cnn projects rick santorum has won the kansas caucuses. he will take at least 20 of the state's 40 delegates. both mitt romney and newt gingrich skipped kansas. gingrich is in alabama where he is drawing attention to romney's grits comment from earlier in the week. >> well one of my competitors, i have had grits before. and now that may explain as much as everything, why everything in alabama and mississippi ought to vote for me. >> and this is from just a few hours ago. ron paul addressing a caucus crowd in overland park, kansas. we'll have more on those kansas results in a moment. >>> and kofi annan says his conversation today with the president of syria was candid and comprehensive, and he met with bashar al assad in damascus and asked him face-to-face to stop the killing in his country of syria. they plan to talk again tomorrow. opposition activists say more than 60 people were killed today in fighting across syria. >>> and some tragic news to report. a world-class competitive skier was killed today during a race in switzerland. there i

. >> nbc news is projecting rick santorum the winner of today's kansas caucuses. good news for santorum in terms of momentum. but he and the other candidates face protests this weekend in alabama and mississippi. >> we had a very good day. >> with a strong showing in the kansas caucuses, rick santorum notched another victory and he is making the case he is the conservative choice. >> we have to have a candidate, a nominee who is a clear contrast with the president of the united states. >> rick santorum, it gingrich -- the contest is next week in mississippi. gingrich has to win one or both to keep moving forward. >> it is a big deal. if we win alabama and mississippi next tuesday, by next wednesday, this totally wild roller care -- roller- coaster race will be reset one more time and we will be on the way. >> for medtronic, a strong showing in the south is critical to show conservatives he can win. >> this president has not succeeded. this president has failed. that is why we will get rid of him in 2012. >> before the saturday caucuses, romney held up a three-one

he grabbed a win at the kansas caucuses ahead of mitt romney. republican presidential candidates are being held today -- the contests being held in wyoming, guam and the virgin islands but the deep south is also getting quite a bit of attention. bri bryan moar has the latest. >> with a strong showing in the kansas caucuses rick santorum nochd another victory. and he's making the case he's the conservative choice. >> we have to have a candidate, a nominee, hook gwho can get up and draw a clear contrast with the president of the united states. >> reporter: for santorum, newt gingrich and ron paul, the saturday caucuses in kansas and wyoming were another chance to play delegate catch-up, but the contest this next week are about survival. gingrich has to win one or both to keep moving forward. >> it's a big deal. if we win alabama and miss sip next tuesday, by next wednesday this totally wild roller koers ra -- coaster race will be set one more time. >> reporter: for mitt romney a strong showing in the south is critical to show conservatives he can

cnn is projecting that rick santorum has won the kansas caucuses. here's the totals here, check them out with nearly all the caucus votes counted, santorum won easily there. he has 51%. romney has a distant second at 21%. kansas is a conservative state with a strong evangelical vote, both playing to santorum's strengths. we bring in chief political correspondent candy crowley joining us live from washington. big picture here, romney and gingrich pretty much let santorum have kansas so his luck holds here. is this an important win? >> you know, i hate to sound like everybody else but the fact of the matter is they're all important wins at this point. this is probably important for santorum. he does pick up, we think he'll pick up the bulk of the delegate and if the numbers you just showed hold, romney will be the only other one in the bunch if he stays 20% or above he'll be the only one that gets any delegates out of kansas. what this does is it sets rick santorum up for what he wants to do tuesday, and that is win alabama and mississippi. >> let's ta

santorum was expected to win the kansas caucuses, and he did that. he will get the lion's share of the 40 delegates at stake here in this contest. the center wasn't here in kansas when the results were announced. he was in missouri. think tai a listen to him talking about his win in this kansas contest. >> we are doing well out here in the midwest. >> can you give us any more thoughts on kansas? >> awesome win. feeling great. >> reporter: the santorum campaign is going one step further. hogan, who is santorum's national communications director said, "this is a great win for the campaign and further evidence that conservatives and tea party loyalists are uniting behind rick as the true consistent conservative in this race." the santorum campaign certainly hopes that's the case as they move ahead. look ahead towards tuesday's contest in mississippi and alabama. they certainly hope to do well there, although there are some polls suggesting that santorum has an uphill climb. one other thing of note. hawaii also has a contest on tuesday and santorum is sen

