to the other four participants. a trudriver who pulled into a walmart four hours before our deadline. he bought a web cam and sent us his video. also a young woman taking on this challenge with just one leg. her story is an amazing one. she's already, frankly, inspired me. thank you for joining us. i'll see you back here next weekend. time now to get you a check off your top stories in the "cnn newsroom." from the cnn center, this is cnn saturday morning. this is february 4th. great to see you all. we are following the latest developments in d.c. and it's being called one of the most horrific mass occurs since the uprising in syria began. hundreds killed, including women and children, as the u.s. looks to a way to bring the violence

to an end in syria. also, another epidemic in america. this one has to do with your furry friend. we want to get right to politics, though. nevada republican caucuses get under way in just a few hours. there are 28 delegates up for grabs in the first contest west of the mississippi. cnn's joe johns has more on the final rush for support. >> susan, as the race for nevada caucuses entered the home stretch, the mitt romney campaign was hoping their candidate was well positioned to score a victory here just like he did four years ago. it was a bizarre week in politics, though, with donald trump stirring up a publicity firestorm before finally publicly endorsing romney for president. romney did not help his own case with his comments on cnn that he was not concerned about the poor because there's a safety net for them. he later said he misspoke.

meanwhile, newt gingrich, the former speaker of the house tried to capitalize on the romney misstep promoting his own plan to create jobs and improve the economy. texas congressman ron paul was attracted large crowds in the state of nevada. he placed second here four years ago behind romney. former senator rick santorum was not about to be counted ow out, having already demonstrated his prowess in the caucus environment, if you will, by a big win in the state of iowa. but for now, it is up to the caucus goers in nevada to try to determine which among the republican presidential contenders they believe should be their standard bearer as we move towards the general election this november. i'm joe johns in las vegas. back to you, susan. >> a huge day in vegas today. joe johns, thank you.

cnn coverage of the nevada caucus begins at 6:00 p.m. tonight with a special edition of the situation room with wolf blitzer followed by complete coverage at 7:00 as the results come in. bombings in residential areas, that is the charge right now by anti-government activists in syria. here is what we do know. those activists say as many as 260 people have been killed in those attacks by syria's military just in the last day. those claims, though, are being disputed on state run tv in syria. they're saying the mass occur never occurred. cnn cannot confirm independently either of those claims. the u.n. is set to meet in two hours to consider ordering syria's crackdown to stop. we are hearing that young children and women are being slaughtered.

mohamed, what are you hearing about what's going on as we speak right now? >> well, susan, residents and activists are describing scenes of utter carnage, terrifying things that are going on there right now. they say the syrian security forces are massacring men, women and children there, they are being she would, that there are snipers there killing people. we heard from one activist who told us there are bodies out in the streets, that when people try to help them, get medical care to them, that they are being shot at, that even ambulances are being shot at. here is more of what that civilian activest told us earlier. >> they aren't animals lying here. these are human beings. being bombed by mortar bombs, being bombed by tank shells and no one is doing anything about it. they're just going to sit here and be killed. we are not going to stop. the syrian people are not going to stop if they kill millions.

>> meanwhile, as the u.n. is expected to discuss the draft resolution later this morning and possibly vote on it, we're hearing from activists in syria that the u.n., the arab league isn't doing enough to stop the carnage that's going on there. on the part of the syrian government, they say any violence being committed right now is happening by armed terrorist groups. >> thank you. and the man known as danny said he wasn't afraid to show his face if he could help other people. people are showing support for the syrian activists at embassies around the world. there were several arrests of some of those demonstrations. some are xlabing that the international community is just standing by and letting the massacre happen in syria. the international community will weigh in in just a couple of hours. that is when the u.n. security council meets to discuss what to do with syria, what the next

step is. police moved in a short time ago dressed in full riot gear in d.c., but they're enforcing the city's no camping rules. to beat those rules, occupy d.c. protesters have been staging what they call a no-sleep slumber party. police finally ordered the removal of a big tent that covered a statue in the park. protesters took it down and laid it in the street instead. the group of haeshgs known as anonymous are at it again. this time they are secretly recording a phone call between scotland yard and the fbi discussing the investigation into hacking attacks. a law enforcement source tells cnn this is basically vandalism. the fbi is now investigating. this might be the perfect super bowl weekend to stay inside in most of the country.

a massive snowstorm pounding colorado in western nevada and turning east now. where it's not snowing, it is raining. the deep south and gulf coast could be drenched by thunderstorms. meteorologist reynolds wolf is tracking it all day for us. >> it is a massive system. it's been snow, which has been a really big part of the issue. another issue we have is a lot of wind in the cross parts of the central plains where you couple the wind and the snow that could be up to a foot in some places. you might have whiteout conditions in parts of kansas, nebraska, parts perhaps of iowa before all is said and done. showers and storms across parts of the southeast and into the gulf coast, keep in mind, anyone making the flight from atlanta to new orleans, you might have a few backup webs to say the very lite lead. full story coming up in your forecast. believe me, we have a lot to talk about. >> who are you picking, the giants or patriots? >> i'm going to go with the patriots on this one, but hey, i'm a college football fan. >> speaking of dogs, great

segue, is your cat or dog tipping the scales? pet obesity is growing. we'll tell you what you can do to make sure your beloved best friend has a healthy b, long life. a senior obama administration believes there is an attack that is real. can tougher diplomatic efforts and sanctions stop another war? the way i always made it for you. one more thing.... those pj's you like, i bought you five new pairs. love you. did you see the hockey game last night? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. your doctor will say get smart about your weight. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes. that's why there's new glucerna hunger smart shakes.

