have blackmailed the caucus. they are hateful. they are cannibals. was he jumped or was he pushed? >> he was inched. >> we're going to pick a candidate based on words, we need to define that. what does it mean to be a moderate or establishment? tom and i can define what it means to be centrist, free markets. or tom is going to wrestle me into the break. >> a lot of anger this morning. roland martin, you get the final word, which is terrifying for me to say. >> debate tonight. do me one favor. do not let them lie. kill the spin. stop them and say we're not going to lie to the american people. >> we do it for pay. that is our "end point" this morning. now right back to kyra phillips. i'll see you right back here for turn tomorrow morning. we begin this hour with powerful storms that are still pounding the south. at least two people now are dead, and jefferson county, alabama. damage is reported there and in

arkansas. and tornado watches still up in a number of places. cnn meteorologist rob marciano, i heard you back there. can't keep up with the board and everything else going on. what's the latest? >> what's eerie about this situation is that there's a path of the tornado took is a similar path to the one that hit them in april. north of tuscaloosa and northern birmingham. not similar results but still two fatalities. and i want to show you the latest on where this is all going. the most damage has been north of birmingham. and center point, paradise valley. this area here about, i don't know, maybe 15, 20 miles north of birmingham, alabama. this happened overnight when it was dark, dangerous situation. two fatalities. a tat least 100 people injured with this storm. and there was another cell south of birmingham with similar results, although it's less populated down there. we didn't have as much structural damage, but injuries nonetheless around clayton and reports of a transmission tower blown down as well.

so two significant tornados with this system, which is still dropping some heavy weather across southeastern alabama. tornado watch here in effect until 11:00 this morning. these storms for the most part, at least in northern georgia, are beginning to weaken. but across parts of southern georgia, the storm's prediction center has issued a second tornado watch until 4:00 this afternoon. for the potential of seeing some tornadoes. this is all with this system that came across the northwest. with all that tremendous moisture. and energy last week. and that's why we had such lift with this system. over 20 reports of tornadoes. and remember we started this last night in arkansas. this system rolled across arkansas, through western tennessee, and now alabama, certainly feeling the brunt of this. and we're not quite done with it certainly yet with tornadoes possible through the afternoon. kyra? >> rob, thanks. apparently we are working with someone in alabama in emergency management. eight days to go until florida votes in its republican presidential primary. after newt gingrich's come from

behind double digit win in south carolina, well, you better believe he's the new prime target. >> he was a leader for four years as speaker of the house. and at the end of four years, it was proven that he was a failed leader and he had to resign in disgrace. >> newt is the guy that, you know, in my opinion is the very high risk candidate. not only is he wrong on the mandate, government health insurance which he supported for 20 years, he is wrong on the wall street bailout. he was wrong on global warming. he's wrong on the immigration issue. >> all right. paul, i apologize for that because we are working on an interview right now about these tornado warnings and the severe storms in alabama. so do we want to hold off on that, finish up with paul here and move on to that? ok. paul, i apologize. joining us live out of d.c. now. you know, we have been talking so much about, ok, what's next

for newt gingrich. well, now we are hearing him of course go after romney with things like failed leader, high risk. those are definitely fighting words. >> yeah. it is getting nasty out there. kyra, please, you interrupt. you knock me off whenever you need to because that's breaks news and that is more important than this. this is politics. it's important, but, hey, that's lives at stake there. all right. yeah. it was nasty in south carolina. you can see from that sound you played, that was romney and santorum yesterday. it's going to get even uglier in florida. how is newt gingrich responding? take a listen to what he said on the sunday talk shows. >> so you end up with a guy who's i think a very good salesman, very much wants to sell, but he has a really weak product. and so i think he's been dancing on eggs trying to figure out how to find a version of romney that will work. >> yeah. if you didn't catch that, he is talking about mitt romney there. listen, kyra, newt gingrich is riding some big momentum now coming out of south florida -- or out of south carolina and his big victory there. just in that 24 hours after that victory saturday night, his

campaign says they raised $1 million in a money bomb. and they are going to need that in florida. that's an expensive state to run in, all of those big markets like miami, orlando, and tampa. the campaign also says that 500 people said they would volunteer just in the first 24 hours after the big primary win in south carolina. kyra, for gingrich, he says he'll give a big speech a day this week, and of course you have two debates this week. they matter. a debate tonight. and then of course our cnn republican debate in jacksonville on thursday night. another opportunity maybe for gingrich to hit a home run. kyra? all right, paul. we'll be talking more in addition to mitt romney as well, saying that he is finally going to release his tax records. we'll hit that. meanwhile, to the phone now. allen with the jefferson county emergency management out of alabama is with me on the line now. we topped the hour, allen, with our rob marciano talking about the situation there in your state. what can you tell us right now at about five minutes after the

hour? what are conditions like if what are you dealing with? >> right now we are still doing our search and rescue. we are going door-to-door at each of the houses to make sure nobody is trapped in the houses. from that standpoint, our search and rescue crews are gone in that area. we have nine teams in the county that do that. so they are all in the area searching different grid coordina coordinates. >> and i want to make sure we have the numbers right. we have confirmed two people dead. >> that's what we have right now, two confirmed deaths within the county. we are still counting the numbers and then will be doing a preliminary damage assessment on the number of homes or businesses that were destroyed or damaged in the storm. >> and how many crews do you have out right now at this hour? do you have enough resources to go house-to-house? as you well know, time is of the essence. >> yes, ma'am, they are out there in the area. the problem is not how many we've got. it's the area we're getting into and how accessible is it right

now. they have all -- they are staging a lot of resources at one area right now and working them in and out as fast as they can. from that standpoint, we have the resources available to us. plus, we have already met up with the state emergency resources. >> we have some pictures in from your area. but can you describe for me what the challenges are right now? what is making it so difficult about getting in there and being able to assess injuries, deaths, damage, et cetera? >> we have a lot of trees down, big oak trees. some of them 36 to 48 inches in diameter across the streets and across the ways we are going. so the rescue crews have got to go around those, on top of those, to get to the houses where the trees are in the yards and on the houses and make sure nobody is in there or hurt and injured. a lot of the power lines are still in the trees. they have been working with our ri rescue crews to make sure the

lines are not hot. anytime you get into those areas, you have a lot of debris that flatten tires and things like that so you have to take it very cautious. >> allen with the jefferson county emergency management in alabama. sure appreciate you calling in, allen. i know it's brs. we will continue to follow the weather conditions in addition to what's happening there on the ground in alabama. >> thank you, ma'am. >> thanks, allen. well, gabby giffords had just barely started her congress on the corner event in tucson last january when she was injured in that shooting rampage. well, this week, she resigns. >> i don't remember much from that horrible day. but i will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice. i have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best

for arizona, i will step down this week. >> dana, you had a chance to talk to two of her closest friends there on capitol hill. what are they telling you? i bet this video, this taping, is moving a lot of people this morning. >> reporter: it is. i think you and i just had the same reaction watching it, kyra. it is very, very tough. and that is exactly what two of her friends as you said that i spoke to, a senator from new york and the congresswoman from florida, who of course is also the dnc chair. both of them are close friends of gabby giffords. and both said it was a tough decision but one they both thought was the right decision for her because she really does need to focus first and foremost on her recovery. very interesting that debbie waserman schultz told me this really came into focus for gabby giffords when she went back to her district on january 8 for the one-year anniversary of the shooting.

