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CNN NEWSROOM

Analyzing The Obama News Conference; Super Tuesday; Gingrich Win In GA Could Help Romney; Two Arrested After Courtroom Brawl; 23 Minutes Under Snow; Two Dead In Florida School Shooting; Dow's Biggest Fall This Year; U.S. To Resume Talks With Iran; Ohio Shooting Suspect Due In Court; Five "Anonymous" Hackers Arrested; Mystery Powerball Winner Revealed; Advertisers, Stations Drop Limbaugh

Aired March 6, 2012 - 13:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And you have been listening to the president here. This is the first formal news conference he has given since last October. Answering all kinds of questions, he began by speaking specifically about the economy here on this Super Tuesday.

Talking economy, talking about how he can perhaps help current and former members of the military if they were wronged by being forclosed upon. And also talking specifically about people with FHA loans, government backed loans, how they can be helped as well. So he began with that, but then it was an open floor, and people within that room got to ask him all kinds of questions.

And if I can, I'd like to bring in Wolf Blitzer and Gloria Borger.

You know, a lot was discussed, but I want to begin with something we've been talking about a lot the past couple of days: specifically, his meeting - the president's meeting with the prime minister - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday.

And I also just significant point out the fact that it is Super Tuesday. Right. So this is the day of Super Tuesday that he's coming out and giving this first news conference. And it's also the day after he meets with Prime Minister Netanyahu. That is significant, strategically speaking, because why?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": You know, he really went after his Republican challengers on the whole issue of Israel and Iran. He spoke about the casualness that some of these Republican presidential candidates -- I think he's specifically referring to Mitt Romney -- are talking about the possibility of war with Iran right now.

BALDWIN: Right.

BLITZER: He spoke about the pain of a war. He underscored his commitment to Israel. He has Israel's back. But he says there is another opportunity to try to resolve this through diplomacy, through sanctions, through economic pressure. And he says, for these Republicans, it's all bluster. He says, this is not a game. He says, they have a lot of bluster. They have big talks. But when it comes down to the end, they're not proposing anything serious at all. So that was his indirect criticism of these Republican candidates.

BALDWIN: What did you hear?

GLORIA BORGER, CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the same exact thing. And he also said, if some of these folks think it's time to launch a war, they should say so to the American people, because it's very clear he understands where the American people are in terms of launching another war. And it's very easy to saber rattle when you're not sitting in the Oval Office. He talked about going to Walter Reid.

BALDWIN: Right.

BORGER: And what he has to do when he signs those letters to parents. And then when he was asked about Mitt Romney, he said -- and Super Tuesday, he said, good luck tonight.

BALDWIN: Right. And there was a bit of laughter and he said, no, really, good luck tonight.

BORGER: Yes, well --

BALDWIN: The line that really jumped out at me, when he was talking about Walter Reid he said, you know, talking about the cost and sacrifice of war, which the American people know all too well, he said, it's not the people we're popping off who pay the price. It's those families losing loved ones who are paying the price.

BORGER: That's right.

BALDWIN: But again reiterating, and he was asked to define, what does that mean, you know, Israel, we've got your back, but talking about those crippling sanctions on Iran. We're already seen the effects when it comes to oil, the central bank. Now they're hearing Iranians perhaps being willing to go back to the negotiation table. How do you think this resonates with Americans listening to this today?

BLITZER: You know, he did make the point, though, when it came to the current assessment, whether there was still a window, an opportunity to resolve this diplomatically.

BALDWIN: Diplomatically.

BLITZER: He says there was consensus in the U.S. intelligence community. And his words were specific. He said there was a consensus in the Israeli intelligence community, that there was still a window. And I think that probably is a consensus with -- between -- if you take a look at what the CIA believes, what the Israeli intelligence community, Mossad, believes.

BALDWIN: Mossad.

BLITZER: There probably is a consensus. I don't think there's necessarily a consensus between what President Obama believes and what Prime Minister Netanyahu himself. I think there is a little bit of a disagreement there. Not a whole lot. They basically agree Iran should not be able to get a nuclear bomb. BALDWIN: But the timing they seem to disagree upon, right.

BLITZER: But the Israelis would like the ratcheting up of the pressures, and they're much more skeptical about these -- that the sanctions are really going to work. They're also much more skeptical about these resumed negotiations with the Iranians.

BORGER: Well, when he says there's a window, we also don't know how much of a window he believes there is and how much of a window the Israelis believe there is. And he was asked a very good question, which is that three years ago the president was essentially saying, you know, we need to give diplomacy a chance to work. And he was asked the question, generally, what has changed? And the answer is, well, we've applied more sanctions and we're going to continue to apply more sanctions. But to what end?

