>> bret: good evening i'm bret baier we are coming to live tonight from davidson hall in manchester, new hampshire. we are a little more than one full day way from the start of voting in the nation's first primary of the 2012 election season. while conventional wisdom has this one in the win column for mitt romney there is a poll suggesting well over half the potential voters have still not made up their maines or could change their -- made up their minds or could change their minds. carl cameron begins our coverage tonight >> reporter: that was the university of new hampshire survey heading into the weekend that said 63% of primary voters are undecided or likely to change their minds. mitt romney has a crowd spilling into the gym. it has been a feisty campaign trail already today rick santorum and newt gingrich have departed to campaign in south carolina. romney charging for the finish line he's expecting to have a big win here. it has been a busy day for him he wants to pull off that big victory. >> can we drop a little of the pious known -- loan any -- pious baloney. you have been

bret?bret: steve brown live in poke city. thanin -- polk city. expectations changed considerably for mitt romney. conventional wisdom was that romney would not and could not win here. now, as the senior national correspondent john roberts reports, romney is trying to surprise everyone. >> four years after he tried and failed, mitt romney is spending the last few hours hoping to close the deal with the iowa volters. >> get out there and vote tomorrow. i need everyone to vote. >> of those caucus numbers who are undecided a good number were at this event, including matt. he voted for obama in 2008. but is giving romney is good look this year. >> i felt like we needed a unifyer for the countryback then. i thought he had a great chance to lead. i don't think he has done a great job of leading. hopefully romney can do that. >> if he wins on tuesday is open question. in 2008 when he lost to mike huckabee he got 25% of the vote. that is same support he has now. to increase that number, he needs to

live from myrtle beach, south carolina, this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening, i'm breter. we're coming to you from the myrtle beach convention center in three hours the remaining five, republican presidential candidate will answer questions ahead of the south carolina primary saturday. one man who won't be there tonight is jon huntsman. who dropped out of the race this morning. chief political correspondent carl cameron begins the coverage tonight. >> reporter: unable to generate momentum in south carolina after disappointing third place in new hampshire, former utah governor jon huntsman bailed out and got behind the front runner. >> today i'm suspending my campaign for presidency and it's time to unite around the candidate best equipped to defeat barack obama. i believe that candidate is mitt romney. >> reporter: knowing it wouldn't happen he urged the rivals to stop trashing each other. >> the race degenerated to an onslaught of negative and personal attacks not worthy of the american people. not worry of this critical time in our nation's history. >> reporter: hunts

this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening, i'm bret baier.e week and one day away from the next presidential moving test. the south carolina primary. with mitt romney two for two so far, many conservatives are pounding him on his business record. the very record he is running on. chief congressional correspondent mike emanuel is following the action on a shifting campaign trail. >> campaigning with the popular governor nikki haley mitt romney spoke of creating jobs through capitalism. >> it's not to walk away from free enterprise or say there is something wrong with the free market system. to make it work for the american people. >> a new ad from the romney campaign defended his work at bain capital and portrayed him as conservative businessman. >> mitt romney helped create and ran a company that invested in struggling businesses, grew new ones and rebuilt old ones, creating thousands of jobs. those are the facts. >> today newt gingrich hammered romney's record at bain. >> let me be clear to question a presidential candidate claim he created

this is "special report." ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier.ee hours from now president obama delivers a "state of the union" address that is already being criticized by republicans as a re-election campaign speech. we have fox team coverage. mike emanuel on capitol hill with advanced criticism from the g.o.p. we begin with chief white house correspondent ed henry with an idea we'll be hearing tonight. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. i'm told that the president will not take direct aim at mitt romney paying tax rate of 14% but he will offer contrast between the parties on how they approach the issue of taxes. we have exerts from the white house is that the president is going to hit the theme again and again. he believes shrinking number of people are doing well and increasing number barely getting by. as president obama molls over the time draft, there is a photo of the last-minute tweaks and behind the scene video showing changes in his handwriting and show excerpts that the president is making the case that the economy is turning aro