they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have 6 grams of sugars. with 15 grams of protein to help manage hunger... look who's getting smart about her weight. [ male announcer ] new glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. anger at police has erupted in more violence in egypt. demonstrators are in nine cities now. the people are angry as the acts of police at a soccer riot this week there. nearly 80 people were killed in the riots. people say police stood by and looked on as it occurred. protesters have been pelting officers with molotov cocktails

and shots. rallies are going on in moscow against vladimir putin. there is a pro putin rally going on in moscow. these demonstrations are seen with just about a month to go before he runs for president. ten tensions between iran and israel are escalating now. now israel aes defense minister says time is running out for iran to stop its nuclear program. cnn's david mckenzie is in jerusalem. he's joining me now. how serious would you say this is getting? >> well, i think it's very serious in terms of the rhetoric. there's a real sense of tension here in israel and more about

what israel will do about it. april, may, june, he said. very unusual for such a high ranking official to give a timetable to something as serious as a strike against a nuclear facility or facilities. what israeli government has been saying for some weeks now is that they believe that the iranians are developing nuclear weapons. they've kept a strike on the table. the question is to whether all of this can put diplomatic pressure on iran or whether they mean to do it. >> as president obama orders the troop removals from iraq, if israel does attack iran, would the u.s. jump in, do you think? >> well, israel and the u.s. have a very important long standing strategic relationship. certainly lawmakers we have interviewed in the recent days say they will stand by any israeli decision to strike iran.

the problem is the u.s. doesn't want this right now. they've publicly stated, various officials in the u.s., that the last thing they want is for israel to rush off a military strike against iran. they are dealing with a volatile region that because of the arab springs and other factors it's even more volatile. and hovr how far they are along in the process. there's been a lot of people in the u.s. particularly talking about this red line, the state when it gets too late for any strike to be effective. and that's what israel is also talking about. if it gets to a certain stage of development, they won't be able to effectively stop nuclear development here. it's important to note that this goes in cycles. it's the cycle of the tension between iran and israel and on the side of the u.s. at this point, we're at a high point in the tension, but it's been like this for some years. so the question rarely on everyone's mind is will israel make a unilateral strike, what

the u.s. doesn't want right now? >> it seems to be the never ending speculation about the nuclear program in iran. david, thank you. coming up, will u.s. tensions on iran be enough to avert military action against iran's nuclear program? chris lawrence joins us next with details on that. we're talking storms now and colorado is digging out from this winter's first major winter stormy. it's february 4th. storm warnings are in effect for most parts of the country. and cute and cuddly orr overweight? maybe both. but just getting these felines to move is not enough. find out what it takes to get your pet slim and trim and why you should. when i grow up,

i want to fix up old houses. ♪ [ woman ] when i grow up, i want to take him on his first flight. i want to run a marathon. i'm going to own my own restaurant. when i grow up, i'm going to start a band. [ female announcer ] at aarp we believe you're never done growing. thanks, mom. i just want to get my car back. [ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday. get this free travel bag when you join this was the gulf's best tourism season in years. all because so many people came to louisiana... they came to see us in florida... make that alabama... make that mississippi. the best part of the gulf is wherever you choose... and now is a great time to discover it. this year millions of people did. we set all kinds of records. next year we're out to do even better. so come on down to louisiana...

florida... alabama... mississippi. we can't wait to see you. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. a new study finds obesity is on the rise for cats and dogs across the country. he's a veterinarian and the founder and current head of the association for pet obesity and prevention. we're talking about the growing problem of obesity among pets in the united states. so here is one from elizabeth gutierr

gutierrez. one cat takes food from another cat. >> we see this all the time. one fat cat in the household and one skinny cat. whatever you do, get them in that space. simultaneously feed them. that means put down the food at the same time. >> this is from jennifer smith. she's asking, wa about the addition of human food like scraps to a dog's diet? even if it's a small amount, is that an issue? >> i like whole foods, real foods whenever possible. where we make the mistake is we give them junk food. pizza? share it with the dog. a hamburger? here you go, buddy. the bad foods we feed our pets, that's where the problem is. >> some are saying they know the animal needs to exercise, but the animal won't do it. what do you need to do? >> talk to your veterinarian. very few cases have i ever encountered in my few years that i cooperate train to walk on a leash. it takes a little work.

you have to be the boss. you're in control of the leash. get out there and start walking. >> i have to say, the guilty pleasure of many people. you can look up fat cats on youtube. you'll find a lot of cute pictures. we laugh at that. but it's pretty dangerous, isn't it, josh? >> yeah. first of all, let's think about the scope of it. there's 88 million animals out there, cats and dogs that are dangerously fat, that are overweight or even obese. one of three homes in this country have a dog or a cat. we're looking at the families. there are homes that trust us with their help and they face serious health problems. so while it's adorable, it's not healthy. we're giving you information. i have a copy of a study that's being released next week and i gave it to cnn in advance. look at it on my website the. we're written all about it and we're taking your questions because we want to help these fame get the answers.

