TRUCKEE, Calif. — Heavy snow and strong winds have moved into California’s Sierra Nevada, shutting down schools and forcing chains on vehicles as the area gets a long-overdue blast of winter.

A winter storm carrying the prospect of up to 5 feet of snow for the Northern Sierra hit late Tuesday and was expected to last well through Wednesday, putting state road crews on alert while brightening the state’s water outlook heading into spring.

“After tonight, you probably don’t want to travel in the Sierra until Thursday,” George Cline, a forecaster with the National Weather Service, said Tuesday.

Forecasters on Wednesday posted winter storm warnings for blizzard-like conditions with 5 feet of snow and 60 mph winds possible through Thursday afternoon. Snowfall rates up to 4 inches an hour were expected along the Sierra Crest.

The California Department of Transportation said chains were required for Interstate 80 travelers from Placer County to Nevada County. A CHP dispatcher in Truckee said she was not aware of any road closures, but single-axle trucks were being turned around on Interstate 80 at the unincorporated community of Applegate in Placer County and at the Nevada state line, as heavy snow blanketed the road.

Schools in Nevada and El Dorado counties were closed because of the snow.

Strong winds and heavy rain made for difficult driving conditions on San Francisco Bay area roads on Wednesday morning. At least two bridges — the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge — were under a high-wind advisory. Caltrans said travel isn’t recommended for big-rigs, motor homes and those pulling trailers.

State surveyors from the Department of Water Resources measured the Sierra’s paltry snowpack on Tuesday and found it just 30 percent of normal.

The Northern California storm could ease fears among the 29 agencies that depend on snowmelt delivered through the State Water Project that already are bracing for meager allocations. Some farmers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley have been told to expect just half of the water they requested for the spring and summer growing seasons.

The forecast calls for snow in both the Sierra and Coast mountain ranges with the biggest wallop coming above 6,500 feet, where accumulation could be between 2 and 4 feet, and up to 5 feet at the highest elevations.

Nick Ut
 / 
AP

The cold front sweeping down from the Gulf of Alaska will also bring gusts up to 110 mph along the Sierra crests, and 60 to 70 mph “where people are,” Cline said. Snow levels could drop to 2,000 feet.

Caltrans is bracing for what could be the biggest snowfall of the extremely dry winter by having Sierra crews work continuously on 12-hour shifts. On Interstate-80, the main east-west trucking corridor in Northern California, at least 200 people operating 134 pieces of equipment will be on duty. On Interstate 50, 100 people and 74 pieces of equipment will be working to keep roads clear.

Supervisors on the road will monitor ice conditions and decide with the California Highway Patrol when to require chains.

In the Coast ranges, forecasters predict 6 to 12 inches of snow above 3,000 feet and 4 inches at 2,000 feet. Up to a half-inch of rain is expected in the Sacramento Valley with scattered showers farther south.

Along the coast, up to an inch of rain could fall on areas north of the San Francisco Bay, with showers diminishing near Monterey.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Gianluigi Guercia / AFP – Getty Images

A Free Syria Army member sits guard at a gate during the funeral of a man who was killed by shrapnel in Qusayr, 9 miles from Homs on Tuesday.

Heavy fighting broke out on Wednesday near the main rebel stronghold of Baba Amr in the city of Homs when Syrian troops began a ground assault, opposition sources told Reuters.

“The army is trying to go in with infantry from the direction of al-Bassel football field and fierce confrontations with automatic rifles and heavy machine guns are taking place there,” activist Mohammad al-Homsi told the news service from Homs.

He said the military had shelled the area heavily on Tuesday and overnight before the ground attack started.

While shelling continues on Homs, it was confirmed journalist Paul Conroy, of the Sunday Times, who was wounded in the attack that killed reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik, is safely out of Syria.  ITN’s Tim Ewart reports.

The reports of a ground assault came as the United Nations put the death toll in the 11-month uprising against authoritarian President Bashar Assad at well over 7,500. Activists reported more than 250 dead in the past two days alone — mostly from government shelling in Homs and Hama province.

