improbable that this race stays muddled that we see a late entry or convention that goes past the ballot. >> which contradicts the congressman's united comment. >> i think conservatives are unexcited. they don't have anyone who has a mantle of reagan. if syria flares up, suddenly we move from the ee con m to foreign affairs. i appreciate your time this morning. it is time for "cnn newsroom" with kyra phillips. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com we begin in syria, if the pictures don't tell you how deadly the battles are, just listen to the voices. >> we are dying slightly. we try to save each other at least, i mean, to keep somebody alive because, i mean, we believe we all going to die. the city, it's being under

shelling, bombing, and everything. there's nothing to do. >> the embattled syrian regime is stepping up its brutal attacks. activists who want democracy and want president bashar al-assad to fall, they're telling us more people are being killed. we're seeing the neighborhoods right here reduced to rubble. in homs, syria's third largest city, more than 90 people are reported killed so far today. because foreign reporters are mostly ban from the country, we continue to rely on home videos posted online. >> that was another rocket over there. this is happening every day. >> and while this is happening every day the united nations is considering a joint monitoring mission with the arab league. our senior international correspondent nic robertson was on the last monitoring mission in syria. you've been on a number of these, right? >> yes. >> give us a sense of how effective this can be and how

this works. >> if anyone thinks that arab league monitors is backed with some semblance of united nations training can go in and stop the kind of artillery fire and gunfire that's going on, then think again. there were monitors there who wouldn't even cross police road checkpoints, never mind go into contested areas. there were some monitors who were willing to do that, but they're not set up and protected and equipped to go in and stop tanks firing and stop two forces shooting at each other. >> why are we even talking about this then? >> one of the reasons we're talking about this is assad, backed by russia who created a scenario on the ground where the west is put in a position where they're watching horrible humanitarian suffering. we're the ones saying what can we do to help? how can we stop this? russia and assad would like nothing than see us divided where they will compromise for something less, i.e.,, not a remove valve assad. i.e.,, not going in with a military intervention. maybe protecting the people,

saving the people. that is what they're aiming for in the short term right now. >> we saw what happened in libya, and in your sense, that's ultimately going to happen in syria, right? but we're a long ways off. >> we're a long way from that. assad still has 20 to 30% support of the population. they still buy his message that he is fighting terrorists groups that is backed. he is a smarter guy with a stronger army that hasn't given up on him yet. the rebels there, the opposition, don't have what the benghazi, the east of the country where they can operate from. they have tiny little enclaves that we're seeing being shelled right now. it's not that we haven't seen this type of thing before. if you think back to bosnia when russia was supporting the serbs there, politically not mill tearily on the ground.

there were he have clafs there. the serbs after standing back after three years, where the u.n. provided safety and security, the serbs still went in and massacred 7,000 people. so what assad and russia are looking at here is a is he nar yes where the international community could settle for something less, i.e.,, trying to protect these areas. and that will be no protection. >> nic robertson here in the united states with us. usually you are oversees working the story. it's great to have you here on set. we'll continue to talk about the story. i know you'll be traveling back over there. and max foster is following the international reaction to the crisis in syria for us. he joins us once again out of london. what are you seeing this morning, max? >> you're hear from nick about the problem on the ground. the question is what to do about it. what's the next step? that's what the papers are obsessed with at the moment. the guardian in the u.k. really

pointing their finger at the u.s. western conspiracies do nothing. the reality is that from barack obama down nobody in the western camp will -- with diplomacy has a clue what to do. they know only what they cannot do, which primarily is not get involved in another middle east war. the global times over in china considers their local power, china cannot stay out of syrian chaos. china needs to put in more efforts to delay the western advance in the middle east. the political landscape in the middle east is becoming unfavorable to china doing nothing is not an option. and today's za man, what now in syria? neither a neo-imperil list intervention nor the continuation of the current dictatorship is an option in syria. a challenge is to find a third way that will ensure the rebuilding of syria as a democratic, plural list and prosperous country. lots of talk but no one's got a

clue what's going to happen next. >> it's quite a guessing game for all of us. max, thanks. next hour a $26 billion settlement will be announced between the nation's largest banks and nearly every state in the country. underwater homeowners getting a check, and while some say, hey, it's about time, critics say the settlement money is peanuts. and where is this money coming from anyway? cnn's christine romans is live in new york. a lot of mixed feelings on this. >> this is the biggest industry government settlement since the big tobacco settlement of 1998, kyra. in sheer size, this is big, $26 billion. it could be even bigger if more servicers pile on. you're right, there's a lot of concern and skepticism because so many of the programs to date have been under wheming, disappointing. one in four people who have been promised help under some of these government programs have been helped. so there are a lot of homeowners quite rightfully who feel scarred by the housing market. let's talk about what they're aiming to do here.

it would be a million underwater homeowners. these are people who owe more on the house, kyra, than the house is worth. california, new york, florida, they are now on board. almost all the states on board. so that's important. the attorneys general of some of these states didn't want to give up their own big investigations into the banking industry, and they won't have to. now these are non-fan any and freddie loans. to go back to your point about mixed feelings. 1 million underwater homeowners. there are 11 million underwater homeowners in america. we've been talking to economists who say this would be an immediate infusion into the housing market. that's good. but you're right, there's a long, long way to go before you can talk about making everyone whole, kyra. >> so to get a check do you have to have your mortgage through one of the listed banks? >> that's right. and trying to figure out the mechanics of when you would get a check, how you would get a check, who would get a check. for the people who are underwater, they're saying it's about $20,000 in principle reductions.

there might be some other kind of relief in there too. there are a lot of reports this morning there could be refinancing at lower rates if you're underwater but current in your loan. there could be refinancing at lower rates. that's been tough to do. also some reporting in the big papers this morning about potential cash payments for people who are in foreclosure from december 2008, i think, or september 2008 to december 2011. we'll know for sure in 53 minutes quite frankly, but we'll get a lot of the detail about who exactly would benefit, how quickly, and how they would get the money. also, how the government, kyra, is going to monitor these servicers. remember, they're being punished essentially for the robo signing scandal. for in some cases having very sloppy mortgage servicing procedures that really left people out in the cold. you know that consumers have been complaining about their relationship with their mortgage servicer. from here on out the government wants to make sure that these are going to be better actors and they'll help fix the housing market instead of be a problem. >> now about 52 minutes away

from eric holder talking about that. christine, thanks so much. >> you're welcome. in politics, nothing sells like success. rick santorum is taking that lesson to the bank. the presidential candidate has raked in more than $1 million in donations just since his three big wins tuesday night. cnn political editor paul steinhauser live in washington. paul, santorum won those states with a small budget, a skeleton staff. what do you think? does the infusion of money mean that he's a greater threat to romney? >> reporter: money helps in politics, no doubt about that, kyra. a big win brings big money. you mentioned a million for him. the red, white and blue, independent but prosantorum super pac, they're starting to see more fundraising as well. santorum's already using some of that money to beef up his staff. we're seeing him fund raise yesterday in texas. today in oklahoma. oklahoma also is a super tuesday state. he's there to campaign and look ahead to some of the next contests. rick santorum also had some

