steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: five candidates were left after jon huntsman dropped out. but the debate boiled down to four versus front-runner mitt romney. >> reneed to satisfy the country what whoever we nominate has a record that can stand up to barack obama in a very effective way. >> i know that people are going to come after me. i know president obama is going to come after me, but the record is pretty darn good. >> reporter: good, he said, as governor of massachusetts. >> we balanced the budget every year that i was in office. >> governor romney raised taxes and massachusetts was 47th in job creation. >> reporter: before that, romney ran bain capital that rick perry claimed refinanced and ruined the steel mill in south carolina. >> there were leach lost jobs there. >> reporter: romney claimed bain saved and grew u.s. jobs originally. >> you look at places like staples, verizon, the steel company i talked about, the sports authority, they alone added 120,000 jobs as of today. >> reporter: now romney's wealthy friends are running harsh ads against rick santorum. >> i

steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: two wins in a row for mitt romney. >> thank you, new hampshire. tonight, we made history! >> reporter: it's a blow to conservatives. newt gingrich was back in the pac tied for fourth with rick santorum, the stop romney vote got split. exit polls found moderate and conservatives cast votes for romney and ron paul was second, his biggest finish. >> we have had a victory for the cause of liberty tonight! >> reporter: jon huntsman third. >> ladies and gentlemen, i think we're in the hunt! >> reporter: but he lacks organization. it's romney's dream result. he took aim at president obama. >> if this election is a bidding war for those who can promise the most benefits th, then i'm your president. you already have that president. if you want to make this election about restoring american greatness, then i hope you'll join us. >> reporter: romney's rivals used an attack expected from the democrats. romney getting rich at a company that bought failing firms and sometimes fired workers. drop it, romney said. >> this is such a mistake for our party and our

nbc steve handelsman reports from tampa. >> reporter: newt gingrich and mitt romney each with one primary win, tried to finish one another off in florida. >> i think it's about leadership and the speaker was given an opportunity to be the leads of our party in 1994 and at the end of four years he had to resign in disgrace. >> i think the american public deserve a discussion about how to beat barack obama and what we would do about the economy. i think this is the worst kind of trivivial plots. >> reporter: ron paul is not contending florida. rick santorum a week third, warns al qaeda could be active in cuba, but in a state hard hit by the housing crisis, freddie mac is an issue. the federally backed lender blamed by many for the mortgage mess. newt gingrich worked for freddy and released his frcontract. >> you were making over a million dollars. at the same time, people in florida were hurt by millions of dollars. >> reporter: romney made millions in business. >> i'm proud of the fact that i pay a lot of taxes. >> i i'd like to bring everybody else down to mitt's rate. >> reporter: a mome

nbc's steve handelsman has more from capitol hill. steve, good morning. >> lynn, thanks. good many from capitol hill. >> reporter: even his harshest critics concede this is what barack obama does best. his democrats up here love his state of the union address. >> the president of the united states! >> reporter: barack obama came to congress pushing his reelection feed that republicans call class war fare. >> we cannot settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of americans barely get bit, where we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. >> reporter: he demanded a new rule for the wealthy like him. >> if you make more than a million dollars a year, you should not pay less than 30% in taxes. >> reporter: the president took credit for 3 million new jobs, cutting the deficit 2 trillion and saving gm and chrysler. >> and, tonight, the american auto industry is back. >> reporter: he promised fairer trade with china, mortgage refis a

i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, manchester, new hampshire. >>> william daley is stepping down. the president said yesterday that daley wanted to return to his family in chicago after just one year on the job. after praising daley, the president named jack lu as his new chief of staff. he currently the white house budget director and has extensive relationship with congress. >>> last night's bcs title game at the superdome in new orleans, here is nbc's fred roggin. >> good morning. alabama came into last night's bcs title game as the second ranked team in the nation laevent new orleans as national champs. with a combination of field goals and stifling defense, the crimson tied led from start to finish from lsu. tied a bowl record with five field goals and their defense did the rest. they shut out the tigers. alabama wins its second national title in three years. 21-0. we will have much more on the bcs title game coming up in sports. for now, back to you. >> thank you very much, fred. >>> here is a look at the stories making news early today in america. nothing stealthy about an

nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: mitt romney with governor chris christie. >> we know a president when we see one, and he is right here. >> reporter: romney would be the first non-incumbent to win both iowa's caucuses and tuesday's first primary, but rivals ganged up to try to stop romney's role. >> we want someone who's going to stand up and fight for the conservative's principles. >> reporter: romney claimed he cut spending as a governor and then returned to the business world. >> i went to massachusetts to make a difference. i didn't go there to make a political career running time and time again. >> can we drop the pious baloney that. >> jon huntsman. he got slammed back. >> i put my country first. apparently mitt romney doesn't believe in putting country first. >> reporter: rick santorum who nearly beat romney in iowa as a strong opponent of same-sex marriage but was not tripped up during the debate. >> what if you had a son who came to you and said he was gay. >> i would love him as much as i did the second before he did it. >> reporter: mitt romney loved by me con

i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, columbia, south carolina. >>> u.s. officials tell nbc news that six marines were killed in a helicopter crash on thursday. their troops died when their chopper went down. officials say no signs of enemy activity at the time of the crash which is still under investigation. it was the deadliest crash in afghanistan in august when 30 troops were killed when a chinook helicopter rah shot down. >>> a drone strike in paecket, unmanned drone stuck on january 10th, and hit waziristawazirist. an operationing planner was killed. a senior u.s. official says his death reduced pakistan spinning death of another operative plotting the death of innocent civilians. >>> here is a look at the stories making news early today in america. >>> firefighters in reno, nevada had starting to take control of a massive wildfire but not before it destroyed more than 20 homes and forced 10,000 people to leave the area. vice president joe biden was forced to abruptly end an appearance at a local high school interrupting his remarks upon hearing flam

i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, washington. >>> well, a former u.s. marine has pleaded guilty to shooting a gun at the pentagon and other military targets last year. 24-year-old malaku entered a guilty plea. prosecutors released a guilty he made which shows him in his car waving his gun at the camera. at another point in the tape, he begins firing. the shots could be heard and you can see the muzzle flash from the gun. he also recorded himself wearing a mask. no one was hurt in the shooting. he was arrested last june and admits to five separate shootings in october and november of 2010. twice at the national museum of the marine corps and once each at the pentagon and at coast guard and marine corps recruiting offices in virginia. prosecutors say he intended to strike fear throughout the he will region. maluk agreed to a 25-year prison term and will be sentenced in april. >>> here is a look at some of the other stories making news early today in america. >>> dramatic video shows a nashville police officer attacked at a gas station after he responded t

nbc's steve handelsman has more from capitol hill. steve, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, thanks, good morning from capitol hill. even his harshest critics concede, this is what barack obama does best, his democrats up here loved this state of the union address. >> the president of the united states. >> reporter: barack obama came to congress pushing his re-election feed, that republicans call class warfare. >> we can set for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number of americans barely get by or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same set of rules. >> reporter: he demanded a new rule for the wealthy, like him. >> if you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30% in taxes. >> reporter: the president took credit for 3 million new jobs, cutting the deficit 2 trillion and saving gm and chrysler. >> and tonight, the american auto industry is back. >> reporter: he promised fairer trade with c

steve handelsman has the details. >> reporter: rick santorum, his tireless campaign across the state is finally paying off. santorum could win tuesday night. >> i said this is an episode of "survivor." you're just going to survive. if you can keep surviving, you just never know what can happen. here we are, we've just kept surviving. >> reporter: the new des moines register poll puts santorum third. but if you count voters polled on the last three days of the poll, santorum is tied with mitt romney at the top. and a surge could win him the endorsement of iowa conservative leader congressman steve king. >> i'm closer on the social issues with rick santorum on those three, no questions. >> reporter: mitt romney kept to his game plan. sounding like the nominee. >> president obama and i offer extraordinarily stark contrasts. >> reporter: ron paul with a shot at winning iowa ruled out a third party bid for now. >> i'm essentially tied for first place and why would i even consider doing anything like that? >> reporter: newt gingerich, fourth at 12%, looked for a bright spot. >> i was encou

live in manchester, i'm steve handelsman. jim, back to you. >> what other opportunities will those rivals have to go after romney between now and voting day in new hampshire? >> reporter: there's going to be a tv battle. gingrich has some money. he's made it clear he is going to say a lot of nasty things about romney and throw up the kind of ads he charges the group supporting romney. ron paul through up to take him, newt gingrich down in iowa. look ahead to saturday and sunday. unusual back-to-back political debates here in new hampshire. gingrich is going to be there. he's going to lead the attacks on romney and look for everybody else to join in. >> yeah, he is fired up, safe to say. steve handelsman live for us in new hampshire. thank you. >>> president obama meanwhile is out pushing his message to the middle class saying he is on their side. mr. obama visited a democratic district near cleveland, ohio today. the trip brought a controversial move. he used his recess power to appoint a director of the consumer financial pr