Clinton: Syria’s Assad could be labeled a war criminal

Tunisia’s president — the first since the country’s own Arab Spring uprising toppled his predecessor — offered the Syrian leader asylum as part of a negotiated peace, an offer Assad will almost surely refuse.

A Syrian diplomat reportedly stormed out of an emergency U.N. meeting amid renewed calls for a cease-fire to deliver humanitarian aid. A top human rights official told The Associated Press a U.N. panel’s report concluded that members of the Damascus regime were responsible for “crimes against humanity.”

Rebel stronghold shelled as Syria vote result looms

In shift, China backs aid
In a possible significant change of tact, China backed international efforts to send humanitarian aid to Syria, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said, after Western powers proposed a United Nations resolution authorizing humanitarian aid.

It was not clear whether Yang’s remarks mean China will consider the proposed new U.N. Security Council resolution. China is one of the five permanent members of the Council which have the power to veto such resolutions.

“The pressing task now is for all sides to cease violence in the Syrian conflict, and to launch as soon as possible inclusive political dialogue and together deliberate on a reform plan,” Yang told Elaraby, who has previously said Beijing’s veto lost it diplomatic credit in the Arab world.

‘I think I will die,’ man in Syria’s besieged city of Homs says — then the line goes dead

“The international community should create conditions for this, and extend humanitarian aid to Syria,” added Yang.

China is trying to win back diplomatic ground after its widely condemned handling of the Syrian crisis.

Western powers said the U.N. Security Council would work on a draft resolution about extending help to stricken parts of Syria, and France urged Russia and China not to veto it, as they have previous drafts.

Yang made the comments in a phone call late on Tuesday with the head of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby, the official Xinhua news service reported on Wednesday.

The bloodshed in Syria, where government forces have been bombarding neighborhoods held by opposition forces, has turned into a broader test setting Western powers against China and Russia over how the world should respond to civil turmoil.

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Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Updated at 5:05 a.m. ET: MOBILE, Alabama — One crew-member died and three were missing after a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crashed off Alabama’s coast on Tuesday.

The Coast Guard said in a statement early Wednesday that one crew-member was found unresponsive and was later declared dead.

Petty Officer Second Class Elizabeth Bordelon said the MH-65 Dolphin crashed just after 8:30 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. ET) in Mobile Bay near Point Clear, Alabama.

The flight originated from the Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Bordelon said.

A response cutter from Dauphin Island and two additional MH-65s from New Orleans were dispatched to assist in the search, she said.

A Mobile County Sheriff’s Flotilla crew, an HU-144 twin-engine aircraft and an Alabama Marine Resources vessel were also activated.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the crew-members during this difficult time,” the Coast Guard said in a statement, adding that it was working through the night to find the three missing crew-members.

“This is our family we’re talking about,” Bordelon told the Mobile Press-Register.

The Press-Register reported that winds were southeast at around 15 miles per hour and the water temperature 63 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday night. Average water depth in the area averages at 13 feet, the newspaper said.

According to an overview on the U.S. Coast Guard website, the MH-65 Dolphin is its “most ubiquitous aircraft.”

It is “certified for operation in all-weather and night-time operations, with the exception of icing conditions,” the overview says.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

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Msnbc.com staff, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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The U.S. economy expanded at a slightly faster pace than first estimated in the fourth quarter of last year, perhaps allaying worries of a slowdown in the start of the new year.

The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that the U.S. economy grew at a 3.0 percent pace at the end of 2011, up from its previous estimate of 2.8 percent and higher than economists had expected. It was the fastest pace since the second quarter of 2010 and a much quicker growth rate than the 1.8 percent set in the third quarter.

Economists warned not to overreact to the upward revision. “It’s two tenths of a percent. I don’t think that’s going to change the tone of the discussion,” said Tom Porcelli, chief economist at RBC Capital Markets.

While the build-up in business inventories still accounted for much of rise in output in the last quarter, the revisions to GDP unveiled an improved tone for the first-quarter growth outlook, however.

Businesses were not as aggressive in their restocking efforts, which should help to calm fears of a sharper slowdown in output this quarter.

In addition, consumer spending – which accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity – was a touch firmer than initially thought. Consumer spending rose at a 2.1 percent rate instead of 2 percent.

