regime to crackdown. polls show a narrow advantage for obama. tonight's truth explores how that translates into a win for mitt romney. and does in vogue mean on the ticket? did for sarah palin four years ago. see what republican governor is glammed up. we start with new developments in secret service prostitution scandal and growing disgust on capitol hill. lawmakers say expect more secret service employees to resign or be fired soon, and the more details congress learns about a night of heavy drinking and hiring escorts in columbia, the more outrage. >> it is a stunning thing, actually disgusting. those people that are responsible have brought disgrace and it is disgusting. >> people that are here to

protect the president, they go to columbia, have a fight over a prostitute over how much to be paid? that's either very stupid or total lack of common sense. >> congressional correspondent dana bash is on the hill. what are we learning? >> reporter: the idea of whether or not the rest of the 11 secret service members are going to go, is a big question. i talked to lawmakers that say their sense is the answer is yes, and their sense is because they have been talking to the secret service director, but it is an open question when that will happen. the understanding according to lawmakers and other sources i talk to is they're getting push back from some of the secret service members, saying they don't believe they violated rules or broke code. the other issue is in some cases, dismissals are delayed because of conflicting stories. but the other thing is whether or not it is appropriate for the secret service to really be effectively investigating themselves. for the most part, not all lawmakers, but most of them are actually saying yes, it is okay for now, they have confidence

the secret service can do this the right way. this is something we don't see much on capitol hill for the most part. there's a scandal and members of congress and both parties and both sides of the capitol jump on it, want public hearings. this time they're saying not so fast, we'll get the information first. one committee hired four investigators on their own to dig into what went on. >> one senior member of one of the committees that could get involved, elijah cummings from maryland. >> people said to me look, cummings, if they would try to kill reagan, i know they'll try to do harm to this president. i hear that all the time. >> this fear among black caucus members predates the columbia debok he will. does congress see any connection or worries that it intensified? >> he didn't specifically say that, but it is what he is suggesting. i said right after that to be blunt, are you talking about the fact you're worried that the

president is the first african-american president? i said i am going to leave it there. this has always been a concern. what congressman cummings did say, his concern is that the armor of the secret service has been pierced. you travel with the secret service as do i. the idea that the secret service is out there could deter poe tepgs people that want to harm the president. his point is there are people that say i can get in there with prostitutes or other ways, maybe the president could be harmed in the future. >> dana bash, reporting on this information. turning to the race to the white house. new polls explain the tougher political tone from the president and white house team in reseptember days. new numbers from the "the new york times" show president obama and mitt romney in a dead heat, both 46% nationally. gloria borger is here.

they go through a bloody primary, still technically not over. the president has no primary opponent, he is above the fray, and why? >> it is clear that republicans are start to go coalesce around mitt romney. the other thing is the precarious state of the economy, john, when you look further into the cbs, "the new york times" poll, what's interesting, voters are split whether president obama or mitt romney would be a better steward of the economy. and what do they care about? they care about the economy. they like president obama an awful lot more than they like mitt romney. but in the end, they want somebody they believe can fix their economic problems, and that's what it is going to come down to, and that's why it's close. >> so you get tougher tone from the white house, because at the moment, voters are looking at the obama record, not necessarily all his fault, but the state of the country, state of the economy, state of gas prices, you have like ability versus performance? >> that's right. the president's likability is

higher than job approval. that's the key to the romney campaign. what they're going back to, okay, this was candidate obama in 2008. here is what he promised he would do for you. and by the way, here is what he hasn't done for you, going back to a state like ohio, for example, having senator portman on later. mitt romn mitt romney went there today to talk about problems that still remain in that state after president obama ran in that state and made promises. >> a magazine or history lesson here. four years ago, a few months before she was john mccain's running mate, time where not many knew who she was, there is sarah palin on the pages of vogue. nice fashion spread in front of an airplane, with another picture in alaska. low and behold a few months later, on the republican ticket. fast forward. look at this from current issue of vogue. that would be nikki haley,