live from des moines, i'm steve handelsman, news 4. aaron, back to you. >> all right, steve, thank you. >>> starting today, you'll have to pay a little extra, a quarter, to be exact, if you take the dulles toll road. the new rate is $1.50 at the main toll plaza. the increase tolls are helping to pay for the metro to dulles. >>> in montgomery county, if you get paper or plastic, it's going to cost you. a new five cent bag tax starts today. it's expected to generate $1 million today, which county officials say will partially go to water and litter cleanup. you can avoid the charges by bringing your own reusable bags. >>> new year, same skins. they're playing for pride against the eagles today, but the redskins season ended with another disappointing loss. and we can be grateful, hakem, that we don't have to say that anymore. >> at least this year -- at least this season. we hope not next year. here's an astounding statistic here. redskins finished last in the division for the fourth straight year. that's a franchise worst. sorry for bein

i'm steve handelsman, nbc bay area news. >> thanks so much, steve. >>> how much did it cost the candidates to get each vote? "the washington post" reports mitt romney spent nearly $1.5 million in iowa, about $49 per vote. santorum on a shoe string budget doled out about ea$22,000. about 73 cents per vote. and the guy who got the least bang for his buck, rick perry, dished out $4.5 million, that comes out to $364 for each vote. >>> literally speaking, it's a jail break. construction crews in san bruno unleashed a wrecking ball on an outdated building which kept inmates locked up for decades. and this project is decaades overdue. >> reporter: it took five or six swings this morning for the wrecking ball to finally do some damage to this old jail. but it's happening. 78 years after it opened u.s. doors. the last act in office of san francisco michael hennessey. he vowed to close the jail 32 years ago after it opened operations, there were reports it was deteriorating quickly with rumors it was overcrowded. built for 550 inmates, it often held 750. it took a federal court ruling in 1997 to fin

. >> steve handelsman is live in manchester with the latest. steve? >> thank you. good evening from new hampshire. conservatives here had hoped to stop mitt romney's seeping m seh to the gop nomination or set him up for a loss in the next primaries. they didn't. two wins in a row for mitt romney. the first time for a nonincumbent republican. >> thank you, new hampshire! tonight we made history! [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: a blow to conservatives. newt gingrich was back in the pack tied for fourth. >> on to south carolina. >> reporter: with rick santorum. the exit polls found moderate and conservative people of new hampshire cast votes for romney. libertarian ron paul was second. his biggest finish. >> we have had a victory for the cause of liberty tonight. jon huntsman third. >> ladies and gentlemen, i think we are in the hunt. but he lacks organization. it's romney's dream result. he took aim at president obama. >> if this election its a bidding war for those who can prom ips the most benefits, then i'm not your president, you already have that president.

steve handelsman is in des moines, iowa, with the very latest on this. steve? >> reporter: thanks. good evening from iowa caucus headquarters in des moines, iowa. where some veteran iowan republicans have been walking around tonight shaking their heads. as nbc news projects ron paul to be the surprising to some third place finisher here in the iowa caucuses, the two big headlines seem to be mitt romney fails to dominate. and rick santorum emerges as the stop-romney coervative alternative. the record turnout said gop officials and less than an hour into the iowa caucuses, the republican votes were coming in. a near three-way tie. rick santorum went to a caucus in johnston. the social conservative had traveled the state, his support rising rapidly at the end. >> i went out and trusted the people of iowa. i have felt welcomed. it has been a great experience. >> reporter: ron paul won cheers earlier today from young supporters. they were his mainstay backing his libertarian pull. >> what we need is constitutional government, limited government, small government. >> reporter: mitt romne

steve handelsman reports from the state capital in columbia. >> reporter: mitt romney's once 12 point lead is fading fast in south carolina. >> frankly to be in a neck-in-neck at the haas moment is kind of exciting. >> exciting? maybe to newt gingrich. >> galop said he's collapsing and i'm gaining. >> rick santorum piled on romney. >> someone who is just trying to run the clock out and be the person who has the most money. >> a sudden focus on romney's wealth and whether he'll share his tax returns. >> maybe. you know, i don't know how many years i'll release. i'll take a look at what our documents are. >> jeered at thursday's debate where gingrich got cheers. >> we need leadership prepared to take on big projects. >> a cafe in lexington, some mitt voters were switching to newt. >> i think romney wouldn't be a good a debater against obama as what gingrich would. >> gingrich's second wife claiming he asked her to okay his affair with his current wife, calista may not have stopped his surge. >> i'm more interested in getting obama out of office than i am anything else right now. >> mitt