the lawrence journal world is writing about the kansas caucuses this weekend. "now with super tuesday in the rear-view mirror, republican candidates are focusing on the kansas republican caucuses this weekend. the stakes are high in a tight race as kansas republicans caucasian does in 96 locations around the state to vote for their preferred nominee. 40 delegates at stake. on the campaign trail today, rick santorum. >> this is an election. we have an opportunity to juxtapose what i've talked about, which is the truth about who we are as americans, and put it up against barack obama's vision of america. in the past and in the future. to do that you need someone who can make that case and someone who has a record to stand on and a vision for a fruitful, prosperous, good and safe america. i would make the argument that, given the two leading contenders at this point for the nomination, republican nomination, that person here in kansas today probably is the better of the two to make that case. [ applause ] thank you. thank you. let me just tell you briefly why. beca

santorum won the caucuses in kansas, while mitt romney took wyoming. the next significant test comes this tuesday. >> we had a very, very good day. >> with a strong showing in the kansas caucuses, gop presidential hopeful rick santorum notched another victory, and he's making the case, he's the conservative choice. >> we have to have candidates, a candidate, a nominee who can get up there and draw a clear contrast with the president of the united states. >> for santorum, newt gingrich and ron paul, the saturday caucuses in kansas and wyoming were another chance to play delegate catchup, but the contests in alabama and mississippi, are about survival. gingrich has to win one or both to keep moving forward. >> it's a big deal. we win alabama and mississippi next tuesday, by next wednesday, this totally wild roller coaster race will be reset one more time and we'll be on the way. >> morning, y'all. >> for mitt romney, a strong showling in the shouth is critical to show conservatives he can win. >> this predhas not succeeded. he has failed, and that's the

kansas. republicans voted in state caucuses with 40 delegates at stake. form snowstorm took the lion's share. >> we have had a very good day in our neighboring state of kansas. we are going to win kansas and the vast majority of delegates from kansas. >> reporter: mitt romney took a breather saturday after picking up 18 delegates in guam and the marianas island. romney, not expected to do well be in south is encouraged by polling in alabama and mississippi which holds important primary on tuesday. >> morning, y'all. i got started right with a biscuit and cheesy grits. delicious. >> if romney can win a southern state from his more conservative rivals that would burn issues on electability factor, and gingrich says his native south is a path to victory, a poor showing could make tuesday has last stand. he is short on money and resisting calls to drop out of the race. >> if we can win alabama and mississippi night we will reset the campaign for the nine only or tenth time. >> but romney might actually reset the race if he is able to win in the south. david cu

the kansas caucuses on saturday.guam... the viigin iilands... and northeen mariana island...o hold caucuses that day. meanwhile... u-s representative dennis kucinich of ohio... lost his bid for re-electiin in the state's democratic primary tuesday night.kucinich was lockkd ii a battle with fellow lonntime house emocrat marcy kaptur. they were forced toogo head-to-head afterra hhated redistricting battle... which with kaptur's.h's district - thh firss african-american congressman from new jersey... has died.representative donald cancer tuesday... at the age of 77.new jersey vvters first elected the newark native to congress in 1988. the &pdemocrat was serving his 12th term.paane served as the chairman of the congressional also a senioo member of the house committees on foreign affairs, and education and the workforce. a second radio station has pulled the plug on thh russ commentsshe made last week about a georgetown law student. student.w-b-e-c... a massachusetts radio station... says limbaugh's commmnts were unacceptable.limbaugh called wanting free access to birth control.h

the former senator from pennsylvania taking first place in the kansas caucuses by a wide margin. santorum reacting to the news a short time ago during a rally in missouri. we have had a very, very good day in our neighboring state of kansas. thank you. thank you for your help and your support. god bless you. god bless america. thank you. thank you. >> leading up to today's caucuses. santorum making it clear he had to win kansas to stay competitive. the latest numbers from the associated press showing he got 51% of the vote. mitt romney coming in second in kansas with 21%. newt gingrich with 14. ron paul with 13%. perhaps not much of a surprise though considering romney and gingrich largely did not campaign in the state of kansas. instead they focused on the two big southern primaries next week alabama and mississippi. romney winning just moments ago. the associated press calling wyoming for mitt romney. they have been caucusing there since tuesday. polls closed just an hour ago and now the vote is coming. in in socially conservative kansas it seems rick santorum stands to gain a l

