too shimpl! and replace them with healthy beverages." >> you've inspired me. i think i'm going to go for a run this afternoon. >> me too. >> keep it up. >> feeling guilty myself. >> if you're going to eat, you've got to exercise too. i guess that's the only way to do it. thank you, carol. "cnn newsroom" continues right now with randi kaye. >> i'll join you for that run, suzanne. no problem. it's 1:00. we've got a busy hour ahead. let's get straight to the news. the florida primary underway. that means for you floridians, there's only six more hours to get your votes in, unless you're in the panhandle. you guys get an extra hour. the candidates are making their last-ditch efforts to get a few more votes and meet a few more voters. we have one more late poll to show you, this from the american research group shows romneys with a double-digit lead over newt gingrich. part of his advantage comes from early voter who is went his way more than 50% of the time. here's a reaction from gingrich, just a short time ago. >> mr. speaker, do you still see

a path to the nomination? >> of course. >> how? >> unify the conservatives, you win the delegates, and then you have the nomination. >> freshman florida senator marco rubio is a very popular man these days. he's been mentioned as a possible vice presidential choice for whomever comes out on top. but he says, no way. >> my answer hasn't changed on that. i've answered it repeatedly. the fact is, i'm focused on my job here in the senate. i'll do anything the nominee wants me to do in terms of getting elected. i don't think that's going to be vice president. i don't think i'm going to be the vice presidential nominee. >> rubio, who was speaking with our soledad o'brien, also talked about why he hasn't endorsed everyone. >> i have relationships with two of the four candidates. didn't want to get involved in the endorsement game. voters, when it comes to voting for president, will make up their own minds and we'll find out tonight what floridians think. >> rubio did say the winner in

florida today would most likely be the party's nominee. the united nations is considering asking syria's president assad to step down in an effort to bring calm to the country. and this is why. [ gunfire ] >> opposition leaders say as many as 26 anti-government activists have been killed today in clashes with assad's troops. cnn isn't able to independently verify those claims. arab league observers have pulled out of because of the violence. they're now telling their story to the u.n. a u.s. marine has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for hazing a fellow marine, who later killed himself. lance corporal jacob jacobi is also losing rank. lance corporal harry luke committed suicide shortly after being beaten by some of his fellow marines for allegedly falling asleep while on watch in afghanistan. he shot himself a few hours later. the deadline has passed, but defiant occupy d.c. protesters are standing their ground.

the national park service ordered protesters to remove their camping gear yesterday, but at least one park in washington is still packed with tents. officials say protesters can stay around the clock and keep their tents up, on one condition. one side of each tent must remain open at all times. so far, no arrests. american airlines is about to reveal some big cuts that could affect many of its 81,000 workers. the airline's parent company is meeting with unions this week to lay out the details. this follows its bankruptcy filing back in november. cnnmoney.com reports the measures may cost many american airline workers their jobs and a portion of their pension benefits. among other changes to save costs, american's unions are expecting airplane repairs to be outsourced to cheaper facilities overseas. pressure is building for an outspoken arizona sheriff to step down. maricopa county sheriff joe arpaio is being asked to resign by a phoenix commission. the city's human relation

commission, which was formed to tackle issues of equality, tasked a committee calling for arpaio's resignation. he's been under growing scrutiny since the justice department accused his office of racial profiling against latinos. arpaio says he has no plans to resign. the race for florida has become an all-out war between gingrich and romney. many calling florida the tiebreaker between the two. we'll talk with both camps about the future of the race, the man behind the gingrich campaign coming your way next. but first, we live in an era of 72-day marriages, unfaithful politicians, and drifthrough divorces, which is exactly why we want to give a shout-out to wilbur and teresa, married for nearly eight decades. yes, you heard me right. 78 years and still counting. the vegas couple is the longest married couple in the united states. so what's the secret? wilbur says, quote, it's very simple. it's give and take and compromise. wilbur and teresa, i now pronounce you today's rock stars.

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he's been flailing around a bit, trying to go after me for one thing or the other, and you just watch it and you shake your head. it's been kind of painfully revealing to watch. >> no surprise, the guy who's comfortably ahead, pretends to pity his desperate opponent. for his part, the opponent, newt gingrich, claims desperation is just another lie from the apparent florida front-runner, mo mitt romney. here's another look at final pre-election poll from the sunshine state. romney holds a 12-point lead, which happens to be the margin by which gingrich beat him in south carolina. bill mccollum is gingrich's florida campaign chairman, you also know him as the florida state attorney general, and a longtime u.s. congressman. welcome, sir, to the program. as you well know, the winner of florida's primary takes all 50 of the state's republican de delegates. are you concerned at all that your man will end up with nothing to show for all his time and money and effort there in florida? >> well, i have no idea how the election will turn out tomorrow. regardless of who wins, there's some serious legal questions

down the road about florida's 50 delegates. there's a question about the lack of apportionment can withstand a challenge in the republican national committee that i suspect will ensue regardless of who wince. and beyond that question, this is just the beginning, not the end of this campaign. this is not going to be one of those campaigns that ends at florida. it's going to be, actually, a launching of a much more prolonged campaign, in my judgment. i know the speaker's intent on it, regardless of whether he wins or not. i'm sure governor romney is. it's going to be clearly, now, after this, a two-man race, if it wasn't that clear before. there's money coming into the gingrich campaign. there's support, of course, from governor rick perry and from herman cain and from fred thompson and many others that are supporting him and are going to stick with him all the way through this, next quite a number of primaries that come up right away. and i might you, even after florida, were governor romney to win and we don't see that, he'd still only have 83 delegates out of 1,144 that are necessary to win and gingrich would have 25

without any apportionment of florida's delegates. >> who knows where this thing is headed. just yesterday, on to have the attacks that we have heard now for weeks, gingrich accused romney of cutting off kosher meals for jewish retirees when he was governor of massachusetts. he also dragged out this week-old poll and said it was new. so is anything fair game at this point? >> well, it has been a very difficult campaign, because governor romney started out the attacks in iowa and continued them very heavily in florida. well outspent newt gingrich in florida, at least four or five to one. and while he met may have let up this morning, there was nothing but attack ads attacking his character, because i think governor romney didn't want to talk about his issues, didn't want to talk about his record in massachusetts, and the difference between the two, and the fact that gingrich is more conservative and more likely to win the november. he didn't want to talk about that. so we've seen some difficult times to try to counter that a bit and let voters understand

there's as much baggage with romney as there is with gingrich. his positives far outweigh his negatives. i think that's what you saw in this campaign. going forward, we've got an election season that's, as i said, just beginning in this process. and there's a lot more to come. >> let me ask you about the calendar. i know that you have your eyes focused on florida, but we're looking at the rest of the calendar ahead. february certainly going to be a busy month. if you take a look here at the upcoming contest, can newt gingrich do well enough, do you think, to still be a contender come super tuesday? >> absolutely. absolutely. first of all, there are a very few contests that are coming up and a fairly limited number of delegates, but he's going to contest all of those. i think the fund-raising's up from what i heard in a strategy call this morning and i think lit continue to be up. and i might add that newt gingrich is leading in the polls nationally by eight or nine or ten points. florida is not indicative of that. this happens to be where romney had the about to well outspend him and was organized early. once we pass this point, it's a whole new ball game.