republican governor of the south carolina, some think has an outside shot. good idea, bad idea? >> i think what nikki haley is trying to do is sell books. she has an auto biography out there she has been flanking. it is a high visibility magazine, you want to appeal to women voters, women read vogue. i looked at a list of famous women that had been in vogue also politicians. the u.s. ambassador tote u.n., susan rice, hillary clinton, jill biden, on and on. >> not joe biden? >> not joe biden, but i wouldn't say you have to be involved, but at this point it doesn't hurt. >> dying to see how that plays back home. see how that plays. >> didn't say it didn't hurt in south carolina. >> gloria, thanks. what does the president's re-election team think of the turn for the worse in his case

in the polls. with us live from chicago, stephanie cutter. stephanie, have you ever been in vogue? >> yes! not like that though. >> let's turn serious. when you look at tightening numbers. i know everyone on the team top down says it will be a tough race, it will not be 2008. when you look at the numbers when it comes to handling of the economy, who can create jobs, who would be best to deal with gas prices, issues that are front and center in voters' minds, guess what, the other guy is winning, even though he had a bloody primary campaign. why? >> you said it, john, that this is a contest between likability and job performance. one thing they haven't been exposed to is mitt romney's job performance. they don't understand what he did at bain capital or what happened in massachusetts where he left government, left the state with higher debt, bigger

government, and 47th out of 50th in job creation, with manufacturing jobs leaving the state at twice the rate of any other state in the country. you know, those are the facts of his job performance. they weren't covered in the primary. they will be covered in the general. voters will be exposed to it. these polls tell me that there's a lot they don't know about mitt romney. but the fundamentals are really strong. in "the new york times" poll, 60% don't believe mitt romney has no idea what's going on in their lives and can't relate to him, that's an important number, and the gender gap, and gap with hispanic americans, that all means something in this race now. >> you mentioned what they don't know about mitt romney, whether he can connect to them, i agree on whether he could connect to them is key in this campaign going forward. the romney campaign sees a deliberate effort by your team and even the president to sharpen that contrast. the president said i wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. governor romney took it as a

shot as his family's wealth. he said i am not apologizing, my dad was poor and amassed his fortune, and on the trail he said this. >> his failures mean his campaign is not going to be about vision, it is going to be about division. he is going to be focusing on different americans, trying to scapegoat other people for his own failures. you will see him attack success day-in and day-out. >> and governor romney says any time anyone raises an issue with the president, he blames someone else. >> well, john, you know that's not true. the silver spoon comment, the president made that comment many times as part of his speeches on the economy and on what we need to do to make the economy last where everybody gets a fair shot at success. that's what that means. in ohio, talking about what we have done to increase worker training, job training, so people can go on if they lost their job, they can get a new

and better job that pays higher wages, as opposed to romney who cut worker wages. mitt romney is wrong, we're not attacking or dividing, we're simply pointing out our vision of the economy versus mitt romney's version of the economy. we don't believe the economy grows giving to the top and let it trickle down. we think it grows from middle up. that's a stark difference in this race. that doesn't mean we're dividing anybody. that's our vision of the economy, that's reflected in the polls, other number in "the new york times" poll, who is looking out for me and my life. barack obama wins that in "the new york times" poll and your poll, and there's a reason for that. that's because mitt romney doesn't relate to them, doesn't put forth vision or policies that will make a difference in their lives.

>> stephanie, we'll see you quite a bit 207 days, 208 days. >> and counting. >> lost count. i am sure you haven't. stephanie, thanks, see you soon. when it comes to being vice president, marco rubio says he doesn't want the job, but the florida senator says he knows who would be perfect for mitt romney. who? it is a fellow senator. and he joins us next. and whether the stand your ground law contributed to the death of trayvon martin. [ male announcer ] this is lawn ranger -- eden prairie, minnesota.

