but they conceal some very real dangerous designer drugs blamed for horrifying acts of violence. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." it may be the most crucial of the battleground states, and today barack obama and mitt romney are turning ohio into their personal battleground. the slug-fest takes the form of rival speeches. but one candidate started swinging before the bell. let's go to jim acosta. he's watching it all unfold. what's the latest, jim? >> wolf, they were almost duelling speeches, campaign events in the same state on the same day at almost the same time. but mitt romney perhaps fearing losing the battle of the cable news double box got the early jump on the president. he started early. and it was probably a good thing for mitt romney. his speech was only 18 minutes. the president's, nearly an hour. in the first round of what will be a knockdown-dragout fight to november, mitt romney threw the first punch beginning his speech ten minutes earlier than scheduled. >> but don't forget, he's been president for three and a half years. and talk is cheap. >> but the president wasn't far behind in a speech designed to frame his economic message, he landed some body blows of his own. >> i have not seen a single independent analysis that says my opponent's economic plan would actually reduce the deficit. not one. >> both men duked it out in the swing state of ohio where they are neck-and-neck in the polls. the president in cleveland and romney 200 miles down the road in cincinnati. >> the private sector's doing fine. the private sector's doing fine. >> echoing his new campaign ad, romney repeated his line of attack that the president is out of touch reminding voters of mr. obama's gap on the private sector. >> he's going to be saying today that he wants four more years. he may have forgotten he talked about a one-term proposition if he couldn't get the economy turned around in three years. but we're going to hold him to his word. >> i know what it's like to worry whether you're going to get fired. >> a new obama web video shows obama with his share of tone deaf moments as well referring to mr. romney, not governor romney, the president seemed to look past his opponent at times to blame republicans in congress for blocking his agenda. >> it's the biggest source of gridlock in washington today. and the only thing that can break the stalemate is you. >> the president could have the upper hand in ohio where the unemployment rate has plummeted in the last two years from 10.6% to 7.4%. and a new gal up poll showed americans still blame bush and not mr. obama for the economy. a metric not lost on the president. >> but let's be clear. not only are we digging out of a hole that is nine million jobs deep. >> but romney's argument is that the president has run out of time to get the country back on track, which is why republicans are pointing to what bill clinton said in 2010. if the nation is still stuck in a hole. >> don't go back in reverse. give us two more years. if it doesn't work, you have another election in just two years, you can vote us out then. but for goodness sakes, we digging, don't bring back the brigade. >> we're seeing the return of some aggressive campaign tactics in cleveland. the romney campaign bus was actually circling the president's speech there in cleveland. and the obama campaign says that they're going to fight fire with fire deploying what they're calling truth squads to tail romney's bus tour that's starting tomorrow in new hampshire and going across the midwest. when we asked a romney campaign advisor here in cincinnati about all of these aggressive tactics, wolf, that advisor said this race is not going to come down to mascot stealing, in his words. >> it certainly is a little more than four months to go. thank you, jim. let's dig deeper right now with our chief political analyst, gloria borger. some democrats had been urging to talk about the future in a different way thinking it would be more politically effective. what's going on here? >> well, today in listening to his long speech i think what the president was trying to do was kind of thread the needle because when he talks about the economy, it's not easy for him. if he talks about how what kind of a ditch the economy was in when he took office, he sounds like he's whining a little bit. and if he talks about how far he's brought the economy, it sounds like he thinks we're in really good shape. and people don't want to hear that because they don't feel like they're in good shape. they're not optimistic. so what he tried to do today was did a little of each of those, but then he tried to take a turn and talk about the future. and what he said was that if you vote for mitt romney, you're going back to the policies of the past that got us where we are. and as jim pointed out, he also made the point of essentially attacking republicans in congress because nobody likes congress. congress has what a 9% approval rating? and calling it a stalemate and saying part of the reason he hasn't been able to get his economic plan through is because of congress. and you're on pretty safe terrain when you attack congress. >> now, so the democrats -- some of these democrats want the president to be more specific. what about romney? >> the republicans are now saying, you know what, you have to be more specific too. mitt romney can talk about his 59-point economic plan. nobody knows what's in it. and some including wisconsin governor scott walker said you've got to give people to glom onto. aimple of the romney campaign is saying this is what we're g t ay on thistis wre going to do in the first 100 days, but that doesn't amount to an economic plan that people can really compare to an economic plan advance by barack obama. now, i'm told by some democrats, maybe the president will do that at the convention in his convention speech. maybe a little bit