there's not that agree of organizational difference between the two, and there won't be that difference in money that there was here in this state. i think we're going to do quite well. by the time we get to super tuesday, georgia's on the ballot. 76 delegates that i think the speaker would have a good chance of getting. and we have alabama and mississippi and tennessee and others that are right around the corner, if not on that day. so i think that this is going to be a race for the heart and soul of the republican party. it's a conservative wing of the party that really is looking to where we're going to go. the tea party members, governor romney spent little or no time with in florida at all. he's ignored them. i think that's to his detriment. the tea parties are organized all over the party. they're a significant vote factor. and where you get a level playing field, it's going to be a big difference as to who the nominee they pick is. >> we'll continue to watch it, along with you, our many thanks. bill mccollum, appreciate your time. >> you're welcome. >> and make sure to watch the florida primary results right here, live, our coverage starts at 6:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. it's he said/he said on the

campaign trail in florida. most of it's negative. so is this working? we'll ask the romney camp to explain next.

unless the polls and the pundits and the tea leaves are very wrong, this will probably be a good day for mitt romney. >> doing well in florida is a pretty good indication of your prospects nationally. so for me, florida's big. but new hampshire is big too. and i'm hoping that as i go to nevada and minnesota and missouri and colorado and arizona and the list goes on and on, that i'll be able to get a lot of support, in part because of the response here of people in florida. >> the biggest republican delegate jackpot to date is winner take all. so if romney wins the the florida primary, he'll reclaim the front-runner title with a

long, long way to go. adam putnam is romney's florida campaign chairman. he's also a former u.s. congressman and currently the state commissioner of agriculture. commissioner, welcome to you. romney acknowledges that spending tons of money and going negative has actually paid off. so is that the takeaway from this race? >> well, the takeaway here is that the momentum that newt gingrich had coming out of south carolina has ended. it's hit the brick wall of a large state that's a diverse state, that is a microcosm of the nation. it is a much more diverse-type test of our nominee than south carolina was. and so, in the state that's the hardest to win, the hardest to campaign in, and the most reflective of the challenges this nation faces, mitt romney's coming out on top. >> i want to read you a quote from an unnamed florida republican insider, telling cnn this, "i think this is the weakest field we have ever put forth in my lifetime." now, i don't expect that you're

going to agree with that, but why are we still hearing things like that? >> you know, those types of comments are unfortunate. we ought to be training our fire on the failed first term of barack obama, which should be his last the term. mitt romney's experience in the private sector, his experience as governor, his washington outsider status as opposed to being a "k" street lobbyist is exactly the prescription that this country needs. it's certainly what florida needs as we're ground zero for the housing crisis and high unemployment. he's a very talented guy. he is well positioned to be an outstanding president of the united states. this race tonight is more than about being the nominee. it's about being the best possible candidate to make barack obama a one-term president. >> let me ask you about the blistering personal attacks that we've been witnessing now for weeks. does mitt romney worry at all about the party rallying behind him, unifying behind him, if, indeed, he is the nominee, given the extent of these attacks?

>> you know, a good substantiative disagreement in a primary type fight makes you a better general election candidate. unfortunately, the kind of wild swings and accusations that we've seen coming out of the gingrich campaign for the last several days aren't helpful to gingrich, they're not helpful to the republican field, and they're not helpful to the republican party. when the number one issue is jobs and you're flailing around about kosher food service, it's really taking your eye off the ball and looking for any kind of trivial issue to blow up into something that it's really not. so i think what we'll see is we'll see the romney campaign come out of florida, with a win, in a state that's hard to win in, and continue to build momentum in future states, and i think that you'll see these candidates come together. i think, ultimately, they recognize this. they're all statesmen, they're all good individuals, and they'll come together at the right time. >> i know that you certainly believe and the romney team believes that florida is big and

you're focused on florida, but look at the upcoming contests. it's going to be a busy few weeks ahead. nevada and michigan, especially, looking good for mitt romney. but these contests unlike florida aren't winner take all. so what do you think about newt gingrich? can we collect enough delegates to the fight all the way to the convention? >> well, i think that you'll continue to see him, you know, he has a base of support. you know, he's a good part of our team. and he's a good republican and he's been a good leader. so he will continue to accumulate some support, but he will not have that national electability. he's got a huge gender gap issue. he does not attract independents and crossover voters. so for the long-term, he's not the candidate who can go all the way for our party and make barack obama a one-term president. so i don't think that he'll go all the way to the convention. i don't think anybody's demanding that he drop out after florida. that's not the case at all. but i do think that as you

continue to see mitt romney accumulate more ws in the win column as future states come and go, that you'll see greater and greater efforts put forth by the national party to say, hey, guys, it's time to rally behind the candidate who has accumulated the most wins and is the most likely to defeat barack obama. with his skill set, his private sector experience, and his vision, his conservative vision for this country. >> adam putnam, thank you very much for your time. appreciate it. >> thank you. >> and you can watch the florida primary results live right here on cnn. our special coverage begins at 6:00 p.m. eastern time. the united states military has pulled out of iraq, so why are u.s. drones flying over baghdad? what president obama has to say and iraq's angry reaction, coming next. ♪ a refrigerator has never been hacked.

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and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance, responsibility -- what's your policy? just in to cnn, the justice department didn't mess up. that's what democratic investigators on the house oversight committee are saying. instead, they're blaming low-level atf agents and other officials in arizona for the

failed fast and furious operation. now, in fast and furious, guns were allowed to be smuggled across the u.s./mexico border so they could be traced to suspected drug cartels, but instead, hundreds of weapons went missing. the democrats knew reports says justice department officials appointed by president obama weren't to blame for the failure. republican senator chuck grassley calls the the report laughable. attorney general eric holder is scheduled to testify at a congressional hearing on thursday. in iraq, u.s. unarmed drones are flying over baghdad under a state department operation that's outraged iraqi officials. iraqis tell "the new york times" that they were not informed of the flights, which started after u.s. forces pulled out of iraq about a month or so ago. the iraqis view the surveillance drone program as a violation of their sovereignty. "the times" broke the story and the state department has confirmed it. our maps show those countries where u.s. armed and surveillance drone operations are being carried out. michael schmidt wrote "the new

york times" article and is just back joining us today from new york. michael, nice to have you on. first, tell us a little bit about the program and why the iraqis, apparently, didn't even know about it. >> what the program basically is is surveillance drones that fly above baghdad and above the other consulates that the united states embassy has in iraq and provide these security contractors who protect our diplomats there with some idea about what's going on on the ground. the problem is is that iraqis are very sensitive about their sovereignty at this point. they've lived under occupation for nine years, and they're coming out of that and they really don't want their country to be one that, you know, is run -- you know, is dictated to by the united states or iran or saudi arabia or turkey. and they're very sensitive to issues where, you know, these countries, you know, are sort of operating within their areas, their space. >> right. i do want to point out, just once again, that these aren't armed drones. they're smaller drones basically used for surveillance, as you said. just what exactly, are the iraqis saying about the use of

