significantly this morning. after a shocking shooting spree allegedly by an american staff sergeant who allegedly again went door to door opening fire inside three separate homes killing at least 16 civilians, including as many as 9 children. now this incident, of course, following the koran burning with heightened tensions already between afghans and nato troops. jim miklaszewski is joining us now. what other details do we know about what happened? >> reporter: u.s. military officials say the army is, in fact, in the process of preparing charges against this 38-year-old staff sergeant, who left his remote base there in southern afghanistan somewhere about 3:00 a.m., walked nearly a mile to a nearby village, and allegedly opened fire killing 16 civilians, including 9 children and 3 women. at that point he apparently walked all the way back to the base, and wasn't until villagers

showed up with bodies of the dead and the wounded that the military officials at the base realized something has happened. it was a short time after that this staff sergeant was taken into custody. now according to officials while the charges are being prepared it is not likely they'll come today. and they won't release his identity until that time. but we do know he was a combat veteran of at least three deployments to iraq, including during the surge period, some of the most violent times in iraq. and he had been deployed to afghanistan only since last september. but according to one army official he was a combat armed soldier. so he would have been in the thick of the fighting that entire time. i can tell you while they are also looking into charges, the army is also taking a close look to see if he had been treated for ptsd, post-traumatic stress or alcoholism or drug abuse, anything that they think may

have contributed to what they call a mass murder. chris? >> jim, thank you for that update. we'll bring in nbc news military analyst and retired general, good morning to you. they are looking into the background of ptsd, these guys live together, eat together, breathe together, is it possible somebody didn't know something was wrong here? >> he was on his fourth combat tour, but he was older and allegedly married. chris, clearly this guy was emanating signals for some period of time. every soldier has a first saturday and a company commander. we are supposed to know what our soldiers are doing. i'm sure that's what the investigation will look at. i'll be surprised if there wasn't some kind of psychiatric

condition, possibly alcohol abuse, we'll see. at the end of the day what we ended up with is a senseless mass murder at a terrible time. poor afghanistan. you know, here we are ten years at war fair, $500 billion, 17,000 u.s. killed and wounded. the american people are growing tired of it. now we have this palpable tension between the afghans and what they are increasingly viewing as the occupying force. a very sad situation. >> and, obviously, it comes on the heels of the accidental burning of the korans by american soldiers. what do you think this means for americans, nato troops on the ground right now and what does it mean for our exit strategy? >> well, of course, it should be a data point. 90,000 u.s. troops, 150,000 nato, this is clearly not a reflective of the discipline of the armed forces. however, afghanistan has turned into a real tinderbox.

we can see that in the koran burning incident, in which riots broke out all over the country, six soldiers almost immediately murdered by their afghan counterparts. i would be unsurprised if this isn't a significant event. the taliban are saying to themselves, look, these guys already said they are leaving by 2014. secretary panetta said combat forces out by 2013. karzai's government is incompetent and corrupt. he's throwing kerosene on the fire. >> can we say, general, it didn't seem to help the situation with the statements made after this. >> absolutely not. he is just throwing kerosene on this whole thing. he's a disaster. so i think the upside, look, what's going to happen now in congress and the administration and among the political candidates, people want to say, if you're coming out in 2014, do you think you're going to make a substantial difference between now and then? if the answer is no, then why

take another 3,000 or 4,000 killed or wounded and spend another $240 billion? >> general mccaffrey, stay with me. i also want to bring in money reporter ben white. thank you for joining us. we are talking about nearly $400 billion spent on the war, $10 billion as we have said every month now. and i'm wondering, does this rise in terms of where we stand as part of the political debate in an election season, ben, does the foreign policy suddenly get more attention, is this an economic issue? will it be the economic debate given those kinds of numbers? >> it puts foreign policy back in the forefront temporarily. it is hard to politicize a tragedy like this at base. it is just a horrible event, but you'll see more pressure from the republican candidates to say, what are we doing in afghanistan? shouldn't we be getting out sooner rather than later? the american people are tired of both the cost of human life and the cost in dollars and cents.

