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President Obama Announces New Help for Homeowners; The Stakes for Super Tuesday; Obama: Military Action Not off the Table in Iran; Alleged Ohio School Shooter in Court; Parents of Girl Killed while Texting and Driving Speak Out

Aired March 06, 2012 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Now this. Let's roll along. Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Top of the hour. It is Super Tuesday, after all, Republicans voting in 10 states today, primary, caucuses. Here at CNN, of course we have got you covered. Time to play "Reporter Roulette" political style.

Want to begin in Ohio, big, big state for Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.

Dana Bash is there for us.

Dana, the race is down to the wire.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Down to the wire, and right now it is a dead heat in this very important state of Ohio between Mitt Romney and Santorum. They are tied with 32 percent, according to our latest poll.

And this state is not just important in terms of the primary because it has -- it's very delegate-rich, 63 delegates at stake. It is also symbolically important in terms of the viability for the general election, because the last 12 cycles, no president has won the White House without winning this state.

I talked to voters for the past day-and-a-half here trying to get a sense of how they feel. Here's an example of what two voters talked about when it came to the top two contenders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Romney, I think, is more electable. I have no problem with the other guys.

BASH: Now, why do you like Santorum?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of his family values, and I just like everything about him. But if he doesn't get the nomination, no matter who has an R. behind their name, I'm going to vote for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BASH: Now, Brooke, we also spent some time with some Santorum volunteers as they tried to get out the vote. That is largely what Santorum is relying on, that being the enthusiasm for people in this very conservative area of southwest Ohio.

On the flip side, Mitt Romney has a tremendous organization. Even Santorum backers admit that. And so he is hoping that that is going to propel him to win, also the fact that he is making the case, which I have heard repeated many times from many average voters, that he believes he is the best positioned to beat Barack Obama.

And no matter what these Republican voters think of in terms of the field, they are really unified that they want to get President Obama out of the White House in November.

BALDWIN: Just a quick follow-up here. Maybe it was because you were sitting in a bar and they seem so relaxed, but do you sense enthusiasm among these voters today in Ohio, or is it lackluster?

BASH: You know, I have to tell you it's not as high as -- if you are a Republican wanting to beat Barack Obama, as high as you would want. I'm at a polling station in Hamilton County, which is incredibly important, and it encompasses Cincinnati.

There's been a trickle of voters here, not huge. And in terms of enthusiasm, that bar where I was, it was actually the former House speaker's family -- the House speaker's, I should say, family bar.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: John Boehner's bar.

BASH: John Boehner's bar. His grandfather started it 75 years ago. I talked to his sister. Even she says she's not enthusiastic. Too much sparring. She said she's just going to flip a coin.

BALDWIN: Wow. How about that? Maybe that's a sign of things to come tonight. Who knows? Dana Bash, thank you. We will be seeing you later.

Meantime, moving on next on "Reporter Roulette," standing by for us in Marietta, Georgia, CNN's David Mattingly.

Obviously, Newt Gingrich looking to get back in the win column here tonight. He is a favorite son in Georgia, after all.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Brooke, and the headline coming out of Super Tuesday isn't going to be that Newt Gingrich won Georgia. He probably is going to win Georgia. This was his home state. This was his district here where I am right now.

He is still a very influential Republican figure within the party here and among voters. But at this point, the question is by what margin of victory can he win Georgia tonight? It's got to be very strong for him to come out of this state and hope to be able to have any life for his campaign after Super Tuesday. So right now he's looking for a very big win in Georgia to take most, possibly all, if he's able to arrange a big turnout in his favor across the board here in the state of Georgia for the 76 delegates that are up for grabs.

He's been on the ground here five out of the last seven days campaigning. You know he's going to win here, but that just shows you how much he wants to win big. And earlier today, he was in the state of Alabama trying to pursue his Southern strategy, and here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ronald Reagan was a visionary. He had a vision that the Soviet Union could be defeated. When everybody in the elite had been demoralized, was desperately seeking to accommodate the Russians, a reporter went to Reagan in the late '70s and said, what's your vision of the Cold War?

He said four words that changed history: We win, they lose.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: And Gingrich hoping to make a little of his own personal history here with a big win in Georgia to give his campaign the life to continue on after Super Tuesday -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: David Mattingly, thank you.

