austinbrown.com. we're releasing a new song just to give fans and everyone a real chance to hear the song before the album is released. this tuesday we're premiering my new song, "city of angels." so check that out. >> good luck to you. and as always, you can check out all of our music mondays, all of our interviews. just go to my blog, cnn.com/brooke. also, give me a tweet. if you like this music monday, if you want to see someone else, give me a tweet at brooke@cnn. all right, back here top of the hour. live from the cnn grill in austin, texas here at south by southwest. we're going to talk about that in just a moment here, but i want to begin with a story that is just absolutely heart wrenching. this american soldier is being held this hour in afghanistan. he allegedly left his base in

the middle of the night. he walked to two nearby villages, broke down doors, shot, stabbed and burned afghan civilians. in total, the number we have is 16. 16 people are dead. that includes nine children. it's a horrible turn of events in afghanistan and sarah is live for us in the city of kabul. sarah, i know this massacre happened near kandahar. tell us what happened. >> reporter: we're hearing from villager villagers in the western district of kandahar province, those villagers are describing a very horrific scene that happened early on monday. they said the soldier kicked through their doors, and in one case the mother says he dragged out one of the people inside the house by the hair and shot and killed that man right in the

doorway, and then went on to start spraying the house with bullets. we've been seeing pictures coming out of the area that are absolutely gruesome. we're seeing a picture of a toddler that is wrapped up that looks to have a bullet wound in the head. we're also seeing pictures of men that have been laid on the back of a truck who are dead, and just gruesome pictures coming out. inside of a home you're seeing blood on the floor and on the walls, splatters of blood, and then some shell casings that are being picked through by investigators. there is anger, of course, rising in that particular area where people have had to bury 16 loved ones. in one family alone, a tribal leader says 11 people were killed. so there is a great deal of anger coming from the two villages that were affected by this, which were about 1 to 2 kilometers away from the base. this involved a single u.s. army staff sergeant who went on his

own, not under any kind of mission, and left the base early in the morning and apparently walked to these villages and then returned to base and turned himself in. and that's the latest information that we have, but it certainly has terrified people in that village who thought they might now be safe and were asked by the base to come back to the area saying they would be left alone. brooke? >> it's heartbreaking to hear about it there and in the united states. we talked about this before. i want to talk a little more about the reaction. the reaction among the afghan people has, at least thus far, not quite reached the level we saw recently after the koran burning. are the government appeals for calm, is that getting through right now? >> reporter: well, they certainly have appealed for calm in this case, but there's also been appeal for calm in the past, and those haven't gone over in any shape or form. there's still been huge violent protest, especially when you had

the burning of the korans that left 40 people dead, including four u.s. service members. but in this case, what we are seeing from people is outrage in the very places where this actually happened. but you're not seeing the massive, violent protests that broke out after the burning of the koran. so it will be interesting to see in the coming days what does unfold here. the u.s. says that they have detained someone. they quickly came out with that information. and the lawmakers are asking for whoever is going to be tried in this case to be tried here in afghanistan in front of the public to teach a lesson to anyone who is thinking about putting themselves in this place in the future. but at this point we're hearing from a pentagon spokesperson that that's not going to happen. this person will be tried and charged, if charged, in a military court, most likely, and that they certainly will not be given to the afghan authorities to be tried in afghanistan.

brooke? >> sara sidner in kandahar. what is president obama saying? they've been quick to act on this shooting by the american soldier. hillary clinton is the latest u.s. official who tried to assure the afghan people that justice will be served in this case. in fact, she spoke out earlier this afternoon. >> of course, i agree with president obama and secretary panetta and the other american people in expressing our deepest regrets and condolences. a full investigation is under way. a suspect is in custody, and we will hold anyone found responsible fully accountable. >> i want to go straight to the white house, to brianna kheiler. brianna, in the past we've seen crisis management extensions here between washington and

