welcome to our viewers here in the headquarters, i'm george howell, "cnn newsroom" starts right now.

a have good day to you. we begin with super saturday and the united states voting begins in a few hours and the presidential cry marries and caucuses and at stage 10 delegates for democrats in the states of kansas, louisiana and nebraska. overall hillary clinton has a sizeable lead over bernie sanders. for republicans, there are 155 delegates up for grabs. in kansas, kentucky, louisiana and maine. donald trump has the lead in the delegate count over those states. in the meantime, ben carson has officially ended his campaign on friday. he told a conservative conference the delegate math just wasn't in his favor. carson did not endorse another candidate. so, now there are four remaining republican candidates and they are crisscrossing the country stumping for votes after a debate filled with insults,

vulgarities and taunts. cnn's athena jones has this reported. >> these politicians come up here, like lightweight marco rubio, like lying ted cruz. >> reporter: on the heels of a raucous, even raunchy debate, the insults kept flying. donald trump not letting up in his criticism of his rivals and not letting go of marco rubio's comment about the size of his hands. >> so when little marco spews crap about the size of my hands, which are big, those hands can hit a golf ball 285 yards. >> reporter: ted cruz quiing the billionaire businessman's readiness to be president and his shifting views. >> when a politician tells you he's going to be flexible, that means he's getting ready to stick it to you. >> reporter: trump walking back

this line from last night. >> we should go for water boarding and we should go tougher than water boarding. >> reporter: reversing his stance on torture and ditching his calls to target the families of terrorists saying in a statement he understands that the united states is bound by laws and treaties and i will not order our military or other officials to violate those laws. thursday night's debate was laced with locker room innuendo. >> he referred to my hands f they're small, something else must be small. i guarantee you, there's no problem. guarantee you. >> reporter: cruz and rubio unloading a series of attacks on trump's trempment, his business dealings and immigration views. >> i think the american people understand that yelling and cursing at people doesn't make you a tough guy. >> he has spent a career convincing americans he's something he's not in exchange for their money. >> you're wrong.

>> reporter: butter later all three standing by their commitment to stand by a man they didn't believe was fit to lead the country. trump decided to skip a major conservative gathering outside wash wash this weekend, campaigning in kansas instead. rubio took the opportunity to take on trump. >> reporter: cruz is throwing cold water on a contested convention. >> if the washington deal makers try to steal the nomination from the people, i think it would be a disaster. >> that was cnn's athena jones reporting for us. the pressure is on for trump's rivals to chip away at his momentum before the republican national convention in july. that is when delegates will choose the nominee. our chief u.s. correspondent don king dweflz into what's at stake with cnn's anderson coop. >> they all need to win to stop

trump. here's where we are after super tuesday. this gets us through march 15th. this is where trump wins everything this weekend, everything next tuesday, then on march 15th. likely, don't know. conceivable, yes. if that happens, game over. fold your tents, donald trump is three-quarters. way to the nomination. here's the romney scenario. let's say kasich wins his home state of ohio and rubio wins in his home state of florida. there are some contests this weekend and before then. let's just take this as the romney scenario. just to show that maybe somebody gets momentum, i'll give kasich illinois here. even if this happens, guys win on their home court, cruz wins texas, rubio wins florida, but romney and what everyone else is

hoping for is somebody gets the hot hand. when they win, trump comes down and something like this happens. this plays it out through the convention. this is rubio i have winning new york, pennsylvania, some states out west including california. i use rubio, you could make it kasich, trump. this is what the establishment is hoping for. something like this. somebody gets a hot hand, trump wins some but not as many as right now and you get to the convention, this scenario has trump at the convention over 1,000. they hope to keep trump in 800. then you have rubio, cruz, kasich. trump would be in the lead, the other candidates have some, some stronger than others and then, anderson, the scenario romney lace out, this is where negotiations begins. what would happen? this has never happened in our

lifetime but could trump negotiate with kasich? that would get you close you have. or would cruz and rubio cut a deal, which would get them across the finish line with their delegate nps is the scenario they're hoping for. they just hope to get to a convention. write rules they like and cut deals like that. here's one of the scenarios, one guy will win the power ball, we just don't know who. >> that was cnn chief u.s. correspondent john king running out the possibilities leading up to the republican national convention which is set to happen in july. there's been plenty of talk about this possibility, what's called a brokered or contested republican convention, but what exactly are they? coming up in 25 minutes, our jonathan mann breaks down the process of what can be a very confusing part of the u.s. political system. on to the democrats. the race may be a built more civil but the stakes are just as high.

hillary clinton and bernie sanders are both head to super tuesday's critical primary in the state of michigan and focusing on the loss of american jobs overseas. senior political correspondent brianna keilar has more from detroit. >> reporter: hillary clinton was in the motor city laying out her plan to create jobs and taking aim at donald trump. >> i'll tell you, when i hear people running for president who spend all their time bad-mouthing america, it really upsets me. you know what, we've got work to do. instead of complaining, let's join hands. let's lift ourselves up. let's get going together. >> reporter: but as she turns her attention to the potential republican nominee, she's taking incoming fire from bernie sanders, also in michigan, slamming her past support for trade deals that many in this labor stronghold oppose. >> if the people of michigan want to make a decision about which candidate stood with

workers against corporate america, against these disastrous trade agreements, that candidate is bernie sanders. >> reporter: but clinton is also courting unions. >> i hope they do the patriotic thing and stay in america. >> reporter: at a car parts manufacturing plant, she railed against outsourcing. >> if you dessert america, you'll pay a price, but do the right thing, invest in your workers and your country's future and we will stand with you. >> reporter: as the sanders campaign seeks to underconsult her appeals to union workers, highlighting these comments clinton made about outsourcing while on a trip to india in 2012 as secretary have state. >> i think that there are advantages with it that have certainly benefitted many parts of our country. and there are disadvantages that go to the need to, you know, improve the job skills of our own people and create a better economic environment.

so, like anything, it's got pluses and minuses. >> reporter: with the chances of a sanders nomination dimming, some democrats think his attacks will only weaken clinton for a general election. >> secretary clinton has a number of super pacs. >> reporter: but sanders has millions still in the bank to finance his campaign and is promising to push to the convention this summer. >> we're in this race to win. we're doing the best we can do. i think i don't run negative campaign ads but i think it's appropriate in a campaign you distinguish your differences with your opponents. otherwise, why run? >> reporter: the democratic candidates preparing for the cnn debate in flint, michigan, on sunday night. they'll be addressing the water crisis there. this is also a chance for bernie sanders to try to make a splash as hillary clinton widens her delegate lead over him. hillary clinton is expecting bernie sanders is going to be on offense when it comes to how she's trying to court union

voters. he's been taking her on on her past support of trade agreements like nafta and she's ready to defend herself against that on sunday night. brianna keilar, cnn, sunday night. >> as you heard fr, bernie sand and hillary clinton will face off in a cnn democratic debate. we'll have it for you live from flint, michigan. anderson cooper moderates what happens at 8:00 p.m. on sunday on the east coast and 1 cloek a.m. monday in london only here on cnn. now to the u.s. state of california and the discovery there that once again has the infamous o.j. simpson murder trial capturing america. los angeles police say they have acquired a knife that was reportedly found at simpson's former estate. more from cnn's on this new mysterious development. >> i was really surprised. >> reporter: a shocking discovery in the murder case of