and that's when she realized having that kind of public appearance, doing what she needs to do to actively be a member of congress, is just too hard to do while she is spending 150% of her time on her recovery. here's what she said, just a couple of quotes. she says there is so much hope for her to make a full recovery. again doesn't do anything halfway. and here is another thing she said. that's more likely to be years, not months. so that is why she has made the very difficult decision to step down, and that will happen after she comes back here to washington for the president's state of the union address tomorrow. >> what more do you know about her schedule today, dana, and who exactly is going to be at the event? >> reporter: she is going to have her very last public events in her district today. first and foremost, she is going to have -- this actually will be private, a private meeting with the people who actually came to that congress on the corner event on january 8 of last year. she says she wants to finish that discussion with the people who came.

and also have closure for herself and for those people after that tragic, tragic day when she and 11 others were wounded and six were killed. and following that, she's going to have some meetings with homeland security officials and others who she has worked closely with while she has been a member of congress. and lastly, she is going to go to a center -- the gabby giffords family center, family assistance center i should say, which deals with helping families in need, and that is also in the district. and that is the way she's going to finish her last full day of events as a member of congress from the tucson area. >> dana bash on the hill. thanks so much. well, penn state coaching legend joe paterno has passed, and the debate over how he will be remembered is moving forward. more than 60 years he preached honor, integrity. but the horrifying allegations of child rape by a longtime assistant may now taint that legacy. cnn's susan candiotti reports. >> reporter: in the shadow of

joe paterno's statue, students sang their alma mater, mourning the loss of a coach that meant so much to sports, to penn state, to them. after 61 years of coaching, paterno won fans far and wide, young and old. >> joe was penn state. he made penn state. and it's really just a very sad, sad day. for all of us. >> reporter: in the end, the winningest coach in college football lost his life to lung cancer. he was 85. he died as he lived, his family said in a statement. he fought hard until the end. the end came 2 1/2 months after he was fired as head coach in the wake of penn state's sex abuse scandal. his late-night ouster sparking outrage on campus. paterno was not criminally charged in the child rape case involving his former assistant coach jerry sandusky, but he acknowledged he could have done more to bring the allegations to light in 2002. in what turned out to be his

final interview, published by "the washington post" just over a week ago, he tried to explain his thinking. >> and i had never had to deal with something like that. and i didn't feel adequate. i've had a wonderful experience here at penn state. i don't want to walk away from this thing bitter. >> reporter: still, some question whether paterno and the university tried to cover up the sex abuse allegations. paterno fans stand by him. >> we're still going to love him, no matter what anybody else said. it wasn't joe's fault. and we're still going to love joe paterno forever and ever. period. >> reporter: yet for some, his loss could be more painful because of questions that may taint his legacy. >> well, susan is on the penn state campus for us this morning. what will his death mean to the ongoing investigation now, susan? >> reporter: well, kyra, that's an interesting question that's still being debated. can prosecutors move forward

with just his grand jury testimony? that's highly unlikely because the defense would not be able to of course cross-examine a piece of paper. so can that case move forward without him? well, mike mcqueary's testimony is still very crucial because after all he has testified and can testify that he allegedly told those two other penn state officials about that alleged child rape in the locker room back in 2002. but there's another legal notion called a dying declaration. and when joe paterno did a final interview with the "washington post" and talked about that, about what he did or didn't do about that sexual allegation that was told to him by mcqueary, well, civil attorneys might be able to make an argument in court saying i'd like to be able to use that because he might have been baring his soul on his, in effect, death bed and be able to use that in their civil suits. >> all right, susan candiotti there at penn state. thanks. well, rick santorum in

florida looking for some momentum. we're going to ask david gergin if he'll find it there.

so what happened to rick santorum in new hampshire and south carolina? blame the backyards. he says he was too close to romney and gingrich turf. >> well, there was one race that was in nobody's backyard. there was one race where you had to go out and on a level playing field compete, and we won that race. >> let's bring in david gergen. santorum is hunting for momentum

now. is it a mistake to underestimate him in florida, david? >> i think his best strategy right now and the one he seems to be playing is to run as the -- on the basis that he is the goldie locks candidate, and that is that you have got one candidate against him, mitt romney, who is too cool and as he says the other candidate, newt gingrich, too hot. and he is just right now. can he get there? well, you have to be sympathetic to rick santorum in this sense. had the votes been counted right in iowa, had he been declared the winner that night, this race might have had a very different arc. he might have done much, much better in new hampshire and become the alternative in south carolina. instead, you know, this unfortunate fluke from his point of view, he is the guy who's now running third. it's really become i think in the eyes of most people a two-man race between newt gingrich and mitt romney in florida. there are polls out this morning that show that the romney lead

of only a few days ago has disappeared. and they are in a virtual dead heat with santorum being pretty far back. >> well, all right. let's move toward those two, romney and gingrich. >> sure. >> just when you thought an open marriage allegation bombshell would scare away the evangelicals, looks like that am bombshell was a dud. all of the drama might have helped dpigingrich in south carolina. >> absolutely. no question what happened in south carolina is that newt gingrich came across as the alpha male, and he just took it away from mitt romney in those debates. he was a dominant figure. and in this particular election cycle, newt gingrich has told me, he has told others, that there the republican base is looking for a fighter, looking for a brawler. and they see that in newt gingrich. they want somebody who can go in the ring. i think these television debates have not only shaped the republican race, but they have

shaped what voters are looking for on the republican side. they are looking for someone who can go into television debates against barack obama and beat him. they think that's where the election is going to be won or lost. and in gingrich, he obviously has done very well in these debates. and rom ney stumbled badly last week. >> looking to florida, romney obviously has his sights on his biggest target. he has been all over newt's baggage. now his biggest shot is newt's disgraces. and quote, unquote, failed leadership. is this going to resonate? >> well, we'll wait and see. i don't know. mitt romney has not proven to be an adepth attack fighter. it's not quite in his dna. you need to do this with some skill to take gingrich down. it's easier to do it through the ads paid for by your pac as he showed in iowa.

but can mitt romney do this on a stage? we'll see that in the debate tonight, and then cnn has another debate on thursday night in florida. critical moments in this campaign. in the meantime, let's remember too that mitt romney has got his own issues. and he will be releasing his tax returns. he has promised for only one year. with some estimates of current year. and, you know, that's going to come tomorrow. and the press is going to be all over that. are there funds in the cacamen s and what does that mean? this is going to be a fascinating week. we just had the most turbulent week we've had, but now we'll have a fascinating week. and by the way, the battle will be joined tomorrow night with the democrats because president barack obama has his state of the union tomorrow night. and that's going to be really the opening gong if you will on the democratic side, and the battle will be joined. so this will be another big week.

