cello? >> yes. >> so if someone saw this guy in glasses biking with a cello, what should they do? >> they should slow down, first of all, maybe give us a nice little wave -- >> and come to the show. >> -- and come to the show. ♪ [ applause ] >> you can see more of ben's music on cnn on line. just go to cnn.com/musicmonday. i'm michael holmes in for brooke baldwin. syria has gotten so bloody that they're shutting out syria and

damascus. >> where can syrians go? they've been calling out to the world for help. >> we want to see actions, we don't want to see talk. we're really tired of talk and talk and talk. we've seen no actions at all. the syrian president still has his legitimacy. until now no country said this president lost his legitimacy. until now. why did they not say that? why does he still have his legitimacy after all the killing he did? >> and that activist is talking about this weekend's lack of action from the united nations. the security council rejected a resolution to call for president bajar assad to step down, stop the violence. china and russia are the reason they voted against it. meanwhile, syrians scrambling every minute with the sky hailing on them.

it seems that way, anyway, with constant shelling. cnn can't confirm the details because syria has restrictions on journalists. we do have some live in washington. we talk about the latest on the american reaction to this international crisis. the decision to close the embassy obviously not taken lightly. it does send a diplomatic message. but it was also done for safety reasons. >> reporter: it was. in fact, what the state department is saying is that they've now for weeks have been asking the syrians to protect that embassy better. the embassy is located very near a busy street, and what they wanted was either for the street to be shut down or some type of barricade put up or both, because what they are worried about, michael, they said, was al-qaeda or al-qaeda-like attacks. there was no specific threat,

but they were very worried about that because there had been some car bombings previously. and that was not done by the syrians, so they decided under this deteriorating situation, they simply had to pull out the staff, when they did. >> what sdt udoes the u.s. do n? they can talk all they like. they continue the killing and russia and china allowing that, as far as the syrians are concerned on the ground. they're calling this a green light. >> well, secretary of state hillary clinton has outlined a number of things they are going to do. certainly they're in frustration, because at this point, at least, president obama is saying no military action. but that said, secretary clinton says they're going to be going now to other redouble efforts outside of the united nations to work toward putting pressure on syria. they will increase the sanctions. and one of the hopes is that by doing this, they will convince

the people who support assad, president assad, and convince them that now is the time to get out, to stop supporting him. interestingly, secretary clinton also says that they are going to expose the people, the organizations, the countries that are providing funds and arming the syrians. and you can bet that that definitely means russia, michael. >> yep. jill dougherty, thanks for that. you have to wonder if they are against the eruption. what do you feel about that? >> we think assad is indeed em boldened, but there's other things that play out in syria, michael. the defecting soldiers that call

themselves the free syrian army truly were holding some parts of the flash point city in humps. they were holding it, they were defending it. we saw it in some of our reports from arwa daman and others, stationed behind sandbags and the like. there came a time within the regime where they said, look, we cannot continue to accept that these army soldiers, some of whom have taken control of a couple tanks, are able to, for a sustained time, secure key neighborhoods in homes. then you mentioned the veto from russia and china, and it does seem to go hand in hand with this onslaut. >> the ambassador to the u.n., susan rice, says the u.s. is going to continue its course for

the president to go. let's run now what she said today to cnn about russia and china. >> they have, by their actions, by their veto, dramatically increased the risk of greater violence and you've seen the manifestations of that, and indeed increased the risk of civil conflict. the united nations will continue on this issue. we in the united states and 13 of the 15 members of the security council are united in seeking a peaceful resolution of this. >> strong words there, and we also heard strong words earlier that the british former secretary william hagel also speaking freely. is it realistic knowing both china and russia are going to get anywhere on that front? >> it's not clear they will. it's clear what the syrian regime is doing now. it seems threatened by the rebel soldiers. remember how it started, in march 2012. this started in a peaceful

demonstration when parents and kids were being tortured by writing anti-government graffiti, and viewers have to understand it's a lot more complex and a lot harder to resolve. you do have the demonstrations on one hand, but more and more, these defectors who are leaving the army say, we have a right to defend our protectors and our communities. and where does syria go from this point? does it turn into a sectarian civil war that spills over into other countries, or can anything stop what's happening in this country now, because the true tragedy is now -- the victims of this true tragedy is so many civilians who are dying, michael. >> thousands and thousands of dead mean thousands and thousands more wounded. one thing that we initially said earlier on in this.

