than we have seen all the way along the race until now. mitt romney and rick santorum are really duking it out for this one. in ohio, they are neck and neck in the polls. >> so rush limbaugh apologizing again for calling law student sandra fluke a slut. we have a 15 and counting. the stations are also starting to yank his show. i've got to tell you, we found a guy, an editor and publisher who has been following limbaugh for quite a bit of time who said that apology was sincere and he's going to tell us why he thinks so. >> because the sponsors are bailing. >> that's not what he said. >> another story. this is one of those ones that gets you to shake your head because nfl players are admitting they put together big buckets of cash to pay each other to really take out other team members. they're so-called bounties. and it happened to some of the league's biggest names too. and the investigation is going from locker room to locker room. we'll fill you in. >> i can't wait to see what the league is going to do about this. and slipping and sliding away. drivers -- oh, my goodness. that's a big slip slide. did you look at that? you know what that is? those are the effects of black ice. makes you end up in ditches. you don't see this. you don't see black ice. you have no idea the conditions are so bad. that is wreaking havoc across the midwest. >> you do not want to be the camera man standing in the path. >> holy frijoles. you're better at that than i am. two minutes past 5:00 in the morning. it is the start of our big center tuesday show. it's the final countdown. voting begins two hours, 10 states, 419 delegates up for grabs. and of course we all talk about ohio. it's the big prize. it's got a lot of delegates. a brand-new cnn poll out showing mitt romney and rick santorum are in a dead heat. not just a statistical dead heat but a real dead heat, 32-32. >> romney is telling supporters, if i win ohio, i win the nomination. santorum and newt gingrich are trying to stop that from happening. >> he will be the weakest candidate we can possibly put forward on the most important issue of today. >> he can't close the deal. and he can't close the deal in part because people inherently don't trust what he's saying and think that he is isn't always very candid with them and frankly sometimes isn't straight. >> it will be interesting to see what happens. political editor paul steinheiser is live from mount st. joseph, ohio. you have a breakdown of states for us and then i have some questions for you. >> why don't we start with ohio. we beat everybody. we beat the rush here. we're at a polling station in hamilton county, west of cincinnati. this is pretty conservative country. polls open a little later. it's just me and my camera man and the engineer. it will get more crowded later. yes, ohio, so important. it's a battleground state. why? because of the blue collar vote, the catholic vote. it's open primary, which means republicans can vote in the gop contest. so can democrats. so can independents. rick santorum has been trying to appeal to blue collar voters. he's from pennsylvania. but there are other important states as well. tennessee. crucial southern state. 55 delegates up for stake there. a lot of conservative voters. polls indicate santorum with a slight edge. his big lead seems to have disappeared. also let's talk about georgia with the most of all. 76. that's an important state for whom newt gingrich who represented the 6th congressional district for 20 years, he said i've got to win georgia if i'm going to keep in. our cnn poll that came out yesterday had him with a 20-point margin. ashleigh? >> it's zoraida. >> sorry. >> don't worry about it. it says romney is winning catholics but 8% sampling error. is that really a win there? what can you tell me about those numbers? >> it's a very slight advantage there. i think it can go either way. we made a lot of the catholic vote in michigan. according to the exit polls, in michigan mitt romney won even though he is the mormon candidate. and of course santorum is catholic. we're paying close attention to the catholic vote in ohio as well. in both states it's a sizable population. it could be crucial. a lot of voters we'll keep our eyes on today. >> romney is saying if i win ohio, i win the nomination. >> it is an important state. it is so important because of its symbolism as a big battleground state in the general election. yes, if romney wins here and the momentum seems to be going his way it was a week ago he had a double digit lead in ohio. now one of five over the last few days to show it's all tied up in ohio. he needs to do well in the south, in tennessee and a few other states to show he can win in that region. if he does all this he puts daylight between himself and the other candidates. if not this race goes on for a long time. >> paul live for us in ohio. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> we're all thinking about jobs and housing. two issues certainly that voters today at super tuesday. >> and christine is at the data wall looking at the health of the economy in the super tuesday states. what are you finding, christine? >> good morning, ladies. we know from the exit polling so far from other states that it is housing and jobs that really affect voters the most. where you live and how you pay the bills. let's look at super tuesday states and start with jobs. this is what it looks like for unemployment rates. the jobless rate is lower today than when the president took off. alaska, massachusetts, north dakota. ohio, vermont and tennessee. this is at the end of 2011. the rate is down 7.9% but it's still an uncomfortable level here. a half a million people in ohio are still out of work. in tennessee, the rate is above the national average which remains pretty high at 8.3%. i want to take a look here at some of the place, georgia, idaho, oklahoma, virginia, candidates can rightfully say that the unemployment rate has risen since obama stepped into the white house. in gingrich's home state of georgia, 9.4%. in 2010 that jobless rate spiked to an all-time ohio. idaho, oklahoma, you have higher rates than when the president took office. virginia still better than the national average. let's move on to housing. if you're under water on your loan it means uh-oh more on your house than it's even worth. center tuesday states have some of the highest rates of under water mortgages in the country. georgia, 33% of people who have a loan in georgia are under water. isn't that incredible? ohio, 25%. virginia, 23%. the national average is about 22%. so these states people have higher than the national average. i want to look at ohio quickly where it's 24%. it is almost a proxy for what the gop nominee faces in november. why? because voters can focus on how bad it got, and it got bad in ohio, or they can focus on how things are improving. that will be prove to be so interesting politically about what happens today. >> christine romans, thanks very much. those numbers are amazing. georgia and north dakota polar opposites. >> north dakota, companies are working aggressively to hire people. 