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the pbs newshour is worth your time, and it's worth your financial support as well. >> thanks, paul. when you make a contribution, we can thank you with a gift that's just right for the newshour fan. pledge $75 or more and choose the pbs newshour global tumbler. or, for a $100 donation, ask for the pbs newshour summit tote. it's a really cool, great and handy way to stay organized for folks on the go. or, for a pledge of $150, you can choose both the tumbler and the tote. so, there you go. what a year it's been, and it's certainly not over yet! the major ongoing news story of this year is, of course, the presidential election. and the pbs newshour has been and will continue to be there for all of the important markers leading to november 6th. it continues to be a fascinating race to watch, and you know you can rely on the pbs newshour to keep you up-to-date with all you need to know. while coverage of political races-- especially for president-- can become sensational, you know the newshour team will continue to deliver the news in its straightforward, no-nonsense style. your pledge r

now back to the pbs newshour. and thank you. >> woodruff: "need to know" airs tonight on most of these public television stations. check your local listing. >> suarez: finally tonight, one other story about the emotional toll of fukushima, a year later. it's not well known there were 38 americans at the fukushima plant when the earthquake hit. carl pilliteri, a nuclear technician, was one of them. he recently spoke with alex chadwick, the host for the new american public media series, "burn: an energy journal." it's the first time any american who was at the plant has spoken at length to the media. he started out by telling chadwick what it was like inside the turbine building that day. >> the entire building was moving, then, i remember praying aloud for everyone, for all of us, just praying aloud. i'm thinking that were going to perish inside this turbine building, and i could still hear the turbine making its most unwelcome sounds in front of us there. >> reporter: can you describe what the sounds were like com

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 foundatis. 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: this was super tuesday, the biggest single day in the presidential nominating race. voters from alaska to atlanta were choosing their favorites from the republican field of four. across ten states, people went to polling places this day or are gatheringate at caucus sites this teeng to make their decision. the candidates waited to see how those states would distribute 419 delegates. that's more than a third of the 1144 delegates needed for the republican nomination. georgia offered the most delegates today, and former house speaker newt gingrich hoped to win the state he represented in congress. he campaigned today next door in h

find all this on our front door at newshour dot pbs dot org. be sure to check out the baran new pbs political web page at pbs dot-org where you will find our work and the work of our pbs program partners. >> ifill: still to come on the newshour, minority students facing harsher discipline; cultural awareness training for marines; cash incentives for rough play; plus, mark shields and michael gerson. but first, with the other news of the day, here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: president obama took on his republican opponents today, on foreign policy, gas prices and other issues. he spoke at a white house news conference called to coincide with super tuesday. newshour correspondent kwame holman has our report. >> reporter: at times the president took a tongue in cheek approach to his challengers on their big day. >> today is super tuesday. i wonder if you might weigh in on some of our potential republican opponents. mitt romney has criticized you on iran and said hope is not a foreign policy. he also said that you are america's most feckles

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. >> woodruff: the president of afghanistan voiced new outrage today over the killings of 16 civilians in his country. hamid karzai made angry new accusations against the u.s., as the american suspect in the shootings was being flown home. karzai fired off his new broadside after meeting with relatives of those murdered last sunday. >> it is by all means the end of the rope here, the end of the rope. this form of activity, this behavior cannot be tolerated. it is past, past, past the time. >> woodruff: the killings took 16 lives-- mostly women and children, shot as they slept, in two separate villages. karzai demanded the u.s. military b

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. >> woodruff: super tuesday came and went and the republican presidential race carried on today with no end in sight. instead, the most of the candidates returned to campaigning across the country. in winning six states, mitt romney still failed to deliver a knockout blow last night. but today, he insisted it will come. >> i am prepared to fight all the way to become the nominee. and, you know, i was pleased with our success last night. >> woodruff: on cnbc, the republican front-runner insisted he knows the path that will take him to victory. >> obviously, we've got a very and we've got t

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. we began by demands for all of iran to show it nuclear work. kwame holman has that and the other stories of the day. >> holeman: six powers urged iran to let the u.n. into all its nuclear sites. in a joint statement, they also threatened diplomacy was the key to resolving tensions. and in tehran, the iranian supreme leader i tollly hamanahi had halting praise for president >> ( translated ): a couple of days ago we heard the american president saying that the u.s. is not thinking about war with iran. okay, that's a good thing to say, it's a wise statement. this means they have stopped having delusions. but he has also has said we will bring the iranian people to their knees

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: a massacre in the middle of the night, afghan civilians slaughtered as they slept, an american soldier the lone suspect. u.s. officials struggled to make sense of those stark facts today, as afghans demanded justice. ray suarez begins our coverage. >> suarez: afghan soldiers were on alert in canned half today, stepping up security to prevent revenge attacks. anti-american rage was boiling after a u.s. soldier allegedly shot and killed 16 afghans in their homes, nine of them children. >> they killed a child. he was two years old. was this child the taliban? believe me i have not seen a two-year-old taliban yet. >> suarez: afghan officials said the soldier left