these drones there? >> well, what they said, when we spoke to them, and we spoke to people at all different levels of the iraqi government, is that they hadn't been told or asked about this. now, that may be true, but the iraqis also, you know, may be in a tough spot politically about this and they may not want to admit it, that they actually have given the united states permission to do this. you know, because of the sovereignty issues, the iraqi people are very sensitive about the united states, you know, the idea that the united states is still there, that the united states is still operating military-like stuff there. so because of that, the iraqi politicians may not want to admit to it. >> i love the quote in your article, where one of the iraqi officials that you spoke with said, this is our sky. this is our sky, not u.s. sky. but president obama actually talked about your article, defended the use of drones in this web interview that he gave yesterday. let's listen to this. >> our ability to respect the sovereignty of other countries and to limit our incursions into

somebody else's territory is enhanced by the fact that we are able to pinpoint strike an al qaeda operative. >> he said that your article was, quote, overwritten. a little overwritten. would you like to respond to the president? >> well, i'm not sure why he went after us on that point. he also said that -- he made pint of saying that the drones are not ones that fire missiles. but we didn't say that in our story. if you look at our story, we said that these are surveillance drones. but he characterized them differently. but, you know, i'm not sure why he did that. >> well, it is a really interesting article, fascinating topic. michael schmidt, thank you very much for your time. appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. the votes are being cast and soon we'll find out who is picking up all the florida delegates. will it be newt gingrich or mitt romney? and what happens after tonight? a look at where they stand and the future of gop race, next in "fair game."

but first, our political junkie question. how many u.s. presidents have been married more than once before being elected to the white house? you can tweet the answer to @randikayecnn. i'll give a shout-out if you're first with the right answer. this was the gulf's best tourism season in years. all because so many people came to louisiana... they came to see us in florida... make that alabama...

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before the break, i asked how many u.s. presidents had been married more than one before being elected to the white house? the answer is two, teddy roosevelt and ronald reagan. reagan, in fact, was only one who was divorced. two other presidents got married for the second time while they were in office. and a big congrats and a shout-out goes to joe in washington, d.c., for tweeting me the right answer. well, this is the heart of the political discussion, where all sides are fair game. it's florida primary day and this contest is winner take all.

mitt romney has been leading in the polls so far, sometimes by double digits. and here's how the 2008 florida primary ended. take a look. john mccain won. he also grabbed the hispanic and senior vote by large margins over romney. joining me now is republican strategist doug heye and democratic strategist, keith boykin. welcome to you both. doug, i'm going to start with you on this one. has mitt romney changed that balance? >> well, he certainly -- it's the same balance as it was in 2008, it looks like, but it's a romney balance as opposed to a mccain balance from four years ago. these are important demographics for romney to target. about one in ten republican voters in florida is hispanic. and we need to remember that hispanic isn't just cuban. it means cubans and a lot of other hispanic demographics within that state. the romney campaign's been targeting it well. it's part of the reason why it looks like he'll be very successful tonight. >> keith, what do you think? >> i think this race is a lot different from where we were in 2008. in 2008, romney was sort of the

second tier, the second person in the race behind john mccain. but i think this race is different because the weak field this time is so dramatic. i mean, newt gingrich is a strong conservative to some people, but he's also got so many fatal flaws. and i think if you look at the other people who have been in race, people like herman cain and michele bachmann, nobody ever really took them seriously. i think in many ways, mitt romney is very fortunate he doesn't have a significant challenger in this race. >> i want to share with both of you, actually, an assessment from a romney voter in lithia, florida. listen to what she said. >> newt gingrich, i mean, he is the smartest guy in the room. so that's why i was with him for a long time. but i want somebody who is not going to have a skeleton jump out at the last minute. >> safe bet. >> safe bet. right. nice guy, experience in business, and in politics, so he just kind of seems well rounded. >> so, doug, is that how romney's getting ahead here? is that how he could possibly win this thing, because he's a

safe bet? >> well, that's probably part of it. but the voter also mentioned that he's a business leader, and mentioned his experience in business. that's ultimately what mitt romney's campaigning on. it's ultimately, if he's successful, why he'll be successful, and we know as republicans, as we look at the burdensome regulations and taxes that come on business, mitt romney's somebody who's dealt with that firsthand. not in theories and colleges like president obama has, but real world, real business experience. and that's important. >> keith -- go ahead. >> i think the problem they're going to have, though, in the general election, florida's going to be critically important in the general election. you have 29 electoral votes. the problem you'll have with florida and other states is that mitt romney had that chance in massachusetts, and in that state, his state was the talking point all right, 47th out of 50th in terms of job creation. the democrats will use that against him. the argument's going to be this. if you're so successful as a businessman, you can translate that into what you can do for the country. why couldn't you do that in massachusetts? >> let's talk about gingrich here. he has said that he's really the

only viable conservative candidate to oppose romney, but let's take a look at gingrich and santorum, because if you look at the two of them, all right, they have very similar resumes. gingrich has had a few more years in congress, but santorum served as both a member of the house and the senate. you see it there. so who really, doug, would you say is the best alternative for conservatives? >> well, they're both great conservatives. and if you look in the polls, they tend to be neck and neck, certainly in florida that's the case. this is part of why we have this primary process. rick santorum won in iowa. newt gingrich won in south carolina. ultimately, i think south carolina was a good kick in the pants for the romney campaign, and we're saying that pay off right now, but conservatives don't have one choice or another. that was a false choice that was put for us when we had michele bachmann in the race, herman cain in the race. ultimately, republicans are going to decide who the best alternative to beat barack obama is. and what we've seen in polling is that every one of those alternatives that's been put up there to barack obama has at one point been beating him in the polls. >> keith, let me get your take on this picture that we have.

i want to put it up for you. it's a picture that was tweeted of by president obama's campaign chief, david axelrod. it's the president there in his car, with his dog, bo. he says that this is the way pets should be treated. that was axelrod saying that. it's a dig, of course, at mitt romney, who said that his dog rode in a carrier strapped to the roof of his car, many, many years ago, just to be fair. but is this just poking fun, or has this campaign gone to the dogs? what's happening here? >> i hadn't seen that picture until now. i'd heard about it, but i think it's funny in a certain way, because it does sort of poke fun at mitt romney who strapped his irish setter to the top of his car on his trip to canada or something like that years ago. i think what it says about mitt romney is about whether he's really in touch with ordinary americans. you've got a guy that makes $57,000 a day for doing virtually nothing, on past income, who says he likes firing people and says all these things

that make him seem out of touch. that's what this whole dog thing is about. democrats will try to make mitt romney into the republican version of john kerry in 2004. a massachusetts elitist that doesn't really relate to the ordinary person. >> keith boykin and doug heye, thank you both very much. that is "fair game" today. a u.s. citizen is banned from running for public office because she doesn't speak english fluently. >> i speak english. a little, maybe. but it's enough. >> an arizona border town says that isn't enough. but is the town violating her civil rights? her personal story is next.

