of whitney houston. today. [ applause ] . >> opening the service, joe carter pastor of the new hope baptist church in newark, new jersey, the church that houston grew up. the four horse that fold were mournful, reverent and ultimately joyous. >> there was a grace that carried. a grace that carried her from heaven down through mr. houston, a grace that brought her up from speaking. from what i understand she wasn't supposed to speak let alone sing. there was a grace that carried her through. the same grease led her all the way to the top of the charts. sold all of these albums and just done some amazing things, won all these awards. she sang for presidents and there was a grace that kept on carrying her. >> fans will get to see whitney houston performing new music in the film "sparkle" scheduled for release this summer. one of her last projects before her untimely death. bishop t.d. jakes produced the movie and was sure that houston was poised for a come back. >> don't you dare think death has won. you'll learn what all of us know who we lost people we've loved. you'll be driving down the street one day and you'll hear whitney's voice talking in your head. something she said or something she did. will pop up in your spirit and you'll giggle inside of yourself as if she was sitting in the car with you. you'll find that people that you really love they may leave you outwardly, but they never leave you inwardly. >> houston made her film debut in 1992 in "the bodyguard." her co-star kevin costner recalled her struggle to land the role and her triumph. >> it's a tree we can all hang from. the inplaexplainable be fear an doubt. i've had mine. i asked her to trust me and she said she would. a half hour later she went back in to do her screen test and the studio fell in love with her. the whitney i knew despite her success and worldwide fame still wondered am i good enough. am i pretty enough. will they like me? it was the burden that made her great. and the part that caused her to stumble in the end. whitney, if you could hear me now, i would tell you, you weren't just good enough. you were great. >> alicia keys, stevie wonder, bebe and cece winans honored whitney. aretha franklin was there but had to cancel because she wasn't feeling. >> susan candiotti is outside of a restaurant where people who were at the services there today were honored whitney houston are now gathered. >> reporter: they started coming right after the funeral was over with. a full red carpet was set up. rope limes. limos coming and other private cars as guests continue to come and go at this hour. they are having a private gathering and a dinner upstairs. special guests of whitney houston's family. a number of people we recognized including kevin costner who we just heard from. jesse jackson. cissy houston as well as gayle king. ma mary jo blige. you watched every bit of that funeral didn't you from home? >> yes i did. >> what impressed the most especially about the eulogy by marvin winans. >> prioritize your life and what goes on in your life. i enjoyed the song that was performed. "stand." when you can't do nothing else but stand and know that god has you in the palm of his hand. just knowing that. nothing else matters in this world as long as you know you're in god's hands it's going to be all right nuclear weapon felt compelled to come down here too. what did you come here for today. why dew point to see these folks tonight >> i wanted to see the people who came out the support cissy houston in her time and the family. and just all the love that was shared today. as it was said that cissy brought the world to church today. everybody coming out. kevin costner. i had the pleasure of seeing him today. i was hear to witness several stars come and go. and i just -- i enjoyed it. i enjoyed it. >> up think it was the right decision by the family to hold a private service yet because you still got see it. >> yes, i did. i think that them showing, having a private ceremony was the right decision. i mean we've had whitney for 30 years. and this was their day. they had it and they still shared it. i mean we were held at a distance but yet when he a chance to enjoy it as well. i enjoyed it thoroughly as well at home on my sofa. >> thank you very much. did you have a favorite whitney houston song? >> yes. >> which one is that? "i want to dance with somebody." >> a good one. thank you very much. obviously fredericka, a lot of people touched by the funeral today. not a dry eye here and a lot of people here tonight that were really genuinely touched by that funeral today. and being out here too, being together and part of this experience. back to you. >> thanks so much. susan candiotti, appreciate that. singer bobby brown made a brief and dramatic appearance apartment his ex-wife's funeral. brown left abruptly after being told his entourage couldn't sit together. in a statement brown says quote we were seated by security and then subsequently asked to move on three separate occasions. i fail to under why security treated my family this way. end quote. but then he does go on to say, i gave a kiss to the casket of my ex-wife and departed as i refused to create a scene. brown and houston were married for 15 years and divorced back in 2007. other headlines now. we're keeping a close watch on the 29-year-old moroccan man trying to launch a suicide bombing attack in the capital. if he is convicted he faces life in prison. he accepted a firearm and what he believed to be vest loaded with explosives from an undercover agent. he was arrested as he tried leave the garage. a crowd of mourners in damascus, syria fled as security forces fired on them today. two people were killed as the funeral martin capital turned into a protest against president bashir al assad. 