BALDWIN: He talked -- and I just want to just play -- get to a sound bite because to your point about, you know, visiting the soldiers at Walter Reid and the fact that we're in a winding down in Afghanistan, the war is over in Iraq. Here's what he said about thinking about a casual war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, those folks don't have a lot of responsibilities. They're not commander in chief. And when I see the casualness with which some of these folks talk about war, I'm reminded of the costs involved in war. I'm reminded of the decision that I have to make in terms of sending our young men and women into battle and the impacts that has on their lives, the impact it has on our national security, the impact it has on our economy.

This is not a game. And there's nothing casual about it. And, you know, when I see some of these folks who have a lot of bluster and a lot of big talk, but when you actually ask them specifically what they would do, it turns out they repeat the things that we've been doing over the last three years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Do you think his response would be any different if this were not an election year?

BLITZER: I think his response would be the same in that he wants more time.

BALDWIN: You do?

BLITZER: He's not anxious for the U.S. to launch military strikes to try to take out Iran's nuclear facilities. He's certainly not anxious for Israel to launch military strikes. He wants that to be the absolute bottom line last alternative, only if 100 percent necessary to prevent Iran from having a nuclear bomb.

Israel's so-called green line, red line, whatever you want to call it, is a little bit different. Israel says they shouldn't have the capability to build a nuclear bomb. So they're much, you know, less generous in terms of the time frame. But it's a serious issue and I suspect the president -- you know, he's looking at the elections, he's saying, you know, what he thinks is popular stuff, but, you know, he's very concerned about a war.

BORGER: I got the feeling today, and when the president said, you know, when it gets wrapped up in politics, we make mistakes. I get the feeling, although he didn't come out and say it, is that he thinks it's a dangerous conversation to be having in the political arena right now.

BALDWIN: I feel like though as part of this conversation is also Syria, right? He was asked about Syria. He said it's not a matter of if but when Bashar al Assad goes away. He said it absolutely is a massacre. It's heartbreaking. But it was interesting, you and I were talking about Senator McCain, right, on the Senate floor yesterday calling for U.S. air strikes in Syria. And we don't know how that would perhaps resonate within the Obama administration, but, you know, with regard to Libya he said they have full cooperation within the region. Syria, he specifically said it's much more complicated. But beyond that --

BLITZER: You know it's a problem for him explaining the differences between Libya and Syria. In Libya, there was a potential of a slaughter in Benghazi. The opposition to Gadhafi was there.

BALDWIN: Right.

BLITZER: The U.S., together with Arab friends in the Arab League, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emeritus, as well as the international community, they got a resolution through the U.N. Security Council calling for a no-fly zone that NATO would implement over Libya. A naval blockade, if you will. Almost a no-drive zone. Cruise missiles started going in and taking out air defense systems in Libya. And we know what happened a few months later.

He says it's much more complicated, in his words, in Syria right now. There isn't a unanimity in the U.N. Security Council. Russia and China are blocking a resolution. The Arab League has not down the same thing this time. And he says unilateral U.S. military action -- I'm reading from my notes -- is a mistake, even though it is, as you point out, heartbreaking and outrageous what Bashar al-Assad's regime is doing.

So he disagrees with John McCain on this sensitive issue. But I suspect that the U.S. is going to continue to try to put the pressure on the Chinese and the Russians to support some sort of resolution. NATO has been sort of -- as I used the word the other day when I interviewed the NATO secretary general, Rasmussen --

BALDWIN: Rasmussen.

BLITZER: I said to him, and NATO's been impotent right now. They did the job in Libya. They're not going anything in Syria.

BALDWIN: And he said they don't want to get involved, right? BLITZER: He says we're not -- it's a very different situation. And, you know, he was -- he wasn't making a very compelling case, I've got to say.

BORGER: And John McCain also called for unilateral action, if you'll recall, in Libya. He was out there doing that. And, of course, the president waited until he got all of the pieces together. And you don't really hear the Republican presidential candidates out there echoing John McCain, do you?

BLITZER: Yes, he's ahead of the curve on that one.

BORGER: They are not.

BALDWIN: No. No.

Let me bring in Jessica Yellin, our chief White House correspondent. She got a question in. Forgive me, Jessica, because I was running upstairs to put my microphone and earpiece in. I understand you did ask about everything that's happened that's been percolating over the last couple of days with regard to Rush Limbaugh in this Georgetown law student and the names he's called her and now this sort of war on women. Tell me what you asked. What was his response?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I asked if the president agrees with the argument that some top Democrats have been making, that there is a war on women. And he fundamentally avoided answering the question. And I asked, Republicans contend that it's more like Democrats are lodging a war for the women's vote. So it was one of the more political answers he gave in the press conference.