>> we'll talk after the state of the union. we'll continue the discussion, david. thanks so much. >> thanks to you. another corporate shakeup. this week, it's blackberry maker research in motion. we'll go live to the new york stock exchange for an update. in america, we believe in a future that is better than today. since 1894, ameriprise financial has been working hard for their clients' futures. never taking a bailout. helping generations achieve dreams. buy homes. put their kids through college. retire how they want to. ameriprise. the strength of america's largest financial planning company. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you, one-to-one. together, for your future. ♪

all right. the second corporate shakeup in less than a week at a high profile tech company. felicia taylor at the new york

stock exchange. what's going on, felicia? >> well, there was a moment in time when this little device revolutionized communication. but as you well know, blackberry's dominance is long gone, losing out of course to the iphone and other android devices. there is also little demand for its smartphones, and there have been delays in new products. so the company's relevance hasn't really been there. it's also had a massive outage last year. so the co-ceos are so-called patting the baton. investing have been clamoring for change. r.i.m.'s stock down 70% over the last years. some people are saying it's actually quite cheap at these levels. >> and wall street reacting to the changes? >> you know, interestingly enough in premarket trade, r.i.m. was up about 3% and has now fallen about 3% to 4%. that's because after the new ceo spoke on a conference call and surprisingly he said that, quote, no drastic change is needed at blackberry. well, that's exactly what the market didn't want to hear. and naturally, investors don't

want to hear that. that's the whole point of putting in a new ceo. and some critics say that hines is simply a visionary, and that's what the company needs. the company needs to convince people why they still need a blackberry. kyra? >> alibra> joe paterno's friend believe in the listed cause of death. they believe that the penn state coach died from a broken heart. you'll hear from him next.

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checking top stories now, severe storms blamed for at least two deaths and 100 injuries near birmingham, alabama. also reports of heavy damage and power outages near tuscaloosa and birmingham. storms left one person injured

and destroyed five to six homes in arkansas. representative gabrielle giffords resigns this week one year after that shooting rampage that left her with a gunshot wound to her head. the arab league wants the syrian president to delegate powers. al assad has been under fire for allegations he purposely killed anti-government protesters. well, doctors say joe paterno died from lung cancer, but former penn state player matt millen has another theory, that he died of a broken heart. and there's a lot of people that share that feeling. cnn contributor sarah is joining us from the penn state campus. what exactly are those who were close to the coach telling you? >> reporter: you know, friends and family who really knew him,

you know, as opposed to the students who had a vigil behind me, said a lot of people felt like they knew him. he was a grandfather figure. but they had only really met him once or twice, and that was really a testament to his character. but those who really knew him and saw him in the time between when he was fired in early november and when he died said, you know, his spirits were high, but they really truly believe this man was such a great work ethic, who really lived to work, that he died of a broken heart, not of lung cancer, because just the devastating news of what had happened. over the past three months here on campus. >> now, one of the memorials being talked about is a players only memorial. tell me why this is so important. sarah, are you still with me? sarah, can you still hear me? >> reporter: i am. can you hear me? i can hear you. >> i lost you there for a second. tell me about this players only memorial and why that is so important.

>> reporter: well, you know, it's nothing official at this point. but they are talking about organizing one. and i think the reason is that, you know, there are -- because coach paterno was here for 61 years, there are generations and families that have been coached, father and son and in some cases even grandsons coached by joe paterno. and so, you know, he has meant a lot to these players. he has been, again, a father figure, a grandfather figure, taught them life lessons. some of them say that life lessons that carried on throughout their lives, carried on well beyond college. philosophies that they live their lives by. and so, you know, in some families, he really is an inspirational and a key figure. so for them to have a time to come together as players, a group of people who really only understand their connection together with paterno, and to say goodbye, that's something that's important. >> sara ganin, thanks.

earlier this month, a new article claimed that the yoga workout designed to keep them healthy may actually be wrecking their bodies. cnn's randi kaye takes a look at whether it's really fair. >> so as you settle in to your breathing -- >> reporter: all it took was this article in "the new york times" to knock the zen out of the yoga community. the headline, how yoga can wreck your body. >> when you first read the article, how did you feel about it? >> when i first read it, i was sort of shocked a little bit. sort of, you know, kind of alarmed at the extremity it seemed of the talk on how yoga can wreck your body. i thought it was a very extreme statement. >> reporter: while it angered gina at first, she told us she is the poster child for it. have you ever been injured doing yoga? >> i have been injured doing yoga. when i first started 12 years ago, i came into the yoga studio

with a lot of imbalance in my body. i had been in an accident, and my body was sort of twisted and unaddressed imbalances that were there. >> reporter: one year in, she injured her hamstring and shoulder during routine poses. but the injury wasn't all bad, she says. >> the same poses where i hurt myself i actually was able to create healing. and then too the issues that i had from my badly broken leg from my accident have healed beyond kind of everyone's wildest dreams through yoga. >> reporter: in the article, "new york times" senior writer william j. broad writes that yoga can cause serious injuries such as nerve damage, strokes, muscle damage, torn cartilage, even cracked ribs. what really stands out to you? what do you think the article really got wrong? >> pulling studies from like the '70s with what sounded to me people who were doing yoga more kind of on their own, in their dorm room, for instance, and not with the guidance of a teacher.

>> reporter: you question the examples? >> i'm not saying they are not legitimate. i think they are documented. but i just think it was to support the side of how the yoga can wreck your body, but it was just too specific and almost too unusual to show what really often happens. >> reporter: i'm one of the tens of millions of americans who practice yoga. and while anyone can get into a pose, the yoga instructors we spoke with say the best way to avoid injury is to find a studio with qualified, experienced teachers. in the 14 years joe has been teaching yoga, he has never had any injuries in his classes. but he says they do happen if students don't use proper technique. >> i think a lot of the injuries that this gentleman was describing in the article could possible have been created through doing something over and over and over indiacorrectly, o of alignment, or pushing way too hard in a pose.

>> reporter: this physical therapist agrees with broad's claims, that many injuries are possible in yoga. but he also agrees with the scores of outraged yoga fanatics who feel the article was alarmist and didn't provide the proper context in the examples used. >> reading that article, if somebody wasn't familiar with yoga or let's say they were planning on doing yoga, if they read that article, they would say, let me find something else to do. and so in that aspect, no, i don't think it was fair. there was too many negatives thrown out. obviously, with more people doing a form of exercise, you're going to have more injury. whether it's softball, baseball, football, whatever. so, you know, when they pick and choose, you know, the specific injuries, yes, you know, some injuries like that do happen. >> reporter: broad told us he's glad that his book and the excerpt in the paper are, quote, stirring a debate on safety. in a statement to cnn, he said,

quote, the evidence suggests that smart changes in personal routines can help prevent serious injuries and even save lives. this may seem surprising given yoga's reputation for gentleness. but as the book shows decades of scientific studies have revealed many ways that the practice of yoga can be improved. if that's true, it's going to take a lot more than tales of injury from long ago to convince yogis around the globe they may be wrecking their body. >> once again, that's our randi kaye. many practitioners and teachers would point out -- or make the point rather that yoga not just about the physical workout. it's also a mental and spiritual thing. it helps the mind focus on questions far beyond the physical world. mitt romney says he doesn't think that religion will play a big factor in picking the republican nominee. but as the field narrows, could his rivals play that card? we'll debate it coming up.

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mitt romney is getting grilled for his career at bain capital, his wealth, taxes, and his politics as governor. his mormon faith seems to come up as an issue sometimes, and it kind of fades away. but it never goes away completely. and now that the republican field is getting more narrow, could his faith come up again and linger as a campaign issue? well, chris wallace from fox news asked romney about it this weekend. >> i don't think in the final analysis that religion is going to play a big factor in selecting our nominee. i do think that conservative values do play an enormous role, and i think the speaker has some explaining to do for sitting down on the sofa with nancy pelosi and arguing for climate change ug regulation, for calling the paul ryan plan right wing social engineering.

