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Massacre Leads to Afghan Outrage; GOP Primaries in Alabama and Mississippi; Justice Department Blocks Texas Voter ID Law; Obama Holds News Conference on Afghanistan, China; Parents Want to Legally Take Over Children's Schools; Could Today's Primaries End Some GOP Campaigns?

Aired March 13, 2012 - 11:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips. It's 11:00 a.m. on the East coast and 8:00 a.m. out on the west coast. We have a pretty busy hour just ahead. Let's get straight to the news.

Another day of outrage in Afghanistan over the massacre of Afghan civilians, allegedly by a U.S. soldier. Hundreds of protesters filled the streets of Jalalabad today, adding their voices to those of Afghan leaders demanding justice and the Taliban who vow revenge.

We are still learning more about the suspect, an Army sergeant who'd arrived in-country in January after three tours in Iraq. No word on a possible motive for gunning down 16 Afghan men, women, and children but the U.S. commander of multinational forces promises a full investigation by U.S. military authorities under U.S. law.

And the U.S. defense secretary says that the death penalty is a possibility. Leon Panetta is in Kyrgyzstan now. All U.S. forces pass through there when they leave and enter Afghanistan and he told reporters and I quote, "War is hell and terrible events like this one on Sunday are going to take place."

We'll get live reports from the Pentagon and the Afghan capital moments from now.

Super Tuesday, it's not, but what happens today in Alabama and Mississippi and tonight in Hawaii could focus the GOP race for president finally or give all the contenders something they can call victory.

The Deep South is key to Newt Gingrich's hopes of outlasting Rick Santorum to challenge Mitt Romney from the right. Polls show that he and Romney are neck and neck in both states with Santorum in a solid third, Ron Paul in single digits. Eighty-four delegates now at stake in Alabama and Mississippi. Hawaii caucuses award 17.

Well, for now at least, voters in Texas and Wisconsin will not have to bring photo IDs to the polls. Both states passed measures last year aimed at ending voter fraud.

But the Justice Department and a Wisconsin judge say the laws unduly burden rightful voters, especially minorities and the poor. The feds blocked the South Carolina law for the same reasons late last year.

And an hour from now, opponents of a steep hike in student loan interest rates will hand-deliver tens of thousands of letters to leaders of Congress. If lawmakers don't intervene, rates of so-called Stafford loans, which the government subsidizes, will double in July.

Right now, they're just 3.4 percent and students don't have to pay while they're in school. President Obama proposed keeping the rate frozen for at least the next year.

And it's a day of mourning in Syria after a year of government attacks on Syrian dissidents, army defectors, and innocent bystanders alike. Activists say more than 9,000 lives have been lost and that number grows by the hour. The government claims it's battling armed protesters and promoting reform.

Today, President Bashar al-Assad scheduled parliamentary elections for May 7th.

New images into CNN of people being rescued after a ferryboat crashes in South Bangladesh. About 100 people still missing. So far, 35 have been rescued.

The packed boat carrying 150 people when it capsized. It collided with another vessel early this morning. Ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh, killing hundreds of people every year.

Well, the Obama administration says rare earths are a whole lot rarer than they should be and it blames China. Rare earths are minerals that are vital ingredients in all sorts of high-tech components from smartphones and wind turbines to guided missiles.

China produces 97 percent of the world's supply and it's slashing exports. The U.S. is complaining to the World Trade Organization and President Obama plans to talk about it moments from now at the White House. We'll bring you his comments live.

Parts of southern Louisiana under water this morning. You're looking at Lafayette Parish right now where water is pouring over sidewalks, flooding streets, forcing homeowners to vacate.

The National Weather Service says 12 to 18 inches fell across the region. A state of emergency has been declared in Lafayette and St. Landry Parish. Hundreds of people have been rescued. A lot of people still stranded. There's a flood warning until later today.

