>> well, let me clarify, zoraida.ource, top-level official directly involved in what is going on. access to the latest intelligence not yet willing to cross the diplomatic line into speak publicly. what he says is, look, there is a trust problem here that has got to be resolved. the feeling on the part of the obama administration is that the karzai government simply has not done enough in these days to restrain the violence, to get control on it, and to get these things moving forward. the feeling is the karzai government needs to step up in afghanistan, improve security at the ministries. u.s. advisers will not go back until afghan can demonstrate the ministries are secure. and for the karzai government to stop the violence in the streets. even secretary of state hillary clinton has said it's gotten out of hand and it needs to stop. so is trust shattered now? that's really the question on the table, zoraida. >> so then what is the next step now? >> well, to tet security back under control and for karzai to demonstrat

>> hi, zoraida. the ninth circuit court of appeals has invalidated proposition 8, which now means that same-sex marriage here in california is legal. let me put this in perspective. we believe this ruling is put on hold meaning that same-sex marriage couples cannot get married while this process continues to be under appeal. next this case is ultimately headed to the supreme court up. but i want to get a little bit of reaction here in front of the courthouse. this is billy bradford. you're with which organization sir? >> marriage equality usa and get equal. >> there are about a few dozen same-sex marriage supporters here at the courthouse. can you just summarize your feeling? >> for me it's a beautiful day. not only for these great gay families and gay couples in california, but it's a great day for the constitution. and for the values that our country was founded on. equal rights, equal protection for everyone in the state of california. >> the ninth circuit panel found that proposition 8 is a viola

i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin.appy you are joining us this morning. we start with breaking news. two western joounlists have died in the shelling. one, an american there on the left and frequent contributor to this network. >>> also here in this country, it is a final face-off before arizona, michigan, and super tuesday. it all starts tonight. all of this is brand new polling, is showing that there is a virtual tie in the desert. we'll have comments about satan actually making their way into this program and sort of haunting rick santorum as he goes up against mitt romney. >>> reliving the lewinsky affair. did it distract from al qaeda? what white house insiders said in this new documentary. >>> there is nothing quite like a president whose sayings, doesn't matter if it's a musical president or not, but you have got to hear president obama belting out the blues. we'll have that for you a little bit later on in this program as well as the rest of the news. >>> we want to begin with breaking news. just minutes ago we

i'm zoraida sambolin. >> i'm ashleigh banfield. it's 5:00 in the morning, the witching hour. >>> if you missed it, one of the biggest nights for mitt romney. off to minnesota he goes with momentum. as his campaign moves west, can he keep that momentum? and newt gingrich, by the way, did not use this opportunity at the podium to say congratulations, governor romney. nor did he even call the governor to concede florida. he just moved right on to the next stop. what does that mean? >> ashleigh, there's a huge buzz over facebook going public. you want a piece of the action? >> yes. >> you may need a lot of money to get in on the hottest ipo ever. christine romans is going to let us know if we can get in on the action. >>> and this dash cam video. one officer watches as his partner swims to a sinking car. zero in. there are two women in the back, and they don't know how to swim. look what he did. you're going to find out from this man's voice what it was like to rescue these two women from that lake in texas. >> on the heels of that, as

>> hi, zoraida. no other way to describe it, these are certainly disturbing and sad details about the final hours and days of her life, before she was found dead in that beverly hilton hotel bathtub on saturday. what we are hearing from a source briefed on her behavior is that she was drinking and drinking a lot. as early as 10:00 in the morning on wednesday and thursday. seen in the pool and the lobby area of the hotel ordering these drinks, jumping in and out of the pool, even doing somersaults, that's what people are saying. as you indicated, complaining that her drinks had been watered down, that there was too much ice in them. now she was described as being alone at some times, other times with members of her entourage and still others, with a male companion. and then there's the additional information about her drinking again on saturday morning, again in that pool area. so all of this in combination with what coroners are looking at in terms of the toxicology report as that comes in, to see wh