rick santorum picking up at least 32 of the 40 delegates in today's kansas caucuses. he received more than 50% of the vote with mitt romney many coming in second followed by newt gingrich and ron paul. overseas, afghan officials say five taliban prisoners at guantanamo bay agreed to be transferred to gatr. britain's prince harry visiting rio de janeiro. he showed off his rugby and volleyball skills. >>> it is no see vet that republican presidential candidate mitt romney was born and bred in the north. served as governor of massachusetts and grew up mckinley, michigan. at a recent rally in jackson, mississippi, he did his best to appeal to southern voters. take a listen. >> morning y'all. good to be with you. i got to started right this morning with a biscuit and cheesy grits. i tell you, delicious. >> cal thomas. really? a syndicated columnist. kirsten powers is joining us as well. a columnist for the daily beast. both fox news contributors. i'm from the south in case you didn't know it. are you kidding me? is this conscious on the part of mitt romney. it is always a

a big win for rick santorum, taking 51% of the vote in the kansas caucuses. mitt romney second with 21%, newt gingrich at 14, and ron paul with 13%. mitt romney, though, was just declared the winner in wyoming, and next tuesday, the alabama and mississippi primaries. newt gingrich wasting no time speaking now in birmingham, and here's what else is coming up tonight on justice. >> cops say she was living a double life, a soccer mom running a high-priced call girl business. how this alleged billionaire madam finally got caught. >>> and free health care for illegal immigrants courtesy of us taxpayers, and you won't believe some of the stuff we're paying for. >>> plus ... google's street view. those vans cruising your neighborhood could be taking more than just photos. coming up tonight on justice. >>> hello and welcome to justice. i'm judge jeanine pirro. mitt romney may have the most delegates, but today belongs to rick santorum who won the kansas caucuses by a huge margin. we have our republican and democratic strategists joining me this evening. so santorum c

yesterday, santorum won kansas's caucuses, capturing at least 2069 state's 40 delegates. romney took home some smaller victories, winning the u.s. bettterritories as well as wyoms caucus, which voted last week. santorum is currently third in polling in alabama, behind romney and newt gingrich. he is also third in mississippi with gingrich holding a slight lead over romney before tuesday's caucuses. santorum and romney's victories, though, do little to the delegate standings. look for yourself. romney has a commanding lead, 377 delegates for him, more than the other three candidates combined. santorum has 146 delegates. gingrich at 112 and ron paul at just 31. the challengers need 1,144 delegates to secure the republican nomination. >>> with just a couple days until alabama and mississippi, each candidate is hoping to capture those southern states. nbc's david gregory joined us earlier today and says for romney, santorum and gingrich, a win for them on tuesday would mean very different things. >> it's a different threshold. i think for gingrich, if he's going to remain as

cnn is projecting rick santorum has won today's kansas caucuses. our cnn political direct sir there, mark preston standing bier in washington. and at a polling snags kansas. we start with mr. mark preston. mark, this was expected since both mitt romney and newt gingrich pretty much seconcede e state to santorum. how big is this? >> huge in the sense that it's more wind at the back of rick santorum heading into a very critical two-state primary night. not only going to see alabama and mississippi hold their primaries, but hawaii. also holding their contest on that night. so a win is a win is a win, and for rick santorum, 25 delegates, at least 25 delegates right now, not a bad thing to pick up on a saturday afternoon, don. >> so that 25 delegates. give us a delegate breakdown. >> a quick look at the board pap new estimate now. you need 1,444 delegates to win the republican presidential nomination answers the new delegate estimate shows that mitt romney is in the lead, of course, with 447. rick santorum with these at least 25 delegates in hand a up to

a big win for rick santorum, taking 51% of the vote in the kansas caucuses. mitt romney second with 21%, newt gingrich at 14, and ron paul with 13%. mitt romney, though, was just declared the winner in wyoming, and next tuesday, the alabama and mississippi primaries. newt gingrich wasting no time speaking now in birmingham, and here's what else is coming up tonight on justice. >> cops say she was living a double life, a soccer mom running a high-priced call girl business. how this alleged billionaire madam finally got caught. >>> and free health care for illegal immigrants courtesy of us taxpayers, and you won't believe some of the stuff we're paying for. >>> plus ... google's street view. those vans cruising your neighborhood could be taking more than just photos. coming up tonight on justice. >>> hello and welcome to justice. i'm judge jeanine pirro. mitt romney may have the most delegates, but today belongs to rick santorum who won the kansas caucuses by a huge margin. we have our republican and democratic strategists joining me this evening. so santorum c

