>> later in the hour, we will do a gut check on which candidate benefits most if newt gingrich drops out of the presidential race. what is george clooney doing in handcuffs? hello. we'll tell you. the man accused of killing 16 afghanistan civilians. a plane carrying bales is in ft. leavenworth. he's in a cell by himself. the man accused of the heinous attack in afghanistan is much different than the decorated combat veteran they know. >> i was completely blown away. i was devastated, heart broken. i mean, completely shocked. >> i would describe him, he was super fun to hang around with. kind of the life of the party kind of guy. super loving, friendly to everybody he met. great with his kids. i just -- i don't -- i don't see how this happened. i never saw signs of marital problems. they always seemed happy. >> we have more on bales. the married father of two who was in his 30s. >> reporter: it all began last sunday, a u.s. soldier left his base in the middle of the night, made his way to two nearby villages, shot, stabbed and burned civilians leaving 16 dead, including nine children. the shooting sparked protests around the country. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: in one, a u.s. soldier was burned and the taliban vowed to retaliate. they said with the help of god, we will take the revenge of every afghan by killing and beheading americans anywhere in the country. back in the u.s., president obama has a strong message of his own. >> the united states takes this as seriously as if it was our own citizens and our own children who were murdered. we are heart broken over the loss of innocent life. >> reporter: mr. obama's words in a previously scheduled visit with leon panetta did little to ease the tension. >> the afghans did not receive the cooperation they expected from the united states. >> reporter: the accused soldier has been identified as robert bales. he's a 38-year-old army staff sergeant out of tacoma, washington. his lawyer describes him as highly decorated and on his fourth combat deployment, three in iraq and the latest, afghanistan. in 2010, he suffered a traumatic brain injury or tbi in a vehicle rollover caused by a roadside bomb. >> he has a head injury. he was injured in his leg severely and i am somewhat confused as to why they would send him back to afghanistan. >> let's get to sarah, live in kabul, afghanistan for us this morning. we know hamid karzai is critical of u.s. authorities account of the events. what is the latest you are hearing there? >> reporter: it's still the same. basically, the afghan government does not believe the account the u.s. is giving for how all this went down. certainly, the villages in kandahar who lost so many family members don't believe this was only one soldier. you will hear the word we don't believe it could be pulled off by sun soldier. so, some conflicting information there. there's a lot of skepticism as to how all this happened and whether it's part of a larger plan for something. as you know, the u.s. has been adamant, this is one soldier acting on his own, not on a mission. they are looking at the charges. we are expecting to see the charges in the next few days. >> what about the afghan lawmakers? are they going to command bales be tried in afghanistan despite his return to the united states? >> reporter: even more so. yes. absolutely. we heard that from president karzai saying that we don't want compensation from the u.s. the government doesn't want compensation. the victims don't want compensation, we want justice. afghan lawmakers want it done in a public trial. as you know, there's an agreement in place between the united states and afghanistan when it comes to military personnel, they have to go through military channels. it's what the agreement has been. you are hearing from his attorney as well that that is not going to happen. it's not on the table. unlikely we will see him back here. there are questions about how the investigation will happen and they will obviously need to bring in witnesses that speak their language. that means bringing in translators. we'll get details as the case unfolds. certainly a lot of anger here. >> i can only imagine. thank you very much. we'll check in with her at 7:15 eastern time to talk about what the u.s. is doing to make restitution or payments to the victim's families. other stories, a series of explosions rocked damascus. reports several civilians were killed. witnesses say one blast hit near the military headquarters blaming terrorists for the attacks. a stunning twist to tell you about rebarding the kony 2012 film that went viral. jayson, the man seen on the right was stopped by police after several people reported he was running through the streets in his underwear screaming. a representative says russell has been hospitalized for dehydration from the stress. nearly 250,000 honda civic owners will get a settlement. it was approved yesterday because they didn't get the promised gas mileage. honda plans to appeal that decision. it's time now to say good morning to meteorologist reynolds wolf. hello. >> good morning, randi. if you are open in terms of the luck of the irish, skiing is open. snow in the central rockies and sierra nevada. flash flooding in california, heavy rain and snow. we have that to talk about. plus, there's a chance of severe weather popping up across the midwest later this afternoon. the full scoop coming up. >> you have it all covered. see you in a few minutes. what's to come on weekend early start because news doesn't take the day off. the presidential contest shaping up in puerto rico and missouri this weekend. shelling out money for president obama. see how much money his campaign raised. >> it is march 17th. you know what that means. we'll show you how people are celebrating. ♪ >> announcer: this is the day. the day that we say to the world of identity thieves "enough." we're lifelock, and we believe you have the right to live free from the fear of identity theft. our pledge to you? 