it puts it front and center and puts more pressure on the administration in terms of articulating the afghanistan strategy and what it expects to have left in afghanistan when fully out of the war. >> as you well know, republicans have been criticizing the president's exit strategy. it is timeline for some time now. they have been reacting to what's happened over the last 24 hours. let me play for you what rick santorum said this morning on the "today" show. >> my position is we need to commit and be successful, but if the presence is not that commitment, then i don't see why we couldn't continue to hold on to the artificial date that is not working for us. >> there's been debate with his military advisers with how quickly to get out of afghanistan, could what happened be a game-changer and the pressure clearly put on by some of the republicans? >> sure it can, chris. it's not -- there's no question about where the policy is going and how this is going to end

over there, but this sort of thing could accelerate it. as you heard from the santorum statement, they want to take a pop at president obama, eat away on this question no matter what policies he's pursuing, but they are saying that americans have had it with afghanistan. >> can i show you the numbers so people know, this is "the washington post" poll, 43% of americans want to keep u.s. troops in afghanistan until afghan forces are trained. 54% want to withdrawal. and when asked if they approve of the president's handling situation of afghanistan, 46% to 47%. but obviously a lot of volatility in this, dana. >> you can see the logic behind those numbers. they got osama bin laden and dismantled the al qaeda leadership, that was the purpose for being there. on the one hand, you feel the public is perceiving a los of importance in the mission there, and at the same time having all

these contrary and ugly stories bubble up. i mean, you can expect the republicans to have, to be able to take some shots at president obama saying they don't like the idea of him apologizing for the united states, whether it was the koran burning and you'll probably get some of the same kind of blow back here, but ultimately they are all agreed this thing is winding its way down so there's not so much to criticize. >> if the decision is made to wind down sooner rather than later, how quickly do you think that will reasonably happen because a lot of expectations are 18 months to 2 years are probably as quickly as it can go? >> well, first of all, i think the real question at hand is, by 2014, can you leave it substantially better? can we train an afghan security force that will work by then? the answer is probably no. so once you're at that point you say, well, look, are you just trying to minimize the damage? if so, you might be able to get out in a year, but the prospect

of armageddon when you leave will fighten the administration and certainly the guys on the ground, general allen and ambassador crocker, won't want to see it come apart on their watch. it's really a dilemma. it is hard to see how we win coming out of afghanistan. >> we did get the white house releasing a picture of the president who was in the car calling hamid karzai earlier. we can show that. bottom line then, a fine line with the administration walking, what do you expect to see from the white house? >> they must be frustrated with president karzai in the statements coming out. i think you'll see a continued commitment to ending the war in afghanistan as best we possibly can and leaving the security situation that hopefully is a reasonable one. i do think you'll see the renewed urgency of winding this down as quickly as possible. they realize people are tiring of it and the poll numbers continue to shift after the event like this. i'm sure you'll see numbers move to more opposition to our continued presence in afghanistan. it's a terrible tragedy.

they are going to reach out to the afghan people and reassure them this is not a problem of what the u.s. is trying to establish there. >> and not what the u.s. is just trying to accomplish, but it is important to say not em attic of the vast majority of men and women serving over there. they have all risked their lives and in these isolated cases something taints all the work they could have done. general, good to see you. ben white, dana wilbank, see you at the bottom of the hour. we'll get you caught up on breaking news now. we learned jet blue flight 923 going from boston to chicago o'hare was diverted to buffalo after the flight crew reported a bomb threat. now that plane has been cleared but police are interviewing a passenger onboard the plane. again, flight 923 jet blue

diverted today because of a bomb threat. we'll bring you more as we learn more. we'll take a quick break and be back after this. you know when i grow up,

i'm going to own my own restaurant. i want to be a volunteer firefighter. when i grow up, i want to write a novel. i want to go on a road trip. when i grow up, i'm going to go there. i want to fix up old houses. [ female announcer ] at aarp we believe you're never done growing. i want to fall in love again. [ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday. whose non-stop day starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain.