>> let's talk more about this with l.z. granderson and will cain. guys, is this still the elephant in the room? why or why not? >> listen, his mormonism isn't something that comes and goes. it's something that never leaves. it's always there. and i think if he doesn't acknowledge that publicly and address it intelligently, he's really doing his campaign a disservice. look, when you talk about evangelicals, you're talking about john 3:16. ye you're talking about accepting jesus christ. and anytime you get away from that basic foundation in terms of evangelical voters, you're getting further away from getting their vote. if he doesn't talk about that honestly, he is not being real about his campaign. >> will? >> you know, kyra, i have no reason or interest in spinning this in any particular way. lz and i have had this conversation over a long period of time. and i originally started with mormonism is not an issue. i had changed that opinion over time to say it looks like it's going to be an issue for mitt romney. but now that we have three state

results in, i do not think mormonism is playing a big role in mitt romney's results. mitt romney has a much more core problem, something much more part of him. his personality. this issue, this election right now, is not about substance. it's not about any particular platform. it's not about an economic plan. the reason that newt gingrich was embraced in south carolina, and the reason he is now in the conversation right next to mitt romney, is because he has a personality that voters want to embrace. that fiery passionate i can debate you personality. mitt romney doesn't have that. >> all right. seggi segging from taxes into tithing. chris wallace asking him for potential fallout for his presidential came pain. >> if people want to discriminate against someone from their commitment to tithe, i would be very surprised. the bible speaks about providing

tithes and offerings. i made a commitment to my church a long, long time ago that i would give 10% of my income to the church. and i have followed through on that commitment. and hopefully as people look at the various individual whose are running for president, they would be pleased with someone who made a promise, a promise to god, and kept that promise. >> guys, could romney setting up the church of latter day saints with money and stock hurt him, lz? >> well, first of all, he's wrong. this is not a country that believes in the bible. this is a country that has freedom of religion, and some people believe in the bible. others believe in other things. if he's going to be president, it would be important for him to differentiate that because it's important. now with that being said, i think he is right in that i don't think people are going to look at him badly for giving money to a nonprofit organization which will be the church. and i think that's a good thing. and i think that's an admirable thing that he does. but he's wrong if he's going to characterize the entire country as a bible believing nation because it's not. >> will?

>> i don't see any way this is spun into a negative for mitt romney. if i don't see mormonism as a driving factor in why people aren't voting for mitt romney, why would tithing to his church be a problem? tithing is not particular to mormonism. many denominations of christians tithe. because it's an enormous sum. is that the argument, because he gave a bunch of money, because he is very wealthy? i don't see how you make this a negative for mitt romney. >> talk about a perfect segue, guys. out of our discussion, we'll get right to mitt romney live taking questions in tampa, florida, right now addressing charges that gingrich has made against him. >> the policies of freddie mac and the policies of government. i didn't hear that, i didn't hear him making those warnings to the nation. he should have, if he was working inside this industry providing counsel to them, he should have provided that advice to them and communicated that to the nation. but in part because of the mistakes of freddie mac, fannie mae, and those associated with those entities, as well as

people in congress and wall street and bankers and mortgage bankers and in some cases speculators, we see a crisis which has an enormous human toll. and so i'm calling on speaker gingrich again to do two things. again, release all of the work product associated with his work at freddie mac, and also return the funds he made from freddie mac. i wouldn't have normally suggested that other than he was the one that said that if you made mono they the one that said that if you made mono the on this failed mo you ought to be able to take that money. i'm happy to take questions. please. >> reporter: why are you releasing your records on the same day as the president's state of the union address? >> the reason they are being released that day is that the trustee of my trust that invests our family funds is available that day. his name is brad mult. he is in new york on that day. and i don't know the time. i think it's sometime in the morning. but it was just to accommodate his schedule. >> mitt romney speaking live in

tampa, florida. straight ahead, it's flitsville for an a list couple known for renewing their vows every year. what happened to heidi klum and seal's big love? [♪...] >> announcer: bank robbery certainly is a frightening crime. after all, bank robbers stole $43 million in one year. but identity thieves? try 37 billion! and guess how identity thieves are getting some of that money. by taking over our bank accounts.

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and i will describe the distinctions between myself and the speaker and myself and ron paul and rick santorum and the way that i think describes why i'm the best person to replace president obama. i think you'll find that in our debates and our discussions, my focus is going to be on president obama. but i will nonetheless describe distinctions between ourselves, and the speaker was very animated about my releasing tax records. i am. i think it's an appropriate observation that people should know if there's going to be an october surprise. and in the case case of the speaker, he's got some records which could represent an october surprise. and so let's see the records from the ethics investigation. let's see what they show. let's see who his clients were at the time he was lobbying republican congressmen for medicare part d, was he working or were his entityiies working with any health care companies that could have benefited. that would represent not just

evidence of lobbying but potentially wrongful activity of some kind. and finally, let's also see the relationship with freddie mac and the work product of freddie mac. let's have full disclosure of what's going on. by the way, saying that newt gingrich is a lobbyist is just a matter of fact. he indicates that he doesn't fall within the narrow definition of lobbyist that he might have in mind, but if you're working for a company getting paid for a company through one of your many entities, and then you're speaking with congressmen in a way that would help that company, that's lobbying. if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. awed -- you had a question. [ inaudible question ] >> i don't know what the lobbying rules are.

we just need to understand what his activity has been over the last 15 years and make sure that it's conformed with all the regulations that might exist, but also to underscore the fact that in the view of many of us that being in k street working for various corporations and providing influence in the governmental sector is a form of lobbying, and if he's been lobbying, he ought to acknowledge that. >> last question. >> pardon? [ inaudible question ] >> well, i think as you look at the speaker's record over time, it's been highly erratic. he voted in favor of establishing the department of education, and yet he gets in a debate and says we should get rid of the department of education and send all the education issues back to the

states. he's taken -- i mean, he's opposed vehemently to the massachusetts health care system and yet just a couple years ago wrote about what a superb system it was. he's gone from pillar to post almost like a pinball machine from item to item in a way which is highly erratic and does not suggest a stable, thoughtful course which is normally associated with leadership. thanks, guys. thank you, thank you. >> mitt romney answering questions there in tampa, florida. obviously he has his eyes set on that state now as we get ready for another debate. the state of the union, and, of course, this presidential season just getting more and more exciting. especially after the primary this weekend with newt gingrich winning south carolina. we will see and monitor what's next. every move on the political level on cnn. we're going to take a quick break. more from the "newsroom" straight ahead.

let's start with our mark preston. >> hey, kyra, great to be here in the election center. mitt romney has got the organization and the money but newt gingrich has got the momentum. we've seen some fighting words from mitt romney just in the past few minutes. we'll have more at the top of the hour. >> and rob marciano. it happened again. deadly tornadoes overnight in alabama with a stretch of severe weather that started in arkansas. over 100 people injured as well. we'll have the damage plus where the storms are in the next hour. and i'm sigh san candiotti at penn state. will the death of joe paterno hurt the state's case against former assistant coach jerry sandusky.

i'll take a look at that coming up live. >> all right, guys, thanks so much. why i hate religion but love jesus.attention, doesn't it? so did the online video. you'll see it and hear the debate next. [♪...] >> announcer: with nothing but his computer, an identity thief is able to use your information to open a bank account... in order to make your money his money. [whoosh, clang] you need lifelock-- the only identity protection company that now monitors bank accounts for