we always make the point that president al-assad, he did have a level of support. has that support deteeriorated s this went on? >> that's an excellent point. when assad took over from his father in 2000, he was seen as sort of a young, western educated, open minded, possibly a reformer, someone who let go of the usher, he was so much in this era as what was happening. >> after unbelievable said cars. those who originally supported him started saying, this is too much. many of them say, there was actually a window of opportunity that i find it early march.

it makes the requests for reform more seriously and more peacefully. now the only people who support assad are his own clan, and perhaps some will profit economically from him. but that overwhelming support for a brief time, that it is gone. up next, the bear is a deadline tonight, and if a deal is reached, it could remain cash for a civil sense of homemurders. her husband killed himself and his two young sons just moments after a chilling e-mail. also coming up. >> parents are livid as a couple teachers sit behind bars accused of horrible crimes inside the classroom. find out what's happening at that school today. stay right here. emily's just starting out... and on a budget.

like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. [ male announcer ] red lobster's four course seafood feast is back. get soup, salad, cheddar bay biscuits, dessert and choose one of 7 entrees.

four courses for only $15. offer ends soon. i'm jody gonzalez, red lobster manager and i sea food differently.

...we inspected his brakes for free. free is good. free is very good. my money. my choice. my meineke. parents protest the school where two teachers are being arrested, and the queen celebrates her diamond jubilee. it is time to play reporter roulette. and we begin with jessica yellin live at the white house. jessica, let's start with this homeowner deal, all about

foreclosings and banks and so on. tell us about that. >> first of all, i applaud you for doing this story. it matters to millions of americans, and it is whether the state and the attorney general will sign this across the

country and sort of forgive them for robo signing when they basically signed foreclosure papers with an auto pen without any checking on the documents behind them, and sort of releasing them from liability from it. it looks like that's going to happen with most of the states in the country, and that will happen at the end of business today, but in exchange, banks would then have to put on a big

polt of mon pot of money to help out some ailing homeowners, so you can see why there's some controversy behind it. >> politics apply in everything, let's face it, but where is the white house in this? are they in support of the deal? and have others been holding off for various reasons? >> administration has been pushing for this deal. they do want that pot of money set aside because they believe this is the best way to get help to homeowners, and this will create less action. there are some critics who believe this is letting banks off the hook too easily. some attorneys general who are holdouts are signalling they might sign on now, michael, because they feel they got enough waivers to go after banks in their own states for separate misdeeds, so you'll still see prosecutions coming down the line, michael. >> jessica, thanks. it is an important story. jessica yellin. a california elementary school where two teachers have been arrested in child abuse cases. this is a sickening story. next on reporter roulette, casey wian in los angeles. what do the parents want to see

happen and bring us sort of up to date on this. >> reporter: that's right, michael, here at miramonte elementary school, you can see there is a law enforcement presence outside this school. parents have been coming and going all day. tchs veeearst. been alleged to have gone on, years in some of smeez cases. they will be meeting with school district officials later tonight to try to get answers. of course, the investigations are ongoing. we're not sure how many answers they'll be getting. we also knew that the parents are here with some of their students. >> we're hearing the schools are closed tomorrow. is that a cooling off period? >> they're wondering why they didn't close it today, but they say it's good they didn't because they wouldn't know what to do with children while parents are at work. what the school is saying is school will be closed tuesday and wednesday to allow the investigation to continue. one thing authorities, and of course parents, want to know is if any other teachers are involved.