who knew? one of them could be a food bowl bully. >> i didn't know that concept. >> put a hidden camera in your house. one of the cats could be pushing the other away. >> hid.camera investigation of the food bowl bully. >> josh levs. >> thanks. a rare find off the coast of new zealand. the super sized creature was found deep below the ocsea's surface. i'll tell you what it is, coming up. heavy snow is blankets most of kol and nebraska right now. what states are next. could it be you? meteorologist reynolds wolf joins us next. okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle --

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into it is 21 minutes past the hour. time for a check of the weather with reynolds wolf. >> i was out in steamboat springs, colorado, earlier this week and one of the stories they were working on is the ski resorts were desperate for snow. they've done a great job in steamboat, but they could use additional snowfall. everyone across the country could if you happen to be in skiing. today was one of those issues that did provide a lot of snow

for the rockies and now is moving out to the open plains. you see what they're doing here, scooping up the snow, making it easier for pedestrians and drivers. a lot of it, though, is basically elbow grease. you see them scraping it off. they have the atvs out there doing their job with the snowplows. it's all hands on deck so to speak or all hands on the streets and sidewalk. now we'll see that system drive its way into the central plains where you'll see a combination of wind and snow. how much snow? some places may see up to a foot. you might have some whiteout conditions. part of this is towards the middle of the screen. around chicago and the ohio valley, it's rain. getting into texas, parts of louisiana, we're talking thunderstorms. here s big weathermaker. let's fast forward from saturday. this morning, you see the storm system lifting its way a bit more to the southeast. as it does so, we're going to

see showers moving back into atlanta, rally, charlotte. washington, d.c. might have a combination of rain. we see that cold air coming in from the north. they give you a slight bit of wintry precipitation and as we get into monday, things clear out on the travel week ahead. i'll tell you, it is going to be an interesting day at the very least. boulder, 20.4 inches. denver, 15 inches. lincoln, nebraska, 5 inches. they're not done, though. windy and the snow, we've got that for you in the central plains. something else we're going to be having is more of that cold air that makes its way into the south. you'll feel that cold air in places like lincoln, nebraska, but over towards minneapolis. conditions, low visibility, keep those lights on low beam and take it easy. to wrap things up, there's the big weathermaker in the east, the snow comes in from the north there's the result. 28 is your high in denver.

46 in billings. 38 in minneapolis. 77 in new orleans. 67 in atlanta. 50s in washington, d.c. 30s and 40s in new york and boston. 54 in san francisco. 49 in albuquerque and 59 in seattle. how about that? >> reynolds, i want your take on this. i know you like seafood, right? >> you see it, i'll eat it. you bet. >> look at that. it's called a super giant crustecean. it's been found four miles below the ocean's surface. similar creatures were found in the 70s and 80s. >> i look at that and you see r i think of it getting battered and fried and i feel myself getting fatter. >> after seeing that, i'm shying away from the seafood menu. reynolds, thank you. it is caucus day in nevada. but mitt romney has been

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checking the top stories now, two american tourists kid naped in egypt are now free. the pair were abducted and kidnapser have egypt have increased. bradley manning, the soldier expected of leaking thousands of documents to wicky leaks will be court marshalled. he faces theft of property and fraud. in the face of sharp criticism for politicians, the komen foundation says it will restore funding to planned parenthood. in the statement, the group says it wanted to, quote, apologize for decisions it says cast out on susan g. komen's decision to save lives. tuesday's florida primary

was the biggest prize so far, but with 26 delegates at stake, nevada ranks number two. mitt romney ran away with it in 20308. he may do it again today. romney is giving more ammunition to his rivals. >> susan, mitt romney's missteps on its rival has some questioning whether the gop front-runner is the party's best hope for beat president obama. ringing up votes in a las vegas country music bar with his own mechanical bull, newt gingrich acuted mitt romney of stepping in it once again. >> governor romney trying to recover from his boo-boo talks about every possible example of what we don't want in a general election. >> gingrich is still making hay out of romtny's comments which he says he wasn't concerned about the very poor. >> when you do i don't know how many thousands of interviews,

now and then but you may get it wrong. >> rick santorum says this is a betrayal of republican values. >> i want to belong to a party that focuses on 100% of americans and creates opportunities for everyone. >> the comments may not hurt romney in this weekend's nevada caucuses, but top conservatives are starting to worry out loud that republicans are handing the democrats a highlight reel. >> he comes across as the prototypical rich republican. it's going to make it harder and harder and harder to go after obama. >> another potential problem for romney is the latest drop in the unemployment rate. romney, whose campaign phrase is obama isn't working now acknowledges the economy is improving. >> i know the president didn't cause this downturn, this recession. but he didn't make it better, either. he made it worse. >> but gingrich is as harsh as

