i'm howard kurtz. join us again next sunday morning, 1

i'm howard kurtz. join us next sunday morning 11:00 a.m. eastern.hitney houston on "state of the union." and let me also take a minute to say you can follow our program on facebook where a lot of people are hanging out these days. you can follow me onit

i'm howard kurtz. join us next sunday morning 11:00 a.m. eastern.hitney houston on "state of the union." and let me also take a minute to say you can follow

howard kurtz, lauren ashburn of the daily download. thank you so much. >> woodruff: now, another kind of election story. as both parties ramp up their efforts to get voters to the polls this fall, "newshour" science correspondent miles o'brien explores why most people still can't vote online. >> we don't have archives. >> reporter: inside natalie tennant's vault in the west virginia capitol... >> it's all handwritten stuff. >> reporter: ...you will find the bane of every secretary of state of every state in the country: paper, lots of old, musty, yellowing paper. >> managing it all is a huge sap on time, money and efficiency since the democrat was elected the secretary of state here three years ago, natalie tennant has been determined to find a better way. >> soon as i came in, i wanted to have an atmosphere where we are open to ideas. >> reporter: and that is how natalie tennant-- the first female student to be selected mascot of the west virginia university mountaineers-- finds herself leading another kind of charge: a controversial-

howard kurtz now at the daily beast and "newsweek" and the host of "reliable sources" sunday morning.ri fleischer learned how to spell though. that's another story. and paul vercammen, you have more numbers. i think they're pretty dramatic. what's going on? >> hang on, wolf. they're not here yet. they're promising me here at gop headquarters in a matter of moments. this is very free thrflowing he. they'll have a massive batch of numbers. the time table is 10 to 15 minutes. we're on the third floor, and possibly give us the final numbers. so we'll hang on for you right now. >> stand by for a moment. we're not going to let you go too far away. in fact, stand by for one second, paul, because we'll come back to you as soon as you get the numbers. in fact, let's take this opportunity as we await these numbers and i think this will be a dramatic moment. on this special night, rick santorum doing remarkably well. we'll go to paul vercammen and get the numbers right here after this. ♪ [ indistinct conversations ] ♪ under blue moon i saw you [ young man ] whoo-hoo! ♪ so soon you'll take me ♪ u

i'm howard kurtz, and this is "reliable sources." >>> now that mitt romney has lost his front-runner status, at least according to the fleeting snapshot provided by national polls, some pundits in their infinite wisdom are giving him advice, and the media microscope increasingly focusing on his faith. >> as mitt romney continues to battle for the republican nomination, the question of faith continues to be in focus. whether americans are becoming more accepting of his rge, mormonism. >> because he's been afraid for the lastself years to talk about his mormonism because of some questions some people have especially in the bible belt, probably the area where he could most touch hearts and most testified to his humanity he's kind of blocked off from doing. >> "new york times" columnist frank bruney says that's precisely where the mormon question is fair game. there are valid reasons he writes for the rest of us to hone in on romney's religion, not in terms of its historical eccentricities but in terms ever its cultural, psychological, and emotional imprint on him. his aloofness, guarded

i'm howard kurtz. join us again next sunday morning, 11:00 a.m. eastern for another critical look at the media. "state of the union with candy crowley" begins right now. >> simmering anti-western sentiment in afghanistan boils over into nearly a week of violent protests and 30 deaths including four americans. today, is it time for the u.s. to go? a conversation with the u.s. ambassador to afghanistan, ryan crocker in kabul. >>> then, gas, taxes and 2012 with obama campaign adviser robert gibbs. >> it's good to be back here in michigan. >> eye on michigan and arizona. republican politics with senators john mccain and lindsey graham. plus their recent trip to afghanistan. >>> then the rapid increasing gas prices. how high and how long with the former ceo of shell oil. i'm candy crowley. and this is "state of the union." >>> the afghan government says the man who killed two american soldiers inside a highly secured government african building is an intelligence officer. hamid karzai has offered condolences of the families of the four americans killed

i'm howard kurtz, and this is "reliable sources." >>> the campaign debate over rick santorum and the exit tent to which he should or should not be talking about religion and social issues has quickly morphed into a debate about the media's role in reporting on these hot button controversies and pundits on the left and the right wasted no time choosing sides. >> if rick santorum does secure the republican nomination, he will be portrayed as a pure tan witch hunter, as a fanatical religious guy, as a member of the inquisition. that's how the liberal media will tag santorum. >> people say the media keeps shifting the attention away from the economy to these crazy cultural questions that we thought were long ago put to bed. there he is. rick santorum. you could argue he is the frontrunner in the country right now for the nomination of the republican party pushing these issues sharp as nails. he wants a fight. >> santorum did pick a fight with the press. in a fox interview with sean handty. >> it's perfectly clear. this is -- let's be honest. this is standard fair. for them to continually

i'm howard kurtz, and this is "reliable sources." >>> at a time the votes were counted in florida this week, the pundits have decided that mitt romney had all but wrapped up the republican nomination. newt gingrich might keep the race interesting, or so they hope, but have no real chance to win. romney hit the television circuit for what was supposed to be a victory lap, and the man who once said i enjoy being able to fire people, did it again. or did he? here is the exchange on cnn. >> by the way, i'm in this race because i care about americans. i'm not concerned about the very poor. we have a safety net there. if it needs repair, i'll fix it. i'm not concerned about the very rich. they're doing just fine. i'm concerned about the very heart of america, the 90%, 95% of americans who right now are struggling. >> i you just said i'm not concerned about the very poor. i think there are a lot of very poor americans who are struggling who say that sounds odd. >> that and not romney's primary victory soon became the hot media story. >> you don't say that stuff unless you have a tin ear, poli

i'm howard kurtz. join us again next sunday morning, 11:00 a.m. eastern for another critical look at the media. "state of the union with candy crowley" begins right now. >>> nevada delivers for romney while early signs of a recovering economy suggest republicans may have to tune up their fall pitch to unseat the president. today, 2012 politics from the stateside with two leading governors, virginia republican bob mcdonnell and maryland democrat martin o'malley. >>> then, if they had to, could core conservatives learn to love mitt? we ask the president of the family research council, tony perkins, and dick armey. the economy and the election. >>> and then, israel, iran and the u.s. with mike rogers. i'm candy crowley. and this is "state of the union." >>> a gallup/"usa today" poll of 12 key swing states shows president obama beating every republican comer except one, mitt romney. after months of pounding by republican rivals and the president's re-election team, romney is up by a point over the president, a statistical dead heat. 35% of swing state