o.j. simpson, a knife found more than a decade ago on the former football player's estate. just being retired lapd officer. >> he says a construction worker provided him with this knife, claiming it was found on the property. >> reporter: the retired officer says the construction worker supposedly worked on the property. this could have been around the time of its demolition in 1998. >> guilty of the time of murder. >> reporter: three years after simpson was acquitted of murdering nicole brown simple son and ron goldman. >> can you describe the condition, was anything on it, possibly dried blood? >> i do have any information and investigators asked we not be very destriptive. >> reporter: forensic testing is under way for blood and fingerprints but police are holding back details as they vet whether or not this is all a hoax. investigators want to know why the officers who said he was

given the night while working security on a movie set waited so long to turn in the knife. >> i would think an lapd officer, if this story was accurate, would know any time you are -- you come into contact with evidence, that you should and shall submit that to investigators. >> reporter: the surprising revelation comes as there's renewed fascination with all things o.j. brought on by the epic series "people versus o.j. simpson." even president obama commented on the news today. >> i thought it might be useful to take a small break from the spectacle of the political season and now, i gather, o.j., to focus on something that really matters to the american people. >> reporter: for the goldman family, the development isn't something they want to address saying it only creates more unnecessary hype and encouraging the media circus. o.j. simpson remains in a nevada prison after convicted of armed

robbery in las vegas. most people say simpson can never be retried for the two murders. >> there are two verdicts in every case. there's the verdict of the trial and that can't be reversed because of double jeopardy. >> reporter: cnn, los angeles. >> it's fair to say that knife could end up being of no consequence at all but the possibility of a missing link is causing widespread speculation. earlier we spoke to attorney lisa bloom about one of the lingering questions in this trial. the question of what happened to the murder weapon. >> reporter: at one point the prosecution seemed to suggest that a certain knife they had found on o.j.'s property was the murder weapon. they then backed away from it and said, no, that was not it. the experts who testified at trial said it would have to be a

15-inch blatd that was serrated. they said o.j. disposed of items in a trash can because he won't a flight from los angeles to chicago. the bottom line is a knife was never found. we don't know the description of the knife the police are talking about today. was it serrated? was it 15 inches? we just don't know. >> lisa bloom there. it is the chinese government's biggest week of the year. coming up, we take a look at what's in store for this year's national people's congress. and it begins with a harsh look at that country's economy. also ahead, after two agonizing years, victims families of malaysia flight 370 are hoping this debris you see here might yield some answers. a live report ahead from malaysia. it is presently 5:15 in kuala lumpur. reducing my fine lines and wrinkles in one week. and the longer i use it

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239 people lost their lives on board a malaysia airlines flight 370 and now many of the victims' families hope the piece of debris you see here could

lend some answers. this u.s. tourist found it off the coast of mozambique. now experts from malaysia will be examining that debris right there. let's go live to kuala lumpur. we had a chance to speak with an official from the department of civil aviation. what did he tell you, selma? >> george, late last night the director general of the department of civil aviation told me that they are dispatching a three-member team to travel to mozambique to here in kuala lumpur. that will comprise a member of the civil aviation authority here, someone from malaysia airlines and someone from that specialist unit, that investigation team set up specifically to investigate mh370. three people heading to mozambiq

mozambique. they haven't headed there yet, but as soon as they do, they will do an immediate inspection of the piece of debris found that's with the civil aviation authority in mozambique. we also have a team standing by in mozambique, my colleague david mackenzie is there. they may be able to say yes or no. four of the relatives that are waiting for information as to whether this is a part of mh370. if they can't, they'll bring it back here to kuala lumpur. if they need further tests, they'll take it to australia. >> you remember the last piece of debris that was discovered and it took so long to determine, to reach a conclusion about whether that was sfrfrom 7 on. there is skepticism about whether that is from that flight. >> there is a little skepticism.

it really depends, george, on which expert you speak to. cnn spoke to one u.s. official who said they believe this is part of a 777 aircraft. the 777 naming was crucial because anywhere in the world there's only one 777 missing, that is mh370. but then david mackenzie in mozambique spoke to civil aviation authority there and they said they believe this is from a small aircraft, medium size. it depends on who you speak to. it's crucial they arrive in mozambique, carries out the tests they need to. again, as you mentioned, the families are rest every bit of evidence that pops up. of course, could this lead to the discovery of the plane. george? >> as you rightly point out, david mackenzie in mozambique. we appreciate your reporting there in kuala lumpur. thank you.

we move to china and a crucial week as the national people's congress holds its yearly meeting in beijing. the chinese premier opened the meeting. this year's 12 days of meeting are of given importance considering china's economic slow down. let's go to the chinese capital. andrew stevens is there for us. good to have you. they are admitting the economy is slowing, but are we getting any new details about the targets and the plan forward? >> definitely getting new details. it is key the chinese authorities in the face of overwhelming evidence we've seen in recent months that chinese are now officially saying, george, expect slower growth in 2016 and continuing slow growth for the next five years. i use the word slow advisedly and relatively here because 6.5% to 7%, that's the official tithe

for 2016. in china it's weak by comparison to not that long ago when they were pumping out double-digit growth. so, we have a target of 6.5% to 7% in 2016. that compares with 7% last year. we also have the new details on the five-year plan. the five-year plan is being rolled out, which will start in 2016 and carry through to 2020, george. and this, the premier is saying we'll see at least 6.5% growth if china or if beijing is to fulfill its promise of doubling the gdp of china from 2010 levels, doubling it by 2020. to get that number, to get that achievement, they have to grow at at least 6.5%. for the medium term, we're talking slow growth in china.

>> andrew, when you look around the world, there are sluggish markets, you know, to be found. so how realistic is it really to think they will be able to hit their long-term target with this five-year plan that is being discussed? >> yeah, that throws up all sorts of answers. officially you would have to say they will achieve it because china has achieved pretty much on the button in every growth targets its set for the last two decades. but then that leads to the question, do we trust those numbers? the answer is from many, many independent experts, we shouldn't trust the numbers. it's more important, i think, to look at what the chinese governor or the chinese premier is talking about to hit those numbers. they are talking about providing 50 million jobs, including 10 million in 2016 alone over the next five years. they're talking about transitioning manufacturing from

this heavy reliance on metal bashing to a much more technology-based sort of industrial base. talking about innovation, that sort of thing, as the way of getting to where they need to be as far as growing the economy. can they hit that? well, the chinese still, even though we've seen this big outpouring of reserves to try to prop up the currency, they still have hundreds of billions of dollars at their disposal. they want to pump up the economy and most economists say, we're still going to see a lot of money thrown at the economy, but that leads us to the question, there is already big debts within china. this debt will get bigger and bigger. they have a lot of very specific issues they need to face while keeping the general population happy. the last thing they to want see is social unrest by people being thrown out of those old industries. i'm talking millions of people here, george. they have to manage that transition. they've got to do it without

creating an unsustainability debt burden, which will drag the economy down sharply. they've got a lot of major, major issues. they say this next five years is critical in setting up the economy of the country for the foreseeable future. but it's also facing -- china is facing probably the toughest five years they've had so far. >> roll up your sleeves moment. a lot of work to be done in transitioning the economy over the next five-year target. andrew stevens, we appreciate your reporting as always. we are taking some of the confusion out of the u.s. presidential race, especially when it comes to the convention process. live from atlanta and broadcasting around the world this hour, you're watching cnn worldwide.