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lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. take a look. i have a newspaper for you. this is the front page of the chronicle telegram in lorraine county, ohio. mitt romney and president obama gave speeches within a day of each other, a must win state. maybe that's why almost every gop insider you talk to says ohio senator rob portman would be a great choice to be mitt romney's running mate. he got a ringing endorsement from someone many conservatives say should get that number two spot. >> senator rob portman would be

phenomenal choice for vice president. that's where i would encourage them to look. >> is romney portman the right ticket? does that have a good ring to it? >> i think rubio has a better ring. maybe ryan. >> now, the process has started. a lot of people say the traditional school was get someone who locks you up a state, and they think rob portman would lock up ohio. no president has won without winning ohio. smart pick, right? >> would help in ohio. i think he is going to win ohio because the top issue in ohio is jobs and the economy. it is true in lorraine county, where there is 8.7% unemployment, people are looking around for some leadership. i think mitt romney has a good opportunity to win. broemd won last time. >> would he have a better chance with portman on the ticket? >> i don't think so. i am going to help him all i

can. i think the key thing is going to be who has the better plan. and when you look at the record, obama administration and what mitt romney is offering, which is a new way to approach the economy and new way to get jobs going, i think he is going to get independent voters, moderate republicans and moderate democrats that voted for president obama to look to him. >> i want to get to some of the proposals in a minute. want to ask about this. every politician has an ego. yours, i have known you a long time, is considerably smaller than others that are around. that's a compliment. i want to ask you if this bothers you. we asked republican voters and independents that leaned republican, whose your choice. condoleezza rice was first. santorum, christie, rubio, ryan, jindal, you were an asterisk, less than one half of 1% want rob portman.

has to t you off a bit. >> it is our approach to the economy and i think it is not surprising. condi rice, another great pick. i talked to her about it, she is not interested. >> everybody says they're not interested. >> well -- >> you say you're not interested. i don't think you would say no if the phone call came. >> look, i think there are a lot of good choices. frankly, people vote for the person at the top of the ticket. >> is there a book people that are being considered for vice president are supposed to say? >> maybe i would have more choices. >> let me move to more issues. you were budget chief in the bush administration. one of the questions has been, you know, what should happen here to deal with the deficit and fairness. want you to list tone the president of the united states, pushing the buffett rule. >> this was supported by a strong majority of the american

people, including nearly half the republicans. majority of millionaires supporting it. and senate republicans didn't listen. they refuse to let it come up for a vote. >> if you look at the polling, american people are on his side, including a good chunk of republicans. why not. >> because he says it is deficit reduction, it is not. it has a minimal effect. would pay for one week of interest on the national debt. it is not about deficit reduction. he is also sold it as he did yesterday as helping to somehow grow the economy. well, just the opposite, because what you're doing is taxing capital gains income. that's what wealthier people pay. when you tax that, you don't help the economy, you hurt it. president kennedy, reagan, president bush believed we should have lower rate for capital gains. the president disagrees with that. it is not going to help on the

fiscal condition or the economy. it is obviously good politics, that's why he is doing it. let's talk about the budget. the president proposed a budget this year. last year proposed something, took it to the floor, loss by 97-0 vote. not even a democrat would vote it. this year lost by vote of 414-0. not a single democrat or republican supported it. people are looking for leadership. when they understand the fact this is not leadership, this is about politics, i don't think he sees those numbers. >> fund raisers the other day, they say romney was kicking around ideas, not his proposals, but thinking out loud. he said take away second mortgage interest, couldn't do it for a second home. take away state income tax deduction, state property tax deduction. you mention the buffett would put a dent in. >> we need fundamental tax reform. romney is right about that. what president obama is doing is complicating the code, putting

another alternative minimum tax in place, saying we ought not have capital rates on investment, which is bad for the economy. instead, reform the tax code. then it is the wealthier that take advantage of loopholes, tax breaks. that would have a better impact on the economy. why? you would have progrowth tax reform which would generate more economic activity. economists across the board say that, which would lead to more revenue. >> you could write that handbook. one of the things we're supposed to say. we'll talk more as the campaign goes on. thank you. coming up, the truth why being in a dead heat or behind is a win for mitt romney. and small plane loops above the gulf of mexico for hours before crashing. the pilot unresponsive. new questions about what happened in the cockpit. [ male announcer ] if you want a luxury car with a standard power moon roof,