way to go, coach. ♪

why extremists always focus on women remains a mystery to me. they want to control how we dress, they want to control how we act, they even want to control the decisions we make about our own health and our own bodies. yes, it is hard to believe, but even here at home we have to stand up for women's rights and reject efforts to marginalize any one of us. >> secretary of state hillary clinton making that rare foray into the raging political debate over women's health with

increasing signs that republicans have been taking a hit over all of us. the obama campaign today is sending out a million mailings to women in more than a dozen battleground states. three separate versions targeting mothers, young women and older women. msnbc's richard luis has been looking into this and that vote will be pivotal in november. >> no single voting bloc is more important than women. just look at the number right here. 70 million voted in 2008. the next largest group was men, but that was 10 million less. while more of the group does lean democrat, the key independent women vote is in flux. let me show you evidence from the washington post here. in 2010 independent women voters favored the gop by 11% when it came to sharing personal values. then we had debates over susan g. komen, rush limbaugh and contraception coverage. that seesaw swung in double digits the other way. independent voters now trailing

democrats by five points. women overall, house republicans led in 2010 getting 51% of women votes, but 2012 our poll shows democrats winning women for house races 51% to 36% right now. republicans are pivoting on the calls of cultural war by discussing jobs and the economy for women. >> women care about the economy, they care about their children, and they care about the debt and they are angry and furious about the entitlement debt we are leaving our children. >> we are hitting similar themes is the president's campaign site, women for obama. the president also will give the commencement at the all women college barnard. they hope the recent women war on debates will lead to wins for 11 democratic women senators. the president here wants to build on the percent of women he got back in '08.

it was a big number then. and back then the obama campaign caps off march with a women's week of action, phone banks, campus and media events getting the full force of the juggernaut. >> thank you so much. joining me now is msnbc policy analyst and president for the center of american progress who served as the senior adviser to help the obama administration pass the health care law, good to see you both. let me start with you, i think one of the most fascinating aspects i have seen in all of this, i have richard leaving it out because i want it, but until six weeks ago democrats suffered from the intensity gap, but women are closing it. what do you think has been the real impact of this whole fight over contraception in women's rights? >> oh, i think that the most significant issue is that women see that the republican party is willing to put politics and people like rush limbaugh ahead

of their own interests. you see this when mitt romney puts forward a very weak statement about rush limbaugh saying those aren't the words he would use. what are the words he would use to describe sandra fluke in the gross and horrible terms? i think the real issue is that you have seen the intense partisan nature of this debate really reflecting badly on the gop and they have been willing to put this face forward, rush limbaugh, on the issue has meant that women have woken up and recognized basic health protections that the republican party stands against them. >> the republican party response is not a huge concern, the real women's issue in the campaign is the economy, we just heard ann romney talking about the cost of milk and gas. a new washington post poll shows gas prices are hurting the president. what do you think, ez za, ezra, are the cultural wars creating

something more significant long term? >> first, i like neera's coining of rush law for rush limbaugh. we have seven to eight months until the election and will this issue decline quickly or will people forget about it in six months? will people be thinking back to march and thinking, man, rush limbaugh said something terrible and mitt romney didn't stand up for it. on things like that i'm skeptical, but what this does do and is creating a problem for mitt romney right now is exposing an unhelpful tension for him right now in the republican party. mitch daniels, the governor of indiana, proposed a social issues truce while the economy was in such pain and he got torn apart by social conservatives for it. so on the other side the social conservatives who want the argument who like rick santorum want to go around the country to explain why birth control is a big problem.

the obama campaign is looking for ways to force mitt romney to navigate the tension or whether republicans can shun this thing to the side until after the election. >> which is their hope, but in the meantime you have the president's campaign putting out a million flyers in key battleground states. nurses for obama, women's week of action at the end of the month, how do you think this is going to work, neera, and does it pivot because of the political atmosphere right now? >> let me take on something ezra said, i came in during the clarence thomas hearings, they happened a year before the election. a full year before the election. and they really motivated women. and the difference we had that year was that we had a number of senate candidates running and this is similarly a break through number of women senate candidates running. there's a real potential to keep this going. and i think the challenge for republicans is that women will

