cruise liner is suspended. rescue diver face new difficulties while the captain may face years of prison. i'm wolf blitzern charleston, south carolina. you're in "the situation room." just releasing right now, a latest poll showing a tightening race. newt gingrich is charging ahead, trying to keep the fight for the republican nomination going, and the new cnn/time/orc poll shows him closing the gap here in south carolina. mitt romney remains the front-runner with 33%. gingrich up now, though, to 23%. rick santorum third at, and rick perry 6%. joining us now our chief political analyst gloria borger and "time" columnist joe klein. gloria, let me say, the gap seems to be narrowing in these recent days. what evidence do we see? >> take a look at this, wolf. in the poll we did january 4th to 5th there was a 19-point difference. now, in our current poll there's a ten-point gap. i think we can explain that by the fact that quite honestly mitt romney hasn't had a good week. and they're throwing it at him, not only newt gingrich, but rick santorum. i think he's been really under attack here. >> you see a narrows of the gap in you've been oregon he for a while. i think people think it's closer than this. mitt romney is behaving as if it's closer than this. he's putting up an ad, the romney campaign itself is putting up an ad attacking new gingrich today. >> not from the super pac, but from his own campaign. i've only been here a little while. you can't turn on a tv without seeing it get rough and tough. >> and also john sununu is coming down from new hampshire, because he's a very excellent attack dog, and they're going to go after gingrich. >> he supports romney, used to be a co-host of "crossfire." we know how he can talk. >> when he was mr. positive in iowa, i was scratching my head, thinking is this the newt gingrich i covered all those years, but there's no better attack politician for lack of a better phrase, than newt gingrich. he's managing to cull out things about mitt romney, whether it's the question of release your taxings, i'm going to release my taxes, you pay the 15%, i pay the 31% rate. so it's clear that he's getting under mitt romney's skin. >> let's take a closer look rick perry, 9%, then be asked tea party supporters. ron paul 13, 5 for rick perry. what do the number say to you. ? >> first the born-again christian vote is split, but it seems that romney is doing well among them. >> i think there's a significant battle going on the in the hearts and minds of santorum supporters. they see newt creeping ahead, they want to beat romney. the question is whether they take that final leap in the next two, three days. taken together, santorum and gingrich sporters equal or might even beat romney. >> you think under pressure mitt romney will, in the coming days release his tax returns? >> i know, wolf, i can't say definitively, that there are internal discussions going on in that campaign about what they ought to do. there are a couple things. i think mitt romney wanted to put it off as long as he could, first of all, he's uncomfortable talking about his own great personal wealth, but secondly i was told by a source involved with the campaign that they wanted to put it off, because you would see in the tax returns the large sums of money he's given to the mormon church. the question is, would that play well in the so-called southern primaries, you know, would that play well here in south carolina, how would it play in florida is it so just wait maybe until april. >> we should also point out there's a new poll, in florida mitt romney is doing excellent right now, way ahead in florida. even if newt gingrich were to surprise a lot of people and win here this saturday, that's a pretty expensesive market down in florida, a little different electorate as well. >> but a lot of it happens in places like this. and when the people down in florida see there's a viable alternative to romney, they may move. these things move very quickly, as you know. >> a lot of undecided voters, even right now. we have a huge debate right here in charleston, south carolina. that could move that needle as well. don't go too far away. a surging newt gingrich is going for broke here in south carolina, but the front-runner mitt romney is fighting just as hard. it all makes for a nasty slugging match. cnn's joe johns is in warrenville, south carolina. >> reporter: in the homestretch to the first and the south primary, the urgency of the moment finally starts to show. newt gingrich looking strong, was back to making bold predictions again. >> if we carry saturday, i think i will become the nominee. >> reporter: then this prediction that the race in south carolina was about to take a turn for the worst. >> i fully expect the romney campaign to be unendingly dirty and dishonest for the next four days. they are desperate. they thought they could buy this. >> reporter: to get the nomination he has to go through mitt romney, hammering away at gingrich's leadership skills both in new web ads and a telephone call, features members of congress who served with gingrich back in the day. the former governor went after him on the stump, too. he said gingrich should stop claiming he helped create millions of jobs when he was on capitol hill. >> a congress mean taking credit foal helping create jobs is like al gore taking credit for the internet. >> reporter: gingrich returned fire. he said romney would lose the debate with the president, because romney ace plan wasn't that different from obama's. >> they both have terrible versus mediocre. >> reporter: one of the main flash points this day was about taxes. both candidates now expected to release their tax returns, even given previews. gingrich said he paid taxes at a 31%ry. mitt romney said said he almost made $400,000 in speaking fees, to a guy who's worth something like $200 million, it doesn't seem like much. >> my goal is to let everybody pay mitt romney's rate. >> reporter: that may sound like a bill deal especially sin warren buffett argues rich people should pay more, but kevin hasset disagreed. >> he has a low rate, but really economists all disagree with warren. the fact is that everyone who studies it understands if you have low taxes on dividends and capital gains, then it attracts capital and increases economic growth. >> reporter: gingrich continues to make the claim that he is the conservative alternative to mitt romney, though at