Even spending on home building was firmer than previously estimated and investment on nonresidential structures was modestly weak.

So far data ranging from employment to manufacturing have shown underlying strength in the economy, reducing the need for the Federal Reserve to ease monetary policy further by launching a third round of asset purchases or quantitative easing.

But surging gasoline prices, which have risen 12.6 percent or 42 cents since the start of the year and averaged $3.78 a gallon in the week through Monday, are clouding the outlook.

High gasoline prices helped to almost snuff out growth early last year. However, economists believe the impact on households this time could be mitigated somewhat by weak costs for natural gas and a strengthening labor market.

While the rebuilding of inventories added a hefty 1.88 percentage points to GDP in the last quarter, the pace of accumulation was not as fast as previously reported. Business inventories increased $54.3 billion, instead of $56.0 billion.

This suggests scope for more stock accumulation this quarter, but not at the same magnitude as the final three months of last year.

Excluding inventories, the economy grew at a 1.1 percent rate, rather than 0.8 percent. That was still a sharp step-down from the prior period’s 3.2 percent pace.

Although business overall business spending was revised up, investment in equipment and software was lowered to a 4.8 percent growth rate from 5.2 percent.

Export growth estimates were also lowered, but weaker imports led to a smaller trade gap.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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WASHINGTON — The uneven U.S. economic recovery will have to pick up in order to quickly bring down an unacceptably high jobless rate, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday.

“The job market is far from normal,” he said in comments prepared for delivery to the House of Representatives Financial Services committee.

Bernanke’s remarks suggested another round of Fed bond buying to stimulate growth is not off the table as policymakers assess whether job market gains will persist.

The drop in the unemployment rate, which fell to 8.3 percent in January, is more rapid than would be expected given the economy’s sluggish rate of growth, Bernanke said.

“Continued improvement in the job market is likely to require stronger growth in final demand and production,” he said.

Sustaining a highly accommodative monetary policy stance is consistent with the Fed’s goals of achieving full employment with low and steady inflation, he said. The Fed believes rates near zero will be appropriate through at least late 2014, he added.

A recent rise in oil prices due to geopolitical tensions may raise inflation for a time and curb consumption, Bernanke said.

“Gasoline prices have moved up … a development that is likely to push up inflation temporarily while reducing consumers’ purchasing power,” he said.

At its last policy-setting meeting in late January, the Fed said it isn’t likely to raise benchmark interest rates – which have hovered near zero since December 2008 – until at least late 2014.

Bernanke, in a press conference following the meeting, left open the possibility the central bank could launch another round of bond buying if the weak recovery falters or if inflation begins to fall below the Fed’s 2 percent target.

Strong jobs and factory data since then have eased worries U.S. economic growth could slow sharply, but tensions between Western nations and Iran have escalated, threatening a repeat of 2011 when a spike in energy prices hit the recovery hard.

Nervousness about oil supply have pushed crude oil prices to 10-month highs. In the United States gasoline prices are rising toward $4 a gallon, posing a risk to the recovery and leaving President Barack Obama open to criticism from Republicans on the campaign trail ahead of November’s election and in Congress.

Average U.S. retail gasoline prices are now at nearly $3.72 per gallon, up from $3.37 a year ago. If tensions with Iran, a major producer, continue into the U.S. summer driving season, prices at the pump could rise more.

Some economists think the Fed will reconsider its 2014 target for raising interest rates if job growth continued to strengthen.

Lawmakers and some economists have begun to question whether keeping rates that low for that long will heighten the risk of inflation, especially if the economy continues to improve and companies keep hiring.

Bernanke is not expected to signal any changes when he delivers the Fed’s semi-annual economic report this week, first to the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday and then to the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday.

Nor do economists expect the Fed to alter its plan after its next meeting, on March 13. But some believe the Fed may soften its commitment to the 2014 timeframe after its late-April meeting, if the economy continues to make solid strides.

“We believe we need to see another couple of months of large payroll gains around 250,000 alongside a lower unemployment” rate first, economists at Deutsche Bank said in a research note.

Others say it would take an unmistakable sign of strength for the Fed to back off the 2014 target this year.