choice words for mitt romney. here's what he said. >> if this race -- if this race is about how to better manage washington, d.c., with someone who's a ceo and can manage the affairs and create a better platform for government? >> no. >> no. >> then we will not only lose this election, but even if we win this election, we will eventually lose this country. >> reporter: you know, mitt romney when he runs for president, kyra, he often talks about how he's such a good manager as ceo. rick santorum taking issue there. the money, yeah, buys ad times, commercials, staff. money does help, kyra. >> at the same time, romney is being forced now to widen his attacks. >> reporter: he sure is. remember after south carolina when romney didn't do so well there, gingrich had the big win. romney's campaign started going after gingrich. now mitt romney himself and his campaign starting to step up the attacks against santorum as well as gingrich. take a listen to what romney

said yesterday in atlanta when he got to the airport there before he campaigned in georgia. >> and among my opponents, well, actually, i tip my hat to ron paul. 's one of those that says don't keep on spending too much. he's willing to cut spending. the other two guys, newt gingrich and rick santorum, they spent a lot of time in washington and during their years we spent more money than we were taking in. >> reporter: those are fighting words, aren't they, kyra? that's romney's theme here. i'm the outsider. i never served in washington. gingrich and santorum served in washington. big debt. you'll hear a lot more of that from him and his campaign. >> how far can rick santorum actually ride this momentum from this week's political trifecta. he'll join j.k. u.s.a. 6:00 eastern here on cnn. a con tre versy at the intersection of religion and

policy. they must cover birth control for employees. the white house trying to make changes that the church can live with. arch bishop of new york weighs in. for a second week in a row a big cruise ship limps home early with a lot of sick passengers. we'll tell you what's to blame straight ahead. wanna know the difference between a trader and an elite trader? it's this... the etrade pro platform. fast. beautiful. totally customizable. finds top performing stocks -- in three clicks. quickly scans the market for new trading ideas. it can even match options strategies to your goals and lets you see the potential risk and reward. and, it also comes with a dedicated elite service team. got it? get it. good. introducing new etrade pro elite. ♪

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checking stories cross-country now. in charlottesville, virginia, more testimony expected in the

high profile murder trial of george huguely. he's accused of beating his ex-girlfriend to death. defense attorneys call the death an accident. and there's one brave little girl in brehm men, georgia. bring the any baxter was in the toy section of the local walmart as you can see right there when that man came up behind her and grabbed her. now watch as bring the any kicks and screams until the man finally let go. cops caught the guy and have charged him with attempted kidnapping. and the crown princess cruise ship is back in forth laud der dale. the company blames a neural virus outbreak. the ship underwent a cleaning after more than 400 people got sick. the obama administration wants to tweak its new policy that would make religion-based employers cover birth control in their health care plans. they're looking for a way for women to get coverage without forcing catholic charities and hospitals to compromise their

beliefs. cnn's jason carroll actually talked with the ar shall bishop of new york about this. what did he tell you, jason? >> well, kyra, first let me start off by saying you know there's a specific reason why we've reached out to archbishop timothy dolan. he's the very same man who wrote that editorial in the "wall street journal" criticizing the president saying the administration's new policy would force individuals to violate their moral teaching if they had to provide contraceptive coverage. the new rule would require all employers, even religious ones, such as schools or hospitals, to offer birth control under their health care plans. churches and other houses of worship would be exempt, but there has been a great deal of back lash from some in the catholic community and now it seems the administration may be willing to find some common ground. and i asked archbishop dolan about that when i caught up with him late yesterday. >> reporter: apparently the administration is looking for some ways to find some wiggle room here in this. it says sources say policy

makers are looking for a legal way to ensure that women receive contraception coverage but catholic charities, hospitals, institution, etc., would not pay for it. would that be enough wiggle room on your -- in your -- from your perspective? >> it would be difficult for me to comment not knowing all the details, but i would welcome the fact that officials of the government are saying we need to rethink this and we need to have a graceful exit so that catholic charities and a place we're at right now, cath lij schools, catholic health care institutions can continue to do the wonderful work we've done. hallelujah if there's some opening to a way to roll back what we find to be choking restribt shuns of the rights of freedoms and principles of conscience. >> reporter: there's one recent survey that shows some 52% of the catholics actually agree with what the administration is trying to do. so i'm wondering, is there some sort of disconnect with some catholics who are out there or

do you see this as something else? >> could be. could be. for us it's not about polls, it's about principle. and although there -- it is true that there would be people that might not agree with the church's stance on contraception, there's enthusiastic new unanimity on the stance of freedom of religion. >> reporter: dolan initially said he felt personally betrayed by the president because he says the president assured him during a meeting that religious employers would be exempt from the new policy. supporters of the plan point out that some 28 states already have a plan like this in place and that policy will go into effect august 1st. kyra? >> jason carroll, thanks so much. two nuke reactors getting the green light today, both being built in georgia. we'll talk about it after the break. kate middleton stepping up her new role. while her husband is on military duty, she makes her first official solo appearance. [ male announcer ] we know you don't wait

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kate middleton stepping out on the town, and she's all by herself. her first solo royal appearance as prince william continues his deployment in the falkland islands. max foster, why weren't you there at that art gallery. >> i was on air at the time, but we did have our crew there. the pictures that you're seeing right now, the duchess gave -- this is the first time she's appeared on her own at one of her own events, one of her own charities. this is the first sort of tentative steps she's making here into carving out her own public role. big test for her. she would have been nervous. the palace would have been

nervous as well which is why it was very low key. we were only allowed to film the arrival at the gallery, not her going around the gallery itself. it seemed like a big success. all steam ahead, kyra, for next week when she goes on another visit on her own to children's hospital and she's going to meet some recovering alcoholics and drug addicts as well up in liverpool. we're really seeing the emergence of the future queen and how she wants to see herself perceived in the media. >> well, we will be watching closely. meanwhile, her brother-in-law, prince harry, new credentials on his military resume. >> yeah, exactly. exactly at the same time as the duchess was out in those pictures, prince harry was receiving an award. he actually came out on top of a pretty tough apache helicopter training course. that happened in america. he came the top of the class and won an award. as a result these are pictures from his training in arizona.