Next on "Reporter Roulette" we go to the heartland, to Oklahoma, and CNN's Ali Velshi.

Hey, Ali.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, as you can see, I drew the short straw in the election coverage. We're here at Katie's Diner in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Guthrie was the first state capital of Oklahoma, which is a conservative state.

It has been for some time. Now, Oklahoma has a lower unemployment than the rest of the country in large part because of the amount of natural gas and oil that is both produced here and transferred through here. This, as we discussed, is the pipeline crossroads of America. In fact, we were just there in Cushing, Oklahoma, yesterday.

This is a state that's been disappointed by this administration's energy policies, in particular the decision to not go ahead with the building of the Keystone XL pipeline, which take oil from the tar sands, the oil sands of Canada all the way through. This would be a transfer point. It would go down to the Gulf of Mexico. So they want a pro-energy president. Most of the Republican candidates have relatively strong pro-energy platforms, so there aren't a lot of policy differences that are separating the voters here. Many of them like Rick Santorum. As I said, this is a socially conservative state.

They find themselves in line with Rick Santorum's views, but a lot of them really don't like President Obama. I heard somebody talking about an ABO policy, anybody but Obama, and so some people are going into the polling booth suggesting they will vote for somebody as long as it's the person who is most likely to defeat President Obama.

Like I said, there are Democrats in this state, and there are some people voting for the other candidates, but it does seem to be the polling and the people we have talked to that it comes down to a battle Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum tonight -- Brooke.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: ABO. All right, Ali Velshi, thank you.

And that's your "Reporter Roulette" here on this Super Tuesday.

Coming up, more help for underwater homeowners. President Obama announcing today another plan to make it easier to refinance your mortgages. We're going to have all the details for you, plus, the message he had from Mitt Romney. That was not too long ago. We're going to play that for you after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: President Obama gives the people a progress report which coincides with the high-stakes Republican contest today, this Super Tuesday.

Let's go to chief White House correspondent, Jessica Yellin. She was part of that news conference and got a question into the president.

Obviously he tackled all kinds of topics, asked all kinds of questions during a finite period of time, asked about Iran, about Syria, gas prices, Rush Limbaugh. Jessica Yellin, what were your big takeaways?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brooke.

I think the news was on Israel and Iran, that he reiterated his belief that there is time for diplomacy to work and that he thinks that there is agreement here between the U.S. and Israel, and his emphasis that there is no need for any action in the next two weeks up to two months.

And on the topic of Syria, that there is a difference between Syria and Libya because there is no international unity in the Arab world, that the U.S. would have to act militarily if it were to act alone. But really, that's not a new position from the White House. He's just reiterating what we have heard before.

He did take a bit of a two-by-four to the Republican candidates, accusing them essentially of popping off on Iran without having to take any responsibility with their what he has called loose talk of war before. And he did sort of go out there with new language on that, saying that, you know, he's really the one who has the real responsibility here, and it's the military members, men and women on the front lines, who have to pay a price.

That's why he moved slowly and cautiously on this one, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Right, saying American families know all too well the cost of war.

I do want to ask you about your question, Jessica. You asked him about a possible war on women. What did he say?

YELLIN: I asked if he agrees there is a war on women, because there's been all this talk back and forth with the discussion of contraception and the Blunt amendment and all this language that's been hurled about with the political rhetoric, if he actually agrees that some of women's reproductive freedoms are really at stake or if this is really sort of being juiced up to get the women's vote engaged.

Here is part of his answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Women are going to make up their own mind in this election about who is advancing the issues that they care most deeply about. One of the things I have learned being married to Michelle is I don't need to tell her what it is that she thinks is important.

And there are millions of strong women around the country who are going to make their own determination about a whole range of issues. It's not going to be narrowly focused just on contraception. It's not going to be driven by one statement by one radio announcer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: Brooke, he did add that he thinks Democrats have a stronger case to make to women voters.