ever on the president's record. he still refers to mr. obama as a food stamp president only now he's altered it slightly to take a dig at romney. >> we now know from governor romney he joins obama. obama is big food stamp, he's little food stamp, but they both think food stamps are okay. >> mitt romney's outcome this weekend may give a chance to put the horns to romney and climb back in the saddle in this gop race. >> tim, thank you. here are a couple of facts about the nevada caucuses. there are 28 delegates at stake here. this one is proportional. people will gather 125 caucus sites. most of the action will be in las vegas where around 70% of the electorate lives. this means only registered republicans can take part in this. we will not see the first results until about 8:00 eastern

tonight. cnn's live coverage of the nevada caucuses begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern with a special edition of the situation room. our expanded coverage starts an hour later at 7:00 p.m. eastern. some encouraging news about january's job market. hiring was up and the unemployment rate went down for the fifth straight month. the labor department says employers added 243,000 jobs this month which took the unemployment rate from 8.5% to 8.3%. here is a look at how the numbers break down by race. the unemployment among african-americans is still high, but there was a dip in the rate of nearly two full percentage points. hispanics dropped a half percent to 2.5% and a rate of 7.4%, white americans have seen the greatest gains in the market. president obama, meanwhile, unveiling a plan he hopes will help one specific group of unemployed americans. we're talking about veterans. >> our veterans are some of the most highly trained, highly

educated, highly skilled workers that we've got. these are americans that every business should be compete to go attract. and we're going to do everything we can to make sure that when our troops come home, they come home to new jobs and opportunities and new ways to serve their country. >> the veteran's job core initiative is what it's called. it will have an estimated cost of at least $5 billion. it will offer community grants for hiring former service members. targets the first responder and law enforcement field and proposes $1 billion for the creation of tourism-related jobs. also, if you want to start your own business, it will help out there, as well. preference will be given to communities that hire post 9/11 veterans. tomorrow in our 6:00 hour, i will speak to a representative an iraq and afghanistan organization's organization about what the impact the president's plan will have on

those looking for work. could be a big one. up next, why this poster of a man and woman is causing a backlash in south africa. but first, this. a frozen treat with a bit of a twist here. careen winters takes us to one of her favorites spots in this week's travel insider. >> hey, everybody. everyone who knows me knows i have the biggest sweet tooth ever. when i get a killer craving, i have to make a run here. frozen yogurt with one of my favorite treats. let's dig in. here in l.a., there seems to be a celebrity tie-in with almost everything. this is no different. blizzard is known for its frozen yogurt, but crepes, waffles are also on the menu. in that case, i'm going to give you a little taste.

all right. i'm no expert in the kitchen, but today i'm going to show you just how i like my crepes with a little help from dom. and then we use a spatula. all right. we've dot half of it. now we go in for the kill. here is my favorite topping, chocolate and, of course, raspberry sauce. we're ready. let's go. and this is my favorite part. time to dive in. delicious. kareen winters, cnn, sherman oaks, california.

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a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. welcome back. as you know, tomorrow is super bowl sunday. next to watching the game and commercials, madonna's halftime show is just as anticipated. here is how madonna is doing. >> i'm okay. lots of warm-ups and taping and ultrasounds and i feel like i'm one of the football players right now. all the physical therapy i have to do. mind over matter. >> shesz amazing. she looks great, right? tomorrow's super bowl will be the first time fans can watch the game online, if you like. if you don't know who to vote for this presidential election year, consider comedian row january barr or don't consider it. she tweeted this, quote, i am running for green party nominee

for potus. i am an official candidate. i am four the greening of america and the world. leslie carter passed away earlier this week. she apparently suffered from an overdose of prescription drugs. an autopsy was performed and an official cause of death will be determined after the toxicology report comes back. time for this morning's passport. the south african democratic alliance student organization is causing quite a backlash with this picture. what's it all about? >> well, they used this picture as their registration poster. and it was part of a campaign to go on campuses. and there it is, this beautiful man and beautiful woman in an embrace. well, it has caused major controversy on all sides. so all they wanted to do was say to people, let's have a tolerant

south africa, the actual motto of the poster was, in the new south africa, as it is, you won't look twice. >> so there was a bigger message, they knew it was cause some sort of stir, but maybe not this much of a stir? >> i think they really did it to say, let's be tolerant, let's be racially embracing and that was the idea. they had no clue about the amount of controversy it would cause. white supremists are saying things like, why are two people together in this way? and then there's backlash on the african national congress who is saying it shows a male in a dominating position of white supremacy with a black female. so all kinds of comments have come up. i just thought it was very beautiful and looked like a calvin klein ad. >> so did i. we see images like this every day but it's so controversial in south africa. >> doesn't that also show that

you create an ad with your best intention, but you can never be sure how other people will interrupt it given their perception. but the care person of the organization said, we have engaged south africa in a very debate about tolerance. and as far as she was concerned, the ad has been very worthwhile and very successful because of all the debate around it. >> i think you're right. when you look at it, you think calvin klein, not so much the huge debate and the stir that it caused. nadya, thank you. up next, a brave dolg dog rescue on a frozen lake caught on camera. and you can't miss this. a little lady playing ping-pong. no special effects, either. this is a real baby.

