good morning and welcome to "early start," i'm ashleigh banfield. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. we are bringing you the news from "a" to "z." it is 5:00 a.m. in the east. >> mitt romney hoping to win primaries in mississippi and alabama if he can. he says the party faces doom if a nominee is not picked soon. the military releasing new information on the soldier accused of 16 afghan civilians in their homes. we are learning he suffer a head injury in iraq but was found fit for duty. we're live at the pentagon. a disturbingly familiar sight in louisiana. take a look at your screen.

hundreds of people are having to be rescued. 18 to 20 inches of rain falling in some parts of southern louisiana. police deciding not to charge the man. the family of the dead teenager is outraged. we'll break down why there are no charges in this racially charged case. up first, concern that u.s. afghan relations have hit a new low after a deadly shooting rampage. hundreds of afghan students demonstrating overnight, this is in response to the cold-blooded killing of 16 afghan civilians, most children, allegedly by a u.s. soldier. u.s. officials say the army soldier suspected of the killings suffered traumatic brain injury while in iraq. this was two years ago. it's not clear, however, if that played any role in the attack. the soldier is in custody but is refusing to speak with

investigators. this, of course, is the second major setback in afghanistan following the koran burning which triggered a lot of protests in this area. president obama says the massacre is tragic and heartbreaking but it will not change the mission in afghanistan. de-pennsylvania secretary leon panetta says it is a tragic reality. >> war is hell. these kinds of events and incidents are going to take place. they've taken place in any war. they are terrible events, and this is not the first of those events and it probably won't be the last. >> dash ra starr barbara starr pentagon. leon panetta says this soldier could face the death penalty. in light of these new developments that he potentially had a traumatic brain injury is it possible that this soldier could face the death penalty? >> the military has the death

penalty. it will be a matter for the court to decide. it will first be a matter for prosecutors decide whether they want to charge him with that. let me circle back with some of the latest developments this morning. we are now able to confirm, our sara sidner in kabul, the very village where this happened, afghan provincial officials have come under attack from insurgents. they were there trying to visit the families and offer some assistance. this soldier that stands accused we are told suffered traumatic brain injury two years ago when he was in a vehicle rollover accident. this was not combat. it was simply a vehicle accident in iraq. he was treated for tbi. he was found fit for duty at that time. but certainly the military is scouring his medical records, his psychological evaluations to see if they can get any clues about what happened, how this may have come to pass. this is all part of the standard investigation that is going on right now. it is expected in the next

several days. it will lead to charges and at that point this military justice process will go into full swing, zoraida. >> i imagine also at the white house there's concern about retaliation. i'm reading here that the taliban has vowed revenge against sick-minded american savages because of the mass killing. >> the taliban have put out a statement that -- i believe it goes on to say they are also threatening beheading of all americans in afghanistan. you know, look, the u.s. military takes precautions, u.s. civilians working both for private organizations, the state department, also in afghanistan. certainly they take precautions at all times. i think you can probably expect to see everyone at a heightened state of alert in the coming days. >> if i can ask you one final question here. it's a joint base, louis-mcchord near tacoma, washington. i was reading a laundry list of

horrific crimes that some of the soldiers from that base are accused of. was this on any potential watch list from the white house? >> you mean the base itself? >> yes, yes. so many crimes committed by so many soldiers coming from there, including that killing team in iraq. it comes from that particular base as well. i guess i'm asking were they watching that base because of all of these horrific crimes coming from there? >> i'm not aware of any white house watch list of u.s. military bases. there were a number of incidents at louis-mcchord over the years. i think that it is accurate and fair to say louis-mcchord has absolutely had its share of problems and issues as many other military bases have. the military is a very large organization, not to excuse any of it. i find it a bit interesting that secretary panetta said these

things will happen. i think that comment from him is going to get a lot of notice. things do happen in war but this type of atrocity is something that certainly is fundamentally out of the norm. and i think if you look at the cases that have happened in the past, the military prosecutes them with varying rates of success, mind you, people have been acquitted from these alleged crimes. but it will remain to be seen, i this i, how this one plays out. >> as we learn more about this particular soldier as well, barbara starr live at the pentagon for us. thank you. >> six minutes past 5:00. torrential downpours in southern louisiana triggering record floods there. more than 20 inches of rain have been falling in some areas. take a look at that and take a look at that. boating along places they wouldn't have before. hundreds of people trapped by flash floods, having to be rescued. joining us now on the phone lieutenant chad kanizarro.

can you hear me? >> yes, ashleigh, i can hear you. >> this came out of the blue. i wasn't aware this is the season you'd be seeing these kinds of floods. how bad is it? >> it was unexpected. we had a 30% chance of rain yesterday and we got a little more than that. it's more than we bargained for. >> apart from the number of people you had to rescue, i read there was a school bus with 16 middle school kids. how did that go? did they all get out? >> yes, ma'am. they all got out safely. they were in four feet of water. we had to utilize our boats, conventional boats with motors, but we got them all out safely. >> we've been saying up to 18 inches, in some places, 20 inches of rain. on a scale of one to ten, where does that fall within what you're able to deal with and kinds of services i don't you have available in that community? >> that was pretty much

stretching us to our limit. but we all pulled together and had some local citizens that volunteered with their boats and came help do some rescues. >> is everyone accounted for? >> yes, ma'am. everyone is accounted for. >> now, the pictures on the screen show the next part of the story, just dealing with all of the aftermath, the houses, the cars under water, the damage. it's not like you haven't been through this before. >> right. we're waiting on day break so we can take a count of all the damage and we'll start repairing from there. >> lieutenant canezaras, good luck. we're thinking of you. never a good thing to have to go through. thank god everybody's safe. >> i hate seeing those pictures. absolutely hate it. hopefully there's good news ahead, meteorologist rob marciano is live in the cnn weather center at 8 minutes past 5:00 on the east coast. >> they had one thunderstorm

that sat over them for six hours and dumped that rain. south louisiana, very, very flat. waters are typically slow to drain. even when you get a flash flood situation, most parts of the country, it comes, it goes and it's gone. we still have a lot of water that needs to be drained out of this corridor in acadiana. not nearly that amount of rain across parts of the i-5 corridor. it is soupy. humidity high and temperatures are record-breaking in some cases. 73 degrees. 73 in newark, central park 71. that was a record. albany 69. bridgeport, seeing 65 degrees. you'll see near record-breaking temperatures again today the eastern half of the country. meanwhile, the western half seeing temperatures below average. we have winter storm warnings as far west as the oregon coastline. all the way down to the beach.