remember these kinds of flash points, the susan komen issue, this issue, rush limbaugh, it's a series of ways in which the republican party has sinked to the other side. that's why the president is right to capitalize on it or the president's campaign is capitalizing on this while it is fresh in people's memory while sending out the flyers ensuring people understand as we go through the second anniversary of the affordable care act, that the affordable care act has incredible benefits for women. it ensures pre-existing conditions and the whole idea that women can be treated separately has been addressed in the affordable care act as the gop tries to polarize the issue. >> the obama campaign was planning to wrap up the outreach to women to coincide with this health care law two years ago next week, so what do you think, ezra, do you think this is something we'll continue to hear the obama administration keeping alive? to your point it is sometimes difficult to say six months out what's going to turn a campaign,

well, it is always difficult to say six months out what's going to turn a campaign. >> look, i think they will give it a shot. for the health care act, in particular, what's going to have a lot to do with whether or not what the conversation looks like will be the supreme court rulings. we are moving into oral arguments and should get a ruling in june. depending on what happens there, the conversation over the health care law could be any number of incredibly intense ways. one other point to make here is another group of voters strong on this, you look at the polls, is young voters. a lot of what we are talking about, birth control, the way rush limbaugh went after women, the idea that birth control is not a settled issue. that a student in this would not be acted upon is astonishing. much of the obama campaign needs to activate as much in '08 if they want to win again. >> i want to tell folks in 20 minutes we'll be talking to an ohio lawmaker who is trying to turn the table on the man.

she's introduced a bill to set up new restrictions for men who want viagra. so people are going to want to stay tuned for that. in the meantime, ezra, neera, thank you to both of you. and the president is also going after millions of college basketball fans and he has a bracket of his own to challenge yours. that's next. who is the" your business" entrepreneur of the week? anna opened scribble press in los angeles in 2008. it's a place where kids turn their art and writing into books. the company's success prompted her to open another location in new york city. managing from 3,000 mile ace way has been a challenge, but she's helped with a group of moms who have invested in the stores. for more, watch "your business" on sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 i'm constantly working my screens.

tdd# 1-800-345-2550 checking the charts. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 looking for support, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 resistance, breakouts, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 a few other tricks that i'll keep to myself. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 that's how i trade. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and i do it all with charles schwab, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 because their streetsmart edge platform tdd# 1-800-345-2550 helps me trade quickly, intuitively. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 staying on top of the market is key! tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and the momentum tool, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 it lets me do it at a glance, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so when things shift, i'm ready.

tdd# 1-800-345-2550 then to track the stocks i have my eye on, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 i turn to schwab's high/low ticker. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so i can spot a potential breakout tdd# 1-800-345-2550 before it breaks out. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and get this...i can even trade, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 change my orders or check out my positions tdd# 1-800-345-2550 right on my chart. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 my system works for me. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 does yours work for you? tdd# 1-800-345-2550 get streetsmart edge tdd# 1-800-345-2550 from charles schwab for $8.95 a trade. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 open an account and trade up tdd# 1-800-345-2550 to 6 months commission-free. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 call 1-800-790-3807 tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and get started today. aflac! ha! isn't major medical enough? huh! no! who's gonna help cover the holes in their plans? aflac! quack! like medical bills they don't pay for? aflac! or help pay the mortgage? quack! or child care? quack! aflaaac! and everyday expenses? huh?! blurlbrlblrlbr!!! [ thlurp! ] aflac! [ male announcer ] help your family stay afloat

at aflac.com. plegh! you noticed! these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios... five whole grains, 110 calories. who to politics now where president obama's campaign is challenging people to go to the website, fill out a bracket, and then they are going to publish a list of everyone who does better than the president. we have a link on our facebook page. facebook/jansingco. mitt romney could be the one calling himself an unofficial southerner, but rick santorum is playing up his southern

connection. >> i got ken here in mississippi. i'm very proud of him. >> i've got ken. and this weekend the hbo movie "game change" premiered. john mccain defended sarah palin and insinced he won't watch the movie either. >> i'm not going to watch it. it's based on a book completely biased and with unattributed quotes and et cetera. by the way, i've been told that i'm portrayed as using an exceeding amount of course language. i don't use coarse language very often. i have a larger vocabulary than that. >> can i just say, they showed tina fey clips as well. sarah palin returned to "saturday night live" in one form. >> remember me, everyone? i'm from alaska. >> andy, what are you doing, where's tina? >> it's okay, identify got this.

