on the broadcast tonight, it is super tuesday, decision day in 11 states including a big one that could have the power to tip the republican race. not so fast, president obama pushes back against the increasing drumbeat toward war with iran and he calls out his republican opponents for it. local hero. the incredible story of a woman who risked her own life to save her two children during that awful tornado outbreak. kids and cavities. surprising news tonight about preschoolers and what's happening to their baby teeth. and mr. mayor, on a busy primary night, a young man who already won his race, now he just has to finish high school. "nightly news" begins now.

good earning. 8:30 in the east. 5:30 on the west coast. on super tuesday night, 11 states in play tonight, 424 gop delegates in all. and here is what we know. the projections and calls we have so far. this was an open net for the former governor of the bay state, massachusetts. mitt romney, our projected victor there as he is in the neighboring state of vermont. commonwealth of virginia, as well, in the romney column tonight. georgia was our first call of the night for native son, long time member of congress and house speaker newt gingrich. and then this, of course, is tonight's big prize. too close to call at this hour. this one could go late. the state of ohio, oklahoma, too

early to call is the way we have it between santorum and romney. ditto, tennessee. too early to call. though you see the percentagewise, santorum with a big lead. so early on, and, again, some big ones yet to know, a good night in the romney column. let's check in at romney headquarters in boston. peter alexander with us from there tonight. hey, peter, good evening. >> reporter: hey, brian, good evening to you. you can hear the music blairbla here and the crowd has been shouting as each state goes up into the win column tonight. they recognize states win headlines, delegates win the nomination. that remains their focus over the course of this evening. they're really focused specifically on ohio and tennessee. when we saw mitt romney a short time ago arriving home in the state where he served as governor, sleeping in his own bed now tonight for first time in two months, he appeared as positive, as optimistic, as relaxed as we have seen him over

the course of this campaign. tonight, his son is serving him and his wife ann dinner. we also just received the extras of what governor romney, a short time from now in his speech to the crowd here, brian, sharp rhetoric sharpening his tone against the president and saying specifically, to the millions of americans who can look around and only see jobs they can't get and bills they can't pay, i have a message, you have not failed, this president has failed you. >> the campaign trail goes on regardless of tonight's outcome. it is unlikely we'll see any dropouts or defections. peter alexander from romney headquarters back home in boston. let's go to ron mott in steubenville, ohio, the big state really that we're waiting for tonight, just because of its role in american politics and it is so representative of the rest of the country and all its various facets. ron, good evening. >> reporter: hey, brian, good evening to you. there is some cautious optimism here with the rick santorum camp tonight. we're beginning to hear thing we

heard out of michigan out of this campaign. they're trying to temper expectations here. they believe they have a chance to win here in ohio, but they're saying the mere fact that rick santorum is pulling within striking distance of mitt romney after having been outspent by their estimate 12 to 1, $12 million to $1 million here in ohio, they say is a win for them. of course, as peter just mentioned, it is about racking up delegates. we know rick santorum has some real delegate challenges here in ohio. he's essentially conceding almost a third of those delegates because of some filing issues with those delegates including right here in this congressional district where he did not file a full slate. now, a lot of folks may be asking if he does in fact finish second here in ohio, what happens? had a lot of momentum coming out of the three states in february. they want to know what happened? they think it may be the social message that he perhaps got a little stuck on. >> ron mott in steubenville, ohio, tonight. and we have a call just since we have been on the air. we are projecting that when all the votes are counted in the state of tennessee, it will be

rick santorum and this leads into a larger question of mitt romney's support in the american south. but, tonight, romney campaign would have loved the state of tennessee, and instead rick santorum picks up a victory this evening. so we add all of this into the hopper. and meantime, the parallel political story today happened way to the east, in washington, d.c. on super tuesday of all days. the president chose to walk into the briefing room and he held a wide ranging news conference, but chiefly on the subject of iran. what he sees as this increasing drumbeat toward a possible war with iran. he wanted to remind his competitors, those who would be president and the gop, that there can be just one commander in chief at a time. savannah guthrie with us as part of our team here tonight, watching the president with us earlier today. and she's with us tonight. savanna, good evening. >> good evening to you. the white house news is super