let's take a look at what's happening "cross country." >> in san diego, controversial video of sailors dressed in blue uniforms in an allegationed hazing incident. u.s. navy officials discharged eight sailors. one sailor claims they were just roughhousing. >> well, i say -- i say it's horseplay and they say it's hazing. >> he also told affiliate kgtv the victim lied to investigators and the navy rushed to judgment without having all the facts. kgtv reports the sailors have an opportunity to appeal, but are unsure whether any of them have pursued that course of action. >> one, two, three, four and five. >> an officer beating the odds in south carolina after losing part of his leg in a motorcycle

accident last february. keith earned a spot back on his s.w.a.t. team. what drove the hero to come back? >> the gratification of taking somebody who is wanted for a felony and bringing them to justice. so there's always that aspect of it that's real rewarding. in a dramatic dog rescue caught on camera inial rhode island. >> it kind of happened quick. you're trying to do what you have to do to get out there as quickly and safely as possible. >> brave firemen breached freezing waters to pull this black lab off the ice. lucky guy. that dog getting saved was pretty cute, but are you ready for one of the cutest things ever? take a look. >> yes, that is a baby playing

ping-pong. this video has gone viral on youtube. and she's good. or he. we're talking about dancing in the end zone. maybe you've heard of this, maybe not. the lambeau leap, maybe the shuffle you've heard of. one nfl hooky has people reacting and practicing his end zone dances. he hopes to be doing a lot of it during the game tomorrow. see the step that could become a new york sensation, next. when you think vehicle, you probably think speed, not energy efficiency. in today's think big, we show you how one company is doing just that. >> at 215 miles per hour, it's one of the fastest vehicles on land. but it's not just the speed that makes this motorcycle different. it's electric. >> we think it's the future. for a dollar's worth of electricity, you can ride for over 110 miles. for richard hatfield, it started

as a hobby. >> i am an amateur road race driver. i drove the car and i got enthused about it. but when the good, affordable lithium batteries came on the market, i started thinking that a motorcycle could be a very good application. standing where we are now, you see 50, 6 0 years of history here. where do you see your bike, the electric bike going five or ten years from now? >> our goal in the beginning of this was to achieve parity with gas-powered motorcycles and then exceed it. >> does the push to have cleaner air? >> one of the real motivators for me is that the energy efficiency, the fact that we can pick up energy from solar, from wind, from geothermal to fuel the bikes. >> with that kind of speed and fuel efficiency, electric bikes could make gas a thing of the past. joe carter, cnn. does any mother ever feel like their kids are adults?

i have twins, 21 years old. each kid has their own path. they grow up, and they're out having their life. i really started to talk to them about the things that are important that they have to take ownership over. my name's colleen stiles, and my kids and i did our wills on legalzoom. [ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help you take care of the ones you love. go to legalzoom.com today and complete your will in minutes. at legalzoom.com, we put the law on your side.

the other office devices? they don't get me. they're all like, "hey, brother, doesn't it bother you that no one notices you?" and i'm like, "doesn't it bother you you're not reliable?" and they say, "shut up!" and i'm like, "you shut up." in business, it's all about reliability. 'cause these guys aren't just hitting "print." they're hitting "dream." so that's what i do. i print dreams, baby. [whispering] big dreams.

we are just one day away from the big game, super bowl xlvi, a rematch from four years ago. mark is in indy for us. who is capturing the spotlight in indy today?

we're talking about some of the players and what they plan doing in the end zone, right? >> yeah, we sure are. thousands of people are here in indianapolis just to be part of super bowl weekend. take a look at what downtown indianapolis looked like last night. people wall to wall everywhere. a lot of these people won't even find a ticket to sunday's game, but they want to be here experiencing the experience of the super bowl. it does cause new york city-like traffic jams. speaking of the giants, giants fans who are here have an extra spring in their step for what victor cruz, their receiver brought to their team this season. he's an energetic exciting player who has a special way of paying tribute to his heritage. >> it's been an amazing ride for me, man.

it's one that i didn't imagine having initially. i wanted to come in and do some good things and see where i could fit into this scene. it's been amazing. >> cruz group up in patterson, new jersey, a few miles from the giants' home. he wasn't drafted by any team in the league and after getting picked up by the giants missed most of his first year with an injury. but this season, injuries to others thrust him into new york's starting lineup. and when he got in it, just like when he got into the end zone, he knew what to do. >> around week three and my coaches were like, man, you have to do something special. you have to do something that's really good to get people fired up. so i got into the end zone and i was like, i have to do this thing. it was something that came about and my grandmother loved it. >> turn and everything else, oh,

my god. and i was like, yeah. >> nine touchdowns in a single season record and receiving yards later, cruz has become a breakout star. so big, in fact, that he recently turned down an invite to "dancing with the stars." he hopes to get even more sells sa steps in in the end zone on sunday. >> when those guys get into the end zone, they can do whatever dance they want to. >> you talk about an ultimate tribute, madonna, who is going to play halftime, even did some salsa dance when she met with the media this week. cruz said that he is still pinching himself. he's about to realize that childhood dream of playing in the super bowl. he needs to keep reminding himself of that. it's about to come true behind us tomorrow. >> now i'm hoping for a high scoring game because of vikt ir cruz doing the salsa in the end zone. hopefully he'll be dancing with the stars in his future when he

has more free time. thank you. looking forward to the big game. the security council gets under way in just about an hour. they're looking at a resolution on syria and syria needs them to move fast. but our very own richard ross likens the process to pulling teeth. we are live at the u.n. in just a couple of minutes. [ beep ] [ mom ] scooter? the progresso chicken noodle you made is so good. it's got tender white meat chicken. the way i always made it for you. one more thing.... those pj's you like, i bought you five new pairs. love you. did you see the hockey game last night? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