a warm welcome back to our viewers in the united states or around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell. los angeles police are investigating a knife that was reportedly found at the former estate of o.j. simpson. the football star was famously acquitted in a murder trial that gripped the american public in the 1990s. the knife used in the murders was never recovered. the former brazilian president is denying corruption allegations after being interrogated on friday. prosecutors say da silva benefitted from bribes. da silva is a mentor to brazil's current president. republican ben carson is officially out of the race for the president of the united

states. he announced he was ending his campaign on friday, saying that there are a lot of people who, quote, love me. they just won't vote for me. he's taking on a new challenge, now heading up a group to increakreecrease christian vote donald trump was met by two dozen protesters at a rally in new orleans. meanwhile, democratic front-runner hillary clinton is battling bernie sanders for votes in the state of michigan. on friday she laid out a plan to boost american workforce. candidates will also be crisscrossing the country this weekend for what is called super saturday. that's when 109 delegates are up for grabs among democrats in contests in louisiana, kansas and nebraska. for republicans, there are 155 delegates at stake in the states of kansas, kentucky, louisiana and maine. now for a closer look at the u.s. presidential election process, parts of it can be

difficult to understand. now that we're hearing about the possibility that the nominating convention could be brokered or even contested, it's even more convoluted. jonathan mann breaks it down for us. >> if the anti-trump forces are serious about stopping him, they don't have a lot of time. trump's mostly winning the next primaries. the next hope is at the presidential nominating convention months from now in july. >> the next president of the united states of america, mitt romney. >> reporter: the modern american party convention is as scripted as anything you'll see on tv. state delegates selected by the primaries and caucuses nominate the presidential candidate they've chosen months earlier. the last time the republicans gathered, for example, mitt romney was so far ahead, there was a crushing majority and no suspen suspense. he had 90% of the delegates. but what if donald trump's rivals can get enough from

getting a majority? the convention could turn into a real competition. voting until it can find a consensus. it hasn't happened in decades, but it's known as a contested convention. or if voting doesn't deliver a nominee, party leaders could intervene to guide the outcome. what's known as a brokered convention. it's all mathematically possible but it looks uncertain. the crucial thing is this, trump's opponents have to start winning primaries and caucuses and what they know, what we know, the polls are still clearly against them. back to you. >> jonathan mann reporting for us. the democrats will hold their nominating convention in july in philadelphia, pennsylvania. before we get there, hillary clinton and bernie sanders have several more debates ahead of them, including one you can see right here on cnn on sunday. they will be taking stage at 8:00 p.m. eastern time/1:00 a.m. in london only here on cnn.

that debate takes place in the city of flint, michigan. that's a city where tainted water has become a hot-button issue on the presidential race. the con tom natured water contains lead and other toxins which can cause health and behavioral problems in those who are exposed to it. cnn's sara sidner introduces us to three young people who have been impacted by this crisis. >> i wanted to serve my country -- dominique is only 18 but his life-long dream for his future is dead. >> that was my dream, to go to the army. now i can't. >> reporter: the city he loves is now a source of anxiety, partly because of the water crisis and what has happened to his body since. >> i start, like, getting headaches and passing out, seizures.

>> reporter: his family says doctors can't pinpoint exactly why he began blacking out. sometimes several times a week. it means medically he can't qualify for the army. he isn't even allowed to drive. his blood tests showed very low levels of lead, convincing his mother the contaminants in flint's water are to blame, but there's no medical proof. you said you don't know if it's the water. what do you think it is? >> it has to be the water. he just stopped passing out because i just stopped cooking with the water. >> reporter: he is one of the children that will inherit flint. realtytrac estimates one in three homes have been abandoned. flint has had the most violent crimes per capita and about 40% of the residents live beneath the poverty line. then came the decision by government officials to save money by switching the water

supply. it ended up creating a potential health hazard, hitting flint's generations, like 8-year-olds who play like children but speak in extremes about the water. what's wrong with the water? >> it has lead in it and poison in it because pipes are dirty. >> reporter: at 8 they notice the number of times, like the time they had to practice sheltering in place in case there's a shooter and the number of boarded up houses in their neighborhood. if it were up to them, their future won't be in flint. why would you leave flint? >> because this water is poisonous. if i drink it, i'm going to die. and i don't want to die. nobody want to die. >> reporter: from 8 to 18, many of flint's children and their families worry the town is dying. a soft-heart young man beside

himself because he truly believes he has no future at all. >> feel so badly for all the people in flint, michigan, dealing with a crisis that, quite frankly, could have been avoided had officials spoken out about what was happening. that was cnn sara sidner reporting for us. switching to weather, parts of the western u.s. are gearing up for wild weather in the days ahead. meteorologist derek van dam. >> the storms lining up over the western u.s. have the potential to maybe break the drought in california. they have a potential of bringing half a year's worth of snowfall to the sierra mountain range in a matter of ten days. that has serious implications on the economy, the drought, but is it going to be too much, too quickly? let's take a look. i'll answer that question for you and the viewers at home. this is big stuff. we've noticed this for several days now. we have what is called the atmospheric river. anywhere you see that shading of blue, there's california and the western half of the united states.

i'll set this in motion. look what's happening. look how that constant plume of moisture continues to berate the western half of the united states. that will send what's called the pineapple expression, the mois tire-laden air from hawaii to the west coast and will bring in storm after storm after storm. we're talking about significant amounts of precipitation. too much too quickly. perhaps the ability exists for debris and mud slides. here's the snow. sierra, nevada, mountain range. storm number one, we have in excess of 36 inches of snow. 3 feet of snow. let's take it through the next seven days and it's off the charts, people. look at that shade of white from ma'am mouth lake to south lake tahoe and mt. shasta. good news for snowboarders, maybe extending the season. but this will drastically increase that snowpack. snowpack is so critical for the

reservoirs downstream because that water melts and also gives the fresh drinking water to place like san francisco and los angeles. keep in mind, we have come off y back-to-back years. this will be much needed. the upper level jet streams that drive our storm systems. you can see it's traveling just across the entire pacific, bringing our storm after storm over this region. it is going to bring a significant amount of precipitation to a much needed area. i want to show you one thing, though. bring it to alaska, keep it in the united states. take a look at this video. yeah, that is some heavy duty machinery picking up snowfall in fairbanks, alaska. the problem here is the ceremonial start to the idita d iditarod, the snow racing event starts today, saturday at 10:00 a.m. in anchorage but they didn't have enough snow for this

snow-sledding event. they had to ship it in from fairbanks. here it is arriving on seven cars, train cars, into anchorage. that is the only way we would have this ceremonial start today because there just isn't any snow. >> when do you see snow piled up like that. >> and when do you not have snowfall in anchorage, alaska? >> that's even more noteworthy? >> it's happened twice in 25 years. >> thank you so much. stay with us. you know pluto, downgraded, the planet. i remember when it was a planet. >> it's now a dwarf planet. >> it is now a dwarf planet. but nasa says the former ninth planet's mountain peaks are covered in snow. not snow made of water, though. it's made of methane. the main component of natural gas here on earth. a nasa scientists says since the only upper slopes are icy it may

act like it does here on earth. you can find out more about this discovery on our website, cnn.com. pretty cool. >> the universe is a big place. >> thanks. you're watching "cnn newsroom." for better or for worse, donald trump's campaign style has left a mark on u.s. politics that is impossible to ignore. coming up, a look at how some of his supporters are reacting to his latest controversial comments about his body parts. stay with us. ...another anti-wm in no hurry to make anything happen. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair works... ...in one week. with the... fastest retinol formula. ...to visibly reduce wrinkles. neutrogena®. 8 layers of wheat... mini-wheats®... and one that's sweet. to satisfy the adult and kid - in all of us. ♪ nutritious wheat for the adult you've grown into and delicious sweet for the kid you'll never outgrow...