tuesday news conference will get more than the usual attention. as you mentioned, the questions dealt mostly with foreign policy, but with the presidential campaign here at home, clearly the backdrop to it. the president sounding off on republican rivals who have been talking tough on iran. at a news conference that coincided with the gop's primary night, the president lashed out at republican candidates he accused of, quote, popping off, with loose talk of war. >> those folks don't have a lot of responsibilities. they're not commander in chief. this is not a game. there is nothing casual about it. >> he has turned his back on the people of israel. >> reporter: the president's rivals were not letting up. >> we would not keep talking while the iranians keep building. >> reporter: today, before a pro israel lobbying group hammering mr. obama for being soft on iran. >> i will station multiple aircraft carriers and warships at iran's door. i will bring the current policy

of procrastination toward iran to an end. >> i reserve all options. >> reporter: the president spent the week trying to nullify israeli leaders, assuring prime minister netanyahu the u.s. won't tolerate a nuclear iran and would use military strikes if necessary to stop it. but the president's tone today made clear he has no appetite for war. >> this notion that somehow we have a choice to make in the next week or two weeks or month or two months is not borne out by the facts. >> reporter: republicans argue that president's obvious his tans about military force and efforts to dissuade israel from acting alone against iran sent a message of weakness to the iranian regime, an argument the president rejected. >> if some of these folks think that it is time to launch a war, they should say so. and they should explain to the american people exactly why they would do that and what the consequences would be. everything else is just talk.

>> reporter: but on the republican candidates' other criticisms of him, the president sidestepped an offer to respond. what would you like to say to mr. romney? >> good luck tonight. >> no, really. >> really. >> well, on iran, decisionmakers are operating under the assumption that the israelis will decide to take unilateral action against iran in the coming months and that sets up the questions, of course, brian, what will iran's response be, what will the u.s. response be. >> politically, one of the great advantages of an unopposed incumbent president, he's not bloodied by this fight. we see continuing tonight in the gop. savannah guthrie, who i might add, one of four former white house correspondents as part of our team tonight. the only current. we're all older, a bit wiser. only current white house correspondent, our chuck todd. since we have been on the air, we just called tennessee,

santorum. what does this do? >> the race goes on. i mean, period. this is what we know. mitt romney is not the inevitable nominee tonight. he is not the presumptive, not the de facto, none of that tonight. santorum has his case. he's at least a candidate of the conservative movement. that's what the victory in tennessee shows. that's obviously what newt's dominance in many cases of georgia, but the fact that newt couldn't spread anywhere, i do think it means that santorum is closer to continuing to be the chief challenger and we know, by the way, things in ohio, they're tight, they're going to be tight all night. >> david gregory, moderator of "meet the press" here with us. what does this force romney to do that he didn't want, didn't expect to have to do? >> to keep fighting. we were talking earlier and the question was could he lock up the nomination tonight. as chuck said, santorum has to take it out of super tuesday. it is in the south. it is being the face of that conservative movement. ohio still matters a great deal to romney. if he can win there, he can say to the florida, i won florida,

i've won ohio, i'm the best suited to go into this fall campaign. but he can't slam the door shut. and by the way, right now as we sit here, he's trying to stave off disaster because if he loses in ohio, it is a big setback -- step back for him that he has to go no more southern primaries next week. >> andrea mitchell, chief foreign affairs correspondent, let's bring this back to president obama. you want a contrast between romney and obama. it may be the idea of warships and a carrier battle group off iran with a war weary public, two conflicts over the past decade. >> and the fact that mitt romney speaking to the pro israel lobby today, said he would send multiple carriers into the region and talked about war with the president of the united states standing in the white house saying i'm the commander in chief. let's not talk bluster. let's not be so casual about this. this is serious business for serious people. a lot of echoes there of movies, of moments, of michael douglas,