But if I could make the larger point, Brooke, he was asked about Rush Limbaugh and he said he didn't want to address -- someone else asked that, address what's in Rush Limbaugh's heart.

One of the advantages, I guess, for the president, disadvantages for the press when they hold these few (ph) conferences is, when you do have one, there are so many questions that nobody gets to ask. And I'd point out that there were very few questions about the economy. He really didn't get asked that many other questions about, for example, his home foreclosure plan that he announced today. If I had a chance to ask him a second question, I really would have asked him, why is it that if this is so important, it took you three years to roll out this plan? Brooke, I'd point out that three years into his administration there are almost as many houses under water as there were at the beginning of the administration. And he has rolled out more than 10 housing refinance plans in that time. So, what's taken -- you know, why -- isn't this something of a failure to date? And there's all sorts of questions about the unemployment rate and other issues that he just didn't have to answer because it was so foreign policy centered, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Right. Right. I'm glad you brought that up because my question would have been, what didn't you hear.

Jessica Yellin, thank you. And just sort of final thoughts here. I know we were -- you know, Suzanne walk talking to Alison Kosik and to the point about, you know, yes, this program that he's proposing that would effect, you know, those with FHA, you know, loans and the former current military members. That's only two to three million people. That doesn't include millions of others, right, who are under water who are paying their mortgages but they're kind of stuck. Final thoughts.

BORGER: Well, I think what the administration would say to that is, you know, we've asked Congress to do more, but Congress hasn't acted on it. And I think one of the reasons politically in answer to Jessica's point, actually, is that they're doing this now for political reasons, of course, which is that they can then take this and run against Congress. And I think if Jessica had gotten to ask that question, he certainly wouldn't have said that, but that's clearly the case.

BALDWIN: Final thought, Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: I thought the president was most compelling and most moving when he spoke about why he made that phone call to that Georgetown University law student, to reassure her, to reassure her parents that what she did -- you can disagree with her on the substance when she testified before Congress and expressed her views -- what she did was -- he would like to see his daughters, Sasha and Malia, do that. He might disagree with them, but he'd like to do that, but he wouldn't want them or her, that Georgetown University law student, to be called a vile, ugly name, as Rush Limbaugh did. And I thought that's when the president came through. He didn't have to pick up the phone and call her, but he did. And I thought that was a compelling part of the news conference.

BALDWIN: Wolf and Gloria, thank you both.

BORGER: Sure.

BALDWIN: We'll be talking later in the show about Super Tuesday. Meantime --

BORGER: We'll see you later tonight.

BALDWIN: See you later tonight.

Meantime, we've got a lot more to cover for you here the next two hours, including this.

Super Tuesday. Here we go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Why didn't you call me?

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He will be the weakest candidate.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: As the rhetoric flies, we're going to break down what's important and what's not. Also, why Ohio is the big prize.

More advertisers and another radio station bail on Rush Limbaugh. But find out why his brand is probably safe.

Plus, a stunner in a murder mystery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There she was, slumped over the steering wheel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: An Iranian born college student is found dead. And for the first time, police say it could be an assassination.

And, one guy is so fed up with the price of popcorn at the movie theaters, he's suing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, here we go. On this Super Tuesday, in 10 states going all the way from Alaska to Massachusetts, voting today in what could be a deciding day in the Republican presidential race, Super Tuesday. The number here, 419. Four hundred and nineteen delegates total up for grabs today. So we want to just break down a couple of states we're really watching closely and then, of course, what they mean for these candidates.

Let me begin with the great state of Ohio. You see here 63 delegates is actually not the biggest delegate prize today, but no Republican has actually ever won the presidency without winning Ohio. We talked to a lot of people. Ohio kind of represents the microcosm of the electorate. You have urban, rural, evangelical, blue collar, white collar. Watch for voter turnout, voter enthusiasm. Why? Because low voter turnout here could be a bad omen. A bad signs for Republicans, of course, going into November against the president. This is a state, remember, he won back in 2008.

So, let me move along to Georgia. Georgia, here. This is the most number of delegates up for grabs here at 76. And specifically the question is, can Gingrich maintain his poll numbers here? We've got to wait and see if, of course, he served Congress for two decades here. So can he maintain his own home state? We're going to watch and we're just going to have to see there in Georgia.