kabul. is the administration there pleased with the afghan government, how they responded this time around? >> reporter: i think this is going to play out over days, brooke, so i think really the best way to phrase what they're doing right now might be a little bit of holding their breath. you see the administration working overtime to try to really assuage some concerns. you saw president obama call president karzai, the secretary of defense called president karzai, there are a number of conversation going on between diplomats and american officials in afghanistan to military folks, all the way down to the local level. there is very much a waerwarene right now that the taliban is trying to fermeant the anger. this will be playing out over days, and even though the anger is as high as it was a day ago, we're certainly not out of the woods, brooke. >> we're not out of the woods. we know the u.s. and afghanistan

are staying in the country after our combat group leaves. could this affect that at all? >> reporter: this was very much the topic of today's white house briefing. this is what white house press secretary jay carney was asked, and he said, no, it wouldn't. >> let me be clear. i do not believe this incident will change the timetable of a strategy that was designed and is being implemented in a way to allow for the withdrawal of u.s. forces, to allow for the transfer of lead security authority over to the afghans. a process that will be completed no later than the end of 2014. and the discussions about the pace of that drawdown have been ongoing. >> reporter: i spoke, brooke, with one senior administration official who was stressing that

just last week there was an agreement that was signed about a u.s.-run detention center and transferring that over to afghan control. this was a sticking point that had been negotiated for more than a year, and yet even in the relatively immediate aftermath of that -- the koran burning, admittedly inadvertent but caused a lot of uproar in afghanistan, this was something the u.s. was able to achieve with aftghanafghanistan, but at same time you can't ignore the fact that the timing here is terrible and we will see, over the next few days, how this plays out in afghanistan, brooke. >> how this plays out in afghanistan and also those talks we've seen in washington and kabul. brianna, thank you very much. i want to point outcoming up next hour in the situation room, wolf blitzer is going to talk to the commander of u.s. and nato forces in afghanistan. he is general john allen. do not miss that interview at

4:00 today. how much is your college education worth over an entire career? you're going to hear the magic number. plus, new video just in. join the aftermath of a gold heist that left half a dozen people dead. we'll be right back. quaker oats. in every way, a super grain. ♪ super for the fiber that helps fill us up. super for the energy it gives to get us going. super for the oats that are so good for our hearts. ♪ super for how it makes us... super. quaker oats. energy. fiber. heart health. super people eat super grains. for a hot dog cart. my mother said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america. they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner.

let's see if we can buy the property." and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you." and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years.

at meineke i have options... like oil changes starting at $19.95. my money. my choice. my meineke. new video just in showing the aftermath of this attempted jewelry store heist, a heist that turned into a deadly shootout with police. in total here, six people were killed as a gunman attempted to rob a pair of jewelry stores. this is baghdad just today. we're told they escaped with an unknown amount of gold and cash. now to this.

as more people are dying in syria, people in u.s. and russia are meeting up. gas up to $4 in some states. people not liking that at all. i'm going to start with jill. jill, we know russia and secretary of state hillary clinton are holding these talks. what are they saying? >> it's about syria and this is a really, really important meeting. it happened in new york today and they came just for this meeting. not a lot of fireworks, even though the timing is critical. right now people dying in syria. secretary clinton meeting with the russian foreign minister and she wants him very much to come on board. here's what she said. >> i pointed out my very strong view that the alternative to our unity on these points will be

bloody internal conflict with dangerous consequences for the whole region. so our message is clear, it is past time for action to save lives, to protect the dignity and rights of a proud people and to meet our obligations as security councilmembers to protect peace and security. >> reporter: and one of the biggest differences, brooke, between the united states and russia right now is in the timing of this. because secretary clinton is saying right now, the assad government has to stop that fighting, it has to lay down its arms, and then the opposition won't have a need to defend themselves, and then you can have some type of political process. what the russians are saying is, everybody here is guilty. not only the government, it's these groups that are arming and carrying out atrocities, they say. in fact, they even said there is an al-qaeda presence. so what they say is everybody stopped right now, cease fire,

and then you can move on. it's a very different thing. certainly secretary clinton is not making any equivalents between what the government is doing in syria and what the civilians who are arming themselves are doing. brooke? >> jill in new york. jill, thank you. next i want to go to alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. i know we're talking about a few things that will apply to all americans. you have the price of gas. let's talk about the gas prices. i know they're hitting $4 in a couple states. where is that? >> reporter: exactly. you're right about that, brooke, more and more states are joining that $4 gas club. we put together a map showing you, in the red states, that's where gas is above $4, the yellow states showing where gas prices are within a few cents of $4. this accounts for about a third of the country's total population. that's a lot of people. we saw a reprieve, but just