>> they would be shutting down the school, i mean, through you remember these school grounds. we'd like to think they'll be ready to send their children back to school on thursday. we go to london where queen elizabeth is celebrating 60 years on the thrown. diamond jubilee is today. >> it all started off with a 41-gun royal salute at buckingham palace. this is really building up the

main event. . the queen wasn't in london today, she was out and about on a visit to northburg. a mixture of emotions. these images, michael, you've seen them year after year, always seeing the same thing since the 1950s. british inarguably wrote history, you might say. >> pomp and circumstance with the royal family? really. you and i were talking earlier on cnn international and you pointed out a lot of detailed trivia. she was in a portrait and there were a couple interesting things in that portrait. >> the official portrait came out today. you'll see the queen, but look over her shoulder. you see the victorian monument and she very carefully stood in

front of that. queen victoria is the only other monarch to have had a diamond jubilee, and queen elizabeth i see to be wearing the same one that you're wearing. very proudly say, on him in the victorian club. there is only it would of us. there's certainly no plans f for -- >> thanks for that. up next, president obama makes a big move, and it's against iran. it comes as the israelis and the u.s. talked publicly about -- as tensions grow more than more quickly, get ready for a chaotic spring at the gas station. how chaotic? well. major cities likely see the most dramatic price jumps. the white house announcing it is freezing iran's government and financial institutions. this is a widening of what's been done already. president obama says the new measure will tackle what he calls deceptive practices. obama was asked how close they are to tackling iran. >> i don't believe they know what they want to do. i think they, like us, believe iran has to stand alone on their nuclear weapons program.

>> president obama also said if tensions escalate this spring, no options will be off the table. jury selection is under way in the murder trial of the university of virginia lacrosse player accused of killing his former girlfriend. george huguely has pleaded not guilty to killing yeardley love. love was found dead in her apartment in may 2010. according to police, huguely kicked in love's bedroom door and shook her, causing her head to hit a wall. this happened several times, it's alleged. 24-year-old huguely is facing first-degree murder charges. his attorneys say 22-year-old love's death was an accident. police arrested country music star randy travis overnight for public intoxication. this happened in texas. officers found travis in a vehicle in front of a baptist church smelling of wine and a little bit of alcohol. he was cited.

he made a statement to cnn saying he is paying for his actions following an evening of super bowl. if you have fireworks, you may get taxed on them. allison, open accounts with citibank. it's a bit of a curious tactic. >> it is. what we're talking about are those free promotional miles that people got when they opened a bank account with citi. i'm not talking about the miles that these people racked up by using a citi credit card. these miles i'm talking about are considered a reward or they're considered a prize. so whether you get a toaster or cash or airline miles, the value of the award, what that is, it's treated as income so the tax man, yeah, he can come a calling. the irs says citibank is right in this, that everything valued over $600 that's classified as a

reward that it can be taxed. and that includes those mileage points i'm talking about. here's the dimpfference, though. if you have a credit card and get frequent flyer miles or cash back or other credits, you won't get cash back. those are considered rebates. in the citi bank situation, it didn't quite lay it out so clearly. our friends over at time magazine got a copy of these solicitation leaders. the noticed warned that people could be taxed, but they're not spelling out how much you could be taxed, so you really need to read the fine print, and if you really don't understand t the lesson here, michael, is just to ask a lot of questions. michael? >> all right, allison, thanks for that. allison kosik at the new york

stock exchange. newt gingrich says he's going to be there all the way to the convention. mitt romney going back and forth with another candidate who is not newt gingrich. next. 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. ♪

what makes us number one in motorcycle insurance?

we love bikes. we love riders. and most of all, we love to ride. perfect hair every time. leading the pack in motorcycle insurance. no that's progressive. call or click today.

