it's the final sprint to super tuesday, and the republican presidential candidates are crisscrossing the country. they are all hunting for votes. our national political correspondent jim acosta is following mitt romney. jim, what are you hearing from the romney campaign? what's their realistic objective come tuesday? >> reporter: well, their realistic objective come tuesday is to win as many delegates as possible. and that is what this campaign is about right now. and it's about delegates, delegates, delegates. we're standing outside of a romney event in bellevue, washington, just outside of seattle where the romney campaign put out these flyers instructing caucusgoers in the state on how to participate in their caucuses on saturday and basically because it's all about winning as many delegates as possible. the romney campaign advisers were telling reporters over the last several days that they're not only focusing on individual states, they're looking at individual congressional districts inside those states because as we all know, a lot of these states that are going to be voting on super tuesday will be allocating their delegates on a proportional basis and on a basis that is driven largely by these congressional districts. so in some cases, wolf, they are campaigning in areas specifically targeting congressional districts where they think they will do well. so it's becoming more clear as every day goes by that this is a race for the delegates that could go all the way to june and beyond, wolf. >> what are they saying specifically about the grand prize on tuesday, which everyone agrees is ohio? >> reporter: it is very interesting to see the romney campaign put all of its eggs, really, in the basket of ohio because they know that is the big prize of all of the states on super tuesday. and primarily, wolf, it's because he knows he's not going to do well in the south. the southern states that will be voting on super tuesday are not really positioned for the romney campaign to win. they're really looking at states in the northeast, obviously his home state of massachusetts, but also vermont, and they're looking out west, idaho, north dakota, washington, even alaska. the romney campaign put out an open letter to republicans in alaska encouraging them to get out and vote for the former massachusetts governor. it's really all about the delegates at this point, wolf. >> jim, thanks very much. jim acosta in washington. so what's rick santorum's strategy headed towards super tuesday? our senior correspondent, joe johns, is following this part of the story for us. give us a little insight, joe. what is santorum's strategy? what is he realistically looking forward to? >> reporter: well, i think if you just look at the path, wolf, that he's taken across this country, especially since the arizona and michigan primaries, it tells you a whole lot. he went out to the southeast straight from michigan to knoxville, tennessee. he thinks tennessee is strong for him because he calls it a conservative state. went from there, worked georgia very hard, then took the huge leap all the way across the country to washington state to try to campaign there a little bit in advance of the washington state caucuses. back across the country again here to ohio. and like mitt romney, ohio is just critical for this former senator, rick santorum, for a lot of reasons. it's a battleground state in the general election. it's right next to his home state of pennsylvania. there are a lot of evangelicals and conservatives in this state. and he thinks he can do pretty well here. so he's pushing very hard to try to get every single vote he can. and just like jim said, the district-by-district issue is very important. they're looking at the delegates also, trying to get every single delegate they can in that long march toward the republican convention, wolf. >> he doesn't have as much money, i take it, santorum, as opposed to romney. you're in ohio right now. it's an expensive state as far as commercials, attack ads, media concerned. what are you seeing on the ground there? >> reporter: well, what's clear is he's got a lot of energy on the ground here, and he's also raised a lot of money compared to the last quarter. just exponentially more money in this state of ohio as well. so the romney campaign feels -- i'm sorry, the santorum campaign really feels they're on a roll. they think they're doing a great job in fund-raising. and they're hoping it will reflect, of course, on super tuesday. >> we'll know soon enough. joe johns in ohio for us, thank you. super tuesday will also be critical for newt gingrich. if he has a poor showing, it may guarantee a two-man race between the front-runners, mitt romney and rick santorum. who do you feel more comfortable with, romney or santorum? >> well, i don't approach it that way. i've been out here talking about a totally new generation of ideas, different from either romney or santorum. i prefer a much bolder approach to saving social security than they do, by giving younger people a chance toe have a personal savings account. i have a proposal for american energy that leads to energy independence from the middle east and leads to $2.50 a gallon gasoli gasoline. i have a proposal for very dramatic tax reform including a 15% flat tax which is very different from theirs. i'm actually trying to create sort of a new solutions market that doesn't compete with either romney or santorum in terms of, you know, right/left, as being the ideas of the future, the solutions that will work. and i hope to take votes away from both of them. >> the super pac that supports your campaign is out with a new ad. it's playing right now. let me play a little clip from it. i want to discuss it with you. >> mitt romney? >> i looked at mitt romney's record. i can't figure out what he stands for. >> it changes. >> i just don't relate to romney. >> i really don't know if i can trust him. >> he doesn't have the strength to stand up against obama. >> that ad is running in georgia, tennessee, ohio, oklahoma, four of the ten states with contests one week from today. if he does turn out to be the nominee, can he beat president obama in