bret? >> bret: yes, we will. thank you. it's long been said that money is the mother's milk of politics. that is to in this election cycle. chief congressional correspondent mike emanuel is following the money tonight. >> with his rivals slugging it out in south carolina, former governor mitt romney headed to florida. his campaign announced he raised $24 million in the fourth quarter to lead the g.o.p. field. >> yesterday, the president had a fundraiser in chicago and he said look, i can promise you this. change is coming. >> he raised $42 million for the campaign and $26 million from outside groups including the d.n.c. obama team is planning to raise $1 billion for the re-election effort. campaign manager messina told reporters don't believe the hype. >> first, the $1 billion number is completely untrue. second, we have to build a neighborhood organization on the ground now. not in six months. that takes your resources and donations today. >> for other republican hopefuls, outside super pacs funded by billionaires are help

this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier. back in washington after tuesday's caucus. as the presidential candidate head to new hampshire, the roster will be at least one short with the departure this morning of minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann. steve brown is in des moines to look at how one of iowa top performers pulled it off, but we begin with chief political correspondent carl come ron who is in the next battleground state of new hampshire. >> reporter: front runner new hampshire rolled in new hampshire touting the endorsement of john mccain and the slimmest iowaca cuss win ever over dark horse rick santorum. >> what a squeaker, but it's nice to have a win. the question i have for you can we do better in new hampshire? >> reporter: new hampshire is a state that will catapult him on to victory in a short period of time. that is why i'm here. it was a small subdued crowd compared to new hampshire welcome rallies for past victors. tough audience question created tense atmosphere. >> you had your turn. now it's my tur

bret?carl cameron live in columbia. thank you. last night's debate was about going after the front runner as you heard carl say. identifying a main challenger. senior national correspondent john roberts has the highligh highlights. >> reporter: running a close second to mitt romney in south carolina, newt gingrich feeded a good night. by all measures, he got it. >> if that makes liberals unhappy, i'm going to continue to find ways to help poor people learn how to get a job, better job and learn to own the job. [ applause ] >> reporter: a rare stand ogvation. amongst several high points for gingrich. looking to make a big move in the four days remaining. >> i have indicateed -- >> reporter: front runner mitt romney did not provoke the same outpouring of political passion but he did avoid any major gaffe or stumbles, despite being under attack much of the night. >> governor romney, as governor raised taxes. >> i would go out and say stop it. >> romney took fire repeatedly for his superpac, wh

bret?bret: we have seen some events where rick santorum has been catching heat for his stance on gay marriage in new hampshire. it's legal there. what can you tell us about all that? >> reporter: well, he has been very candid and very forth right and unwaiverring in his insistence that marriage should be between a man and woman. because in his view, every child has a birthright to two parents a man and a woman. a lot of the activists who have been throwing the questions at him are the young student types and it's well to know because same-sex marriage is legal in new hampshire and there are some conservatives who want to repeal that statute, the supporters of gay marriage are trying to block the repeal. they have been activating and organizing and trying to energize proponents of same-sex marriage to block the repeal. a lot of those folks are the people who are giving the noise to rick santorum. bret? >> bret: they're pretty boisous. carl, we'lcarl -- boisterous. we'll see you this weekend.

bret? >> bret: all right. thank you.sident obama re-election machine is already firing shots across romney's bow. ed henry tells us about the attack. >> monday he claimed he is not focused on politics. >> the level of his even gaugement is relatively low now because he has work to do as president. >> 48 hours later, that work as president included use the white house today to stage a jobs event, which obama campaign advisors openly acknowledge was aimed in part at republican front runner mitt romney. as they accuse him of out sourcing jobs while running bain capital. >> the companies are insourcing. the companies are choosing to invest. in the one country with the most productive workers and that is the united states of america. >> after the speech, the white house put in front of tv camera some of the allies who when asked by the media were delighted to pile on romney. >> i am president of one of the unions that had bain capital come in and close companies. this president tried to create jobs. >> if you look at what he