The job market is looking a lot better. The unemployment rate has fallen for five straight months and employers have added an average of 200,000 net jobs per month from November through January. Many economists are predicting that trend carried over into February.

Consumer confidence rose this month to the highest point in a year. Stocks have been surging — the Dow Jones industrial average on Wednesday closed above 13,000 for the first time since May 2008, four months before the financial crisis. Even the housing market is looking a little better.

Many economists believe Bernanke will take note of the recent improvements. But he’s expected to caution that serious risks remain. He’s likely to note the debt crisis in Europe. And he’ll point out that gas prices have jumped in recent months.

“I don’t expect Bernanke to say much beyond what the Fed has been saying which is a very conservative outlook that continues to show concern about the sustainability of the recovery,” said Brian Bethune, an economics professor at Amherst College.

Few economists expect the Fed to announce another round of bond-buying at its next meeting. But some say Bernanke will leave that option on the table, in case the economy falters again.

The Fed has tripled the size of its balance sheet since the financial crisis hit in 2008 to a record $2.94 trillion. It has conducted two rounds of bond purchases, one starting in late 2008, at the height of the financial crisis, and a $600 billion program that was announced in November 2010 and concluded in June of last year.

Click here for the full prepared testimony Bernanke will give to the House Committee on Financial Services.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Police have released the 911 calls made moments after a teen gunman opened fire at an Ohio school, killing three students and injuring two others. NBC’s KevinTibbles reports.

Police have released 911 recordings from the school shooting in Chardon, Ohio, revealing the chaos and fear from Monday’s incident that left three students dead and two others wounded.

“We just had a shooting at our school. We need to get out of here. Oh, my god,” one crying female caller told a dispatcher.

“Everyone’s running away,” the caller added.

Another caller, a male student, instantly identified the gunman as Thomas Lane, a student, and said he appeared to be shooting at random.

“What was his beef with these kids? Do we know?” the dispatcher asked.

“I have no idea,” he said, adding: “He’s very quiet and he doesn’t really talk to anyone.”

In a separate call, an adult pleads with the dispatcher: “Chardon High School. We got shots fired. Gunshots. Multiple gunshots. We need help. We need help badly.”

By the time the 17-year-old shooter was in custody, he had fired at five teens in the close-knit community of 5,000 residents, located about 35 miles outside of Cleveland.

The calls, recorded by the Chardon Police Department and Geauga County Sheriff’s Office and released on Tuesday, describe a scene of panic as students ran for cover in the cafeteria, where Thomas, known as T.J., allegedly opened fire just after 7:30 a.m.

“We are in lockdown. We need assistance right now!” another female cries in a separate call.

NBC affiliate WKYC.com published a string of 911 calls, from the initial reports of a gunman on school property to the high school principal confirming T.J. Lane’s identity as the alleged shooter.

Third student dies in Ohio school shooting

Report: Teen suspect in Ohio shooting from violent family

Slideshow: Photos from Chardon

“Hey, it’s the principal at Chardon again. The alleged shooter ran out the back door… past the pool, alright?”

The dispatcher asked for a description of what he’s wearing. The principal told her he has a white t-shirt on and then said, “We have a name, we think.”

“Is that Thomas?”

“Yup,” he responds.

Lane did not attend Chardon High, instead attending nearby Lake Academy, a school for students with academic or behavioral problems.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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David Moir / Reuters

James Murdoch, pictured above, has stepped down as the executive chairman of News Corp.’s publishing arm.

Under increasing pressure from a phone-hacking scandal, James Murdoch has resigned as executive chairman of News International, the company’s parent, News Corporation, announced Wednesday.

“We are all grateful for James’ leadership at News International and across Europe and Asia, where he has made lasting contributions to the group’s strategy in paid digital content and its efforts to improve and enhance governance programs,” said Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, News Corporation, in a statement.

James Murdoch will focus on the company’s international TV business, his father said. Tom Mockridge, Chief Executive Officer of News International, will retain his job and report to News Corp. President and COO Chase Carey.