a city council candidate in the small border town of san luis, arizona, is being forced out of the race because of the way she speaks. al han drina cabrera speaks english, but she was told she doesn't speak it well enough. does the city actually have a case? here's thelma gutierrez. >> reporter: in the small border town of san luis, arizona, alej alejandrina is a celebrity office, without having spent one day in office. the married mother of two made national headlines after a bid for her seat on the san luis city council was blocked by the city's mayor. >> he say i can't speak english, read, and write. >> reporter: at issue, cabrera's

influency in english. she's a united states citizen, she was born in arizona. but like in people in this small town, who live and work on both sides of the border, cabrera was raised in mexico, where life is more affordable. when she was 17, she came back to finish high school, but by then, spanish was her primary language. cabrera says no one in san luis, where most people speak spanish, had ever questioned her english skills, until she decided to run for public office. >> she does not understand english. >> reporter: the mayor of san luis says under arizona law, elected officials must be proficient in english. he says cabrera doesn't qualify to run for office, and as a citizen, he filed a lawsuit against her. and she was forced to take an english proficiency test, paid for by local taxpayers, to stop her candidacy. cabrera says this is political payback, because she spearheaded two recall campaigns against the

mayor. not a personal vendetta against her? >> not a personal vendetta to get her, absolutely not. >> specific? >> reporter: after a lengthy court hearing, cabrera was disqualified from the race. her attorney says her civil rights have been violated. she did not pass her proficiency test. >> well, what test is there to pass, though? there's no test in the statute. and they're denying her the political process. and let the people of this community decide if they want her on the city council or not. >> reporter: what do you tell those people who say, but you're a citizen, you live here now, and you're running for office. you need to speak english. >> i speak english. a little, maybe. but it's enough for the city council. >> reporter: cabrera says she's taking her appeal all the way to the arizona supreme court. thelma gutierrez, cnn, san luis, arizona. it was a typical birthday

party at school for this little girl, but it's what happens next that makes this birthday one of a kind. her tear-jerking wish come true. you'll have to see it here, next. [ mujahid ] there was a little bit of trepidation,

not quite knowing what the next phase was going to be, you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been doing. you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. that's my world. ♪

♪ that was "eye of the tiger" playing at one of newt gingrich's rally. the composer of the survivor hit is suing the gop candidate for not getting permission to use the song made famous by the movie "rocky iii," of course. rude music incorporated filed that lawsuit. it states that gingrich has been using it since 2009. the suit asks for damages, attorney fees, and an injunction from prevent gingrich from using the song. the florida primary now well under way. voters are casting their ballots and making their voices heard at the polls as we speak. and many are predicting a win in florida could predict the gop nomination. so there's clearly a lot on the line in the next few hours. brooke baldwin has been in tampa since over the weekend and has been chatting it up with floridians there. brook, i guess the hispanic vote, certainly, is critical in florida. they're a huge voting bloc that

really could swing the race toward mitt romney or newt gingrich. you spoke with some of them. what are they telling you are the biggest issues? >> reporter: well, first, a number for you, 12% in terms of a key voting bloc, hispanics represented 12% of the electorate backing the republican primary in 2008. and what's the biggest issue? you think immigration? it's not immigration. many floridians, whether you're a latino, latina, or not, it's the economy. they want jobs. they want to see an improvement in the economic climate here in florida, just like so many people do in the rest of the country. but i spoke with one young woman yesterday, and we talked specifically about the dream act, and she said the economy and the dream act are equally important for her. there have been so many virgins of this legislation that have been introduced in congress that dates back to 2001, and it's an idea that barack obama has supported, but different iterations of the dream act we've seen not quite make it through congress and the version that we've heard from candidates, both mitt romney and newt gingrich, they say, okay,

if you're a young person, you came to the united states from another country, illegally, but not on your own volition, in addition to passing multiple, very strict provisions, you have to serve in the military for four years. so i posed that to this 20-year-old who i spoke to last night. she is here illegally. would she will being to do that to gain u.s. status? here's her answer. they want you to serve the country for four years in a military position. do you think that's fair? >> honestly, no. i feel like there are other ways to serve this country. just, you know, being a doctor, being an attorney, those are just as important ways to serve our can country, just like the military. and i feel like we should have the option of going to college. we should have that pathway, especially when some of us already do have four-year degrees and, you know, are already graduating. it's, you know, we're ready to jump right into the workforce. why would you waste that

investment? as a child of immigrants, as an immigrant myself, i feel like my role as always been to go to school, to work really hard and to have a career. and that's what i want to do. but, it's so difficult when you don't have a legal status, to do that. >> wow, brooke. >> reporter: you'll hear a lot more, randi, from myra in the show, but also at the top of the hour, we'll be talking housing, as we are here in florida. did you know that 40% of homeowners that live in a home that's not quite worth their mortgage. are there science of recovery? let's cross our fingers. we're digging deeper with christine romans on that. also today, we're talking delegates. as you know, 50 delegates are up for grabs as a winner take all state in a primary tonight. if these candidates, randi, stay in this race, as we've heard newt gingrich vow to do up until the convention here in tampa, actually, end of august, what if no one gets to that magic number

of 1,144? then what? and finally, political pop got a little music theme today. one candidate, i'm sure you'vew? >> one candidate is on a video singing. we'll see how that went. and also one candidate sued over a song. randi? >> all right. we'll catch up on all that later, brooke, at 2:00 p.m. officials are getting reports that three guests of the luxor have been diagnosed with legionairres' disease. three patients recovered. but the fourth patient, we heard, has died. luxor is reportedly working with health officials to ensure that its water is safe. a teen in burton, michigan is suspended from his school not because of his behavior or his grades but because of his hair.

this is j.t. gaskins. he survived cancer. he wanted to give back to locks of love for hair given to cancer patients, but the school wants him to dress according to the dress policy. >> females can grow their hair and cut and it donate it. but yet my son can't do the same without getting kicked out of school. >> the superintendent issued a statement saying, i don't know what decision j.t. and his mother will come to, but we have offered various accommodations, one being to use hair gel and a comb, as long as he styles his hair to keep it off his collar. in the seattle area where investigators are looking at disturbing sea lion killers.

the oceanic administration brings the count to nine sea lions just in the past week. they're offering a $10,000 reward that leads to an arrest. it shows at least three of the sea lions were shot. a typical birthday party at school turned into a wish come true. get your tissues ready. bailey page was celebrating her sixth birthday in her class, which is nothing unusual, but watch who was waiting to see her. >> turn around. >> dad! >> how adorable was that. her father, sergeant adam page, returned from afghanistan. page has just been redeployed to utah. she said the only birthday present she wanted was her dad.

the media blitz known as, what else, super bowl media day. this year fans were allowed to attend the event for the first time. it's $25 a pop. fans were at the stadium to rub shoulders with the patriots and the giants. in florida where mitt romney took a cue from president obama. he led "america the beautiful." ♪ oh beautiful for spacious skies ♪ ♪ for amber waves of grain ♪ for purple mountains majesty ♪ above the fruited plains >> it looks like a sing-off is in order because how can we forget the president and this. ♪ i don't know --

>> he jolted al green's sales of "let's stay together" by 49%. can newt gingrich survive if he loses in the sunshine state? we'll look ahead next at a live report from tampa. but first our political junkie question, who is the only former president to also hold political office in florida? tweet the answer to at randikaye@cnn. if you're first, i'll give you a shoutout.