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at 4:00 a mississippi court could decide the fate of four convicted murderers. they are among nearly 200 people pardoned by the former governor. at 9:00 tonight the presidential candidates face off in another debate. this one taking place in tampa, florida. and it is the top of the hour. thanks for joining us. we're following breaking news for you. powerful storms still hammering the south. we've just gotten in some emotional sound from our birmingham, alabama, affiliate, wvtm. it's a man who says he lost his home and everything in it. >> had us settled in the basement and all after sudden the front door come flying by us. we made it just in the nick of time. the god lord blessed us. we lost our house but at least we have -- i'm sorry. we got our family, and that's all that matters right now. >> at least two people dead in jefferson county, alabama. search and rescue crews are going door to door right now

looking for people and assessing the damage. rob marciano joining us now for more. rob, what do you know? >> it started in arkansas last night. we thought that was bad enough, but as the sun was just about to come up, things got who% in a hurry across tuscaloosa county. similar track to what we saw in the spring. certainly a strong, strong tornado, not just one, but two rolling across and basically splitting the difference of birmingham, one just no the north and one just to the south. both of them doing substantial damage. the one just to the north across center point especially, maybe 20 miles or so just north of birmingham, that's the area that saw substantial damage. people trapped in homes, over 100 injuries, and two fatalities. those storms now moving towards the georgia border. for the most part at least in north georgia, temperatures are stable enough to where they're knocking these storms down. southwest and central georgia, still enough juice in the

atmosphere to potentially have tornadoes. southeast alabama as well. this is all part of the system that brought all that rain, wind, and even snow and rice across the pacific northwest last week. it's got a lot of tropical pacific moisture with it and obviously the heat in the atmosphere made this a pretty unusual event, i'll tell you that, kyra, for january, and the folks in alabama are certainly hurting this morning. >> we'll keep following the story and all the developments, rob. thanks so much. eight days to go into florida votes in its republican presidential primary, and after newt gingrich's come from behind double digit win in south carolina, better believe he's the new prime target. >> he was a leader for four years as speaker of the house, and at the end of four years, it was proven that he was a failed leader, and he had to resign in disgrace. >> newt is the guy that, you know, that in my opinion is a very high-risk candidate. not only is he wrong on the

government mandated health insurance, which he supported for 20 years, he's wrong on the wall street bailout, he was wrong on global warm. he's wrong on the immigration issue. >> cnn political director mark preston joining me in studio. wow, failed leader, high risk, those are fighting words. >> they are fighting words and there's so much on the line right now, right? and we're seeing it from both sides now, kyra. we have seen mitt romney, who was so can i use the word gentle towards his republican rivals throughout this process until he saw that -- the whole campaign has now turned on a dime and he is starting to go negative as well. >> the debate in florida, what are you watching for? >> a lot because the fact of the matter is this will be the closing argument for all of these four candidates to really lay it all on the line and try to appeal to the most diverse group of people that we have seen so far vote in any of these elections. iowa, new hampshire, south carolina, very small states, but, you know, as far as the demographics a lot different

than what we'll see in florida which is really a microcosm of the whole entire country. joots just getting better and better. then we have the state of the union, we're going to hear from president obama. >> we thought it was going to be over. we thought mitt romney was the inevitable, but he's not the inevitable, and i think what we've seen from newt gingrich, he's raised $1 million in the last couple days. he thinks he's going to raise more, but he's got to go up against that mitt romney machine which has plenty of money and plenty of organizational strength. >> marks, thanks. >> thanks. much more politics all day long on cnn and a reminder for all the latest political news, go to our website cnnpolitics.com. let's get back to the breaking news now out of alabama. art faultner is the director of alabama emergency management agency joining me on the phones. sir, what can you tell me about conditions in your state? where is your focus at this hour? >> good morning, kyra. well, we have been since early this morning focused on several areas of north central alabama

that were hit overnight by some serious storms, severe storms. we have approximately four or five areas that we're focused on, but mainly over in the center point, oak grove, trustful area of eastern jefferson county where, as we've heard and we have some unconfirmed reports of fatalities over there, and we do currently have ongoing search and rescue in that area as well as one area down a little bit further south in chilton county, alabama, in the community of naplesville. >> we've been talking about the two individuals confirmed dead. you're saying you believe there are more people that have died? >> well, this agency has not received any confirmations of what we've been hearing just like you this morning. by state law there are only a couple people that can confirm and pronounce someone as a death

in the state of alabama, and so, you know, we do not go off just what we hear on the media or out in the field. we actually have to have confirmation of a legal -- in a legal manner that those fatalities have been confirmed. we don't have that yet, even though we have seen the same reports that you are, but right now we're focused on what we can do for those that are still out there and, you know, are hurting from what's happened this morning. the governor has issued a state of emergency to allow state agencies to go in and assist those local governments if needed throughout the day. >> and are you concerned that there may be residents trapped beneath that rubble? >> well, we won't know until the search and rescue is complete. i think that this morning that, you know, the one thing we can say is thank goodness we're not looking at what happened in this state last year in april. we do not have that kind of

catastrophic damage. however, any loss of life or destruction of property, you know, is a bad thing, and we will be there to make sure that we're available to assist our citizens with any cleanup that may need to be done after the search and rescue is over. >> art faulkner, thanks for calling in. representative gabrielle giffords says she's stepping down this week, but not before finishing her congress on the corner event that, as you may remember, was interrupted by that shooting that left six people dead and giffords with a gunshot wound to the head. today she'll meet with some of the people who were in that grocery store parking lot when everything changed. >> i don't remember much from that horrible day, but i will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice.

i have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best for arizona, i will step down this week. >> let's bring in dana bash. you and i have seen that about half a dozen times. you still get a lump in your throat. >> absolutely. >> you had a chance to talk to two of her closest friends on the hill, right? >> that's correct the senator from new york, kristin gillibrand, as well as debbie wasserman schultz, who, of course, is the dnc chairwoman. both of them i spoke with last night and both said they spoke with mark kelly, the congresswoman's husband, about this decision, about how hard it was for her to make, but certainly that she felt it was the right thing to do. you satisfy at the very end of the video a clip of congresswoman giffords saying the pledge of allegianallegianc. she was doing that at an anniversary event for the shooting back on january 8th. i'm told this is the time when

they went back for that event and she saw the rigors of just having a couple of events that a congress person normally has. she understood that was not going to be in the cards for her if she really wanted to have a full recovery. here are a couple things debbie wasserman schultz said to me. she realized that's likely to be years, not months. but she also said that she feels that she's going to be able to get well enough to have every intention of returning to public life some day. so certainly here on capitol hill, look, there's no question it's a very partisan, very tough, very bitter atmosphere, but from republicans and democrats, i can tell you honestly that nobody wanted to see gabby giffords leave congress this way. >> so what happens to giffords' seat? >> well, there's going to be a special election for her seat. that is going to -- we understand from the governor of arizona happen in june. in april there will probably be some primaries to winnow down who will be the republican and democratic nominees for that

seat. now, this is -- when you talk politics, this is a very important seat. the eighth district of arizona has been for the past several years a very dicey for democrats to hold onto, and when gabby giffords held onto that seat in the last election, you know, it was maybe surprising to some because it had historically trending towards the republican side. the democrats i talked to say that they hope that they can hold onto this seat. they are officially not talking about candidates to replace her yet because they want to let a little bit of time pass, but privately i'm told they feel at least on the democratic side they have some good candidates, and they're going to need it to keep that seat on the democratic side. >> dana bash on the hill there. dana, thanks. penn state coaching legend joe paterno has passed and the debate over how he will be remembered is moving forward. for more than 60 years he preached honor and integrity but the horrifying allegations of child rape by his longtime assistant may now taint that legacy. cnn's susan candiotti reports.