but also it is the contrast that the white house really wants to have with mitt romney. and mitt romney remarked that we now know from his speech later tonight, he'll talk about president obama not observing the constitution, not being held back by the constitution. this is -- they would like it to be one on one. >> and by the way, this serious business, we'll stay at it here tonight. for those of our friends joining us now on the west coast, we wanted to remind you, we have a special hour long decision 2012 hour of coverage tonight on the super tuesday results coming up 8:00, your time on the west coast. a related story now, the fallout continues following rush limbaugh's tirade against a georgetown law school student. limbaugh lost more advertisers today. by one count, this makes 33 sponsors who have now bailed and at least a couple of radio stations have dropped his show. during that news conference today, president obama talked about calling the student by phone and he was asked about limbaugh's comment and the

president said he believes the remarks don't have a place in the public discourse. >> the reason i called miss fluke is because i thought about malia and sasha and one of the things i want them to do as they get older is to engage in issues they care about, even ones i may not agree with them on. i want them to be able to speak their mind in a civil and thoughtful way. and i don't want them attacked or call ed horrible names becaue they're being good citizens. >> president had something to add to that, by the way. said he had no way of knowing, quote, what's in rush limbaugh's heart. now we switch to what has been our top story for the last few nights and an incredible story that emernl ge the, story

heroism and sacrifice that came out of that huge tornado outbreak last friday night. this is about a mother who used her own body as a human shield to protect her children as their home came crashing down on top of all of them. we get her story tonight from nbc's tom costello in henryville, indiana. >> reporter: huddled in the basement with a massive tornado bearing down on their new home, stephanie decker had just seconds to protect 8-year-old domenic and 5-year-old reese, so she wrapped them in a blanket and laid on top of them just as the house started coming apart. >> everything was just slamming into my back. i had my children in the blanket and they were screaming. mommy, i can't live without you, i don't want to die, please don't let me die. i said, you're not going to die, we're going to make it. >> reporter: when the storm cleared the home had been wiped from its foundation. stephanie and the kids were buried. >> i took my phone and made a video to my husband -- telling him i love him.

>> reporter: it was domenic who climbed out and ran for help. a neighbor, sheriff's deputy brian lovens came running with friends to find stephanie with a severed leg and bleeding heavily. >> she's like, i'm dying. i ain't going to let you die. >> reporter: using a belt as a tourniquet they got her out and into an suv for a mad dash to an ambulance. stephanie's husband joe only knew his wife had stopped texting from the basement. >> are you okay? are you guys okay? >> reporter: he rushed home to find this. it was at the hospital he learned of stephanie's injuries. one leg severed at the knee, the other at the ankle. the kids didn't have a scratch. >> she's alive and the kids are alive. so i told her, you get to see your kids grow up. that's all that matters. >> i love you. >> i love you, too. >> reporter: at the hospital today stephanie said she's no hero.

>> i love my kids. >> reporter: one family built on a foundation of love, faith and sacrifice. tom costello, nbc news, henryville, indiana. we'll take a break on this tuesday night as we do. when we continue, why are so many american preschoolers getting so many cavities? a trend that is making for a lot of difficult trips to the dentist.

it was a shocker when people first read the story in the new york times this morning. little kids showing up at the dentist in this country in the year 2010 with multiple cavities, or worse, in baby teeth. it's happening a lot. there are some very specific reasons for it. our report tonight from our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: melody's 5-year-old son is at the dentist getting a cavity filled, his second. she said it's tough to see him in this position and vows it won't happen to her toddler hudson.