that's unusual even the middle of january let alone the middle of march. we have lay topsy-turvy atmosphere happening. that will probably stick. the eastern half will remain warm, the western half on the chilly side. >> rob, thank you very much. >> every morning around this time, we like to give you on early start to your day. eric holder speaking at the supreme court today. speech coming a week after he said the government does have the right to target and kill american citizens who propose a terror threat. the ncaa tournament begins tonight in dayton, ohio. western kentucky versus mississippi valley state. the winner of that game beginning on to play the top seed in the tournament. kentucky. in just a few hours, we'll be see if you've been spending

more these days. car sales are expected to drive the best retail growth in five months when the numbers come out today at 8:30 eastern time. and this just in, gas prices up to $3.81 a gallon. the national average ticked up another 0.4 cent. high gas prices are here to say. analysts say we can expect to see $4 to $5 gas through summer. >> if we're talking up, let's talk markets, shall we? the u.s. stock markets closed mixed yesterday. the dow gained about 37 points to kick off the week. the tech heavy nasdaq down a bit but the s&p 500 which is the best indicator for the stocks in your 401(k), closing mostly flat. even though there's an uptick in the arrow. >> there was nothing going on there. "the wall street journal" called it listless trading yesterday. it was a gain but it was just -- there's not much going on. people are nervous. >> i'll take that over a loss. >> true. people are wondering what the next move will be. >> you're talking this morning

about income and equality. >> this has been the head lien for, what, a year now. in the '99 versus the 1% and the whole idea of occupy wall street and wait a minute, what's happening in america? income inequality has been rising since 1967. up 18% acoring to the census bureaus. the haves have more and the have notes have less. right? that's such a political conversation. guess what? when they head to the poles today in alabama and mississippi, these are among some of the income inequal places. i want to show you a snapshot of income inequality. the darker the blue, the more unequal the income. >> look at the south. >> parts of manhattan, big urban areas, that are also unequal. six ten counties with the highest income disparity are in the southern states, texas, louisiana, georgia, south carolina and mississippi. some places are pretty reliably

red. they go for the republican candidate. so this conversation over the past year of income inequality is not something that seems to be resonating as much in some of these spots. a couple of things in mississippi, the unemployment rate is 10.4%, much higher than the national average. in alabama it's 8%. bam billion is back now to where it was. had a spike but things have been improving in terms of unemployment, the unemployment rate in alabama. also on education, these are very important things for parents and for voters in both of these states. according to "u.s. news and world report" mississippi is number 45 out of 50 of best high schools. >> best? >> 45 is not a good number. and 27 out of 50 is alabama, a better performance there. talk about income inequality, gas prices, what will be driving voter as they head to the republican primaries today. >> you know what's weird about that? mitt romney is polling well, surprisingly well in places where voters typically of this

ilk are not interested in a mitt romney. i think it's strange. >> it is interesting. this race has been so -- so interesting, right? he seems to be solidifying his lead, of course. but it has been a lot of people looking for something else, looking for something else. he's settling into that front-runner. >> i want to pull some of those stats. why is he polling well with people who would typically be conservative? >> thank you. >> you're welcome. it turned a neighborhood into a fireball. remember this? now the utility company paying the city of san bruno, california, for a deadly pipeline explosion. former secretary general who went to syria left syria and this is what he left behind, another massacre. this one, mostly women and children. so, did he do anything there at all? you're watching "early start." ts rider.

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it is 17 minutes past the hour. good morning to you, washington. it is a nice 58 degrees now. and later, 71. kind of balmy there.

nice weather. it's time to check the stories making news this morning. here is miss christine romans. good morning. >> it is primary day in two big states. let's start there. polls open in less than three hours. primaries in mississippi and alabama with a combined 84 delegates. american samoa and hawaii are holding caucuses tonight. mitt romney says the republican party is doomed if it doesn't choose a nominee before the convention. we're learning more this morning about the army staff sergeant suspected in the massacre of 16 afghan civilians, including 9 children. military officials say the unidentified soldier suffered a traumatic brain injury in a vehicle rollover while he served in iraq back in 2010. the pacific gas and electric company will pay the city of san bruno, california, $70 million as compensation for the 010 gas pipeline explosion. the explosion blew open a crater 72 feet long, 26 feet wide,

killing eight people and destroying dozens of homes there. and we could learn as early as today who the winner is in the peyton manning sweepstakes. the arizona cardinals and the denver broncos are thought to have the inside track on peyton manning. but there are reports manning may still meet with the miami dolphins and the tennessee titans in the next few days. zoraida is screaming new york, new york, new york. >> i'm screaming new york. i know nothing about football. i just like that guy. would be nice to see him walking around here. >> my advice is take it easy, weigh all the offers and do what makes you happiest. >> and stay healthy. >> that's an important one. >> what do you think his 401(k) is like? >> it doesn't matter. it's the whole bank account, period. >> thank you, christine. >> you're welcome. >> 19 minutes past the hour. we're getting an early read on your local news that is making national headlines this morning. we have papers from san francisco and new york city. we'll start with the "san francisco chronicle." do you remember this movie?

the '90 classic "home alone." that movie that set off ma cawley culkin's career. the house from that film has been sold for over $1.5 million after sitting on market for nearly a year. it was first listed last may for $2.4 million. the house is not in hollywood. it's on a half acre lot. three stories, 4,250 square feet, four bedrooms. nice size. >> wonder what the staircase is like. you would think there are nicks all the way down. >> i say a suburb outside of chicago. >> that was hilarious. >> i wasn't paying attention because somebody was in my ear. >> that's right. "wall street journal," folks, this is a great story. i'll show you the "daily news." this woman on the front here, let me get you a better shot of her. that's the madam lady who is plaguing our papers, the madam who is apparently real broke.

everybody says she's a madam who was operating a broth and was pulling in somewhere between $10 million and $15 million a yeacc judge, she says she doesn't have two million dollars for bond. peter gleason, former cop, he's her lawyer. he's putting up his own loft in tribeca, $2.5 million loft as bond for her so that she can get out. then he says her family can stay there, too. >> that is a nice lawyer. that's the lawyer you want. >> that's an unusual lawyer. >> unusual move but it does happen. this stuff happens. the judge said i'll look into it and give you an answer on thursday. thursday we'll find out if she gets to stay in a $2.5 million tribeca loft and get out with an ankle bracelet or something. there will be no federal aid from fema for tornado-ravage d

harrisburg, illinois. >> take a look at the pictures. fema says the state of illinois, home owners insurance and local charities can cover all of the damage. local leaders are puzzled. >> i can't believe it. i was there a little over a week ago and saw it firsthand. i've never seen worse tornado damage. >> it really has to do with the state as a whole, not the proximity of damage to the other states. when we look and evaluate governors' requests, we look at the total amount of impact, how much was insured, what other programs may be available. >> senator dick durbin also says that he plans to meet with fema officials tomorrow and will ask them to reconsider their decision. i remember talking to fema early on and they said we're beginning to sit back, we're going to wait and assess the situation before we start spending federal dollars there. >> soledad and i spent a fair amount of time in harrisburg.

here's the deal. while the pictures look brutal and anybody who lives there has suffered greatly. the damage was pocketed, though. it wasn't like joplin where the city was ravaged. when we drove into the city, i thought we were in the wrong place. we drove in on the north part of city and everything was fine, then we got to this, the strip mall with the sports store that was a disaster. then there was the housing complex where five people died out of the six that died in harrisburg. i think i can understand it but it's no less painful. >> it's tough for the folks who live there as well. >> and the folks who have to put up with that kind of a decision. 23 minutes past 5:00. coming up, here's a weird one. take a shot. tide, imagine trying to shoplift tide. they're big, heavy and somehow people are stealing it by the truckload. tide. tide. people trying to figure out why at this point. police getting involved.

we'll try to get to the bottom of it. you're watching "early start." sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers.