Now, a disturbing story, a Massachusetts man is charged with biting off the ear of a sixth grade basketball coach. Timothy Forbes reportedly got angry after the Holy Name School lost the championship game on Friday.

Well, originally, he was believed to be a coach on the losing team, but according to our affiliate, WSHM, the youth organization says that Forbes isn't a coach. The CYO speculates that Forbes may be the father of the players. Forbes was arraigned Monday. He faces multiple charges, including mayhem, which is a felony and it carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

As if the anti-American sentiment wasn't bad enough in Afghanistan, an American soldier is accused of going on a killing rampage. Now, the Taliban threatens to behead Americans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, the backlash in Afghanistan is escalating, reignited by a shooting rampage that killed 16 Afghans and it seems that the Taliban is making good on its promise for revenge. Taliban militants reportedly opened fire on an Afghan government leader who was visiting the Panjwaii District.

That's where a U.S. soldier is accused of gunning down nine children, three women, and four men. The Afghan delegates were attending the victims' funerals when they were attacked and, according to a council member, at least two Afghan security forces were injured.

Earlier in the day, this was the scene in eastern Afghanistan. Hundreds of protesters taking to the streets in Jalalabad. You can see just a glimpse of the fallout.

Sara Sidner on the ground, monitoring the situation for us in Kabul, Afghanistan. So, Sara, the Taliban ramping up the threats, saying they would behead Americans to avenge the deaths of these 16 Afghans. What more can you tell us about the threat?

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Basically, just that. They sent an email today saying that they had to take revenge for this incident that involved a U.S. soldier. That U.S. soldier has been detained as you know, but they're saying that they will behead any American anywhere in Afghanistan. And, so, that's the latest, a very strong threat from the Taliban.

So far, we don't know of anyone claiming responsibility for that attack in Panjwaii District that happened while this funeral was going on, but still a very difficult situation there, lots of difficulties getting information out of that area.

We did see protests for the first time since this incident happened a couple of days ago in Jalalabad, which is quite far from Kandahar. Kandahar is in southern Afghanistan. Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan.

But 400 to 500 people did show up, though many of them university students. There was no violence there, although the road, an important route, shut down between Jalalabad and Kabul, but that has since been reopened.

This certainly, though, this threat from the Taliban, has people quite nervous as you might imagine and we're not just talking about the troops. We are talking about those agencies that are on the ground trying to give aid to the people of Afghanistan.

And so, there is a lot of concern about what we're hearing from the Taliban at this point in time, Carol. PHILLIPS: So, what about the Afghan people? Are they calling for U.S. troops to pull out?

SIDNER: Yes. You are hearing some of that and you heard some of that in that protest there, but we should point out just last month you saw the protests just explode after the Korans were burned by U.S. forces who said that they apologized for it and it was a mistake. You saw 40 people killed in those protests, including U.S. service members.

And this time, we've only seen one protest with 400 or 500 people, happening in a different part of Afghanistan and we haven't seen it pop up all over the country, so a contrast there between the two incidents.

There is worry there may be more to come and certainly this Taliban threat has people worried about what may happen next from their point of view and how this might play in to any peace negotiations that might have gone on between the Taliban, Afghan officials and U.S. officials. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Sara Sidner in Kabul for us. Sara, thanks.

Now, as calls for revenge and justice for the shooting spree grow louder in Afghanistan, U.S. leaders are scrambling right now to find answers and contain a potentially explosive situation.

Let's get to Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. She's been working her sources. So, Barbara, when's the state of the investigation right now?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is fully underway, Kyra. The Army criminal investigation command in charge of this gathering all the information they can.

Certainly, I think it's fair to say one of the things they're looking at is this man's medical records. He suffered a traumatic brain injury two years ago in Iraq when he was involved in a vehicle rollover accident, not combat, a vehicle rollover, and he apparently suffered a traumatic brain injury, was treated, and deemed fit to return for duty.

So, one can only imagine they'll be looking at his records, looking -- as all soldiers do, they fill out their own mental health survey. What did he say on that mental health survey? Were there any indications, any signs that this man was perhaps extremely troubled?