>> hudson doesn't have cavities yet. with brushing twice a day and flossing hopefully we'll avoid that. >> reporter: like many moms melody has reasons to worry. according to the centers for disease control, tooth decay in children 2 to 5 years old is on the rise, a trend we haven't seen in 40 years. children in lower socioeconomic groups are even more at risk, they tend to see a dentist less often. so, too, are children whose teeth aren't brushed every day. dr. jed best is a pediatric dentist. >> every time a child has a snack with a sugary item the mouth becomes acidic. it's the number and frequency of exposure in that acidic environment that can cause tooth decay. >> reporter: also the eating habits of american kids. they are snacking more on all the wrong foods, sweetened juices, high sugar and high carbohydrate teeth. and parents hesitate to brush their kids' teeth every day. >> the choice is you brush the child's teeth and if they cry, consider it loud cooperation. having a dental filling done is

more traumatic than having their teeth cleaned with a soft brush. >> reporter: there are other ways to avoid trouble. drink tap water, it is usually fortified with fluoride. avoid sticky foods. skip the bedtime bottle. and see a dentist by age 1, even if your baby has only one tooth. pediatric dental care is as important as a regular medical check-up. these new numbers are a wake-up call to start good habits early. dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, new york. this being super tuesday night, back to politics. we have another call, and the beat goes on for rick santorum. oklahoma tonight in his column. so there you have it, the very latest. we'll take a break. we'll continue right after this.

♪ supercalifragilistic- expialidocious ♪ one of those songs that makes you happy when you hear it. and roger sherman wrote a lot of

songs like that during his lifetime. he wrote "supercalifragilistic- expialidocious," "it's a small, world," "chim chim chiree." many of them co-written with his brother richard. they both have a star together on the hollywood walk of fame for their work with disney. robert sherman won two academy awards in his time, one grammy. he died in london on monday at the age of 86. the president today paid tribute to donald payne, the democrat from newark, new jersey, the first black congressional member elected from that state. he died of colon cancer having served until the very end. he was elected in 1988 to fill peter radino's old seat. he was a trailblazer that advocated for the plight of africa. he was uniformly regarded as a gentleman by his colleagues. he was 77 years old.

when we come back here tonight, on a big night in politics in this country, a young man who already won his race, but hardly the old-fashioned way.

finally tonight, a political race that didn't get quite as

much attention as super tuesday is getting, not that it wasn't a big deal when the young man you're about to meet was elected mayor of his town. the problem was he really couldn't celebrate because he had school the next day and he's not old enough to drink. our report from nbc's kevin tibbles. ♪ >> reporter: there he is, on the sax. not bill clinton, but jeremy minnier -- mayor jeremy minnier. >> all those opposed? >> this is my hometown. born and raised here. >> reporter: proud of it? >> all the way. next we'll go over the budget. >> reporter: this 18-year-old is the new mayor of aredale, iowa, population 74 with a dusty main street and a post office destined for closure. how old is the town? >> 112 years old. >> reporter: mayor minnier wants

to save his struggling town. >> we want to spruce it up. >> reporter: there are places where voting someone in this young would raise eyebrows but not here where they say mayor minnier is what this town needs. >> now we have time for public comment. >> reporter: as a write-in candidate he won in a landslide, 24-8. no super pac necessary. folks already know him. >> i have seen him in a stroller with his twin brother, yes. cute little bundle of joy. >> reporter: although in farm country, name recognition has its pitfalls. >> i had a lady at the bank call me jeremy manure. >> reporter: he has a part-time job preparing ribs in aredale's one restaurant. if the good citizens are hunting for their mayor, chances are they will find him tending the family farm. >> there is a lot of thoughts that run through my mind out here. >> reporter: as for big time career aspirations, don't look for mayor minnier to forget his roots. >> i don't see myself in washington, d.c. or in the capitol. i just love it here.

it's a small town atmosphere i love. >> reporter: as mayor, he'll work to keep it this way, once his chores and homework are done. kevin tibbles, nbc news, iowa. that's our broadcast on this super tuesday night. thank you for being with us. i'm brian williams. a reminder to all the folks joining us on the west coast tonight, coming up 8:00, a good evening and thanks for joining us. i'm raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. if money buys influence, then last year was a very influential year in sacramento. with nearly 7% more spending on lobbyists. the group at the top of the heap may surprise you. not big industry nor government but teachers. nbc bay area with