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welcome back. a gay poet who fears persecution in his native iran is seeking asylum. >> reporter: he no longer needs to hide. on the streets of tel aviv he's open and out. an unlikely transplant who found a new home when he says his country became his prison.

>> translator: my life was empty. i couldn't anymore. under the circumstances, i had with who i am. i couldn't survive in that country country. >> reporter: he left his country in iran, a victim of persecution in a country where homosexuality is illegal. the book, i will grow, i will bear fruit, figures, has passages about homosexuality. when published in hebrew, he was captured for 44 days. upon his release, he fled to turkey through israel. he arrived the day his writings were published. >> felt a warm welcoming of one big family. >> reporter: we meet one of the most popular streets in this progressive city. it's almost bizarre in tel aviv

holding a passport that says islamic republic of iran. you open it. there are a few turkey stamps and at the back says the holder of this passport is not entitled to travel to the occupied palestine. in the city that hosts the largest gay pride celebration in the middle east, he says he feels safe. he considers himself an eighthist, sporting blue nail polish and a jewish star on his neck. >> translator: you're talking about governments, not people. many people in iran really love israel and would like to visit, just like israelis who talk to me about iran. >> reporter: his three-month visa was about to run out until it was extended for three months. he still has no permanent home, a stranger seeking asylum in a country where he feels like a native son. >> you you're watching "cnn newsroom."

donald trump's opponents have often accused the republican front-runner of acting childish childishly, but what do actual children think of mr. trump? we'll hear from a few as "cnn newsroom" continues.

the 2016 race to the white house, fair to say it has been without question a brutal race. with republican donald trump often playing offense and defense. our gary tuchman visited a campaign stop in michigan to see what donald trump thinks about the front-runner and his opponent recently. here's gary's report. >> reporter: they waited in line in the frigid northern michigan weather. >> get your campaign buttons. hillary for president. bomb the hell out of isis. trump for president. >> reporter: to see the man who has shaken up the republican race for president. >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the next president of the united states. mr. donald j. trump. >> reporter: donald j. trump, who has never suffered from a lack of confidence. >> with me, i think i can do almost anything when you're with me, right?

>> reporter: trump seems to be on to something. case in point, his off-color remarks during thursday's debate. >> he referred to my hands being small, must be something else that's small. i guarantee you there's no problem. >> reporter: you heard donald trump talk about his hands. >> yeah. and the other private parts. >> reporter: so what did you think about that, the private part stuff? >> i think all of it is inappropriate, whether it's from donald trump, mitt romney, marco rubio, ted cruz, it's all inappropriate. >> reporter: donald trump is the only one who made an implicit reference to, as you call them, a private parts. does that trouble you about the candidate you love so much? >> no. >> reporter: how come? >> i think it's part of the rhetoric that has to take place for some reason. >> reporter: she has a 15-year-old daughter. would you have wanted your daughter to watch and listen to that? >> to me, i'm sure they've heard worse in school new addais. >> reporter: but he wants to be the leader of the free world. >> a lot of leaders of this free

world have did bad things. >> reporter: trump talked about his hands again at this rally in reference to marco rubio. >> i wanted to show the size of my hands, how i could grab him, how i could grab him. >> reporter: and he had this to say about a protester who was kicked out of his rally. >>'s a friend of mitt romney. >> reporter: which brings up another topic front and center, the comments mitt romney made. >> i'm furious with mitt romney. he has no business telling those of us how we should vote. >> reporter: no one at this rally was willing to give romney a break. >> i don't appreciate him getting involved in this. he had two chances and he lost both. it's time for him to back away. >> reporter: very few days go by that donald trump doesn't get some kind of new, unexpected attention. his nemesis mitt romney, his hands, his manhood are the latest examples. while that troubles many voters in the united states, in this room it's part of the mystique of trump. part of that mystique is giving trump a lot of slack.

>> they're just little boys in the backyard school boy being bullies. everybody ps to be the top dog and that's the way it goes. >> reporter: you think trump is a bully? >> they're all bullies right now. >> reporter: you think donald trump is a bully? >> he just says it the way he is. >> reporter: his supporters most loyal. gary tuchman, cnn, michigan. >> hearing from trump supporters there. many say they continue to love him no matter what he says or does. what about children, what do kids think about his reactions, his behaviors on the campaign trail? take a look. >> marco has that little mouth but a lot of times it doesn't work under pressure. >> i have never, ever met a person that lies more than ted cruz. >>. marco is sweating, it's pouring down. then he repeats himself once, twice, three times. >> i think ted is a very unstable guy. i watch him, i see him. i say's a good debater butter he can't talk.

>> donald trump. >> and we have leaders that don't know what they're doing. >> like yourself. >> he's talking about himself. thank you for understanding me, trump. >>'s a nice guy but the other people are rude to him. they don't let him talk. >> but my dad gave me a million dollar loan. >> it's not much. >> it hasn't been easy for me but i'm filthy rich. >> only rosie o'donnell. >> that is so -- >> if he's going to be rude to ladies, he shouldn't be president. >> he speaks his minds and doesn't care what people think, but sometimes the thing that's not presidential is what's on his mind. >> tremendous potential. let's make america great again. >> still is great. >> you're just going to make it worse. >> from the mouths of children there. we thank you for watching this hour of cnn news room. i'm george howell from cnn center in atlanta. i'll have more news from around the world after the break.

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is the republican front-runner hurting the party? some leaders have said yes and launched a campaign to stop the nominee. donald trump is set to pick up more delegates this super saturday. plus, the democratic candidates look beyond saturday's polls preparing for a big debate this weekend in flint, michigan. candidates weigh in on the poisoned water crisis in that city. from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to our viewers here and around the world. i'm george howell. welcome to "cnn newsroom."

have i very good day to you. it's super saturday in the united states. another big voting day in the race for the white house. hunting of delegates are up for grabs, but super saturday could be a do or die day for some republicans as they try to stop donald trump from securing the party's nomination. trump is leading in the delegate count. today, more than 155, exactly, delegates are up for grab in kansas, kentucky, louisiana, and the state of maine. hillary clinton has a sizeable lead over bernie sanders. 109 delegates are at stake on this super saturday in the states of kansas, nebraska and louisiana. the bickering is getting worse on the campaign trail for republicans. they continue to take shots at each other following thursday's debate. sara murray has more on this story from louisiana. >> we should go for water boarding and we should go tougher than water boarding.