as a result, he is now qualified almost to go into battle. probably afghanistan if he's going to go anywhere. he's got a bit more practice to do, but as a pilot he's actually qualified at this point. he's been doing pretty well by all accounts. so he expects some sort of deployment later in the year, possibly early next year. >> max foster on the royal watch. thanks, max. alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. what's the deal with these two new nuclear reactors in our backyard, right here in georgia? >> exactly right in your backyard. this is really being considered a milestone, kyra, when you look at sort of the history of nuclear power in this country. the vote on this one that we're talking about is happening today to actually build the first nuclear power plant in the u.s. in 30 years. now if the nuclear regulatory commission approves this, two

nuclear reactors will be built 30 miles south of augusta, georgia. they'll provide energy to 1 million homes. if you want to look at the u.s. as a whole, where nuclear power plants are, you see on this map, there's actually 64 nuclear power plants in this country, most of them concentrated on the east coast. half of these nuclear power plants are 30 years old. that raises worries about their safety. at one point there was really a big push towards more nuclear power, but because of the cost, the safety concerns, kyra, that big sort of renaissance of nuclear power plants, it didn't materialize. >> how are the markets looking today? >> well, would you believe that we've sort of got a deal? now it's not a done deal yet. i'm talking about the debt deal involving greece, but it could finally be here. greece's politicians, they've finally, finally agreed on austerity measures. of course, there is yet one more step before it's really a done deal. the imf, ecb, eu, they all have to sign off on this $170 billion

bailout before they hand that money over to greece. but we do see stocks are going to be starting in the green today in about five minutes when the opening bell rings. also helping stocks today it looks like jobless claims, a drop in jobless claims is helping futures right now. new claims fell by 15,000 last week. they're holding below that 400,000 level, kyra, at 358,000. >> all right. alison, thanks. we know women in these wars have been in combat. now the pentagon actually plans to open up thousands of official front line support jobs. we're going to tell you why the changes are coming now. we're also going to talk about rick santorum's momentum versus mitt romney's millions. who's going to grab the headlines at cpac? [ female announcer ] introducing coffee-mate natural bliss.

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the city of homs. the u.n. plans to take up a proposal calling for joint monitoring mission in syria. the tsa plans to increase its fast lane program. it lets passengers go through screening more quickly if they've already provided information before getting to the airport. the founder of the susan g. komen says they made mistakes. nancy brinker addressed the controversy in a ler to the washington post. women in combat. they're doing it, but now the pentagon is making it official. thousands of new jobs opening up. cnn's barbara starr is at the pentd gone. tell us about the changes, barbara. >> reporter: well, kyra, the pentagon is going to inform congress later today that it's opening up about 14,000 jobs to women, combat related jobs. women are not going to be in those front line units that we

see, the sniper teams, counter terrorism teams, but a number of new jobs will be open to women. this is going to be one of the biggest changes since the 1990s when the policy went into effect that restricted women in combat. some of the jobs that will be open to them include tank or artillery mechanic, crew members on missile launchers and field surgeons in forward deployed combat teams. this will officially put so many more military women in the position of getting that combat unit credit that can let them have the promotions more on the same footing as men. but the reality, kyra, as you know better than anybody, if you think women are not already in combat in the last ten years in iraq and afghanistan with these new wars where there is no front line, just listen to the latest statistics from the pentagon. more than 140 women, military women, have lost their lives in the war. and, of course, more than 860 have been wounded, kyra. >> you and i both have met them.

we've seen t barbara, no doubt. why do you think this is happening now? >> reporter: this has been something that has been brewing for a long time. over the last 18 months or so you have seen senior military commanders speak out and say the reality is that women are in combat. the statistics show it. the u.s. military couldn't go to war these days without the service of military women, so that is the reality in places like afghanistan. it's time, they say, to catch up with the reality to let more women serve formally and openly and get the credit for their service. still, of course, it's those small units, the sniper teams, the infantry units, walking those patrols, conducting those raids. don't expect to see women on those missions any time soon. >> barbara starr at the pentagon, barbara, thanks. popular tv drama is going off the air. we'll tell you which one next.

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heading into the big cpac gathering of conservatives, it's mitt's money versus santorum's momentum. conan o'brien puts their finances into perspective. >> three wins for rick santorum. since yesterday's primaries rick santorum's campaign has received $250,000 in donations. yeah. when mitt romney heard this he said, $250,000? that's cute. aren't you a good little candidate. >> will cain and robert

zimmerman with us. guys, who's going to cash in at cpac. will? >> that's hard to predict, kyra i don't know. i don't have that crystal ball. i have to say rick santorum's kind of got the momentum. he's kind of a movement conservative. i would expect him to do really well at cpac. >> it's going to be awesome. you'll have sarah palin there who's accused republicans of using stalin nist attacks

against newt gingrich. ann colt ter never disappoints. it's going to have a lot of energy. >> the first song will be what? >> none of them can harmonize, that's their problem. >> that's a legit criticism. >> by the way, ultimately though, it's rick santorum's moment to be able to energize and galvanize the religious conservative movement. of course, the danger for ultimately mitt romney in this process is pushing him so far to the right wing that as they get energized over their war against contraception and the war against marriage equality and their commitment to keep troops in iraq -- >> the government vote against the war against contraception thing. i have made this point that i do believe this is a bigger issue for democrats than they realize. this issue over the catholic institutions, universities, and the pushing of contraception into health care plans, it's going to resonate beyond religious conservatives, beyond your hard core social conservatives. i can only use myself as that proxy. this is not my battle, kyra. i'm not most excited about taking robert on about this. when you start infringing and pushing into the realms of religion, private practices, principles, then you're talking about something just beyond your standard social issues. you an him in mate a group shall bigger. >> that bigger group are women because this is about women's pwalbo ialadse this law tht lksik ka,hiwhe 3 %h etablishme . i nt grh,anhe oe obre hsnn 'seeab rubcatuouis3 ntl imo o percent percent, minnesota with 40%, he lost this time around.

>> let me tell you this. he's wrong 80% of the time. he's 10000 percent right right now. mitt romney has been awesome. he has not been good at saying why they should vote for mitt romney. he needs to figure out that answer. >> kyra, that means will's listening better. >> year' going to leave it on a positive note, gentlemen. if you want to reach young conservatives, go to cpac. in a minute we'll meet a young conservative blogger and hear why he's going to the big conservative convention. [ male announcer ] this...is the network.