sooner. other democrats say why do we have to do it? he's already outlined his plan. he's already given his budgets to congress. i would presume that mitt romney would come up with some set of specific proposals some time this summer, wolf. this is a debate they have to engage on. >> i listen closely to the president's speech today. >> right. >> in cleveland, romney's speech in cincinnati. this line jumped out at me from the president's speech when he was talking about the attack ads against him. >> the other side will spend over a billion dollars on ads that tell you the economy is bad. that it's all my fault. that's what the scary voice in their heads will say. that's what mr. romney will say. >> all right. does he have a point there? >> yeah. there are going to be scary voices in the ads. he has a point there will be lots of negative ads about him saying he hasn't gotten the economy working as quickly as he should have and it hasn't progressed that far. but let me also say that president obama's campaign has so far spent about $50 million on ads, about half of those ads, wolf, are negative ads. so both campaigns are going to be doing it because you know what? they work. >> he said the other side will spend over $1 billion on ads. >> well, the tally is starting. >> a billion dollars just on ads. we know the hotelier from las vegas -- >> those are super pac ads. >> right. that's the other side. just given $10 million to restore our future. >> so you have what the campaign's going to spend and the super pac. >> and the other side is campaign and super pac. >> if you live in a battleground state, you're going to be seeing a lot of it. >> thanks very much. jack cafferty is here with the cafferty file. jack. >> it's all bush's fault. that's actually where most americans still put the blame for our economic problems even though it's been more than three years since george w. bush left office. a new gallup poll shows the former president deserves either a great deal or moderate amount of blame. 31% says he deserves not much or no blame at all. compare that to the man steering the ship the last two years, 52% say president obama deserves the blame, 48% say he's not to blame. the relative economic blame given to the two leaders is virtually the same as it was last september, as is usually the case, there's a partisan divide here. although republicans, this is interesting, republicans are more willing to blame bush than democrats are willing to blame obama. pardon me. as for independents, they are substantially more likely to blame former president bush than mr. obama. with the economy the top issue of the election this november, all of this is very good news for the president. even though americans have more negative than positive views about the economy and the direction it's going, people are more likely to blame the president's predecessor. it kind of makes you wonder at what point president obama will assume ownership of the nation's problems. apparently not yet. meanwhile, all of this comes on the heels of another poll that shows president bush is the least popular ex-living president. mitt romney may want to keep in in mind when he looks for a running mate. several of his potential v.p.s have close ties to mr. bush. here's the question, how long will we blame george w. bush for our problems? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile. post a comment on my blog. or go to my post on "the situation room" facebook page. wolf. >> jack, thank you. meanwhile, there's growing tension right now between the united states and russia over syria. is moscow supplying the weapons the syrian regime is using to slaughter its own citizens? and echoes of the iraq insurgency in syria. we get an exclusive look at opposition forces building devastating roadside bombs. and an unusual man hunt following a desperate hospital shooting. details for a search for a surgeon now considered armed and dangerous. the medicare debate continues in washington... ...more talk on social security... ...but washington isn't talking to the american people. 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[ gunfire ] in syria government forces have been pounding the opposition with heavy weapons. this video said to be from a damascus suburb or residents have appealed for united nations monitors. monitors finally reached a town in northwest syria reporting it to be deserted with the stench of death hanging in the air. another 60 people were reported killed across syria only today. the question of how syria is getting its weapons is certainly causing some friction. serious friction right now between the obama administration and the russian ou foreign affairs correspondent, jill dougherty, is taking a closer look at this friction. jill, what are you seeing? >> wolf, one of t big fights right now between russia and the united states is over lis. a russian official tells cnn that moscow hasn't sold helicopters to syria for years. that they're simply refurbishing them. but the state department is saying whether they're old or they're new, they still kill people. the obama administration insists that russia is providing military assistance to syria that's being used against civilians and it wants moscow to suspend all cooperation. but secretary of state hillary clinton said thursday despite the tough rhetoric between the two countries, the u.s. is still hoping to work with russia to stop the violence in syria. >> we don't see eye-to-eye on all of the issues, but our discussions continue. and president obama will see president putin during the g-20 in mexico. >> clinton accuses moscow of continuing to supply helicopters that the assad regime is using to fire on its own people. the soviet union gave syria weapons. russia sells them weapons. but the russian foreign minister insists russia is simply fulfilling signed and paid contracts relating to air defense. russia does