least two other candidates in the race, rick perry and rick santorum can make that claim as well. neither one is saying they're planning to get out of the race anytime soon. >> well, there's three days to go between now and saturday. thank you very much. joe johns report -- i give him a chance to respond to mitt romney. we also talk about sarah palin. for all practical purposes she's now endorsed him. she said if she lived here in south carolina, she would vote for him. what does he say? you might be surprised to hear what he actually has in mind if -- and it's a huge if -- if he were president of the united states. meanwhile, in a politically charged move, the obama administration has rejected, at least for now, a bid to expand the keystone pipeline. it would have carried crude from canada's oilsands to the texas gulf coast. the state department says there was not enough time to determine if the project, quote, is in it is national interests. let's go live to our chief white house correspondent jessica yellin. jessica, what happened today? >> both the state department and the of the have issued statements on this decision, saying they're not supporting the pipeline extension for now, the statement said the arbitrary deadline insisted on republicans -- this announcements is not a judgment on the merits of the pipeline, he said, quote, i'm disappointed that republicans in congress forced this sdipgs. in other words, wolf, the president is saying he's open to reconsideration the application for the pipeline at another time. so now let's talk for a minute on why this decision now. the politics are one. with people in communities along the pipeline's path, whether they're in red or blue states, but the main point on the politics, the sense is the president already took the political heat last fall, so the white house knew they were going to say no to the extension eventually. they decided they may as well do it now and get it over with. wolf? >> as you know, though, republicans, a lot of other folks are saying it will cost american says tens of thousands of jobs. >> it depends on who you asked. transcanada said 20,000 jobs if you include construction jobs. the u.s. state department says no, more like 5,000 or 6,000 jobs action and an independent study said it was closer to 2500 to 4500 jobs. according to the bureau of labor statistics, since president obama has taken office, 66,000 jobs have been created in the oil and gas industry overall. the american petroleum industry, they say if the keystone pipeline were built there had be more jobs created. this will continue probably over the election year, wolf. >> yes, it's going to be a huge battle. thanks, jessica. new developments in the cruise ship disaster. why the search for about two dozen missing people was suspended. also one of mitt romney's major supporters, chris christie has blunt advice for the white house hopeful about issuing his tax returns. plus what former president jimmy carter is saying about newt gingrich and, quote, the subtlety of racism. there is a platform built for the purpose of driving innovation. one that's transforming how companies from every industry-- and of every size-- are doing business. a platform built for now. and for what's next. this...is the cisco intelligent network. cisco. but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. jack cafferty has "the cafferty file." >> wolf, a wednesday without wikipedia and other major web sites as they go dark to protest two antipiracy bills in congress. while google hasn't shut down today, a black rectangle covers the famous logo, and urges people to tell congress please don't censor the web. the webwide protest is in response to the stop online pyrery act, sopa, in the house, and the protect ip act in the senate. the battle lines are drawn with silicon valley on the other. if passed, copyright holders could seek a court order to remove sites that are offering illegal contents, movies, tv shows, the main targets are mostly foreign web sides, but internet companies say they could be punished. google says youtube would have to go dark immediately, saying it couldn't function. on the other side, supporters say that online piracy leads to job losses in the united states, since content creators lose income. they dismiss accusations of censor say, saying the bills are meant to fix a broken system that doesn't prevent piracy. supporters say this will not hurt the average internet user. many in the tech world agreed piracy is a problem, but worried about the implications of this legislation, that it could be a foot in the door that mild one day lead to further government controls. meanwhile, the bills once expected to sail through congress they have hit rough waters. one senate aide told cnn because of the growing protests, the bill in the senate may not even make it to the floor for the vote. here's the question -- should the u.s. government censor the internet? post a comment on my blog on tore to the post on "the situation room's" facebook page. wolf? >> a huge story today, jack. good question. thanks very very much. other news, the often frigid waters on the italian coast are making it even more unlikely that additional survivors will be found in the capsized "costa concordia." the search was suspended after sensor showed the cruise ship had in fact shifted. these underwater picture show the dangerous jobs they face in the ship. 11 people are known decent. take a look at this. an extraordinary new satellite image taken from shape showing the massive liner lying on its side. let's go live to dan rivers. he's on the scene for you in italy. what else is going on today? what's the very latest, dan? >> wolf, they've really been hampered by the danger of this wreck, shifting in the water. apparently she shifted about a foot today, which might not seem like given the size of the vessel, but they're very right, that because she's so precariously balanced on some rocked, on a shelf of rocks, it wouldn't take much to tip the ship over into much deeper water, and possibly leading to the rep further of the fuel tanks, which contains about 2 tonz of heavy fuel and more diesel. everyone is concerned the weather will deteriorate over the next few days, the wind is forecast to pick up. they are worried this situation is going to get worse while they're still tries to establish what has happened to 23 missing passengers and crew. wolf? >> as far