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lets'check stories cross-country. indiana hands out fines for violations in this deadly stage collapse that happened last summer at the state fair that killed seven people. the state's builder, the fair commission, and stage hands union were fined more than $80,000. washington's governor promises to sign a same-sex marriage law into -- bill, rather, into law. state lawmakers passed the bill yesterday but opponents will try to put the issue on the november ballot. a florida judge frees a man on a domestic violence charge on one condition. joseph brey forgot to wish his own wife a happy birthday. they got into an argument and he threatened her. he's been ordered to give his wife flowers, a birthday card, and take her to dinner and bowling. the couple will also have to see a marriage counselor. well, say good-bye to house.

everyone's favorite doctor is leaving the air waves. a.j. hammer live in new york. a.j., we've never talked about this show. we always talk about "modern family." i am a "house" follow lower. what's going on? >> sat news for you and "house" fans. end of the road for the fantastic tv drama "house." . it's calling it quits after 177 episodes. eight seasons on fox. the producers released what i thought was an eloquent statement breaking the news. i want to read a bit of it for you. since it began house has aspired to offer a coherent and satisfying world in which ever lasting human questions of ethics, emotion, logic and truth could be examined, played out, and occasionally answered. the producers have always imagined house as an enigmatic creature. how much better to disappear before the music stops while there is still some promise and mystique in the air. he says he doesn't see himself going back into television after

this, kyra. i know that is a huge disappointment to you and all of his fans. he is certainly not going away. so many accolades over the years for his role in that show. >> yeah. it's pretty amazing. what is the deal about this big reunion at the grammy's? >> this is going to be really cool. all of the surviving members of the beach boys are going to be taking the stage on grammy night. i'm talking about founding members brian will some, mike love, al jardine, along with bruce johnson and david marks who have been with the band for almost 50 years. this is the very first time in almost 20 years that all these guys are going to be sharing the stage together. they'll be performing with some current grammy nominees, foster the people, maroon 5, but it does not stop with this. the grammy appearance is kicking off a whole new start for the beach boys, kyra. they're kicking off a 50 city tour in april. they plan on releasing a new studio album this year. break out your beach balls and your hawaiian print shirts. the beach boys are back. >> i'd be breaking out my old eight track is what i would be breaking out, a.j.

thanks so much. >> you don't have an eight track, kyra. >> oh, yes, i did. it's a frightening cliff hanger on "american idol." a.j. will be back with us next hour on that story and other "showbiz tonight" headlines. and looking at health for her this morning. 40 billion bucks is on the table to help reduce the number of pre-term births and early elective deliveries in the u.s. the department of health and human services is using the money to educate honts, doctors, and mothers. it says that these early elective deliveries can cause problems for both the mother and child. still ahead, it's a candy bar slam for a patriots player. we're going to tell you why these butter fingers were dumped in boston. sports in ten minutes.

well, cpac, the big conservative convention underway in washington this hour. for 19-year-old blogger brandon keyser, its a he a big time opportunity for a kentucky guy. this is a place for the up and coming conservatives to stake their ground. okay, brandon, you're there. are you missing ash lynn yet? is everybody watching back home in kentucky? >> i hope so. >> listen, you know, a lot of teens your age, they're interested in parties, and dating. they're not thinking about politics. how did you find your way to this convention and blogging?

>> i wish i could tell you. i honestly have no idea. i just started watching the news basically when i was a young teen amg ger. kept watching t. started reading blaupgs on line and thought i would try my hand at it. >> you're still a young teenager. you're 19. you must have started doing this when you were in elementary school. tell me what got you excited about cpac. was it a certain, i don't know, a speaker or a subject matter? something had to get you motivated to want to pack up and get there. >> really it's largely the opportunity to meet and talk with other people, other conservatives, especially ones that are my age or ones that i have talked with or read online and things like that. >> and who are you keeping your eyes on at cpac? who is it that you -- if you had a chance to meet someone, who would it be? >> probably marco rubio.

>> okay. tell me why. >> yeah. well, he's -- i think he really embodies what young conservatism is. he's a relatively young guy. he's from florida. i honestly think that he could potentially be president one day and so i think he's someone to keep your eye on. so brandon, what do you make of all the presidential candidates so far on the republican side, who do you like? >> right now, i'm without

the convention. >> before i let you go. >> senator mitch mcconnell. >> we'll be looking for that. brandon kiser, enjoy your time. >> thanks for having me. >> you bet. this saturday, the state of maine is going to weigh in. coverage beginning at 6:00 p.m. eastern. cnn's complete live coverage of the caucus results will begin at 7:00. all right, here's some stories we're working on for later today, 11:15 eastern time, john boehner and eric cantor hold their weekly briefing. in des moines, iowa, michelle obama celebrating the second anniversary of her campaign let's move.

then at 5:00 eastern, a career milestone for sir paul mccartney, the singer will get his star on the hollywood walk of fame. he's the last of the beatles to get his star. let's check in first with our christine romans. >> we'll have more details as they come available today, we hope, about the settlement between the big banks and consumers underwater on their loans. more details for you at the top of the hour, kira. opposition activists say more than 90 people were killed in the besieged city of homs. today alone, they are calling on the international community to help establish a humanitarian corridor to evacuate the civilians from the killing fields there. more on that story at the top of the hour. i'm martin savidge in mississippi. remember the 200-plus pardons

and the outrage they sparked? today we'll find out if they are legal or not. i'll have that report next hour. >> thanks, guys. two sex abuse scandals rock one california school within a week. now officials there have cleaned house. students are back in class with new teachers. live report next hour. a touch of sugar... and pure natural flavors. coffee-te natural bliss... from nestle. add your flavor naturally. yoo-hoo. hello. it's water from the drinking fountain at the mall. [ male announcer ] great tasting tap water can come from any faucet anywhere. the brita bottle with the filter inside.

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thriller on tobacco road. >> this is one of the great rivalries in college basketball. duke and carolina, two of the most storied programs in college basketball, again this year, carolina up by ten with a few minutes left, here comes duke, down two, time running out. austin rivers for three at the buzzer. oh, he buries it. what a great shot by the freshman. his dad is boston celtic's coach doc rivers, there he is, he can't contain himself. duke wins 85-84. great story in the nba right now, jeremy lin, harvard grad, undrafted, failed to stick with two teams. watch him, the crossover, then the dunk. john wall finishes with 23 points. since he joined the knicks, lin's been crashing on his brother's couch. the knicks finally signed him

for a guaranteed contract this week. he might be able to afford his own place now, maybe. this is the play a lot of patriot's fans will spend all offseason thinking about. they believe the pats would have won the super bowl if wes welker made this catch with four minutes left. slipped through his fingers. an online pawnbroker dropped butterfingers in a plaza. there was a note, thank you, wes welker. the pawnbroker got a ticket for commercial dumping. i guess they think the free publicity makes it worth it. >> we're talking about it. the hometown horne ets invited him to introduce the lineups for last night's game with the bulls. >> at forward, 6'10" from mexico, he doesn't speak a lick of english, but we still love him. >> great stuff.