And the reason I asked this question in part is suburban women voters are a key swing bloc in this election. Both Republican candidates and the president will aim to win that swing vote, and recently the gender gap has been widening, with the president winning more women's support since this contraception controversy has become an issue, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Gloria Borger and I were talking about that yesterday. She actually referred to it as a gender gulch when you look at some of the numbers. It is significant. He came out on part of this news conference, hadn't given one since October. It is Super Tuesday, after all. And he was asked to comment about the races overall, specifically about the potential contender Mitt Romney, and there was a bit of chuckling involved in that answer.

YELLIN: Yes.

Let me just say quickly that he did intentionally -- I have to say the White House knew they were doing this on Super Tuesday. He came out with a housing plan which is in implicitly in contrast to what Mitt Romney is not doing, which is not proposing a housing plan to help underwater homeowners.

And then Norah O'Donnell, chief White House correspondent for CBS, asked the following question, and listen to the president's answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Mitt Romney has criticized you on Iran and said, "Hope is not a foreign policy." He also said that you are "America's most feckless president since Carter."

What would you like to say to Mr. Romney?

OBAMA: Good luck tonight.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: No, really?

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: Really.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: Way to make news in as few words as possible.

BALDWIN: Right? That was a moment. That was a moment in there. Jessica Yellin, thank you so much for us at the White House.

Coming up next, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says the greatest threat in the Middle East is a nuclear Iran, but the U.S. has just made a major move, as the president promised military action is not off the table. We're going live to the Pentagon, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The U.S. and five other countries are willing to go back to the negotiating table over Iran's nuclear program. But diplomacy is really just one angle to this story.

Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence is here to talk a little bit more about this.

We heard the president talk that preference is diplomacy, but he also said no option is necessarily off the table.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Brooke.

This is coming out on the same day where the U.S. commander of the Middle East, U.S. commander of military forces in the Middle East says Iran is the most significant threat to destability in that region. There is a lot of rhetoric. President -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also here in the United States also sounding concern from Israel's point of view that Iran is moving closer to the bomb.

So, yes, diplomacy is one aspect of this, but the military force is always right there on the table as well.

BALDWIN: Also some news today, there appears to be some unwillingness on behalf of Iran to let international inspectors visit a key military base, and obviously, I imagine inspectors want to get there ASAP, correct?

LAWRENCE: They want to get there as soon as possible, Brooke.

They wanted to get there during their last visit just about a month ago, but Iran rebuffed and saying this is a military site, proper procedures weren't followed, you have to put in this sort of formal request, so they were not given access to it.

But it is believed that there was testing that was done there in relation to a nuclear weapons program. The inspectors believe something is happening there. The inspectors won't say whether they think evidence is being moved or simply more testing taking place, but the inspectors are hinting that something is happening there that puts a premium on time, that they need to get there as soon as possible.

BALDWIN: So then the obvious question is are there any conditions for this visit? Are we to actually assume that Iran is forthright in this?

LAWRENCE: Well, Iran continues to make certain claims.

And one of the things that's really raised some red flags is that they tripled their production of enriched uranium. Uranium that has been enriched to 20 percent. They tripled their production about a month ago. Now, Iran is claiming that this is for cancer therapy, this is for peaceful purposes.

But there is some concern that this is a ramp-up, another step along that process. Now, to get to military-grade, you need to enrich to 90 percent. But the key here, Brooke, is that once you have gotten to 20 percent, that's the tough part. The jump from 20 to 90 is not all that great. It's just more evidence from those who say, you know, Iran is positioning itself to be able to make that jump to a nuclear weapon in a very short amount of time. BALDWIN: Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon -- Chris, thank you.

Republicans are working to make up some ground when it comes to the ladies. But I just spoke with one analyst who says this whole Rush Limbaugh controversy is not helping the party's gender gap. And standing by live for us, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a tough conservative blogger and wife of Congressman Sean Duffy. What she says when it comes to women next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You just saw the ad. Let me reiterate our wall-to-wall coverage of Super Tuesday begins at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. We invite you and we implore you to stay with us at CNN covering politics like no one else can.

Joining me now live from Wisconsin, conservative blogger Rachel Campos-Duffy. She is the wife of Congressman Sean Duffy. And she blogs for CatholicVote.org.

Rachel Campos-Duffy, good to see on. Good to have you on.

I want to begin with former first lady Barbara Bush, a political war horse in and of herself. She is quoted today, here we go, as saying, the 2012 Republican primary is -- quote -- "the worst campaign I have ever seen in my life."