>> reporter: that opinion is changing as donald trump backs off his position on torture. the gop front-runner releasing a statement saying he understands the united states is bound by laws and treaties and i will not order our military or other officials to violate those laws. the slip comes after donald trump was pressed on his pledge to target family members of terrorists, a violation of international law. >> i'm a leader. i've always been a leader. i've never had any problem leading people. if i say do it, he's going to do it. >> reporter: and pressing national security are taking a backseat to another top concern for donald trump. >> when little marco rubio spews his crap about the size of my hands, which are big. look at that. those hands can hit a golf ball 289 yards. >> reporter: trump is still making the case size matters. which would be true if you're talking about the size of his delegate count. of course, he's talking about his hands again. >> little hands. little hands. >> reporter: fresh on the heels of surreal and at times vulgar

debate. >> he hit my hands. nobody has hit my hands. look at those hands. are they small hands? and he referred to my hands, if they're small, something else must be small. i guarantee you, there's no problem. >> reporter: a debate that appeared to leave john kasich looking on in disbelief. >> i have never tried to go and get into these kind of scrums that we're seeing here on the stage and people saying everywhere i go, you seem to be the adult on the stage. >> reporter: today candidates are only showing passing concern voters might come away revolted. >> nothing surprises us anymore. this man is, as i told you, he's injected a level of vul gatherty into political discourse we've never seen. >> reporter: donald trump backing out of cpac, a prominent conservative conference this weekend, instead holding his own rally. >> while a politician tells us he's going to be flexible, that

means he's getting ready to stick it to you. >> he doesn't believe in a conservative group. >> reporter: the anti-trump crowd continues to splinter. struggling to craft a path to 237 delegates to wrestle the nomination. >> the road is hard. we'll see how this plays out. >> reporter: as ted cruz warns, a contested convention spells disaster. >> a brokered convention is the pipe dream of the washington staff. >> reporter: and we'll get a better sense of how voters are reacting to donald trump's shift on immigration, on terror and his rhetoric on the size of his hands when another round of states vote saturday night. sara murray, cnn, new orleans. moon while, the campaign to stop trump from earning that nomination is ramping up. 2012 republican nominee mitt romney is leading the charge and he's speaking against trump at every opportunity he can, blasting trump on both his policy ideas and his rhetoric.

romney sat down with gloria borger to discuss the state of his party and how he plans to steer it away from donald trump. >> i want it to remain as a neutral umpire, if you will, calling balls and strikes and fouls, and i've donna along the way. but over the last several weeks some things donald trump has done both on policy and temp mental things have suggested to me i couldn't wait any longer. >> reporter: do you think it's too late, though? >> i don't know what impact these things have politically but when my grand kids say, what did you do to stop donald trump? i wanted to do something. >> reporter: at the debate, the other candidates said they would support trump if he became the nominee. is there any circumstance under which you would? >> i can't imagine us supporting donald trump for president or hillary clinton for president, either one. i'll hopefully be able to find a conservative on the ballot who i can vote for?

>> reporter: did party leaders looking back, yourself included, misread their own voters in the republican base by betting on the fact that donald trump would implode of his own free will? >> i don't know about other people. i certainly paid attention to donald trump. i didn't expect him to do so well but he's tapped into an anger that's very much understood. what's he's done with that anger is not to build it into resolve and high purpose, but instead to take it down a very dark alley and that, i think, is unfortunate. i don't think can you write off any candidate. i thought jeb bush would do better than de. i like jeb a lot. thought he would be able to gain a lot of momentum but that didn't happen. donald trump has. and at this stage he could easily become the nominee. most likely become the republican nominee at this point. i think there's a better choice out there. >> who is it? >> marco rubio is the right person in florida. john kasich's the right person

in ohio. and ted cruz is right anywhere where he's closest to donald trump. >> reporter: when are you going to choose one? >> it depends in part on how the process continues. i expect after march 15th it may be clearer who is going to be, if you will, the person who opposes donald trump most. let's say all three are doing about the same. >> reporter: then what? >> then i would probably encourage whoever is doing best in a particular state to get the support there and do that state by state. that would lead to an open convention where you'd see the delegates elected make the final decision. >> reporter: this contested convention, is this a scenario you're actively looking at? >> i think it's a realistic scenario. a lot of people have thought that for some time. >> reporter: likely? >> you know, i think it's more likely than not that we will have a nominee before the convention that's donald trump. i think he has a much stronger

shot of getting the 1237 delegates than not, but the debate last night was not good for donald trump. he showed that he cracks under pressure. and i think that may begin to open the door for some people who are looking for a different path. >> reporter: are you referring to a contested convention which has a first ballot, then people are unbound after that, second ballot? >> well, i'm going to begin by campaigning for people who i believe in and encouraging people to vote for folks who i think would be a better dom knee than donald trump. at a convention, i would be encouraging those who i thought could get behind. >> reporter: if there was a contested convention, would you allow your name to be put into nomination? >> what's going to happen at a contested convention is those running for president and who has delegates are going to be able to battle with one another. to be nominated even. to have your name put in, have

you to have eight states that nominate you. >> reporter: they can change those rules. they can change those rules. >> but it's one of a million scenarios and maybe they'll nominate you. you may be one out of 100 million. it's not reality. >> reporter: would you allow it? >> i'm not going to go there. i have no interest in talking about it. i'm going to talk about the people running for president and who has the best shot of actually becoming our nominee. >> reporter: you are effectively the leader of the stop donald trump movement now. have i to say you were someone who sought his endorsement in 2012. i don't have to remind you about that and then you tweeted that you sort of regretted that and that you said that four years ago, quote, the things he says about the kkk, muslims, mexicans, i would not have accepted his endorsement. when he endorsed you, he was the god father of the obama birther movement, wasn't he?

wasn't that bad enough? >> reporter: i think that's very different than calling mexicans rapists, than saying muslims wouldn't be allowed into the country as immigrants. mocking a disabled reporter that going after women and saying, she has tough questions because she was in her menstrual cycle. this is highly offensive. >> that was marco rubio speaking with our gloria borger. no matter what trump's rivals say, there is one indisputable fact. donald trump has a comfortable lead over his rivals in the delegate count so far, and he may build on that lead in super saturday's contest. but the question remains, can any of his rivals chip away at that momentum before july and the republican national convention? our chief u.s. correspondent john king dug into that with our anderson cooper. >> they all need to win to stop donald trump. let's look at the map and see how that would play out perform here's where we are after super tuesday. let's gets us through march