All of that will play in to it. Talking to people he knew in the Army, others in his unit, trying to assemble whatever facts they can. It may and I think is expected to lead to charges. His name will be made public at that point and then the military will have to make a decision whether to try him in Afghanistan in the military justice system or perhaps bring him back to the United States.

Kyra?

PHILLIPS: You know, I was thinking he's a father of two. What's the situation with his family?

STARR: Oh, you know, your heart has to go out to them, doesn't it? We now know that his wife and children have been brought on the base at Lewis-McChord in Washington state for their own security so they don't face any harassment or unpleasantness from the community outside.

The military has brought them over the weekend, we're told, to live on base and that is all we're told. They're really trying to shelter his family from any public view, especially his children.

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Barbara, thanks.

Well, Afghans are calling for an open trial against the U.S. soldier suspected of this killing spree but that won't happen. We'll tell you why when I talk to a former JAG and military prosecutor up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

All right, we are just moments away from live comments by President Obama. He is expected to mince no words in blaming China for the shortage of rare earth materials.

Let's explain what that is. They're vital ingredients in all kinds of high-tech components that you own from smartphones, wind turbines, also, militarily. We're talking about guided missiles.

Well, China produces 97 percent of the world's supply and it's slashing exports. Well, the Obama administration is complaining to the WTO, the World Trade Organization, and we're going to bring you the president's remarks as soon as they happen.

All right, today, we're taking an in-depth look at a man who decided to bake his way out of a financial pit. He was unemployed, out of cash, and living on credit cards for more than a year. But a dinner party changed everything for him.

Christine Romans tells us how that party helped Dave Tuttle reboot his career.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Dave Tuttle has a passion for pie.

DAVE TUTTLE, OWNER, TUTTLE'S HOMEMADE: Let's face it. Pie is wonderful. It's something that makes people feel great.

ROMANS: A passion that was born of necessity in 2009 after this former film and TV producer couldn't find work in an industry that was shedding jobs.

TUTTLE: For about a year, I really made it full-time to try to find a job, to get back into the business because that's what I was doing for 20 years. ROMANS: So, you were living on your savings, living on your 401(k).

TUTTLE: 401(k) and it came to a point where, you know, we had depleted all of our funds.

ROMANS: Then an idea.

TUTTLE: We were sitting at a dinner party one night and I had brought one of my pies and we were sitting around with our friends and they said, Dave, you know, you should really start to sell these pies. My wife's like, yes, you need to do something!

I said, well, okay. That's cool. You know? Maybe I'll try it.

I'll bake on average of 16 to 18 hours straight. I use only what's in season here in the Hudson Valley. I do everything by hand. I'll peel my apples. I mix all my crusts, roll them out by hand. The name of the company is Tuttle's Homemade.

ROMANS: His unique cost-saving measure? Bartering for kitchen space at local restaurants.

So, you save the space of pies, which also is more advertising for you.

TUTTLE: Bingo.

ROMANS: So, you're selling those pies.

TUTTLE: Right.

ROMANS: Brilliant.

TUTTLE: Right.

ROMANS: He sells and hand-delivers up to 200 pies every month, most locally.

But now Tuttle's ready to take the next step.

TUTTLE: I could definitely see Tuttle's Homemade right up there.

ROMANS: Tuttle's Homemade?

TUTTLE: No problem. And, like, a sign coming out of here, you know, fresh-baked pies. I would have to do a lot of work.

ROMANS: It does take money, though.

TUTTLE: It's all going to take money.

ROMANS: A hurdle, as years of unemployment and living on credit cards hurt his credit score. And he's not alone. Demand for small business loans is up, but lending is still tight.

Tuttle says he could help the economy grow if given the chance to grow his business and start hiring.

TUTTLE: Our government needs to take advantage of that. There's a huge, huge amount of people doing this.