What do you make of that?

RACHEL CAMPOS-DUFFY, BLOGGER, CATHOLICVOTE.ORG: Well, it's hard to argue with her simply because she's probably seen so many more elections than I have, but I seem to recall that, 2008, the primary with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, South Carolina in particular there was some very nasty racial undertones to that.

We have all seen this in tough primaries. And though it's distasteful, we know that they make better candidates in the end. So I'm not sure if it's any worse than anything else we have seen before.

BALDWIN: OK.

There is this perception out there, and President Obama was asked about it today in his news conference, that the Republican candidates for president collectively are somehow anti-women. And I want to show you these numbers.

This is the NBC/"Wall Street Journal" poll. It shows President Obama, a pretty big gap here. It shows President Obama leading Mitt Romney in a hypothetical matchup among women. You see 55 percent with Obama, 37 with Romney.

Whether you agree with it or not, the perception is out there that, as a colleague of mine said, that's a gender gulch. It's big.

CAMPOS-DUFFY: Yes, it's a gender gap, and I think what we're seeing is a lot of grandstanding and emotionalizing around this contraception thing.

But when the dust settled, I think that women's level heads will prevail. They know deep in their heart that the GOP is not going to confiscate birth control pills, that this is truly an issue of religious liberty. The Boston Tea Party wasn't about tea, and this isn't about contraception. It's about the First Amendment.

And when all that settles, when our candidate finally comes out of this primary, whoever that may be, I think that the independent women came out for the GOP in huge numbers in the 2010 election, the election my husband actually won in, and I think they won on economic issues.

And when it comes down to it, women understand those kitchen table issues, and they vote on that. And if you don't mind me saying, frankly, the Democrats talk a lot about issues, and they don't really deliver on them. And one of them in particular is Medicare and Social Security.

Women over 55, women like me who are daughters who know that we may end up being the caretakers for our mothers, we care about that issue. And, frankly, if we -- the Democrats have offered nothing, which essentially is going to send those programs into bankruptcy.

BALDWIN: Let me bring you back to something you said. You mentioned kitchen table issues. What do you mean by that?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: I mean the economy, and I mean specifically that feeling that all of moms have that we are not leaving off an America with this debt level, with this spending level, and, frankly, with the job numbers that we're seeing now for our kids that are graduating from college, we're not leaving off the kind of opportunity country that we were handed off.

And I think it makes us sick to our stomachs. And I think, again, when all of this -- emotional issues about Sandra Fluke and all the fluffy stuff that's coming out right now settles out, we're going to reconcentrate, just like we did in 2010, on who actually can get the job done.

BALDWIN: Let me run through some of these candidates with you. We have Rick Santorum. He has certainly said some things that have rankled women. You have Newt Gingrich. He's on his third wife and they have some issues there.

Just for giggles, though, we actually went back in the archives and we pulled out some video from last June. I don't know if you remember this. This is Mitt Romney. He was with some female diners in Derry, New Hampshire. Let's roll it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Come on. Much closer, much closer.

(LAUGHTER) (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Derry, New Hampshire. I don't know if something is touching his -- I don't know what's going on there. It was kind of a bit of a giggle last summer. He's having a little fun with the ladies.

When you look at those who are left in the race, it seems that he has the fewest negatives among female voters. Does that jibe with you? And how important is that?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: Look, obviously, I think that sometimes -- there is a gender gap, and I'm not denying that there is.

But, first of all, that clip, I mean, women have a sense of humor. Hello. I'm glad we do. I don't like living in this hyper- P.C. world where everything a guy says is offensive. And, frankly, I like it when they open the door for me.

So I think that probably for the reasons you mentioned, Romney probably has the least issues with women. He's obviously been married for a long time. So has Santorum. Nonetheless, I guess that's probably why Obama fears him the most. That's the impression that we get, that he would like to run against the others, and not so much Romney.

So, I don't know. I mean, again, it is what it is. The GOP, I think, has some really solid issues to run on, issues that really matter to women. And, again, they're kitchen table, tangible, economic issues. And, frankly, I think we care about that stuff.

BALDWIN: It's a constituency we're watching for.