♪ >> reporter: in the shadow of joe paterno's statue, students sang their alma mater mourning the loss of a coach who meant so much to sports, to penn state, to them. after 61 years of coaching, paterno won fans far and wide, young and old. >> joe was penn state. he made penn state, and it's really just a very sad, sad day for all of us. >> reporter: in the end the winningest coach in football college lost his life to lung cancer. he was 85. he died as he lived, his family said in a statement. he fought hard until the end. the end came 2 1/2 months after he was fired as head coach in the wake of penn state's sex abuse scandal. his late-night ouster sparking outrage on campus. matter know was not criminally charged in the child rape case involving his former assistant coach jerry sandusky, but he

acknowledged he could have done more to bring the allegations to light in 2002. in what turned out to be his final interview published by "the washington post" just over a week ago, he tried to explain his thinking. >> i had never had to deal with something like that, and i didn't feel adequate. i've had a wonderful experience here at penn state. i don't want to walk away from this thing bitter. >> reporter: still, some question whether paterno and the university tried to cover up the sex abuse allegations. paterno fans stand by him. >> we're still going to love him no matter what anybody else said. it wasn't joe's fault. and we're still going to love joe paterno for ever and ever, period. >> reporter: yet for some his loss could be more painful because of questions that may taint his legacy. >> saw san jousan joins us on t sta penn state campus.

what will his death mean to the ongoing investigation? >> reporter: it's a very interesting legal question right now that's currently being debated. for one thing imagine what the courtroom drama alone would have been like to have such an iconic figure like joe paterno be forced to testify, and he would have been a witness, a very important witness in this case. but also they can no longer use his grand jury testimony because, of course, you can't cross-examine a written piece of paper. so there are a lot of questions. however, remember that mike mcqueary, his assistant coach, is still a key witness and perhaps the most important witness of all for the state's case. he can still testify that this is what he told joe paterno at the very least. more importantly, what he told those two penn state officials about what he said he saw, an alleged child rape happening in a penn state locker room back in 2002. >> susan candiotti with the latest on the paterno death and the investigation that's following. newt gingrich's debate

skills might have helped him win the south carolina primary. coming up, we'll talk to a man who was his debate strategist back in the 1980s and ask him how gingrich gets ready for these crucial moments in the spotlight. four convicted murderers could be sent back to prison. a hearing today on controversial mississippi pardons. that story straight ahead.

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newt gingrich, he's dishing out attacks and he's taking

them. and he's going into florida with a lot of confidence. >> i think my job in florida is to convince people that i am the one candidate who can clearly defeat obama in a series of debates and the one candidate who has big enough solutions that they would really get america back on track. we're a big country, we have big problems, and we need big solutions, and the people of florida know that as well as anybody in the country. >> well, matt knows newt gingrich as well as anyone. in the '80s he helped gingrich with his debates. in the '90s he was his political chair. so i'm curious, matt -- >> yes. >> -- was there ever any point where you thought his political campaign was dead? >> oh, just this one alone, probably 30 different times. >> really? >> newt gingrich always goes up and down like a yo-yo, running his campaigns it was always the case. newt is an individual with big ideas and as rick santorum said, grandiose, and he is grandiose, but he usually follows through on him. but his execution sometimes is

not always perfect. it bounces along because organization is not his strong suit. it's the ideas and other people executing them, and that's why i poll now and i'm nonpartisan and people say, well, you're polling for gingrich. no, one day i have him up by eight points and the next day something will happen and he's down by eight points. he is a person who is very quick in what he does and it either works or it doesn't. >> i know you say you're nonpartisan but you did work closely with him so i want to try to get inside his head through you. >> sure. >> let's talk about this whole marriage issue that was raised in south carolina. i mean, it just -- it seemed to bounce right off him. what is it about newt that's resonating? >> i think, first of all, he didn't engage in the individual, personal parts of this thing, and that probably helped. there were those of us who were around for that marriage. it was a very stormy marriage, a lot of complicated things. i don't think any of us wanted to get into it, but i don't think many people bought marianne gingrich's full story.

at the same time newt also said, look, i'm a changed guy, and he really is changed. he's evolved to be a much nicer, kinder newt gingrich as i have seen over the years. >> did he used to be a big jerk? >> not a big jerk, but i mean -- >> let's lay it out. give me the inside scoop. >> i was a guy who was willing -- you know, i worked with him on his debates. when he would get upset i would poke him back in the nose. a lot of people were afraid to do that. i wouldn't say he's a big jerk. we could have some knock down drag out fights. they're gone now. he's a calm, gentle person except when he has to debate. >> let's talk about the debates because you have helped him with his debates in the past. how does he prepare? what's the key to his debate skills because he has done well. >> well, first of all, he was grounded by a guy named chester gibson who taught all of us how to debate. chester taught all of us to keep

things 1i6r7 things simple, one, two three. my job was to make sure he stuck to that. keep to your points and don't meander. when newt talks to large crowds, he does tend to meander. he will talk about 15 different things but in these debates he's been very focused, and that's the key to newt gingrich being successful is to know what he's going to say, to make sure that it's really divided in three or four points. he makes sure it's relevant and that it has a punch to it. that's what this guy does and does very well. >> it's definitely getting interesting. i tell what you, let's talk about again. >> we will. >> all eyes are definitely on newt gingrich. >> i will be watching very carefully. >> we'll talk again, matt. thanks so much. three nights from now gingrich and the tee othhree ot candidates will face off once again. watch the florida republican presidential debate this thursday 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn. four convicted murderers released early from prison, but today they may find out they have to go back. a new twist in the controversial mississippi pardons next.

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in mississippi the fate of four convicted 34u eed murdererk in the hands of a judge. they were released earlier this month after they and nearly 200 others were pardoned by governor haley barbour. ed lavandera is in jackson, mississippi, where a court hearing takes place later today. that hearing will decide whether the pardons were legal. let's talk about how many pardons are in jeopardy and who exactly must prove this. >> reporter: well, in all there were 203 pardons that were issued by haley barbour in the last days of his governorship here in the state of mississippi. the attorney general in this state and what he's doing, kyra,

is that he's saying according to the mississippi constitution, there has to be publication of these pardons for 30 days leading up to these pardons and the attorney general here is saying that only 25 of those were published properly. many dozens and dozens more were not done properly, and really the ones we're focusing on are the ones of the four convicted murderers who worked as trustees on the grounds here in jackson, mississippi. so a judge here has ordered those men to come back here. we're expecting to see at least three of them. the attorney general's office says the fourth murderer, joseph osmet, has been on the run. they don't anticipate to see him here today. the judge will decide whether or not these pardons are valid. so various things could happen here. these men could be sent back to prison or the judge might rule in their favor and say the pardons are valid. we just don't know how this is going to unfold here later on today, kyra. >> if the pardons are revoked, any recourse for released

prisoners? >> reporter: that's interesting. we just don't know at this point. there's an attorney that will be representing these gentlemen here when they come here later today. i guess it all kind of depends on what the judge says at this point and then what will happen next. obviously these men have been released from prison. they're trying to get back to, you know, get back into society and that sort of thing. obviously they're also anticipating that that could be a very real likelihood, that they get sent back to prison, so we'll see how that comes out as well. >> all right. ed lavandera, thanks, ed. politics can be pretty brutal, so can hockey. what can president obama learn from the stanley cup champs? our political buzz panel scares off. here's hoping nobody lands in the penalty box. what makes scottrade your smartphone's most powerful trading app ? total access - to everything. from idea to research to trade.

