cross be allowed t remove their body. marie colvin, the other was prize winning french photographer remiochlik. colvin was a frequent voice here, reporting on anderson cooper 360 just last night. >> reporter: every civilian house on the street was hit. this is kind of a poor, popular neighborhood. the top building of the floor i'm in -- the top floor of the building i'm in was toemt -- totally destroyed. free syrian army, they have rocket propelled grenades, but they don't have a base. >> arwa, it's chilling when you hear her voice and you realize that was someone alive yesterday talking about the dangers, experience and saying this is one of the most dangerous assignments she has ever covered. tell us about her, i know you guys worked together and what it is like to be on the ground there. >> reporter: she was so fiercely passionate about what was happening inside s syria. she was determined to do whatever was going to take to continue shining a spotlight on the atrosities there. for someone as seasoned as she is, to say that this is some of the worst violence she has ever witnessed gives you an idea of the scale of the tragedy that is continuing to unfold there. she gave heart breaking reports about a child who died. she also witnessed two other people dying inside the makeshift medical clinic because they couldn't receive medical care. and she was just absolutely someone who all of us really admired, looked up to, she covered just about every single conflict you could imagine. she lost her eye to shrapnel in sri lanka in 2001. had been to iraq, in the front lines in libya, misurata, she was an icon that embodied what journalism stands for. fiercely believing that to troublely be able to tell the story, to troublely do justice to what it is that people are going through in these various flash point areas around the world you had to be there yourself no matter what the risk, most certainly operating inside syria, in that neighborhood it was a very risky assignment. >> arwa, you have been there, many days, many weeks covering the story on the ground in syria. tell us what are you facing there and what are the syrian people facing there? >> reporter: when you're in the neighborhood, the shelling is really non-stop and it does appear to be fairly random. at one instant you can hear a shell impact seems like it's far away, next thing the round is on the building that you're in, windows are breaking, children are crying. there are entire areas inside the neighborhood you can't get to because of government positions on rooftops, sniper positions and that is why it's so difficult for residents to be able to get around. there is the belief that the death toll will rise significantly because there are bodies still buried under the rubble of houses that people can't get to. most people try to stay indoors, they try to stay safe in their homes or move in these makeshift bunkers, but they are still unable to fully shield themselves from this onslaught of artillery that has been relentlels for 2 1/2 weeks. it's a living nightmare, nothing short of that. >> arwa, we know there are some opposition groups who are saying they believe up to 9,000 people now have been killed. they believe that this is really a genocide that is taking place. is that the kind of scale the scope that you are seeing on the ground there in syria? that kind of death? >> reporter: i think we're going to realize the full scope of what is taking place in syria if and when it's convenie event th end. civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence, just to mention also there was another activist who was killed yesterday in the city of homs as well, he was among the bravest people going out there every single day, taking the youtube videos that we have come to rely on to be able to broadcast images of what is happening in syria. he was killed when he was trying to film four members of the same family who had all been killed as well. many of the injuries that we're actually seeing taking place happen when people rush out of their homes to try to help the wounded. that is what the residents are dealing with. >> arwa damon, thank you for bringing the story, excellent reporting and as always, we know you travel back and forth to the front line there, so please be safe. thank you, arwa. new protests rage across afghanistan over the burning of qurans at a military base. at least five people now have been killed. the commander of nato forces in afghanistan says the burning was a mistake. the qurans were among other materials gathered for disposal. officials plan to train troops on handling religious materials. four more bodies pulled from the wreckage of the costa concord ye concordia, this is the latest discovery brings the total number of confirmed dead now to 21. 11 people are are still missing. the ship's captain is under house arrest, he has not been charged yet. moroccan man is due in court in virginia. he was arrested last week, authorities say he went to a parking garage near the capitol to receive what he thought was an explosives vest and a gun. police have been monitoring him in an undercover operation. he had been living in the united states illegally since his visa expired in 1999. in a half hour we'll get a look at the details of president obama's proposal to do something business leersd have been calling for for a long time, reducing corporate taxes. he wants to eliminate loopholes. the proposal would lower the tax rate from 35% to 28%. go down to 25% for manufacturing companies. plan also would get rid of some corporate tax breaks and limit the ability of corporations to shift their profits overseas. chris christi has had it with warren buffet. listen what he told piers morgan, some advice for the billionaire who is now pushing for a tax hike on the rich. >> he should write a check and shut up. really, just contribute, okay? the fact of the matter is that i'm tired of hearing about it. at the wants to give the government more money, he has the ability to write a check, go ahead and write it. >> all right. tonight is the night for cnn's republican debate, in mesa, arizona. we'll cover that as well. we have brand new