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it is march madness gop style. the party's final four in the deep south. >> mitt romney is trying to secure status in the deep south, saying it's him or it will be nobody. who will be left standing tonight? you're watching "early start."

it is 27 minutes past 5:00 on the east coast. welcome back to "early start." i'm ashleigh banfield. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. we're very happy you're joining

us this morning. time to check stories making news this morning. defense secretary leon panetta says the massacre of 16 afghan civilians allegedly by a single u.s. soldier won't alter the course the united states and its nato allies have charted for afghanistan. panetta says war is hell and tragic events take place. it's important to stick to the strategy. >> record floodsple slaing southern louisiana, some areas hit with more than 20 inches of rain. flash flood warnings still in effect, four-foot floodwaters surrounded a school bus with middle school kids in it on monday in lafayette parish. they were rescued, all are safe. tornado-raferage, harrisburg, illinois will not be getting federal aid from fema. their request has been deny. seven people were killed, 98 homes were levelled in harrisburg during last month's deadly storms. the city's mayor says he just doesn't get it.

fema insists the state home owners insurance and local charities can cover all of the costs there. the reverend robert shuler is resigning from the board of directors of the crystal cathedral. you might remember him because he founded the televangelist ministry four decades ago and made it famous through his hour of power tv program. the mega church has fallen on hard times in recent years. a $27 billion lawsuit against the three largest tobacco companies in canada is now in court. the civil class-action suit claims the companies do not adequately warn of the dangers of cigarettes. one of companies is calling the lawsuit an opportunistic cash grab. and you might call this a grime wave, yes, i get grime, not crime. apparently police across the country are trying to figure this one out. why are thieves stealing so much tide laundry detergent? some stores like safeway and walmart are reporting losing

$15,000 to $20,000 a month in tide detergent alone. police say it's possible that maybe addicts are trading it for drugs or selling it on the black market, though why they would choose something like that instead of something small like batteries, i don't know. but tide, a big issue. >> interesting. >> just tide. not like all the other nice spring smelling detergents out there. very odd. president obama's approval rating is plunging. that is according to the latest "new york times"/cbs poll. despite an improving jobs picture and protracted republican primary battle. 47% of americans disapprove of the president's job performance. only 41% approve. just last month, the president's approval rating hit 50% in that same poll. it is 30 minutes past 5:00. there's absolute outrage brewing in florida over the killing of an unarmed teenager in a gated community. police say so far no charges are

planned against the person who shot the 17-year-old. here's what happened. the community was in sanford, florida. the 17-year-old's name is trevon martin. he was walking to his father's fiance house after getting skittles and a couple of thins s the the store. then he came in contact with another person. martin, the 17-year-old is black. zimmerman is white. police took zimmerman into custody after zimmerman allegedly shot the teenager but then released him saying there are no grounds to disprove his story that he was scare for his life. but listen to what trevon martin's mom has to say about this. >> i stand before you today asking for justice for my son. i just want justice for my son.

i love my son dearly. my heart is broken and i don't know what else to say. >> it is difficult to hear those words, perhaps even more difficult for folks in that community to try to figure out why this is happening. joining me now to maybe try to sort through some of this is cnn legal contributor paul kallen. the first question is, he had a pack of skittles in his pocket. he had an iced tea and maybe something else. he was not arm. by all accounts this 17-year-old kid is not armed yet he's dead. where is the disconnect? >> this is shocking, shocking case. he was shot in the chest. he has no weapon, no knife, nothing that would indicate he had the ability to inflict deadly physical force on this individual, george zimmerman who shot him. and people are stunned by it. but you know, the police have said mr. zimmerman when he was questioned indicated that he was acting in self-defense, that the

young man had attacked him and that he had the right to protect himself with a weapon. and ashleigh, i have to tell you, florida is one of about 15 states in the united states that have something called a stand your ground law. >> a-ha. >> it's very easy to assert self-defense in florida. this law was signed by governor jeb bush in 2005 and it changed the law in florida. it said basically that even if you're outside of your home, if you think you're under attack and have to protect yourself, you can use deadly physical force. you don't have to run or retreat. >> i get that. but don't you have to be met with deadly force? if someone brings a knife to a gun fight, that ain't fair. don't you have to feel deadly force before you can react with deadly force, understand your ground? >> yes, understand your ground. you have to be in reasonable fear of deadly physical force. it's not decided by whether one guy has a knife and the other has a gun which is the phrase you're referring to, bringing a

gun to a knife fight. you usually lose in court when you do that. however, in florida if you say to the police i was acting in self-defense, he attacked me and i was afraid for my life, the police are in a bind. here, let's look at this fact pattern. what we know now, i don't know what's going to develop. this is being investigated by the state's attorney's office and it may turn if additional facts come to light. the police know one thing, zimmerman has said he was aing toing me. i was in fear of my life. i had to take a gun out and shoot to protect myself. they have no other evidence. so they're saying the only evidence we have is a statement that he acted in self-defense. you as a prosecutor have to be able to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. how do they disprove his statement? >> there's where the facts and the evidence come in. >> that's right. >> we don know about witnesses. we do know there are 911 calls, people calling in to complain about the altercation. we know that zimmerman had a

bloody nose and apparently on his back there were grass stains and blood as well. that has to factor in well for him as the police try to find probable cause, right? >> it will factor well for him. i have seen reports, though, that zimmerman may have a criminal record himself. >> does that matter? >> well, i think it will have a bearing on the investigation. you can have a criminal record and still act in self-defense but certainly it is something the police will consider. i was kind of shocked when i was looking at the research on this za stand your ground law. there have been about 65 cases of death where this law has been the deciding factor. in other states you have an obligation to try to retreat first. >> but not in florida. >> not in florida. >> if you're in your house and someone enters, you can do what you want, right?

>> what florida has done, it's taken the castle doctrine, which means you can protect your home and allowed you to use that same doctrine in the street. it moves it to the street and they name it stan your ground in florida. >> you and i aren't finished talking about this. we have to figure out what the state's attorney will do about this and see if he's beginning to be charged with anything or is this the end. >> it's a tragic case and i think we'll see more developments as the week goes on. >> paul, thank you. still ahead, more bank outrage now. citibank cutting jobs, giving a massive bonus to its ceo. you're watching "early start." y 'bout my facial hair. but if i grow this out a little bit, i look too much like an english country gent... naaah. a little this way and i feel like i'm from outer space. this and i feel like a viking... [ roars ] not my style, man. [ male announcer ] master your style...