. >>> the projected winner of the kansas caucuses could be announced any minute now. cnn political director mark preston joins us now from washington. mark, is there any indication yet of who just might be getting a win there? >> i'm here in washington with the decision team. we're awaiting results from the kansas caucuses. they just closed as we opened up the show. awaiting on those numbers, rick santorum spent a lot of time in kansas as his ron paul. we haven't any numbers at this point right now. but there are a lot of delegates on the line. 40 delegates exactly. so the candidates are clearly watching the next few hours to see who walks out with the most delegates from this caucus. >> so so far, so good for mit romney who did pretty well in guam as well as north mayor anna islands. what is the logic tooz why as t did so well? >> good news from mitt romney. woke up to find out that he won guam's nine delegates and the nine delegates that the northern marianne islands has. he sent his son matt over there to act as his surrogate, to talk about his father's policies. h

kansas earlier today. ron paul campaigned in advance of the caucuses on saturday. last night we got word that newt gingrich would be in kansas with a number of appearances but today that changed. instead, the former house speaker is focusing his efforts in alabama and mississippi. newt gingrich was in pell city, alabama earlier today. >> i think that senator santorum and governor romney would play the washington game just fine. i intend to change the washington game. [ applause ] if you want to see an example of the difference in depth and experience, go to newt.org. we have a 30-minute speech on how to fix the energy policy based on a bookie wrote four years ago. and based on a movie -- called we have the power. in addition, on controlling and modernizing the judiciary and getting it back within the constitution. there's a 54-page paper on the founding fathers and the constitution and judgeships which is a culmination of nine years of work. i just think, if you look at that stuff and you say all right, not who do you want to have run a good commercial, not who can

. >>> we turn to 2012 american politics, rick santorum is coming off a big weekend win in the kansas caucuses even as the romney campaign claims a big win with delegates. santorum got 51% support, a full 30 points ahead of romney. romney won the delegate vote in wyoming's county conventions on saturday. combined he added 39 delegates to his total this weekend, rick santorum got 36. in all romney leads santorum by 200 delegates. santorum rejecting that his rival's lead makes him the nominee. >> on the current track we're on right now, the fact is that governor romney doesn't get to that number. so the idea that you just make projecti projections, this is not a mathematical formula. someone who has out-spent 10-1 w all this wind at his back, yet he can't close the deal. i have my homestate yet to go. governor romney had about three of his homestates already. it's important to look to the future and see the opportunities we have. that's how we get back into this race. if we can get one-on-one, we can see we've done well there. >> tomorrow the republican race turns to the deep south. primaries in

rick santorum scored a landslide victory in the kansas caucuses. it's tomorrow's votes in the deep south that could be a game changer. nancy cordes has our report. >> i like grits. >> it started on thursday in mississippi when mitt romney professed a newfound love for southern cuisine. >> i got started right with a biscuit and some cheesy grits. delicious. >> that led newt gingrich who called georgia home for 40 years to stir the pot in alabama. >> unlike one of my competitors, i have had grits before. [ laughter ] if you don't understand grits, there's a pretty high likelihood you don't understand the rest of the south either. >> rick santorum stayed out of the food fight but he came to mississippi today hungry for votes. why should a southern voter go for you as opposed to newt gingrich? >> i understand there's some regional appeal for congressman gingrich. but he's won two states out of, what, 25 races so far. he's finished third or fourth in almost every other race. so it's just not going anywhere for him. >> for romney, a strong showing in mis