barely. we saw gas prices fall for a few days last week. that didn't last. the national average still sitting at $3.80. but one analyst says prices should peak soon because gas supply is actually pretty strong, so the question is will there be tensions to take control of oil prices. >> that's a huge variable. i guess in the meantime we'll say what we have to say. in terms of something else, i know a lot of people are saving for college educations. we now know how much a college education is worth over a whole career. first, what does that really mean, and what is the magic number? >> reporter: so let me start with the magic number. $650,000. that's how much more college grads earn over a 40-year career compared to those who don't have a college degree. so you see that a college degree isn't necessarily just a worthless piece of paper. this information comes from the peer research center finding that even if you go ahead and

factor in the cost of what it costs to go to college, you still wind up netting half a million dollars. of course, you have to understand there is a difference in that number depending on the field you go into. you're clearly going to make more if you're in engineering than someone in education and the liberal arts field. it's true the payoff is hard to deny. but brooke, i have to tell you, a lot of people tweeting saying, i've got a master's, i've got a college degree, and i still can't get a job. so this definitely is not the rule, it's not a slam dunk that you'll get a job with a college degree, but it's certainly easier. brooke? >> i know. you hear from the people and they're frustrated. they say, i don't want to take this job or that job because i'm worth more and i have my college degree. i know it's tough out there for a lot of people. alison kosik, thank you. now a couple key phrases you may or may not use in your own vernacular.

and maybe a few things you don't associate with this man, mitt romney. on top of that, he also has a very famous -- he's self-pro claimed -- redneck on the campaign trail with him. plus, according to one poll, romney is leading president obama. gloria borger is standing by. her thoughts on all this, next. ♪

[ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing...

and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering. now political pop on this monday. jeff foxworthy is hitting the campaign trail with mitt romney. the host of the show "are you

actually smadumber than a fifth grader." >> the fact you would sit in this pouring down rain to listen to the next president, you are proving you are smarter than a fifth grader. jeff foxworthy has stayed out of politics for 50 years until now. this is from the "washington post" and ab thic news, and her what they found. in a matchup, romney is ahead by two points. why don't you look at this. this is against rick santorum. you can see the president at 49%, santorum at 46%. very close hypothetical there as well. i'm going to bring in analyst gloria borger.

the numbers are getting closer and closer t seems, and i have to believe that it's the economy and president obama and a lot of americans aren't happy. >> reporter: absolutely. one month ago, obama, president obama was up 6 points against mitt romney. you see how that's flipped. and i think peter hamby is absolutely right. it's the economy, and more fiscally, it's the gas prices. you see people are very upset about the economy. 59% believe that the president hasn't done a good job managing the economy. that's despite the fact that unemployment numbers are going in the right direction, so you have to believe it's because people are really feeling the pain at the pump, they're having to shell out more every weekend. they're saying, you know what, we cannot afford this. even though, by the way, voters admit there's probably not a lot the president can do about it, but they're still blaming him. he's the person in charge.

>> right. i know it's painful for a lot of people on a lot of different issues. i want to ask you about one constituency. we were talking about women and how when you look at this current crop of candidates here, they've definitely been losing support. you were talking on how they need to capitalize on suburban women. are we seeing more evidence of that? >> we are seeing more evidence of it, and it's quite striking to me. the voters you want to go after, as you know, brooke, are the independent veri understand -- independent voters. you want suburban women because they come out and vote. what the polls show now is these independent women who favored the republican party by 11 points in the 2012 mid-term elections now favor the democratic party by five points. you see a shift. it's no surprise, then, that president obama's reelect

campaign is really making an effort to go after women, particularly, brooke, on the issue of health care. pointing out to women how health care reform will really help them and will really help the elderly parents tahey take care of and the children they need to insure. that's going to be a real battleground in the fall campaign. >> what about also looking ahead to tomorrow -- i know that's why you're in atlanta, for the mississippi and alabama primaries -- we're talking deep south. mitt romney needs to show up. he did not win a deep south primary in 2008. what do you see happening tomorrow? >> i think if mitt romney wins one of these states, he can really start to pull away in a big way. i think what he's got right now is a big psychological hole in the middle of this campaign, and the hole is the south. he didn't win in the south in 2008 when he tried for the presidency, he isn't winning in the south now. so for some reason, because,