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sun's coming up soon on you, atlanta. good morning to que. it's 60 degrees currently. but you've got a warm one, 79

degrees your expected high today. looks like there are clouds in the sky. maybe that heat will burn them off as you head off to work this morning. >> that would be nice for them. >> pretty shot. >> yes, it is a pretty shot. stakes are high in the south, the polls open in alabama and mississippi. romney is hoping to pull off a southern sweep. he may have to knock out newt gingrich in order to do it, though, the new american research poll shows in alabama gingrich leads romney 34% to 31%. that's within the margin of error. meantime in mississippi, romney leads groi s gingrich, 34% to 3. a statistical dead heat. the gop needs a nominee and they need a nominee now, warns romney. let's talk to our political panel, matt keelan, from gardendale, alabama, cnn political editor, paul stein hauser and also linda moore-forbes. it's all about the numbers. this is supposed to be

gingrich's home advantage. we say what happened to mitt romney with his home court advantage. now romney has it all tied up in the south, a is it test cal tie there. who are some of the key voting blocs that could sway the vote for either gingrich or romney? >> social conservative voters very important in alabama and in mississippi. that could be a problem for mitt romney. let's be honest. because you know, his religion, his mormon faith could be an issue with some voters in the state. the economy is still the top issue for everybody here in alabama and mississippi. social conservative voters could be influential and that could be a problem for romney. as you showed from the polls and other surveys, romney seems competitive, seems look a three-way tossup here in and mississippi. >> neck and neck. it's making it really exciting, isn't it? >> it sure is. and as you mentioned also, gingrich really needs wins here. >> oh, yeah. >> he needs awin here and in mississippi to continue on. he says regardless, he's going all the way to to the convention.

that's what he says. >> romney is trying to end it tonight whether it's through winning or dire warnings. here's what he said on fox news. >> if we go to the convention, we would be signaling our doom in terms of replacing president obama. we need to select somebody to become the nominee, get that person nominated and get focused on president obama and get him out of the white house. >> how much of this is political posturing? >> i think a fair amount of it is. he wants to start concentrating on president obama and his failed policies. and not be fighting amongst friends with santorum and gingrich. i think what you've seen over the last couple of days is that obama's numbers on the economy are starting to come down. this is when romney really wants to start zeroing in on the failed policies of the last 3 1/2 years. >> all right. we'll talk about those numbers with linda. despite the threats of doom for the gop, president obama should not citieszy, right? the latest "new york times"/cbs poll approval ratings show that he is down 4 points to 41%. the big issue that could be

affecting it, however, is gas prices. here's what white house press secretary jay carney said about this. >> what is he not willing to do is to look the american people in the eye and claim that there is a strategy by which he can guarantee the price of gas will be $2.50 at the pump. any politician who does that is lying. >> so obviously, that is a dig at newt gingrich. this is a real problem, right? 54% of people believe a president can do a lot to control gas prices. economists say that it's not true. we've had several of them on here that there's not much that a president can do. but how does president obama deal with this issue? because the american people public believes he can do something about it. >> exactly. it's a very difficult situation. he's made clear that he's doing everything he can in his power to take care of the situation in terms of an all of the above energy approach. in terms of drilling here in the u.s., in terms of oil production

and gas production here in the u.s., the president is doing everything he can to up the ante here. but it's all the speculation and all the concern about oil in the mideast. and possible disruption in those lines, those causing a lot of this. so that's why foreign policy is coming in as a big part of the polls we've seen lately, too. but i will tell you this, i know president obama and his team at the white house and also at the campaign know very well that this is an incredibly volatile, very difficult election. they're taking nothing for granted. so they are speaking every day about gas prices and what they can and can't do about it and pointing out what the other candidates can and can't do about it. they are doing everything they can to make sure that people are getting as much money into their pocket as they possibly can to deal with these issues. for romney to talk about getting other people out of the race, this is something he brought up in the last segment, in some ways he's benefitting from having both gingrich and santorum in. but he also knows that they can make sure that he doesn't have the number of delegates he needs

at the convention. so the two of them can block him from getting the nomination. >> paul, i'll give you the final word here. a lot of speculation about whether or not gingrich will drop out if he doesn't win in the south. what do you think? >> he sounds like a person who is not getting out of race. that's what he said over and over over the last two weeks. he says committed to going all way to tampa. let's be honest. if he doesn't do well here in alabama or mississippi, that course of criticism for him to get out of the race will get louder and louder and louder. >> he has plenty of super pac money left, right? >> he does right now. let's see how long sheldon adelson will continue to give that money if he doesn't do well, especially here in alabama and mississippi. cnn's coverage of the mississippi and alabama primaries begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern tonight with erin burnett. that is followed by complete live coverage of the rules beginning at 8:00 with wolf

blitzer, anderson cooper and the best political team on television. 45 minutes past 5:00 on the east coast. got gas? is it the gas price effect? president obama's approval rating is plunging, as those numbers go up. and granny goes viral. and she doesn't know what it means. her review of the town's brand new olive garden going way beyond grand forks, north dakota. we'll share all that with you. you're watching "early start." ♪ made with only milk... cream... a touch of sugar... and pure natural flavors. ♪ who knew being natural could be so delicious? coffee-mate natural bliss. from nestle. add your flavor naturally.

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and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. welcome back. it is 49 minutes past the hour. christine romans is here with a check of the stories making news this morning. christine? good morning, ladies. voting begins in just over two hours in alabama and mississippi. the polls show both primaries are tossups between mitt romney and newt gingrich.

hawaii and american samoa will hold their caucuses tonight. a total of 110 delegates up for grabs. according to the latest "new york times"/cbs poll, the president's approval rating has taken a big hit. 47% of americans now disapprove of the president's job performance. only 41% approve. just last month, the president's approval rating hit 50% in that very same poll. citigroup's ceo picked up a nice paycheck in 2011. acoring to filings with the s.e.c., he made $14.8 million last year, including a $5.3 million cash bonus. that despite the fact that citigroup's shares lost 44% of their value last year. gas prices up to $3.81 a gallon. the national average ticking up another 0.4 cents. analysts say we can expect to see $4 to $5 gas through the summer. we're only 30 cents shy of the

all-time high for gas prices set in 2008. marilyn haggerty, a restaurant critic for the "grand forks herald" in north dakota, she's become an internet sensation after her glowing review of the new olive garden in town. it went viral. actress and comedian jayne lynch guest hosting on piers morgan tonight, she talked to haggerty about her new-found celebrity. >> it just seems like it's a dream. it doesn't seem like it's real. it seems like something that i'm just sort of -- i'm going to wake up and this didn't really happen. >> haggerty says her son who happens to be a "wall street journal" reporter told her about the eat beat review going viral. she had to ask him, what does viral mean? you can read about it on front page of "the journal." they put it on the front page today. she's not just a food critic, ladies. she writes about everything and she has a sewage treatment

facility named after her. >> she has a column named eat beat. >> she's an institution in both dakotas. >> i want to be just like her when i grow up. >> i love this woman. it's the eat beat. she talks about the olive garden having a tuesday can farmhouse style with a welcoming entryway. >> she's viral but she doesn't know what that means. >> no wonder it went virt. 52 past the hour. still ahead, more people tieing the knot during march madness. it's not what you think. we are not talking about getting married. why doctors say it is a great time to have a vasectomy, gentlemen. and also, do you want to live longer? i got an idea for you. see the red meat? you might want to cut back if a study out there is accurate. it is one heck of a study. goes three decades plus. the news ain't great, folks. you'll want to hear this. you're watching "early start." [ tom ] we invented the turbine business right here in schenectady.

without the stuff that we make here, you wouldn't be able to walk in your house and flip on your lights. [ brad ] at ge we build turbines that power the world. they go into power plants which take some form of energy, harness it, and turn it into more efficient electricity. [ ron ] when i was a kid i wanted to work with my hands, that was my thing. i really enjoy building turbines. it's nice to know that what you're building is gonna do something for the world. when people think of ge, they typically don't think about beer. a lot of people may not realize that the power needed to keep their budweiser cold and even to make their beer comes from turbines made right here. wait, so you guys make the beer? no, we make the power that makes the beer. so without you there'd be no bud? that's right. well, we like you. [ laughter ] ♪ the progresso chicken noodle you made is so good. it's got tender white meat chicken. the way i always made it for you. one more thing.... those pj's you like, i bought you five new pairs. love you. did you see the hockey game last night? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

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it is 55 minutes past the hour. we like to keep you in the pop culture loop. this morning we're taking a look at what's trending on the interwebs and social media. >> march madness is a busy time in vegas, right? it's a busy time at the urologist's office. >> doctors say they see a huge increase in guys coming to get

vasectomies. just a few days before the ncaa tournament begins. why? because it's the perfect excuse to sit in front of the tv, recover and enjoy all of the games. some urologists even offer free pizza to their patients and a bag of frozen peas to apply to the affected area. the doctors that offer the free pizza, one doctor in cleveland says he does 50% more vasectomies this time of year. >> my question is what are you going to do next year in order to get the time off next year? >> at least they're getting them. that's the big complaint. maybe we should have march madness and september madness. just sayin'. the guys in the studio are cringing and they're not going to like this report either. cut out the red meat if you want to live a little longer. apparently there's a big study out now that goes decades that says this stuff will kill you.