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welcome back. tomorrow is a big day and not everyone watches the super bowl, to see though, to see the two best nfl teams compete. many tune in to see the commercials. as cnn's patricia wu told us, a lot of times the super bowl ads come down to a popularity contest. >> hi, susan. these days, advertising on tv

isn't enough. it's all about the internet. a lot of sunday's commercials are already online trying to generate buzz. we spoke to marketing expert mark stevens. he says advertising during the super bowl is a popularity contest and does little to sell a product. for example, one ad set to air sunday from cars.com has a guy with two heads talking to a dealer about buying a car while his smaller head sings. it's a little weird. mark stevens claims it's a waste of money. >> it has nothing to do with cars, nothing to do with cars. it has everything to do with the beevis and buttheads of the world. business owners who are not playing with corporate treasury dolls would never, ever give their own money to that. >> stevens said says he need a strong message that resinates long after the super bowl ends and you need to make sure the

product is the thing people remember. otherwise, there are probably better ways for a company to spend its ad dollars. unless, of course, that company is one that advertises every year, like coca-cola or budweiser. it's almost as if it's not the super bowl without a good commercial from one of those guys. these companies have deep pockets, large ad budgets and can afford to spend millions of dollars on a flashy ad. stevens says that's fine, but the primary purpose of the ad isn't to boost sale sale. >> there sa place for super bowl advertising in a well rounded company like anheuser busch. budweiser is a very well managed business. they don't rely on the super bowl to be a driver of success. they do not return the investment. it's not really an investment, it's a cost.

it's a feel good surprise packet. >> the real winner from a marketing standpoint is the nfl and the network airing the game. the super bowl continues to get huge audiences and that means the network can keep raising ad prices. price these year are $3.5 million to $4 million for a 30-second spot. >> that is huge. the morning's top stories are just ahead, but first, we want to get a preview of what's ahead on your bottom line. here is christine romans now. christine. >> good morning, susan. when will companies stop sitting on their cash and start hiring? coming up on your bottom line, we get to the bottom of the disconnect between workers desperate for a job and companies who say they can't find quality workers to hire. moms and dads, their kids and grandkids are increasingly living under the staple roof. the trend is exploding. also exploding, college tuition.

we'll talk about innovative ways to keep the cost of college down. and if you love the '85 bears or you love the super bowl, don't touch that dial. a special treat for you ahead at 9:30 a.m. eastern. susan. >> it is 9:00 a.m. eastern time. time to check your top stories this morning. first in nevada, the polls are set to open shortly before the first presidential contest out west this election season. here is one of the latest polls out of nevada. mitt romney holds a double digit lead over newt gingrich. actor ben bezara has pasd away from cancer. he appeared in more than 100 films and tv movies including "car on a hot tin roof" and "opening night." he's survived by his wife of 30 years and also a daughter. he will be missed by many. demonstrators for and against russian prime minister

vladimir putin have filled the streets of moscow. they're braving bitter cold temperatures. auto massacre in syria, that is the charge right now by anti-government activists in syria who say women and children are being killed by syria's military approximately here is what we know right now. those activists say as many as 260 people have been killed in the past day alone. they claim the military is randomly bombing neighborhoods, kids, women included. but the claims are being disputed on state-run tv in syria where they say the massacre never happened. cnn cannot independently confirm either of those claims. meanwhile, the u.n. is set to meet in just about an hour to consider ordering syria's government to stop that crackdown. so what are the options for the u.n.? joining me now is cnn's senior u.n. corespondent richard roth. richard, when you see that video and you hear accounts from

people who say they are there and what they are witnessing, you wonder what is taking the u.n. so long. what's on the table here? >> well, in october, russia and china vetoed a u.n. council resolution on syria. now within an hour or so, the council is finally ready, it appeared, to adopt a resolution, one that is watered down after months of dead lon lock. the u.n. security council chamber, a sense of thought and purpose in the air. yet on syria, where is the resolution? >> the council has been silent too long. it has to step up to its responsibility. there were smiles and handshakes last week when diplomatic dignitaries flew in to debate what to do about syria. >> this will be hard. the results are far from certain. >> very true. and despite the human rights abuses committed in syria, the security council here remains at

an impasse. and it's an old story. big power differences. russia, which has veto power, thinks the united nations was never set up to diplomatically intervene when a u.n. member country explodes. >> accounts cannot insult the parameters for an internal political settlement. it doesn't have the mandate to do so. >> countries have to rewrite the language on these resolutions so they can woo russia and other countries. >> speaking to impose their view. >> now, here in the u.n., the resolution deleted a segment whereby the syrian approximated assad was called on to delegate authority. that has been wiped away in an attempt to get russia on board. there is no call for sanctions or an arms embargo. it does say it fully supports the arab league proposal which