nbc steve handelsman reports from tampa. >> reporter: newt gingrich and mitt romney each with one primary win, tried to finish one another off in florida. >> i think it's about leadership and the speaker was given an opportunity to be the leader of our party in 1994 and at the end of four years he had to resign in disgrace. >> i think the american public deserves a discussion about how to beat barack obama and what we would do about the economy. i think this is the worst kind of trivial politics. >> reporter: ron paul is not contending florida. rick santorum a weak third, warns al qaeda could be active in cuba, but in a state hard hit by the housing crisis, freddie mac is an issue. the federally backed lender blamed by some for the mortgage mess. newt gingrich worked for freddie and released his contract. >> you were making over a million dollars. at the same time, people in florida were hurt by millions of dollars. >> reporter: romney made millions in business. >> i'm proud of the fact that i pay a lot of taxes. >> i'd like to bring everybody else down to mitt's rate. >> reporter: a mome

i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, tampa. >>> some details now on the romney tax returns and the gingrich work for freddie mac. in 2010, romney paid about $3 million in federal tax on more than $21 million in income from his investments. charitable gifts reduced his tax rate to less than 14%. romney will pay about $3.2 million with an effective tax rate of more than 15%. newt gingrich released his contract with mortgage giant freddie mac for what were called, quote, consulting and related services. he was paid a total of 1.6 million dollars for his eight years of work at freddie mac. >>> after last night's debate, voters are comparing this on another key issue, electability. and last night on the ed sew, ed asked barney frank when the conservative right is diluting itself into thinking future gingrich can beat president obama. >> the people who are supporting gingrich are not persuaded by the electability issue because i've seen this on which when you have people who are very angry, very committed, they believe that they represent the majority. and they will tell you that in fact there ar

steve handelsman, wbal-tv 11 news. >> you can follow the candidates in the race for the white house, plus keep track of who is in and who is out and who is leading the pack, all on the politics page of our website, wbaltv.com. things may be heating up in florida, but bitter does not begin to describe how cold it is in alaska. people in their banks had to endure 49 degrees below zero -- people in fairbanks. anyone who has to go out was advised to bring an emergency road kit with blankets. it was anything but a deep freeze for this weekend's polar bear plunge, which likely contribute to this year's record numbers. wbal-tv is a proud sponsor of the event. professionals tell us more than 14,000 raised a total of $2.50 million for the two-day event, and you can still dominate. just ahead, you can continue -- you can still donate. there is a link at the top of our homepage at wbaltv.com. if you spent any time outside this weekend, you noticed how incredibly excellent the weather is for january. it has certainly been unseasonably warm. we got people walking, jogging, and just enjoying the m

i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, des moines. >>> coming up next at 5:00 we'll take you on a new year's eve tour around the world including the biggest party in the nation. you can guess. also, being responsible on this new year's eve. we'll show you a few ways to help you have a safe celebration in the bay area and some of them are free. over a hundred years of tradition came to an end today in san francisco's japan town. >>> we're seeing a pretty nice evening so far around the bay area. oakland is still 55 degrees. we've got high clouds coming on in right now but will the clouds toss any chance of showers as we head into the new year? ve'l hal a look at that plus your complete new year's eve forecast. ha >>> it is a little after 8:00. the countdown is on in times square as the hours tick down to midnight. here is a live look at times square right now. hundreds of thousands of people have gathered to watch the ball drop and bring in the new year with lady gaga and justin bieber and it's a little chilly out there, too. nbc's wendy gillett has a look for us. >> reporter: hundreds of thou

nbc's steve handelsman has a look at what newt gingrich has to say about his win tonight. >> reporter: the triumphant peak in a roller coaster ride. >> we want to run an american campaign. >> reporter: newt gingrich polled 20 points ahead in south carolina, then fell 10 behind, and won big tonight. >> it's not that i am a good debater. it is that i articulate the deepest-felt values of the american people. >> reporter: gingrich broke through in two debates here, sounding tough and confident. >> i think grandiose thoughts, this is a grandiose country. >> reporter: south carolinians who decided late went for gingrich. tea partyers and evangelicals too. mitt romney stumbled admitting he paid a tax rate of 15%, not releasing his returns. he got slammed by his rivals and tonight fired back. >> when my opponents attack success and free enterprise, they're not only attacking me, they're attacking every person who dreams of a better future. he's attacking you. >> reporter: rick santorum ran third but vowed to continue. ron paul too, but not in florida, the next contest. that's where romney is