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checking top stories. we're keeping a close eye on a powerful storm system hammering the southeast. two people are confirmed dead in alabama, at least 100 people injured. fans at a massive memorial at the statue of joe paterno. but his legacy is under fire amid criticisms he mishandled the alleged child rape scandal. and gabby giffords is resigning this week. she wants to focus on recovering from the gunshot wound that left her with a brain injury. political buzz, your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. three questions, 30 seconds on the clock, playing today cnn contributor maria cardona, david, the washington bureau chief for yahoo! news and cnn contributor will cain. first question, chris christie goes after newt gingrich following his big south carolina upset. >> he was run out of the

speakership by his own party. he was fined $300,000 for ethics violations. this is a guy who has had a very difficult political career at times and has been embarrassment to the party. >> the character attacks don't seem to be working. if you're romney, santorum, or paul, how do you go after newt tonight? maria? >> they certainly didn't work in south carolina, but this is a whole different ball game in terms of the diverse voters in florida, so we'll see. they need to go after him on leadership qualities, kyra, and keep hammering the fact that this was a leader of the republicans in congress who was driven out by his own party and who almost completely ruined the republican brand. so a lot of republicans will be reminding him of that tonight. as well as substance even though it will be very difficult for romney to go after newt gingrich on his flip-flops on the individual mandate, on climate change, and on going after paul ryan's republican economic plan. so maybe santorum and paul, it's up to them. >> will? >> you know, kyra, character didn't work, leadership

experience didn't work, criticisms of it, substance doesn't work. gingrich being on a multitude of sides of every issue. none of it worked in south carolina. so what did work? personality. he has a personality that voters thought reflected their sentiment. maria brings up an interesting point. will that worge k in florida an going forward? i don't know. what do his opponents need to do? unfortunately mitt romney can't take chris christie up on that debate stage with him tonight. i don't know how you can fix his lack of personality in that respect. you had a guy who said gingrich is good at debates because he has that crunch line. that's true. romney needs to get that crunch line, that punch line, that one that hits it home. >> david? >> i think we have seen where newt gingrich is most vulnerable to attack, and that was actually back in a debate in december. michele bachmann knocked him on his heels on the insider versus outsider feels, the freddie mac stuff. this is not character based but gets at the heart of a problem for republican voters. they really want someone who is

not enmeshed in republican establishment. i think you will see the romney campaign really try to drive their message that way. >> romney says it was a mistake not to release his tax returns. so now he's going to release them tomorrow. what's with all the secrecy and is there a lurking bombshell? >> i don't think so. i think in the end it reflect was we all know, that mitt romney is a rich guy and he probably paid about 15% in taxes which is the capital gains investment rate return, and he's probably kind of modest about that. that's all i can suspect. that being said, i do think he could have handled this -- everyone thinks he could have handled this much better, but an interesting way he could have handled it is just say, no, i'm not releasing, it not until april, don't ask me again, this is what i'm doing. that kind of standing your ground is exactly what's been missing from him that people have been responding to newt gingrich with. this kind of maybe i'll get to it when i can, i don't know, i might. that's not working. >> maria? >> i agree with will. it has been wishy washy and it's not worked for him. but he doesn't have the character to stand up and say,

no, i'm not doing it. he's very uncomfortable talking about his wealth. very uncomfortable in people questioning him about it, and who knows what we're going to see in here. is there anything, a bombshell lurking? i don't know but we already know he pays less in taxes than most of us here do, and that janitors do and teachers and everybody else. so that's not an issue that's going to work for him. we know he has investments in the cayman islands, so all of this -- we're going to be going through this with a fine tooth comb and that's not going to be good for him. >> i think par rea hit on a keyboard which is uncomfortable. that's been his biggest problem on this issue. he wants to do this message ceo, let's talk about capitalism, the success of bain, creating jobs, i made money the old-fashioned way here in america. that is just not something that he seems to be as comfortable as he should be talking about, and i think now putting these out tomorrow, there's no bombshell in there, i'm sure, but they've handled it so poorly, they've

set it up that everyone in the press is going to be looking for and calling whatever findings. >> your buzzer beater. 20 seconds each. president obama gives his state of union address tomorrow night. we'll all be watching but first he's meeting with the boston bruins, so what political advice can he get from these hockey champs? mar maria? >> former hockey player howie said of hockeyy have the game is mental and half is being mental. there's also a saying that says my goal is to deny yours. hockey players certainly understand republicans in congress, especially somebody like newt gingrich. but they have this in common, they both have fire in their hearts and ice in their veins, so bring it on. >> will? >> i hate myself for torturing this metaphor. skate on thick ice, how about that? >> don't skate on thin ice. dividing us from wealthy to middle income, it's just not the

way to go about it. i think this income inequality is not going to work some the general election. >> spoken from a water polo player. david? >> well, there's nothing hockey players know how to do better than pick a fight and i think that's what we're going to see president obama start doing tomorrow night in the state of the union. this is really the launching pad for his re-election campaign. these are the big themes we're going to hear from him and i would imagine we're going to see a president who looks like a fighter tomorrow night or at least that's certainly what the white house team wants him to portray. >> thanks, guys, so much. >> thanks. cnn is the place to be for president obama's state of the union address, so tune in tomorrow night 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn. why i hate god but love religion. a youtube video is sparking a lot of controversy and conversation. find out why right after the break. and they made headlines for renewing their vows every year. now it's the big breakup that's grabbing all the attention. what happened to heidi and seal?

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49ers went to overtime. the 49ers' kyle williams fumbled the punt. the giants devon thomas fell on the ball. five plays after that new york kicker lawrence tins hits the game-winning 31-yard field goal. giants, 20, 49ers, 17. the giants will meet the patriots in a rematch of the super bowl. can't believe it. heidi and seal calling it quits. let's get straight to a.j. hammer. what the heck happened? they used to renew their vowis s every year. >> these two always seemed to be gushing about each other wherever they would go. anytime i was with either one of them, they were saying such lovely things about one another. seal and heidi coluklum were mad in 2005 and every year they were known for annually celebrating their anniversary by renewing their wedding vause. they always seemed to show

affection for each other in public but after the rumors started swirling over the weekend they released identical statements to "showbiz tonight." they say while we have enjoyed seven very loving, loyal, and happy years of marriage, after much soul searching we have decided to separate. we have had the deepest respect for one another throughout our relationship and continue to love each other very much but we have grown apart. of course, kyra, always sad to see this happen particularly when there are children involved. they have three kids together. heidi has a daughter from a previous relationship who will all obviously be affected by this, but we wish them a peaceful time because we know how difficult it can be, particularly when everybody is watching. >> sure. they are definitely under the bright light. all right. stephve steven tyler is always causing trouble in one way or another. >> he sang the national anthem before the new england patriots took on the baltimore ravens yesterday in the afc championship game, and the

