and armed by iran, so it's a capability they have for just this sort of a circumstance. >> so barbara starror us. and, barbara, "the washington post" writing this morning the administration, the united states administration, appears to favor staying out of the conflict unless iran hits u.s. assets. which would trigger a strong u.s. response. but why are we getting the threats this morning when we clearly stated we're staying out of it? >> the question perhaps on the table is what reza was saying. what was panetta's motivation for saying what he said for letting this information become public. that is the question, what would iran's response be. a lot of people even around here at the pentagon very concerned, not really understanding what panetta was up to. was he trying to pressure the iranians further on their nuclear program by suggesting israel might attack or, in fact, was he potentially putting israel in a very dangerous position if, in fact, the iranians believe an attack is coming as their leaders are saying they will respond. so it's a murky situation right now. a lot of rhetoric ra

pentagon correspondent barbara starr joining us right now. barbara, what are you hearing about this? >> well, fredricka, good morning to you. i think we have some live pictures also coming in to cnn right now of mahmoud ahmadinejad speaking in tehran earlier today before these live pictures he was touring this facility where, indeed, iran announced that it had made its own nuclear fuel rods domestically for the first time. it was loading these into what it said was a reactor for medical purposes, not for nuclear weapons. but this is going to be watched very closely here in washington and in israel, of course, because the question is whether this development, this announcement of them being able to make their own nuclear fuel rods is actually the real deal. can they do it? do these fuel rods work? how good is the quality? is this another step potentially on iran's road to potentially making nuclear weapons? that's the key question for intelligence agencies right now. what does this all mean? iran's had a lot of problems with its nuclear efforts

cnn's barbara starr is following that story and we know that supplies needed.ss, getting to them? >> you know, it's -- it's a terrible situation there right now, frederica, with the regime forces continuing their shelling, continuing their pounding of civilian areas, relief organizations, of course, simply can't get in. so, what you're beginning to see is this conversation amongst countries, is there something they can do? can they establish corridors of safety where perhaps supplies can be brought in and refugees can come out? a lot of discussion about this. a lot of this led by the turkish government. of course, turkey on syria's northern border. but until the shelling stops, until the fighting stops, there's a sense that this disaster will simply grow because if you establish those corridors inside syria, you either have to use a lot of military force to defend them or those corridors itself, it is believed, would become a target to for further violence by the regime. fred? >> u.s. position here is there any consideration or discussion about how the u.s. wou

first barbara starr is at the pentagon. barbara, we've got about 89,000 boots on the ground in afghanistan. let's talk about what this would mean for them. >> you know, kyra, good morning. this will mean they goin get some clear signals about when they will be coming home. that's important to so many military families. but let's go back to what you just said. you put it exactly right. it is a goal now that leon panetta is talking about to transition from combat to training the afghans by the end of next year. you're going to hear a lot more about this later today because we are just getting word that panetta now in brussels for a nato meeting is going to come out and offer some clarification, if you will. he's beginning to get concerned about all these meet yeah reports and some of the political statements perhaps out there that this is a hard end to combat, if you will, next year. he is going to say that's not what he's saying, that what he's saying, this will be a transition. but whatever way anybody decides to spin this p

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pentagon correspondent barbara starr joining us. barbara, what exactly have you learned? >> reporter: sad news, kyra. two marine corps helicopters crashed. they reported that seven marines, all the marines on board, both those helicopters were killed when there was that mid-air collision last night. a full investigation underway. families being notified today, receiving the sad news. one was a uh 1 helicopter, one an ah 1 w helicopter. very routine training exercise by all accounts and sadly a mid-air collision killing all seven marines on board both heel lows overnight. >> we will follow all of the breaking details that we get from you, barbara, and also the investigation now taking place. barbara starr at the pentagon, thanks. >> sure. >>> look, it's no surprise when you reach the top, you get a target on your back. and poll surging rick santorum found that out last night at cnn's debate in arizona. >> while i was fighting to save the olympics, you were fighting to save the bridge to nowhere. >>> you're entitled to your opinions but you're not entitled to -- >> i've hea