ROMANS: While he hopes the business will continue to heat up, Tuttle says the experience has given him a new recipe for life.

TUTTLE: Before it was about making that paycheck. Now, it's more about family. It's about being connected back to my community. What I was doing before wasn't -- it was great but it wasn't as real as what I'm doing now.

ROMANS: There's nothing more real than a real good, apple pie recipe.

TUTTLE: Exactly, exactly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right, if you're interested in starting a business, there's free help out there. You might want to just check out the Small Business Administration's website to get a few ideas. Just go to SBA.gov.

PHILLIPS: Well, Afghans are calling for an open trial against the U.S. soldier suspected of a killing spree there. But that's not going to happen.

We'll tell you what is more likely to take place when I talk to a former JAG and military prosecutor. That's up next.

Also, live pictures from the Rose Garden, waiting for the president of the United States to walk up to the mikes. He's talking about rare earths. And they're rarer a whole lot than they should be, he says, and he's blaming China for that.

Why you should care about the minerals, we'll explain straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Time now to go to stories making news at street level. Heading north to New Brunswick, New Jersey. Closing arguments today in the trial of former Rutgers University student, Dharun Ravi, who's accused of webcam to spy on his gay roommate.

The roommate, Tyler Clementi, died by suicide in 2010, three days after officials say Ravi spied on him during an intimate encounter with a man. Ravi is charged with 15 counts, including bias intimidation, invasion of privacy, and tampering with evidence. He could be sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Heading south now to Sanford, Florida, and the emotional case of a 17-year-old African-American shot to death by a white neighborhood watch captain. Trayvon Martin was walking to his dad's home in a gated community around sunset. George Zimmerman says he spotted what he described as a "suspicious black man" and he called 911.

By the time police arrived, Martin was dead. Zimmerman says he fired in self-defense. No weapon was found on or near Martin's body. The black community is demanding to know why Zimmerman hasn't been arrested or charged. The state attorney general is investigating.

Moving now to Atlanta where a Delta Airlines jetliner undergoing maintenance veered off the runway at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport early this morning. There were no passengers on board and no injuries to the crew. Officials say the pilot was experiencing brake problems when the accident happened.

All right, let's head out west. Colorado Springs. Students of Palmer High School are outraged at their faculty yearbook adviser for pulling a photo of two lesbian students holding hands.

The couple was also booted from the yearbook staff. One of the students says the adviser told her, quote, "you either cut the gay couple or I cut the page."

The school district spokesperson denies discriminating against the students saying the photo was cut because of policy against excessive public displays of affection.

Who knew things would come to this? Reports say police are dealing with a crime spree. They say thieves stealing Tide laundry detergent. It's supposedly gotten so out of hand that some stores are putting the detergent under lock-and-key.

One report claims a Minnesota man made off with $25,000 worth of Tide over a 15-month period. Tide sells for up $20 in the store. It's reportedly going for half of that price on the streets.

Well, there's a totally different problem in Trenton, New Jersey. City officials there are dealing with a toilet paper shortage. They have enough to last until Friday. That's at government buildings.

The problem? A disagreement between Trenton's mayor and the city council. It seems the city council is refusing to sign a $42,000 contract to buy more supplies.

Now, on to Dayton, Ohio where President Obama and British prime minister, David Cameron, will get in a little "March Madness." The two will conduct a joint interview during halftime during the Western Kentucky-Mississippi Valley state game.

President Obama has a bracket challenge on his campaign website. No word of Cameron's picks. This visit will get serious tomorrow when the two discuss Afghanistan and Syria.

So, with all this "March Madness" talk, are you filling out your bracket? If so, why not go ahead and go head to head with me or my team? We have our picks in. Just visit CNN.com/brackets and join the "March Madness" CNN (inaudible).

All right, will today's contest down south do what Super Tuesday couldn't? Up next, the fight for Mississippi and Alabama. Will those two states make it a two-man race?