he said derrick rose, his favorite movie was "the notebook." >> he didn't laugh, didn't find that funny, thanks. super bowl ads have nothing on victor cruz, just ask jeanne moos. >> the salsa of victory. the mockery of defeat. the super bowl may be over, but the patriots and the giants left behind two moves we can't quite move beyond. giant's wide receiver, victor cruz celebrated touchdowns with the salsa. now the salsa is spreading like an internet virus. ♪ it infected a weatherman in michigan. >> i'm going to do my salsa dance right off the stage. >> even madonna wasn't immune. she volunteered a demonstration. >> this is madonna with the silk city salsa and she's rooting for

the giants, i have to say it. >> the most courageous was performed by a giant's fan surrounded by patriot's fans what turned out to be a near riot, just a few seconds of salsa, then as the dancer continued to taunt the crowd, he got sucker punched. the guy had to be rescued and danced right out of there. the giant's super bowl victory party is a safer place to salsa. >> come on! >> this cruz t-shirt, with how to salsa steps on the back, sold out. don't even think of using me as a dance floor. but salsaing has given way to bra bradying. bradying is the new tebowing. you know, how everyone was mimicking the prayerful attitude of bronco's quarterback, tim tebow, but there was nothing

grateful about patriot's quarterback tom brady after he was decked at the super bowl. imitation is not always flattery. there is bradying at the top of the table, bradying in the dog house. it's easy to be depressed and dejected anywhere. even a sports anchor can be reduced to bradying. >> i was really unhappy with my performance on the show at 6:00. >> it's enough to make you want to drown your sorrows in salsa. >> move your hips a bit, feel the latino inside you. >> jeanne moos, cnn, new york. i'll tell ya what, it's a busy time in the cnn newsroom right now. mississippi supreme court is about to review the pardon scandal that ignited so much outrage. live pictures from inside the courtroom. the governor erased the conviction of killers and other criminals in his final hours in

office. was that controversial move legal, we're on it. we're also waiting for a news conference millions of americans are definitely interested in, a legal settlement that could help home owners who owe more than their home is worth, but the deal addresses homes wrongfully seized because the banks cut corners. cnn's christine romans is live in new york. you were on a conference call, i understand, with the housing and urban development folks about this deal? >> right, they are being clear this doesn't settle all the problems within the housing market, right, this is just about the robo signing and servicing problems, one part of the big housing mess. we know it's $26 billion and breaks down in a variety of different ways. for days we've been reporting the expectation it would be cash to states, some $5 billion there, $17 billion in consumer relief, and $3 billion for

consumers so they can refinance at lower rates. this is the largest settlement between the industry and states in the government, kyra, since the 1998 tobacco settlement, so it is a big, big settlement, but it doesn't mean the states won't still criminally go after banks if they have to and servicers if they have to in the investigations they have and doesn't mean it solves problems in the securitization markets and the way these mortgages were packaged and sold to investors. >> who's going to get money from this deal and how much, i've heard all kinds of numbers. >> we'll know for sure when the justice department, you know, releases all the details, but this is what is pretty clear. underwater home owners, there are 11 million of them, right, this is aiming to help 1 million of them. underwater home owners who are behind in their payments would get an average of $20,000 in principle writedowns. how would a home owner know if

they are eligible? a bank will reach out to them. here's another group of people who do, underwater home owners who are current on their payments, they can refinance at lower rates, if they are current on their payments, and there's a third group. these are folks who were in foreclosure between september 2008 and december 2011, they can be eligible for cash payments of up to $2,000, so that's where all that money would be going, but again, the devil's in the details, we're waiting to see those details and hear officially from the government. >> all right, we are waiting. thanks so much. now to our other big story in jackson, mississippi, we've got live pictures for you of the state supreme court tackling a case that's fuelled outrage across the country. the pardoning of 200 criminals, four of them murderers by then-governor haley barbour. the justices will decide if the

pardons are illegal. they say the pardons are unconstitutional and calls the moves "a slap in the face to everyone in law enforcement." martin savidge is live there. how likely they were rule the pardons illegal? >> that's the question that has everyone wondering and watching the state supreme court here. there is a lot at stake here. potentially it could impact future power of governors in the state. we also know it could determine the freedom of at least ten convicts, and also the criminal records of 173 other people that were pardoned as a result of haley barbour when he left office. i should also mention, you have the victims' families who have a very emotional stake in this, and some of them are inside the courtroom as they wait to hear the arguments. here's the way the arguments are going to go. you have one side, the defense,

standing behind the governor's decision, saying he has the absolute power to grant clemency and no one can change it once he's given the pardon. then you have the other side, we're talking about the criminals according to the state constitution, they basically had to advertise for 30 days straight in a newspaper they were coming up for pardon to notify the pardon. it turns up many did not meet that requirement. some as far as 28 days, but 28 days is not 30, thereby, they shouldn't be granted the pardons. they should be declared invalid, kyra. >> you mention the outrage. a lot of people are furious because the four murderers worked at the governor's mansion. is he wavering at all on his decision? >> no, he has not.

every one of those men, there were five of them, four were murderers, were changed men and he watched them interact with his own grandchildren and said if they were safe enough to talk to his grandchildren, they are safe enough for the people of mississippi. that was no predictor of how they'd left the governor's mansion. >> martin savidge, keep us updated on what you hear. and now to syria. the pictures show you the devastation, the voices capture the terror. the embattled syrian regime stepping up brutal attacks on activists that want democracy

and president bashar al-assad to fall. in homs, 90 people are reported killed so far today, and because foreign reporters are mostly banned from the country, we continue to rely on home videos, like this one, posted online. >> this is homs. you can see over there, another rocket landed on a civilian house. this has been going on all -- all day long since about 5:00 a.m. it's about 8:00 a.m. right now. it's going to keep going on until 7:00 p.m. this is the live we have got used to, rockets, bullets, killing children dead in the street. >> the united nations is considering a joint monitoring mission and today's discussion comes after a surprisingly candid and pointed statement from the u.n. security general. take a listen. >> i deeply regret that the security council has been unable to speak with one clear voice to end the bloodshed.

at the failure to do so is disastrous for the people of syria. it has encouraged the syrian government to step up its rule on its own people. thousands have been killed in cold blood, president assad claims for the people. >> ivan watson is in istanbul, turkey. you talked to people in homs. what are they saying about another possible mission and how effective it can really be? >> reporter: you know, these people are leaving under siege. today, more than 90 people killed in homs alone. they say they don't want more observers. the killing has gotten worse since then, kyra. a doctor i spoked to in a makeshift clinic, who in the first hours of the morning had seen 40 bodies will be and more

than 100 wounded. he said he needed anti-biotics. he can't work on amputations and mangled wounds. he was calling for the international community to establish a humanitarian corridor to evacuate citizens from the city of about a population of 1 million people encircled and bombarded by tanks and mortars and rockets. >> ivan, can you tell us what you know about the situation on the ground right now? you talk about the number, 90 deaths reported just today. what else do you know? >> reporter: well, this is a siege-like situation, kyra, so the military, according to residents, is stopping deliveries of medicine and food to these communities inside, and people cannot move around because there are snipers on roofs firing into the streets.