15 more were killed across syria. assad hosted china's vice foreign minister. he urged syrian ministers to negotiate. an iranian admiral says the latest deployment of naval ships to the mediterranean sea is a show of friendship and strength. it's just the second time since 1979 that iran has sent ships through the suez canal. the first was a year ago as seen here in this video. the ship's passage was reported by an iranian news agency. israel is keeping tabs on the ships. their destination still unclear. the pope has officially inducted 22 new cardinals including the archbishops of new york, and baltimore. they will play influential roles as advisors and they will also play a role in deciding who the next pope will be. pope benedict announced seven new saints including the first native american saint. much of japan is getting hit with another round of snow and strong cold air. spots along the sea of japan are seeing especially heavy snow this time around. japanese media report the number of snow related deaths this winter has now surpassed 100. nasa is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first american in orbit. back in 1959 the space agency selected john glenn as one of the original group of seven astronauts for the mercury program. three years later he blasted off to the famous words godspeed john glenn having become the first american to orbit the earth. "the situation room" continues now with candy crowley right after a quick break. [ male announcer ] that. right there -- reminds you why you fell in love with her in the first place. and why you still feel the same. but your erectile dysfunction -- that could be a question of blood flow. cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. thank you for joining us here in "the situation room." i'm candy crowley in for wolf blitzer. it's time to get you caught up on the other big stories this hour. in the republican presidential race mitt romney and rick santorum are gearing up for a rematch a week from tuesday with contests in michigan and arizona. polls suggest romney might suffer a very personal loss in the state where he was born and raised. santorum leads romney by five points in the latest poll of likely republican primary voters in michigan. ron paul and newt gingrich far behind. in arizona romney holds the top spot in the latest poll of likely republican primary voters. he has a seven-point advantage over santorum and again newt gingrich and paul are trailing. our analysts are standing by to talk about the contests ahead. but first, rick santorum says he's froubd a conservative and a catholic. his politics and religion are at the center of an unfolding controversy over his views on birth control. mary snow is looking into that for us. >> reporter: an interview that rick santorum did six years ago has resurfaced. his comments about birth control are drawing attention with critics calling him out of touch. but he insists his personal and public policy are not one and the same. >> wow. >> reporter: as he gains momentum in polls republican presidential hopeful rick santorum's record comes under more scrutiny. and these remarks about confr contraception have gone viral. >> from a government point of view i support title x i guess it is and have voted for contraception. i don't think it works. i think it's harmful to women. it's harmful to our society. >> reporter: jennifer rubin first posted the video writing the impression that santorum finds the prevalent practice of birth control harmful to women is frankly mind numbing. if he meant to focus on teenage sexual promiscuity. rick santorum said he considered it an important public policy. >> one of the things i'll talk about that no president has talked about is the dangers of contraception. but santorum told piers morgan he would noted support any law to restrict contraception. >> the issue is, you know, as a public servant how do i feel about tissue of contraception. it should antibiotic available. >> reporter: the fact that contraception success raised is drawing fury among groups like emily's list which promote democratic women candidates. i want asks if this is the 2012 presidential election or 1956? saying it's hard for one extremist to stand out in today's gop. a new cnn poll finds 81% of americans disagree with the notion that birth control is wrong. 77% of catholics polled feel the same way. could this issue hurt rick santorum? republican strategist mary madeline says no. >> he was articulating the catholic proposition on contraception. so that's his belief. he specifically said he would not. his policy position is not to ban birth control. that can't hurt him. >> reporter: this isn't the first time talk about contraception has come up in the republican presidential campaign. you may remember a few months ago mitt romney was asked about it in a debate about whether a state has the right to ban contraception. at the time romney said it was an unusual topic to be raised and said it should be left alone. candy? >> at least at that time but we're not leaving it alone at the moment. thanks so much. we want to bring in our chief political analysts. let's pick up where mary left off. because it seems to me if you're a voter in michigan or in arizona you look at this and say, perhaps i agree with rick santorum. but what does it say about his chances in november? >> absolutely. rick santorum ran the last time in 2006 he lost four suburban swing counties outside of philadelphia by 175,000 votes. >> which is where he made his original statement. >> he can energize the republican base but expressing views on a variety of issues that will be a challenge. on that last point -- >> what about women? it's going to hurt him with women and he's already not doing as well as mitt romney. >> two quick points. that last-minute about what mitt romney said the issue shouldn't be reopened. rick santorum said the 1965 decision that barred states from prohibiting birth control was wrongly decided. of course there are broader range of issues that are all coming together now with republicans talking about eliminating title x funding and this big fight in washington to overturn the obama mandate. >> a couple of things. first on the social issues. it's a little bit difficult for mitt romney to be the person taking on rick santorum which is what kind of saefrs rick santorum here because then rick santorum could turn around and say, weren't you, you know, against or pro -- against abortion and now before you were for abortion. some can turn that around. also secondly i don't think the republican party wants to be having the culture warring fight right now, particularly in the state of michigan when they taught be talking about the economy. right? >> absolutely. they kind of do and don't. rick santorum actually likes the issue of