only urging action. >> barbara starr joins us live now.tates preparing to take action in syria or just getting ready in case? >> one has to take the administration at face value, christine. no military action contemplated. so why this r they gathering this intelligence? this is turning into a humanitarian crisis. they want to have the information and intell about where the syrian regime forces are and where they are moving around. but also put assad's regime on notice. they will have the evidence and if there's military action, they will have the intell on hand to be ready to go. >> barbara starr, thank you. >>> in the meantime, the funeral for whitney houston is set, but fans remember her in song. ♪ everybody is searching for a hero ♪ >> you hear the musical tributes on youtube. ♪ i never found anyone . is there a rodeo in amarillo today? where are we? [siri] here's your current location. how big is the grand canyon? any gas stations we can walk to? [siri] i found 2 gas stations fairly close to you. what does orion look like? [siri] i fou

barbara starr is at the pentagon. barbara, it's a lot to make sense of. put all of this in context for us. >> well, good evening, jessica. when you look at those pictures coming out of iran today, there's a lot of facts and a lot of messages behind those pictures. what is the message? iran is saying that it has now made its first nuclear fuel rod. and the president of iran showed up to watch it going into a system there to be able to be inserted. but what does it really mean behind the scenes? is this a fuel rod that works? does it take them on a step closer to making nuclear weapons? the state department says that it's hype, this was expected and they're not too worried about it. but experts will tell you that this is not an insignificant step on the road to nuclear weapons. this may be partly iran trying to negotiate its way, pressure its way out of crippling sanctions. but the bottom line is, they are making progress. jessica? >> and is there any sense if iran is closer to producing a nuclear weapon with this development or if this really is hype? >> t

>> barbara starr, of course, watch for the details about how exactly it went down. that's going to be fascinating. thanks, barbara. >>> other headlines making news. alina cho has that for us. >> good morning to you. a desperate search is under way right now for three missing people in alabama. it happened after a coast guard helicopter crashed last night in mobile bay. that chopper went down during a routine training mission. one crew member who was rescued has since died. the coast guard hayes sense fog hampered the search overnight. still not clear yet whether the bad weather caused the crash. >>> he said he didn't even know who he was shooting. prosecutors say t.j. lane, the accused ohio high school gunman admitted to the rampage that has now killed three teens. he also said his targets were random. lane making his first court appearance yesterday. he is expected to be tried as an adult. >>> we're also hearing for the first time from frank hall, the heroic teacher and assistant coach who put his own life at risk by chasing lane out of the cafeteria. he says he doe

here is pentagon correspondent barbara starr. >> three, two, one!als are called into action. when a deadly terrorist plot against the u.s. is uncovered. >> proceed to target. recover the package and move to extract. >> reporter: it's an edge of your seat hollywood thriller, but wait, those are real seals acting in "act of valour. ". >> initially all the guys turned us down. they weren't about making movies. >> reporter: director mike mccoy convinced the navy only seals could play seals. >> we started to see a brotherhood of menu didn't know existed in the real world. >> reporter: together they embarked on a 2 1/2 year production schedule. denver has been on classified seal missions all over the world. this is as close as you get to what he really does. the combat is the crew filming seals on training missions. >> we're talking why is he addressing this? you see this guy move. >> drag out. >> it is extremely authentic. we were there at every turn with the production company and directors during the filming of "act of valor." >> reporter: the navy ori

here's cnn's barbara starr. >> 3, 2, 1 -- >> all clear!e safe. >> you know i will. >> reporter: when a deadly terrorist plot against the u.s. is uncovered. >> this is a personnel recovery. proceed to target. recover the package and move to extract. >> reporter: it's an edge of your seat hollywood thriller, but wait, those are real s.e.a.l.s acting in "act of valor." everybody that was asked to participate said no. >> initially all the guys turned us down. they weren't about making movies. >> reporter: the director mike mccoy convinced the navy only s.e.a.l.s could play s.e.a.l.s. >> it's a brotherhood of men you didn't even know existed. >> reporter: they embarked on a 2 1/2 year this movie is as close as you get to what he really does. the combat is actually the crew filming s.e.a.l.s on training missions. >> nice if i could be here we're talking while addressing this threat. you see this guy move. >> it is extremely authentic. we were there at every turn with the production company and the directors during the filming of "act of valor" w