zoraida? poelts, they range from 5,000 to 9,000 people killed since the start of the uprising. can you shed some light on that. >> reporter: well, the united nations say about 5 1/2 thousand people have been killed since the unrest. they admit because of the conditions inside syria, they've had to stop counting recently. the more up to date figure is given by opposition activists. at times they're accurate and at times it's hard to verify. they are putting it near a figure of 9,000. so terrifying indeed sdpliemt nick payton walsh, live from beirut. thank you so much for joining us. >>> still ahead on "early start," reading, writing and rhinoplasty. you won't believe what teachers in buffalo, new york, get free of charge. it is on the taxpayers' dime. they're running a $42.8 million deficit in that school district. >>> also, he is known for being tough on immigration, but the guy whose face is fuzzed out says yes, his ex boyfriend, the arizona sheriff tried to deport him and it was all because

i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin.this morning. it is time to check the stories that are making news. it could be weeks before investigators know exactly why whitney houston died. coroner's officials say they will not release any information on an autopsy that was performed yesterday, that is at the request of police detectives investigating the singer's death. >>> the arab league stepping up pressure on syria to stop the incredible massacre. members of the arab league, which suspended syria last month, are now calling for a joint peacekeeping mission with the united nations. >>> and the greek parliament approving deep budget cuts as athens burns. take a look at those images. violence is spreading across the country as lawmakers voted for an austerity bill to secure a second eu bailout. >>> president obama is unveiling his 2013 budget today and republicans are already taking him to task for his plan to hike taxes for americans who make more than $250,000. a year. washington state, is on the verge of becoming the sevent

i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. >> we are bringing you the news from a to z. it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. syrian troops are escalating their slaughter. a fifth day of shelling, women and children are among the dead and according to a syrian opposition group there are 110 deaths in homs, 10 were children. >> also in this country, six children are alive after these pictures were recorded. a school bus bursting into flames. >> wow. >> you are going to see the driver who got those kids out just in time. >>> we're going to talk to her actually. very excited. there's an alzheimer's break-through. scientists stumble on an exciting discovery. a cancer drug that reverses alzheimer's in mice. >> we'll put a kick in your step as well with tunes and political players and play lists. have you ever thought about the music behind these fabulous productions, the speeches, the applause, the showmanship? there's morep to the music you might not know about. but after today you will. "early start" starts now. >> we begin with the slaute

i'm zoraida sambolin. >> i'm ashleigh banfield. with us where we bring you the news from a to z post-election night. let's get started. while you were sleeping. breaking news to tell you about. there were tornadoes overnight that were tearing across the plains. this is brand snew video in to krb. it shows damage from harveyville, kansas. look at how the trees are snapped. roofs blown off of houses. real swath of damage. may not be over yet, either. rob marciano has been watching this and monitoring the watches out there. the watches and the warnings. he's going to keep us up to date. >>> in politics, the next stop now, super tuesday. but what happened yesterday? mitt romney sweeps one week before the biggest night of primary season. it was a really close one in his home state as everyone predicted. they thought he would have pulled it off, but he did, saying a win is a win in michigan. >>> and new 911 calls, as well as tweets, that describe the absolute terror in the voices of those who suffered through the chardon high school shoo

i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin.int" with soledad o'brien starts right now. good morning. >> good morning, ladies. nice to have you. our "starting point" this morning is that surprise clean sweep for rick santorum. he won all three gop contests. he won the state of missouri, he won the state of minnesota, he won the state of colorado. he says he is the true republican conservative. >> ladies and gentlemen, i don't stand here to claim to be the conservative alternative to mitt romney. i stand here to be the conservative alternative to barack obama. >> oh, everyone wins, suddenly they start looking at the president instead of talk at their colleagues. we're going to speak with rick santorum and his big win. >>> also, more blood spilled in syria. america's u.n. ambassador is warning president assad days are numbered. now the pentagon is weighing military options. we'll talk about