this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening, i'm bret baier. final weekend before the next step in the 2012 campaign is shaping up to be a bruising battle. as newt gingrich and rocky balboa continue to hammer away at each other. chief political correspondent carl cameron is in cape canaveral tonight, a few days before the florida primary. >> reporter: according to latino voters, they doubted the debate and them gration views -- immigration views. >> i believe to protect legal immigration we have to stop illegal immigration. >> newt gingrich made no mention of the debate and renewed atake that naive -- attacked a possibly he said naively expect self-deportation. >> the idea that grandmother is not going to be supported and the idea he is will self-deport? this is a fantasy. >> gingrich had called romney anti-immigrant, in a spanish language radio ad. romney counter attacked last night. >> that is inexcusable. the idea i'm anti-immigrant is repulsive. recognize having difference of opinion on issues does not justify labeling people with highly ch

bret? >> bret: okay, carl. thank you. let's talk about motivation. what voters showing up, what they were thinking, why they picked a certain candidate. correspondent molly line talked with some of them today. >> today, the people of new hampshire speak. independent voter mike burns voted for democrats in the past. but voted for former massachusetts governor romney this time. >> he has the experience and the business sense. he has the character. and honestly, he is the right guy that truly is with the word electable. my vote is someone who can take the place of obama. >> voter ann marie bell supports romney but isn't happy with either political party. >> they are not behaving in a way i consider leader-like behavior. >> you want your options. >> yes. i definitely want my options. >> when it comes to the g.o.p. candidates, voters still have plenty. >> gingrich. >> might be a speaker but he is the best candidate going. >> i voted for ron paul. i think he is the only republican candidate that

their main gripe with the establishment -- >> bret: after 2010? >> they see them as being people who helped george bush spend all this money. so, they think these are the same people that supported that. we don't like them. we don't like them telling us what to do. >> bret: no masonic temple either. next up, president obama heads to some of the battleground states and a bit of a dust-up. keep it here. [ male announcer ] drinking a smoothie with no vegetable nutrition? ♪ [ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8. i'm bidding on a 1979 dukes of hazzard lunchbox, but my auction ends in 15 seconds ! even worse, my buddy's bidding on the same lunchbox. it's airbrushed ! but i've got verizon 4g lte. it's so fast that i can outbid him at the last second. i got it ! yes, i won ! woo hoo ! it's got a thermos ! rely on verizon 4g lte. because only the fastest survive. ♪ ♪ >>> i wanted to be there to welcome him to come and see firsthand what arizona has don

i'm megyn kelly. >> bret: i'm bret baier, good >> bret: i'm bret baier, good night from des moines, iowa

bret? >> bret: ed, thank you.asury secretary tim geithner says he does not expect to be back if president obama wins re-election. geithner tells bloomberg news he does not believe the president will ask him to stay at his post. he did not say why. >>> house republican leaders are drafting their own version of a healthcare bill in case president obama's struck down by the supreme court this summer. i would reportedly include malpractice reform, high risk insurance pools for people with preexisting conditions and allow policy sales across state lines. next in grapevine, just how many jobs, new jobs does it take to make a project important? don't forget tonight's infinity sponsored text to vote question. should another candidate enter the republican presidential election? text sr1 to 36288 for yes. text sr2 for no. we'll bring you the results at the end of the show. drinking a smoothie with no vegetable nutrition? ♪ [ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition ne

bret. >> bret: all right, chris, thank you. they say all politics is local.e'll examine the iowa economy and what the iowa voter is looking for when we come back. ♪ >> welcome back, folks, here at the state capital building in iowa. the economy has been the major focus of attention in the run-up to the iowa caucuses, not just the national economy, but the financial situation here in this state as well. senior national correspondent john roberts has that story. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: in 2008 they voted on values and mike huckabee won the caucuses. and while values are still important in this town, this year the focus is different says the pella mayor. >> everybody is happier when everybody is employed and working and it gets down to it, jobs is the king. >> reporter: the big mro i remember here, pella windows and doors is struggling. the housing crisis, led to shutdowns. and they worked at pella for 14 years. loretta one of nearly 200 employees shown the door in november. and tim has a job there, but with one child in college and another about to