all right. if you missed it over the weekend, mitt romney collecting another 14 delegates in the caucuses held in nevada. romney won 50% of the vote, down half of the state's delegates in his party in august. ri it's now newt gingrich, rick santorum and ron paul, in that order. mitt romney has a status as the front runner, but there are signs that it might be hurting. >> there are lots of signs and it's hurting him right now in the general election population because everybody has been watching all of these fights and all of these attacks from newt gingrich, for example. "washington post" did some polling today, which was really quite interesting to me. first of all, he is now neck and neck with barack obama on

independent voters. those are the people who are going to determine the election, right? it used to be about a month ago, he was up 12 points with independent voters because they didn't like barack obama. now barack obama is looking a little better to them. also, another important question we always ask is does this candidate care about the economic problems of people like me? and barack obama does a lot better than mitt romney on that question right now. he has a very difficult time discussing wealth, his own personal wealth, and people are listening to these answers. does he care about the poor, does he fire people, all these different kind of ga frffs. clearly, it sunk in a little bit. >> we see the camps going back ask forth with mitt santorum speaking today in rochester, minnesota. >> here's the problem. the problem is that we have a

candidate who is run, who is now seen by the media as the prohibited favorite. it's the worst possible person in this field to put up on the fundamental issue of this campaign, and that is governor romney. >> is there a concern in the romney camp that santorum could provide a little bit of threat in the upcoming. in minnesota santorum seems to be that barack obama, mitt romney says state planning and calls for mandates. he's facing an argument both with mitt romney and.

speaking of gingrich, he says he's going all the way to the convention, and he should do better in the south, and there yet to come. he has to at some point say, this is army against and it describes he needs to start raising some money other than through his super pack. people have sent some momentum. right now he's struggling with that ask trying to hold on until super tuesday. there are some of those days that would be more bibl to each candidate. >> i keech saying that this very public fending up of each other

who are on the same team, it's part of the whole thing. >> what's interesting to me, it's really different this time for republicans. usually it's democrats who beat up on each other and republicans kind of fall in line eventually. this time it's the republicans who are really beating up on each other, because those tea party activists did not want an established candidate to represent them in the election, and guess what? they might get one. >> yep, yep, that's fascinating to watch. good to see you, gloria borger. a man who says consumers are becoming a nation of makers. it will make it harder for anyone to be heard. >> so this looks like a pretty interesting place. what goes on in here? >> this is our lab, and really what happens here is we have

interns that take things that we think might be in the magazine and they try to recreate them. they take the author's recipe, in a sense, and put them into makers. >> don't forget dr. sanjay gupta brand new show "the next list," featuring some of the brightest minds. i can't imagine anyone killing children. that's beyond anything i can imagine someone doing. >> the case of a missing mom takes a stunning twist. police say the only person of interest in the case, her husband, blew up the family's home with himself and their two young sons inside. we're hearing now what happened moments before the explosion.

sunny hostin is up next. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] offering four distinct driving modes and lexus' dynamic handling, the next generation of lexus will not be contained. the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. ♪

[ roger ] tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ kyle with voice of dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. [ kyle ] nope, i've got... [ kyle with voice of dennis ] ...the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance -- and you still get an allstate agent. i too have...[ roger with voice of dennis ]...allstate. [ roger ] same agent and everything. [ kyle ] it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah, we are. no...we're not. ♪ the allstate value plan. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate.

on the case today, a tragic ending in a story that began more than two years ago in utah. two young boys and their father have been killed in a home explosion in washington state. josh powell set fire to his house, a gas explosion, after his children were brought over for what was meant to be a supervised visit. now, his wife, susan copps powell, has been missing since 2009. josh powell has been the only person of interest in her

disappearance. josh powell sent out an e-mail saying, i'm sorry. goodbye. no one knows for sure, but could this be a way of admitting guilt, or could this just be a hugely stressful time? >> we just don't really know at this point. as you mentioned, he has been the sole person of interest in the disappearance of his wife, susan powell. we know he's been under a lot of pressure lately. his children were being raised by his wife's parents. they were removed from their custody pending the court's orders to having him take a polygraph test and a psychosexual examination and evaluation, and that is because he was living with his father, steven powell, who has been arrested on 14 counts. voyeurism, a count of child pornography, and apparently his father had been spying on women for approximately a decade, and