15th. this is a scenario in which donald trump wins everything saturday, next tuesday, the next tuesday. likely? don't know. conceivable? yes. of-f that happens, fold your tents, get out. donald trump would make a convincing case, you guys can't beat me. here's the romney scenario. let's say kasich wins in his home state of ohio. and mr. rubio wins on florida. there are some contests before that and you think they would get a start there. let's take this as the romney scene air and to show someone will get momentum, i'm going to give john kasich the scenario. cruz won texas. kasich wins ohio. as a gift we'll give him illinois for the scenario. even in this scenario, trump is well ahead. what romney and everyone in the establishment is hoping for is somebody gets the hot hand. when they win, trump comes down and something like this happens. this plays it out through the

convention. rubio i have winning new york, north carolina, pennsylvania, some states out west. i use rubio in this scenario. you could make it kasich, cruz, split the states. trump wins some. this is what the establishment is hoping for. something like this. somebody gets a hot hand. trump wins some but not as many as now. you get to the convention. this scenario has trump at the convention. they're hoping to get trump in the 800 to 900 range. if he had over 1,000 he would be more than three-quarters of the way. if you're watching at home and you prefer one of these guys, switch the numbers. trump would be in the lead. candidates would be stronger than others. this is where the negotiations begin. nobody can win on the first ballot. nobody has enough. what would happen? nobody knows because this has never happened in our lifetime. could trump negotiate with kasich? that would get you close enough. a trump/kasich ticket would get you closer to the finish line.

would cruz and rubio? this is the scenario they're hoping for. they hope to get to a convention. write rules they like and cut deals like that. can they do that? one of these guys -- one of these guys is going to win the powerball. we just don't know who. >> big questions. that was our cnn chief correspondent john king speaking with anderson cooper. donald trump, marco rubio, ted cruz and john kasich have all promised to support whoever becomes the republican presidential nominee. so far the republican national chair committee has done so as well. on the democratic side of things, hillary clinton and bernie sanders are looking ahead to their party's primary in michigan on tuesday and they're focused on workers at an auto parts manufacturing plant in detroit on friday. clinton vowed to boost jobs and eliminate tax benefits for u.s. companies that move jobs

overseas. sanders was also in michigan ahead of tuesday's vote and criticized hillary clinton's past support of trade agreements, saying they have hurt american workers. clinton is not just looking ahead to tuesday. she's also looking ahead to the national election. as brianna keilar reports, clinton is taking on donald trump in her pitch to voters now. >> reporter: hillary clinton is wanling a two-front battle here in michigan. one, bernie sanders, her democratic rival as they both make a play for union voters and then also against donald trump who clinton clearly thinks is going to be the republican nominee. >> when i hear people running for president who spend all their time bad mouthing america, it really upsets me. we have work to do. instead of complaining, let's join hands. let's lift ourselves up. let's get going together. >> reporter: the democratic candidates preparing for the cnn debate in flint, michigan, on

sunday night. they'll be addressing the water crisis there. but this is also a chance for bgs sanders to try to make a splash as hillary clinton widens her delegate lead over him. hillary clinton is expecting that bernie sanders is going to be on offense when it comes to how she's been trying to court union voters. he has been taking her on on her past support of trade agreements like nafta. she's ready to defend herself against that on sunday night. brianna keilar, cnn, detroit. as she mentioned, hillary clinton and bernie sanders will face off on the debate stage once again in the cnn democratic debate on sunday. it will be live from flint, michigan. anderson cooper moderating. that is at 8:00 p.m. eastern time/1:00 a.m. monday in london, only here on cnn. this is "cnn newsroom." still ahead, global pourers wi -- powers will be watching china as they kick off the people's congress taking a

closer look at that country's economy. after two agonizing years, families of those on board malaysia flight mh370 hope this piece recovered will give some answers. it's 5:15 on the east coast, 2:15 on the west. you're watching cnn worldwide. w. and one that's sweet. to satisfy the adult and kid - in all of us. ♪ nutritious wheat for the adult you've grown into and delicious sweet for the kid you'll never outgrow... feed your inner kidult with frosted mini-wheats®. try new kellogg's mini-wheats harvest delights with sweet drizzle and bits made with real fruit. you may think it's a result of brushing too hard. it's not. it's a sign of early gum disease which you can help reverse by using listerine®

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welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell. to the philippines where officials say they stopped a ship from leaving north korean waters. the ship registered in sierra leone is one of the first ships to be inspected since the u.n. security council enforced stronger sanctions. they say the ship had minor safety violations, including faulty emergency light bulbs and can't leave until the issues are resolved. and in china, it is a crucial week as people's republic holds its yearly meeting. they opened on saturday, bringing together 3,000 delegates from across the country and this year's 12 days of meetings are of given importance considering china's economic slowdown. we get more from andrew stevens in beijing. >> reporter: the great hall of the people here in beijing, the

economic supreme of this country is giving his address on his vision for china's economic future for this year and for the next five years. let's start with the numbers. the target for growth in 2016 is going to be between 6.5% and 7%. this gives the china's government more flexibility than usual. last year it came in at 6.9%. premier lee is stalking about the future, the next five-year plan of growth will come in at at least 6.5%, if it's to achieve the goal of a moderately prosperous government. that's what the party is expected to achieve by 2020. a lot will be driven by technology in industry, by innovation. 50 million new jobs will be created over the next five years. 10 million this year. it all sounds good in the

headlines but there are real obstacles to achieving these targets. many industries in china is just beginning. millions of people face layoffs. the debt mountain continues to grow and grow here in china. many economists say the actual real level of growth is nowhere near 6.9%. it's closer to 4%. these are the real issues china faces in a slowing global economy, it makes it ever more difficult to get the results that premier li says he can deliver. andrew stevens, cnn, beijing. 239 people lost their lives aboard malaysia airlines flight 370. for nearly two years now, many relatives have been looking for answers from that flight but to no avail. the plane disappeared. officials searching for the boeing 777 in the indian ocean

hope this piece of debris might give them some clues. now malaysian and australian experts will examine the debris, which was found by an american tourist along the coast of mozambique. let's go live to kuala lumpur. i understand you had a chance to speak with an official with the malaysian department of civil aviation. what did he have to say? >> reporter: hi, george. i spoke with director general who told me he's dispatching a team of three people to mozambique. they were supposed to have left late last night. they're yet to arrive there, but they will conduct an immediate inspection, he said, of that piece of debris. now, they are -- one member of the department of civil aviation, and a member of the special investigation team looking into the disappearance of mh370, one of the greatest aviation mysteries of our time. now, they will conducted that

immediate inspection and we are hoping they may well be able to give us and, of course, the family members of those 239 people on board a quick answer. yes, this is from mh370 or, no, it's not. there is, george, a lot of skepticism surrounding this, although one u.s. official told cnn he believes it is from a 777 aircraft. crucially 777 is the only one missing right now, that is mh370. the mozambique civil authority says they believe it's from a smaller plane. and you'll remember, george, that flapper that was found last year that was proven to be from mh370, the only evidence and debris to date, that had barnacles growing on it. it was rusting and it showed that erosion that had it been in the sea for some time. well, that's not appearing on this particular piece of debris. george? >> saima, nearly two years since this happened. what more can you tell us about

the search and investigation as it stands now? >> reporter: yeah, absolutely, almost two years and still only one piece of identifying objects from that plane, that is the flapper i just mentioned. george, where this debris has washed up is crucial to the search as well really, because if we trace back from the currents, the oceanic waves that will have taken that debris there, particularly the flapper we know to be from the mh370. let's trace it back from the indian ocean to the search zone where the australian government is conducting and spear heading that search. they believe they are searching in the right place. they expanded that search last year to 120,000 square feet -- sorry, kilometers. 120,000 kilometers and they will