reaction today if you're looking around online, everybody is saying, you know what? it tyler was auditioning for "american idol," he wouldn't be going on to hollywood with a golden ticket. let's listen to a bit of steven's performance. ♪ oh, the land of the free ♪ and the home of the brave >> all right. kyra, you know, we've heard the anthem get butchered before. roseanne bar. i don't think by comparison this was really that bad and the crowd wasn't booing him. we know when it goes wrong the crowd usually boos, although i'm thinking new england fans aren't going to boo their hometown hero, steven tyler. >> that's right. come on, he always screams. he got the famous belt out right in the middle of it. now, comedian tracy morgan,

what happened at sundance? he got sick or he was hospitalized? >> well, it hasn't been a great sundance film festival for tracy. he was reportedly out of control and collapsed at anwards ceremony on sunday before he was taken to the hospital. there were reports he was seen drinking. he is a recovering alcoholic. his people are shooting down those reports. here is what they tell "showbiz tonight." from a combination of exhaustion and altitude tracy is seeking medical attention. he's with his feeian fiancee. there was a report quoting saying that drugs and alcohol were not a factor. when we spoke with the same spokesperson we were told no information would be giving out to the press because of medical privacy restrictions. whatever is going on with funny, funny tracy morgan, we wish him a speedy recovery. >> thanks so much. if you want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, a.j. has go

it every night on "showbiz tonight." why i hate religion but love jesus. it's a catchy title, but wait until you see the actual video. it's coming up next. i love that my daughter's part fish. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different.

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and her newborn are doing just fine after she gave birth in a hospital elevator. the elevator apparently got stuck between floors and little blake just couldn't wait. came out pretty healthy though. nearly eight pounds. so do you want to buy the l.a. dodgers? today is the deadline to submit an initial bid. according to bloomberg, the sale might set a record price for a professional team with some estimates as high as $1.5 billion. and a colorado real estate developer is the new owner of this hurearst that carried the body of john f. kennedy. he paid $160,000 for it at an auction over the weekend in arizona. why i hate religion but love jesus. if you're a christian, you might have just stopped in your tracks when i said that. well, online millions of viewers already have. religion is man centered, jesus is god centered. that's prose from a 22-year-old

poet that's now gone viral. >> religion says do. jesus says done. religion says slave. jesus says son. religion puts you in bondage while jesus sets you free. religion makes you blind, but jesus makes you see. and that's why religion and jesus are two different clans. religion is man searching for god, christianity is god searching for man. >> more now on this young christian from washington state with our editor dan gilgof. why is this resonating with so many young evangelical christians? >> it's amazing when we say videos go viral if they have a few million hits, this video has gotten 16 million views since it went live earlier this month. more than 1 million people watching it every day. and what's amazing is not only that people are clicking on this video and watching it, they're also responding to it.

so that on youtube there are full-length spoken word poems like this young man jefferson made, and there are, you know, hundreds of blog posts out there that are responding to this guy. so he's really started a conversation, a debate over the nature of organized religion, which is something we don't usually get in this country. >> and he says within his pow yes, ma'am that he we -- poem that he went from being a self-righteous person to being a deeply broken believer. >> that's right. and he's saying that this personal transformation and following jesus and modeling after jesus is what's really important here. and, you know, all of the criticism that is provoked by this video kind of follows a couple of lines. one is that this guy is a hypocrite. he's saying he has this personal relationship with jesus, he's been personally transformed. when in fact he's an active member of a prominent church around seattle. isn't he represent at this of

organized region? then there's this other line that says this is dangerous. we can't have young christians who are kind of making this self-styled christianity uninformed by the teachings of the chunch. there are a lot of church leaders trying to tamp down on this and saying this guy is -- you know, it seems like a fun video and it's very effective, about you there's more here than meets the eye. >> and you can see the entire video and, of course, your entire write-up on our faith blog. that's belief blog at cnn.com/belief. dan, thanks so much. you can share your thoughts as well. >> kyra, good to see you. >> likewise. it's being hailed as historic stem cells from embryos improving the vision of two blind women. our elizabeth cohen tells us why this study is such a big deal right after the break.

well, medical landmark to report today. the first study that shows embryonic stem cells can actually help people. senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen joining us to talk more about why this is such a milestone. give us the details. >> this is really a big deal. you remember the debate about embryonic stem cells. these are these really valuable cells, but they're in embryos. one side says don't monkey around with embryos, that's life. another side says, no, medical treatments can come from it. we could make paralyzed people walk again potentially. we could help blind people start to see. christopher reeve devoted the end of his live to this very issue. this is first published research showing that there could be a benefit for people. they tried out in two people, two women who were blind, they gave them embryonic stem cells,

shot them into their retinas basically and they had visual improvements. >> how much visual improvement? >> they didn't go from being blind to being fully sighted. what happened was they were able to see more. one woman said she had a piece of furniture in her bedroom and it had some carving on it and she woke up one morning a few weeks after her surgery and said, oh, look at that carving, i haven't seen that in years and years. another woman hadn't seen her grandchildren's faces clearly in years, and she said, oh, my goodness, look at this. that same woman said she was in her house and said to her husband, look at the scuff marks on the wall. look at that picture it's tilted, and he said i don't know if i like this surgery it's giving me a big honey-do list. all of a sudden she could see things she couldn't see before. this is two people which is extremely small. when they try it out in more people, it might not work, but this is a first sign that embryonic stem cells seem to have a benefit in people. >> incredible. okay. i know it's just breaking now and you were even pulled back off an airplane to do more on this. >> that's right. >> please keep us updated.

it sounds pretty remarkable. >> will do. coming up in the next hour in the "newsroom" with suzanne malveaux, we're continuing to see the devastation in the southeast caused by the deadly storms overnight. we're going to talk live to the governor of alabama where two people have been confirmed dead and more than 100 others have been injured. i had enough of feeling embarrassed about my skin. [ designer ] enough of just covering up my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months,

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fast forwarding to events happening later today. 1:30 eastern the 39th annual march for life tabs place on the national mall. john boehner will deliver the opening remarks. at 4:00 a mississippi court could decide the fate of four convicted murderers. they were pardoned by governor barbour. then at 9:00 tonight the gop presidential candidates face off

in another debate. this one taking place in tampa, florida. florida's primary is still eight days away but paul steinhauser is already talking about it. >> this is interesting and could be really important. i just spoke to the florida department of state down there, and check this out, they said that absentee ballots, 475,000 absentee ballots were mailed out as of january 3rd, and 180,000 of those have already been received as of last wednesday. so that means as of last wednesday, 180,000 people had already voted, and this all happened obviously before gingrich's surge in south carolina. so that could be a determining factor if it's a close contest. go to the next board as well. early voting began statewide as of saturday, kyra. so not just absentee ballots but early voting. and as of yesterday 53,000

people have already cast their ballots in early voting. this is all really important. remember, 1.95 million people voted in florida's republican primary last time around. we'll see if those numbers are higher this time, but voting already under way, kyra. >> and paul, newt gingrich getting momentum and money. >> yeah. big mo coming out of south carolina, no doubt about that. gingrich's campaign telling us they cashed in on $1 million -- they've made $1 million in a money bomb. they had a money bomb. they got $1 million in campaign contributions just in the 24 hours after that saturday night big victory in south carolina, and the gingrich campaign also says, guess what? 500 people said we're volunteering for that campaign for the gingrich campaign just in the last 24 hours after saturday night's big win as well. a lot of momentum for gingrich, but you know what? romney trying to move things, go on offense, attacking gingrich. you have a big debate tonight and our big debate on thursday night. this is going to be a big