poll results out that put mitt romney and rick santorum, we are talking neck-in-neck in michigan. they hold the primary the same day. romney's two point lead within the sampling error. survey of michigan republicans showed that santorum had the slight lead. >> cnn's republican debate live from arizona, 8:00 eastern tonight, a critical showdown for these guys who want to occupy the white house. everything could be on the line, so we would like to hear from you. what would you ask the candidates tonight? send ideas to me on facebook, facebook.com/suzannecnn. we'll read responses at the enof the hour. outrage in the streets of afghanistan after the u.s. military improperly disposed of dozens of qurans. here is how it's supposed to be done. >> when it's time to place the quran down, placed at the highest point in the room and when you're in the same room with the quran you shouldn't point your feet toward the book. >> unbelievable video of an avalanche caught on helmet cam, what the president's new plan to lower corporate taxes may mean for the che and workers. 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[ male announcer ] stop the uh-oh fast with kaopectate. protests are spreading across afghanistan of over the burning of qurans. the commander said it was a mistake, they plan to start training troops how to handle religious materials. why desecrating such as burning it is seen as unforgivable affront. >> reporter: fires, angry chants, fist waving, response to what military officials way was the inadvertent burning of qurans at bagram base. some of the material was removed from a detainee center at american base because of inscriptions indicating the official says that the documents may have been used to facilitate extremist messages. u.s. military officials apologized for what they call an error. but experts say even an accidental mishandling of the quran is dangerous. dplfrnl we don't want this to happen, the sequence of events because this will start affecting our own troop withdrawal over the next couple months. >> he is chair of islamic studies at american university. he says an understanding of the protests and other violence associated with reports of the quran being desecrated has to involve an understanding how the book is viewed in the muslim world. >> reporter: the quran is so revered the only time they pick it up is around the time of prayer and before that, hands should be washed from hands to elbow, face, three times, and the feet. when it's time to place the quran down, it should be placed at the highest point in the room and when you're in the same room you should not point your feet toward the book. >> reporter: that is to keep physical purity on par with the spiritual purity. they are passed between families. one scholar says if a quran is damaged, burning, bury or shredding it is acceptable. otherwise -- you're never supposed to dispose of them. >> not muslims. >> reporter: non-muslims? >> free actions, no one can stop anyone doing anything. if i have an american not a muslim has copies of the quran, ring up a muslim friend or islamic center or mosque and say i have a couple copies, i don't know what to do with them i don't want to insult them would you collect them? >> reporter: he emphasized he doesn't excuse the violent reactions to incidents involving the quran like what happened last year after a florida pastor burned a copy of the book and crowds attacked a un facility in afghanistan killing 12 people. muslim scholars have to talk to followers about appropriate responses that don't involve brian. brian todd, cnn, washington. a snowmobiler survives an avalanche. more of these amazing pictures up next. courage. and all the points i earned with my citi thankyou card. [ male announcer ] the citi thankyou card. redeem points for travel on any airline with no blackout dates. your doctor will say get smart about your weight. that's why there's new glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] new glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. a snowmobiler is lucky to be alived after he triggered an avalanche in the back country of utah. the action caught on the friend's helmet camera. look at the pictures. nate survived the ordeal by holding on to a tree until the snow swept past him. in portsmith, new hampshire a stranded tug boat gets help, carrying a u.s. congressman, the camera on hand to capture the action. crews used rope to free the tug boat, wedged itself against a bridge support. must-see video. look closely at this. in ohio, an 83-year-old bridge going down in a fiery blast, a planned implosion there. pretty cool stuff. water ratraffic is suspended unl safety checks are finished. president wants to lower the taxes corporations pay to increase competitiveness here. we have numbers in a live report, up next. 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[ male announcer ] michelin knows it's better for xerox to help manage their finance processing. so they can focus on keeping the world moving. with xerox, you're ready for real business. directly to washington where president obama is in a special ceremony, at the ground breaking national museum of american history. let's watch. >> thank laura bush, secretary salazar, sam brownback. my hero, congressman john lewis, and everybody who has worked so hard to make this possible i'm so proud of lonnie bunch who came here from chicago, i want to point out, i remember having a conversation with him about this job. when he was planning to embark on this extraordinary journey and we could not be prouder of the work that he has done to help make this day possible. i promise to do my part by being brief. as others have mentioned, this day has been a long time coming. the idea for a museum dedicated to african americans was first put forward by black veterans of the civil war. years later the call was picked up by members of the civil rights generation. by men and women who knew how to fight for what was right, and strive for what is just. this is their day. this is your day. it's an honor to be here to see the fruit of your labor. it's also fitting that this museum has found a home on the national