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before the break, i asked which former president also held political office in florida. the answer is andrew jackson, seventh president of the united states. he was governor of the florida territory in 1821, more than 20 years before florida even became a state. congrats to nick from charlotte for tweeting me the right answer. all right, let's check in now with our peter hamby. he is in tampa watching all of this unfold as we get ready for the vote and the big primary count tonight. peter, let's look to next month, really, because florida is going to come to an end pretty quick. what states vote in february and how important are they? >> it's interesting, we have seven states and some are more

important than others, it turns out. first we have the nevada caucuses which are this saturday. that's a big state for mitt romney. he won there in 2008. there is a mormon population, ron paul organizing there aggressively because of the strong grassroots. the newt gingrich campaign low expectations for that state. we have caucuses in colorado, minnesota, we have a primary in missouri, we have primaries in arizona and michigan as well. so it's a crowded state, but some of these states, randi, don't matter as much as the other ones because they're non-binding delegates in several of them, such as this missouri primary or some of these other caucus states. >> obviously romney is looking like he's heading for a win in n florida, certainly hoping to. where does gingrich go from here if he doesn't win in florida? >> there are downplays in nevada

but also michigan. central to his political biography. he was born there, obviously. they say arizona is one place they can really try to make a stand in february. a strong tea party state, gingrich is carving out that grassroots conservative space in the republican party. but it's still tough for him. remember, he's taken the position for tmitt romney on immigration, and i am gra immigration, and immigration is a huge debate in arizona. they'll take on some of these caucus states like colorado and minnesota. but in terms of the big delegate states, arizona is where gingrich hopes to make a stand in february. >> we'll see how it all turns out this evening. our thanks to peter hamby there in tampa for us. peter, thank you. thank you, everyone, for watching today, as always. i'd love to know what you think

of the program. you can continue the conversation with me on line any time. you can find me on facebook or twitter at randikaye@cnn. we meet with brooke who is live in tampa, florida. hello, brooke. >> hi, randi. thanks for having me on again. beautiful day in tampa today. check the clock. six hours to go until the very latest polls close in the state of florida. we're going to be talking to the florida governor here within the next hour. also, an undocumented student who was worried about the candidates' positions when it comes specifically to the dream act, and we'll be talking to a controversial pastor who is a supporter of mitt romney's campaign. everything making news. rapid fire. let's go. we have seen the foreclosure signs here in florida. you don't have to go far to find them. but the housing numbers

nationwide are even worse than the experts thought. home prices, they plummeted 1.3% in nova loaemb november alone. phoenix, arizona the only one where home prices went up. also today, three suspected drone strikes hit militant targets in yemen overnight. according to yemeni security officers, at least nine people involved killed in the attacks. keep in mind, timing here. this comes a day after president obama, for the very first time, openly discussed the u.s. drone program. >> most have been very precise, precision strikes against al-qaeda and their affiliates. and we are very careful in terms of how it's been applied. this is a targeted, focused effort at people who are on a

list of active terrorists who are trying to go in and harm americans. >> one source denies the president made a mistake or slip-up by revealing what had been classified information about those drone strikes. and the nation's top intel chiefs are considering a plan to transfer five vp aides from guantanamo bay to the taliban when they deliver the u.s. threat assessment on capitol hill. here now is cia director david petraeus. >> in fact, our analyst did provide assessments of the five and the risks presented by various scenarios by which they could be sent somewhere, not back to afghanistan or pakistan, and then based on the various mitigating measures that could be implemented to ensure that they cannot return to militant

activity. >> the threat assessment delivered to congress today also indicates there is concern about iran plotting against the united states and its allies, and iran is keeping its options open to developing nuclear weapons. it has the most ballistic missiles in any country in the middle east. ♪ go ahead and count me out >> love this song! british music star adele set to perform at the grammys. this will be her first performance for quite a while. remember, she had to cancel? maybe you were affected, had a ticket? she had to cancel several concerts this year while recovering from her throat surgery. we've been trying to get her for music monday. would love to talk to her. look at all these dates. adele is nominated for six -- count them, six -- grammys.

what is this? it is a booming thunder snowstorm. yep, a thunder snowstorm hitting youngstown, ohio. 1 to 3 inches of snow fell per hour on sunday causing near whiteout conditions, winds gusting as high as 40 miles an hour. it's a rare event. it's actually more common during lake effect snow. and a huge thrill for some students at an intermediate school in mansville, texas. they got to ask some of the crew from the united states space station, what's on their mind? so beside the normal questions, they asked -- well, take a look. >> what challenges do you face when completing day-to-day activities like haircuts, for instance? >> you have to be able to cut hair, and i think all of us in theory might have practiced that before we came here, but none of us ever did it until we actually

got here. we were faced with one of our crewmates who needed a haircut. so we'll basically start cutting each other's hair and if we make a mistake, the hair will get a little shorter and a little shorter and eventually it will be relatively even. >> love it. the kids getting to the tough questions about haircuts and astronauts. we've got more to cover for you in our live show today. we're in tampa at the florida primary. a lot to talk about, including this. we're live in tampa today where we're hours from one republican taking home the top prize tonight. we're going to hear the candidates' ticket tonight on the trail. also we'll talk to one woman who was kicked out of the country for talking to me. their dreamers, immigrants, hoping to stay in the u.s. despite getting here illegally. >> at any moment i could have my very life taken from me and have

to go back to a country that i don't even remember. >> the country she has always called home threatened. >> then the ultimate pop. first the president sings. now a guy who wants his job? well -- ♪ above the fruited plains a man kills his wife because she gave birth to a daughter instead of a son. call it what it is. a slaughter. dozens more reportedly die in syria as the government attacks its own people. now new pressure may be coming for the man in charge.