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: there were still four candidates today in the republican presidential race. but increasingly, the focus was on rick santorum and mitt romney, after santorum bested the frontrunner in alabama and mississippi. rick santorum celebrated his victories last night in lafayette, louisiana and said they make him the one true conservative alternative to mitt romney. >> the time is now for conservatives to pull together. the time is now to make sure... to make sure that we have the best chance to win this election, and the best chance to win this election is to nominate a conservative to go up against barack obama, who can take him >> suarez: from there, it was off to puer

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> moving our economy for 1 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 coribuons your pbs station froviewers li you thank you. >> suarez: new violence erupted in afghanistan today after a u.s. soldier allegedly killed 16 civilians on sunday. at the same time, president obama condemned the killings again in his strongest words yet. and the u.s. military found probable cause to continue holding the suspect soldier. >> reporter: gun fire exploded again this morni at the scene of sunday's massacre near kandahar. insurgents opened fire on a visiting delegation of senior afghan officials who had come to pay respects, including two of president hamid karzai's brothers. they were unhurt, but one afghan guard was killed and a

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. 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 u.s. mission in afghanistan ran into yet more trouble today. afghan president hamid karzai announced he wants american forces to pull back to their bases, after mass killings last weekend. karzai's call was the most direct fallout from sunday's massacre of 16 afghans, allegedly by an american soldier stationed at a small outpost near kandahar. in a statement, he said, "international security forces have to be taken out of afghan village outposts and return to bases" immediately. the afghan president also said he wants nato to hand over all security duties to afghan forces in 2013-- a year early. that came just a day after president obama and british prime minister cameron had

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. >> suarez: tornadoes raked the midwest and south today for the second time this week. at least three people were killed in indiana, and towns in four states were hit hard. throughout the day, sightings of funnel clouds, like this one in alabama, kept coming. one of the worst hit late this afternoon in southern indiana. a sheriff reported the town of marysville, home to 1,900 people, was "completely gone." other storms also caused damage north of louisville, kentucky; near chattanooga, tennessee; and just outside huntsville, alabama. in bradley county, tennessee, near chattanooga, high winds tore down the wall of a hardware store, an

. >> 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. >> suarez: the jobs numbers for february offered new signs of hope today that the recovery is gaining some traction. the president pointed to progress, while his opponents said it's still not nearly good enough. the u.s. economy has now turned in three of its strongest months of job growth since the recession began. president obama marked the improvement today in petersburg, virginia, at a rolls royce aircraft engine plant. >> the economy is getting stronger. and when i come to places like this and i see the work that's being done, it gives me confidence there are better days ahead. >> suarez: the labor department counted more than 142 million americans at wo

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and the william and flora hewlett foundationworking 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 long wait began today, until the nation's highest court decides the future of the 2010 law that reshaped american health care. in the meantime, the debate continues in the presidential campaign. two years ago this month, president obama signed health care reform into law-- his signature domestic policy achievement. now, after three days of supreme court arguments, its fate is in the hands of the nine justices, and their ruling is expected this summer. white house press secretary jay carney said today that until then, nothing will change. >> we're going to keep implementing this law. the president is pleased with presentation and continues to believe this is constitutio

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

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ movinourconomy for 0 ars.e 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. 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. >> brown: the president's health care overhaul was back before the u.s. supreme court for a second day, and the justices zeroed in on the central issue. newshour health correspondent betty ann bowser begins our coverage. >> reporter: the arguments today inside the court went to the heart of the affordable care act. whether it's constitutional for the government to require its citizens to purchase health insurance. it's by far the most unpopular and contentious part of the new law. although the term "individual mandate" does not appear in it. the mandate requires that practically all

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 he 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: the american mission in afghanistan will stay on track and on schedule, despite serious blows. that was the message the commanding general brought to congress today. newshour congressional correspondent kwame holman has our report. >> reporter: thousands of afghans celebrated their new year today at an ancient festival marking the first day of spring. but by western calendars there's been little for afghans or americans to celebrate in 2012. in washington marine general john allen, commanding nato and u.s. forces in afghanistan, acknowledged as much at a house armed services committee hearing. >> i wish i could tell you that this war was simple and that progress could easily

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: the u.s. supreme court opened three days of arguments today on the nation's health care reform law. newshour health correspondent betty ann bowser begins our coverage. >> reporter: supporter and opponents of the affordable care act took to the streets early this morning to make their case to the cameras outside of the court. it was a far cry from the subdued atmosphere that would unfold later in the day inside. >> why do you want to argue? >> reporter: emotions have run high since congress passed the law two years ago. in fact almost by entirely by democrats and president obama. >> what do we want? >> reporter: one of its primary

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. >> brown: the shooting death of a black youth in florida sent out new shock waves today. they reverberated from protesters to police as public outrage grew, along with demands for action. people at atlanta-area churches boarded buses in the early morning hours, for the long drive to sanford, in central florida. they were among thousands expected at a rally tonight, demanding justice for the killing of trayvon martin, an unarmed black teenager. >> we are trying to find jutice i am trayvon martin. we are all trayvon martin. >> brown: civil rights leader al sharpton originally planned the rally for a 400-seat church, but organizers moved to a local park to accommodate the exp