oh, yeah, don't you know. your darn tootin. i missed this place too, don't ya snow in it feels like yesterday i was still running for president. >> you mean vice president. >> oh, you know me, i don't remember stuff so good. >> sounds like he's in the movie "fargo." he's famous for his red comedy, and now jeff foxworthy is teaming up with mitt romney next.

this one's for all us lawnsmiths. grass gurus. doers. here's to more saturdays in the sun.

and budgets better spent. here's to turning rookies - into experts, and shoppers into savers. here's to picking up. trading up. mixing it up. to well-earned muddy boots. and a lot more - spring per dollar. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. lay down a new look - with earthgro mulch, now 3 bags for just 10 bucks. we have some breaking news just into us. a student and a bus driver are dead after a school bus crash in indiana this morning. police say the bus hit the base of a bridge. about 50 students at lighthouse charter school were in it. they were 5 to 16 years old. as least 10 people were hurt, two critical. they were just a couple miles away from the school. a university of maryland student is under arrest this morning accused of making threats online to go on a campus shooting rampage. police say 19-year-old alexander

song posted he wanted to, quote, kill enough people to make national news. he was taken on to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. we're getting our first look at new video of "the challenger" disaster that a florida resident uncovered just last week. jeffrey alt found his super 8 video of the 1986 explosion in a box at his home. it is believed to be the only recording of the event on actual film. it broke apart 70 seconds off launch killing all crew members. we are hearing from whitney houston's daughter for the first time. bobbi kristina brown still feels her mother's presence. >> i'm getting through it, you know? i'm doing as good as i possibly can at this point. i can hear her voice, you know, in spirit talking to me and telling me, you know, keep moving, baby. i'm right here, i got you. >> oprah did not have bobbi

kristina about reports to legally change her name to kristina houston. now we'll get back to the southern candidates strategy. if you look at the latest poll, mitt romney has a 12-point lead over rick santorum. newt gingrich is third with 14%. it's a three-way race in alabama. we have heard a lot about grits suddenly the last couple of days. mitt romney eating grits. i think cheesz cheesy grits he called them. here's what robert gibbs said this weekend. >> i wouldn't normally give advice to republicans, particularly mitt romney, but as a southerner i would tell him that kind of stuff doesn't really go over well in the deep south. i will tell him, if somebody says they love the sec, it's not the investigative body that

looks into offshore caymen bank accounts. in fact, it's the world's greatest college football conference. >> then you're not a southerner, nor am i. >> i'm from d.c., that's almost the south. >> virtually. and then we just heard a little bit earlier how rick santorum was talking -- wasn't it him talking about ken? what's with this? it doesn't help. >> everybody tries to play the southerner when doing the southern primaries. mitt romney as a southerner, nobody is going to believe that. he's a northeaster and gets away with that a little bit in michigan. rick santorum can pull that off, but he's from pennsylvania and has lived in northern virginia for quite some time. it is pandering to the southern electorate. what's remarkable to me is how romney is doing as well as he is in alabama and mississippi. he's tied or narrowly in the lead in alabama and just a couple points behind in mississippi. which everybody assumed would be weak states for him.

i think it is because he and gingrich are split in the evangelical vote between them. it could beless bad for romney tomorrow in the south than once feared and then he can move on to illinois the following week, which is more friendly territory. >> is that what is a look going on here, conservatives just splitting the vote? >> well, yeah n a three-way split at this time. i'm a southerner from the south shore of long island, so i feel qualified to pine on this subject. ben is right, i think people had sort of assumed that mississippi and alabama would belong to santorum and gingrich, that with romney not having a chance, but here he is in the hunt. if he indeed pulls that way tomorrow, it would be better than earlier expected. it adds to the sense that nobody really is fired up about this guy, but it is hard to see how anybody else can pull this off, except for mitt romney, although