barbara starr, thank you so much at the pentagon.y i want you to pay close attention to this next store. it really gives you a very clear pictures of what's at stake here in the u.s. if a lot of jobs are not created and created soon, it's about a once middle class family who has lost more than most of us can imagine. here is cnn's poppy harlow. rurp one room now home to a family of five. >> we have the two girls who sleep on the bottom. and then our oldest sleeps on the top. >> mom and dad somehow manage to sleep together on the couch. >> most of the time hounsly i lay on top of him. iman is 1, and nasr -- >> reporter: if you think what long-term unemployment can look like, think again. >> you can't understand something until you've lived it. >> adam and talia brought in more than $100,000 just two years ago, by all measures middle class until they were both laid off. frightening new numbers show 50% of the unemployed in new jersey have been out of work for more than six months. it's a similar story elsewhere. >> i was a lead technic

barbara starr, how did this happen?military says they were gathering up these religious materials to dispose of them. and they were disposed of inch appropriately. very prongly the u.s. military says these materials including some of the holy korans were taken away for burning. why were they gathering up the material? that perhaps is even a deeper question at the moment. as you say, u.s. officials acknowledging that some of these writings, some of these books, that were in a library at the detention facility on bagram. they had extremist writings inside them and extremist inscriptions. they also found separate extremist literature in the detention library that apparently came from outside afghanistan. so one of the major questions now on top of everything else that has happened is how did this extremist material get inside one of the most secure compounds in afghanistan, john. >> and barbara, one of the worries always is not only just in afghanistan but around the muslim world, what does the military do to try to contai

barbara starr tracking it live for us tonight. here in arizona, mitt romney's campaign was blind sided by a major distraction this weekend. pal babeu stepped down as a romney campaign co-chair after an ex-boyfriend accused the sheriff of trying to have him deported. the accuser spoke with cnn. >> he never invited me to any event until last year, 2010. just a few events lately, but before then, no. >> he was a public guy. >> uh-huh. >> you knew he had other responsibilities. >> uh-huh. >> but then you found out he was cheating on you again? >> yes. many times. >> wolf blitzer spoke with the sheriff just a few moments ago exclusively on the situation room. the sheriff was quite adamant and passionate in that interview saying he's done nothing wrong. >> evers very forceful and to a certain degree he was almost relieved it's come out he's openly gay to i certain degree. he did step down as the co-chairman in arizona of mitt romney's campaign. i asked him why if he's done wrong did he decide to do that. listen to what he said. >> the r

let's get right to barbara starr this morning at the pentagon. od morning, barbara. >> good morning, soledad. a lot of chatter around here about what panetta said about all of this. it was first reported in the "washington post" by the very respected journalist david ignatius and confirmed to us by a pentagon official. panetta now believes there is a growing likelihood israel will strike iran sometime this spring. that israel believes iran has moved ahead. made the decision to go for a nuclear weapon is increasingly capable of making that happen. and that they have to stop it. but is this rhetoric? is this panetta ratcheting up the rhetoric against iran? possibly putting israel at risk? is this a revelation of key intelligence? that's what we don't know. what's what the dilemma is right now and there are a lot of people who are concerned that all of this rhetoric on all three sides painting a lot of dangerous -- a lot of danger here that a lot of folks are being painted into a corner, soledad. >> i'm going to start with you because, of course, whe