steve handelsman has our report. >> reporter: just four are left and newt gingrich had the hot hand. the endorsement of rick perry and surging polls in south carolina so gingrich blew up when the first question in the cnn debate. >> the story has now gone viral on the internet. >> reporter: was about his ex-wife and infidelity. >> she says you asked her, sir, to interview an open marriage. >> the story is false. to take an ex-wife and make it two days before the primary a significant question of a presidential campaign is as close to despicable as anything i can imagine. >> reporter: mitt romney had learned he lost the january 3rd caucuses to rick santorum. >> i had to work to get 25 more votes in iowa, that's for sure. >> reporter: now rivals are slamming his business takeovers that led to firings. >> i find it kind of strange on a stage like this with republicans having to describe how private equity and venture capital work and how they're successful and how they create jobs. >> reporter: he paid a 15% income tax rate but hasn't released his returns. gingrich did tonight. $3 milli

steve handelsman has the commitment 2012 update from tampa. >> new gingrich and mitt romney, each with one primary win, tried to finish each other off tonight in florida. >> is about leadership, and the speaker was given the opportunity to be the leader of our party in 1994, and at the end of four years, he had to resign in disgrace. >> the american public deserves a discussion of how to beat barack obama, and what to do about the economy. this is the worst kind of trivial politics. it ought to stop and look at the facts. >> ron paul is not attending in florida. rick santorum warning that al qaeda could be active in cuba. freddie mac is a big issue. the federally backed linder blamed by some for the mortgage mess. newt gingrich tonight released his contract. >> he could have spoken out on a way to say these guys are wrong, this has to in, but instead were being paid by them. you were making million dollars at the same time people of florida are being hurt by millions of dollars pickax i am proud of the fact that i pay a lot of taxes. >> i would like to bring everybody else down to mitt

i'm steve handelsman, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, steve. president obama spoke about using natural resources to end our dependency on foreign oil. >> over the last threw years, we opened millions of oil and gas explorations. i'm directing as administration to open more than 75% of potential offshore oil and gas resources. >> offshore drilling may be a sore subject here in the bay area, but the president said he is moving forward. he is also requiring all companies that drill on public land to disclose what chemicals they use to ensure the health and safety of citizens. the president remarks on offshore drilling comes days after he rejected the pipeline project that would have carried oil from canada to the gulf coast. president obama is renewing a commitment to clean energy despite the recent folding of a solar company, solyndra. they received $535 million in federal loans. congress is passing clean energy tax credits as well. >> one of the most poignant moments of the night had little to do with politics, but the departure of gabrielle gif

steve handelsman has more on this. >> reporter: good evening from iowa a lot of iowa republicans are undecided even tonight. tuesday's results and outcomes to be announced at caucus headquarters are in doubt. staffers hurried to say he didn't mean it but mitt romney for the first time predicted victory in the caucuses. >> we're going to win this thing with all of our passion and strength and do everything we can to get the campaign on the right track to pick up other states and get the votes i need to become our nominee. >>> >> romney had a lead over libertarian ron paul whose supporters are more avid and will heed tonight's call. >> we are hoping to send a strong message tomorrow. you need to show up and get your vote in. >> thank you for coming out. >> reporter: but rick santorum is surging. he hit every one of iowa's counties and won the backing of the dugger family. >> we need to get behind rick santorum for president. >> reporter: he slammed romney. >> we are not looking for a chief executive officer for this country. we are looking for a commander in chief. >> reporter: and his

steve handelsman has our report. >> reporter: the night before the new hampshire vote, mitt romney laid out his main reason to run. >> we have 25 million people out of work. >> reporter: but romney rivals ganged up to charge he got rich by killing jobs. >> mitt romney and them guy, they don't care who i am. >> reporter: backers of newt gingrich released a film alleging romney's company, bain capital, profited by gutting companies and laying off workers. romney says some firings couldn't be helped. >> it breaks your heart to see people lose their jobs. >> reporter: he nubain would become an issue. >> i thought it was going to come from the president and the democrats, from the left, but instead, it's coming from speaker gingrich. >> reporter: newt said better for romney to crumble before the nomination than after. >> i can stand the heat. we'll see if he can stand the heat. >> reporter: attack number two came when romney called for health care you can switch. >> i like being able to fire people that provide services to me. >> governor romney enjoys firing people. i enjoy creating jobs. >