i'm sure santorum's guy will tell us otherwise. >> obviously mitt rom northeast' polling is telling him he has a chance there because he added this event today in alabama with jeff foxworthy. he must feel he has an opportunity. how big would it be to win one of the southern states? >> it would be very big to win one of them. it would chip away at the argument that he can't win over the base and the evangelical vote in the south. >> what's the number, do either of you know off the top of his head, what has he gotten in the south? like 38? >> with alabama, that goes a long way to undermining the santorum comment he can win in the base. if romney picks off one down there, it puts one more nail in the coffin for santorum. >> i want to bring in your communications direction or the

director for the santorum campaign. be that the polls are closing in down there, this is supposed to be rick santorum's backyard, essentially, these are his people. >> i wouldn't say it is rick santorum's backyard, but from my accent, i'm from the south. i can speak to what you have been talking about. rick santorum's fighting spirit is what the people in the south gravitate towards. what they liked in the beginning and what is pushing him to perform very well there tomorrow. but the fact of the matter is you can say mitt romney wins one or both of the states, and while the national press makes that into a huge story, the fact of the matter is 70% of the people don't like him and don't want him to be the president. he has a ton of money and a ton of organization. he has some of the barber folks in mississippi. we all know on this program that nobody does establishment politics better than haley barbour. that's part of the issue, but also gingrich and santorum are splitting the conservative vote down there.

that's part of the deal. that's part of the issue, but we have never hung our campaign on one pole or one state and will keep moving forward regardless of what happens tomorrow. >> let me ask you about the strategy then, santorum did win kansas this weekend. mitt romney won wyoming and guam. issue the best case scenario right now, enough delegates to block romney from getting to 1144. >> it's funny because the romney campaign has been going all over the country talking about how the math is in their favor. mitt romney's math is just like mitt romney's conservativism, it is bogus and doesn't hold up against the scrutiny. >> you need 61% going forward if you get the nomination. >> the secret is romney thinks he can get to 1144. he can't. we can go into the convention with more delegates than mitt romney. he's talking about unbound delegates as if they are bound. he's talking about this whole process moving forward just so

he can be the perceived front-runner and nominee at this point. and that hasn't happened. so there are a lot of thing that is can happen between now and then. we still have most of the states in this country left to vote. and we think we are going to do very well there. we have not gotten to some of the states where rick santorum is going to do better includes his home state. granted, we have had five of rom northeast' home states in this election so he's going to do better there. we have a commanding lead in pennsylvania and we expect to grow our delegate lead as the process continues. >> all right. hogan, stay with us. dana, let me go to you. mississippi, alabama, isn't it critical for rick santorum to win these if he's going to say i'm the conservative alternative to mitt romney? >> well, it certainly shoots a hole in his argument if he doesn't prevail in these states. i mean, hogan is correct in that clearly the results in state after state show that the majority of republican voters still aren't very pleased with this man, but the problem is

they can't seem to come around one of the other guys either. yes, there's a mathematical path for anyone one of them here, but you get the sense of inevitability taking hold and republican voters, i think that's what you're seeing in the south, they are pinching their noses and saying, all right, let's get this thing over with. >> there are two games going on here, hogan, one is the numbers game and ultimately that's going to prevail, but there is also this sensibility about who's got the momentum, what are the opportunities here, would you at least concede that winning those two tomorrow would be critical going forward for people to feel like rick santorum is seriously still in the game? >> yeah, chris, it is not critical, it would be helpful, but we have been fighting this inevitability factor of mitt romney since iowa. i'm sure he thought inevitably he would win iowa and colorado and missouri and minnesota and just crush everybody in michigan

and that didn't happen. so, i mean, yeah, it would be very nice to win down there, but the fact of the matter is 70% of the people in the south in those two states don't want mitt romney. they are not holding their nose and saying we are going to vote for mitt romney, the moderates are deciding who the nominee will be. and we think this is a two-man race between us and mitt romney. we think conservativism will win out and rick san or the rum will be the nominee. this is just another step in the process. this is going up and down from the beginning. we have done very well and exceeded expectations in most of the states and we'll continue to do that today. then we'll move on from here. >> they asked romney about being a weak front-runner this morning. let me play for yo what he said. >> don't forget, florida, new