Rachel Campos-Duffy, thank you.

And, for the record, I like it when people open the door for me as well.

Thanks, Rachel. I appreciate it.

Coming up, your one of the most recognizable chiefs in the country, Paula Deen, and her brother face a lawsuit involving sexual harassment and racism. We're going on the case with Sunny Hostin after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I want to bring in Sunny Hostin here "On The Case." And we're going to do this a little bit on the fly here, Sunny, because we just learned there is some video coming in. Let's take a look at the videos here together. These are live pictures, as we're about to see.

Here he is, T.J. Lane. He is the young man, 17 years of age, accused of murdering those schoolmates at Chardon High School last week. These are the very first pictures we're seeing of him. And from what I've been told, a judge ruled it's OK for us to show his face as long as he's not in restraints.

So, Sunny Hostin, you and I looking at this for the very first time. What do you make of this? And why is he in court today?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You know, it's remarkable, isn't it? I mean, he appears so young. This judge initially ruled that he could not be photographed, that no video could be taken of him in large part because we're in juvenile court. Apparently, the judge revised that ruling and said that he could be viewed as long as he wasn't shown in restraints, because typically, Brooke, when you show someone in restraints, it has the possibility of affecting a jury pool, someone that's going to ultimately pass judgment on this young man.

My understanding is that he may, indeed, be eventually charged as an adult. We know that there were three people that allegedly he was the shooter and he murdered three people. And so my understanding is there are a lot of issues that are going to be dealt with today.

I don't know if that determination is going to be made today, whether or not this will be held over or transferred to an adult court. But I suspect that ultimately he will be charged as an adult in this case.

BALDWIN: Sunny, since we're sitting here talking about this and you and I were sitting here live talking about this last week, and we saw that very first appearance and we could only hear his voice, we couldn't see his face. You and I had this conversation about whether or not he could face the death penalty, whether he is tried as a juvenile, whether he is tried as an adult.

Ultimately, your answer is what?

HOSTIN: Thank you. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clear that up.

BALDWIN: Yes.

HOSTIN: I mean, Ohio is a death penalty eligible state, right? But the Supreme Court held in 2005 that juveniles cannot be given the death penalty. And so, when we had our discussion before, Brooke, I was explaining that Ohio is a death penalty case, and I mistakenly said if he was charged as an adult, that would make him eligible for the death penalty.

He is only, my understanding, is 17 years old, and Supreme Court in 2005 made it very clear that a 17-year-old, someone under the age of 18, cannot be -- is not death penalty eligible.

So, even if he is tried as an adult, he will not be death penalty eligible, but he could very well serve the rest -- if convicted, serve the rest of his life in prison, which is, as anyone knows, a very, very stiff penalty for someone that's only 17 years old.

BALDWIN: Yes, let's move off that. Let's talk about Southern chef Paula Deen. She is under attack from one of her former employees. Apparently Deen and her brother Bubba are being sued for sexual harassment.

What are the accusations here?

HOSTIN: This is remarkable. This was filed yesterday. I have a copy of the complaint yesterday in Georgia, in Savannah.

Well, Lisa Jackson, who apparently was a manager of one of Paula Deen's restaurants that she runs with her brother, it's called Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House, Lisa Jackson claims that this was a hostile work environment and that Laura -- Paula Deen, rather, condoned sexual harassment, racism, and used herself racial epithets. I think we have a bit of what is contained in the complaint.

And Lisa Jackson alleges that when Paula Deen was asked about planning a wedding, she said, "I want a true Southern style plantation wedding. I really would like a bunch of little N words to wear long sleeve white shirts, black shorts and black bow ties, you know, in the Shirley Temple days."

So, you know, really, really, now, that wouldn't be Southern -- she says, goes on to say, "Now that would be a true Southern wedding, wouldn't it, but the media would be on me about that."

So these are just allegations, Brooke, but very serious allegations. I reached out to Paula Deen's attorneys. They said that they cannot comment, of course, on pending litigation.

I also reached out to the plaintiff's attorney. He indicated to me that at 2:00 today, there would be an emergency hearing on a gag order motion that was filed by Paula Deen's attorneys. That that gag order motion was denied. I hope to get the opportunity (AUDIO BREAK) involved in this case, Lisa Jackson, the plaintiff, and her attorney.