And first it was NASCAR team owners. Now, it's football. Mitt Romney fumbles his way back into an out-of-touch gaffe. You'll hear the interview next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Now time to get to the heart of the political debate with all sides being "Fair Game." The primaries in Alabama and Mississippi are in full swing. Here's a look at the current delegate count. Mitt Romney in the lead. Rick Santorum in second. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul still trailing behind. 119 more delegates among the places holding primaries and caucuses today.

So let's get right to it. Joining me, Republican strategist Ana Navarro and Democratic strategist and CNN contributor Maria Cardona.

Let's talk Alabama and Mississippi first, guys, and where the candidates stand. Likely vote earls in Mississippi now stand behind Gingrich over Mitt Romney. Then in Alabama, Romney and Gingrich are neck and neck, only two percentage points apart at this point.

Ana, Rick Santorum says it's a two-man race between him and Mitt Romney?

ANA NAVARRO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, that's what he wants it to be. I don't think Newt Gingrich is in on that line and I think as far as -- as long as Mitt Romney does not win, it's a good thing for Rick Santorum. But I just don't think that anybody would have thought talking about March Madness we would be talking about the Republican primary. It seems that this is going to continue going on and on. The states proportionate the way they'll allocate the delegates. Everybody will get a piece of the pie tonight. Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. And this is going to go on for a while longer.

PHILLIPS: Maria, you agree?

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST & CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think it goes on for a while longer. But look, what's so ironic is the reason it goes on is because the Republicans put in place mechanisms for exactly that to happen. Ana mentioned the proportional delegate count, that was all rules that Republicans changed, as well as the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling that Republicans were all in support of, have also given rise to the super PAC to give those candidates, who might have had to leave the race earlier because of lack of money, has given them the ability to continue this race going on and on.

And I think what it shows is two things. Romney's inability to close the deal with critical southern religious conservative voters, as well as the fact that he's the presumed front-runner, but what a weak presumed front-runner he's turned out to be.

PHILLIPS: All right, at this --

(CROSSTALK)

NAVARRO: I'm not a fan of Romney but we have to give him a little credit for the mere fact he's splitting it three ways in Alabama and Mississippi, which are, frankly, just foreign to him, and what we all thought he was going to get clobbered. So I think, you know, he is showing to be resolute. He's eaten grits.

(LAUGHTER)

He's shown he can do a little pronunciation of southern colloquiums and worked there. He's worked day after day in Alabama and Mississippi. And though I'm not his biggest fan, I give him credit for what he's done.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Listen to you.

All right. But at this moment, it's Romney and Santorum with the most delegates. Let's talk about how that stacks up against Obama. Most "The New York Times"/CBS poll showing Obama beating Romney. Obama trumping Santorum in this poll.

So, Maria, what do the numbers tell us about Obama's standing at this point?

CARDONA: Well, you know, it is still a long ways off to the election so I don't think we should read a whole lot in to that. And I can tell you the president and the White House certainly aren't reading a whole lot in that. They're going to be continued -- they're going to continue to be focused on dealing with the problems that middle class families have, workers have, creating jobs, continuing the economic growth that we have been on this path right now.

And I think that what it also shows, though, is that the Republican message isn't really getting through. And the more that this goes on regardless of whether, you know, Mitt Romney able to be resolute in all of this, the issue is, if he isn't the nominee, which I think most people think he will be the nominee, how damaged is he going to come out of this prolonged Republican race where he himself has shown that he does not have the ability to connect with exactly those middle class families, those working class voters that will be so critical going in to the general election? And that, right now, President Obama is winning.

PHILLIPS: You know, while I have you guys, I'll step away for a second. We have a live picture at the White House. I'll let you both know we're waiting for President Obama to step out of the Rose Garden. He's expected to mince no words in blaming China for the shortage of rare earth minerals. Now, a lot of people are thinking, rare earth minerals? Please tell me why I need to pay attention to this. And what the heck, while we're waiting -- oh, is it the president coming out?

