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 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

i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. we are bringing you the news from a to z. 5:00 in the east. whitney houston on a dangerous path just days before her death. new this morning, we're hearing that whitney houston drank heavily in the days right before her death. there were a lot of witnesses saying that she was arguing with a bartender, didn't want her drinks watered down. >> and inside syria, cnn, breaches the borders and witnesses firsthand some of the slaughter. people grabbing children off the streets to protect them from snipers, wholesale violence and assaults in neighborhoods, we will get you inside and show you what's happening. >> we finally have a deal here. late last night word that a payroll tax cut is now in place and lawmakers are using a word you haven't heard for a while. it is called compromise. >> what was that? >> compromise. >> i'm sorry. i'm not feeling it. >>> also, you've heard all about the lin-tastic stories of jeremy lin and the magic he's been performing on the court. he's done it again. i'm n

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

. >>> 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 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

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

. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. we are bringing you the news from "a" to "z." we're happy you're joining us this morning. it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. let's get started. >>> the taliban claiming they poisoned food at a base in afghanistan. >>> we have explosions and car bombs and the u.s. is pulling out more americans working in afghanistan. >> and it's one of those questions you have when you wake up. did gas prices go up again while you were sleeping? well, guess what? $6 gas is already a reality and is it in the place where you live? we'll let you know. >>> and the political roller coaster continues. first the surge, now the slip. a new poll shows rick santorum falling behind mitt romney again. one day now before michigan and arizona, the primaries there. the candidate says he is tweaking his strategy on the trail now. >> if you watch any kind of red carpet, this was a moment to behold. oh, my lord, you didn't. the whole question, who are you wearing? ryan seacrest apparently wearing kim jong-il's ashes. it's a joke, trust me. look at ryan seacrest's face. >>

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

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

. >> 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. >> 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 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 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

. >> 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

. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. we are bringing you the news from a to z. it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. let's get started. >> big deal, i mean it. this is a big deal a $25 billion mortgage deal. if you are underwater on your home and you owe more than your home is worth, you could be in for relief. you could be one of many homeowners to benefit, but there's a catch. >> a high-stakes pardon showdown. could we learn today if most of those prisoners released in mississippi will have to go back to prison? along those, four convicted murderers. >> classes are resuming at that l.a. school where the entire staff was fired after two teachers were arrested on child abuse cases. investigators at this point have made yet another disgusting discovery. >> they were not fired, they were reassigned temporarily. >> should say not fired but cleared out. >> the bombing is unrelenting in syria. families are afraid to escape their homes. these are some of the most disturbing images our network has ever seen. >> we'll do that story, first we'll begin with what is welcomed news for almost 1 million people wh

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 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

nice to have you here with us, i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin.ck at the final cnn gop debate before key primaries in arizona and michigan and, of course, all the super tuesday states. mitt romney leading that attack hoping to pull ahead, again. >>> george huguely is waiting sentencing for the death of yeardley love. a jury has recommended 26 years in prison. a judge will decide his fate in april. >>> a connecticut hospital worker is in custody this morning for allegedly shooting two supervisors. police say it happened after a disciplinary dispute. the shooting victims are reported in serious, but stable condition. >>> some changes to a controversial virginia bill requiring women to have ultrasounds prior to undergoing an abortion. the bill still requires that the ult ultrasounds happen, but at least lawmakers now say they're changing it so only the less intrusive abdominal ultrasounds are used. >>> eight more bodies found in the wreckage of that italian cruise ship that ran aground. that means now 25 people are confirmed dead, 7 people still miss

. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. >>> inspectors are in iran for another round of talks.nst eu sanctions by cutting off oil to the uk and also to france. >>> singer whitney houston was laid to rest over the weekend. her "bodyguard" co-star kevin costner gave one of the many moving speeches. >>> they say it's premature to consider arming rebels in their fight against bashar al assad. general martin dempsey says they need a much better idea of who these rebels are. lawmakers including senator john mccain have suggested providing arms to the opposition could be a good idea. >>> the trial against former president hosni mubarak is resuming today. he and his co-defendants are charged with ordering the killing of protesters during last year's revolution that forced him from power. >>> three skiers killed in a deadly avalanche in washington state. authorities say a dozen skiers were buried. the rest have been accounted for. >>> jeremy lin leading his team to another win. he says he accepts espn's apology after a racial slur against asians was used in an online headline. >>> a bra

. >> 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

i'm ashleigh banfield. >> i'm zoraida sambolin.ws from a to z. let's get started here. >>> tax cut deal. moving on up the line today. a, what are you going to get. how much are you going to be able to keep in you paycheck. and, b, is it actually going to happen this time? we'll let you know. >>> syrian troops are pounding more cities now. they're slaughtering more civilians, using some of them as human shields. cnn, one of the few networks reporting from inside the country. >>> new details this morning about the death of whitney houston as the tributes roll in. look at all of these people dropping off balloons, flowers, messages. all this as police start looking towards the drugs. potentially an investigation on doctors and prescriptions and who filled them out. it's not going to be a michael jackson like farewell though, folks. small service at a large childhood church. >> although it seats a lot of people. relatively small. look at this. >>> linsanity continues. look at it. that led to the knicks to a 17-point comeback with the l

i'm zoraida sambolin. we have an busy hour ahead. we know more about the focus can of the whitney houston death investigation. authorities are examining the pills found in her hotel suite and may be in her system from the doctors to the pharmacies that provided them. sus dan candiotti has more about the funeral preparations. don, let's start with you. how are they examining those prescription drugs? >> they have subpoenaed several pharmacies and several doctors from the prescription medications found in whitney houston's hotel suite. they are doing that because they want to know exactly what was in her system. they are trying to trace the doctors and the pharmacies. one thing as they say would possibly lead to another, they are speaking to doctors here on the west coast in california and also on the east coast. one thing leads to another in this sense. if you go to a doctor, he may be an ear, nose, and throat specialist and he's saying, you may have a problem with your teeth. i'm using that as an example. so one doctor may have recom

hi, everyone, i'm zoraida sambolin.

hi, everyone, i'm zoraida sambolin. it's 1:00.ment in the gay rights movement. the ninth u.s. circuitrt