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[ male announcer ] brake problems? stop in to meineke today for a free brake inspection and you'll say... my money. my choice. my meineke. welcome back. the focus in the race for the white house shifts to missouri where republicans are holding caucuses today. it's already been overshadowed by the battle shaping up in puerto rico. paul steinhauser has more. paul? >> good morning, randi. missouri republicans gather on the county level. they don't include a presidential preference straw poll, there are no results to report on tonight. puerto rico holds a primary tomorrow. 20 delegates are up for grabs. >> this is, i think my third trip to puerto rico. >> reporter: santorum was there thursday and friday. he ran into whether they should adopt english for their language. we caught up with santorum in puerto rico. >> reporter: should it be a requirement for them to become a state? >> spanish is going to be spoken in the island. this needs to be a biling yule country, not just spanish speaking. >> reporter: mitt romney wraps up two days of campaigning in puerto rico. earlier this year, romney said he supported english as the country's official language. what is what he said friday in puerto rico. >> i will support the people of puerto rico if they make a decision they would prefer to become a state, it's an effort i support. i don't have preconditions i impose. >> reporter: both candidates as well as newt gingrich are making rounds in illinois. 66 delegates are up for grabs. following santorum in alabama and mississippi, romney really needs to win illinois. randi? >> thank you, paul. president obama's re-election campaign is 5 million dlarls richer today. he got a star-studded welcome with fund raising stops in chicago. tyler perry held a dinner at his house. among the guests, oprah winfrey. >> in everything that i have imagined, i never thought -- there would be a day when the presidential motorcade would come through southwest atlanta. [ cheers and applause ] >> giving all of these little boys and little girls a glimpse of what destiny looks like. >> hollywood star george clooney was arrested in washington yesterday. he was taken into custody during a protest outside the embassy in washington. he was charged with a misdemeanor, fined and later released. he met with president obama about the issue earlier this week had this to say about his involvement. >> you never know if you are accomplishing anything. we are trying to bring attention to a moment in time that is actually important. we hope that this brings attention to it. >> clooney recently returned from a trip to sudan. the government injured and killed civilians in bombings and asking that military aid be let into the country. you have seen the deadly aftermath of tornadoes from a couple weeks ago. now, we are getting a sobering look the moment it hit an indiana school. the full picture in 80 seconds. 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[ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! 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. ♪ we are getting a revealing look this morning into the ef-4 tornado that wiped out entire communities in indiana. surveilness cameras inside the school were rolling as the tornado headed straight for the school. students were already on their school buses. minutes after they get the students inside the school, it hits. look at this incredible video. this is destruction that takes place within seconds. the power is undeniably clear here. students were inside the school while this was happening. no one was injured. look at the video. it's amazing they escaped with their lives. >> indeed. we always say you know how lucky or how worse it could have been. is there a better example of that? my goodness, if they would have been on the buses. i don't know if you recall the video of the damage across he y henryville. when you have the change of seasons, especially the transformation from winter into spring, you see this imbalance in the sphere and you have the tornado outbreaks. we could see more in the weeks ahead. today, we are going to see the chance of tornadoes across the midwest. the story we have this morning is what's taking place toward the west especially in seattle. they are going to get the rain. the highest elevations, in the cascades, talking snow. tough times for drivers. as you head to the willamette valley near portland, you could see snow there. anyone making the drive on 80 from reno to sacramento could see several feet of snow at the highest peaks. at the same point, wind gusts topping 60 miles per hour. it could be a mess, keep that in mind. the national weather service posted advisories. if you happen to be a skier getting out, it is going to finish up fine for you. one thing that won't be fine are the dry conditions, the strong winds acro croscross texas and corners. we have the threat of the storms into the afternoon into the mid mississippi valley. storms for the eastern third of the country. that combination gives you unstable conditions with a chance of strong storms. yes, the possibility of a few tornadoes. the big wind makers, the wind to the west topping 35 to 40 miles per hour. you might have a bumpy ride. denver, a high of 82. 80 in chicago for the st. patrick's day. to the west, a dip in the jet stream with cooler conditions. warmer toward parts of the east. 60 the high in new york. 83 in atlanta. 