i'm steve handelsman, nbc bay area news, live in des moines. >> thank you, steve. for more coverage on the iowa caucuses, stay with us for "nightly news with brian williams" after this newscast. >>> we'll take you to the san francisco zoo for your first look at banana sam. back home safe and sound. >>> how to get a jump on the hottest tickets in town, they go on sale tomorrow but you can buy them tonight. >>> minutes away from the fiesta bowl, stanford and oklahoma state. a preview from glendale. check in on one of the biggest viewing ports in palo alto. >>> temperatures right now in the 50s. a lot cooler today, a lot more cloud cover around here from santa rosa to livermore. as we continue through tonight, we'll see plenty of cool numbers dropping into the 40s for the south bay. we'll have details on cloud cover. [ male announcer ] for some reason those five food groups sound a whole lot better when you put them in a taco shell instead of a pyramid. old el paso. when you gotta have mexican. fantastic! pro-gresso ] they fit! okay-y... okay??? i've been eating progr

steve handelsman, nbc news, columbia, south carolina. >> we are getting hungry already. watch the football with some ravens grub. we have some surprisingly healthy and yummy game day snacks. >> plenty to do and see this weekend. jennifer franciotti cooked up some of those "maine" attractions. >> what you need to know. still ahead, stay with us.ta >> welcome back. lowell melzer reporting live from fells point where they are preparing for the big game today. i have jeff the manager here to help me with something. we have this patriots fan here. we're going to hide him, get him out of here. coming up in the next 15 minutes or so, we will show you guys a true traditional irish breakfast here, and what that has to do with football. we'll explain all of that. come down here. we're expecting a huge crowd around the 8:00 or 9:00 hour. we'll have more live reports then. lisa, we'll send it to you. we're just warming up here getting excited for the game later today. >> thanks, lowell. you can have all the daily gating you want and make it -- you can have all the tailgating you wan

steve handelsman has the latest in this morning's commitment 2012. >> as the better jobs numbers came out, lamb ham front-runner mit romney was campaigning claiming 1.7 million jobs have been lost under president obama. >> we wondered what would happen if we elected a president that had no experience. he failed to put americans back to work. >> in new hampshire, newt gingrich slammed the president. >> today's unemployment newspapers numbers are a good indicator we are a long way from being a healthy economy. >> gingrich's number is -- ron paul is second at 17%. rick san tore yum up to third, 11%. the former massachusetts governor down to 40%. with still a dominant lead for romney but san tore yum has the buzz, and he brought it here to king, new hampshire. in a jammed event, san tore yum said u.s. -- santorum said u.s. employment may be up. >> i think there may be optimism because republicans may take the white house and that is spurring people to take some risks. i'll take that as a reason. >> later, pressed, he backed off. >> are you really taking partial credit for new jobs numbers

steve handelsman, wbal-tv 11 news. >> president obama tried something new. a little different on the campaign trail. he broke into song. we'll show you that a little wlater. stay with us. "11 fitness" is coming up next. first a look at last night's winning lottery numbers. the 2-'s got the everyday value slam, classic burger, build your own chicken wrap, cheese quesadilla, chicken parmesan, all you can eat pancakes, cordon bleu melt, the new cookie skillet a la mode. whew. so many choices, so little airtime. the 2-4-6-8 value menu. only at denny's. >> good morning. we have "11 fitness." even if you are over 70, there is no excuse? >> it is not really a number, it is just how you feel. i was at the market the other day and someone said, are you the hand so many -- handsome young man i see on television? i said, that would be me. >> have a seat. >> first of all, you can have a chair. can you do dips in a chair. seniors can do this. you guys use moderation. you can go down as far as you want and come up. as far as you want. you can use your own judgment. you ne

steve handelsman was with huntsman today and joins us live from manchester, new hampshire with the latest today. steve? >> reporter: hi, jim. th thanks. good evening from new hampshire. in this state where romney is so well known and so far out in front, the other moderate republican in this race has been campaigning here virtually nonstop since summertime. jon huntsman pinning his hopes on new hampshire. >> has been downgraded. >> reporter: he put out a new tv ad. >> we are getting screwed as americans. >> reporter: after hearing huntsman in durham, she was impressed, not sold. >> i have more research to do. >> reporter: huntsman has been here for months, stuck at 7% in state polls. encouraged by rick santorum who came back to win in iowa. >> investing in grass roots politics, the shoe leather on the ground, endless town hall meetings and house parties does pay off. >> reporter: santorum was in new hampshire. >> believing in limited government and free people, strong families, strong communities, strong churches. >> reporter: he's jumped from fifth to third in a new hampshire poll. it's