hampshire, michigan, arizona, and many other states, these are places where conservatives were asked after the race who they would vote for and i won commandingly among conservatives in those states. if i'm a weak front-runner, what does that make newt gingrich, because i'm well ahead of him. >> what does it make him? >> it makes him a distant third. the fact of the matter is, you know, you can say all these people decided they don't want mitt romney, but more people said they wanted mitt romney than the other candidates. he's won more primaries and delegates. he's probably set up to continue to do that. he has no taken over the entire party. a couple wins in the south goes a long way to doing that. he's the front-runner and perhaps the inevitable nominee. >> always great to have you here. nice the see you, dana. hogan, thank you for coming back. gas prices have been pushing higher while moving the president's poll numbers lower. 65% now disapprove of the way the president is handling the

recent price spike. and on the overall economy, 59% give the president the thumbs-down. cnbc's mandy drury here with what's moving your money. $3.80 is the national average. today the president is firing back. tell us about the new report. >> yeah, as you said, chris, gas prices are now a big factor in the presidential election. so the white house is trying to arm itself against election year attacks on the energy policies, which as you can imagine, republicans are using to blame for high gas prices. all eyes are on the president's blueprint for a secure energy future, which says essentially american families can't be held hostage to the wins of the u.s. oil market. analysts are not making predictions on oil gas prices, but setting a goal of reducing imports by a third in over a decade and setting fuel economy standards to down the line save

consumers at the pump. apparently the president would like to appeal the $4 billion in tax credits and subsidies that oil and gas companies receive. and focus more on clean energy and greener jobs. those are just some of the highlights that the report is looking at. >> cnbc's mandy drury, as always, thank you, my friend. >> thank you. if you're hoping to get the new ipad, good luck. preorders are sold out. march 19th is the earliest ship date for online orders. apple's website assays the ipad will be in stores on friday. but get ready to stand in line. and shipments could be delayed by three days to as long as three weeks. sweet, nutty crunchy nut... can't wait 'til morning.

wait. ♪ it's morning in the himalayas... [ male announcer ] it's sweet. it's nutty. it's absolutely delicious. kellogg's crunchy nut. it's morning somewhere.

is the pain reliever orthopedic doctors recommend most for arthritis pain, think again. and take aleve. it's the one doctors recommend most for arthritis pain. two pills can last all day. ♪ delicious gourmet gravy. and she agrees. with fancy feast gravy lovers, your cat can enjoy the delicious, satisfying taste of gourmet gravy every day. fancy feast. the best ingredient is love. good morning, everyone. i'm thomas roberts. the agenda next hour, in cold blood. 16 afghans were massacred in

their sleep. how this impacts the longest running war. and the republican presidential candidates are vying for votes in three southern states. and katie butler is joining us on her efforts to get school kids access to the all-important film. thank you, thomas. so far this yearless than a quarter into 2012, 430 reproductive bills have surfaced in states across the country, including in a heartbeat bill, one to ban abortion once a heartbeat is detected. but now a state senator is calling for equal rights for men. introducing a bill for viagra before a prescription is written men have to see a sex therapist. ohio state senator nina turner is joining me now. good to see you, senator. good morning. >> good morning, chris. >> if we're getting viagra or those types of drugs, you want men to get a cardiac stress

test, and an affidavit from the sex partner. you know the yes everyone is asking, are you serious? >> i'm just as serious as the men policymakers across the nation who introduced bills to regulate a woman's reproductive health. for far too long elected officials, especially women, we have advocated our responsibility to show men much love in the reproductive health arena as they have shown us over the years. so my senate bill 307 is all about the love and making sure we look out for men's sexual health. >> i can see you're feeling the love, but some people have chuckled and one of your fellow ohio state lawmakers said, comparing the heartbeat bill to your bill is like comparing apples and bananas. lynn waftman said, quote, i understand some people think my bill is protecting the unborn. to compare this to viagra is not even related. how do you respond? >> apples and bananas are all

fruit, and within the bill is ludicrous language about women getting a written explanation. certainly my bill took that language in that a man has to have a long conversation with his physician to determine whether or not this is physical or mental on top of making sure that he sees a sex therapist. chris, we have to make sure we guide men to make the right decisions that maybe these drugs may not be the best decision for them to make. celibacy is always an option or natural remedies, but this is about setting and leveling the playing field. women, we are not going to continue to take this lying down. we are going to stand up for the rights that our foremothers fought for. we'll stand up for ourselves. and we are certainly standing up for future generations of young women. women should not need a permission slip from government to take care of their own reproductive health. >> given the fact that most members of the ohio legislature are men, i'm guessing it doesn't have a lot of chance of passing.