continue that search until they finish searching this particular area. they say once they recovered this area, they do not plan to continue. they released a statement last year, at the end of last year, saying in the absence of credible new information that leads to the identification of a specific location of the aircraft, governments have agreed, there will be no further expansion. now, that has hit a chord with all the next of kin and loved ones. they're holding a remembrance day tomorrow in kuala lumpur. tomorrow is sunday here. they are launching a petition on sunday called search on. they are really worried the search will end without finding the aircraft. george? >> so many unanswered questions. one just hopes that there are some answers ahead for these families who have been waiting for so long. saima, thank you for your reporting there. we move on now to brazil where the former president of that nation is denying

corruption allegations after being interrogated on friday. prosecutors say da silva benefitted from millions in bribes from a state-owned oil company. clashes broke out with demonstrators at one location as police raided his house and office. da silva is a mentor to brazil's current president, who is facing impeachment calls. the country is in the middle of a brutal recession. the water crisis in flint, michigan, will be back in the u.s. spotlight this weekend. democratic candidates will debate in the city of flint, michigan, two days before that state goes to the polls. ahead, how they are already making the crisis a priority. plus, cnn investigates u.s. government's role in that water crisis. a look at what we uncovered live from atlanta this hour and broadcasting around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom." out on the town or in for the night, at&t helps keep everyone connected.

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comcast business. built for business. welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. this is "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell. the headlines we're following for you -- voters in five states will begin soon in the presidential race. they will go to the polls for super saturday. 155 delegates are up for grabs, among republican candidates donald trump is hoping to extend his lead so far. 109 delegates are at stake for democrats. right now, hillary clinton has a sizeable lead over bernie sanders. one of the world's biggest political meetings is happening now in beijing. the national session of people's congress brings together thousands of delegates from across that country.

this year's gathering is of specific importance given china's slowdown in economic growth. three experts flying in from malaysia will soon be examining this piece of debris that you see found in mozambique. almost two years ago fla ma lay sha flight 370 disappeared with 289 people on board. transport officials say it's possible the debris came from the same type of plane, a boeing 777. the former president of brazil is denying corruption allegations after being interrogated on friday. officials say da silva benefitted from millions in bribes from a state oil company. clashes broke out as police raided his house and office. da silva is a mentor to brazil's current president. more now on the race for the white house. the state of michigan votes next

tuesday as candidates are campaigning there heavily. bernie sanders and hillary clinton are fighting it out for votes. and in new ads running in that state, both candidates are focusing on the water crisis in flint, michigan. it's set to be a major talking point during cnn's democratic debate on sunday in flint, michigan. >> we have four kids. we supper seven very beautiful grandchildren. can you imagine being a mother, seeing your own child's intellectual development deteriorate in front of your very eyes? if the local government cannot protect those children, if the state government cannot protect those children, then the federal government better get in. i'm bernie sanders and i approve -- >> we can't drink the water. we can't bathe in the water. you can't cook with the water. >> there was a time when we were alone and nobody heard our story. >> i am here because for nearly

two years, flint's water was poisoned. >> hillary clinton came here to show she's standing with us. >> she's the one that brought this to another level of attention and that's what we needed. >> people who live in flint have been unable to drink the tap water for months now. that water filled with toxic levels of lead and iron. it is a crisis that has drawn national outrage and many people are angry with michigan's governor. during this week's fox news debate republican candidate marco rubio defended rick snyder. >> the politicizing is unfair because i don't think someone woke up and said, let's figure out how to poison the water system to hurt someone. but accountability is important. i will say, i give the governor credit. he took responsibility for what happened. being accountable. ut people - >> in the meantime, flint kicked off with $55 million program on friday to replace its

lead-contaminated pipes. the fast start initiative, as it's called, ames to first replace pipes in residences in at-risk groups, pregnant women, people under age 6 and seniors. >> it's day one of the fast start program. this is something that is going to continue. i want to say that the goal, my mission, is to totally get the lead out of flint. >> cnn's sara ganham is in flint, michigan, and investig e investigating the epa's role in that crisis. she takes a look at what was used to downplay the crisis and she spoke to a victim impacted by lead-tainted water. >> the hair loss. we had to figure out what was going on. >> reporter: after months of no

answers, leanne walters had enough. >> i went to the epa and i said, you can't ar dpu with science. >> reporter: tests revealed the water coming out of the taps in their home was so polluted with lead, it was twice the level of hazardous waste. most people think of the epa as this organization that will come in in a time of crisis and fix things. do you think that happened here? >> absolutely not. not when it should have. >> reporter: an epa scientist drafted a memo about the high levels of lead in the walters' home, highlighting serious concern for residents and violations of federal regulations. the memo was leaked to the public, but instead of taking tough actions, the head of the regional epa office, susan headman, tried to keep it under wraps. she tried to underplay the reports saying the scientist acted inappropriately by sharing his findings because it was only a draft report and that only when the report is revised and fully vetted will it be shared with the city.

>> it mystifies belief that's what happened. >> reporter: mark edwards is a leading drinking water researcher who was called in to test residents' water. >> who on earth would read that memo with the data showing their child had by lead poisoned and the worst lead and-n water that we'd seen in 25 years, who would get that memo and not take it seriously? here she is, knowing this abuse is occurring, and remaining completely silent and letting these kids' future be destroyed. i mean, i can't -- i can't even begin to think how she might justify that to herself. >> reporter: it wasn't until nine months later that the final report was released. and the epa issued an emergency order. all that time the people of flint continued using toxic water. the regional director, susan hedman, resigned. >> i want the truth, the whole

truth, and nothing but the truth. >> reporter: cnn has learned that the house committee on oversight is now investigating how the epa's region five office handled the water crisis in flint. a congressional research service report concluded recently that the epa knew early on in the crisis that michigan was in violation of federal water laws for lead and had the authority to step in, but didn't. the epa's inspector general is also looking into allegations of mismanagement in the epa region five office under the leadership of susan hedman. a culture that carolyn bolen knows well. she says she was reassigned after raising alarms over how the office handled sexual harassment cases. she says she's not surprised at how the epa scientist's preliminary report was suppressed. >> i thought, well, here we go again. we have someone who's a dedicated employee, very serious

about his work, very effective employee who presented the information very well, and it was disregarded. >> reporter: on its website, the epa now has a warning to the residents of flint. do not drink unfiltered water. it's not safe. looking back, what goes through your mind when you think about how all of this unfolded? >> i wish i would have protected my family better. >> reporter: it's not your fault. >> no, it's not, but they're my kids. it's not just about my family. there are adults that have serious health issues now. there are teenagers that have serious health issues now. so, no, it's -- it's not okay. because they didn't listen no matter how much we screamed, no matter how much we cried. no matter whatever we showed them, we were not heard. >> reporter: e-mails show that the epa did offer to send additional experts to the city of flint, but people here want to know, why the agency didn't

act sooner? why not tell the people here what they knew? the epa wouldn't agree to an on-camera interview with cnn but did tell us this in a statement, that the ability of the epa to oversee was impacted by failures and resistance at the state and local levels. sara ganim, cnn, flint, michigan. >> and the people of flint, michigan shl michigan, still dealing with this tainted water. sara ganim reporting for us. thank you. now we switch over to weather and some really tough weather coming to the west coast. >> yeah. but it could be a double-edged sword here. it's no secret that california has been under this five-year drought, but we have a potential to break some of that drought with a series of that's going to impact that state over the next ten days. get a load of this. they could receive half of their yearly snowfall in the sierra nevada mountain range in ten days. that's going to have a significant impact on the

economy in this state. think of all the melted snowpack that filters into the reservoirs and provides major drinking water to places like san francisco. this is the plume of moisture, even originating from hawaii, right across the pacific to the western half of the united states that drives that train of rainfall and snowfall in the mountains that is so beneficial for the western half of the united states. and it happens around this time of year where we get these three, four-week periods of extreme wet weather. remember, this is being exacerbated by the strong el nino taking place. here's the latest radar. the rainfall has commenced. los angeles, san francisco, northward to portland, seattle. the pacific northwest is used to it this time of year. here's a look at latest warning. that shading of pink is our winter storm warnings and we could easily see in excess of 100 inches of snowfall in the next seven days.