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welcome back to florida. it is a big day here in the sunshine state, it's primary day. this is the richest primary, and when i say richest, a treasure trove of delegates that we've ever offered up. mitt romney won the new hampshire primary. newt gingrich is the other major factor down here. he had a huge win in south carolina, put a stop, a screeching halt, to romney's momentum in new hampshire. folks down here will tell you he has made mitt romney's work a heck of a lot harder here in florida. they're working around the

clock. back with me today. today is a huge day. but first ic-- i'm going to go paul in just a minute, but i spoke with the governor of florida. he can't vote today but i talked with him about what he thinks of the republican race. >> you were republican and you are now a registered independent. you can't vote today. who would you like to see as possible candidates going up against president obama come november? >> i'm not sure. i'll leave that to the republicans. it's their decision and their call to make, so we'll see what happens by the end of the day. if you go by the polls, it looks like it's going to be governor romney, but it's florida. you never know for sure until all the votes are counted and we'll see tonight. >> on the air we had senator mark rubio. he said whoever wins tonight will be the nominee. do you believe that? >> it's not unlikely, but when you look at the republican primary, from week to week, we've hay different front runner

and it goes back and forth. south carolina for newt gingrich, new hampshire for mitt romney, it could swing back again. i just don't know if it's that predictable. >> paul steinhauser is here. you've been crunching the numbers. how much does he need to win by? i keep hearing this 12%. that was the margin of victory in south carolina, gingrich over romney. is that the number he needs to shoot for tonight? >> any number will do the trick. he gets all 50 delegates even if he wins by 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%. sure, he would like to win by double digits in florida. he's showing a strain as we enter the southern area. >> you mentioned winner takes all and there are 50 delegates here in florida, correct?

>> correct. >> what's going to happen now? we still have four candidates. the magic number is what? >> 1,144. that's why we're nowhere close. you need 1,144 delegates to clinch the nomination. we're still early in the process. >> if all these gentlemen stay in the race, who knows if that's going to happen or not at this point in time. what if they don't hit that magic number in august. >> then we go to a brokers convention, something that hasn't happened in my lifetime. remember, hillary clinton went all the way until june before she dropped out. i don't know, could happen. there is a little bit of florida in the panhandle that's in the central time zone, so final polls close at 8:00. >> we got this in my e-mail this

morning. this is the arg poll, american research group, and it shows romney leading 43%, gingrich sitting at 31, santorum 13 and paul, 9. among those who voted early, romney was favored 51% to 29%. and the ones voting today was much, much smaller. what accounts for that, 7 points? >> i guess you could say that's romney's expert card in the deck for him. all these people have already voted. he's winning these votes. for gingrich to win tonight, he not only has to win, but he has to win by 8 or 9% to have an edge over those who have already cast ballots. that's more than voting in south carolina. a heck of a lot more. you could add new hampshire and iowa together, you still don't get to that point. the numbers that have come out in the polls in the last hour

say the same thing. mitt romney is actually edging him out among men, which is interesting. he's edging him out among true supporters. romney here in florida is basically even with newt gingrich. >> i was here yesterday, having spent my sunday with a bunch of retirees, i spent my night last night with a young woman who is an illegal immigrant. interestingly, a lot of people think, and it's wrong to think this, that issue number one among latinos is immigration. it's not. >> they're just like everybody else, it's the economy and jobs. those are the toughest ones. >> thank you, paul, i appreciate it. be sure to watch the florida primary live. the a-team covers it.

the immigration, it is huge here in florida, but here's one reason why. >> simple things like driving to school or, you know, going to get groceries. those are very stressful situations. >> just the act of sitting there on that bench talking to me, putting her face on camera, that young college woman, she risks possible deportation. she and her parents are here illegally, and there are so many people caught in the political crosshairs of this primary race. you're going to hear her story. don't miss it, next.

and welcome back here to the live show here in tampa,

florida. today is a big day in florida. it is the republican primary. the beautiful tampa skyline over my shoulder. a number of issues are key to the voters here in florida, but specifically i want to talk immigration. it's an important issue among latino voters as are the economy and jobs, but immigration specifically, keep in mind, 2008, 12% of the voters here in florida were hispanic. last night i spent my evening with a young woman. she is 20 years old. she is a college student here in florida and she is here illegally. she did something many youngsteryoungste youngsters in her shoes are not always willing to do. she spoke with me on camera. >> a lot of times we have this sense of hopelessness and helplessness. >> myra appears to be a typical college kid, aspiring lawyer, classical singer for fun.

but this 20-year-old is one traffic ticket away from being deported. >> at any moment i can have my very life taken from me and be sent back to a country i don't even remember. simple things like driving to school or, you know, going to get groceries, those are very stressful situations. >> she doesn't have a driver's license because she's here illegally. she says her parents brought her to the u.s. from costa rica when she was just six months old on a tourist visa that expired years ago. >> it's unjust, it's frustrating. >> but her frustration toward her parents has slowly turned to gratitude. >> the older i get, the more grateful i am for the sacrifice they've made. i know regardless of my legal status here, i know i've accomplished so much here because they brought me here.

>> myra hidalgo calls herself a dreamer, one who supports the dream act, is opposed to certain requirements for immigrants to stay here if they attend a four-year college or spend two years in the military. >> i feel like my job was always to work real hard and have a career. that's what i want to do, but it's so difficult when you don't have a legal status. >> a bill has yet to make it through congress, but president obama supports the idea and republican presidential candidates mitt romney and newt gingrich support it, sort of. >> if you live in a foreign country and you're prepared to join the american military, you can earn a right to citizenship by serving in the united states and taking risk on behalf of the united states. >> that's the same position that i have. >> hidalgo disagrees.

>> there are other ways to serve this country. just being a doctor, being an attorney, those are just as important ways to serve our country just like the military. >> with military service being the only path to citizenship, she wants the candidates to know this. >> you're messing with people's lives. do you even have a heart? do you understand that, you know, these aren't just illegals? we're humans, we're people here. >> just showing her face on camera makes hidalgo vulnerable? >> are you scared at all to be sitting here next to me? >> i feel it's far more important to put a face to the issue so people can understand or struggle a little better. if living in fear is what i have to do, i'm okay with that. >> just a little bit on myra's background. she's one of four siblings here

in the united states. she is the only one currently undocumented. her younger sibling was born here, the other two are americans, so they began their pathway to citizenship. more people are dying, getting slaughtered inside syria. the u.s. is getting ready to make a big move but it may be without the help of one key country. we're talking about russia. why russia is now playing hardball. that's next. and she suggested i try boost complete nutritional drink to help get the nutrition i was missing. now i drink it every day and i love the great taste. [ female announcer ] boost has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to help keep bones strong and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. and our great taste is guaranteed or your money back. learn more at boost.com. [ dad ] i choose great taste. i choose boost.