november? >> well, i hope so. i'm going to support the republican nominee, but, you know, you have to admit, having somebody who invented romneycare debate somebody who has obamacare, it's going to be pretty hard for them to make a difference between the two of them. and i think that that's something -- the republicans have to look seriously at who can debate obama and when? draw a sharp distinction. and when. and i think every time people ask that question, i start moving back into being the leader. twice now i've nationally been leading in the polls. every time it's based on new ideas, new solutions in a sense that i'm the one person who could actually debate obama successfully and win that debate. >> what's the minimum number of victories for you next tuesday that you really need to keep your campaign going? >> well, i think we have to pick up delegates in a number of states. and we unequivocally have to win georgia. we have to gain delegates in a number of states, and i think we will. i think we have very good opportunities, as you pointed out in tennessee, oklahoma, ohio, also i think we'll have a chance to pick up some delegates in idaho, in vermont and a variety of -- north dakota, for example. so i'm looking forward to next tuesday. and we, frankly, made a decision that we'd put our resources into next tuesday and beyond and recognize that we weren't in a position to compete head to head in michigan. >> newt gingrich speaking with me earlier. meanwhile, disturbing new details emerging about the alleged gunman in that deadly ohio shooting. up next, what his joouchbuvenil record is revealing about his troubled past. plus heart-wrenching stories of death and destruction after this week's devastating tornadoes across the midwest and south. and new satellite images of the place iran may be holding some of its most critical nuclear secrets. the movie. or... we make it pink ! with these 4g lte tablets, you can do business at lightning-fast speeds. we'll take all the strawberries, dave. you got it, kid. we have a winner. we're definitely gonna need another one. small businesses that want to grow use 4g lte technology from verizon. i wonder how she does it. that's why she's the boss. because the small business with the best technology rules. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006. [♪...] >> i wish my patients could see what i see. that over time, having high cholesterol, plus diabetes or high blood pressure or family history of early heart disease, can put them at increased risk for plaque buildup. and they'd see that it's more important to get their cholesterol where their doctor wants. and why for these patients, when diet and exercise alone aren't enough, i prescribe crestor. adding crestor lowers bad cholesterol by up to 52%. and is also proven to slow plaque buildup. >> announcer: crestor is not right for everyone. like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. >> is your cholesterol where your doctor wants? ask your doctor if crestor is right for you. >> announcer: if you can't afford your medication, astra zeneca may be able to help. t.j. lane, the accused gunman in this week's stunning ohio school shooting, has officially been charged with six overall counts including three of aggravated murder in the deaths of three students. and we're now learning disturbing new details about his family's troubled past. here's cnn's martin savidge. >> reporter: late wednesday afternoon in court proceedings, cnn won access to accused school shooter tncht j. lane's record. it shows in 2009 he was involved in an assault, putting another boy in a choke hold and punched him in the face. he pled guilty to the lesser offense of disorderly conduct. >> three down in the cafeteria. we need an ambulance, too. students down. >> okay. hold on. let me fix that. do we know where? >> they're all in the cafeteria. >> where's the shooter? >> i don't know. >> reporter: since monday's rampage at chardon high school, this small, tight-knit community has been asking one question. why? authorities say lane hasn't given them any reason for the attacks. >> he chose his victims at random. this is not about bullying. this is not about drugs. >> reporter: on tuesday, when lane first faced a judge after his alleged killing spree, neither his mother or father were in the courtroom. it was a telling sign. documents show t.j. lane had a troubled home life and that his parents often led by vie lent example. police reported acted show officers were frequently called to the home to break up domestic fights. court documents also show t.j.'s father, tom lane, suffered from anger management issues and oppression. at one point, even attempting suicide. he spent time in and out of jail. a court document from 2002 describes a particularly violent attack by tom lane on another woman. it reads, "he strangled his ex-wife by the throat until she lost consciousness for several seconds. also held victim's head over a washing machine and poured cold water from a utility hose over her nose and mouth preventing free breathing." tom lane was convicted of felonious assault and sentenced to four years in prison but was released after only nine months. such was t.j. lane's unstable family background. even prosecutor david joyce seemed to him that it could be an argument for the defense. >> this is someone who's not well and i'm sure in our court case we'll prove that to all of your desires, and we'll make sure that justice is done here in this county. >> reporter: martin savidge, cnn, chardon, ohio. >> they're tl also may have been warnings online that the 17-year-old suspect was headed for trouble. lisa sylvester has been looking into some of the disturbing elements of this part of the story. what are you finding out? >> hi, wolf. the suspect reportedly told authorities that he chose his victims randomly. on facebook, though, t.j. lane had postings that could only be described as dark. and now some are wondering why weren't these warnings taken more seriously? >> reporter: on the facebook page of t.j. lane, a haunting post. quote, feel death, not just mocking you, not just stalking you, but inside of you. the 17-year-old ends