just through the weekend we've got over three feet of snow expected across the mountains of california. very strong winds across this area. if we take this through the next seven days with storm after storm lining up, it breaks the records or at least the charts on our forecast snow depth across the sierra nevada mountain range. again, over 100 inches of rainfall possible. and our jet stream, this is the upper level winds that drive our storm systems across the planet continues to bring storm after storm that will bring more rainfall through the extended period. so, when i say drought-buster, we have that potential going into california. we don't want to get too excited because this has been an ongoing problem for that state, for the past five years. i'm going to leave us in the united states but bring you to anchorage, alaska, where the ceremonial start to the 44th annual iditarod is taking place this morning at 10:00 a.m. but one small tiny little problem, george. they didn't have any snow.

so, they had to go north into fairbanks and take out the heavy machinery, gather some snowfall and bring it southward into anchorage just so they could have that ceremonial start this morning and the dog sleds could get under way with fresh snow on the ground. >> good for them. that is telling. >> it is. it's odd not to have snow in anchorage. >> meteorologist derek van dam with us. thank you so much. you're watching "cnn newsroom." still ahead -- a possible lead in the o.j. simpson murder trial. it has the american public going back in time, back to the 1990s. we'll explain this new development as "cnn newsroom" continues.

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in the u.s. state of california, a knife that was reportedly found at the former estate of o.j. simpson is reigniting public interest in that murder trial that gripped the american public 20 years ago. los angeles police say one of their officers was given the weapon by a construction worker back in the '90s, but they're only just now learning of it. cnn's explains this strange new revelation in this case. >> reporter: sensation here in los angeles as this information came forward. of course, with all things o.j. simpson, people regarding it with a healthy dose of skepticism. let's unfurl the timeline for you. according to the lapd captain, about 1998, while on duty as a movie police officer, in other words, sort of a souped up security guard, the officer in uniform is given a knife from a construction worker who says he

found it while working at o.j. simpson's former rockingham mansion. basically, that officer then holds onto the knife, and only within the last month does this knife turn up. and here's what the captain had to say about being astounded by the fact this officer wouldn't come forward earlier. >> i was -- i was really surprised. i would think that an lapd officer, if this story is accurate, as we're being told, would know that any time you e are -- you come into contact with evidence that you should and shall submit that to investigators. so, i don't know what the circumstances are, why that didn't happen or if that's entirely accurate, or if this whole story is possibly bogus from the get go. >> reporter: we trust the captain on this knife, the nature of it. pointedly asking, was it a machete? a kitchen knife? a pen knife? he said it wasn't a machete.

something about it means it's consistent with the possibility of a knife used in the grisly murders of nicole brown simpson and her friend, ron goldman. they are now looking over that knife in the building behind me, in a lab, checking for anything, perhaps a miracle they find a fingerprint, maybe blood, dna samples, whatever trace elements they can find. this investigation is active. and right now in the state is a popular show, all about the o.j. simpson trial is airing on fx. i asked about that as well off-camera. the captain just looked at me and smiled and says, the timing is interesting. paul ver kamen reporting for us. now, the circumstances of this potential new lead are being scrutinized by but say the knife itself is being treated with complete legitimacy. earlier my colleague natalie l allen spoke with lisa bloom about what this evidence can be.

>> o.j. simpson cannot be retried for this double murder, even if there is dna on this knife, even if he stood up in the middle of times square and said, i did it, even if a witness came forward, he's already been tried, acquitted. it's over. this does not matter in terms of his legal jeopardy. but in the eyes of the country, it could be very significant. >> he's in prison right now on another charge. if something were to come out of this knife investigation, could that, perhaps, keep him in prison longer? >> well, that's a very good question. and the answer is, yes. so, o.j. is up for parole for the burglary and kidnapping charges he's incarcerated for. when he goes up for parole, parole casts a very wide net and people are entitled to come in and tell the parole board why he should be released and reasons why he should remain incarcerated.

>> at this point the forensic team has yet to announce any findings. you're watching "cnn newsroom." u.s. astronaut scott kelly came back home to hugs, to beer, to apple pie. much more after spending a year in space. he also returned to something else. details next. kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats®... 8 layers of wheat... and one that's sweet. to satisfy the adult and kid - in all of us. ♪

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welcome back to "newsroom." so, u.s. astronaut scott kelly is back on earth and readjusting after spending almost a year at the international space station. he's also adjusting to the fact that he is just a bit shorter than he was in space. jeanne moos has the story. >> reporter: if your answer to this -- >> do you wish you could grow taller? >> reporter: is yes, you could try growth supplements. >> you're guaranteed to grow taller by 2 to 6 inches. >> reporter: or even -- >> the body tracker. you can grow 3.7 centimeters taller. >> reporter: or you could do what commander scott kelly did, go to space for almost a year. >> scott kelly, back on mother earth. >> reporter: kelly arrived back after growing about an inch and a half. >> it's a called spinal

elongation. >> reporter: the space between disks expands slightly and the spine gets longer. the physical impact of space flight on scott kelly is being measured against his twin, former astronaut mark kelly. >> my brother, mark -- >> they're et he would be talle brother. when you're re-exposed to gravity, it goes back down. >> reporter: he's back to his own size. sometimes it requires nasa to go up a size in space suit. though the growth spurt didn't prevent kelly from donning a gorilla suit in space. when isaiah thomas heard about the size increase, the celtics point guard tweeted, i need to go to space asap lol. if you think this is no big deal, hey, a measly inch has become part of the presidential debate. >> he's always calling me little marco. he's taller than me. he's like 6'2". >> actually, i'm 6'3".

>> reporter: even space isn't going to make your hands any bigger, donald. as for testing the twin astronauts, cartoonist ed hall showed one year of exposure to silence space compared to one year of presidential race, it's enough to make an astronaut race back to the international space station. jeanne moos, cnn. we thank you for watching this hour. i'm george howell at the cnn center in atlanta. the news continues on cnn right after the break.

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i'm going to win ohio. when i win ohio it's going to be a whole new ball game. they're voting it's not because of lying ted or little marco. a campaign filled with vulgarity and profanity and ugly things that have been said about other people on the stage. >> there is no doubt. if we remain divided, donald trump wins. >> there were so many insults flying back and forth, it was hard to keep track. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good