Moving on, though, staying in the south, and this is a huge state because, again, this is traditional conservative territory. A win for Newt Gingrich could jump-start his campaign. Keep in mind, if he wins Georgia and he wins Tennessee, that would be huge for him. But a win here for Mitt Romney could show Romney's appeal to southern Republicans. Keep in mind, in 2008, Mitt Romney didn't win a single deep south state. So how the evangelical, how the undecided vote goes could really show who comes out on this state. Finally, let me take you to Virginia. Virginia is significant because you just have actually two people. Two people on this ballot. Not being Santorum or Gingrich. They're not on the ballot. So this could be a huge, huge day for Mitt Romney, specifically for 50 percent. Can he get 50 percent or more of the vote in Virginia? Because if he can cross (ph) that threshold, he will add even more delegates to his total. Forty-six up for grabs in Virginia, which today stands for Romney at 207.

Remember, here's the magic number and here are all the delegates to date. The magic number to clinch the nomination 1,144. And at CNN, we're going to have live special coverage, of course, all night long on this Super Tuesday. Join us beginning at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

And coming up next, we are live on the ground with people voting in both Georgia and Ohio. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: How many times have we said it? This could be the day today -- this could be the day that Mitt Romney casts an indelible stamp on his party's top prize, that being the Republican nomination for president. And a win today in Ohio be ding his top rival, Rick Santorum, and demonstrate muscle in the heartland. Should he capture Tennessee, that would be a road win, folks, for Romney it is, in a region that's key to Republican hopes this fall.

Keep in mind, every time Romney has been on the ropes, he has bounced right back. And at the moment, he's riding a winning streak. He has won the last five contests, but still he has yet to win that knockout blow. Could that come tonight? CNN's Dana Bash is standing by for us in St. Joseph, Ohio.

And, Dana, we know Romney, he's closed the gap with Rick Santorum. Polls now show Ohio to be a dead heat. And obviously we're going to know the result tonight.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, boy has he closed the gap, and boy is it a dead heat. Check this out. This is the latest CNN/ORC/"Time" poll. Can't get any closer than that. It is a -- they're dead even, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, in this state as we see here, as voters are going to the polls.

And I spent a lot of time over the last day or two talking to voters about how they feel. And I want to play a couple of women. Actually, both are very active in the Tea Party, which is an important segment of the Republican electorate here in southwest Ohio. Differing views on who they're going to go for though. Listen, Brooke.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Romney. Mitt Romney. Already did vote. Voted early in Ohio.

BASH: And why Romney? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Business background. If I look at the Constitution as our business plan and our business model, I want someone who can sit down and analyze what we are doing. It probably is the biggest business in the country. I want somebody that brings that business sense and that economic sense to it.

KATIE KERN (ph): I'm Katie Kern. I'm on the board of the Liberty Township Tea Party here in Butler County, Ohio.

BASH: And you are a Santorum supporter?

KERN: I am a Santorum supporter. Our Tea Party doesn't endorse, but I personally am a Santorum.

BASH: Why?

KERN: I like his -- I like the fact that he is fiscally responsible, that he believes in smaller government. Of course, all of the Republican candidates happen to believe in smaller government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, Brooke, I'm at a polling station in a highly Republican area. I'm in Hamilton County, which is a critical, critical county for Republicans in the whole race to get out the vote between Santorum and Romney. And it hasn't really been -- it's been anecdotally relatively low turnout. Kind of a steady stream of voters. But I would say maybe more of a trickle than a stream.

BALDWIN: So, as you're talking to maybe folks part of the trickle. You know, in terms of it really connecting with these folks on a gut level, Dana, has Romney been able to do that, do you think?

BASH: Anecdotally, I certainly don't think that he's been connecting on a gut level. I think that the way that he is connecting is, as you heard from that one voter I talked to, because people are buying that whole line that he's giving, which is that his business background really helps him be positioned to be the best potential president and the best person to beat Barack Obama.

I think when you're talking about the gut level vis-a-vis Mitt Romney, the gut is for these Republicans that we're talking to here, they want to defeat Barack Obama big time and they want to figure out the best means to do it, and they believe that Mitt Romney is the best vehicle for beating Barack Obama.

BALDWIN: Something I heard when I was in Florida and it sounds like that's resonating in Ohio as well. Dana Bash, my thanks to you. We'll see you tonight for sure.

Meantime, the biggest pot of gold today lies in the state of Georgia. I ran through the delegate count a second ago. Seventy-six Republican delegates there. Newt Gingrich on the prowl. Gingrich is banking on a win in the state he represented in Congress. In fact, he needs a win in Georgia as a sign his campaign is still viable. But funny thing, David Mattingly, because a win for Newt Gingrich in Georgia, is of like a win from Mitt Romney, isn't it?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Gingrich is trying to position himself as the anti-Romney or the Romney alternative, just as Rick Santorum is. So when you have two opponents like that going after the same voters, sure, it's going to help a front runner's chances. But Newt Gingrich has bigger problems right now. He has to find a way to have an incredibly strong showing here in Georgia.