3.3%. >> can you imagine? fantastic. >> i lived right above there. it isn't so bad. apart from october, november, december, january, february, march when it's really cold -- >> it's a great deal. >> christine, thank you. it's 7:00 eastern on starting point with soledad she'll be rejoined by a big romney supporter. see what he has to say about super tuesday. and allen west being pushed by sarah palin as a possible vp candidate. she'll talk to him as well and see why he hasn't made an endorsement of anybody yet. coverage tonight at 6:00 p.m. eastern with jong king, usa and complete coverage with the best political team on television at 7:00 p.m. and also for complete super tuesday results, join us tomorrow a little earlier than usual. we will jump on the air at 4:00 a.m. eastern time tomorrow morning for "early start." it's an early start to "early start." you cannot forget that. >> a late night in politics. we will join you early. president obama not letting the gop grab all the headlines. the white house said he will hold his first formal news conference of the year, one day after he met with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. that conference is live at 1:15 eastern on cnn and cnn.com/live if you want to catch it. >> speaking of benjamin netanyahu he will meet with republican leaders on capitol hill. a lot to discuss about the tension that's been going on and a little evident in the white house. lieu at the body language there. he met with president obama yesterday. and the president had to say publicly, quote, the united states will always have israel's back. but that doesn't mean they agree on how to deal with this burgeoning issue of iran and its nuclear program and development as such. this has been a real sticking point between the two leaders. the president is encouraging israel to exercise restraint and give diplomacy a chance. netanyahu was speaking to the american israel public affairs committee and says basically those sanctions you think might work, they're not. >> with nuclear weapons iran could threaten all of us with nuclear terrorism. it could put a nuclear device in a ship heading to any port or in a truck parked in any city anywhere in the world. for the sake of our prosperity, for the sake of our security, for the sake of our children, iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. [ applause ]. >> he makes a pretty powerful argument. but on thor side, iranians say israel probably has nuclear weapons while they don't admit to it. and gop candidates weighing in. did you think that was a surprise? >> no. >> mitt romney saying, quote, while obama frets in the white house, the iranians are making rapid proceeding towards obtains the most destructive weapons in the history of the world. strong words on the stump. >> and it's 12 minutes past the hour here. 12 advertisers pulling the plug on rush limbaugh. hawaii and massachusetts. that's in reaction to three days now of those offensive rants against georgetown law student sandra fluke for her testimony on contraception. limbaugh called her a slut and prostitute. we played a little bit of it for you yesterday. now 12 advertisers pulled their business. >> those are big names. >> they are big names. >> look at those. >> he should have written an apology. he told his radio listeners monday that his apology was sincere. but that was before taking a jab at liberals. >> i, again, sincerely apologize to ms. fluke for using those two words to describe her. i descended to their level when i used those two words to describe sandra fluke. that was my error. i became like them. >> two words. >> there were more words than just two words. >> you said get her name right. >> for starters. he didn't just call her a slut and prostitute. he said put your sexual exploits allline so we can watch. >> his target sandra fluke said his statement doesn't change anything and there are a lot of prominent political voice weighing in as well. michele bachmann and david axelrod on ac "360". listen. >> 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 comment airs say about me. no, really. honestly. if you're a conservative woman it seems like there is no level that's beyond the pale. >> there's been a coarsening of our politics from left to right. i don't excuse anybody's inappropriate and vile language, whether it's on the left, right, middle. >> i've got to tell you, i put this out to facebook to see how the general public was feeling about this. only one person who supported rush limbaugh. one. >> i have an e-mail from somebody named michelle? your outrage is famed. bill maher called conservative women all sorts of name. i'm not sure if you noticed yesterday that i also brought up ed schultz who had a filthy way of describing ingram. he also called her a slut. no, it has nothing to do, nothing to do with -- >> using that word regardless. >> yeah. i don't care what party you belong to. i don't think that's appropriate to take a political hit at somebody by calling them that time. >> somebody believes this was an absolutely sincere apology and it had nothing to do with the advertisers pulling their money out. so we'll have that coming up for you at the 6:00 a.m. hour. >> it's 15 minutes past 5:00 to get you caught up on top stories. it's only half of super tuesday. nonetheless, 419 delegates up for grabs in 10 states today. so it's a big day. ohio is a big prize. romney and santorum are campaigning in the buckeye state. they were making last minute appeals to voters. it looks like every vote could really matter. according to a brand-new poll, mitt romney and rick santorum are in a dead heat. not a statistic one, folks. look at your screen. 