. >> reporter: rick santorum, who should do well in this saturday's kansas caucuses, wants to be the only conservative candidate to romney. he pleaded with newt gingrich who won in his home state of georgia last night to drop out. >> we are staying in this race because i believe that it's going to be impossible for a moderate to win the general election. >> reporter: romney hunkered down in boston today while his campaign team used show-and-tells to make the case that neither santorum nor gingrich has a realistic shot at the nomination saying it would take "an act of god for one of them to win." >> if the governor think he's ordained by god to win, then let's just have it out. >> reporter: the delegate map for santorum is daunting. to win, he would need two out of every three delegates going forward. it's something no candidate has ever achieved in the modern era. romney also wants this primary battle over because even his victories seem to reinforce his weaknesses. like michigan the week before, romney won in ohio, despite the fact that he lost very conservative voters to santorum b

he's in kansas. 40 delegates are up for grabs tomorrow in the kansas caucuses. rick santorum talked about narrowing the gap with mitt romney, while romney focused his attacks on the president's economic record. >> how about that? how about $15.5 trillion passed onto our kids. that's something wrong with obama. >> he said it would take an act of god for rick santorum to get all the delegates i need. i don't know about him, but i believe in acts of god. >> today georgia native newt gingrich says he'll stay in the race regardless of how he does in the deep south on tuesday. >> a new jobs report is good news for obama's campaign. they hired more than a quarter of a million new workers in february. hourly pay also went up. the problem? the unemployment rate remained the same, despite the uptick in jobs. economists predict it will fall below 8% by november. >>> a little chilly out there tonight, doug. >> it's real chilly tonight, jim. yesterday temperatures into the 70s. 74 degrees aat the airport. right now, though, 43 degrees, 31 degrees cooler, and look up to the n

rick santorum swept the kansas caucuses, and mitt romney won in wyoming, but there was no mistaking that the big battles were down south. >> good morning, y'all. good to be with you. i got it right this morning with grits. i'll tell you. delicious. >> the first time he had ever tasted grits. i just wanted to reassure all of you that i have had some acquaintance in a variety of forms with shrimp, with cheese, with gravy. i get it. >> schieffer: it was one of those you can't make it up weeks on the campaign trail. so where do things stand now? after winning georgia, newt gingrich is still dancing. but can he or santorum stop romney? we'll ask him. then we'll talk to a top obama campaign advisor robert gibbs. the latest on the campaign and afghanistan with analysis from correspondents norah o'donnell and david martin. this is "face the nation." captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news in washington, "face the nation" with bob schieffer. >> schieffer: good morning again. the overnight news from afghanistan is sober. at least 15 afghans by some counts are dead, and more are wounded after an

the themes he stressed in kansas resonated with evangelical voters that were voting in the caucuses. s suawlg opposition to abortion and gay marriage seemed to hit a theme with those folks in kansas and he won the state overwhelmingly today. >> heather: a strategic move moving from the social irons to foreign policy. thank you very much. >> moving ahead, is iran trying to pull a fast one with its nuclear program? new evidence that iran may be trying hide its nuclear intentions. what it means for possible negotiations up next. okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle -- 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! weso to save money, services can get kind of expensive. i've found a new way to

rick santorum today won the kansas caucuses beating mitt romney by 30%. ntorum was expected to do well in kansas because it's also a giant square. >> all right, everybody. top of the hour, 6:00 on the east coast, good morning. it is monday, march 12th, and we've lost an hour. wake up, wake up, wake up. with us onset, msnbc contributor mike barnicle. you're back. i haven't seen you in a while. >> i haven't been here in a while. >> okay. that makes sense. msnbc political analyst and visiting professor at nyu, former democratic congressman harold ford jr. and former chief strategist to the mccain/palin campaign, steve schmitt. we'll talk about the movie coming up. and in washington, chief foreign affairs correspondent and host of "andrea mitchell reports," andrea mitchell. very important day to have you on, as well. thank you for coming onboard early. we've got a lot to talk about. we're going to look at the races obviously, politics over the weekend. we saw santorum win kansas, romney take wyoming and some of the territories and we're looking ahead to tuesda