But at this moment, she has been sued civilly. It's not a criminal case. But she has been sued for sexual harassment and several other counts. It's a 33-page complaint. So, really, really striking.

BALDWIN: As you mentioned, the accusations, we'll follow it and see if it goes anywhere.

HOSTIN: Right.

BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin, thank you.

And now to this -- it's something perhaps a lot of us can relate to. I'm talking popcorn. Sky-high prices for snacks at the movie theatre. You know, you just kind of groan when you hand over that 25 bucks. So, a Michigan man says he has had enough.

According to the "Detroit Free Press," Joshua Thompson has filed a class action lawsuit against his local AMC Theater. He says movie theatres are gouging customers who buy popcorn and drinks. He also says the theater violates the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. AMC is not commenting on the suit.

So, Super Tuesday. You know that's today. Ten states holding primaries and caucuses on the same day. Up next, we're going to go state by state, giving you a quick explanation on what's important and what's not.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right. Here we go. On this Super Tuesday, 10 states going all the way from Alaska to Massachusetts, voting today in what could be a deciding day in the Republican presidential race, Super Tuesday. The number here, 419 -- 419 delegates the total up for grabs today.

So, we want to just break down a couple states we're really watching closely and then of course what they mean for these candidates.

Let me begin with the great state of Ohio. You see here 63 delegates is actually not the biggest delegate prize here today. But no Republican has actually ever won the presidency without winning Ohio.

Talked to a lot of people, Ohio kind of represents the microcosm of the electorate. You have urban, rural, evangelical, blue collar, white collar.

Watch for voter turnout, voter enthusiasm. Why? Because low voter turnout could be a bad omen, a bad signs for Republicans, of course, going into November against the president. This is a state, remember, he won back in 2008.

So, let me move along to Georgia. Georgia here. This is the most number of delegates up for grabs here at 76. And specifically, the question is, can Gingrich maintain his poll numbers here? We've got to wait and see if, of course -- he served Congress for two decades here, so can he maintain his own home state? We're going to watch and we're jus going to have to see there in Georgia.

Moving along, though, staying in the south and this is a huge state because, again, this is traditional conservative territory. A win for Newt Gingrich could jump start his campaign. If he wins Georgia and he wins Tennessee, that would be huge win for him.

But a win here for Mitt Romney could show Romney's appeal to Southern Republicans. Keep in mind, in 2008, Mitt Romney didn't win a single Deep South state. So, how these evangelicals, how the undecided vote goes could really show who comes out on this state.

Finally, let me take you to Virginia. Virginia is significant because you just have actually two people, two people on this ballot not beating Santorum or Gingrich. They're not on the ballot, so this could be a huge, huge day for Mitt Romney. Specifically, for 50 percent -- can he get 50 percent or more of the vote in Virginia? Because if he can cross that threshold, he will add even more delegates to his total -- 46 up for grabs in Virginia which, today, stands for Romney at 207.

Remember, here's the magic number and here are the delegates to date. Magic number to clinch the nomination: 1,144.

And CNN -- we're going to have live special coverage, of course, all night long on this Super Tuesday. Join us beginning at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Time now for the "Help Desk" where we get answers to your financial questions.

And joining me this hour, John Ulzheimer, the president of Consumer Education with smartcredit.com. Lynnette Khalfani-Cox is the personal finance author and the founder of the financial advise blog, AskTheMoneyCoach.com.

Guys, thanks for coming in.

John, your question comes from Jim in Pennsylvania. Jim has a 30-year fixed mortgage. He got it in 2009. He's got an interest rate of 5.25 percent. But he wants to know even at that rate if he should refinance.

JOHN ULZHEIMER, PRESIDENT OF CONSUMER EDUCATION, SMARTCREDIT.COM: Yes, that's funny. We talk about 5.25 not being the most optimal rate out there available. It's about 100 basis points higher than the best rate right now.

Absolutely. Look, there is a cost involved with refinancing, and if you plan on staying in the house for more than five years, it's generally going to work out in your favor, especially if he's good credit and a little bit of equity in the house, you could probably get a rate close to 3.75 right now.