one of those women would have been susan powell. so certainly josh powell was under a tremendous amount of pressure. >> now, the spokesman for the sheriff's office seems to have no doubt it was powell who killed his wife. listen to this. >> he set this up, he did it, he is the one who started the fire and didn't tell anybody. >> those seem like strong words. but what do we know about josh powell and his mental state at the time all of this unfolded? >> well, we are learning that the boys ran to him for the supervised visit and he immediately closed the door on the person from social services that was supposed to be supervising the visit, the social worker. she immediately called her supervisor and heard the home explode. our understanding at this point

is he was under a tremendous amount of pressure, but certainly i don't believe that anyone expected him to take the lives of his two small children. >> all right, sunny, thanks. that's sunny hostin. a huge development in the case of 19 americans forbidden to leave egypt. one of them is related to an obama cabinet member. what egypt is accusing his son of and why they might be defending him at trial. we're live at the state department, next.

the low-running alliance between the united states and egypt is being tested today. military rulers and the siege from the streets have also been announcing they're going to perhaps try 19 americans. that's the indication at the moment. they include the son of transportation secretary ray lahood. elise is standing by. elise, outline these charges and what the reaction is from washington. >> well, michael, these charges, these groups, the international republican institute, the national democratic institute, the freedom house and some other international groups are receiving foreign funding and they're not registered. now, this has been a long-running issue for many years, but the president kind of let them operate. the government they're supposed to hand over to the civilian government are investigating

these individuals and these groups, they haven't been officially notified but they're very concerned they can't leave the country. let's hear what white house hou press secretary jay carney said. >> we have underscored how serious a problem these actions are. we have said clearly these actions could have consequences for our relationship, including regarding our assistance programs. so we'll continue to work with the egyptians. >> michael, serious consequences. we're talking about 1.3 billion in u.s. aid to the military in egypt and also billions of dollars of loans like the financial institutions in the u.s., so they're not in a position to let this aid go

through, so the united states und. there was a military convention in town talking about this. and now you heard him say this could have serious consequences. >> this is the second biggest recipient. out of the americans who might be tried. some of them are taking refuge -- they haven't even been notified of the charges. they've heard through sources and media reports, that they hope they'll be charged with something. but really right now they're not sure. officials thought this woop --

>> nobody really understands why, with everything going on right now, the political situation, the chaos, why would anybody want to pick a fight with the u.s. with billions of dollars of aid at stake? >> the recent election. he could up next, the former congressman running in michigan, he is getting some heat today for the super bowl ad that some people call racist. wolf blitzer is here in the newsroom. [ jody ] four course feast. man it's great. the guests love it.

[ male announcer ] red lobster's four course seafood feast is back. get soup, salad, cheddar bay biscuits, dessert and choose one of 7 entrees. four courses for only $15. offer ends soon. i'm jody gonzalez, red lobster manager and i sea food differently.

the situation room with wolf

blitzer coming up at the top of the hour, and wolf joins us now with a preview. you've got nancy talking about this home explosion story. >> awful, awful story. these two little boys were killed, their father -- there's a lot of suspicion. she's got strongly held views of what's going know and we'll speak to nancy about this. i don't know if you read not this weekend but last weekend, the cover story in "the new york times" sunday magazine, israel and iran, the israeli journalist that wrote that piece, an amazing article with incredible details in there. >> great access to government. >> unbelievable access and he'll be joining us. how close is israel to actually launching a pre-emptive strike against iranian nuclear facilities. does israel have a green light from the obama administration? what would happen in terms of iranian retail yags. could missiles start flying into

the israel from lebanon? hezboll hezbollis -- >> there are concerns from others who were in the israeli defense force whether it is a good idea or not. >> there's a big debate in israel including a former and he approves this covert operations as opposed to a military strike so there's a significant discussion in israel going on and this israeli journalists, ronon bergman. >> it's a tense time. very scary consequences. >> wolf, good to see you. >> thank you. >> wolf blitzeser there. and political pop, super bowl controversy that has nothing to do with the halftime show. this is about an ad that aired during the game. a campaign spot for michigan senate candidate pete hofstra.