James Murdoch, Rupert’s youngest son, was once seen as heir apparent for News Corp’s top job. He has been under pressure in Britain since last summer following the phone-hacking scandal that erupted at the unit which he oversaw.

His resignation comes after a new spate of embarrassing revelations in London at the judge-led Leveson Inquiry into press standards, which was ordered by British Prime Minister David Cameron in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.

A police officer heading three criminal inquiries into reporting practices at News International testified on Monday that there was a “culture of illegal payments” to corrupt public officials at the company’s flagship Sun newspaper.

The Inquiry also brought to light an email from a top in-house lawyer at News International that showed senior managers had been told as far back as 2006 that illegal phone-hacking was not confined to one “rogue reporter”, as the company maintained for years afterwards, but was likely to have been far more widespread, as later proved to be the case.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Updated at 11:44 a.m. ET: WASHINGTON — North Korea agreed on Wednesday to stop nuclear tests, uranium enrichment and long-range missile launches and to allow nuclear inspectors to visit its Yongbyon nuclear complex to verify the moratorium has been enforced.

The announcement, made simultaneously by the U.S. State Department and North Korea’s official news agency, paves the way for the possible resumption of six-party disarmament negotiations with Pyongyang and follows talks between U.S. and North Korean diplomats in Beijing last week.

It also marks a significant policy shift by North Korea’s reclusive leadership following the death in December of veteran leader Kim Jong-il.

Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton told a Senate hearing that North Korea’s suspension of nuclear activities a “modest first step” but also “a reminder that the world is transforming around us.”

N. Korea envoy: ‘Positive’ signs from talks with US

The U.S. still had reservations about North Korea, the State Department said in a statement.

“The United States still has profound concerns regarding North Korean behavior across a wide range of areas, but today’s announcement reflects important, if limited, progress in addressing some of these,” it read.

It said Washington reaffirmed that it did not have hostile intentions toward North Korea and was prepared to take steps to improve bilateral ties and increase people-to-people exchanges.

An unidentified spokesman from North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in its statement carried by the state-run news agency that the North agreed to the nuclear moratoriums and the allowance of U.N. inspectors “with a view to maintaining positive atmosphere” for the U.S.-North Korea talks.

‘Nutritional assistance’
Clinton also said the U.S. will meet with North Korea to finalize details for a proposed package of 240,000 metric tons of food aid, referring to it as “nutritional assistance.” She said intensive monitoring of the aid would be required.

North Korea appealed for food aid a year ago to alleviate chronic shortages.

PhotoBlog: Kim Jong Un: A dictator in the grip of his people?

The surprise announcement was a step forward for Washington’s campaign to rein in renegade nuclear programs around the world and comes as the Obama administration steps up pressure on Iran over its atomic ambitions, which western governments fear are aimed at producing nuclear weapons.

Since 2006 North Korea has tested missiles, staged two nuclear tests and unveiled a uranium enrichment program that could give it a second route to manufacture nuclear weapons, in addition to its existing plutonium-based program. At low levels, uranium can be used in power reactors, but at higher levels it can be used in nuclear bombs.

The U.S. still has nearly 30,000 troops based in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, that ended in a armistice rather than a peace treaty.

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Msnbc.com stadd, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Romney wins ugly in Michigan… But that win silences the talk about a white knight riding to the GOP’s rescue… February took a toll on Romney… Did Santorum lose Michigan more than Romney winning it?… On to Super Tuesday… And Snowe’s retirement gives Democrats a better than 50%-50% chance of holding the Senate in November.

Mark Blinch / Reuters

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney addresses supporters at his Michigan primary night rally in Novi, Michigan, February 28, 2012.

*** Winning ugly: With so much riding on last night’s outcome in Michigan, Mitt Romney got exactly what he needed to avoid political disaster — a win. After all, a win is a win, and Romney pocketed two of them with a blow-out victory in Arizona (47%-27% over Rick Santorum) and a nail-biter in Michigan (41%-38%). But it wasn’t pretty for the former Massachusetts governor in the state where he grew up, where his father had served as governor, and where he won by nine percentage points in 2008. If this were college football, last night’s Michigan contest was akin to the No.2-ranked team in the country winning on a last-second field goal (the score 41-38) against an unranked opponent at home, on Homecoming. That No. 2 team survives, gets to regroup, and keeps its championship hopes alive. But the way it won — UGLY — despite all of its advantages raises doubts among the sports writers and even fans about its chances against the No. 1 team. Then again, the goal is to make it to the BCS game and see what happens. And Romney essentially did that by winning in Michigan last night.