steve handelsman is in manchester, new hampshire with more on this. steve? >> reporter: jim, thanks. good evening from manchester. no surprise. none of the republican contenders in this race would concede any of this good economic news was the doing of the democrat in the white house they are competing to run against. as the better jobs numbers came out, new hampshire front-runner, mitt romney was campaigning in south carolina, claim k 1.7 million jobs have been lost under president obama. >> we wonders what would happen if we elected a president who had no experience. he failed to put americans back to work. >> reporter: in new hampshire, newt gingrich slammed the president. >> today's unemployment numbers are a good ind icator, we are a long way away from a good economy. >> reporter: gingrich has 9% support in the latest tracking poll. ron paul is sect at 17%. santorum up to third, 11%. the former massachusetts governor, 40%. it's a dominant lead for romney, but santorum has the buzz. he brought it today to new hampshire. t in a defense, he said employment

i'm steve handelsman, nbc news, columbia. >>> there is controversy as voters go to the polls in south carolina, republican voters reportedly received e-mails with untrue statements about newt gingrich. one e-mail made to look like a breaking news report saying gingrich's second wife was forced to have an abortion. the second was made to look like a message from gingrich, admitting to the allegation. gingrich as well as the south carolina republican leader have called on the state's attorney general to conduct a full investigation. >>> two of the candidates are not only battling on the ballot but in the same restaurant. mitt romney and newt gingrich are set to appear at the same breakfast shop this morning. the two say they will show up at tommie's country ham house at 10:45 despite the other candidate being there. both candidates laughed off the coincidence saying they're okay sharing the stage with each other. >>> two weeks after the iowa caucuses, we finally have a winner. rick santorum has taken the hawkeye votes by 34 votes taken away a win by mitt romney, originally thought to ha

live from des moines, i'm steve handelsman news 4. back to you. >> thank you, steve. >>> president barack obama and his family are wrapping up a ten-day vacation in hawaii. after more than a week out of the spotlight, the president plans to raise his campaign profile as soon as he returns. tomorrow night, he'll host a live web chat with supporters in iowa as voters attend the caucuses there. wednesday, the president will go to cleveland to talk about the economy. >>> we are following the developing story in prince george's county where police are investigating a possible murder suicide attempt. it happened in the southern part of the county. one man is dead, another flown to an area hospital after being shot in the back. police believe the first man who took his own life after shooting the second man. >>> a body of an adult man was found in the potomac river in the arena along the gorge washington parkway after 9:00. we talked to one of the fishermen who didn't want to be identified. >> we came in this morning to go fishing. we were u

nbc's steve handelsman reports. >> it's a mess. >> president obama said too many federal agencies overlap. 12, he said, regulate food from the farm, to the table. 12. ocean salmon are regulated by the comers department. but when they swim into fresh water, it's the interior department. >> the government we have is not the government that we need. >> reporter: he wants the okay to merge commerce and five related agencies into one, to unburden u.s. companies and create private sector jobs. then he'd cut more agencies, reducing the government workforce through attrition. >> let me be clear, i will only use this authority for reforms that result in more efficiency, better service, and a leaner government. >> reporter: he's sound like the republicans trying to take his job. >> this is a way of saying, if romney this is nominee and he's mr. efficiency, we can be efficient, too. >> reporter: for 50 years before the reagan rare, presidents had consolidation authority. barack obama wants it back. >> if you give presidents more power to reorganize government, you're giving president's more power. >

i'm steve handelsman, back to you. >> thank you, steve. >>> if you liked today's weather, you are in for a real treat tomorrow, folks. >> veronica johnson is in the weather center with the forecast. >> that's right. the winter continues, right? what's not to love about today? temperatures were some 20 degrees above average. 15 to 20 degrees above where we were yesterday at the same time. in the 50s, upper 50s and low 60s. 58 degrees currently. the south and southwest flow. the mild air sitting to the west and sout area. look at the temperatures now 58 degrees. adams morgan, falls church coming in at 64 degrees. kensington currently. 66 degrees down in culpeper, virginia. charlottesville, virginia, 66 degrees. not too bad as far as sky conditions. we are going to see those passing by. a mostly clear night. so, mostly clear, nice light wind and very comfortable conditions. so, what an evening we are going to have. as far as temperatures go, we are going to see them fall off late. we drop to 50 degrees by 11:00 p.m. on your fast forecast after all the gorgeous weather, we'll have wow we