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good morning. it is 6:00 on the dot. welcome to "early start," everyone. i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. we're very happy you are joining us. we're bringing you the news from a to z. >> scary out there about consuming red meat, burgers, steaks, and the rest. apparently the studies saying red meat being blamed for one in ten early deaths. soccer mom madam trying to get out of rikers island.

she's auccused of running a brothel but her lawyer claims she is broke now. 84 dell gates up for grabs in alabama and mississippi today. voting begins in two hours. they are in a dead heat in both dates states. afghan delegation apparently coming under attack by militants in that same village where a u.s. soldier allegedly massacred 16 civilians. live in kabul in just a moment. after four days of deadly fighting, a truce between israel and palestinian militants in the gaza strip. the cease-fire was mediated by egypt. >> the defense has rested its case in the trial of a former rutgers university student accused of using a webcam to spy on his roommate's intimate ent counter. the jury could get this case as early as the end of the day. president obama's approval rating plunging fast. in the last 30 days. in the latest poll, 47% of

americans disapprove of the president's job performance. only 41% approve. just last month the president's approval rating hit 50% in this poll. this just in at two minutes past 6:00 in the east coast, gunfire erupting at a funeral service in afghanistan for 16 of those villagers who were allegedly murdered by a u.s. soldier. the taliban is firing back this morning, threatening to behead americans anywhere in that country. let's go live now to the cnn sara in kabul. we're hearing about small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades at people in that country. >> reporter: apparently one of the officials attending this particular funeral was the brother of hamid karzai and there were several other high level officials at this funeral. we hard from a council member in that area where this massacre

occurred on sunday saying that suddenly they heard what sounded like rocket propelled grenade attack going on followed by small arms fire. we understand that there are several afghan soldiers who have been wounded. we're hearing reports that one. this comes on the heels of the taliban this morning sending an,mail. we also received an e-mail from the taliban saying they are going to seek revenge for the killings of those civilians by allegedly by a u.s. soldier on sunday by beheading any americans in the country anywhere. so we're getting some strong words from the taliban. we're hearing that there is now some violence again in that village where all of this -- where this massacre happened on sunday. i do want to also mention that we are finally seeing protests due to the killings of 16 civilians including 9 children and 3 women. the protests were happening in eastern afghanistan, in jal

jalalabad. hundreds of university students took to the street chanting. there was no violence but the road to jalalabad was closed down and it is due to hope that the time. >> sara sidner live for news afghanistan. thank you. mitt romney says republican party is doomed. in november if it doesn't choose a nominee soon. here's how today's races are shaping up. new american are search group poll shows romney leading newt gingrich 34% to 32% in alabama. rick santorum well behind in third place. similar story in mississippi for you. romney leading gingrich, 34% to 32%. that is a statistically tie. santorum is trailing by double digits, suggesting, gingrich, get out of the race. >> do well done here in south

carolina, georgia. but he hasn't done well anywhere else. he hasn't had second place. we need somebody to run across this country. >> that was tough to understand. cnn political editor paul steinhauser live in gardendale, alabama, for us. this is a statistically dead heat but this is gingrich's home turf. what does he need to do to skew those numbers? >> he needs to win. he needs to win in alabama, he needs to win many mississippi. he did do that. he's polling well. you just shoid the two polls from the american research group. other surveys as well show gingrich as of now holding well here in alabama and neighboring mississippi. but so important for him to continue on. you know at one time his campaign said if he didn't do well here in alabama and mississippi, that would be the end. take a listen to what the former house speaker has to say.

>> we stay in the race for two reasons. i do not believe the other two candidates can beat obama and i believe this race is most important in our lifetime, and i will not leave the field. second, when we win, we can't just beat obama. we have to win in a principled way on a big enough agenda with enough momentum that we can actually change washington decisively or we are not going to get this country back on the right track. i think i'm the only candidate who can do that. >> sure sounds like a person who is staying in the race to me regardless of what happens here. but again, if he doesn't do well here in alabama and mississippi, you're going to hear a chorus of cheer or criticism for him to get out of the race. >> i have another question for you. the fox were think effect. he's been stump for romney. have you seen that? >> yeah with yesterday, all day yesterday, jeff foxworthy, who is pretty darn popular down here

in the south for many, many years, yeah, he endorsed romney a couple of days ago and stumped with romney in a couple of ents here in alabama. this is part of romney charm, trying to see that he can relate to southerners, talking about his love of cheesy grits, campaigning with foxworthy. he's been endorsed by the governor of alabama and mississippi. but romney trying to lower expectations here, he says this is an away game for him if. if he does better than expectations, he will be happy. >> thank you very much. and you can keep it on cnn now through november for the best political coverage on television. in the 7:00 a.m. hour on "starting point" soledad o'brien will be joined by jackie cushman. the primaries begin at 7:00 p.m. eastern tonight with erin burnett and followed by complete live coverage of the results beginning at 8:00 with wolf blitzer, anderson cooper and the best political team on

television. it is seven minutes now past 6:00 on the east coast. a deturningly familiar site in louisiana. torrential rains leaving some communities there under water. under 18 inches of rain falling in southern louisiana. hundreds of people had to be rescued. we're going to take you live to the cnn weather center to get updated on this one. meteorologist rob marciano doing the job for thus morning. i hate seeing pictures like that. i keep thinking, this is only march. it doesn't seem right at this time. >> you think this came from a hurricane but it was a thunderstorm that saddled indiana and flooded those areas. the problem with that spot of the world, it's flood. flash flooding with other areas that goes real quick. it sits around for a little bit longer. they have flood warning across south central louisiana or a good chunk of today until that water drains out. showers across the i-95 corridor. not heavy rain producers. response of heat that built up yesterday and continue to hang around today. 73 in newark.