say, newt gingrich and rick santorum are splitting conservatives or they're splitting tea party voters or they're splitting evangelical voters, for whatever reason, if mitt romney is able to win in alabama or mississippi, that takes away the talking points, certainly, of newt gingrich and certainly of rick santorum. if newt gingrich does not win in one of those states, he's also, i believe, going to have a problem continuing in this race. >> we shall see. we'll be all over it here on cnn. gloria borger, we'll be watching you and the rest of the gang. thank you so much. in the meantime, now this. >> i love my son dearly. my heart is broken and i don't know what else to say. i'm hoping that one day -- one day -- he's going to walk through the door and this is going to be a nightmare. >> police say her teenage son

bought candy, and on his way home, a neighborhood watchman shot and killed him. there is still some mystery here, including why police haven't released the 911 calls. we're going to speak live to the family's attorney to find out what he is demanding now of police. when we come back. what's this? [ male announcer ] quaker oatmeal squares 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.

a living, breathing intelligence teaching data how to do more for business. [ beeping ] in here, data knows what to do. because the network finds it and tailors it across all the right points, automating all the right actions... [ beeping ] ...to bring all the right results. it's the at&t network -- doing more with data to help business do more for customers. ♪

a florida family is absolutely desperate for answers now because their son,

17-year-old trevon martin, was shot and killed more than two weeks ago. but the man who allegedly shot him has not been arrested. our affiliate reports that the neighborhood watch captain is george zimmerman. saw the 17-year-old, called 911 and reported seeing a suspicious person. until police arrived, martin had been shot fatally in the chest. zimmerman has not made comment. police say they are conducting a full investigation. i know we have very, very few details here in terms of filling in the blanks, but i know cnn did have a brief conversation with the chief of police. what did he say happened? >> reporter: he told me some interesting things late last week, brooke, in that they were looking very closely at the 911 tapes, listening very closely to what was going on there. they said they were able to hear a verbal altercation, they were able to hear a gunshot. they said what they were hearing

on there seemed to back up zimmerm zimmerman's claim that he felt threatened at the time. we don't have any further findings released by the investigation as of yet. we're expecting to hear later today from the police chief and the mayor of the city where this investigation stands. we know they've been canvassing the neighborhood several times to find out from other witnesses what they may have seen or heard that night. again, it was a couple weeks ago. the police department under tremendous pressure from the family now to come up with some answers. they believe that zimmerman, that man with the community watch who was carrying a firearm, should have been arrested and should by now be charged with something in this death, because they said that the 17-year-old trevon martin was just walking home to his father's house from a convenience store. he had no weapon. he was completely unarmed. they say there is no reason that he should have ended up dead in this encounter. so we're going to wait to hear from the police department. that comes in a little while,

about a half hour from now, to find out where they stand. they may be wrapped up with their investigation. they may be able to turn it over to the state's attorney, and at that point the state's attorney will decide. it will be up to him to decide what, if any, charges will be filed in this case. >> as we wait to hear that, we can confirm that it's 4:00 eastern time, and we should perhaps be getting a little more information? >> that's right. we'll be listening for some answer to the big questions. how did this encounter escalate the way it did? how did zimmerman feel like he was threatened and find it necessary to pull his gun and shoot this unarmed teenager? huge questions in this case that threatens the buildup of this case, and hopefully the police will say, here's what we have, here's what we're giving to the state attorney, and hopefully we'll have some insight into

this. no matter how you slice it, this was a terrible tragedy. these two men came in contact with each other. we just don't know at this point how it escalated so quickly and ended so tragically. >> david mattingly, my thanks to you. as david mentioned, there is going to be a press conference at the top of the hour. obviously, that will give us more details on perhaps what happened. really, we have very little information as far as what happened that night to 17-year-old trevon martin when he was shot. i want to bring in ben croft. he is the attorney for the martin family, and mr. croft, my condolences go out to the family. i have to ask at the top here, why do you want these 911 tapes released? >> brooke, we think it's clear if those 911 tapes are made public, we will be able to answer some very important questions. number one, we will know why