You were talking about the 76 delegates up for grabs here. Well, it's a complicated system by which those delegates are awarded. Newt Gingrich has to try and get 50 percent of the votes or better in 14 different districts across the entire state in order to try and have a chance to run the table and get all 76 of those delegates. If he's able to do that or do something close to that, then he has something that he can take from here after Super Tuesday and go to other states in the south -- Alabama, Mississippi -- and say, these are what the people who know me best are doing for me, and this is what I can do for you.

So without this strong showing in Georgia, he's going to have difficulty moving forward after Super Tuesday. And we keep calling this Super Tuesday. It may be a little less super this year looking at how it's going to be a less than decisive in the big picture. But for Newt Gingrich, he has to have an incredibly super Tuesday, and he has to have it right here in Georgia.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes, and, I mean, I know he's already sort of dipping his big toe in Alabama today. We're not even talking Alabama until next week. So that just shows what he's trying to do in the south. I know he makes his home in Virginia now. Do they consider him a favorite son in Georgia and really for the south for that matter?

MATTINGLY: Oh, sure. And he's got the support of the governor here. This -- I'm in Marietta, Georgia. This -- and his home district of when he was the speaker of the House of Representatives. This is still very much Newt Gingrich country.

But he's not taking anything for granted. Because he has to have that strong showing and that every vote is going to count for him, no matter what margin of victory he might have right now, he's been in this state seven out of the last nine days campaigning. He's had campaign workers in his home district. We know he's going to win this district, but he still had people going out over the weekend going door to door knocking on doors to get people to come out and vote. So he's pulling out all the stops in his home state to have a good showing here in Georgia.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: David Mattingly, thank you so much, in Georgia for us.

Meantime, quick reminder again, special Super Tuesday live coverage tonight on CNN begins at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Coming up next, we're going to move away from politics just for a second because we want to show you this incredible video. This dramatic rescue of a man caught in an avalanche and the whole thing was caught on camera. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We've got some video we want to share with you. First, courtrooms, courtrooms are all about law and order, right?

Well, watch what happened in a hearing in Springfield, Massachusetts. Yikes. That's why they have those deputies in the courtroom. Court officers had to take down two men who went after Mr. Santiago.

He is charged with stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death and the courtroom brawlers were apparently relatives of the victim. They are now facing charges themselves including with assault and battery and resisting arrest. The murder victim, Jessica Rohust had four young children.

And the one time, the onetime an avid snowmobiler doesn't wear what's called an avalanche beacon, guess what happens? His friend caught the whole thing on camera. Tyson Black triggered the avalanche in Utah on Sunday. Watch with me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where is he at? Where is he at?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: His friends rushed in, feeling through the snow piled 10 feet high. But get this, we're talking 23 minutes. I'm sure that was excruciating for him under all the snow, 23 minutes.

They couldn't find him. Then one of them hit Black's helmet with the shovel. Black says a small pocket of air had formed in his helmet, but for about 20 minutes, he was unconscious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRONSON BUTLER, SNOWMOBILER'S BEST FRIEND: I was just like, you're alive. I just wrapped my hands around his helmet.

BRANDY NEWBOLD, SNOWMOBILER'S GIRLFRIEND: When they said he was OK and he was breathing, I just started balling. Me and Bronson were just started hugging each other. It was amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Black injured, amazingly only his knee. He went to work the very next day, unreal.

Six alleged hackers charged crimes affecting over a million people. Coming up next, details on how they were arrested and the major hacking groups the suspects are affiliated with.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Got some breaking news for you right now. Here's what we know. Two people shot and killed at yet another school. The school is Episcopal High School in Jacksonville, Florida.

The fire department has not confirmed who the victims are. They haven't confirmed what precisely happened. Obviously, we're making phone calls.

We're going to keep a close eye on the situation as soon as we get any more details or updates for you. We're going to bring them to you live here on CNN.

Meantime, we are watching Wall Street today where the Dow is falling. Investors very concerned with the European economy and the Greek debt crisis.

You can see the Dow down a whopping 226 points here as we're just about an hour and a half away from the closing bell. We'll keep a close eye on that in this final hour and a half of trading.

Also there is no greater threat in the Middle East than a nuclear Iran. This is according to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. Speaking at this pro-Israel conference, Secretary Panetta echoed President Obama that the U.S. prefers a diplomatic solution, but --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON PANETTA, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Make no mistake, when all else fails, we will act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Meantime, just one day after President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House, the U.S. and other countries have agreed to resume talks with Iran over its nuclear program.