among the wounded is a prominent activist who came out trying to show wounded people to the arab observer mission previously in syria, and he's been shown in a home video wounded, but issuing a direct note of defiance to the syrian president, bashar al-assad. listen to what he had to say. [ speaking in a foreign language ] let me leave you with the words of this doctor we talked to, "everybody's sitting in their homes and waiting for their turns for a rocket to hit them and for us to then find them dead under the rubble." those are the words from homs today, kyra? >> ivan watson, thanks. well, in politics, nothing sells like success. rick santorum is taking that to the bank.

he's ranked in more than $1 million since his three big wins tuesday night, and right now he's riding his momentum in oklahoma city. he planned to hold his rally at a gun range, but state gop officials say they had to hold it in a larger venue because so many people wanted to attend. so rick santorum will join the other officials in washington. our political editor, paul st n steinhauser is following it for us. how about c-pac 101. >> conservative political action conference. kyra, this is the largest gathering, this is the big one, almost like the super bowl, you could say, for conservatives. besides the three candidates, santorum, you just saw live pictures of him in oklahoma, of course, that's a super tuesday state. also mitt romney is going to be

speaking as well as newt gingrich. the only candidate that's not going to be speaking, ron paul. he's in maine, but his son, rand paul, will speak in his stead. it's a big deal, cpac here, it's not just the speakers here, it's the meetings, behind closed doors meeting. that's why we spend so much time looking at cpac, especially in a year like this with an unsettled republican nomination battle. >> the conference also is going to end with this straw poll on saturday. let's talk about the significance of that. >> yeah, we look at this straw poll every year. it's must-watched. four years ago, mitt romney, he was running for the white house at that time. he dropped his bid at cpac at the time senator john mccain was the frontrunner. romney was considered a conservative alternative and he won the straw poll there. ron paul has now won three in a row, we're going to stay tuned

and see who wins, that would be important. that could be the one with the backing of the conservative movement. kyra? >> paul, thanks. santorum speaking live in oklahoma city, as you know. let's go ahead and dip in. >> that beacon of hope, freedom and opportunity for the rest of the world. it's been a magnet for people to come to this country, not just since welfare programs and medicare and medicaid were in place, but for centuries, two centuries. it was a magnet, because we were something special in the world. and the president of the united states, the leader of this free world said america was not a great country until the government took your money, coerced you, told you you were to pay this money, and then for people in power to redistribute that money to you.

in barack obama's eyes, that's what makes america a great country. ladies and gentlemen, my grandfather came to this country in 1925. there was no medicare, medicaid, unemployment, health care, social security, just one thing, the one thing that made this country the greatest country in the history of the world, and that one thing was a country that believed in god-given rights, a country that -- [ applause ] >> after his three-state sweep, rick santorum speaking in oklahoma city. why? well, it's one of the super tuesday states. we're following it for you. zblmpl in a few minutes, we're going to talk to eric ericson. and a controversy in the center of politics, the white

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take you straight to eric holder now at the justice department. we're going to get the details now on this multi-billion dollar legal settlement that could help home owners that owe money on their homes. >> i realize more work must be done. that's why we have taken steps to ensure the claims we are releasing through this settlement will not interfere with current investigations and prosecutions. so let me be very clear on this, while today's agreement resolves certain civil claims based on mortgage loan services

activities, it does not, it does not prevent state and federal authorities from pursuing criminal enforcement actions, and it preserves extensive claims related to mortgage securitization activities, including the claims that will be the focus of the new residential mortgage-backed securities working group. furth furthermore, the agreement does not prevent claims from borrowers who wish to bring their own lawsuits. two weeks ago, secretary donovan and i announced and convened the first meeting of the financial fraud enforcement task force's new residential mortgage-backed group. i noted that by focusing on collaboration and bringing our government's full enforcement resources to bear, we can improve our ability to identify and prosecute misconduct in our financial markets to recover losses, to prevent fraud, and

hold those who violate the law accountable. today's settlement proves this and is a remarkable example of cooperative law enforcement. multiple federal agencies, including doj, hud's office of the inspector general, the federal housing administration, the federal housing finance bureau, the board of governors of the federal reserve session system and the inspector general all played key roles in achieving this settlement, and we partnered with state attorneys general offices and state banking regulators from across the country who brought valuable expertise and unique on the ground experience with those directly affected by the foreclosure crisis to this resolution. in particular, i want to recognize the outstanding work of the justice departments united states trustees programs and our united states attorneys process. serves as the watchdog was one of the first federal agencies to

investigate abuses of home owners in financial distress. as part of their investigation, trustees reviewed more than 37,000 documents filed by major mortgage servicers in federal bankruptcy court and took discovery in more than 175 cases across the countries. these efforts were advanced by several united states attorneys, including loretta lynch, who's with us today. during a three-year investigation, her office issued multiple subpoenas, reviewed over 2 million documents, and interviewed numerous witnesses. they have worked tirelessly to seek justice for home owners and tax payers who footed the bill. and the information evidence that these teams compiled and the expertise they provided was essential in reaching this settlement. similar reviews were conducted by hud, fha, and others. our investigations revealed disturbing practices.

too often servicers pushed borrowers into foreclosure, even though federal regulations required servicers to try other alternatives first. this doesn't just hurt borrowers who might have been able to afford modifiy eied mortgages, fuelled the downward spiral of our economies and eroded faith in our financial system, and they punished american tax payers who have had to foot the bill for foreclosures that could have been avoided. with this settlement, we are recovering precious tax payer resources, and the state attorneys general will be establishing a fund to facilitate payments to borrowers who lost their homes during the foreclosure crisis. mortgage services also will be required to dedicate substantial resources, approximately $20 billion, to provide relief and assistance to struggling home

owners and neighborhoods. and the agreement includes specific provisions that will enhance protections and help ensure justice for u.s. service members and their families. i also want to note with this settlement, we aren't just holding servicers for wrongs they committed. we are using this opportunity to fix a broken system and lay the groundwork for a better future. our nation's lending mortgage services will be required to follow a new set of standards, which will be overseen by an independent monitor and will be -- >> christine romans, you've been listening also to the attorney general here. why don't we break down this plan from what we found out. there's still a lot of questions about who exactly is going to receive how much. >> first of all, i will say eric holder sounds like he's pretty angry at the servicers, he said they found a disturbing pattern of behavior, they pushed people into foreclosure, hurt the economy unnecessarily. they were violating federal regulations and punished tax

payers who had to bear the brunt of the costs of these communities slammed by so many foreclosures. this is what it looks like. it looks like there will be $20,000 write downs for home owners. home owners underwater on their homes and late in their payments, that's key there, $20,000 write down for those. for people current in their mortgage payments, who are current, they will be able to refinance at lower interest rates, and there's a third group that could be helped here. $2 billion going to help people in foreclosure kicked out of their homes at that time period, they could get payments in the mail. earlier when we were on the phone call with administration officials about this, there was some question about how are people going to know whether they qualify. i mean, that's what i really know. do you sign up, will there be a government website, the administration officials said the banks are supposed to scrub their books and find out who it is that meets all the qualifications and reach out to

that home owner, and it's supposed to happen soon, quickly once a federal judge signs off on this settlement. they want to get money out there as quickly as possible. there's a lot of criticism this is a slap on the wrist to the big banks, it's not enough. there's billions and billions more people need to get the housing market on its feet. look, there are 11 million people underwater on their loans. this is meant to help 1 million of those, so put that in perspective. still, it is the biggest and broadest federal housing rescue we have seen yet, kyra? >> christine romans, thanks so much. in a few minutes we're talking with erick erickson, he's getting ready to lead a huge discussion at the major conservative conference, cpac. ♪