71 in central parts. some of the current temperatures in the northeast today would be above what your normal high would be. very, very tropical. portland, seeing snow. down the beach to western oregon. that's where your colder air is. central part of the country, more warmth. eastern two-thirds of the country will keep the warmth in place. i don't really see it ending any time soon. 65 in chicago for high temperature. well above average. 71 in new york city. almost 80 degrees in kansas. quick check on weather. >> crazy weather. >> you don't see an end to this? >> not for the next several weeks. trend shows this ridge of warmth hanging tough. >> and all that cold air from canada no, effect? >> apparently ever since you got here that's all the export. >> did you catch that was the word of the day, by the way? >> i didn't recognize it but i like it. >> the crew is only half there this morning. they're tired. thank you, rob marciano. still ahead, you know that

burger you were planning on for lunch or dinner or maybe even breakfast? think twice, my friends. >> do you think you could see bison, instead? >> it's a red meat problem. this study is a serious study, foebs. you may have heard this before you need to listen up to time because it's literally taking years off your life. >> i can't wait to hear about that. fema denies a town where it killed seven people and levelled 100 homes. why did they deny them aid? what's this? [ male announcer ] quaker oatmeal squares

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good morning, new york city. 54 degrees right now. a little bit later today it is going to be 68 degrees. 13 minutes now -- 14 minutes past 6:00 on the east coast. welcome back to "early start." all that nice weather may be starting to think about barbecuing. you're thinking about barbecuing hamburgers you might want to think again about dinner tonight after you hear this next study. apparently eating just one serving of red meat per day will increase your risk of dying young. period. senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen joins us now from atlanta with detailsing on this. elizabeth cohen, ugh, i love you. >> did i ruin your lunch. >> i hate that you come to me with these stories. i love red meat, bacon, hot dogs, all the things i'm supposed to not love. why is this different? >> this study is different, ashleigh, baz it is a particularly large study. we're talking about more than

120,000 people studied in this harvard study. doctors and nurses, all right? so they asked these doctors and nurses how much meat do you eat and followed them for 25 years. so they could see who died in that 25 years and who didn't. let's look at the serving size. folks who have a serving of meat, this is what a serving looks like. three ounces. there it is. that's three ounces. keep in this mind. that's tiny. or two slices of bacon, that would be the processed meat serving. keep these in your mind visually and then look at these numbers. folks who had one of those servings a day of meat had an increased risk of dying during that study period of 13%. 13% more likely to die during that 25-year period. if they had a serving of processed meat like that bacon, they had a 20% increased risk of dying during those 25 years. so that's a pretty big increase

consider that we're just eat that once a day. that's not a huge amount. >> two little pieces of -- who has two pieces of bacobacon. s that bacon bit. >> i want to know who eats a thre three-ounce steak. >> that's called leftovers, that's a nibble. americans are eating way too much. sometimes i think that's what's killing us instead of red meat. how much can we -- if we're absolute junkies on the red meat, how much can we eat before we become lethal? >> ashleigh, all good questions get three answers. i'm going to give you three answers to that good question that you just asked because there is no one answer. first i'm going to tell you what a commentator said, dean ornish. is red meat bad for you? in a word, yes. just don't eat it. the american meat industry says, red and processed meat continues to be a healthy part of a

balanced diet. the third answer comes from the guy who actually did this study and he said, look, you don't have to be a vegetarian but for every portion of meat that you replace with chicken, with fish, with nuts, with beans, you are going to be better off and live longer. that's how he put it. >> so it's just that thing again that we always hear, just be balanced, be careful and don't eat too much? >> realize every time you say no to meat and say yes to fish or nuts or whatever, you're increasing your lifespan, according to this study. or legume. >> legume. that was the word of the day a few shows back. that would have been helpful. >> i was hoping it was only processed meats. >> i know. how many kids eat hot dogs on a regular basis or have bacon on their burgers. i think christine romans has bacon every day. >> she does. >> i asked her if you had yourself checked out by a doctor because, yeah, you do this almost on a daily basis, we can train our kids. >> look at her smiling. you're smiling and you're

teeny-weeny skinny mini. >> son jay e-mail me, walk by the studio and see what i'm eating, just stop. just stop. stop. >> i know what keeps you thin and healthy, it's that you're constantly working on top stories, aren't you in sfl yes, as a matter of fact. look, i want to get to what is going on right now. 18 minutes past the hour. let's check on the top stories making headlines. i want to start in afghanistan. rockets and gunfire erupting as an afghan delegation attended a funeral in a village where sunday's massacre occurred. that delegation included the brother of president hamid karzai. talibans said they would avenge the killings by beheading americans. the city's request has been requested by fema. 98 homes levelled in harrisburg during last month's killer storms. the city's mayor says he simply does not understand this decision, but fema claims that state homeowners insurance and

local charities will be able to cover the damage. pacific gas and electric company will pay san bruno, california, $7 million as compensation for that 2010 gas pipeline explosion. that explosion blew open a crater 72 feet long, 26 feet wide, killed 8 people and destroyed dozens of homes. the new york mother of four accuse of being a high-end madam, she's broke. that's according to her attorney. he's offering his own loft as bail so anna kristina can get out of jail. the judge will consider that offer at a hearing on thursday. ashleigh and zoraida? >> 19 minutes past 6:00. thanks for that, christine romans. still to come on "early start," the united states going after china and this one's a weird one. it's all about rare things that you find in the ground that are critical to our everyday existence. former illinois governor rob blagojevich has a new home, federal prison. we're going to chat with somebody who has been there on what he can expect. you're watching "early start."

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the benefits of calcium in a sweet, delicious treat. enjoy vitafusion calcium gummies today. this just in. pictures from our atlanta affiliate wsb. that's a delta plane. if you think it looks like it's on an angle, it is. veered off the taxi way a little earlier today. passenger plane but apparently there aren't any passengers on board because it was undergoing maintenance. we're not sure if it was being driven or towed, but something went wrong. and it went off the taxi way. it's not impeding any traffic in atlanta hartsfield airport at this point. but we are told that maintenance officials are trying to get it out of there. federal aviation administration spokesperson said that this was just something that happened with maintenance only. this was not, again, any passengers on board and all is

good if you're flying in and out of atlanta today. you might see that but it's not going to affect your flight as of now. >> nobody was on board that plane. >> i was worried about that. >> everybody is okay. >> so far so good. minding your business now. christina is here watching a new trade spat brewing between china and the united states. it's rare earths. we need them for just about everything and they're controlling them. >> rare ates, you may have never heard of this. 17 different elements that are i believe credibly important to the u.s. military, complex weapon systems, your computer, basically you name it. i'm going to show you a list of things that they're in but rare earths are used to make fiber optics, fiber cars, so many things that the economy depends on. why is this a trade spat between the u.s. and china? because china controls the mining and the production of these rare earths. a lot of countries that have them, the u.s., canada, australia, places that do mining of these things, over the past 20 years, you know, china has dominated the markets has flooded the market with rare

earths. sort of taken over the business. and now this administration is concerned. it's concerned about the supply, it's concerned about the fact that china has actually said about its own environment and environmental protection it's going to limit the amount of rare earths it's exporting. china controls something that we all need, for example, in the cockpit of a fighter jet and we need it, they're limiting it, that's something that concerns the government. i tell you, 2005 was the first time that some contractors to the pentagon started calling me, started calling us at cnn and saying we're concerned about rare earths. >> really? 2005? where were they in 1990. >> you and i were talking about this over the break. china thinks in 15 and 100 years economic plans. the united states thinks in election cycles. china has laid out a strategy for its economy to grow, to get people to work, to get modernized industries, to move into the future, into the next

century. tantd united states, this has sort of happened under our noses. >> canada is mining like crazy. >> by 2015 i think some more of the mines will be up and running in australia, canada, the united states because thelyi inwriting on the wall. they need to secure these resources. >> to catch up with the demand. >> to catch up. it has to do with the prices of rare earths. rare earth mineral prices have declined a little bit lately. but what is the -- we are free market, right? china is not. we are a free market. so market forces decide whether or not we're going to, you know, start a mining operation. china, the government says this is a priority. we're going to do it, and they did. >> fiber optics. me thinks that will change. christine, thank you. >> thank you. 27 minutes past 6:00 on the east coast. mitt romney has a warning to sgop voters. you don't decide soon and you're going to get obama. that's that. he's hoping the wrap things up in the south tonight. we've got big coverage on it. also, it was adele's year at