32% apiece. in the meantime, the president of our country is speaking on super tuesday. the white house says president obama will hold his first news conference of the year today. timing. i know. isn't it everything? >> it is good timing. >> cnn will carry it live at 1:15 eastern time. syrian forces are stepping up attacks on civilians throughout that country. there are reports of explosions and gunfire in the capital city of damascus. hundreds of syrian refugees crossing the border into lebanon every day. many of them families with small children carrying plastic bags filled with whatever belongings they could spirit out of that country. it is his town, chicago. the president has changed plans to hold the upcoming g-8 summit in the windy city. he will host world leaders at camp david in maryland instead. it was very last minute decision there >> and the nfl stepping up its investigation into a bounty system on the new orleans saints. former saints defensive coordinator tpwreg williams admits paying bonuses for vicious hits. the league is looking at whether williams did it with three other teams that he worked for. a lot of people say, hey, we've always known this has happened. what's the problem? it's quite a story. >> players pulling their money to create the funds for this. >> i cannot wait to see what they're going to do about this. >> i know, i know. and he thinks it's going to be a wide-ranging investigation. there's a big one ongoing with the young man named t.j. lape, the suspected gunman in the chardon high shooting. he's due back in court today. there could be, could be more charges on the horizon for that young man. and what about adult court? you'll find out in a moment. >> and president obama is getting a major boost on the campaign trail. the ultimate democratic atm card. you're taking a look at a picture. it's bill clinton. you're watching "early start." whwheeee! ! whwheeee!! whwheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! ahah h heaeadsds u up. whwheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! evevererytythihingng y youou l , nonow w momobibilele.. dodownwnloloadad t thehe n nep totodaday.y. ♪[music plays] ♪[music plays] purina one beyond. food for your cat or dog. so i wasn't playing much of a role in my own life, but with advair, i'm breathing better so now i can take the lead on a science adventure. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, take the lead. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers. oh, love this. this just in to cnn. we have good news when it comes to gas prices. >> what did you just say? >> good news. >> really? >> yeah. gas prices are actually falling. the average price went down .03 to $3.76 a gallon. it's not great. it's good. so far gas prices are up 15% since the beginning of the year. i have to give you the yin and the yang here. >> we are going to switch gears and talk about the big story we covered in ohio, the teenager charged in the deadly school shotting. his name is t.j. lane. he is set to appear in juvenile court not adult court yet. it's another pretrial hearing. he admitted, according to police, to shooting three of those students who died and then of course the shooting injured three others as well. prosecutors are moving to block the media's access to a lot of the records that relate to this young man, the juvenile records. they're also planning to move him to adult court. also today, funerals will be held for the -- the funeral for one of his alleged victims. martin savage is live with the latest. so i have a question for you about the expression issues. the reason the prosecutors are pushing to keep a lot of t.j. lane's juvenile records quiet i guess is to make sure the people in that community who could potentially become jurors don't form opinions before they end up in a potential courtroom. >> yeah. i think that is the real concern. t.j. lane of course is still a mystery to many people. and a lot of this is trying to figure out what may have motivated him in the attack for which he is now accused. that's going to be argued by members of the media. but it's trying to get records really pertaining to either abuse, neglect or dependency in the background or life of t.j. lane. of course he's a juvenile, 17 years of age. those records are normally not made public in any way, shape or form. the prosecutor craig swenson he wrote the reasons why he was opposed to releasing these records to the media. he said the family of t.j. lane and t.j. lane himself has been under great scrutiny and increasing these would only increase the scrutiny by the media and they could have some sort of psychological harm against t.j. and the last thing he said, and this raised the ears of a lot of journalists. he said the worry is the quote, unquoten saeurbl and extraneous information could somehow impact the potential of the jury pool. when you say sensational and extraneous information of course that only makes the media that much more curious as to what could possibly be inside those records. the initial hearing is slated today for t.j. lane. that will be at 3:00 this afternoon. it's expected the charges will be read against him. three counts of aggravated murder. two counts of attempted ag murder and one count of tphrault. they will also talk about bond. they may talk about when and how to bond him over to try him in adult court. >> yeah. that was going to be my next question, and you just answered it for me. it's still to come. maybe not dealt with today. but most people in this profession say it's just about concrete in this case since he's 17. i want to touch on this later with you in the next hour as well. thanks, marty. >> it is 24 minutes past the hour here. still ahead on "early start," you know the deadly storms across the midwest? apparently there was a breakdown in the early warning system right before the twist thaer tore a hole through branson, missouri. a call was supposed to be placed that never made it. we'll get some more details for you on that. you're watching "early start." when i was a kid. i didn't know how i was going to do it, but i knew i was going to get that opportunity one day. and that's what happened with the u