rick santorum picked up a win in the kansas caucuses today, adding to his three victories on super tuesday. he got 51% of the votes in a state largely abandoned by the romney and gingrich campaigns. still, kansas played to santorum's strengths. political reporter shannon travis is in overland park, kansas, tonight. >> reporter: don, a win is a win, but let's talk about how senator santorum pulled it out here in kansas. i was at a caucus site earlier today speaking with some different voters. obviously, they want to oust president obama. this was a republican-only caucus, and they also talked about their concerns about the economy. but another thing keen in their minds were social issues, issues that senator santorum really pushes on the campaign trail. another thing, some of the voters were undecided on who to caucus for, but they felt like santorum has the passion that they want out of a presidential candidate. one other thing of note, ron paul attended the caucus site i was at earlier, and i caught up with him. even though he didn't pull it out, he talked about his strategy amassing dele

rick santorum hopes to build on his victory in saturday as the kansas caucuses. maryland and virginia governors had a debate on the main issues yesterday. >> president obama we have had 24 months in a row of positive job creation under his leadership every month. >> we of loss 864 million jobs since the beginning of his administration. 9% maybe the best barack obama can do, but not as good as americans really need. >> governor mcdonnell supports mitt romney. both governors say the economy will be a big factor in this year's presidential campaign. >> what was your reaction -- what would your reaction be if you learn you're headed for columbus, ohio? this was the scene on georgetown campus sunday afternoon after they learned they are seeded third in the midwest and they will face of belmont in columbus on friday afternoon. north carolina tar heels are the number-one seed in the region. 5:36, 47 degrees. >> still ahead on this monday, a local high school coach accused of sleeping with a teenager is speaking out after prosecutors dropped charges. >> the third time is

rick santorum picked up some ground on mitt romney yesterday, with a landslide victory in the kansas caucuses>>> the world's first p nuclear-powered enterprise, has seen action in several wars and was featured in the "top gun." >>> and a woman in southern california gave birth to a big baby boy, he tipped the scales at nearly 140 pounds. 140 pounds. sorry, 14. pretty large kid. >> you're scaring the bejesus out of bianna. >> only 14 pounds. >> only, thank you, ron. rest assured that it's only 14. >>> time now for the weather and ginger zee. >>> rain in the center of the nation, here's how it's going to go today. a little severe weather out in most of the state oarkansas and surrounding there. north, into chicago, by the overnight, most of chicago is going to see a dry day today. late tonight into the early morning hours, the rain. then, the warmth. i have to show you the pattern change. it's going to stick this way. even if you had a taste of winter early this weekend, 60s and 70s. if you're loving the may in march, that's going to continue. here's a look across the nation. until then, that's

[applause] >> the candidates compete again in the kansas caucuses on saturday and the next week it isbama, mississippi, and ohio -- hawaii. mitt romney leads followed by rick santorum, newt gingrich, and ron paul. >>nel into the battle in sight. what is next? >> we are joined live this morning by a "politico" reporter . >> romney says he wants a united country, but he still has to unite the party. if you look at ohio, because that is a key state, he did great in metropolitan areas like cleveland. there are 88 counties in that state. the more rural ones were affected by rick santorum. he also had 50% of the vote. you see a huge gap for romney that he has to close. >> the other side of the coin is the tortoise and rick santorum collecting several -- silver medals. >> no one can take over mitt romney but the primary is only half the battle. he has to move into the general election with a strong republican party and a more united republican party. that is the challenge he faces. bringing the rest of the gop together. >> before we let you go, ron paul -- he continue? >> ron paul will conti

the next is the kansas caucuses on saturday. >> the president spent his night attending a private fund-raiser at the jefferson hotel. earlier he had a message for mitt romney. >> good luck tonight. [laughter] no really. >> the president dismissed the candidates for we hid the -- what he called the casualness in which they discussed war. >> former presidential candidate dennis' days on capitol hill may be over. there were forced into the same district from toledo to cleveland. he had flirted with running for an open seat in washington state. she will face-off against joe the plumber. he won the regular -- republican nomination in the ninth congressional district. he earned the nickname for expressing his concerns about taxes to than candid it to barack obama. >> a georgetown man charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife. police had charged albrecht muth with second-degree murder but yesterday he was upgraded to first degree. prosecutors say he strangled her in her home. he is being treated at a psychiatric hospital. >> we're looking at 38 degrees. >> still ahead, good news when