steve handelsman, wbal-tv 11 news. >> very interesting. just a reminder, tonight's debate begins at 9:00 right here on tv 11. >> taking the plunge takes on a different meaning every year. >> this year's color plaque -- polar bear plunge is special. he has already raised $15,000 for special olympics. >> technology that can detect cell phones in prison. i am lisa robinson. i ♪ round, round, get around, i get around ♪ [ female announcer ] new and improved swiffer dusters with dust lock adhesive can clean virtually every surface in your home. ♪ its thousands of fluffy fibers pick up dust here, there, pretty much everywhere. and swiffer dusters traps 3 times more dust than a feather duster. and locks it away. ♪ swiffer cleans better or your money back. ♪ get around >> live, local, late-breaking. 11 news at 5:00 continues now. >> no more service bars wall behind bars. and the technology aims to make it impossible for inmates to use telephones while in prison. contraband in the nation's prisons has long been something security forces ha

nbc's steve handelsman has a recap. >> reporter: as they met in new hampshire two and a half days before the vote, the republican candidates debated who would create more u.s. jobs, like the 200,000 in december celebrated by front-runner mitt romney. >> it's very good news. i hope we continue to see good news but it's not thanks to president obama. his policies have made the recession deeper. >> santorum attacked romney. >> he said i've got business experience. well, business experience doesn't necessarily match up with being the commander in chief of this country. >> romney's firm capital reorganized trouble businesses. >> and taking out the ones where we lost jobs and those we added, those businesses have now added over 100,000 jobs. i have a record of learning how to create jobs. >> ron paul, polling second, took on santorum. >> what really counts is his record. he's a big government, big spending individual. >> it's a ridiculous charge. and you should know better. >> rick perry unleashed a shocker. >> i would send troops back in to iraq. >> mostly perry and john huntsman watched. the

steve handelsman joins us live now from columbia, south carolina, with the latest. steve? >> reporter: hi, pat. thanks. good evening from columbia. here in south carolina today, asked about his taxes, pressed for proof of what he paid and who he paid it to, mitt romney promised again to release some returns by april. but we should know after tomorrow whether this once strong front-runner will be a mere after thought and also run by then. mitt romney has to lower expectations. >> i love this country. i love you for being out here in the rain. let's go out there and win. >> reporter: the day before the south carolina primary romney is no longer polling like a sure winner. >> right now it looks like it's neck and neck. that's a pretty good spot to be in. >> reporter: in fact if newt gingrich wins, it shakes up the gop race. and as lizard's thicket cafe in lexington today where there is liver pudding with the eggs and grits the guys in the corner are switching to the former speaker. >> i'm going to go from gingrich. >> i believe that newt has found forgiveness and the past is

steve handelsman joins us live now from manchester with the latest on this story. steve? >> good evening, pat. from manchester, new hampshire, led by gingrich, this fresh, harsh attack on romney is designed to wound the front-runner and take him out but down the campaign trail. even if the former massachusetts governor does as expected, win here tomorrow. mitt romney worked the phones in new hampshire. >> that's 2-0. >> he is far ahead in the polls but under attack. >> mitt romney and them guys don't care who i am. >> backers of newt gingrich released a film charging romney's firm in the '80s and '90s profited by pillaging weak companies and laying off workers. nbc and bain co-owned the weather channel. romney says bain saved some companies and failed to save others. >> it breaks your heart to see people lose their jobs. >> reporter: romney knew it would become an issue. >> i thought it was going to come from the president and the democrats, from the left, but instead it's coming from speaker gingrich. >> reporter: gingrich said better now than later. >> if somebody is go

steve handelsman has the latest. >> reporter: mitt romney has turned around the race in florida. >> i will fight to get more opportunity for americans. >> reporter: in four days from monday night's debate to last night's, romney regained the lead in florida polls. he had a new debate coach. >> speaker gingrich was hired by freddie mac to promote them. i think instead we should have had a whistle blower and not a horn tooter. >> reporter: newt gingrich had a bad night. >> i'd be glad to have a truce with you. >> reporter: gingrich is still the national gop front run inner today's nbc news poll with 37% to romney's 28%. >> we've had a consistent effort to try to develop a nationwide approach. >> reporter: but he got bad news on electability. in a head-to-head matchup with president obama, gingrich is running third, 18 points behind the president. romney is six points back. if newt is the nominee, the nbc pollster predicts a republican rout like 1964 when ultra conservative republican nominee barry goldwater won just six states. >> gingrich is goldwater and he doesn't only take down hims