>> announcer: from nbc news, decision 2012, super tuesday. here is brian williams. >> super tuesday evening, to 12. as we come on the air we have our first result of all 11 states. 424 delegates at stake. in georgia, we are projecting the winner newt gingrich. long-time resident, long-time member of congress. former speaker of the house. vermont, too early to call. considered a shoe-in for former massachusetts governor mitt romney. virginia, this is a bit of a surprise. gingrich and santorum aren't on the ballot. this is romney versus paul. the polls have closed. too early to call. this is the big one we're

watching tonight. they are still voting in ohio. we'll have much more on that. we're back on the air for an hour at 10:00 eastern/9:00 central. on the west coast, a special time, 8:00 p.m. more from new york. captions paid for by nbc-universal television now we welcome the rest of you joining us as usual for "nbc nightly news." we had to share the election results with the rest of the country. as you heard, we have our first result, our projected winner in from georgia. but in all tonight, 11 states, 424 delegates at stake. there you see tonight's battleground. we want to start off with our own kelly o'donnell. she is in georgia tonight, covering again what has become our first projected result. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: good evening,

brian. there was a shriek that filled the room when the race was called for newt gingrich. he has said on the road today he expected it to be a win with a big margin. and he's been saying he expects his home state victory will be of greater significance than what mitt romney saw in michigan where it was so incredibly close with santorum there. important for gingrich who believes that there is a southern strategy that could give him validity again. he won south carolina. now winning his home state where he represented the sixth district for 20 years. he was unable to vote today because he no longer lives here. he lives in virginia where his name was not on the ballot. he will campaign in alabama and mississippi, believing his campaign can go on with tonight's victory, the second of this primary season for gingrich. brian? >> kelly o'donnell in atlanta tonight. kelly, thanks. now to check in with the rest of the field from the trail. let's go to steubenville, ohio, to ron mott. ron, good evening.

>> reporter: hey, brian. rick santorum stopped short of calling ohio a must-win state tonight saying simply it will be huge for his campaign if he does. though not the biggest delegate prize of super tuesday, ohio is considered the catch of the day. mitt romney went home to boston to vote after a solid week slugging it out toe to toe in ohio with rick santorum. >> it's great to be in the heart of ohio here in buckeye territory. that's a tough thing for a penn stater to say. i've got to tell you. >> reporter: a proven presidential battleground, 12 state elections picking the winner, victory in ohio can cast long-lasting signals. for romney, says one political expert, the stakes couldn't be higher. especially considering a possible southern surge in the next week for former speaker newt gingrich. >> the field is tilted for the rest of march in a santorum and/or gingrich direction. not in a romney direction. i think he has to have ohio.

has to win ohio. >> reporter: romney is expected to perform best in ohio's urban and suburban areas. santorum in smaller, rural communities. each has focused speeches around restoring luster to ohio's stretch of the rust belt, and for good reason. ohio produces $73.5 billion worth of goods every year ranking third in the nation and is the country's second largest maker of automobiles behind michigan, which is why opposition to the auto industry bailout by romney and santorum could impact the vote, not just in today's primary, but in november. at a cafe outside akron, michelle hall and her mother barbara were divided. >> i'm liking who's out there right now. i feel comfortable with who's out there. >> instead of telling what they would really do for us, they talk about each other. and that's not a good thing. >> reporter: rick santorum is essentially looking for a split decision here tonight in ohio. he has a chance to win the popular vote but because of a

filing issue regarding delegates it's unlikely he can win on that front, brian. >> ron mott in steubenville, ohio, for us. thanks. president obama chose this super tuesday of all days to take on his republican rivals who have been criticizing him on the campaign trail on the topic of iran. savannah guthrie watched the president with us earlier today, part of our politics team here with us in new york tonight. savannah? >> good evening, brian. the white house knew this super tuesday news conference would get more than the usual attention as you mentioned. the questions dealt mostly with foreign policy but the president sounded off on republican rivals who have been talking tough on iran. at a news conference that coincided with the gop's marquee 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. [ applause ] >> 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 has spent the week trying to mollify israeli leaders, assuring prime minister benjamin netanyahu the u.s. won't tolerate a nuclear iran and would use military strikes if necessary to stop it. he made it clear he has no appetite for war. >> the 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

the president's hesitance about military force and efforts to dissuade israel from acting alone against iran send a message of weakness to the iranian regime, an argument which the president rejected. >> if some of these folks think it's time to launch a war they should say so. they should explain to the american people why they would do that and what the consequences would be. everything else is just talk. >> reporter: on the republican candidates' other criticisms of him, the president side-stepped an offer to respond. >> what would you like to say to mr. romney? >> good luck tonight. [ laughter ] >> no, really. >> really. >> back on iran, american decision-makers are operating under the assumption that israelis will decide to take unilateral action against iran in the coming months. that sets up the question of how iran responds and how the u.s. responds as well. >> i realized tonight we have