not supply weapons used to suppress peaceful protesters neither to syria nor elsewhere. which is not the case with the u.s. who regularly send police weaponry to the region. that's a reference to the u.s. supplying countries like bahrain, which have in recent years violently dispelled democracy protests. >> when we had concerns about how a new set of weapons might be used, we put a pause on our relationship with bahrain. >> as for supplying arms to the syrian opposition. >> the united states has provided no military support to the syrian opposition. none. >> but the assad regime is using a range of heavy weapons against its own people including tanks and heavy artillery with aid some say from russia. according to a former u.s. ambassador to russia, the administration's strategy now seems to boil down to shaming moscow to ditch assad. >> there is a great deal of frustration in washington about our inability to make something constructive happen in syria. and at the moment the focus seems to be on why russia is not doing what we, the americans and the europeans, believe needs to be done. >> so it's real frustration, wolf. and human rights groups say it's not only russia that is providing weapons. they say that bella roos could be doing it too. and iran with weapons and money, the opposition as well is getting support from countries in the gulf. so it's a very deadly brew that's just getting worse. wolf. >> certainly is. all right, jill, thank you. and on top of all of this in recent months armed resistance to the syrian government has certainly increased. elements within the free syrian army as it's called, that's the opposition, have began building rude meant ri bombs for use against the military. cnn's obtained through activists video of one so-called brigade of the syrian army is building and using these crude but devastating devices. we've chosen to air it as part of the growing evidence that the opposition to the bashar al-assad regime is becoming more like an iraq-style insurgency pushing syria closer and closer to an all-out civil war. here's arwa da mon's report. >> reporter: a voice says this is a suicide bombing mission against assad soldiers. god is great the voice declares as a van comes into view. apparently approaching a checkpoint. the camera zooms in. outgunned by assad's forces, some rebels have turned to suicide bombs and roadside ieds, iraq-style grel la war fan. this man shows how the bombs are made. cylinders are packed with a lethal concoction of explosives, fertilizer and other chemicals bought locally. he says his men are moderate islamists fighting for democracy. we want a democratically elected president in a military separate from presidency, he says. captain ma houd says they' getting no outside help. we're relying mostly on minds an making bombs now, he explains. this is how the battle for syria is now being fought. protest has become insurgency. which in turn threatens to become all-out war. >> and arwa is joining us now from beirut. amazing video, arwa. the pictures reminded me of what we used to see, still see to a certain degree in both iraq and afghanistan, al qaeda-related suicide bombings, if you will. what are you hearing from your vantage point? who is responsible for the suicide attacks? >> well, clearly, wolf, as you saw in the video there, at least one attack that was targeting that check point was carried out by this brigade itself. it is however important to note that the conventional members of the free syrian army including this brigade say that they only target syrian government security forces. that they are not targeting civilians. but what we have also been seeing increasingly in damascus and aleppo are attacks being carried out using car bombs, suicide bombs. and what we're seeing overall is this very frightening to a certain degree shift in the battlefield in syria. most certainly is not conventional. and there are great concerns that if the situation continues as it does, these extremist fringe elements could gain more power. and of course that would well fsyria, nor for the region, wolf. >> arwa damon watching this unfold. arwa, thanks very much. ratings agencies are 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[ male announcer ] send money from one bank account to another, with citibank popmoney. easier banking. every step of the way. a deadly hospital shooting now an intense manhunt. lisa sylvester is monitoring that and other top stories in "the situation room." lisa, what's going on? >> this happened at the eerie county medical center in buffalo. a woman who worked there was shot and killed on the hospital campus yesterday. they put the entire facility on lockdown. this is the man police are looking for. trauma surgeon timothy jorden. police describe him as a person of interest. he's reportedly the victim's ex-boyfriend and he's considered armed and dangerous. and heavy metal band, metallica seeking help in the murder of one of the band's members. she was sexual assaulted and killed on the way home from a 2009 concert. front man, james headfield, has recorded a youtube video asking anyone with information about this crime to come forward. the band has also contributed to $150,000 reward fund. and check out this hailstorm in dallas earlier today. cnn reporter shot these amazing images of hail turning his swimming pool into what looks like a boiling cold ren. went to baseball sizes big enough to break windows in a number of the cars in his neighborhood. it's just pounding that swimming pool there, wolf. >> baseball-size hail. frank martin with the pictures, thank you very much. lisa, standby. we're getting late news of a major move over in europe. a move that's making big impact potentially on u.s. stocks. we'll have details right after the break. one of the best things about state farm is our accessibility. oh, yeah? 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