george zimmerman, this homeowner's association loose cannon, thought trevon martin was suspicious. that's very, very important to tell you where his mentality was. secondly, it will tell us why he just disregarded, just ignored the police instructions when they tell him to stay put, they'll be there in a few minutes. the 911 tapes is going to tell you why he said he's not going to follow their instructions. and most importantly, it's going to tell us. a 170-pound kid walking through the neighborhood. a neighborhood watch captain had a .9-millimetre gun. wouldn't you outraged that

they're out fitting themselves who admits he shot this kid in cold blood? >> i understand, and i cannot imagine what these holes will work for. i just want to point out, we have reached out to this alleged shooter. . he's not talking, bottom line. i do want to put a question for you. i spoke with the 911 police chief, and you can hear arguing in these 911 tapes and it could back up the fact that zimmerman says he felt threatened. what do you think about that? >> that you can shoot a .9-millimetre gun and then claim self-defense, it's one of

those things that just doesn't even make sense. trevon martin, this kid has a bag of skills. zimmerman approached martin, so how can he claim self-defense. if trevon martin had been the trigger man, there is no course he would have been arrested day one, hour one. the family is outraged, the community is outraged. they have to go through such extraordinary evidence to get simple justice. this is the same as it would be next year or ten years from now. and perhaps we will learn more about those, perhaps we will hear about possible charges at the top of the hour when we hear that news conference. before i let you go, though, i

would be remiss not asking about trevon. he was 17 years old. what would the family want lshlgs to watch the nba all-star game. they're trying to pass the buck, and you watch. >> ben croft, thank you so much. we appreciate your time. >> thank you on behalf of the family. >> thank you. now i want you to listen to this next story. a high school loses a teacher because of his risque past as a gay porn star. he challenged that and a huge decision has been made that leaves gay people very surprised. sunny hostin is next. we're live here in austin, texas. back in a moment. the prius c!

♪ oh, my maltipoo's depressed. but my affordable prius c means i can pay for his acupuncture. whew. i love my pooch. oh no! my homemade sushi... turned p-ushi! use estimated 53 mpg to find a gluten-free alternative. look, this means i'm a chef. [ male announcer ] be a winner with the all-new prius c from toyota. ♪ oh! [ baby crying ] ♪ what started as a whisper ♪ every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned to a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? ♪ amen, omen

a substitute teacher in south florida is now one step closer to getting his job back. he was abruptly fired a year ago when his past as a gay porn star resurfaced. sha the county commission decided in his favor on friday. sunny hostin on the case. here's what we know. he was fired for violating a school board rule. he conducted himself both in his employment and the community in

a matter that reflects credit upon himself and his school. so his job was in the past, and he was also arguing porn is not exactly against the law, so what's the deal? >> that's right, and the commissioner agreed with him, brooke. i think what's fascinating is that many people don't think about these moral clauses when it comes to teachers. it's something that we hear about in actors' contracts, entertainers' contracts, but it's something you don't often hear about in teachers' contracts. but teachers in lower schools or middle schools have a unique opportunity to affect the lives of young people, so sometimes you do see these moral clauses. he argued just what you said, porn is not against the law, and moreover, something he did in the past. let me do point out, though, brooke, that when he was suspended or fired from his teaching position, he then went back to his porn job.

so many people are really sort of up in arms that he was given his certification back based on the fact that he was no longer a porn star because he sort of picked that career back up when he was unable to teach. >> okay. so moving past that, do we think the school will refine its morals clause as a result of this? >> we haven't heard back from the school, but many are saying, absolutely, they're going to try to make it more streamlined and more transparent. but we haven't quite heard what the future is for this moral clause in this school district or school districts across the country. >> i know you're following this new york madam case. we were talking about it a lot last week. i know today there were some legal fireworks and it was over who will represent her in court. is that right?