mall. as has been mentioned it was on this ground long ago that lives were once traded. where hundreds of thousands once marched for jobs and for freedom. it was here that the pillars of our democracy were built often by black hands. and it is on this spot alongside the monuments to those who gave birth to the nation, and those who worked so hard to perfect it, the generations will remember the sometimes difficult, often inspirational but always central role that african americans have played in the life of our country. this museum will celebrate that history. because just as the memories of our earliest days have been confined to dusty letters an faded pictures, the time will come when few people remember drinking from a colored water fountain. or boarding a segregated bus or hearing in person dr. king's voice boom down from the lincoln memorial. that's why what we built here won't just be an achievement for our time, it will be a monument for all time. it will do more than simply keep those memories alive. just like the air and space museum challenged us to set our sights higher or the natural mu look closer, this should inspire us as well. should stand as proof that the most important things in life rarely come quickly or easily. it should remind us that although we have yet to reach the mountaintop, we cannot stop climbing. that's why in moments like this, i think about my daughters and i think about your children. millions of visitors who will stand where we stand long after we're gone. i think about what i want them to experience. i think about what i want them to take away. when our children look at har harriet tubman-shaw or the plane flown by the tuskegee airmen, i want them to see how ordinary americans could do extraordinary things. how men and women just like them had the courage and determination to right a wrong, to make it right. i want my daughters to see the shackles that bound slaves on their voyage across the ocean and the shards of glass that flew from the 16th street baptist church and understand injustice and evil exist in the world but i want them to hear louis armstrong's horn and read the poems of phyllis whitley and appreciate the museum not just a tragedy but celebration of life. when future generations hear these songs of pain and progress and struggle and sacrifice, i hope they will not think of them as somehow separate from the larger american story. i want them to see it as central, an important part of our shared story. a call to see ourselves in one another. a call to remember that each of us is made in god's image. that's the history we will preserve within these walls. the history of a people who, in the words of dr. king, injected new meaning and dignity in the veins of civilization. may we remember their stories, may we live up to their example. thank you, god bless you and god bless the united states of america. >> you're watching the president on the dedication, a project 100 years in the making also involving more than 20,000 items and artifacts, $500 million project. i had a chance to talk to the director of the new museum we'll have the interview at 12:20. the president wants to lowering corporate taxes, something business leaders have been calling for. he also wants to get rid of the loopholes. christine romans joins us from new york, first of all how much does the president want to reduce corporate taxes by? is this a significant number here? >> reporter: he wants to lower it to 28%. and some of the republican candidates have a lower rate than even that, he would like to lower from 35%, the advertised corporate tax rate in america, to 28%. and what he wants to do in return is eliminate dozens of loopholes and subsidies. remember, a lot of companies i would say most companies aren't paying 35%, because they are all these different loopholes and subsidies, depending what industry you're in, they pay lower than advertised tax rate. he wants to have a manufacturing tax rate at 25%. give a little edge to manufacturers, also a new minimum tax for foreign profits, and i guess the idea is to incentivize company to hire and keep business in the united states. >> we know business has been calling for lower tax rates for quite a while now. the argument they make is other countries tax companies less. how do we stack up compared to some of the other countries around the world? >> reporter: on paper among the highest in the world. the u.s. with 35% tax rate is right up with some of the other big industrialized countries. when you add in the burden, 39.5%. suzanne, here's the thing. there are economists who will tell you the whole storyline is skewed bus of all the subsidies and loopholes that companies pay more like 12%. last year, acoring to the congressional budget office, companies paid 12% of the profits, the lowest in 40 years. on the one hand there is there advertised rate of 35%, everyone can agree is too high. on the other hand, company are not paying 35%. how will you make it more fair? this is the first salvo about longer term tax reform. >> christine, thank you. appreciate it. check on the clock there, counting down tonight's republican debate in arizona happening in mesa, moderated by our own john king and the two leading candidates have almost no space between them now. talking about the late yet polls. rick santorum and mitt romney neck-and-neck. two days before crucial state primaries. donna brazil and matt lewis, donna is a cnn political contributing. matt con tributes to "the daily caller" happy mardi gras. >> reporter: i had a great time. >> glad you could make it here. i'm sure they are not partying like they are in new orleans in arizona. but they are gearing up for tonight's republican debate. give us a sense, you have arizona, 29 delegates taking all, what are you watching for? >> first of all this is a very crucial moment for the two co-front runners, both mr. santorum and mr. romney. they need momentum going in the crucial contest that will come during the month of march. super tuesday, ten contests of course washington state on march 3rd, by winning in either state or both states, mr. romney or mr. santorum will not only be declared