four former white house correspondents, one current white house correspondent. let me ask one of the formers, one of the gray beards first. david gregory, the stakes politically tonight for mitt romney. >> look, the question is can he look up the nomination? and i think the key is in ohio. can he win there and get himself much closer? can he expand his base of support? tea partiers, low income folks, conservative members of the primary electorate. that's the test tonight for romney. >> chuck todd, when we say wrap up the nomination that doesn't mean we'll have dropouts tonight. >> not necessarily. the fact that we said newt gingrich won georgia means he's going to go on. had he lost he would have gotten out of the race. this thing will live at least until april 3 before candidates drop out. the white house is anxious to start the campaign with mitt romney. that was intentional today to have that conversation on iran. >> andrea, what we saw, you can call it an andrew shepherd

moment. film buffs will recognize the part played by michael douglas in "the american president" and he said, i am the president and your 15 minutes are up. he was anxious to get a piece of it today. >> looking out saying, i'm the commander in chief, you are not. let's not be casual about this. i know what's at stake. when you visit the troops in walter reed, i know the stakes of war. we don't have to go to war. there is a window for glenmodip. >> this team will be on the air tonight. we hope you will join us for the decision 2012 special coverage. 10:00 eastern/9:00 central. for those joining us on the west coast it's at a special time of 8:00 p.m. the fallout continues following rush limbaugh's tirade against that georgetown law school student. limbaugh, by one count, lost 33 total advertisers since. a few more today and at least a couple of radio station

affiliates have dropped the show. during his news conference today, we have been talking about at the white house, president obama was asked about limbaugh's comments. the president said he believes, quote, the remarks don't have a place in the public discourse. >> the reason i called ms. fluke is because i thought about malia and sasha. 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 called horrible names because they are being good citizens. >> the president added something further. he 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 here for the last few nights and an incredible story of heroism and sacrifice out of indiana during that massive outbreak of tornadoes we covered here friday night. it's about a mother who used her own body as a human shield to protect her children as the house came crashing down on all of them. we get her story tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> 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 lovins 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? you've got to answer me. >> 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. >> incredible story out of indiana tonight. still ahead when we continue this evening, why are so many american preschoolers getting so many cavities? the trend making for a lot of difficult trips to the dentist. and later, he's not even out of high school, but he's tackling the tough issues. he has to. he's the mayor after all. [ leanne ] appliance park has been here since the early 50s. my dad and grandfather spent their whole careers here. [ charlie ] we're the heartbeat of this place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing.

we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i came to ge after the plant i was working at closed after 33 years. ge's giving me the chance to start back over. [ cindy ] there's construction workers everywhere. so what does that mean? it means work. it means work for more people. [ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country. ♪ diarrhea, gas or bloating? get ahead of it! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defend against digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. hit me! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. you know, typical alarm clock. i am so glad to get rid of it. just to be able to wake up in the morning on your own. that's a big accomplishment to me. i don't know how much money i need.

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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 2012 with a mouthful of multiple cavities, or worse, in baby teeth. it's happening a lot. there are 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 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 exposures in that acidic environment that can cause tooth decay. >> reporter: other reasons for more cavities, the eating habits of too many american kids. they are snacking more on all the wrong food. sweetened juices, high sugar and high carbohydrate treats. and parents are hesitant to brush their children's 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's usually fortified with fluoride. avoid sticky foods. even raisins can be a problem. 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. we have a lot of viewers watching from virginia tonight. we have a call now, a projected winner of the virginia primary where the polls are closed and that would be mitt romney. so we have one for gingrich, one for romney this early hour super tuesday night. we'll take another break. up next here, a dramatic rescue from underneath a wall of snow. i love that my daughter's part fish. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care.

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small world," "chitty-chitty-bang-bang," and "chim chim cher-ee." many of them cowritten with his brother richard. they both share a star on the hollywood walk of fame for their work with disney over the years. robert sherman won two academy awards, 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 to the very end. he was elected in 1988 to fill peter radino's old seat. he advocated for the plight of africa. he was among a handful in both parties uniformly regarded as a gentleman by his colleagues. congressman donald payne was 77 years old. stunning pictures tonight from utah. a snowmobiler buried alive under ten feet of snow by an avalanche. his friends were able to find

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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. been born and raised here.

>> reporter: proud of it? >> proud of it, all the way. next we'll go over the budget. >> reporter: this 18-year-old high school senior 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? >> about 112 years old. >> reporter: mayor minnier wants to save his struggling town. >> spruce aredale up. make it somewhere people want to come and see. >> reporter: there are places where voting someone in this young would raise eyebrows but not here in aredale, iowa, where they say mayor jeremy minnier is exactly 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's even got a part-time job preparing ribs in aredale's one restaurant. and if the good citizens of aredale 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 really love. >> reporter: as mayor, he'll work to keep it this way, once his chores and homework are done. kevin tibbles, nbc news, aredale, iowa. >> reporter: that's our broadcast for this tuesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. of course we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. and a reminder, we are back on the air tonight for an hour of super tuesday coverage 10:00 p.m./9:00 central. if you're from the west coast, join us at 8:00, a special time. we hope to see you later this evening. good night.

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