And in next hour, Ohio's school shooting suspect, TJ Lane, will be back in court. Prosecutors are trying to limit the release of more information about the alleged school shooter.

The 17-year-old Lane is charged with three counts of aggravated murder among other crimes. He is the one accused of shooting those five students at Chardon High School.

And arrested and in court, five people, federal authorities call top leader leaders in "Anonymous," that computer hacking group known for connections to Wikileaks and shutting down the web sites of Visa and Paypal.

The group has its own YouTube channel and the sixth "Anonymous" member pleaded guilty in court to 12 counts of computer hacking and other crimes. Authorities say they're working in secret with someone within the group.

And the body of an American journalist killed in Syria is finally coming home. Marie Colvin was killed almost two weeks ago in that rocket attack in the city of Homs.

The violence has been so relentless there it wasn't even safe to retrieve her body for some time. She did arrive in her home state of New York earlier this morning.

And the mystery is finally over. The winner of last month's $ $336 million Powerball jackpot is 81-year-old Louise White of Rhode Island. She bought the lucky ticket at a Newport Stop and Shop while buying Rainbow Sherbert.

This is the third largest jackpot in U.S. history and according to White she just kept putting it in her bible until she did start coming forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOUISE WHITE, POWERBALL WINNER: I do want to say that I'm very happy and I'm very proud and this will make my family very happy. We are truly blessed. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: It's $336 million. Our other big story today, let me say it again, two words, Super Tuesday. Ten states, more than 400 delegates up for grabs.

Coming up next, we're going to talk to the head of the Republican Party in the state of Tennessee where 55 delegates are up for grabs, and the state in which Newt Gingrich just made a mighty big promise. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Joining me now from Nashville, Tennessee here on Super Tuesday is Chris Devaney, chair of the Republican Party. You know, we mentioned this before, Chris Devaney, but should Mitt Romney capture the Tennessee primary today.

That would be a pretty good size better than his cap. It will be a big win in the Deep South, one he didn't see back in 2008. My question to you, sir, is will Republican voters there be willing to give Romney the win?

CHRIS DEVANEY, TENNESSEE REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRMAN: You know, Brooke, I think it's competitive. We've seen all the major candidates here, really, over the last week or so. We're seeing their ads on TV, the mail in the mailbox, the phones on the phone, and so it's competitive.

I do think this, that whoever wins this state will have a feather in their cap. It's a diverse electorate. I know you all talk about Ohio, but Tennessee also has a very diverse electorate. This is an open primary, 33 percent.

Usually when we poll, about 33 percent of our respondents identify themselves at independents. We have traditional Republicans out in the east that go all the way back to the civil war when the east sided with the union.

And then we have, you know, conservative Democrats who moved over to the Republican Party who are socially conservative and we also have Tea Party activists right around the Nashville area. So it's a diverse electorate.

BALDWIN: So it's diverse and it's competitive, but Chris, how about an answer to the question. Will they pull for a Romney win?

DEVANEY: Look, I mean, a couple weeks ago, Mitt Romney was losing, according to a couple polls by double digits. It looks like now he's closed the gap. I think closing the gap is quite frankly a pretty big thing if that actually happens, and we'll see tonight.

BALDWIN: We will see tonight. Let's talk a little bit about Mitt Romney's vast personal fortune. It seems to rub some folks the wrong way.

Remember, he went to that NASCAR race recently and boasted of rubbing elbows not necessarily with the fans, but you know, those who own the race teams.

And now we have his wife, Ann, Ann Romney has come forward. She might have ruffled some feathers by what she told Fox News. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANN ROMNEY, WIFE OF MITT ROMNEY: So you know, we can be poor in spirit, and I don't look -- I don't even consider myself wealthy, which is an interesting thing. It can be here today and gone tomorrow, and how I measure riches is by the friends I have and the loved ones I have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now, Mitt Romney's reported net worth, it is the range of $250 million. His wife, Ann, I know you have to listen to the entire sound bite not just that little bit, but you know, she said she measures wealth differently. How does what she said go over in Tennessee?

DEVANEY: You know, I think most people here in the state -- I mean, I'm all over the state from Memphis up to upper east Tennessee, and what I hear people -- what people are focused on are not these personal issues like that, what they're really focused on is trying to defeat Barack Obama.

I think that's why we've seen this extended primary like we have. We're trying to find the best candidate. That's what people are focused on. They're focused on who is the best candidate to put forth the message to defeat Barack Obama, and you know, I think a lot will be decided tonight on that.

BALDWIN: Well, let me ask you about that because, you know, speaking of who might be that best candidate, Rick Santorum appears to have an inside track on winning your Tennessee primary, possibly.