contraception. it's not contraception issue as far as the way the republicans want to argue it. they want to argue religious liberty and the federal government telling a catholic enat any point that they must provide birth control. >> the challenge is when it spread beyond that and becomes an issue. >> it aaffects women on the front lines of war. >> rick santorum is okay with a cultural divide in the republican party. that's what we're seeing occur even before the candidates got to this focus on social issues. you have a clear class divide. romney has been a stronger candidates with college plus and upper income voters. >> gingrich can take on santorum on the culture wars. mitt romney a lot more difficult. sure he can on the issue of -- the issue of life as long as it's not related. >> look, this could help rick santorum win michigan. i must say i don't believe those internal polls that say people don't care as much about someone who can beat obama, they are looking for someone who sides with them. i think that's wrong. that's something you say to a pollster. the fact of the matter is there's a real chance that santorum could take michigan, which would be a huge psychological blow to mitt romney. >> psychological and real blow to mitt romney. look, mitt romney can lose michigan and still win the nom nar -- nom narks right? it blows the race wide-open and makes the ground more fertile on super tuesday for newt gingrich to rise for the third time. >> i guess i would say, remember the old maps, that's what michigan is. if mitt romney loses the republican race totally goes into unchartered waters. people will have the most serious contemplation that romney couldn't be the nominee. if santorum wins in michigan you have states like oklahoma, tennessee, ohio plus the caucuses it could be a very long super tuesday for romney if michigan provides santorum a boost of momentum. >> and shell didn'tadelson is a another 10 million in newt gingrich's super p.a.c. >> this thing has a wild rhythm. it reserves riding space mountain at disney. i've been the front-runner twice. i suspect i'll be the front-runner again in a few weeks. >> first let's just say everyone is saying he taught stop talking about space and move on. but could he be the front-runner? is that a little optimistic. >> it's hard at this point. the race has polarized center versus right. whether you look at tea party supporters or evangelical. >> great irony of politics which you have to loyalist. mitt romney needs newt gingrich to stay in the race. >> we love it. >> thank you both very much. a quick remile-an-hour. you can see the next republican presidential debate right here on cnn coming this wednesday from me saks arizona starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. speaking of the presidential contenders almost all of them have released their tax returns. latest rick santorum. we're taking a close look at how he made all his millions and what he spent south on. but first a cnn exclusive, inside syria. we go inside a makeshift clinic inside the city of homs. while some fiber ads use super models, metamucil uses super hard working psyllium fiber, which gels to remove unsexy waste and reduce cholesterol. taking psyllium fiber won't make you a model but you should feel a little more super. metamucil. down with cholesterol. . dozens of new deaths are being reported in syria amid the government's continued military onslaught against its own citizens. the stiff homs is taking the worse of it. the international committee of red cross says it's unable to reach trapped citizens in devastated areas of the city. residents said they have not had any humanitarian aid reach them in more than a month. the shelling is in defiance of a u.n. resolution condemning the humanitarian rights violations and calling for an end to the violence. instead syria's president about a shi-- bashir al assad is proposing changes to the constitution. a referendum is scheduled for february 26th. and now a cnn exclusive. our photojournalist was able to get inside the besieged city of homs and get into a clinic. viewers may find some of our reporting upsetting. for her team's own security we're not revealing its location inside siro. >> reporter: on the horizon thick smoke billow from a sabotaged gas pipeline. this is the war zone that homs has become. we're in a neighborhood that's endured constant shelling opinion civilians are killed and wound every day. a 30-year-old man lies on the brink of death after shrapnel hit him in the head. he had brain matter that came out of the wound last night. i couldn't really do anything for him the doctor says. i just stitched him up to keep the brain matter in and insert ad tube. it's actually a nasal tube to suction the blood. he will die if he done get out. dr. muhammed is one of only two doctors here. his specialty is internal medicine. the other doctor is actually a dentist. the 36-year-old's arm is attached by a if you muscles only. i just went out to take out the trash. i saw that the shelling had quieted down he recalls. i had hardly stepped occupant the door when i heard a massive sound. the father of three tried to get his wife and children out of the area. but he says government forces turned them back. in a weak voice he implore, we're begging all countries in the world please get involved. muhammed also tried to escape but wasn't allowed through the checkpoints. he said he was hit by a tank round after running to help those hit by a rocket attack in front of his house. the doctor is just saying this is a patient that has to get outside within 24 hours or else his leg most definitely is going to need to be amputated and the doctor of pointing out how at this point you can smell the rot coming from the wound. this patient has been lying here like this for four days now. the feeling. helplessness in the face of such suffering is overwhelming. we've lost all feeling muhammed says. there's no value to life the rockets just rain down. dr. muhammed can't hold back the tears. this is a case that survived he says, most cases we get like this they die within an hour or two because we can't do anything for them. this is how they have to move around just a short distance to get from one likes to another where they have the patients. six patients were