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cnn contributor erick erickson's got a big day ahead, he's hosting a panel discussion today at cpac, the conservative political action conference. erick, what are you going to talk about? >> the political landscape in 2012, unfortunately, so many are focusing on president, there are senate races, house races, so giving an overview of what's happening in 2012. >> you wrote the real winner tuesday was cpac, we all thought it was santorum, please, explain. >> it was so divided, no one expected the results tuesday night. everyone expected romney to at least win in colorado and come in second in minnesota, he came in third. on saturday you're going to see rick santorum first, then mitt romney, then newt gingrich, all of them on the stage, all on

saturday. this is going to be a big day for conservatives, all these guys trying to close the deal with conservatives. it puts cpac in the spotlight coming before super tuesday. >> you're a huge critic of mitt romney, what's it going to take for romney to win over the cpac crowd? >> i think he's going to have to go a little bolder. he's played his race too cautious and that's hurt him. he hasn't wanted to get out on bold entitlement reform or tax reform or any fiscal reform and cuts. newt gingrich and santorum have been able to name him happy manageable decline. so he's going to have to be bold and be willing to go on the record, even if it means opening himself up for attacks from the democrats in the general election. >> let's listen to what michele bachmann said about santorum's three wins on wednesday. >> last night was a shot across the bow, and the voters haven't made up their mind yet on who

the republican nominee should be, but really the biggest signal that was sent is barack obama is in big trouble. >> what do you think, erick, is she right, is obama in big trouble or romney? >> well, talking to some of my democrats friends who work for the president, they were really excited on tuesday night by the decline in turnout. they think republicans aren't excited, being here, there isn't as much excitement coming in as last year thinking we'd have a struggling economy, the president would be on the ropes on a host of issues. here they are thinking we're killing each other in the primary season, so i'm not sure i'd agree with the congresswoman. >> what about ron paul supporters, they are usually a tremendous force at cpac, what about this year? >> last year his supporters booed dick cheney and donald rumsfeld. they've minimized ron paul's presence. interestingly enough, some of the occupy wall street crowd has

showed up and decided to dress up as ron paul supporters. >> erick erickson, thanks so much for talking to me today. >> thank you. >> we have continuing coverage of cpac tomorrow, three republican presidential candidates will be speaking, rick santorum set to talk at 10:25 eastern. mitt romney, 12:55, newt gingrich, 4:10. watch tomorrow for complete coverage of the cpac conference. check the stop stories now, security forces have launched a fifth day of deadly attacks in the city of homs. more than 100 people have been killed across syria. the u.n. plans to take up a proposal calling for a joint monetary mission in syria. the tsa plans to expand its fast lane technology to 28 more airports. you go through screening more quickly if you've already provided personal information before getting to the airport. and the founder of the susan g.

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political buzz is your rapid fire. look at the best political topics of the day. time for three questions, 30 seconds on the top. robert zimmerman, patricia murray, and cnn contributor will cain. all right, guys, first question, cpac getting going today. can any candidate make up some ground here, robert? >> this is got to be rick santorum's moment and barack obama's moment, because as we watch the cpac events unfold, any time newt gingrich gives a lecture about the sanctity of marriage and family values,

that's a great day for democrats, and if, in fact, the cpac participants follow and go further to the right after they've declared war on contraception, advocated keeping our troops in iraq and afghanistan, advocated ending medicare for future retirees, they'll lose independent voters, that helps barack obama. >> will? >> it's probably going to be a place where rick santorum can make up ground, where he can continue his momentum he's had this week. i would like to say this, how can mitt romney begin to make up ground, obviously, he now needs to, he can't assume to be the frontrunner. robert and i talked about how he needs to give voters a reason to vote for himself, he needs to find himself. i would say this, this is counterintuitive, you're going to have to become who everyone thinks you are, the symbol of capitalism, the rich guy who's been successful. be that. define yourself at that, there are people out there that can defend that. >> patricia?

a little good for himself at cpac by reminding them four years ago he loved the guy. i was in the audience when he was speaking to cpac, there were boos when he was getting out, they loved him, didn't want to see him go, they hated john mccain. he needs to remind them that's who he is now, not the guy he's been made to -- maybe portrayed by in the media or it's his record they don't like so much. newt gingrich has a huge opportunity here. he's had a terrible week, almost radio silence since tuesday night. he could do a lot of good for himself by having a good moment at cpac. >> what's at the heart of this low response so far in the republican campaign, will? >> well, i think we all know, why is there a low turnout? because there's a general lack of options, about your alternatives. i'm not going to pretend we have

the greatest plat form of candidates here of which to pick, it's not. no one's real excited. that being said, i want to be clear, they are all better than barack obama in the conservative mind, but we just wish there was somebody else that we had to choose from. >> robert? >> you know, the truism to politics that negative campaigning always drives down voter turnout, so you see a part of that in place, but i think the other part of it is what you're seeing in the republican party is really a great ideological and philosophical divide where they don't trust mitt romney but are not settled on an alternative too him, that's a factor. before my democratic friends and colleagues get too confident, we have an enthusiasm gap in my party, we have to generate our base. >> patricia? >> the reason not as many people are showing up to these events is that people don't like these candidates as much as they did

in the past. i think also if you want to talk to people in the tea party, they don't like mitt romney, but they are not crazy about any of the other guys either. i don't, though, think this is going to translate to november. when i talk to conservatives, talk to republicans, they want to vote against barack obama. they are going out there, they are going to vote. right now they don't care who the candidate is, they just want the guy that's going to win. >> here's your buzzer beater, 20 seconds on this. a poll shows a third of south carolinians couldn't identify joe biden. that's not different from a pugh poll from 2010 that said americans couldn't pick him out of a police lineup. give me ideas how joe biden can bump up his profile, robert? >> he's got to overcome his shyness. let's be realistic about it. >> or his comments that make the news all the time. >> let's be realistic about it, first of all, nobody votes for vice president. people vote for president. a vice president could cost you

votes, that's not the case with joe biden. he really connects with people. i'd put him on a number of the late night talk shows, because he's entertaining and very genuine. >> will? >> i think robert's right. this isn't a joe biden problem. joe biden is no one that avoids the spotlight. if there's a vice president people should know, it's probably joe biden. the problem isn't with him, it's the american people. if he wants to be more well known, put civics books in people's hands, you got to educate them more. >> i don't think joe biden needs to be well known than he is, a little goes a long way for the american people. he's known where he needs to be known. the white house sends him where he needs to go, sends him to pennsylvania, the white catholic areas they want to do better in. he's heavy in foreign policy, doesn't need to be any better known than he is today. >> thanks, guys. class is back in session at an elementary school rocked by