the post, "die, all of you." he posted that message in late december. some students reported lane wrote about his intentions on twitter in the days before the attack. if lane had a twitter page, it has since been taken down. three students are now dead. among the questions, were there missed warning signs? steven balcam is with the family online safety institute. >> if they're talking about death either to themselves or to other people, it is absolutely a red flag to bring that child in or that teen in and sit them down and talk. >> reporter: school shootings often have an eerie pattern, a student who feels isolated and alone. maybe he is picked on. in many cases, the student expresses angst before the incident. like in the case of the virginia tech shooter who left behind a trail of disturbing essays. some schools try to head off problems by monitoring their students. >> where you supposed to be? hurry up. >> reporter: steve perry is a cnn contributor and also the founder and principal of the capital preparatory magnet school in hartford, connecticut. he and the teachers regularly friend and follow their students. perry says it's something parents should be doing as well. >> parents need to take the time to know their children's passwords. they need to know all their children's passwords and all their accounts. and they need to take great liberty to go in and take a look at them. you want privacy? get a diploma and then a degree and move out. >> reporter: but a study out of the university of wisconsin found it's common for young people, as many as 30% of them, to post on facebook about being depressed or expressing some angst. so when should a comment be taken seriously? i asked psychologist dr. janna martin. >> the risk is if you just discount it as teenage angst, then a tragedy could occur. to me, it's always better if you overreact and you're wrong, isn't that a better situation than to not react and have some tragedy occur? >> and so the bottom line is, don't dismiss a threat, particularly where someone is posting about harming themselves or others. and parents should talk to their kids. and if it's a student who sees a tweet or a facebook post that is worrisome, they should talk to an adult immediately, wolf. >> and good advice from steve perry. know your kids' passwords and monitor what they're tweeting, what they're doing on facebook, social media, it's really important. >> i know a lot of parents who say, look, if you want to have a facebook account, then i want to know the password. and that's a condition for allowing their kids to be on facebook in the first place. >> thanks very much. good report. the horrifying sights and sounds up close. just ahead, we'll go inside the desperate struggle to try to put the pieces back together. plus, the unimaginable crisis in syria escalating to a whole new level. stay with us. you're in "the situation room." feel the power my young friend. mmm! 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[ spokesman ] when you refinance your mortgage with quicken loans, you'll find that our rates and fees are extremely competitive. because the last thing you want is to spend too much on your mortgage. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪ the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years. what's it going to do to the planet? natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪ fatal tornadoes ravaging much of the midwest and south this week. here are some of the emotional stories of loss and survival. ♪ >> sounded like a train. she headed to the basement. i headed to grab our daughter who was in bed. she's handicapped. >> i was down in the basement. and i'm screaming at him, "grab her! grab her! just grab her!" >> we went down in the basement. all the water started flooding the basement. then we came out through the cellar door and noticed the church was all gone. >> i just wanted to try. i was just so thankful. >> all of the stuff was on top of me. i was inside that bathtub. i couldn't move. it was just really rough. >> reporter: what was going through your mind? >> i swore we were going to die. all i could do was pray. >> i wasn't just heartbroken for my mom. i was praying for everyone that had lost a loved one because, i mean, this is just -- you don't imagine something like this happening and hitting so close to your family. i mean, you see it on the news. you don't -- you don't ever think it's going to happen to you. >> the only thing that's getting me through this is knowing that she's in heaven with god, and jesus christ has given me the strength to be able to endure all of this. >> reporter: i can't imagine. it's so sad to see. >> forgive me. >> reporter: i'm sorry. >> it was chaos. there were -- there were men from all over town, not just emergency crews, but men, women, children all here trying to find anybody. we dug for two hours at least before they found her body. >> the lives that was lost. that's the main concern right now. everybody down here was just kind of like a family. >> reporter: a tight-knit group. >> yeah. >> reporter: you knew everybody personally. >> yep. >> i was standing at the back door looking out. i had just gotten out of bed. the sirens were going off. my husband was in the bathroom. >> and then what? >> and then i felt the trailer shaking. and i woke up underneath the trailer. >> me and the two dogs i have and the trailer started rolling down the hill. and you can see what's left. after i rolled five times, i mean, i can remember everything about it. once it hit the ground on the fifth time, everything just -- i saw daylight. and i was sitting up against the stove down there just leaned up with my back against it like i was sitting in a chair. i don't know how i'm here. >> reporter: it's a miracle. >> no doubt. the good lord just didn't call me is all i know. it wasn't my time. it's truck month! no. it's truck month! no. it's truck month! no. it's chevy truck month! definitely that one, boss. solid. let's try the other one again. ♪ chevy truck month ♪ no. it's truck month! ♪ truck month ♪ no. truck month! no. it's chevy truck month. yeah. 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