMMERMAN: Congratulations.

COSTELLO: Thank you all. I hope you'll return.

EPSTEIN: Thank you.

COSTELLO: An arraignment -- I got to get serious now. an arraignment for murder suspects ends with more arrests after the accused killer is attacked in court, more on this courtroom shocker. That's coming up next.

Also ahead, Kim Kardashian is trying to change the conversation about her lavish and short-lived wedding. And this time people in need will get the benefits.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Israel's Prime Minister is on Capitol Hill right now. Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with Senators and later House members. No doubt he'll be talking about Iran and its nuclear program and Israel's safety. He talked about the U.S. role in preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon yesterday with President Obama.

CNN foreign affairs reporter Elise Labbott is in Washington. So Elise, the Prime Minister later spoke to the pro-Israel group APAC and he's clearly not buying Iran's story of nukes for peaceful purposes. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: Ladies and gentlemen, if it looks like a duck, if it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, then what is it? What is it?

CROWD: A duck.

NETANYAHU: That's right. It's a duck. But this duck is a nuclear duck. And it's time the world started calling a duck a "duck".

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The Prime Minister also said he won't allow Israel to live in the shadow of annihilation. So how does the U.S. deal with this?

ELISE LABBOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, carol, I think it's all about an issue of timing. I don't think the U.S. disputes the Israeli assertion that Iran is going towards a nuclear weapon. I think the U.S. and a lot of the international community think that. It's all about timing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli people think that they should go against Iran with perhaps a presumptive nuclear attack in advance of them actually moving towards a bomb. The President kind of thinks there's more time for diplomacy and it should be when actually they're going to build the bomb, not that they have the capacity.

Let's hear though what Defense Secretary Leon Panetta just said trying to allay Israeli and congressional fears that the U.S. will not act if it has to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON PANETTA, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Of course. we prefer the diplomatic path. And as the Prime Minister himself has said, military action is the last alternative when all else fails. But make no mistake, when all else fails, we will act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LABBOTT: But, Carol, again, it's when they will act and what will the U.S. do? I think that's what the Prime Minister is going to be speaking with Congress obviously going to have a very warm welcome. And just as a prelude to that, Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky, Republican senator just told the APAC lobby, we should use overwhelming force against Iran now to prevent them from a nuclear attack.

So I think although there are some disagreement about the timing with the White House, I think that the prime minister will have a real more receptive setting on the Hill.

COSTELLO: Some people think Benjamin Netanyahu has already made up his mind and that he's going to use force against Iran. What are you hearing?

LABBOTT: Well, I do think that there are a lot of people in Washington that think that the Israelis think they have to attack now, that they have much more different concerns, their history, their geography, the fact that they don't want Iran to have the actual capability to have a nuclear weapon and they have to go against that now.

In Washington they think that there's more time for diplomacy, more time for sanctions to work. We're going to already have some very tough sanctions but they're going to be even more crippling sanctions come July when pretty much a full oil embargo against Iran is going to take into effect.

But even as we're talking about this, Carol, so-called P5 plus 1, the United States and the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany sent a letter to the Iranians today asking for talks on their nuclear program. I think the President is hoping that these talks will lead to some serious negotiations to give him a little bit more time for diplomacy to work -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Elise Labbott, live in Washington.

It is Super Tuesday and Ali Velshi is live from the heartland. He's in a state with one of the country's lowest unemployment rates. Hi, Ali.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Carol. I'm here in Guthrie, Oklahoma, at Katie's diner talking to Sooners about how they feel about the economy. Stand by because newsroom is coming right back.

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COSTELLO: Checking stories cross-country, scary moments for drivers in Columbus, Ohio. Many of them losing control during rush hour -- look at that. Of course, everything is caught on camera these days. One by one you can see the cars sliding into ditches and, oh, my gosh, sliding into guardrails. They hit other vehicles. Amazingly, and I am amazed, no major injuries are reported in Columbus.

In Nevada, a bus fire stops traffic near the Hoover Dam. The passengers and driver escape before the tour bus was totally engulfed in flames. No one was injured. No word on what started the fire.

In Springfield, Massachusetts, a man accused of murder is attacked during his court arraignment. Two of the victims' family members came after him. They were tackled to the ground and taken into police custody. They were arrested. No one hurt here, either.

Voters in ten states including the heartland are heading to the polls today on this Super Tuesday. But for Oklahoma, facing low unemployment rates and rising gas prices who they choose could depend more policy than popularity.

CNN's chief business correspondent, Ali Velshi is live in Guthrie, Oklahoma. He's talking to voters about what matters most. Let's hear it, Ali.

VELSHI: That's a man who actually owns the hat that I was wearing. I couldn't resist it, as you know, Carol. Clayton is a hay broker. He buys and sells hay from obviously from places where it grows and is bundled to horse ranches and things like that. He lives nearby here.

I'm at Guthrie, Oklahoma at Katie's Diner. He was in town to do some business. But you are going to vote today in the Republican primary. You haven't decided who you're voting for. Why not?

CLAYTON MCHENDRY, HAY BROKER: Well, I just haven't made my mind up. I don't know why I haven't. I need do. I've got to today.

