For Republican presidential candidates, capturing the Deep South means capturing the base of American conservatism. But southern voters have yet to decide on any one candidate, and southern sensibilities are broadening. Our partner, the New York Times, reported that the southern conservative electorate may be far more diverse than it once was. Are the Southern Republican voters going to gravitate towards Rick Santorum’s conservative social agenda, or are voters more about Newt Gingrich, the only one on the ballots with actual ties to the south? And what about Mitt Romney — are Southern evangelicals ready for a Mormon president?  

Deadly tornadoes that ripped through the South on Wednesday claimed some 284 lives. Entire neighborhoods were flattened in the wake of the 160 tornadoes that touched down in six states. We speak with Campbell Robertson, correspondent for our partner The New York Times, who joins us from Tuscaloosa Alabama, one of the areas hardest hit by the storms.

A federal report released yesterday says that 75 percent of the oil in the Gulf has either evaporated or been removed. However, local residents are skeptical and distrustful of the government and BP. There is also uncertainty surounding the environmental future of the region, which directly affects its economic future. New York Times correspondent, Campbell Robertson reports from New Orleans.

President Obama traveled to Louisiana yesterday for a first-hand briefing on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The "Deepwater Horizon" oil rig exploded on April 20th, rupturing its well and eventually sinking into the Gulf. An estimated 200,000 gallons of oil are gushing into the Gulf each day, as federal government and BP officials frantically explore options to contain the spill.

In the heat of a breaking story, news media frequently run details which later turn out to be incorrect. One case in point: it's recently come out that it wasn’t actually civilian police officer Kimberly Munley who shot down Hasan, as initially reported, but rather another officer, Sgt. Mark Todd. What else that's come from Fort Hood has been corrected since last week? To discuss and update the reporting thus far, we are joined by Campbell Robertson from our partner The New York Times, who has been reporting in Killeen, Tex. We also have Dave Cullen, author of "Columbine," about the Columbine High School massacre.

New York Times reporter Campbell Robertson joins The Takeaway from North Carolina, where he is watching the story of alleged homegrown terrorists who were arrested by federal agents. Daniel Boyd, a 39-year old Muslim drywaller, two of his grown children and four others were indicted on charges of conspiring to advance terror abroad. The men are charged with stockpiling automatic weapons and traveling overseas to participate in jihadist movements.

For more, read Campbell Robertson's article, Arrests in Terror Case Bewilder Associates, in the New York Times.

This morning U.S. and Iraqi officials had a ceremony to officially recognize the new U.S.-Iraq security pact. This pact, which is considered a landmark in restoring Iraq’s independence, requires all U.S. troops to leave Iraq by the end of 2011. For a look at what the pact's implications are for Iraq's future and the new role of U.S. forces (key words: baby steps), The Takeaway turns to Campbell Robertson. Mr. Robertson is the Iraq war correspondent for our partner The New York Times and is in Iraq and watched this morning's ceremony.

In Afghanistan and Iraq, war dominates every day. For a brief holiday from Christmas, The Takeaway turns to New York Times correspondent Campbell Robertson.