*** But that win silences the talk about a white knight riding to the rescue: The biggest impact of Romney’s narrow victory in Michigan: It silences the talk of a white knight riding to the GOP’s rescue. While such an outcome might not have occurred even if Romney lost — was a Christie/Daniels/Jeb Bush really going to jump in this late in the game? — last night pretty much closed the door on that kind of speculation, even if Romney struggles next week on Super Tuesday (which is entirely possible). The other result: It drives home the point to all that Romney has PLENTY of work to do to close the deal with rank-and-file conservatives and convince his party that he can be a strong nominee. At his media avail yesterday in Michigan, Romney admitted that. “The candidate sometimes makes some mistakes, and so I’m trying to do better and work harder and make sure that we get our message across.” Yet Romney also appears to have a message problem and a campaign problem. (Does the campaign appear competent because it is, or does it look that way in comparison to the other GOP campaigns?) And the campaign has to ask itself: How did they come this close to disaster… in MICHIGAN????

*** February took a toll on Romney: As we end the month of February, it’s worth noting the toll it took on Romney. When February began, the Conventional Wisdom was that it was tailor-made for the former Massachusetts governor. It started right after Romney’s big win in Florida; the only two big primaries in the month were on Romney turf (Michigan and Arizona); it featured just one debate (preventing a Gingrich or even Santorum from using it to build momentum); and in between were minor contests (in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri) that no one would pay attention to. But here’s what happened: Victories in those supposed minor contests gave Santorum all the momentum he needed to give Romney a run for his money in Michigan; Romney committed numerous verbal gaffes (“I’m not concerned about the very poor,” two Cadillacs, NASCAR team owners); his staff made mistakes (the Ford Field speech); and national polls showed an erosion of support from independent voters. Bottom line: He started the month looking strong and ends it looking weak.

*** Team Romney turns its attention to Obama: The Romney campaign has a new web video — also serving as a fundraising solicitation — that turns its attention to President Obama and notes how Team Obama and its Democratic allies tried to help defeat Romney in Michigan. Speaking of fundraising solicitations… Romney made what appears to be his first primary-night pitch for supporters to actually go to his website and give money. As we’ve been reporting for the last week, there is reason to believe Romney has a money problem, and we know he does not want to write a check like he did four years ago. It is amazing, by the way, that the frontrunner for the GOP nomination is likely to have fewer individual donors than two of his opponents (Santorum and Paul) when the next reports come out (March 20).

Top Talkers: Mitt Romney takes home two wins in Michigan and Arizona after the state’s primaries, and the Morning Joe panel – including Time’s Mark Halperin, MSNBC’s Michael Steele, and Random House’s Jon Meacham – discusses Romney’s win and why Santorum didn’t walk away with Michigan the way some expected.

*** Did Santorum lose Michigan? As for Santorum, you could make the argument that he lost Michigan more than Romney winning it. In past contests, we’ve seen the Romney campaign destroy all of its opponents. But in this case, Santorum hurt himself with self-inflicted wounds. His debate performance in Arizona. His college/snob line. His attack on JFK’s 1960 speech. Just look at the exit polls in Michigan: Romney crushed Santorum among “somewhat conservatives,” 50%-32%. That suggests he turned off rank-and-file Republicans who might not be excited about Romney, but who aren’t as conservative as Santorum and were turned off by the rhetoric. Next week’s Super Tuesday contest in Ohio becomes a must-win proposition if Santorum wants to be the GOP nominee or even simply REMAIN the chief alternative. The good news for him: It’s more than doable. Polls taken before last night’s contests show him ahead in the Buckeye State; the demographics there are very similar what we saw in Michigan; and Romney doesn’t have a built-in advantage in the state. But here’s the bad news: Romney’s victories last night could give him the momentum that he needs to erase Santorum’s lead. What’s more, Romney and his allies currently enjoy a 6-to-1 ad spending advantage in Ohio (see below) when that edge was just 2-to-1 in Michigan — and even smaller than that in the final week of the contest.