I know you say it's very competitive. Do Tennessee Republicans believe Rick Santorum could truly go toe to toe with President Obama come November?

DEVANEY: I mean, if you look at the polls, you know, most of our Republican candidates, any of them, are defeating Barack Obama if they go head to head. Barack Obama's approval rating right now in the latest Gallup polls 48 percent. So, you know, --

BALDWIN: Rick Santorum versus Mitt Romney, toe to toe.

DEVANEY: That's a good question. I'm not going to pick winners and losers. I'm going to let the voters do that, but quite frankly, I think we have some good candidates, any of whom have a great message resonating with voters.

I think at the end of the day, whether a voter goes for Romney or Santorum or Gingrich, at the end of the day, we're all going to rally around whoever wins the nomination. I really do think that.

BALDWIN: Chris Devaney for us in Tennessee. Thank you so much. We really appreciate you coming on.

DEVANEY: Thanks, Brooke. Thank you.

BALDWIN: And a young woman, a college student, murdered in Texas. She is Iranian-American, and now police are looking into the possibility of an international assassination. That story after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Now a new twist in the unsolved murder of an Iranian student activist in Houston. She was 30-year-old, Gelareh Bagherzadeh. She was killed assassination style back in January.

And almost two months into their investigation, police say they still don't have any answers. No motive, no suspects, no solid leads. So now investigators are now looking into the possibility of an international conspiracy that Iran was somehow involved. Here is Drew Griffin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gelareh Bagherzadeh in 2010 was on the streets protesting with the group Saabs Houston together trying to do whatever they could to show support for brothers and sisters suffering in Iran.

GELAREH BAGHERZADEH, IRANIAN DISSIDENT: That's why we gather here to just be their voice here in showing them that we're together and they're not alone.

GRIFFIN: She wasn't scared to show her face, but wouldn't give her last name to reporters for fear she said of retaliation. Less than two years later, Bagherzadeh is dead in what appears to be an assassination-style murder that no one can explain.

It was late Sunday night, January 15th, police say she was on the phone with an ex-boyfriend and when she turned in to this townhouse complex not far from where she lived with her parents.

The boyfriend told police he heard a loud thud, screeching and then silence.

(on camera): Her car was found here wedged up against this driveway. The engine on, the wheels still spinning and there she was slumped over the steering wheel with a single gunshot wound to the head as if someone were laying in wait.

SGT. J.C. PADILLA, HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT: The evidence indicated that she had been shot through the passenger side window. She was shot one time and autopsy revealed that she was shot in the head.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Police have no leads. They have gone public asking for help, but have found no one who would have wanted to kill Bagherzadeh.

And with nothing stolen or missing, they've even ruled out a random robbery. And now, they're even willing to say they're not ruling out the possibility Iran itself could be behind the killing.

PADILLA: Because of the obvious reasons, we're exploring those issues that she was advocating.

GRIFFIN: Two years ago, CNN reported on what local police said was Iranian involvement in the attempted assassination of an Iranian dissident broadcaster in California.

Since then, the U.S. has formally accused Iran of being behind the plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States, but friends of Gelareh Bagherzadeh say it makes no sense that Iran would target a 30-year-old student in Houston who held up signs on an American street corner.

SETH ESLAMI, SABZHOUSTON.ORG: There are many more important opposition leaders. There are groups who have their own TV stations, groups lobbying in Washington, D.C. There are groups who actually plot in Iran to do different things. Not us. Why us?

GRIFFIN: Fred Burton, a former State Department counterterrorism expert who has investigated Iranian assassinations says Iran's intelligence like its government works in secretive ways with motives that aren't always so clear.

FRED BURTON, STRATFOR GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE: Whether or not she was perhaps more important perception wise than perhaps her friends knew to that kind of organization. GRIFFIN: Burton says he has no direct knowledge of Bagherzadeh's past, but says an Iranian born in Paris moving to Houston and taking part in protests who turns up unexpectantly murdered may have unexpected ties that could have made her a target.

BURTON: You have a 30-year-old female that has traveled out of Iran, spent time in Europe, Paris, for example, what has she been doing? Was she more active overseas, for example, than we understand here?

The Iranians have a very strong network. The Iranian Intelligence Service has a very strong collection network in Paris, specifically, trying to keep tabs on all their dissidents.

GRIFFIN: Houston police admit they are stuck and will follow any lead, even those involving Iranian conspiracies if it will lead to the killer. Drew Griffin, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Drew Griffin, thank you.

Meantime, 12 companies dropped advertising from Rush Limbaugh's controversial radio program. Two stations have also dropped his program entirely.