All right, ladies, I wanted to get your take on this, but the president is coming out to the podium now. When we talk about rare earth minerals, we're talking about vital ingredients in all kinds of high-tech components. Let's listen to the president.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- I want to make an announcement about our efforts to stand up for U.S. businesses and U.S. workers. I'd like to say a few words about the situation in Afghanistan. Over the weekend, as many of you know, there was a tragic incident in which a number of Afghan civilians were killed. I have made to President Karzai when I spoke to him is that the United States takes this as seriously as if it was our own citizens and our own children who were murdered. We're heartbroken over the loss of innocent life. The killing of innocent civilians is outrageous and it's unacceptable. It's not who we are as a country. And it does not represent our military.

For that reason, I have directed the Pentagon to make sure that we spare no effort in conducting a full investigation. I can assure the American people and the Afghan people that we'll follow the facts wherever they lead us. And we will make sure that anybody who was involved is held fully accountable with the full force of the law.

Yesterday, I met with General Allen and Ambassador Crocker, who are here in Washington, and I have extraordinary confidence in them and in the many Americans who are serving in Afghanistan and who have made extraordinary sacrifices to be there. Today, I'll be meeting with Prime Minister Cameron, who's part of our broad coalition serving in Afghanistan. And we'll have an opportunity to consult about the way forward as we prepare for the NATO summit in Chicago later this spring.

So make no mistake. We have a strategy that will allow us to responsibly wind down this war. We're steadily transitioning to the Afghans who are moving into the lead. And that's going to allow us to bring our troops home. Already we're scheduled to remove 23,000 troops by the end of this summer. Followed by -- following the 10,000 that we withdrew last year. Meanwhile, we will continue the work of devastating al Qaeda's leadership and denying them a safe haven. There's no question that we face a difficult challenge in Afghanistan. But I'm -- I'm confident that we can continue the work of meeting our objectives, protecting our country and responsibly bringing this war to a close.

Now, one of the things that I talked about during the State of the Union address was making the U.S. more competitive in the global economy. The good news is that we have the best workers and the best businesses in the world. They turn out the best products. And when the playing field is level, they'll always be able to compete and succeed against every other country on earth. But the key is to make sure that the playing field is level. Frankly, sometimes it's not. I will always try to work our differences through with other countries. We prefer dialogue. That's especially true when it comes to key trading partners like China. We have got a constructive economic relationship with China. And whenever possible, we are committed to working with them to addressing our concerns. But when it is necessary, I will take action if our workers and our businesses are being subjected to unfair practices.

Since I took office, we have brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration. And these actions are making a difference. For example, we halted an unfair surge in Chinese tires, which has helped put over 1,000 American workers back on the job. But we haven't stopped there. Two weeks ago, I created a Trade Enforcement Union to investigate any unfair trade practices taking place anywhere in the world. And as they ramp up their efforts, our competitors should be on notice. You will not get away with skirting the rules. When we can, we'll rally support of allies and, when it makes sense to act on our own, we will.

I just signed a bill to help American companies that are facing unfair foreign competition. These companies employ tens of thousands of Americans in nearly 40 states. And because of subsidies from foreign governments, some of their foreign competitors are selling products at an artificially low price. That needs to stop.

This morning, we are taking an additional step forward. We're bringing a new trade case against China, and we're being joined by Japan and some of our European allies. This case involves something called rare earth materials used by American manufacturers to make high-tech products like advanced batteries that power everything from hybrid cars to cell phones. We want our companies building those products right here in America. But to do that, American manufacturers need to have access to rare earth materials which China supplies. Now, if China would simply let the market work on its own we would have no objections. But their policies currently are preventing that from happening and they go against the very rules that China agreed to follow. Being able to manufacture advanced batteries and hybrid cars in America is too important for us to stand by and do nothing.