>> isn't that something? yes. one of the few times you hear lawyers sort of fighting for the right to represent someone for free because attorney gleason who has been representing her isn't being paid for it and he wants her court-appointed attorney sort of booted from the case. well, the judge was having none of that. he maintained that her court-appointed attorney would remain on the case, that she doesn't get the right to sort of choose who is going to represent her. but certainly fireworks in the courtroom. i think what was also interesting was that peter gleason offered his $2.5 million tribecca law up for collateral. >> i saw that. that's kind of rare. >> it really s because oftentimes, you know, attorneys try to get bail packages for their clients, but they never put the money up themselves or put their homes up.

so certainly this attorney must believe in his client and believe that she is not going to plea, because if she got bail and then fled, he would be out of an apartment, brooke. and let me say this. i'm pretty jealous and filled with resentment that you are in austin, texas at a media and music function and i'm still here in this extremely cold flash studio. >> sorry! i know, it's beautiful here. we got a little sneak peek as to what happened over the weekend. what a crazy story there in new york. you think you hear it all and you haven't. sunny hostin on the case. thank you. coming up, i want to talk about whitney houston's daughter. she's now speaking out for the very first time ever since her mother's death. she reveals these final moments with her mother, the famous, famous singer. i'll share that with you next. man, i'm glad aflac pays cash.

aflac! ha! isn't major medical enough? huh! no! who's gonna help cover the holes in their plans? aflac! quack! like medical bills they don't pay for? aflac! or help pay the mortgage? quack! or child care? quack! aflaaac! and everyday expenses? huh?! blurlbrlblrlbr!!! [ thlurp! ] aflac! [ male announcer ] help your family stay afloat at aflac.com. plegh!

then don't get nickle and dimed by high cost investments and annoying account fees. at e-trade, our free easy-to-use online tools and experienced retirement specialists can help you build a personalized plan. and with our no annual fee iras and a wide range of low cost investments, you can execute the plan you want at a low cost. so meet with us, or go to etrade.com for a great retirement plan with low cost investments. ♪

whitney houston's daughter, bob by kri kristina brown remem those final, tender moments with her mother. this is her first live interview since her mother's death. it aired last night on own. >> that last day, it was so early. i wanted to go to bed early. and i said, you know, mom, will you just lay down with me. she stayed with me all night and all day. she was rubbing my head, holding me. you know, everything, and i slept in her arms all night. all day, all night long. >> b >> bobbi kristina also said she plans to follow in her mom's footsteps. a big problem with kids is

education. these moms decided to lend a hand in helping kids decide what they want to learn. >> the problem is in our current education system they're rooted not in the 21st century, but in the 19th century. kids need to create their own world. they need to have risks, they need the opportunity for failure, they need to see what happens when they create something singular and they try to link it with a community. >> we try to understand being an inquirer along with our students. then we can bring a bit of blue into every other school. >> they're passionate, they're practical and they're inspired. and that's the kind of energy you want in a great school. >> i want to invite you to watch cnn's brand new show, we're calling it "the next list" featuring some of the america's brightest minds hosted by a pretty bright guy himself, dr. sanjay gupta. you can watch it on sundays only here on cnn.

we are in march. basketball fans, i don't need to tell you this. bracketology 101. are you filling out that bracket? this year not only can you compete against myself -- go, tar heels -- wolf blitzer. we're going to tell you how you can do that, and we're going to talk to mr. blitzer there. i like that carolina blue tie. we're going to see who he has going all the way, next.

a route map shows you where we go. but not how we get there. because in this business, there are no straight lines. only the twists and turns of an unpredictable industry. so the eighty-thousand employees at delta... must anticipate the unexpected. and never let the rules overrule common sense. this is how we tame the unwieldiness of air travel, until it's not just lines you see... it's the world. that's why i take doctor recommended colace® capsules. i have hemorrhoids and yes, i have constipation. that's why i take colace®. [ male announcer ] for occasional constipation associated with certain medical conditions, there's colace® capsules. colace® softens the stool and helps eliminate the need to strain.

stimulant-free, comfortable relief. no wonder more doctors recommend it. say yes to colace®! [ male announcer ] we're giving away fifty-thousand dollars worth of prizes! enter weekly to win! go to colacecomfort.com to enter!

hold on to your brackets, folks. march madness is here.

