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just download the pbs newshour iphone and ipad app. and we'll be here for a special report on the results of the florida primary at 11:00 p.m. eastern time, and again tomorrow evening. thanks for watching. good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: this was primary day in arizona and michigan, with 59 republican delegates at stake. mitt romney and rick santorum were the main contenders, and tensions were high, especially in michigan. the romney campaign went into the day struggling to hold off what has turned out to be an aggressive and heated challenge from rick santorum in romney's native state. in the final days before today's open primary, the santorum campaign has staked its claim in michigan even using automated robo-calls to get democratic crossover votes. >> michigan democrats can vote in the republican primar

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: fire engulfed a 1940s- era prison in honduras overnight. by late today, 272 inmates were confirmed dead, but officials said the number was expected to go much higher. more than 450 others escaped with their lives. margaret warner has our story. >> warner: this shaky cell phone video captured the fearful scenes-- flames raging into the night sky. honduran television showed the fast-moving blaze burning out of control at a prison. workers at a nearby hotel said it took 20 minutes to 30 minutes for the first fire crews to arrive. even then, firefighters said at least 100 inmates died in their cells, screaming for help. some inmates were set free by guards, rescuers

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: bnsf railway. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: president obama backtracked some today on a birth control insurance mandate. his new plan sought to satisfy critics of the plan, while maintaining support from women's health advocates. the president entered the white house briefing room bent on calming a political storm. >> religious liberty will be protected, and a law that requires free preventative care will not discriminate against women. >> brown: just three weeks ago, the administration announced that religiously affiliated schools, hospitals and other institutions had to cover birth control free of cost. roman catholic officials, in particular, charged the mandate would force them to violate their o

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy, productivlife. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: on this presidents' day, the republicans who would be president drove home their points in key upcoming primary states. and the latest seeming front- runner drew crowds and criticism. rick santorum's rise in the polls continued today heading into next week's primary contest and two weeks before super tuesday. new gallup tracking poll showed santorum leading with 36% of republican voters. mitt romney is eight points back at 28%. next is newt gingrich at 13%. and ron paul comes in fourth at 11%. polls out yesterday showed santorum ahead in oklahomaand in ohio and upcoming super tuesday state where he grabbed support from the state's attorney general

jor funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: id moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org vo:geico, committed to providing service to its auto insurance customers for over 70 years. more information on auto insurance at geico.com or 1-800-947-auto any time of the day or night.

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> suarez: after long months of negotiating, 49 states joined an agreement today over foreclosure abuses. u.s. attorney general eric holder announced the deal, in washington. >> it is the largest joint federal civil state settlement in the history of this nation. >> suarez: the news came even as foreclosed homes still litter the landscape. casualties of the housing bubble that burst in 2008. many people could not make their payments and were forced out. many others have struggled to keep up, even as the value of their homes fell far below what they owe. but attorney general holder said the $25 billion deal is designed to give relief to homeowners and to hold banks accounta

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. and the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: the people of egypt faced a new crisis today. a bloodbath involving soccer fans sent fresh fighting surging through the streets of cairo. we begin with a report narrated by jonathan rugman of independent television news. >> it's a familiar scene from egypt's unfinished revolution: protestors clashing with security forces tonight on the road to cairo's interior ministry near tahrir square. yet the spark for all this was a riot from which scores of fans have returned home in coffins throughout the day. the home side in port said should have been celebrating victory last night. instead, their fans stormed the pitch. they attacked th

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: after days of deadlock, there were signs today that congress may be near agreement on extending payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits for the rest of the year. judy woodruff has the story. >> woodruff: last night, house republicans dropped a demand that the $100 billion tax cut be paid for. and this evening, congressional aides suggested the deal could include long-term unemployment assistance as well, plus money to block a cut in medicare payments for doctors. for what's been happening behind the scenes on capitol hill, we're joined by todd zwillich, a reporter with "th

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years.f, the engine that connects us. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: it was a big night and day after for rick santorum. he swept the latest round of republican presidential nominating tests and, in so doing, altered the complexion of the race. >> conservatism is alive and well in missouri and minnesota. >> ifill: the former pennsylvania senator scored decisive victories in both those states, plus a five-point win in colorado out gunning frontrunner mitt romney in all three of tuesday's contests. >> i don't stand here today to claim to be the conservative alternative to mitt romney, i stand here to be the conservative alternative to barack obama

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: from washington and pyongyang came word today of a new deal to freeze north korea's nuclear program. it would come in exchange for food assistance from the u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton confirmed the agreement at a congressional hearing this morning. >> today's announcement represents a modest first step in the right direction. we, of course, will be watching closely and judging north korea's new leaders by their actions. >> woodruff: under the deal, north korea agreed to put in place a moratorium on long-range missile launches and to suspend work to enrich uranium at its yongbyon nuclear facility. the north also promised to allow the return of u.n.