barbara starr is at the pentagon. barbara, moving forward what's your take? is it going to be more diplomatic efforts or is the military option becoming more intense? >> reporter: well, look, kyra, publicly the administration is very clear. economic, diplomatic pressure on syria to get the assad regime to go. behind the scenes we have learned that the pentagon, the administration is now looking at military strategies, options, plans, whatever you want to call it. they are now sitting down and looking at what could they do. they don't want to wait for president obama to ask them, so they're going through this exercise of saying what capabilities do we have, what could we do, what would the risks be, what would the benefits be, would it make a difference? no one is going so far as to say much about the specifics. would it be humanitarian assistance? would it be something else? we are clearly now getting the first signals that the u.s. military and commanders are having a much closer look at the situation and what they might be able to provide if the president w

first, to barbara starr live at the pentagon. first question out of the gate. everyone's asking, barbara, is this just too soon? >> well, you know, perhaps a hard reality check is in order here, ashleigh. nato has said the afghans have agreed. all troops, all foreign troops out of afghanistan by the end of 2014. that's long agreed to. that's the reality. end of 2014. what defense secretary leon panetta is saying, there will be a transition period before that, training the afghans. just like we saw in iraq. you have to start that before you leave the country, don't you? he's saying, basically, in 2013, they will start wrapping up combat. they will shift to this training role and stick to the nato flan of being out by 2014. the question is whether the afghans will be ready for all this. >> exactly. why is it we're hearing the critics saying this is a year sooner than we expected. even the chairman of the armed services committee saying this. the committee has not seen a single assessment by our commanders to say they have confidence in a swift transition. >> it's

cnn's barbara starr is reporting that the u.s.ilitary is weighing the options to stop the violence in syria. though the official line is still diplomacy and sanctions first. they are talking about military options. we've got some really terrible images to show you this morning. first, this is a funeral mass that's happening. there are reports that nearly 50 civilians were killed overnight, including three entire families with small children. we continue to hear audible gunfire in many neighborhoods and you can see some of the shells and cars surveying the damage. there are now growing calls to consider all the options. and senator john mccain says the united states has to take action. >> i think we should have a contact group, joint coalition, and also we should start considering all options, including the arming the opposition. the blood letting has to stop. >> let's go right to barbara starr who has been covering the story for us at the pentagon. and we're joibd by general wesley clerk, former nato allied commander. nice to have

. >>> i'm barbara starr at the pentagon. i'll have exclusive details to cnn of u.s.ng, at least planning for operations in syria. coming up in the next hour. >>> and i'm lizzy o'leary in washington where congress is looking at cruise ship safety. we'll have the story of one couple who survived the "costa concordia" and what they would like to see changed coming up the next hour. >>> also a rare trip to the very bottom of the sea. we're talking seven miles deep to a platce only two men have gone before. producer james cameron is taking cnn along for the ride. this is delicious okay... is this where we're at now? we just eat whatever tastes good? like these sweet honey clusters... actually there's a half a day's worth of fiber in every ... why stop at cereal? bring on the pork chops and the hot fudge. fantastic. are you done sweetie? yea [ male announcer ] fiber one. but one is so clever that your skin looks better even after you take it off. neutrogena® healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% saw improved skin. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics. >>> it is high s

we want to go to our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara?as it unveiled new limits of the program, it claimed it was for medical and research purposes, but is it? >> president ahmadinejad on hand to unveil what he says is a big step in the nuclear program, loading the first nuclear fuel rod made in iran. the announcement came with lots of pageantry on iranian state television. the stage he spoke on adorned with images of nuclear scientists killed by unknown assailants and defiant ahmadinejad franked by what looks like a centrifuge. >> translator: any nation that will dare approach to try to get access to this know-how, they started immediately to put pressures, to impose sanctions, to make threats. >> reporter: iran says it's always getting a new generation of advanced -- and will produce yell yellowcake. how significance is it all? the state department doesn't seem to be too worried. >> we frankly don't see a lot new here. this is not big news. in fact it seems to have been hyped. >> reporter: but experts disagree. >> it's definitely a tech