the ncaa about to start tomorrow night. you got 64 teams. they're all shooting for a national championship. so here's a quick little 101. the to the number one seeds, syracuse, kentucky, michigan state and my own alma mater, north carolina tar heels. back in the headquarters, i tweeted out this picture. this is an incredible picture. march madness is looming. this is one of the biggest brackets, in fact, i'll say it is the biggest bracket i've ever seen go up. that's smack in the middle of the cnn center in our aid yum. speaking of brackets, are you filling out one? think you can pick them better than me or my fellow anchors? this is so cool. you can test your brackets against all of ours. ncaa march madness bracket challenge game. here's what you need to know. go to cnn.com/brackets. fill yours out and make sure you watch the games, obviously on our sister networks.

cnn.com/brackets. and from brackets, to blitzer we go with a preview of what's coming up in "the situation room." wolf on a much more serious tone here, i do mo that you're talking about that heartbreaking afghanistan story with the top commander in afghanistan, general john allen? >> general allen will join us live in the next hour. he's the commander of all u.s. forces and nato forces in afghanistan. we have a lot of important questions. i'm really worried, brook, i'm sure you are and our viewers in the united states and around the world are worried about what's going on in afghanistan right now and a lot of americans are beginning to wonder, is there any hope that this whole ten-year adventure, the opportunity the u.s. had in afghanistan is all going to come to for naught so we have so the good questions in the aftermath of this rampage by this one u.s. army sergeant. we'll talk about that. all the days other news and

we're getting ready at the election center for tomorrow's big news. there's alabama, mississippi and, don't forget, there's also hawaii and what else, brook? one other contest we're watching tomorrow. very important, every one of these contests are important. american samoa. did we send reporters or producers out, i want to know. >> i've never been. have you been? they make good football players. >> they certainly do. and i've been to some american samoa and i've been to hawaii but i'm not going to either place. you know where i'll be tomorrow after covering all these elections? >> you will be at the cnn election center doing your thing tomorrow night and we'll be watching all night long. >> and by the way, tomorrow night at midnight, a special live piers morgan tonight. he has celebrities filling in for him all week and the celebrity filling in for him

tomorrow night at midnight, that would be me. >> sounds good, wolf blitzer. forgive me, this is tough to hear. i'm at the cnn grill. if you have ever wondered what the fuss is about here, i'm about to give you a little behind-the-scenes look and explain. this is a phrase somebody threw at me this week. the nerd circus. it's in town and this is too cool. don't miss this. ese sweet honey clusters... actually there's a half a day's worth of fiber in every ... why stop at cereal? bring on the pork chops and the hot fudge. fantastic. are you done sweetie? yea [ male announcer ] fiber one. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally.

ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about the cookie-cutter retirement advice ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you get at some places. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 they say you have to do this, have that, invest here

ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you know what? ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you can't create a retirement plan based on ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 a predetermined script. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 to understand you and your goals... ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ...so together we can find real-life answers for your ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 real-life retirement. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 talk to chuck ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 and let's write a script based on your life story. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ♪ what started as a whisper every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

we're at the epicenter of south by southwest. inside are start-up companies trying to create buzz about their new product or app. it's a rainy day in austin. you need one of these. you got your phone. no high heels here. let's go inside. sorry, this is how everyone here at the circus that is south by southwest walks. everybody is staring at their phones and i tell you, we want to show you one thing and we get turned off into something else. it's like information interactive yiefr load on all these different hallways, there's different vendors trying to get the buzz out about the big next thing. it was 2007 when twitter took off. they started foursquare here and so we're checking it out with everyone else from around the world to find out what the next top thing is. >> you lean forward to go and you lean back to stop.

rotate on the pad and lean forward. >> sweet, jesus! and this is just one thing that jumped out at us. it shows that this may be the interactive portion of this festival but look at this. there's all these different columns all around the austin convention center talking about politics. this is probably one -- maybe, films. music to go to tonight. check it out. the anonymous or there are the little codes where you can use your phone to find ought what this is. where you can go. so finally, since i had a little something, sanjay gupta, that's for you. back here outside, take a look at this. this is the forecast for the next couple of days. but you know what? who cares, because we're back here at the cnn grill. this is the inside of the cnn south by southwest beer ga