as the investigation is concerned, what about the ship's captain? let's go over the latest with him. >> he remains under house arrest south of naples with details emerging for and against his claim that he did everything he could to help passengers in the frantic minutes after the ship hit rocks. this is being disputed from a number of corners. he's being absolutely lambasted in the italian press, one paper accusing him of driving the cruise liner like it was a ferrari, and more evidence from the shipping magazine in london with data showing that the it went back even closer just 230 meters from the coastline during a festival last summer. so suggesting this wasn't the first time he sailed way too close for this island. >> dan, we'll stay in close tough. thank you. what is the job really like? what kind of training do they go? we'll take you inside their life at sea. one of mitt romney's top supporters, chris christie now telling the candidate what to do about the controversy over releasing his income tax returns. . you know when i grow up, i'm going to own my own restaurant. i want to be a volunteer firefighter. when i grow up, i want to write a novel. i want to go on a road trip. when i grow up, i'm going to go there. i want to fix up old houses. 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[ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday. major american city is now facing a possible state takeover and bankruptcy. lisa sylvester is monitoring that and the other top stories in the "the situation room." what's going on? >> that's right, wolf. detroit is closer than tefr to disaster. it's facing a $45 million budget shortfall, in part because of the a shrinking population and tax base. a state panel is reviewing finances, and could appoint a interim manager. o.j. simpson is said to be facing foreclosure on his south florida home. a source familiar with the matter tells cnn he's under water on the 4,000 square foot home near miami and hasn't made a payment since 2010. simpson is currently serving a sentence up to 33 years in nevada for armed robbery and kidnapping. he was acquitted in 1995 for murdering his ex-wife and her friend. railroad officials in jakar jakarta, indonesia are trying a new molest for stopping people from riding on -- they are hanging concrete walls, element guaranteed to knock off any train surfers. so far officials say no one has dared to test them. and quite a scare for passengers on a british airways flight from miami to london. the plane was over the atlantic when the pilot apparently hit the wrong button, triggering an automated recording saying, quote, this is an emergency announcement, we may shortly need to make an emergency landing on water. passengers say there was screaming and panic, but the crew scrambled to assure everyone it was just a mistake. i can only imagine hearing that kind of announcement. >> and didn't it happen twice? >> yeah, i don't know if it happened more than once, but i know the crew quickly came in and tried to tell passengers, look, false alarm, nothing to work about, go back to business as usual. that have wouldn't be fun at all. >> no, you hear something like that that's amazing. a town under siege crying out for help as blood spills into its streets. our own nic robertson is on the ground inside syria. he's got some exclusive reporting. we'll share it with you. also a key supporter of mitt romney is now telling the candidate to make his tax returns public. we'll have the details coming up in our strategy session. here are some of the stories we're working on for our next hour. my interview with newt gingrich, talking about closing the gap in south carolina, the increasingly ugly campaign here, and what he wants sarah palin to do in a gingrich administration. stand by. plus one of the bort maritime disasters in recent years, but an almost 100-year-old law that may keep the cruise line off the financial hook when it comes to the victims' families. stand by. you're in "the situation room." the syrian opposition group reports at least 13 people killed today in the brutal government crackdown on democracy protesters. our senior international correspondent nic robertson is on the ground in syria and visited one town that's crying out for help. >> reporter: as the arab league monitors arrive. so antigovernment emerge from side streets and stores. a raucous bands of 100 or so besieging them with complaints of government brutality. this mother shouts at them "they killed my son, kept him in the morgue for a month. i plead to god and to you give me justice. give me my rights." this is kisway a small poor town about half an hour's drive from the capital. away from the protests, this man tells us why there are so few demonstrators. "this is a small town, 15,000 people," he says. it's isolated the arm can surround is in five minutes. you ask why no one is here in 500 men ran away, others are arrested. the army has 13 check temperature points, he says. we can't count them. but just down the street we see this. >> one checkpoint, another one here, a third over here. down here another checkpoint, sandbag bunkers, four army checkpoints to control this one small traffic intersection. that's how tight security is. impossible to verifies everything we hear. what's really interesting here, this is a bullet hole we're told was a shot fired by the army down the street at the protesters, but if you look at the other side of the box you can see the exit, but also the pepper marx, and it gives the impression that the protesters were firing back shotgun rounds firing back at the soldiers up the street. what is clear today is that tempers are frayed. this is a town on edge. a man is caught by the crowd. they turn on him with a vengeance. they're accusing that man of being a policeman. we chased them down the streets, and for a minute it looked like it would be mob justice. people were jumping on him, but he doesn't seem as if he was able to get away. >> the writing on the wall, a cry for help, from a town where they say no one is listening. nic robertson, cnn, syria. he calls it the subtlety of racism, the former president jimmy carter speaking out about a controversial remark by his fellow georgian, newt gingrich. details about what the former president is telling our own. part diplomat, even part policeman. one veteran captain reveals the challenges and the rewards. you'd do that for me? really? yeah, i'd