having said that, i'm interesting in what reaction you've been getting to this. >> a lot of reaction from all across the country from women and from men who love and respect women. chris, i remember an older woman talking about in the '70s when wanting her tubes tied, she needed her husband to sign the permission slip before having her tubes tied. we are not going back to the dark ages in this country. we have to stand up and fight. and i want to thank all the men who love and respect women, all of the men who understand that women are equals in this country, and that we don't need permission from government to decide what is in our best interest. >> ohio state senator nina turner, great to have you on the program. today's tweet of the day comes from kelly o'donnell traveling in mobile, alabama. she sent this photo with the tweet, totally pouring in mobile, buckets, i mean buckets coming down on a romney outdoor event. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550

ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about how some companies like to get between ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you and your money. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, we believe your money should be available ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 to you whenever and wherever you want. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 which is why we rebate every atm fee worldwide. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 and why our mobile app lets you transfer funds, ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 execute trades, even deposit checks just by ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 taking a picture, right from your phone. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck and put those barriers behind you. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 the two trains and a bus rider. the "i'll sleep when it's done" academic. for 80 years, we've been inspired by you. and we've been honored to walk with you to help you get where you want to be. ♪

because your moment is now. let nothing stand in your way. learn more at keller.edu. hello, i am chef boyardee. let nothing stand in your way. i make real italian ravioli. filled with hearty italian seasoned meat, in a sauce made with vine-ripened tomatoes. and no preservatives. 80 years of real great food from a real great chef.

welcome back. we'll begin the celebrity engage in the the upside down house. we'll go down to the wire. if people aren't getting as much done at work today, it is probably because they are filling out the ncaa march madness brackets. games tipoff on wednesday. halle barry hopes the third time is the charm. the actress is now engaged to french actor olivia martinez who spilled the beans while promoting his new restaurant. barry has been married two other times. pretty cool video coming to us from malaysia. check out this house built upside down with everything from the car parked in the garage the to furniture. it is now a tourist attraction. the owner says it is a remind tore protect the environment or the world will turn upside down. and a shark feeding frenzy, 50 sharks spotted half a mile offshore chowing down on a school of tuna.

some more than 8 feet long. it all forced officials to shut down a local beach. pretty scary stuff. that's going to wrap up this hour of "jansing and c.o.." see you back here tomorrow. to follow me around. ew. seriously? so gross. ew. seriously? that is so gross. ew. seriously? dude that is so totally gross. so gross...i know. there's an easier way to save. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more.

than leading regular juice drinks. because less sugar is a better way to fly. ♪ just not literally. capri sun. respect what's in the pouch. when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it.

if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. it helps to have people around you... they say, you're much bigger than this. and you are. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. on december 21st, polar shifts will reverse the earth's gravitational pull and hurtle us all into space, which would render retirement planning unnecessary. but say the sun rises on december 22nd and you still need to retire, td ameritrade's investment consultants can help you build a plan that fits your life. we'll even throw in up to $600 when you open a new account or roll over an old 401(k). so who's in control now, mayans? i was strong before weight watchers, but i'm stronger with it.

i believe because it works. ♪ if you want it you got it [ female announcer ] join now for free. hurry, offer ends march 24th. weight watchers points plus 2012. because it works. the u.s. in damage control mode after an army sergeant's shooting rampage kills 16 people including 9 children. plus -- >> i've got ken here in mississippi. i'm very proud. >> morning, y'all! good to be with you. >> i even understand cheese grits. i even understand shrimping grits. >> the campaign trail, could the next phase of the gop nomination fight boil down to cheesy grits? splitting the south with two political contests just one day away. and the president's re-election campaign announcing a multif