HARLOW: Wow.

All right. And, Lynnette, your question comes from Chris in California. Chris wrote, "I want to open a 529 for your kids" -- a college savings plan. "What happens to the account if my kids attend an out-of-state school?"

So, does it matter where they go to school?

LYNNETTE KHALFANI-COX, FOUNDER, ASKTHEMONEYCOACH.COM: Here's the great thing about 529 plans. No, it doesn't matter. These plans are terrific. I have them for my three kids, because portable and they're transferrable in many ways.

So, let's assume you, you know, whatever state you live in, you can buy in California and Michigan, Texas, you know, Utah, it really doesn't matter, because if your kid goes to a school in, say, Arizona or Michigan, 529 funds can transfer and go along with them. Or if, say, your older kid Johnny says, I don't want to go to college after all, I want to travel and find myself, you can transfer the 529 plans down to little Jeanie, his sister.

HARLOW: Another kid.

KHALFANI-COX: So, it's a really flexible way to save for college and a great resource.

HARLOW: All right, guys, thank you so much.

And, folks, if you have a question you want answered, just send us an e-mail at any time to CNNHelpDesk@CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We do now have some information just in to CNN. This is that developing story out of Florida.

Two people are dead after a shooting at a high school in Jacksonville, Florida. Here's what happened -- police say a teacher who had been fired today walked back into an Episcopal High School in Jacksonville, shot the female headmaster. The teacher then committed suicide. We're told the headmaster had been at the school for more than three decades. We are also told no students were hurt.

A home invasion in Philadelphia ends with a husband dead and the wife shot more than eight times. This all happened while their boys were home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHERINE SMITH, SHOOTING VICTIM'S AUNT: We're devastated, needless to say, that they had to leave the house, what they had and wanted, to step over their father to get out of the house, their father laying on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The 13-year-old son called 911 Monday early morning. His brother is 10. Police say they don't know why the shooters targeted this family. Investigators say 35-year-old John Paul (ph) and his wife Cheryl Paul (ph) have no history with them. Investigators believe a trail of blood at the home shows one of the gunmen was hit at some point in time. There was some sort of struggle involving Paul. Mrs. Paul is in critical condition. And investigators are looking for threes suspects and offering a $20,000 reward.

Wolf Blitzer in Atlanta with me, obviously we know why. It is Super Tuesday, after all. Ten states holding primaries, caucuses. I just saw Gloria Borger, she says we're going to be here potentially until 2:00?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Take out the word "potentially."

BALDWIN: We're going to be here until 2:00 in the morning.

BLITZER: We'll be in the air until 2:00 a.m.

BALDWIN: Who better to spend my evening with.

BLITZER: Yes.

BALDWIN: Huge night. As we mentioned, 10 states. But I feel like sort of top of the talk is Ohio.

BLITZER: Ohio, Ohio, Ohio.

BALDWIN: Yes.

BLITZER: If Santorum can win in Ohio, and our last poll show that was neck and neck, it was a tie. If Santorum can win in Ohio, he will survive and he'll continue to fight. If Romney wins in Ohio, it's going to really bolster this notion that it's all his for the taking, if you will.

So, Ohio is going to be critical.

BALDWIN: Then you also look at the South. Of course, Gingrich needs to win his home state of Georgia.

BLITZER: He probably will win.

BALDWIN: He probably will.

The next question then is Tennessee. Romney hasn't won deep --

BLITZER: Tennessee is like Ohio. It's neck and neck between Santorum and Romney. Gingrich is not necessarily all that much of a factor in Tennessee right now, which is a surprise, because you would have thought in the South, he would be doing better. But at least according to the most recent polls we've seen, Tennessee is very much like Ohio.

BALDWIN: What is it, a total of 419 delegates up for grabs tonight?

BLITZER: Four hundred and nineteen. And then the super delegates who are the unpledged delegates from those states who will be more. But in terms of pledged delegates, 419.

BALDWIN: Tune in for our coverage, beginning at 6:00 Eastern.

BLITZER: More delegates tonight at stake than all the contests until now.

BALDWIN: One third of the delegates of the final 1,144, the magic number for that nomination.

I got them. Wolf, thank you.