it has some people calling racially insensitive. check it out. >> thank you, mr. senator, w spend it now. w spends so much american money you borrow more and more from us, you're economy gets very weak. ours get very good. we take your jobs. thank you w spend it now. >> i think this race for u.s. senate is between "debbie spend out now" and "pete spend it not." >> wow, in an interview posted on the detroit "free press" website he said the ad is a straight forward message about what he calls reckless spending and there was, quote, nothing racist about it. a breathtaking video here. what you see there is a snow border and an af lancht chases

down the snowboarder and you can see what happens at the end. we'll speak live with the woman who survived that next. great story! . ♪ dreams to be realized. ♪ new worlds to be explored and hearts to be won. quaker oats. energy to get you going, fiber to help fill you up and help keep your heart healthy. super people eat super grains. and help keep your heart healthy. totodaday y mymy j jouournrneyes acacrorossss t thehe g golo, whwherere e evevereryoyonen ununbebelilievevabablyly n . momornrninin'.'. i i guguesess s i'i'm m hehelp huhundndreredsds o on n cacar r. itit p prorobabablbly y alalsot ththatat i i'm'm a a w woros adadvevertrtisisining g ici. chcheeeersrs!! i i memeanan, , whwho o wt wawantnt a a p pieiecece o?

gegeicico.o. ahah...... fififtfteeeen n miminunutetes se yoyou u fififtfteeeen n pt ohoh d deaear.r..... oror m morore e onon c carar i . have 46 grams of whole grains... mmmm. ...and a touch of sweetness. you'll be delighted to discover how good they taste. get your free sample of quaker oatmeal squares on facebook.

and now, tomorrow's news today. let's fast forward for a moment. python's wreaking havoc in the florida everglades. wildlife is flat-out disappearing from the national park as the python population

grows out of control. john zorella will bring you the story from from. and did we mention tuesday is an election day? really? another one? colorado, missouri and minnesota casting their votes in those three states primaries and caucuses. live coverage here. and brooke is back with a shocking statistic about child abuse in this country. the government has put a figure on the cost to the nation, $124 billion, the lifetime cost of one year's worth of cases. we can do better tomorrow. she's going to have a look at how we can work out to wipe out the mistreatment of kids. confusion and frustration surrounding a mystery illness in leroy, new york, boiled over at a town hall meeting officials telling parents their children's school is safe despite several students developing those involuntary kwichs and gestures. you probably saw the story,

doctors diagnosed most of the children as suffering from conversion disorder, a condition induced by stress. but some parents suspect the problem could be link to a trail dearraignment 40 years ago which spilled tox c spilled toxic chemicals a few miles from the school. frustrated parents are not convinced. >> what i have to do as the superintendent is take the experts, what the experts are telling me and the experts are telling me and the data is showing me that there is no environmental cause here linked to this condition. >> you guys need to do something. my child, my children, all of them, i run a business in this town. it is not safe. why is it you need to prove to us that it is safe to put our children in this school. check out this incredible

video. professional snowboarder, michelle hetna was riding the colorado slopes when she triggered an avalanche. they cut up the snow and the avalanche comes down and it almost buried her alive but it didn't. she deployed an airbag that shoots out behind per and what it does is it kind of makes you throat on top of the snow. she made it out perfectly okay. she's joins us right now by phone. misch, thanks for being with us. first of all, how does this work? do you have to pull it? does it fire automatically? and how does it keep you above the snow? >> well, it's a pull tab on the right shoulder strap of the back p pack like if you've been sky diving. >> why were your wearing this? is this standard issue? it's the first i've heard of it. >> it's not commonplace yet.

i was wearing it, my first run on it, and i was wearing it because i had a guardian angel that day i think. >> how does it work? >> basically, it's a co2 cartridge that she'sthat shootsd inflates like a ba balloon and keeps you above the snow. >> is it a matter of surface area? >> i would imagine so. i think it's a lot like just riding a raft like, obviously you want to be on a bigger raft rather than a smaller raft. >> just to clear up any confusion. i was reading on the web the crucial doubters saying it was a setup. this was no setup, right? >> no, no, no. no, no way was this a setup. i think those comments are just funny. >> so don't go -- don't leave the slopes without it? >> you know what, i would say