*** The delegate battle: Here’s one final point about Michigan: NBC News can declare that Romney and Santorum have each won six of Michigan’s congressional districts, giving them 12 delegates. (And when you add the one at-large delegate each won, they stand at 13 each.) But there are two undecided districts (the 5th and 13th) — one where Romney is leading by some 60 votes (with more to be counted), and one where Santorum is up some 40 votes. So, yes, it’s still possible for Santorum to win more delegates in Michigan than Romney.

*** On to Super Tuesday: So now we move to next week’s Super Tuesday contests — and even before that the Washington caucuses this Saturday. The big Super Tuesday prize is Ohio, given that it seems all the candidates (sans Paul) will be campaigning there. And here is the early campaigning strategy: Romney stumps in Ohio (today and Friday), North Dakota (Thursday), Idaho (Thursday), and Washington state (Thursday); Santorum heads to Tennessee (today) and Ohio (Friday); Gingrich hits Georgia (today, Thursday, and on Super Tuesday); and Paul campaigns in Washington state (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), Alaska (Saturday and Sunday), and Idaho (Monday and Tuesday). By the way, keep an eye on Tennessee. It’s the ONE Southern State on Super Tuesday — excluding Virginia — where Romney could overperform. And if he wins it, he could actually begin to put this nomination away for good.

*** Super Tuesday ad spending: As in the other contests, Romney and his allies have a sizable spending edge in the Super Tuesday states.

Ohio: Restore Our Future $2.25 million; Romney $1.2 million; Winning Our Future $498,000; Santorum $275,000; Red, White and Blue Fund $255,000
Georgia: Restore Our Future $1.5 million; Winning Our Future $1.1 million; Romney $327,000; Santorum $152,000; Gingrich $15,000
Tennessee: Restore Our Future $915,000; Winning Our Future $464,000; Santorum $130,000; Gingrich $3,000
Oklahoma: Restore Our Future $378,000; Winning Our Future $323,000; Santorum $90,000, Romney $8,000; Gingrich $2,000
Idaho: Romney $37,000
TOTAL: Restore $5 million; Romney $1.5 million; Winning $2.4 million; Santorum $647,000; Red, White and Blue $225,000; Gingrich $20,000

*** On the trail, per NBC’s Adam Perez: Romney hosts two events in Ohio, rallying in Toledo and Bexley… Gingrich remains in Georgia, making stops in Atlanta, Covington and Gainseville… Santorum rallies in Nashville, TN… And Paul hits Washington, DC.

*** Two points on Snowe’s retirement: We want to make two points about Olympia Snowe’s retirement announcement yesterday. One, it gives Democrats a better than 50%-50% chance of holding the Senate in November. If Democrats win in Maine and Massachusetts, then they’ve moved the bar to Republicans needing to win five seats (if Obama loses) and six (if he wins). We can see how Republicans get to four (North Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, and Missouri). And we can see how they maybe get to five (adding Virginia or Wisconsin or Ohio). But six? That would mean that Republicans would need to win in a New Mexico or a Florida or a Michigan. It’s a tall order; they didn’t sweep all the toss-ups in 2010, which was a much BETTER landscape for the GOP.  Two, Snowe’s stated reason for not seeking re-election in 2012 — increased polarization in the Senate — couldn’t have been scripted better by David Plouffe or David Axelrod. “I do find it frustrating … that an atmosphere of polarization and ‘my way or the highway’ ideologies has become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions,” she said yesterday. There’s a reason why President Obama released a statement on Snowe’s announcement yesterday when he didn’t do the same for other announced GOP senators (Kyl and Hutchison).

*** The latest GOP aisle-crosser to leave the Senate: And by the way, Snowe is just the latest of the regular Republican aisle-crosser to leave the Senate (by retirement or loss) since 2008. Here are some of the others: Bob Bennett, George Voinovich, Judd Gregg, Arlen Specter (though he switched parties), Mel Martinez, Chuck Hagel, Gordon Smith, and John Warner. And get this: Susan Collins now becomes the last remaining Senate Republican who voted for the stimulus back in 2009. 