barbara starr is joining us right now on the phone. barbara, what do you know? okay.but we will be coming back with that story and much more. nelson mandela, we'll have an update for you on that. a family member tells cnn the former south african leader are a hernia operation and is likely to be released over the next couple of days. officials are telling cnn that this was planned, that it was not an emergency. we're going to be back with you at the top of the hour. but right now, we're going to go to my colleagues,

and barbara starr we're also going to be talking to.st, nic, two high ranking officers assassinates in afghan security headquarters over the the weekend. then you have a bombing and nato base and poisingen of food at a u.s. base. and the taliban is taking credit for all of this. what is going on? bring us up to date. >> well, the first thing following a suicide bodily injurying used by nato and civilians, killing six civilians and three security guards. the taliban leapt forward very quickly to claim responsibility and said it was in vengeance for the koran burning. we can't tell if it was a long attack. and as the violence picks up the coming month, they may suggest a lot of it is from the kor harks n burning. the presence that didn't really change their lives. on the issue of the poisoning news fist broke when the taliban said they were poisoning the food. that turned out to the be untrue. they came away. completely didn't say yes. there's been contamination of coffee and fruit. chlorine beach at a base near the pakistani border. they

barbara starr is joining us right now on the phone. barbara, what do you know? okay.but we will be coming back with that story and much more. nelson mandela, we'll have an update for you on that. a family member tells cnn the former south african leader are a hernia operation and is likely to be released over thee

our pentagon correspondent barbara starr has more. >> three, two, one. all clear!re called into action. >> be safe. >> you know i will. >> reporter: when a deadly terrorist plot against the u.s. is uncovered. >> this is a personal recovery. proceed to target, recover the package, and move to extract. >> reporter: it's an edge of your seat hollywood thriller, but wait, those are real s.e.a.l.s acting in "act of valor." >> everybody that was asked to participate in the film said no. everyone to a man said no. >> initially, all the guys turned us down. they weren't about making movies. >> reporter: but director mike mccoy convinced them only s.e.a.l.s could play s.e.a.l.s. >> you started to see a brotherhood of men that could only exist in the real world. >> reporter: together they embarked on a 2 1/2 year production schedule. denver has been on classified missions all over the world. this movie is as close as you get to what he really does. the combat is actually the crew filming s.e.a.l.s on training missions. >> it would be nice if i could be here. we're talking wh

we just heard barbara starr report the u.s.ginning the process of considering, considering some military options as well. that young danny, a very courageous young man. now, we'll stay on top of this story. also what's happening here in the united states. we'll return to our political coverage coming up. newt gingrich is looking ahead to a super tuesday battleground state. we're talking about ohio. we'll talk to him in our next hour about his hopes tonight and strategy for staying in this contest. also, we have new information on how the ad war is changing the race tonight. [ sniffs ] i have a cold. [ sniffs ] i took dayquil but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ deep breath ] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! 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

barbara starr, she is there, and barbara, explain to us what this means on the ground. the time line that panta is describing. is it any different than what we've heard before, this initial plan that he laid out? >> reporter: well, you know, yes and no. like so many things. a lot of military politics, a lot of nato politics involved in all of this. fundamentally there is no change because nato had long ago decided with the afghan government all foreign troops would be out of afghanistan by the end of 2014 and, of course, that means you have to start early in shifting towards this training of more afghan forces so they can look after their own security just like happened in iraq. so fundamentally this is what people had anticipated. but it's the timing of what panetta said. no one expected him to get into this level of detail right now. this is something that had been thought would be announced later in the year, so already we're seeing the pentagon step back a little bit and say there's nothing new here. this is going to be a phased transition. nobody is talking about a

barbara starr, live from the pentagon. barbara, thanks so much. >> sure. >> you remember rutgers student tyler cla men ta. he died by suicide in 2010. now his roommate is on trial for invades his privacy. we've got the latest. >>> whitney houston's death got us talking about addiction. we're going in depth. if addiction is a disease, how does it happen? dr. sanjay gupta going to tell us what makes us addicts. all energy development comes with some risk, but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. >>> jury selection begins in the case of da roon raf have i. he used a web cam to spy on his r