i'm zoraida sambolin. >> i'm ashleigh banfield.oledad's sole. >> parting is such sweet sorrow. >> we've been up all night, sister. >> you're right. sorry. i'll take it to here. good morning. welcome to "starting point" this morning. europe seals the grak bailout deal overnight. we're talking about moving markets affecting your money this morning. we'll talk about that. >>> rick santorum is picking up steam. more to talk about the uneasiness of the gop establishment. could he be head for a rare battle on the convention floor this summer? >>> a teenage whole is an

i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin.00 in the east. an early end to the war in afghanistan. the gop is blasting that announcement as naive and premature. >>> also a teenager who was orphaned in a terrible florida traffic pileup has another worry. talks about deportation because she with her entire family was illegally here in the u.s. has there been resolution? we'll find out. >>> you know how everything is bad for you? we have the bitter truth about sugar this morning. doctors are saying it is poisoned that should be treated like alcohol or cigarettes. >> but will it be and how can you regulate that? it is in everything. >>> speaking of being everywhere and everything, the donald making an appearance in vegas a little later on today. all sorts of rumors that it is an endorsement and the rumors go further that it is for newt. but, wait a second, if he endorses newt, how could he possibly run later on as an independent? we'll get to the bottom of all that. >> critics are slamming the announcement that the u.s. plans to en

we do know this, zoraida. they are expected to be 1500 people packed inside the new hope baptist church, the childhood church of whitney houston. we've seen that time and again. we also know that it's going to be officiated by joe carter who met whitney houston from time to time when she would come back to the church and sing on special occasions and sit here in the church as well at various services. we also know who will be eulogyizing her. he saw her in detroit when she was filming the movie "sparkle," which we hope will be released later this year. he spoke earlier today with anderso anderson cooper. we'll hear that interview. here is part of what he said. >> when i heard that whitney was gone, i'm not surprised because that's how close our families were. when she was here in november, i did not know that that was the last time i would see her. whenever she was in town, she would come here. i would much rather have whitney here but knowing them as i do, i kind of expected it. >> we also know that reverend

i'm zoraida sambolin along with ashleigh banfield.at are making news this morning. protests planned across syria this morning as shelling continues in the city of homs. the u.n. general assembly has passed a nonbinding resolution condemning syria's president bashar al assad for the violence. >>> and the battle over the keystone pipeline now on its way to the senate. the house passed a bill that would strip president obama's authority to decide on the $7 billion project. and also open atlantic waters to offshore drilling. >>> you know that ticket that you have on air australia? toss it out. they're grounding their entire fleet of planes and thousands of passengers are now stranded. the airline says it just didn't have enough money to cover, you know, the little things like operational expenses, like jet fuel. maybe don't toss it out but certainly call the airline. >>> a penthouse apartment on new york's central park west is now officially the most expensive apartment ever sold. it is pretty, isn't it? take a look inside and out. the vi

zoraida? >> ivan, speak about the humanitarian aid effort there. is turkey trying to do anything about that? we do keep hearing those reports you're talking about, children dying because they don't have medicine, they don't have food. is there any effort to try to get that into that region? >> there's no official effort underway right now. the syrian government is still the predominant military force and security force in syria. we do know activists are smuggling themselves, smuggling some weapons, some aid across borders, but there is no official effort underway thus far. i've talked to activists in the capital damascus, they got food together and want to send it into homes, but that the area is circled by tanks and they cannot get in there. it's not the only city, there's another city by the lebanese border also encircled now. we have gotten reports after shelling of that opposition strong hold for several days, that the syrian military moved in over night. we do not know what's happened thus far because the telecommunications have been cut off t

i ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin.y houston and some new details about her death. the body is back home in new jersey. it's been flown back. there are some plabs for a funeral. people who are remembering her amazing voice today but at the same time there are questions lingering about the drugs, the prescription drugs that were found at the scene of her death and whether or not those drugs, in fact, killed her. >>> plus, rumblings of total war in syria. cnn gets inside the country. last week's death toll is 680. it's on course to be equally high this week. >>> and jeremy lynn, love