We have got to take control of our energy future and we can't let that energy industry take root in another country because they were allowed to break the rules. So our administration will bring this case against China today and we'll keep working every single day to give American workers and American businesses a fair shot in the global economy.

We're going to make sure that this isn't a country that's just known for what we consume. America needs to get back to doing what it's always done best. A country that builds and sells products all over the world that are stamped with the proud words "Made in America." That's how we create good, middle class jobs at home and that's how we'll create an economy that's built to last.

Thank you very much, everybody.

PHILLIPS: Live from the Rose Garden, the president of the United States -- I'll try to make this simple for you. Basically, bottom line, new trade case against China. The president wants U.S. companies to be able to make things like smartphones, wind turbines, guided missiles, basically high-tech components that are made up of rare earth minerals and those come from China. It produces 97 percent of the world's supply, and it's slashing exports. So the president wants to get control of our energy future, as he says, now, filing this new case against China. We'll follow it. All right. Some frustrated parents want to take over their kids' school and it's all legal. It's called the Parent Trigger Law, and it's triggering a lot of controversy. One woman in the fight joins me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: So how many of you out there think that your kids' school is just plain awful? If you had the chance to take control, would you do it? In at least three states, you already can. It's called the Parent Trigger Law. The idea is that parents with kids in low-performing schools can literally take over. They can actually vote to replace the teachers, principals and other school staff. They can make sweeping changes to who and how the school is run. But the Parent Trigger Law, of course, doesn't come without controversy. It's an issue that we feel is under covered.

Christina Sanchez, the deputy director of Parent Revolution, knows about this, and is joining me now.

The law passed in California and now Christina's group is campaigning to implement it at Desert Trails Elementary school. If Parent Revolution succeeds, Christine, I understand this would be the first school in the U.S. to be taken over by parents. So, tell me, if you do succeed with this effort, how exactly will parents take over this school and what changes do they want to make?

CHRISTINA SANCHEZ, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PARENT REVOLUTION: Thanks. Yes. So we at Parent Revolution believe that the reason our public education system is broken is because it's not designed to succeed. It's designed to serve the interest of adults and not children, so parents whose only interest is education and the future of their children now have real formal power under the Parent Trigger Law. And at Desert Trails, where parents organize, united, to not run the operations of the school but to actually be equal partners in deciding the key strategies at the school's going to use to educate their children, will have that ability to guide the vision and the direction of the school.

PHILLIPS: But explain to me exactly what the parents would do. I mean, have you decided exactly how -- who would run what? Who would make the critical decisions? The criticism is what gives the parents more qualifications than a principal or a teacher or other staff members that have been trained to do these jobs.

SANCHEZ: Right now, as you and I are speaking, the school district is verifying the parents' petition. And since we've turned in our petition, the parents called for a partnership with the district. They want to have say over the principal, who's going to run the school. They want to be able to make changes to curriculum and to some of the basic operations of the school. Make sure it's safe. Make sure that the children are being prepared for college and for a career. And so, right now, the actual plan that's proposed is still being designed by the parents and the district, and we're hopeful that the district will continue to engage in conversations with the parents and put together a partnership. PHILLIPS: Now, from what I understand, as I've been reading the many articles written and everybody that's involved here, there are a lot of parents that actually signed this petition, saying that they were deceived, that they were lied to, that they didn't get the whole story of how this would unfold and that they're worried about the way that the kids will be educated if, indeed, this happens. So, what do you say to the many parents that don't want to be a part of this anymore and are not in support of this and are very concerned?

SANCHEZ: Yes. So like with any other social movement, change is difficult to have happen. Unfortunately, after the parents submitted their petition, there was a heavy rescission campaign led by the California Teachers' Association where operatives came in and gave parents forms to sign, but misinformed them and, in some cases, harassed them, told them lies that the school was going to shut down and so sign this form. And we even uncovered some cases of forgery where parents signed the form and then someone else, we don't know who, but someone indicated some allegations of misinformation from the parent petitioners. And so we're thankfully also represented by some great pro bono lawyers, and hoping it will be cleared up. As I said earlier, the school district is right now verifying the petitions and we are confident we continue to have the majority. We have a strong base of parents and we're in constant communication them. And if there is any miscommunication, we've been clarifying it over the past few weeks.