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well, a california elementary school rocked by two child abuse scandals is back in session. students return to class today to an entirely new staff, and two teachers have been charged with sexually abusing these kids. casey wine is live at the school in l.a. casey, first remind all of us, you know, the details of these

cases. they are incredibly shocking. >> reporter: absolutely shocking, kyra, yesterday sheriff's investigators acknowledged they discovered 200 more photos, allegedly taken by a former miramonte teacher, mark berndt. he is in jail facing 23 counts of lewd conduct that were conducted allegedly up until last year when he lost his job. he is in jail, and the allegations include bondage and forgive me, even feeding his own semin to students. another teacher was arrested last week, he's facing three conducts of lewd conduct on children. now, the school has been closed for the last two days. school district officials making the controversial decision to replace all of the teachers and the staff. here's what the school district had to say and one teacher had to say about school resuming

today. >> normalcy is going to be difficult for a few days and perhaps weeks. there's no question about it. we're going to try to move as quickly as possible to get back to learning and get back to any sort of sense of routine to the school. it's been anything but routine in the last several days. >> not really, because all of the riffraff is gone, so i feel good about coming in and being a positive influence on these children here. >> reporter: now, some of the parents of these children are very upset, though, that the entire staff has been replaced. they believe, kyra, it's going to be even more disruptive to their children facing new teachers in addition to all of the controversy that they've been enduring over the last few days. so one of the teachers -- excuse me, one of the parents we spoke with, who arrived with his two daughters this morning said he's bringing his children to school today, but he's not sure what's going to happen down the road.

he's going to wait and see if he's going to continue to have them go to school at miramonte elementary. >> were these two teachers committing the sex acts or sex abuse during school hours at the school? >> reporter: that is the allegations, kyra, absolutely shocking allegations and why these parents have been so disturbed and why the school district took this dramatic action to get rid of the entire staff. it was very clear that the parents, many of the parents, lost confidence in the ability to send their children to this school safely given the fact that these acts were allegedly taking place during school hours. i want to mention what's going to happen going forward, every single classroom will have a counselor in it for the remainder of the school year, in addition to a teacher. so there will be two adults in each of these classrooms. also, the school district has asked a former justice of the

state supreme court to conduct an independent investigation into how this could have happened for so long, how these teachers could have gotten away with this behavioror so long and what steps the district needs to take to make sure it doesn't happen again, kyra? >> horrifying, casey, thanks. a rare event in hollywood, two celebrities break up and couldn't be friendlier about the divorce. we'll tell you who's splitting and smiling next.

pretty scary cliff hanger to "american idol." a.j. hammer live in new york. a.j., really made your heart stop. >> yeah, this was a really scary moment on idol last night.

let's play it out and watch what happened. >> older, older crowd, older audience. >> you're saying that we're older? >> no. >> medic, please. >> whoa. >> oh, my god. >> wow, very scary moment there. 16-year-old simone black just performed and was sitting there explaining to the judges why she chose that song because she wanted to appeal to an older audience, then as you saw she toppled off the stage. if you're wondering how black is doing, we don't know. the show used this as a cliff hanger, but i'm going to take a shot in the dark here, it's safe to assume she is okay given how they are letting this play out and the fact this was taped. this was not live. i don't think they would be that insensitive if she was truly

hurt. >> i should hope not. the word is nerves got the best of her, was it anxiety? >> you know, i think it's just tough being up there and at that very moment, as you saw, randy was challenging her and he's goofing around on the fact she chose that song for an older audience. i think she was startled by that, but it's tough being up there as we've seen throughout the 11 seasons of the show. >> makes you want to watch and find out what happened. all right, a friendly divorce in hollywood, are you serious? >> i hope so. this could be a good trend to start here. katy perry and russell brand have signed off on a divorce settlement and it continues to be an amicable situation, so amicable, when perry signed her name, she added a smiley face and heart. i'm thinking possibly she's happy brand isn't asking her for any of her money. they reportedly didn't have a prenup, so there is speculation he'd be entitled to half the

money she'd earned while they she was having huge success at that time, it could be a reported $20 million he's walking away from. maybe she's happy to have this behind her and moving on. she's going back to her maiden name, katherine, elizabeth hudson. you may have heard the reports, her parents want her to date tim tebow. going from russell brand to tim tebow would cause whiplash. >> doesn't everybody want their daughter to date tim tebow? i think that's just, you know, standard operating procedure right now. >> i suppose it could be a safe bet. >> yeah, thanks. if you want information breaking in the entertainment world, a.j.'s got it show biz tonight. cnn joining for a super tuesday debate. we're going to have a preview of that in just about seven minutes.

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and stories that we're working on for later today. 11:15 eastern, house speaker john boehner and majority leader eric cantor hold their weekly briefly. in des moines, iowa, michelle obama kicks off a tour celebrating the second anniversary of let's move, her campaign to fight childhood obesity. at 5:00 eastern, a career milestone for sir paul mccartney, the singer gets his

star on hollywood walk of fame. the last of the beatles, by the way, to get his star. the daily dose, $40 million bucks on the table to reduce the number pre-term births in the u.s. the department of health and human services is using the money to educate hospitals, doctors, and mothers. it's said these early delivers can cause problems for both the mother and child. the pentagon gets set to officially put military women in combat. how will that impact females serving in the armed forces? straight ahead, suzanne malveaux is going to interview a former prisoner of the war in iraq. she's got strong feelings about this. how strong is your will power? at noon eastern, the doctor of a new book on will power says you can change your life by improving your self control. i want healthy skin for life.

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cnn has a new gop presidential debate set up. time for those super tuesday contests. paul has all the details for us, paul? >> hot off the presses. we had an existing debate on march 1st in atlanta, georgia, cnn and the republican party at georgia. that was already on the books. what's new, guess what, we're making the debate bigger and better, we're including the republican party of ohio, so georgia and ohio will be able to ask questions. it's on march 1st. march 6th is super tuesday and georgia and ohio are two of the crucial ten states voting on super tuesday. that's the new news, but wait, there's more, because we still also have a debate on february 22nd. and kyra, this is