>> no question about that, zoraida.you have those kinds of comments being the focus of rick santorum it might help him among the key religious and most socially conservative voters in the gop but it's doing absolutely nothing to make him electable in the general election. in the general election, independent women are the biggest block of voters. when you have more women than men voting this is not a voting bloc you want to alien. the women say this is not something who understands women, this is not something who is going to fight for equal rights for women and not somebody who understands women. i don't think it's a good stand for him to take if he's looking to be electable in the general election? >> any of you men want to weigh in on this? >> certainly a call out to the base. i mean, these are the sort of issues that they like hearing rick santorum talk about. he sounds authentic when he does it. garnering krounds. he made some equal ly equally questionable 125i7statements ab the president that the white house took

. >>> zoraida sambolin. >>> it's 5 a.m. in the east. >>> the accused ohio school shooter is due to appear in court today. later on in the program, you'll hear from a student grazed by a bullet in that attack as parents waited outside in desperation. more questions about warning signs. were they missed with this alleged shooter? the. >> the daytona 500 officially ended in the wee hours of morning. it was delayed ties by rain. then two hours by a horrific fire. you're looking at it there. the flaming wreck at the daytona 500 much the winner crossing the finish line a few hours ago. >>> rick santorum is asking something weird. he's asking democrats to come on out and support him. do him a solid and help defeat mitt romney. we'll explain a little bit more about what's behind that. >> trouble at sea for the costa concordia's sister ship. it's drifting away after a fire. everyone is safe. we have a lot more details on that for you. >> it is one minute past 5:00 in the morning. we're learning more this morning about the deadly hig

. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. we're bringing you the news from "a" to "z." it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. let's get started. >> it's been a terrible, terrible night in syria. in the town of homs, this is pretty much what everyone heard repeatedly, shelling, tank fire, nearly 100 civilians have reportedly been killed and now a russian official is in damascus to meet with the regime. we are going to figure out exactly how that will play out in the effort to end the carnage there. >>> we have new information about final moments for josh powell and his two little boys. what the coroner says he did to his two little boys before he set the house on fire. >> and on the political front, a lot of delegates, up for grabs. 70, in fact, in the states that are actually offering them up. three states at play tonight. is rick santorum sitting a lot prettier than he has been in states past? we'll let you know. >>> the dark side of camelot. this is an explosive new memoir. it claims that john f. kennedy had an affair with a teenage intern. he was in his 40s, she was 19. >>> first up, we want to get to the

. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin.e are bringing you the news from "a" to "z." >> iran, overnight, boy, the invectives and rhetoric coming at us. warning to the united states, the supreme leader says friday prayers, watch what you say, watch what you do and israel could be ready to strike iran's nuclear program by as early as this spring. >> mitt romney holding the trump card and the very poor, he's more than back-pedaling saying he misspoke. >> this one blew up. the feud between the cancer charity and planned parenthood. a top charity, susan g. komen charity, has executives starting to resign in protest because they pulled their funding from planned parenthood. women who are in need, the critics say, are being caught in the middle of this. >> you know the names, manning, madonna, who is she? who's feeling the pressure to perform big at the super bowl? i'm kind of worried about madonna because she's nursing an injury. countdown to the big game is on, folks. >> what kind of danger does she have? >> we'll see. pulled ham

zoraida? >> and what has this done between the united states and afghan forces? >> reporter: well, we're in ourself event straight days of protests and the concern is that it's going to chip away at the vital trust. u.s. officials expressing concern that maybe karzai and his entire government aren't doing enough to quell the violence to perhaps protect their own people advise them in various ministries. it really could endanger one of the major planks here, zoraida. >> thank you very much, nick paton walsh. we'll have more on that and president obama's apology for the burning of koran. >>> we'll return to the developing story in ohio where a gunman opened fire on a high school cafeteria. we'll talk with one of the students who knows the alleged shooter and was inside the school when all of the chaos unfolded. we're also getting new information on the suspect. all of that is coming up. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms

. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. we are give you the news from a to z. 6:00 a.m. in the east.super celebration for the new york giants and their fans. the giants beat the patriots, 21-17. nail biter super bowl xlvi. second super bowl victory over new england in four years. >>> president obama speaking just before the super bowl in a sit-down, the annual sit-down, saying to matt lauer of nbc, i deserve four more years in office, as the economy is headed in the right direction. and says, you know what? let's not stop the progress. >>> syrian security forces shelling the city of homes again. activists say at least 30 people were killed today. >>> also, the nation's leading breast cancer research organization, susan g. komen the you're reversing that decision that it gives to planned parenthood for the breast exams. you know what? that did not end this conversation and it did not end this controversy. we will let you know what's up now. >>> we begin, however, with what they like to say, deja blue, the new york giants feeding the patriots, 20-17, super bowl xlvi. >> eli manning the

zoraida, prices down about 8%. cleveland, sacramento, minneapolis, st. paul.s are still falling. let's look where things appear to be bottoming out. places like dallas ft. worth, san diego, pittsburgh, miami ft. lauderdale probably won't lose any more ground and then you look at places where prices are rising. where the bottom is probably in and things are getting a little bit better. how about baltimore, maryland, phoen phoenix, which has had a huge crisis there in housing and foreclosure. there are a few places, los angeles and washington, d.c., where prices are starting to move a little bit higher. but, again, it's been a very tough road, but many people are saying that with home prices so low and mortgage rates at rock bottom, a good time to buy if you're in the right position. >> i still wanted to know where new york is on there. >> let me look, new york, new york. >> i always love new york prices. it's always fun to watch. >> down 1.7%. >> wow. >> i would call that on the cusp between bottoming out and still a little bit weak. >> there you go. thanks for

. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. we're happy you are joining us this morning. we're bringing you the news from a to z. it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. >> let's wake them up with bad news. >> i hate waking them up with bad news. >> it's one of the few things that can get your blood boiling. gas prices are getting a lot of atone shtentio attention, including the attention of our president. >> and eruptions rage in afghanistan even after president obama apologizes for the burning of the koran. we are getting reports of a serious increase in the chaos there. >> in this country, a man accused of killing his wife while on a scuba trip and who pled guilty to it elsewhere finds he will not be spending time in prison in this country, the judge said i don't even want the jury to hear this. >> yesterday we told you about the lawmaker who called the girl scouts a bunch of communists and radicals. he says he's sorry, however he says it doesn't change the way that he feels. we'll have a lot more on that. up first, as ashleigh said, more pain at the pump. apparently there's no re

i'm ashleigh banfield. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin.y dad is really australian. >> that's a new breaks. >>> all right, welcome, everybody. you're watching "starting point" we focus on whitney houston and how she spent her final days by some reports on a dangerous path. sources say she was complaining that her drinks that she was having poolside were too watered down. >>> also oil prices rising as the nation showing off new technology and threatening europe. we'll talk about what's happening there. >>> proof that the world, indeed, could end in 2012. congress has come to an agreement on something. yes, agreed on tax cuts for millions of working families. >> we have an agreement and we're moving forward. >> an agreement, moving forward, oh, my goodness. >>> also this morning, we'll talk about my favorite story of the day. this is a sign, this is a sign, the most boggling road sign ever. you'll have to slow down because it's broken down by the minute. what the speed limit is. crazy. that's our -- isn't that weird? under the category you ca

i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sam lynn.e deal in place to extend the payroll tax cut for the rest of the year. it could still fall through, however. house-senate committee is taking it up today. >>> new video that appears to show syrian troops using civilians as human shields. it's right there on the left-hand side of your screen. government troops killing 53 more civilians since yesterday with the violence now spreading across the country. >>> we have new details in the whitney houston death investigation. the l.a. times is reporting that doctors who prescribed her drugs could be slapped with subpoenas within the next few days. perhaps a pharmacies as well. >>> iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad is expected to announce today that a new uranium enrichment plan is now fully operational. >>> also making news, the food and drug administration is making reports of counterfeit version of the cancer drug avastin has been found circulating here in this country. and also, sources tell cnn that los angeles mayor antonio will be n