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as i sit here speaking to you, the death count in syria is now at 30. that's according to one monitoring group. take a look at this. yesterday the number killed, 100. since march, at least 5,000.

now we have a graphic and brutal reminder of what those numbers precisely represent. a warning, though, even though we did blur some of this video, it's tough to watch. but the video you're going to see here is the city of hong which shows a family slaughtered. syria forces killed the victims, four young children and their parents. it appears they were shot. cnn cannot verify the authenticity of much of the video we show you out of syria, because the government has limited access to much of the country, but we're getting word that killings like this is happening in all parts of the country as they try to get rid of the current government. >> reporter: a disaster is unfolding in the eastern damascus suburb who has been what was described as relentless bombardment since saturday. communications shut off. the area has seen an

unprecedented number of security forces entering, firing indiscriminately and people living there are having various challenges trying to get medical help and food and supplies. this violence was part of the reason why the arabs decided to stop its mission. it reportedly happened in the city of hong, but seemingly spreading to other parts of the country as well. >> they blame terrorists for the uptake in violence. they sabotaged this gas line and killed a doctor, a teacher and seven members of the military. how do we save syrians and stop all this bloodshed? hillary clinton is going to be in the united nations.

it's a call for assad to step down and put power to the second in command. but one of the members of the security council not being on board here, that being russia. we're live in new york where clinton is about to go into a very important meeting at the u.n. i just want to talk about what came out of the meeting today. we know the intelligence officer believes that assad's exit is a question of time. what more can you tell me about that? >> director of intelligence, james clapper, saying it's just a matter of time, but he went on to say that even though -- we've been reporting is very fragmented, doesn't really have a co hees i have plan, and basharo continues to have support in the country. it's just a matter of time, a

lot of violence, people could die in the meantime, so that's why secretary of state clinton, other foreign ministers of britain and france going to the u.n. security council saying, listen, he's on his way out. he's a goner, but how many more people are going to die until that happens? they want to hear from the arab league's monitoring mission we've been discussing that's been on the ground. we want to hear what they have to say and hope that makes this move a little bit along. >> we hear the secretary speaking next hour. we do want to ask you about russia. why is russia getting in the way there at the u.n. to help people of syria? why? >> for several reasons. first of all, the russians feel a little bit duped about what happened in libya. they have this resolution to protect civilians, but the goal was to get rid of muammar

gadhafi, and they don't want to go down that road. also russia, really, syria is one of their last strongholds in the middle east. they're the closest ally, a lot of armed sales, a lot of business deals, and the russians don't want to sign anything to get them out of power. basically, what everyone is hoping today, when the prime minister comes to the u.n. and talks about this mission and what they found on the ground, the violence they've seen, that russia is going to see that the whole international community is behind getting assad to go and that russia can't turn an eye to the violence any longer, brooke. >> so that's some of the context, but back to the u.n., looking ahead, will anything the u.n. does anythingi inthey do d anything? do they think this resolution can make an impact? >> the resolution itself won't have any impact because, as you know, there is a lot of

diplomats involved in the u.n. and this isn't under certain rules, a chapter 7, as they say at the united nations security council wouldn't cause a problem if assad decided to step down, but the whole international community would be speaking with one voice. it's basically all russia's call right now. diplomats telling me from the national security council that if russia can sign on, this will send a message to assad to say, listen, i don't have any friends in this community. we see how he's clinging to power, but if the international community can speak with one voice, this is another nail in the coffin, so to speak. >> elise, thank you so much. now this. right now i don't know if anybody knows exactly what they're doing. everybody is running on a reagan platform. what is a reagan platform?

>> forget the polls. we went straight to the source here in florida. this is how we spent our sunday afternoon. talking to folks, talk to go fl floridians, getting a feel for what they're thinking, next. sn, and 30 days later, i was saving big on car insurance. i was worried it would be hard to install. but it's really easy. the better i drive, the more i save. i wish our company had something this cool. yeah. you're not... filming this, are you? aw! camera shy. snapshot from progressive. plug into the savings you deserve with snapshot from progressive.

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sorp. back here live. you're looking at tampa, florida. the convention center. that is where mitt romney has his headquarters tonight, hoping to have a victorious night tonight. newt gingrich not very far away. oert two candidates not even in the state. we'll talk about that in a minute. we've been talking to people about the issues that matter, the issues actually getting them out to the polls today, and some of the responses i got surprised me. take a look. >> i'm undecided. i'm leaning more towards romney because i thought he should have run the last time. >> as far as the economy, i

would have to say newt. i appreciate rick's enthusiasm and he gets a little overheated sometimes and i don't think he remains as cool, calm ask collectand collected as newt does. i believe newt has shown that he knows how to get things done. >> our economy is just baffling and we need to do something about it. we need someone in there who is willing to stand up for the majority and not buckle under. >> i still feel like most americans aren't any better off now than they were four years ago, and there are a lot of factors that lead into that, but we've got to do something to improve the housing market and just how well most population is doing. >> right now i don't think anybody knows exactly what they're doing. everybody is running on a reagan platform. what is a reagan platform? he raised taxes three times during his time as president, so

are they saying they're going to raise taxes also? let me know now. if you're going to raise taxes, tell me, because right now that's the platform you're running on, i'm going to raise taxes. >> that's just a sampling of who we've been hearing from in florida today and the past couple days. who will win tonight? you need to watch cnn to find out. 6:00 eastern on cnn, of course. you'll see wolf blitzer leading the coverage, anderson cooper, i'll be back giving you announcements tonight. it begins 6:00 eastern. we'll see you then. in the meantime, a high-profile preacher says gay people make god want to vomit. he also uses strong words to describe muslims. this preacher is a surrogate to rick santorum's campaign. joining me live, next. [ male announcer ] this...is the network.

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when bp made a commitment and to the gulf,work. we knew it would take time, but we were determined to see it through. today, while our work continues, i want to update you on the progress: bp has set aside 20 billion dollars to fund economic and environmental recovery. we're paying for all spill- related clean-up costs. and we've established a 500 million dollar fund so independent scientists can study the gulf's wildlife and environment for ten years.

thousands of environmental samples from across the gulf have been analyzed by independent labs under the direction of the us coast guard. i'm glad to report all beaches and waters are open for everyone to enjoy. and the economy is showing progress with many areas on the gulf coast having their best tourism seasons in years. i was born here, i'm still here and so is bp. we're committed to the gulf for everyone who loves it, and everyone who calls it home.

>> hospitalized over the weekend so he had to return home to pennsylvania, but now he has swung westward. he is campaigning out west. and santorum, though, certainly on the ballot here in florida, and joining me now, one of his campaign's honorary co-chairs. this is the reverend dozier. reverend dozier has some strong feelings about some of the issues. let's go straight to some of the views. you were quoted by mother jones as calling homosexuality the paramount sin. you further quoted saying, homosexuality is, quote, so nasty and disgusting it makes god want to vomit. murder is a paramount sin, so are you equating homosexuality with murder? >> no, not really. let me say this. i love the homosexual people. i want everyone to understand this. and god loves the homosexual people, brooke. but in the bible, god actually

rained down fire and brimstone up on two cities in the old testaments, solom and gomorah, basically because of the sin of homosexuality. in that particular passage, god called homosexuality an a bottom abomination. when you look up that word in the hebrew text, you will find it means this. it means disgusting -- >> i'm not trying to quote the bible, i'm trying to get your own views -- because if i may, let me go on to quote, you're also quoted as saying, god would never ordain the government to take from the rich and give to the poor, so therefore god is not a socialist. so do you think god is a republican? >> no.