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: bnsf railway. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: china's rise offers the u.s. economic opportunities, not threats. that was the message today, as the man expected to be his country's future leader ended his american visit in los angeles, and a prominent u.s. film company announced it would open a studio in china. the new company will be called oriental dreamworks, a joint venture between dreamworks animation and several chinese media groups. dreamworks has enjoyed box office success in china, led by the "kung fu panda" franchise. but china has placed severee din of american films in the country. the deal came together as vice president xi jinping wrapped up his tour of t

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the price of oil on world markets climbed again today, closing above $106 a barrel. that and the rising price of gas at the pump provided political fuel for republican presidential hopefuls. just as the u.s. economy shows signs of strengthening, the price of gas is starting to hit american drivers where it hurts... again. >> it's crazy. it's expensive. it's going up and up. >> it's ridiculous. >> woodruff: the average price for regular reached $3.58 a gallon this week, according to the energy department. that's up about 40 cents from a year ago, with most of the increase coming since new year's. not surprisingly, it's becoming an issue again in the presidential campaig

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> this is "bbc world news." funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key, strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: coalition forces came under attack in afghanistan again today. no foreign troops were killed, but nine afghans died. it was part of a new spasm of anti-american violence. mangled automobiles were all that remained after a suicide car bomber rammed the gates of a nato base and airport in. >> labad. that followed the killing two american soldiers by an afghan soldier last week and then on saturday in the heart of kabul, two u.s. military advisors were murdered inside the afghan interior ministry. according to police, an afghan driver shot them from behind as they were working. today, a u.s. military spokesman said a nationwide manhunt for the suspect was ongoing

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: a three-judge federal appeals panel ruled 2-1 today against banning same-sex marriage in california. the decision upheld a lower court that found the ban, known as proposition 8, violates the constitution's "equal protection" clause. newshour correspondent spencer michels begins our coverage from san francisco. >> reporter: it was another victory for supporters of same- sex marriage in california. and they celebrated outside the federal courthouse in san francisco. opponents of propp 8 said the appeals court decision was important. >> absolutely. this is one more step to equal rights. hopefully federally it will be recognized. >> we're really excited and emotionally moved obviously.

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years.f, the engine that connects us. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: afghanistan was tense with protests and religious fury today. the continuing fallout over the burning of korans by u.s. troops. at least seven people died in clashes with afghan security forces. hundreds of angry afghans streamed to protest sites across the country. they set fires, threw stones and voiced their rage at nato and american forces. >> ( translated ): these occupiers who disrespected the quran many times, in bagram, in guantanamo and in other places, should leave afghanistan. they are doing this to insult islam and muslims. we cannot tolerate this insult. >> woodruf

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >. william and flora hewlett foundation, workg toolve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: this year's budget battle in washington was formally joined today. president obama rolled out his spending plan, and republicans offered their objections. it set up an election year fight over austerity versus spending. ray suarez has that story. >> suarez: an annual rite played out at the capitol this morning. the arrival of the president's budget blueprint. the price tag this year $3.8 trillion. appearing at a community college in northern virginia, mr. obama cast the plan as an essential tool to spur growth. >> at a time when our economy is growing and creating jobs at a faster clip, we've got to do everything in our power to keep this re

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you.ç thank you. >> brown: the u.s. and dozens of other nations joined today in insisting that the syrian government stop killing its own people and surrender power. the friends of syria met in tunisia, and moved closer to recognizing the opposition syrian national council, but they did not commit to military intervention.ç meanwhile, heavy fighting continued in homs and other cities in syria. activists said at least 50 people were killed. we begin with a report from carl dinnen of "independent television news." >> reporter: the free syrian army has looked lightly armed, able to carry its weapons on foot. in rastan, an officer boasts that they have blown up one of assad's tanks. he directs his com

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: sparks were still flying today in the aftermath of the latest republican presidential debate. the candidates went after each other as two key primaries drew near. in phoenix, mitt romney picked up where he left off at last night's arizona debate, charging that rick santorum compromised on conservative principles in his u.s. senate days. >> i didn't expect what happened. what happened was we saw, in this case, senator santorum explain most of the night why he did or voted for things he disagreed with. and he talked about this as being taking one for the team. i wondered, which team was he taking it for. my team is the american people, not the insiders in washin