BLITZER: Thanks.

BALDWIN: Now to this. This is a tough one. A young college student, she dies in this violent car accident moments before she had been texting behind the wheel. And now, her parents -- they're coming forward. They're telling her story, and making an important request.

Shauna and Clay Sauer join me live. Do not miss their daughter's story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Texting and driving, you're not supposed to do it. It doesn't make driving any easier, but even the brightest among us do it, like 18-year-old Taylor Sauer. Her 3.9 grade point average and community work once prompted a local station television to profile her as the distinguished student of the week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR SAUER, 18-YEAR-OLD: Ready to leave and go farther, and take on the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: But the world didn't see that happen. She died January 14th after crashing her car into a tanker. This was the aftermath.

Idaho state police say she had been texting and driving, reportedly as often as every 90 seconds as she headed home from college that fateful night. In fact, the last text, she says, quote, "I can't discuss this matter now, driving and Facebooking is not safe."

Now, her parents of speaking out. They want to ban texting and driving in their state of Idaho, a bill that can pass the state house possibly as early as this week. Idaho Senate has already approved it.

I want to bring them in. Shauna and Clay Sauer joining me from Boise.

And, obviously, to both of you -- my condolences. In fact, I know this is quite fresh, that your daughter passed away just two months ago. So why speak up? Why come forward now?

CLAY SAUER, FATHER OF CRASH VICTIM: We feel we need to. It is very hard, emotion are raw for us.

But the bill came forward. We were approached, and fell it was the right thing to do, to get this message out -- the message of awareness to these kids, and to help to get this bill passed. And Idaho needs this law.

BALDWIN: Clay, if you can, just take me back and help us understand what happened. It was January 14th, she was coming home. She was on I-84. And what happened?

C. SAUER: She was on I-84 driving home from college, and, you know, it was around 9:00 that evening, and evidently she was texting or Facebooking at the time, was not looking, and ran into the back of a slow-moving semi and passed away on impact.

We found out about the time she should be rolling into our house, we had a knock at the door. I answered the door, and it was the local coroner giving us the terrible news.

BALDWIN: Shauna, I mean, I look at they pictures of this beautiful young woman, and we heard her say she was ready to take on the world. I have to ask, did either of you ever have any conversation about, please, Taylor, you know, don't text, don't Facebook while you're driving? Did that ever happen?

SHAUNA SAUER, MOTHER OF CRASH VICTIM: Oh, definitely. We've talked with all of our kids about texting. The Facebooking -- all of our kids haven't had phones for very long that had the Facebooking ability on it and the Facebooking -- we would always talk to our kids, and Taylor in particular, we'd say, Taylor, you know, stay off, no texting, no Facebooking. She's like, hey, Facebooking isn't texting.

And I think she would still say that. I think she'd say, Mom, I wasn't texting. I was Facebooking -- even though she was doing both, and we know that. I think because they think they're rolling through, just reading, they're not texting.

BALDWIN: And you -- both you parents say, no, it is the same, right? I mean, you have got to the state capitol. What specifically are you asking from the state legislature?

S. SAUER: We would like them to help us keep our kids safe, keep the adults safe, keep the citizens of Idaho safe. And this is no different than the seat belt law. It's no different than drunk driving.

If we make it into a law, then, you know, there's going to be less people that will participate in it. It's proven with the seat belts, it's proven with drunken driving.

BALDWIN: I think that's such an important and a wonderful point you make, though. And from what I understand, a lot of teens you've heard from, you know, as part of some of these hearings say it isn't the same, that rolling through your Facebook page or your Twitter at mentions isn't as harmful.

What do you say to teens? What do you say to parents? I've got 30 seconds left here. What is your message to parents today?

C. SAUER: To get the message out to their kids. We did it. We evidently didn't do it well enough or enough. We need to get this message out.

I think if we get this law in place, it will help with education. It will help the younger generations to understand this law. It is a law, and they'll be trained that way all the way through driver's education and on, just like the seat belts versus the older kids. It's going to take a lot of education on our parts and our society's part to get the message out to all drivers.

BALDWIN: No matter the age, we should not be doing. Clay and Shauna Sauer, thank you so much.

And now, "THE SITUATION ROOM" starts right now.