no, i don't. i don't think god is a democrat nor a republican. but god will certainly not do as obama is doing, you know, and the democrats are doing. god would never take from the rich to give to the poor. in other words, brooke, god does not have the robin hood mentality. that is a socialist mentality. there is no place in the bible, brooke, where god orders, even mandates, for the rich to give their money over to the poor or someone to take their money from them. what god has said is it is an individual thing, brooke. it is up to you and me and the rest of us out here to voluntarily on our own give to the poor. >> so we have an idea a little bit of some of your views when it comes to social issues. the next question is we've made multiple phone calls to the santorum campaign just to get a better understanding of your relationship with them, how rick

santorum feels about some of the issues you share. we've gotten no response from them. my question is what kind of relationship do you have with rick santorum? have you had a face to face with him? does he agree with your views? >> i've had a face-to-face talk with him. but i don't know if he really shares my views. i really don't understand that. >> have you asked him? >> no, i have not. i do understand this about him. he's not a politically correct person. rick santorum is not a politically correct person. he is going to speak the truth as it is. and i want to say this again. i love the homosexual people and god does also. god hates the act of homosexuality. that is what he hates. >> you have worked with former governor jeb bush of florida, you have worked with former governor charlie crist, you've also visited the bush white house. in addition to being a reverend, do you also see yourself as a

bit of a political power broker? >> no, but i do have political influence, however. >> how so? >> well, they're coming after me, brooke, right? i must have something. >> what is it about you? >> i don't know, just my truth, i guess, teaching and preaching the word of god. at my church, for example, we do not compromise the word of god and we have a mixed congregation. we're conservative people. >> what's in it for you to be so involved in politics? >> what? soul winning, brooke. there is really no separation from church, from state. there is a separation, however, from state from church. but not from church from state. you see, i'm a lawyer by trade also, brooke, so i understand the first amendment, yes. >> you say that romney was unelectable because he's mormon. >> yes, he's mormon. >> explain what you mean by

that. >> i am saying what the gallup poll has said. let me just say what the gallup poll has said first. a gallup poll was done in june of 2011 that said this, that 22% of the electorates said they will not vote for a mormon to be president of the united states of america. now, there is another issue there. you see, mitt romney has a lot to think about. number one, i don't believe he's going to garner the black votes like he needs to. why? because he's a mormon. why? because in the book of mormons, there is a paragraph in there that says the nigger is cursed and his skin is black because of

that curse. i don't know how many black people are going to jump into mitt romney. >> we don't know yet. obviously you look at the polls here and he's up by double digits. why should voters here in florida -- rick santorum has already left the state. he's not here, he's in nevada today. why should florida voters vote for him? he hasn't been able to spend a lot of time here. >> he is the most contrast to obama. we need someone who is a total contrast to obama in terms of his issues, in terms of his policies, in terms of his initiatives, you see? his politics are totally the opposite of obama. now, mitt romney and newt, theirs are not so much that. they say it is, but when you look at their records, it's not. >> reverend, thank you. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. coming up next here as we sit in florida, it is the only state of its size up for grabs in the general election. so what does tonight tell us

about november? we're going to talk to wolf blitzer next. for the advice on phillips' caplets. magnesium, right? you bet! phillips' caplets use magnesium. works more naturally than stimulant laxatives... for gentle relief of occasional constipation. can i get an autograph? [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'.

now we go to wolf blitzer with america's choice 2012 politics update. wolf, you know, the polls close, the final polls here in florida at 8:00 eastern time. i want you to hit home for me how important this race is not just for republicans, but looking down the line at general election. >> it's very important. it's the most important competitive state in the united states. i'm writing my blog about this. we're going to post it very soon, but i'll share it with you and our viewers first. florida is the fourth largest

state, but the three largest states, really, when all is said and done, are not competitive in a president election. new york state and california almost always go for a democratic presidential candidate. texas always goes for a republican presidential candidate. so the presidential candidates, president obama and who the republican nominee is, go to those states once in a while to attend a fundraiser, meet with some fat cats, raise as much money as they can in california or texas, but they won't be spending a lot of time, they won't be spend ing a lot of mony there because they know the outcome in those states. they don't know the outcome in florida. florida is the critical state. my old buddy used to say florida, florida, florida. he was absolutely right. whoever it turns out to be, if it's romney or gingrich or santorum or paul, whoever it is,

they will be spend ag lot of time and money in florida. great news for all those tv stations in florida. they'll be getting millions and millions of dollars in paid advertising, so we'll be watching that. >> mitt romney, as you know, he's not only got the money, he's got the organizational power, and i was talking to candy crowley a couple minutes ago off camera and she was talking about maybe the bruises after the loss in south carolina was a good thing in the end for mitt romney. we're seeing a more aggressive mitt romney but also more relaxed. i don't know if you saw him tossing cheetos to employers, blowing out candles and also singing. ♪ beautiful for spacious skies ♪ for amber waves of grain ♪ for purple mountains majesty ♪ above the fruited plains >> okay, so in a competition between wolf blitzer and mitt romney -- >> he crushes me. he crushes me.

i'm pretty good playing keyboards, i can do a little bit of that. i can't sing at all. he knew all the words. you didn't play the whole song. he knew all the words. can you imagine how embarrassing it would be if he had screwed up the words, the lyrics a little bit? having said that, he really is okay, not great, as a singer, but he's no president obama. have you heard the president of the united states sing al green lately? >> yes. weren't we just talking about that. it was at the apollo a week or two ago? here it is. let's listen. ♪ >> he's terrific. >> kudos to romney, though, for having the confidence to do that. i wouldn't have been able to. >> can we hear a little bit of

brooke baldwin -- >> no, no, no, no. >> you love music. you're doing a lot of great songs -- >> i love music, i love playing guitar -- >> just a little bit, a few bars right now, your favorite song. we're ready. >> that's all you get. >> i didn't hear it. >> you missed it. you missed it. >> a little bit, please. >> wolf! >> our viewers want to hear brooke sing. >> they can hear me sing later. we'll see in the commercial. sorry. i don't want people turning the channel. >> we'll see it on youtube as soon as you start singing. >> we'll save it. see you a little later. thank you so much. now a much, much different story, this. >> oh mirks god, he's coming too fast. >> he's coming too fast. here comes another one. oh, see, there he goes.

oh that one was a bad one. >> we are now learning who some of the victims are, including a pastor and his family. plus, many of you are still asking, how did it happen? chad meyers explains, next. [ male announcer ] this was how my day began. a little bird told me about a band... ♪ an old man shared some fish stories... ♪ oooh, my turn. ♪

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here back to here. you have to understand, this fire was less than 50 acres at the time, with the interstate going right through pains prairie here. we'll show you the bowl. there's the road as we go across this two-mile stretch. when i drive through this, brooke, it looks like you're driving through a joungle, a swamp. it's one big bowl of