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[ male announcer ] brake problems? stop in to meineke today for a free brake inspection and you'll say... my money. my choice. my meineke. it is 6:31. nice to have you back with us. this is "early start." i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. time to check the stories make news this morning. voting begins in 90 minutes in alabama and mississippi. the polls show both primaries are toss-ups between mitt romney and newt gingrich. hawaii, american samoa hold caucuses tonight. afghan militants launching rocket attacks and opening fire as a high-level afghan delegation attended a funeral in the district where sunday's massacre took place.

one report says the taliban's threatened to avenge the killings allegedly by a u.s. soldier by beheading americans anywhere in that country. in the mean time, a defense secretary is embarking on a five-day tour of asia in the middle east. he's en route to his first stop this morning, an air base in. billboard's number one earning artist, beating out u2, lady gaga and little wayne. she earned over $35 million in 2011. all right. if you ask mitt romney, there's a lot more than just 84 delegates at stake when the polls open up in alabama and mississippi in 90 minutes. he's now sounding a serious warning among the gops saying, guess what, you're going to get a president obama in november if republicans don't settle down and just pick one nominee and

pick soon. >> if we go all of the way to the convention, we would signal our doom in terms of replacing president obama. we need to select someone to become our nominee, get that person nominated and get focused on president obama and get him out of the white house. >> and he's not doing too badly either, if you look at some of the new polling. the american research group poll has him kind of neck and neck, as a matter of fact, in alabama. while gingrich is leading him 34-31. it's within the statistically margin. it's a dead heat. in mississippi he's doing even better. he's leading gingrich, 34-32%. again, within the margin, but, hey, those numbers ain't bad if you're from way up north and you're talking about grits and trying to say y'all to get votes down in the south. live from washington, republican strategist matt heelen is joining us to talk about these numbers and more. from alabama, cnn political editor paul steinhauser is with us live. and in washington democratic strategist linda moore forbes.

paul steinhauser, since you're the numbers guy, want to start with you. those numbers are not bad and typically not the voters who go for a guy like mitt romney. why is he polling so well in the southern states? >> yeah, not bad at all. very surprising. other polls also indicate that he's basically neck and neck with gingrich and santorum here in alabama and next door in flay boring police m neighboring mississippi. usually groups that mitt romney does not do well with, but there are also a lot of -- maybe more moderate republican voters as well in both states that maybe look to mitt romney as the person who can win the nomination. he's been lowering expectations. you mentioned that. he said it was an away game down here. so if he does well, even if he doesn't win but if he performs strong here in alabama and mississippi, it's going to a win for him regardless. he's going to take home a bunch of delegates. it's not going to end. you play a sound for mitt romney, it's not going to end here in alabama and mississippi.

this thing is going to go on for a while. gingrich and santorum not buy that armth from mitt romney, that they need to get out for the good of the party. >> there's the win when it comes to the delegates and a win when it comes to ending this darn thing already. to that end i want to throw up the demographic of the southern voter. we have interesting statistics based on exit polls in 2008. look at your screen if you're brushing your teeth right now, folks, but take a peek. in mississippi, typical southern voter, 30% has no college education. 81% made less than 100 grand. and 69% are born again or evangelicals. in alabama, not a lot different but college education, 82% making less than 100 gs. 77% born again or evangelicals. the question obviously would be at this point, if mitt romney can secure either one or two of these states, has he finally gotten the brass ring? has he been able to secure that

uber conservative vote that's alluded him for so long. >> i do think if he wins one or two of these contests he's going to g a long way of putting gingrich and santorum in the rearview mirror to start consent ta traiting on the america. every contest that we're going to be facing, if mitt can go down in mississippi he's to have a good night and win the other two contests in hawaii and american samoa. >> i'm not sure i understand why rick santorum isn't doing better. this seems to be his core voter. he's done better in the midwest with this core voter. what's going on in these states? >> ashleigh, it's a clear case of until one of these guy, santorum or gingrich, get out of the race, they're going to have a real tough time coalescing enough votes to beat romney because he's got 35%, 34%. >> i want to switch gears a little bit now to gas prices

because while maybe gas prices are factoring in somewhat into the campaign for these guys right now, they're certainly going to factor in probably pretty heavily for the general election. take a look at some of the stats from years gone by of what happens when gas prices go up 50% -- excuse me, 50 cents plus. what happens to the guy in the white house? if we can throw up our chart it begins in 1980 -- we don't have it? oh, rats. we did such awesome work. i'll summarize for you. it stinks. if you're in the white house, 1980, in the white house, gas prices go up 50 cents, you're out. except for i think it was 2004 because it was the first election post-nen and we were in two wars. linda moore forbes, yikes, we are in a bad way when it comes to gas prices. do you think this is going to be the single most important narrative for whoever this candidate is going to be up against obama? >> well, i think it's going to be one big issue. the economy in general obviously is a big issue, too.

i don't believe we've ever re-elected a president with 7.5 or above unemployment rate, either. but this is a very difficult election with a lot of tough issues. foreign policy could weigh into this, too, if something critical happens with israel and iran. so with so many challenges on the board, i think this is why you're also seeing the volatility in the electorate. seeing so many challenges out there on the economy, gas prices, foreign policy, all the difficult things that have been happening in afghanistan lately. very unfortunate things. so i think that gas prices are huge and there's only so much a sitting president can do about that. what we're seeing is president obama has taken a hit. i would say unrightly so by the republican candidates stirring up the notion that, you know, they are going to have the magic bullet to drive gas prices down in a way that honestly they couldn't if they weren't. >> in the last few weeks we are seeing the stats out this morning the polls showing his approval rating has been dropping. remains to be seen how far it will drop or if it will rebound.

matt keelen, paul steinhauser -- go ahead, quickly? >> what we're seeing here is that the republicans are really in their campaign, really attacking president obama day in and day out. we haven't seen president obama especially gauging in a campaign yet. i can tell you flat out that when president obama engages -- >> i've seen it. i've seen it when he's out on his stump. i've seen it. maybe you're not hearing it because you've got the demo echo going. i got to run. i got to pull it off there, guys. have you back for sure. thanks to all three of you. 39 minutes past the hour. rod blagojevich is heading to his new home, federal prison. we're going to talk to someone who has been there, done that. you're watching "early start." why did we start a school in i think it started with our own conversations art our own educations and how hard it was for us to find our own perfect place in the world, wishing our school had done a different job,