After the break, we're going to talk to media expert, Howard Kurtz about whether Limbaugh can recover or not?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Rush Limbaugh, in a world of fiery politics, he perhaps has the loudest voice. In fact, saying controversial this is his business model. Yet suddenly, after a few insulting comments about a law school student, more advertisers are pulling out, 12 now, plus two radio stations.

Even though he's got a lot more fire power when it comes to advertisers, supporters, you know, clout, even, will this hurt the Rush Limbaugh brand. Howard Kurtz joins me, the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources."

And Howard, you know this. You know, Rush Limbaugh's show, it is the most listened-to talk radio show in the entire country. I want to talk politics about this in a second.

I know you wrote a lot about the political ramifications, but just from an advertising perspective, all the cash he pulls in, this has to be a tough call hit for all these advertising, you know, CEOs, companies, do you think?

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST OF CNN'S "RELIABLE SOURCES": Look, Rush Limbaugh is a cultural phenomenon when it comes to the radio. It's no accident that he's paid $50 million a year to do his thing, 600 radio stations and all of that.

But there's something about this, you know, because Rush has used some inflammatory language over the years, but something about the use of the word slut aimed at a specific young woman that nobody ever heard of before that really has created something of a crisis for him.

He very rarely apologizes for his language. He has a couple times now in this case. If you're an advertiser, you have to decide whether you can stand up to the public pressure about being associated with Limbaugh at a time when right now, he is a lightning rod for so many attacks.

BALDWIN: You mentioned the student here. It got a couple of us thinking sort of if there maybe is a pattern when it comes to the target because, you know, the story with Don Imus who lost his job for what he said about students, right?

Some of the members of the Rutgers College basketball team and in Limbaugh's case, this is a third year law student. I mean, we're not talking about pundits. We're not talking about, you know, major political figures who were on the airwaves each and every day. There's a difference, is there not?

KURTZ: And that's precisely it because, you know, Limbaugh can go on and on about Nancy Pelosi or Barack Obama. Well, these are established public figures who have their own megaphones and can answer back and are used to being in the arena.

It's the fact that he put a face on what the Democrats tried to capitalize on this war on this call of the Republicans war on women that he went after this young woman, Sandra Fluke in such a personal way who was daring to testify in about something that she believes in.

Whether you believe it or not, about access to birth control through health insurance plans, that has caused this backlash and I haven't seen a backlash of this magnitude involving Limbaugh despite all the controversies that he has been in the center of over the past two decades.

BALDWIN: Ever, you say?

KURTZ: That's correct.

BALDWIN: Yes, I want to play a little sound. This is Michele Bachmann talking to Piers Morgan about this whole controversy. This was just last night. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: I have gone through myself and experienced more things said about me, and I have never seen this level of outrage on the left about what left-leaning commentators said about me.

I mean, really, honestly, if you're a conservative woman, it seems like there is no level of vitriol that's beyond the pale. I've been on the receiving end of it. We all know Governor Palin has been on the receiving end of it.

You don't see this level of outreach. You certainly don't see advertisers cutting back and I think that maybe that's what we should learn from all of this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So that's a perspective. I mean, obviously, your piece in "The Daily Beast." Basically, your lead is the fact that this whole uproar is a gift to Democrats. But, Howard, isn't this more about women on the left or the right?

KURTZ: Well, the view on the conservative side, though, is that the issue should be about contraception and religious freedom, whether the Catholic organization should be force to do provide this kind of coverage.

I mean, for Michele Bachmann to say that is a little unfair comparison because she ran for president. She willingly stepped into the arena knowing that she was going to be the target of a lot of criticism. That's part of running for the White House.

A bit of a comparison I think and would suggest that there is a little bit of a double standard would be comparing it to another pundit. Bill Maher has used some pretty incendiary language in talking about women.

Ed Schultz of MSNBC used the slut word and then last year, he was suspended and apologized to Laura Ingram, the conservative radio talk show host. Neither of those stories has ever been as big as this Limbaugh episode, but at the same time, Rush is a much bigger figure and more closely tied to Republican Party, which is why you have Republican candidates like Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich being asked about Rush's remarks, much bigger figures than these others.

But there should be a consistent standard here and shouldn't just be let's all the people on the left beat up on a conservative when he says that and vice versa when it's a liberal who talks his way into trouble.

BALDWIN: Final question, 20 seconds. You have been around media for years and years. Crystal ball time, how does this end?

KURTZ: It probably ends with Rush Limbaugh having his reputation a little bit battered, but still on the air, and it ends with the Democrats being handed pretty much of a present here, an issue on which they can try to tie these remarks by radio talk show hosts to the Republicans who are going to be running this fall.

BALDWIN: Howard Kurtz, thank you.