VELSHI: Are you close? Have you been -- is it between two candidates?

MCHENDRY: Yes. I'm kind of -- I don't know. Rick, I will probably go with him.

VELSHI: Ok. What's your biggest issue right now? What are you thinking about that's going to motivate you in the election? Is it the economy?

MCHENDRY: The economy is a big thing, yes. The economy. We've got to get this economy taken care of. The taxes are getting way to high. (AUDIO GAP) unless the business comes in, come back in this country and leave them going out, you know, that's just hurting serving this country.

VELSI: How about gas prices? This is a state that does well by oil. But you and your business when you're moving hay around, obviously that's costing you money with rising gas prices.

MCHENDRY: Right. It affects my business, the prices are going up and affects the person receiving hay, it's going to cost them more. Yes, this -- oil prices aren't and the fuel prices don't matchup.

VELSHI: All right. Clayton, hope you make up your mind before you have to cast your ballot today. Obviously one of the ten states, Carol, that's voting here in Oklahoma, particularly conservative state. Mostly everybody we've run into this morning is likely to vote in the primary today. Carol?

Clayton is a cool looking dude. He looks like a character in a movie.

VELSHI: He looks good, right?

COSTELLO: He does. Thanks, Ali and Clayton -- we appreciate it.

Who has the most to win, who has the most to lose in today's Super Tuesday contest? We'll talk about that in our political ticker, that's seven minutes from now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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. He's expected to announce a new plan that includes reduced refinancing fees to help people hit by the housing crisis. He's doing this on Super Tuesday.

At 3:00 Eastern, T.J. Lane has a pre-trial hearing in juvenile court. The teenager faces aggravated murder charges and last Monday's deadly high school shooting in Chardon, Ohio.

At 7:00 eastern the polls close in the first of ten Super Tuesday states. CNN of course will have live results for you.

Researchers in Europe say the more scenes of alcohol use teenagers see on the big screen the greater the risk of binge drinking. Scientists surveyed 16,500 students ages 10-19 students from Germany, Iceland, Italy and the Netherlands and Poland and Scotland. So you can see it's a massive study. So keep that in mind.

Who has the most to win, who has that most to lose in today's Super Tuesday contest? We'll talk about it in our political ticker. That's coming your way next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Ok. Let's get some Super Tuesday analysis now with our political director Mark Preston. It's an exciting day.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Biggest day.

COSTELLO: It is the biggest day. That's what everybody says. Who has that most to win? Or most to lose, I should say.

PRESTON: They all have the most to win. Right? But let's talk about the losers.

COSTELLO: Yes.

PRESTON: This is not going to happen but if Newt Gingrich were to lose Georgia, it would be devastating. His campaign would have to be over. I don't know if he believes it would have to be over but we would believe it has to be over.

In Ohio right now, Mitt Romney, if he is to lose Ohio today, that could be very troubling for him. Now, he is ahead in the delegate count, however, the perception is that he could not empathize with people from Ohio, such as yourself, right, where you grew up, and that could be a devastating narrative for him.

COSTELLO: I got to say that Rick Santorum speaks more of the language of you know, those Reagan Democrats that are so coveted in Ohio.. Mitt Romney just can't seem to excite them at all.

PRESTON: He can't. And Rick Santorum grew up right across the border. You know, he was from the Pittsburgh area. Son of a coal miner, grandson of a coal miner. He has those roots. But Mitt Romney could have a very good night though. If we are to talk about the good things, he could win upwards of five states. Maybe more. If that's the case the narrative tomorrow would be Mitt Romney is very likely to become the nominee.

COSTELLO: Talking about the voter turnout because it doesn't seem that voters are that enthused in any state on Super Tuesday. Who does that benefit?

PRESTON: Certainly benefits Barack Obama, right?

COSTELLO: Well, that's true. But in this primary, doesn't that benefit Rick Santorum?

PRESTON: You know, state by state, it all depends on what you're looking at. It would benefit Santorum because he doesn't necessarily have the Romney machine where Romney is trying to get the vote out. So the folks who are going to come out and vote are very likely to be with Santorum.

But you know, who it would really help in some states is Ron Paul and that's out west, North Dakota, Idaho, and Alaska. Low turnout really helps Ron Paul.

COSTELLO: Oh man, Ron Paul bigger than the pie doesn't he.

PRESTON: He certainly does.

COSTELLO: ok. So looking forward, six more contests next week. No matter what happens tonight, this thing is probably not over.

PRESTON: Yes. It's probably -- it's definitely not over and here's the reason. Newt Gingrich is not -- he did a campaign events this morning but he's in Alabama. And will be in a couple hours for two more events. Alabama holds a primary next week. Newt Gingrich is going nowhere. They already have their schedule set. This is going past Super Tuesday.

COOPER: Ok. Mark Preston, I know you have a long night ahead of you. No sleep tonight. Thanks so much. We appreciate it.

And join 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 Blitzer, Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, Candy Crowley, Mark Preston will be there, too, I'll bet you.

COSTELLO: Ok. Let's throw it to Kyra now. Good morning Kyra Phillips.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning Carol. Thank you so much.