wants a syrian-led transition of power. it doesn't seem that the syrian government, susan, will immediately leap into action if this resolution is passed. it appears russia might abstain and let the resolution go forth, but there will always be some surprises. >> yes, it seems as though syria needs help and very quickly. richard roth, thank you. meanwhile, people are showing support for the embassy activists. there were several arrests at some of those demonstrations. some are complaining that the international community is standing by and letting the massacre happen in syria. that is the complaint. meanwhile, anger at police has erupted and more violence in egypt. demonstrators are clashing with police in several cities. 12 people have been killed in the recent violence there. the people are angry at the perceived lack of action by police at a soccer riot this week. nearly 80 people were killed in those soccer riots. people say the police stood by and did nothing and watched it

all happen. police say protesters have been pelting officers with bird shots and molotov cocktails. thousands of demonstrators have gathered in moscow today to rally against prime minister vladimir putin. they're demanding changes in the wake of disputed elections that took place in december. there is a pro putin rally going on in moscow, as well. these demonstrations are seen as a test for putin with just about a month to go until he runs for president. in washington, free speech is being celebrated by some occupy protesters. police moved in a short time ago, dressed in full riot gear. but they say they're not evicting anyone, not yet. they're enforcing the city's no camping rules. to beat the camps, protesters have been creative, staging what they cow a no-sleep slumber party. protesters took down the tent of

dreams and laid it in the street instead. nevada republican caucuses get under way in just a few hours from now. there are 28 delegates up for grabs. cnn's joe johns has more on the final rush for support. joe. >> as the race for the nevada caucuses entered the home stretch, the mitt romney campaign was hoping their candidate was well positioned to score a victory here, just like he did four years ago. it was a bizarre week in politics, though, with donald trump stirring up a publicity firestorm before finally publicly endorsing romney for president. romney did not help his own case with his comments that he was not concerned about the poor because there's a safety net for them. he later said he misspoke. meanwhile, newt gingrich tried to capitalize on the romney misstep promoting his own plan to create jobs and improve the

economy. texas congressman ron paul was attracting large crowds in the state of nevada with his anti-war smaller government message. he actually placed second here four years ago behind romney. former senator rick santorum was not about to be counted out, having already demonstrated his prowess in the caucus environment, if you will, by his big win in the state of iowa. but for now, it is up to the caucus goers in nevada to try to determine which among the republican presidential conte contenders they believe should be their standard bearer as we move toward the general election this november. i'm joe johns in las vegas. back to you, susan. >> joe, thank you. here are some facts about the nevada caucus. there are 24 delegates at stake. this one is proportional. people will gather at 125 caucus sites. most of the auction will be in

las vegas where around 70% of the electorate lives. this is a close primary, too. that means only registered republicans can take part in it. we will not see the first results until around 8:00 p.m. eastern time. cnn coverage of the nevada caucuses begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern. don't miss it. cnn's complete live coverage at 7:00. join wolf, erin burnett, anderson cooper as the results come in. the group of hackers known as anonymous recorded a phone call between the fbi and scotland yard discussing the investigation into hacking attacks. a law enforcement source tells cnn this is basically vandalism. the fbi is now investigating. israel warns time is running out for iran to abandon its nuclear program. iran is now issuing its own warning, as well. it says any military strike will spark with retaliation and damage u.s. interests ten times

over. quoting there. but can the u.s. talk israel into giving actionses more time? we'll tell you next. a powerful snowstorm hits the plains after leaving colorado. overnight, it snowed about two feet and now it's heading east? >> absolutely. it left a lot in colorado. some places around boulder had 20 inches of snowfall. in the ohio valley, all the way down to the gulf coast, we could see possibly some strong thunderstorms, maybe a few tornadoes and flash flooding. we're going to keep an eye on this as it moves west. >> reynolds, thank you. stay with us. you know when i grow up,

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good morning. welcome to cnn news here in atlanta. >> the do not fly list doubles over the last year. one of the main reasons, remember the christmas day underwear bomber in 2009? well, it turns out the teen's father had gone to the u.s. embassy to raise concerns about his son. but that didn't get his name on the no-fly list. so the u.s. can now put people on the no-fly list from a single source if the source is

considered credible. in yellow springs, ohio, a college is waiving tuition fees for all students who enroll in the next three years. in 2008, antioch college had to temporarily shut operations for various reasons. but recently, the school received a surge of donations that added up to $51.7 million. now the school is up and running and working to attract students by offer full tuition scholarships, each worth about $106,000 per student. and you're looking at the first pictures of the far side of the moon. these are from nasa's grail mission, which shot back these images from the moon's south pole. it's called the far side of the moon because of the way the moon rotates on its axin in relation to its orbit around earth. one side is always facing earth, hence the far side of the moon. there is a growing chance that israel could attack iran over a suspected nuclear weapons

program. that conclusion comes from the u.s. defense secretary as israel continues to put pressure on the u.s. to take more action against iran. cnn's chris lawrence reports. the u.s. is navigating a very fine line, trying to convince iran that military action is real and is something to be feared. but at the same time, trying to convince israel not to attack until tougher sanctions have time to take effect. >> thousands shouted their support for iran's leader friday. they say all options are on the table, including war. the war itself will be ten times detrimental to the u.s. >> on friday, defense secretary leon panetta stood firm saying the u.s. is, quote, prepared to respond if iran doesn't abandon its nuclear program. but israel says time is running out. >> dealing with a nuclear iran