Countdown to Super Tuesday: 6 days
Countdown to Election Day: 251 days

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Article source: http://pheedo.msnbc.msn.com/click.phdo?i=e5a5ffe81348b279518919625558b6d4

Updated at 12:30 p.m. ET:  BRANSON, Mo. – At least nine people were killed overnight as a line of tornadoes marched across the Midwest, flattening parts of several towns, officials said Wednesday.

Hardest hit was Harrisburg, Ill., where six deaths were reported, along with nearly 100 injuries and at least 200 homes destroyed or damaged by a suspected tornado. Earlier reports from state officials said the death toll was 10, but those were later revised down.

Forecasters warned more twisters could strike the Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians through Wednesday evening as the storm system moved east.

Three other deaths were reported in Missouri, where a suspected tornado hit a mobile home park outside the town of Buffalo. One person died in the mobile home park and around a dozen people were injured. Two others died in the Cassville and Puxico areas of Missouri.

On Tuesday night, at least 8 people were injured when a suspected tornado ripped through Harveyville, Kan. At least three of the injured are in critical condition, according to weather.com, and 40 percent of the town suffered damage.

NBC affiliate KSHB TV reported that an apartment complex and a church were among the damaged buildings in the town of about 250 people.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback issued a disaster declaration for the area, parts of which were without power.

Other hard-hit areas included Branson, the tourist hub, and Lebanon in Missouri.

In Branson, 32 people were treated at one hospital for injuries, mostly cuts and bruises. An apparent tornado moved through downtown Branson, heavily damaging the city’s famous theaters and hopscotching up Highway 76, uprooting road signs and scattering debris.

The injuries could have been far worse had the storm hit next week, when the tourist season begins.

“If it was a week later, it’d be a different story,” said Bill Tirone, assistant general manager for the 530-room Hilton and adjacent Branson Convention Center, where windows were shattered and some rooms had furniture sucked away by high winds. Hotel workers were able to get all guests to safety as the storm raged.

Mark Schiefelbein / AP

Storm debris is piled near the entrance to the Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater in Branson, Mo., on Wednesday.

John Moore, owner of the damaged Cakes-n-Creams ’50s Diner, said the apparent twister appeared to “jump side to side” as it moved down the entertainment district, right through the convention center, across a lake and into a housing division.

“The theater next to me kind of exploded. It went everywhere. The hotels on the two sides of me lost their roofs. Power lines are down. Windows are blown out,” Moore said. “There’s major, major destruction. There has to be millions dollars of damage all down the strip.

Paul Newton / The Southern via AP

This neighborhood was among the areas of Harrisburg, Ill., damaged overnight.

“Jennifer Verhaalen said she saw a white funnel cloud followed by a wall of rain as the storm closed in on the town around 1 a.m.

She said she retreated to a back bedroom with her husband as the storm slammed into two hotel buildings, tearing the roof off one.

PhotoBlog of the destruction

Across the road, a strip mall lay in tatters, its roof missing and several walls collapsed.

Branson has long been a touristy outdoor destination for visitors who came to see the beauty of the surrounding Ozarks. But the city rose to prominence in the 1990s largely due to the theater district, where venues featured the star power of country music and celebrities including the Osmonds and Andy Williams.  

John Hanna / AP

Damage in Harveyville, Kan., includes this home.

In Lebanon, a tornado was reported at 12:25 a.m. and numerous reports came in of damage in the area.  A tractor-trailer was reported to have been blown off Interstate 44 nearby.

Newburgh, Ind., also saw damage from severe storms. Several homes and a business were hit, though no injuries or deaths were reported.

Mathew Fowler / Harveyville Gazette via AP

Damage is seen Wednesday morning in Harveyville, Kan., after an apparent tornado passed through Tuesday night.

Weather.com earlier said that “scattered severe storms” had been expected to sweep from the Plains eastward into the mid-Mississippi Valley and portions of the Mid-South Tuesday night into early Wednesday.