bret? >> bret: we'll follow it. you. >>> the country's top intelligence official says it will take five years to prevent another massive leak of classified information like the one that ended up on the wikileaks website. national intelligence director james clapper says officials are working to tag information to track it back to its source. a former marine has pleaded guilty to firing shots at the pentagon and other military related targets in the washington area. jonathan malaku agreed to a 25-year sentence in a plea hearing today in alexandria, virginia. next up in the grapevine, does president obama urging that more americans pay their fair share in taxes include the people who work for him? and arizona's governor definitely got her point across to some people character and judgment and sobriety and thoughtfulness that speaker has been all over the place a whole host of issues and says inflammatory, exciting things but the record as speaker shows he hasn't been able to deliver in a consistent effective way. >> i

this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier. dynamic the republican presidential race is fluid at this hour. earlier in the day, texas governor rick perry called it quits and threw his support behind newt gingrich. gingrich has two potential problems on the horizon. an ex-wife with an apparent grudge, and a conservative rival with an apparent victory. chief political correspondent carl cameron is covering a busy day on the campaign trail. >> reporter: running last in south carolina polls, texas governor rick perry ended his presidential bid. >> today, i am suspending my campaign and endorsing newt gingrich for president of the united states. i believe newt is a conservative visionary who can transform our country. we have had our differences which campaigns will inevitably have. newt is not perfect, but who among us is? >> reporter: gingrich hopes to unite south carolina conservatives as the romney alternative. >> i was very honored and very humbled to have governor perry speak so well about endorsing me. >> reporter: his predic

bret?et: jennifer griffin live at the pentagon tonight. thank you. the israeli military says it will hold a major missile exercise with u.s. forces soon. israel says the drill was planned long ago, and is not a reaction to iran recent ten-day exercise near the strait of hormuz. >> a wave of bombings targeting shiites killed 72 people today in iraq. it began early in the morning with two attacks in baghdad neighborhoods. 27 died in those explosions. one of the prosecutors in the trial of former egyptian president hosni mubarak says the ousted leader should hang for his crimes. mubarak and several others are charged with killing protesters in last year's uprising. >> did president obama try to get extra mileage out of the bin laden raid? that is later in the grapevine. up next, extra tension between the president and republicans. over recess appointments. you wouldn't want your doctor doing your job. so why are you doing his? only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actu

i'm megyn kelly. >> bret: i'm bret baier, good >> bret: i'm bret baier, good night from des moines, iowaptioned by closed captioning services, inc.

bret? >> bret: live at the pentagon.least two people were killed and dozens injured. more than 100 injured in an outbreak of violent weather early today in the south. several homes sustained damage around arkansas. an area near birmingham, alabama, devastated by a deadly tornado last spring was hit. >>> senator versus the tsa came to a head today at an airport. and what cliche will president obama use first in the "state of the union" address? grapevine is next. there was a pl to help protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye-care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. [ male announcer ] ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. now, that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health. and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always le

this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier.13 hours the polls open in south carolina, and a little more than 24 hours from now we should know the winner. a result with the potential to yet again turn this g.o.p. nomination race upside down. chief political correspondent carl cameron looks at the final full day of campaigning ahead of the vote and what the numbers are telling us. >> newt-mentum. surging in the south carolina polls after another commanding debate performance. newt gingrich sounded confident of first in the south primary win. >> tomorrow is going to be a very, very important day. with your help and with the help of any good citizens across the state of south carolina. we will take the first big step to ensure a conservative is nominated for president of the united states. >> romney has seen a double-digit lead in the south carolina polls vanish in a week. >> there is a long road ahead. newt gingrich is a feisty competitor and there is a contest to take us down the road a ways. >> gingrich is leading by two points