PHILLIPS: We reached out to the California's Teachers Association, because you mentioned something about the misinformation out there. And this is what CTA says: "Both places the parent trigger have been invoked, we've seen school communities divided by political-style campaigns, heavily funded by outside groups, with an agenda like Parent Revolution. School reform should come about in an atmosphere that allows for open discussion, debate, exploration of all the options, and involvement of parents, educators, and all stake holders. Reform efforts that begin and end with a petition shortchange students, parents, and meaningful education reform." How do you respond to that?

SANCHEZ: When you talk to any of the parents at Adelanto, they'll be the first to tell you that they are there own independent organization. They actually have to agree to partner with us. They sign a memorandum of understanding. And they reached out to us and invited us in. They've ran into road blocks with their district time and time again. They were the first to start their own PTA. They've served on counsels. So they tried to work within the district and just got frustrated with the long, bureaucratic process. We've constantly worked with them. And as I mentioned earlier, we want to build a partnership. And certainly, we want the union and teachers to be part of that partnership.

PHILLIPS: Christie, let me ask you, because only about 51 percent of parents have to agree to sign the petition for the Parent Trigger Law to go into effect. What about the other 49 percent? I mean, that leaves out a lot of parents.

SANCHEZ: Well, our aim is always to reach as many parents as we can. Right now, when a petition -- the group that's circulating the petition doesn't have a formal official list from the district -- we'd like one. And any smart campaign would aim higher than the 50 percent requirement. At Desert Trails, we submitted more than 70 percent in McKinley, and Compton, there was 60 percent. And so the same is always to reach as many parents and that's what the parents and Desert Trails did. They knocked on doors, they held public meetings, they did everything they could within the law to make sure that this was an open and transparent process.

PHILLIPS: Christina Sanchez, we'll follow it for sure. Thanks for your time.

SANCHEZ: Thank you.

The race for the GOP nomination hasn't exactly been a smooth one. Now the front-runner's saying it's time to end it. Could today's southern primaries do just that? That's next.

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PHILLIPS: A quick check at the big board. Right now, Dow Industrials up 109 points. Analysts attributing today's surge to strong retail sales last month and today's meeting with the Fed, by the way, which is expected to keep interest rates near zero. Good news.

All right, voters going to the polls right now in Alabama and Mississippi, and the outcome could mean a number of things. Maybe a candidate dropping out of the race. And if that happens, OK, who would benefit?

Paul Steinhauser is at a polling station in Gardendale, Alabama. Beautiful Gardendale.

Hello, Paul.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You sound like you've been here. You know Gardendale.

PHILLIPS: As a matter of fact, I do. How's voter turnout so far?

STEINHAUSER: Not bad, actually. We got here way before the polls opened, we were early birds, but at 7:00 a.m. local time, there were about 50 people lined up behind me. This is a civic center here in Gardendale, about 50 people lined up to get those first votes and it's been a steady stream since then.

Take a look at this. This is from the Alabama secretary of state's office. They're predicting turnout around 29 percent. That's pretty solid, but you can see four years ago, when you had both the Democratic and the Republican primary, a much higher turnout. But it has been a steady stream. And I guess that could help Romney. I guess some of his supporters aren't as fevered and would, you know, have a higher turnout, may help Mitt Romney. The polls indicate it's all tied up between Romney, Gingrich, and Santorum not too far behind -- Kyra?

PHILLIPS: We'll keep tracking it throughout the day and into the evening. It's going to be a late night.

Thanks for watching. You can continue the conversation with me on Twitter at kyraCNN or on Facebook.

CNN NEWSROOM continues with Suzanne Malveaux after a quick break.

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