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good morning, chicago. what a beautiful picture. lovely on the streets. it's awfully quiet at 6:43 eastern time. it's going to be 75 degrees in chicago today. >> that's the chicago river right there. beautiful site. miss home. the country knows him as blago but on thursday former illinois governor blagojevich will have a new name. even though his wife begged the judge to be lenient saying, quote, i ask you humbly with the life of my husband and the childhood of my dathers in your hands, be merciful. he will serve a 1446 ye-- 14-ye

senten sentence. what can he expect on the other side? larry levine, founder of wall street prison consultants. he has served 20 years in nine different federal prisons. you have quite a bit different perspective there. blago is not expected at that prison until thursday. what can he do to get through this and what can he expect on his first day? >> well, let's talk about his first 30 minutes. he'll know that he's not in control of anything when they fingerprint him, take his picture and tell him to take his clothes off, throw them on the floor. they make him bend over and cough and basically do a search on him. let's say make sure he doesn't have a machine gun or something hidden up his back end. but really the federal system is boring. he's going to be living groundhog day, day in, day out, working menial jobs. probably the first thing they will give him is a job because they like to demean these people. maybe have him clean the

toilets, clean the showers for 12 cents an hour. >> now, this is -- this is a low security prison. what does that mean? >> well, it's an fci, it's not a usp and it's not a camp. low fci, he's going to be living in a dormitory with other inmates. there are no cells to speak of. but don't kid yourself with the word low. there have been who have worked their way down in custody. he gets out of line, and he's an arrogant guy, i can see somebody possibly putting their fist in his face or something, knocking those pretty teeth out, it could happen. >> he has a lot of notoriety coming in. i see them seeing him as celebrity. >> you're going to have three classes of people. some people are going to say here's another inmate. other people are going to be sucking up to him. the other people are not really going to care. you have a lot of people of note right it more righty in there.

he's going to be under the spotlight and people are going to be watching him. what other inmates are going to be able to get away with, he's not going to because everyone is going to have their eyes on him. >> there's a word currency that we talk about when folks are in prison. can you talk about that? >> currency could be anything, let's say, used to be cigarettes, postage stamps, anything that can be used for barttering and for trade is considered to be currency p. if i was him i might cozy up to some of the hispanic inmates that work in the dining hall that could get him some special food they stole out of the dining hall so he doesn't have to eat the garbage they're going to give him normally. >> what do you think he will miss the most as he's headed in? >> probably his wife, children, family. his freedom. he's going to go from using a telephone for 15 minutes at a shot, 300 minutes a month. he will only be able to visit with his family four days a week

and that's if they come every week. i think maybe they only get seven or eight visiting days a month there. he's going to be out of control. he's going to have kids fresh out of the military working for the bop, bureau of prison, telling him what to do. >> there was some talk about whether his wife and two young daughters would move to that area. do you know anything about that? >> i heard they're not but i understand the reason he went to that institution, it's in a major metropolitan area. i mean, the view is great. it's like a million dollar view. they have a lot of visit there's. they've got the drug program there. when he finally gets eligible to go to a camp, they've got the camp right there. but i heard that he's actually going to commute. >> when do you become eligible? >> well, he's got a 14-year sentence. he's not going to be eligible really until his last 30 months in custody. they plug you into that at the end. he may not even get into the program. >> what kind of advice would you give him since he does have 14

years that he's facing? >> well, you know, there's no con jew gal v conjugal visits in the fed. i would do with my wife because 14 years is a long time. >> larry levine -- >> i would -- >> go ahead. >> i would maintain respect with people, don't do somebody else's time top do your own time. don't get caught up in the drama. don't get caught up in the politics. be extra polite. maybe before you go in, governor, put all the names, addresses, and phone numbers, people you want to contact, pictures, get it ready to mail in to yourself because you're going to learn you can't rely on other people. you're going to have to rely on yourself. and the biggest thing inside, don't become a rat. don't become a snitch because you're not going to get any respect anywhere. >> all right, larry levine, thank you for joining us this morning. >> glad to be here with you. >> that is a long sentence, folks, when it's federal, you don't get a whole lot of benefit. you serve just about all of it.

soledad o'brien is joining us with a look at what's coming up on "starting point." good morning. >> good morning. coming up this morning we're going to talk to sandra fluke, she's at the center of the controversy on. she's going to talk about how she feels the message is being lost, in her words. also, we're going to talk to a guy who is a star of a new reality show coming out called "the shahs of sunset." it's kind of like "jersey shore" but it stars iranians. we're going to talk to him about that, cast member straight ahead this morning. that's on "starting point" at the top of the hour. see you back right after this commercial break. [ beep ] [ mom ] scooter?

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it is 52 minutes past the hour. time to check the stories making news this morning. here is ms. christine romans. >> let's get back to that delta air lines jet you were showing pictures of. no passengers on board but it has veered off a taxi way at atlanta's hartsfield atlanta airport. mechanics were testing the engines when they experienced a problem with the braking system. no reports of injuries or delays there. the massacre of 16 afghan civilians in their homes allegedly by an army staff sergeant is drawing new protests this morning. hundreds of students demonstrated overnight in jalalabad. afghan delegation visiting the site of the killings reportedly came under attack from milita s militants. the taliban has threatened to behead american soldiers in response to that massacre.

primary voting begins in over an hour in alabama and mississippi. 84 delegates at stake with romney and gingrich in a dead heat. hawaii and american samoa hold their caucuses tonight. national average ticking up another four cents -- .4 rather. analysts say, you know, we can expect $4 to $5 gas through the summer. we're only about 30 cents shy now of the all-time high for gas prices setback in july 2008. >> 30 cents shy, really? >> yeah. >> do you think we can make it up there this summer? >> yeah, i think there's a pretty good chance you could. some parts of the country, guyses, you are already seeing really high gas prices. depends on where you live. >> all right. >> really mad, you know. because there's nothing you can do about it. >> it's interesting, newt gingrich is saying, look, vote for me, $2.50 gas. the president saying that campaign promises on gatt is phony. this is part of the political

conversation. >> get an electric car. thanks, christine. >> bye. so she was a restaurant critic, still is, but she's also now an international sensation. how one granny's restaurant review of the olive garden went viral and what she thinks viral means. you're watching "early start." it is yoplait. but you said it was greek. mmhmm. so is it greek or is it yoplait? exactly. okay... [ female announcer ] yoplait. it is so greek. 8% every 10 years.age 40, we can start losing muscle -- okay... wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge!

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85-year-old marilyn haggerty, critic, hag has become a internet sensation after her glowing review of the new olive garden in town went viral. actress and comedian jane lynch guest hosting on "jay leno" talked to haggerty about her new found celebrity. >> it just seems like it's a dream. it doesn't seem like it's real. it seems like something that i'm just sort of can't -- i'm going to wake up and this didn't really happen.

>> by the way, her review is really good. she loved the decor, tuscan, farm house. and she loved the food. it was a sweet review. adorable review. her son who is a "wall street journal" reporter told her that her review went viral and her response was, what does that mean? what is viral? adorable. adorable. >> very sweet. that is news. it's nice to have you with us. >> "starting point" with soledad o'brien starts right now. >> and good morning, everybody. come a southern showdown to tell you about today. it is primary day in the deep south as alabama and mississippi go to the polls. mitt romney hoping to seal the deal. how many times have i said that on television? hoping to seal the deal. newt gingrich hopes to survive. how many times have i said that? hundreds of people are protesting in afghanistan after the slaughter of civilians by a u.s. soldier. new violence is erupting in that same area. the taliban say they're going to avenge those deaths by beheading americans. new details about