will be more complicated, dangerous and expensive in blood and money than stopping it. whoever says later may find that later is too late. >> even some former diplomates says iran is full of hard liners who may not back down from sanctions. >> i am worried that the overall strategy of ratcheting up the pressure in hopes that iran will somehow say uncle is not based on a good reading of the iranian government. >> a senior congressional official says the relationship with israel right now is the strangest east seen. he's convinced the israelis aren't going to tell us if they strike iran. the u.s. and israel disagree on what happens after any attack on iran's nuclear facilities. >> i think most american center officials believe iranians will, in fact, realitiat and not just

narrowly, but officially across the entire region. the chairman of the joint chiefs just traveled to tel aviv, the latest to try to convince israel to give sanctions a little more time. but the visit was primarily to determine what the u.s. would do if israel struck iran according to some. if they enrich enough of it, a u.s. official says it would cross the israeli's red line because it's an easy jump from there to 90% weapons grade. u.s. officials are taken iran's threats very seriously. one told me iran has been improving its capabilities just for this moment. so it would be able to mine shipping lanes, with raid oil tankers, destabilize iraq and go after u.s. embassies all over

the world. >> thank you. the republican race for the white house is heading west. the nevada caucuses get under way just a few hours from now. voting has yet to begin. we will tell you who is ahead on the latest polls. ♪ escape definition. ♪ escape compromise. ♪ experience the most fuel-efficient luxury car available. ♪ the 42 mile per gallon ct hybrid from lexus. ♪ break free of the status quo. ♪

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21 minutes past the hour. time to check out our top stories. we want to take you to nevada. the polls are set to open shortly. here is one of the latest polls out of nevada. mitt romney, he's ahead by a lot. double digit lead over newt gingrich. in syria, big story, anti-government activists say the military is randomly bombing

neighborhoods in hahm. activists say as many as 260 people, including children and women have been killed in the past day alone. cnn has been innocently confirmed the acts. at mckenna college in california has been dropped from kiplinger's top colleges. an admissions officer had been inflating test scores since 2005. no longer on the list? i'm in shock. we have keeping our eyes open on a big winter storm that has dumped two feet of snow in central colorado. as i look behind you, reynolds, i see the statue of liberty looking pretty nice in new york, right? >> sunny side up, so to speak. speaking of sunnyside up, who in

the world goes out and buys deviled eggs? you were saying during the commercial break, you don't make your own deviled eggs? >> we were talking about super bowl foods. you can buy them, believe it or not. >> who knew? >> you learn something new, right? >> exactly. one of the things wooerp we're learning today is thankfully the super bowl will be held inside a dome. you don't have to worry about showers or snow or storms. let's go ahead and show you some video. slow moving. take a look at that. here from new jersey, with you can get some rough weather during the wintertime. it always seems whenever you have that first big snowstorm, you have to learn how to drive in the winter weather all over again. that's the case for people in nebraska there. you have to take it easy. this is one of the first big snowstorms they've had really in the season. a lot of people are slowing down. big cleanup, no question about it. let's move right back to the

weather maps. you can see this storm system that stretches from the central plains back across parts of the deep south. it is not going to remain locked in place. as we take a look at this computer model, we are going to open saturday at 9:00 a.m. here it goes, to the east and southeast, by sunday at 3:00 in the morning, the rain moving through into the carolinas. as we fast forward into sunday mid day, afternoon into monday, much of the frontal boundary that storm system moves out. some residual showers in parts of the southeast. and a touch of snowfall out to the west. in terms of snow today, 8 to 12 inches of snow is expected for parts of kansas, into nebraska, even back into parts of iowa. 8 to 12 inches with wivend gusts at 15 to 30. speaking of hampering visibility, that's going to be the parts into minnesota. even into parts of, say, montana, excuse me, very low visibility. take it easy, especially if you're driving out on to parts of 90. meanwhile, the flooding

continues into parts of louisiana. 2 to inches of rain. tkly dangerous in areas where we have poor drainage and low-lying areas. a big rainmaker is going to be moving to the east. 59 in dallas. 49 in albuquerque. 42 in salt lake city. 56 in portland. 45 in new york. 43 in chicago. tampa with 83 degrees. new orleans with 77 and boston 40 degrees out by the frog pond. it should be a big day in terms of the east. anyone with a sweet tooth, watch out, of course. there is sugar in candy bars. but something else to worry about? guess what other foods are full of shut sugar. find out right here. >> deviled eggs. and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪

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morning, the u.n. security council could vote auto a draft resolution to stop syria's crackdown on protesters. at 10:30 a.m., the reverend al sharpton will hold a trip tribute in new york honering don corneilus. and at 8:00 tomorrow, nevada's gop caucus results are expected to start coming in. the game, the commercials, also halftime. we have seen wardrobe malfunctions, bad lip syncing. now it's madonna's turn to try to get us to stay tuned. is she nervous? i don't think so. >> are you nervous about being in the super bowl? >> oh, my god. i am so nervous. you have no idea. >> really? >> yes. korea. i mean, first of all, it's the super bowl. the super bowl is kind of like the holy of holies in america, right? so,