87 in tampa and 80 in miami. that is a quick sneak peek at the forecast. back to you. >> did that say 82 in minneapolis? >> it did? >> wow! how come it wasn't that warm when i lived there all them years? >> i don't know. we'll flip a switch and make it come back. if you are in the twin cities, it's not going to last long. >> i think it was 20 below when i lived there. >> brutal stuff. >> thank you. a mother watches as a shark pulls her daughter under water. >> it was, to me, like a scene out of "jaws" where the girl is getting sucked under. i said there is no way it's going to kill my daughter. >> this is an incredible story. we'll show you what happened next. it is about 22 minutes past the hour. time to check out top stories from around the nation. first to oregon. >> it makes me sick. to me, she's still a little girl. >> that was christina marie lopez sounding like a concerned parent. a strip club hired her daughter to dance. since then, video surfaced. it shows the 47-year-old mother watching her 17-year-old daughter dance and giving her money. the club claims the teen lied about her age. affiliate koin says the mother faces child abuse. >> it was to me, like a scene out of "jaws" where the girl gets sucked under. i said there's no way this thing is going to kill my daughter. i grabbed my daughter. >> in florida, a mother is credited with helping save her daughter from a shark. the shark clamped on the girl's ankle and pulled her off the board. here is a picture of the wound. surfers helped them to shore and a nearby ambulance. in arizona, moments of panic when nine passengers in a hot air balloon crash sbood power lines. four people suffered severe burns when parts of the balloon caught fire. the federal aviation administration is investigating. right now, in nepal, about 80 children are growing up behind bars. not because of anything they did, but because of their parent's crime. trying to give them a better life, sacrificing. meet pushpa. nepal, when parents have been arrested by the police, some children go to prison with the parent. the first time i visited the jail, i saw small girls who just grabbed my shawl, and she gave me a smile. it was really hard for me to forget that. my name is pushpa, and my mission is to make sure that no child grows up behind prison walls. in 2005, i started a daycare where the children can come out of the jail in the morning and go back in the afternoon. we have children who are from 2 to 4, they have coloring, reading, five days a week. we started in 2007 mostly over 3 years old. i don't get a day off, but i never get tired. it's a big family. with lots and lots of love. when i started this organization, i was 21 years old. people thought i was crazy, but this is what i wanted in my life. i'm giving them what a normal child should have. i want to fulfill all their dreams. remember, cnn heroes are all chosen from people you tell us about. go to cnnheroes.com to nominate someone you think is making a difference in the community. newt gingrich won two presidential contests but he's vowing to stay in the race. would a running mate help any of the candidates seal the deal and who is the best match, do you think? we'll find out ahead. details about the u.s. soldier accused in an afghanistan shooting spree. i am loving this greek yogurt. i like yoplait. it is yoplait. but you said it was greek. mmhmm. so is it greek or is it yoplait? exactly. okay... [ female announcer ] yoplait. it is so greek. two of the most important are energy security and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils and that's a huge breakthrough. that's good for our country's energy security and our economy. it's 30 minutes past the hour. welcome back. i'm randi kaye. thanks for starting your day with us. we want to update you on the investigation of the soldier accused of killing 16 afghan civilians. he's robert bales. he arrive d yesterday. we have more on his past. what have you been able to find out? >> we know he's 38 years old, the father of two young children. he is a family man and loving husband. he's challenged some of the ideas, reports that came out that marital instability intributed to this shooting rampage in afghanistan. we know he serves three tours in iraq and in his fourth to afghanistan, his first to afghanistan. we learned more about his past and views toward civilians in the conflict in iraq. we have an army account of the battle of naja where he talks about the importance of making sure you distinguish between fighters and nonfighters. he said i have never been more proud to be part of this unit than that day. the fact we discriminated between the bad guys and noncombatants. we helped the people that three or four hours before were trying to kill us. that's a little bit of a glimpse into the thinking of staff sergeant bales during that account back in 2007. he's been described by neighbors as a happy, normal family man. a neighbor talked about their kids going to each other's birthday parties. we are not sure what set off this rampage. >> all right. much more to learn about this alleged incident. thank you very much. appreciate it. here is a look at other top stories. several explosions in the syrian capital of demas kus. government buildings. syrian state television blames terrorists for the attacks. civilians and military personnel have been killed. the the director of the kony 2012 video has been arrested. he was picked up by police after reports of a man screaming and running through the street in his underwear. he's part of the group that filmed the movie about the war lord. it's taken an emotional toll on him. the video has been viewed 80 million times. hugo chavez is home fallowing cancer surgery in cuba. he will now undergo radiation. he's been in power since 1999 and plans to run for re-election this october. time now for what we like to call your political gut check. we want to take you beyond the speeches and break down what's going on in politics. out of the 27 state primaries and caucuses to date. newt gingrich won only two, south carolina in january and his home state of georgia earlier this month. gingrich and his camp say they are in this race for the long ha haul. >> in my mind, everything is cool. i'm still here. that's just a nice thing. >> the polls up to now show it's a tie race, a three-way race. we are not at the halfway mark of this campaign season. louisiana will be the half way point. >> there are three dates you want to focus on. march 24 it will be halftime. may 22nd is the beginning of the fourth quaurter and june 26 is overtime. why are the dates important? no candidate, by the time we reach louisiana will