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welcome back. here is mary snow with the latest news you need to know right now. hey, mary. >> hey, john. a black hawk helicopter crashed in afghanistan, it went down in an area that included the hell man province. a u.s. official says all four were likely killed, all americans. the crash took place in bad weather, but the official says they can't rule out enemy action. a plane with its unrespops i have pilot inside crashes into the gulf of mexico. the twin engine cessna circled above the gulf more than two hours before hitting the water.

it was on route from slie dell, louisiana to sarasota, florida. the pilot's condition is unclear. the coast guard says an investigation is currently under way. ♪ his voice and drumming were unmistakable. levon helm died. he was suffering from throat cancer, was 71 years old. a distinctive voice he had. >> big fan. that's a big loss. >> it is. >> thank you so much. see you later. up next, the defendant in the trayvon martin case has a bond hearing with a new judge presiding. and later, continued bloodshed in syria defy a ceasefire. [ male announcer ] this... is the at&t network.

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this half hour, the pentagon says all options are on the table in syria, hinting at a military role to stop the crackdown. is it a bluff or policy shift. new scrutiny of a florida law let's you shoot anyone, anywhere if it is in self defense. the trayvon martin case hinges on it. we'll ask the lieutenant governor of florida if stand your ground should be tossed. and one of america's beloved ball marks turns 100.

fenway turned 100. 9:00 in the morning, we expect to see georgia zimmerman in a florida courtroom asking to be released from jail. charged with secondary murder in the shooting death of trayvon martin. david, what do we expect in the courtroom, and is zimmerman's defense team confident they can get bond? >> reporter: well, of course, the big question is will george zimmerman get out of jail tomorrow. there's a couple of things we're watching for. first of all, all of the heavy lifting is on the prosecution tomorrow. it is up to them to convince the judge that george zimmerman is a flight risk or danger to the community. they have a lot to do there if they want to prove that. but if they try to, they could end up showing us evidence we haven't seen before, so it could be interesting to see what they try to do and what they reveal as they try to do that. second of all, the bond itself.

if zimmerman gets the bond and gets out, the question is how high will the bond be. we know his attorney says is indigent, needs help from the state to pay for his legal defense. so right now, if he gets a bond, if it is too high, who will pay it to get george zimmerman out of jail. a lot of questions now as we just begin with the legal process in this case. john? >> and a new judge, former judge recused herself. any reason to believe the case could take a different track or different approach from a new judge? >> reporter: at this point, absolutely not. this new judge everyone is saying how he doesn't play favorites, he is firm, he is fair. all the things you expect both sides to say at this stage of the game. right now, there are no objections to change of judges. the judge that recused herself, it was said there was no reason found to do that, but she was allowed to anyway. at this point, you're seeing the judicial system trying to be as open and transparent as possible

as this case is watched by the entire country moves forward. >> david mattlingly, live in san francisco. thank you very much. georgia zimmerman claims he shot him in self defense and had the right to do it under stand your ground law. governor rick scott formed a taskforce to review that controversial law. >> we live in a state where the crime rate is at a 40 year low. i want to keep it that way. we all want to keep it that way. if there are laws that impact that where people don't feel comfortable, i want to know about it. >> leading that taskforce, lieutenant governor, jennifer carroll. when you were in the legislature, you voted for this. given everything you heard in recent weeks, having second thoughts? >> well, john, during the time that law came to legislature for citizens and individuals that wanted to protect themselves, they brought a good argument that the law was something we needed to put in. but i want to clarify that stand

your ground is part of justifiable use of force chrks is florida statute 776. there are multiple things within that statute. we will with the taskforce be looking at the application of the law, how it's been the intent of the law, does it need to be tweaked any way, and get public testimony with the taskforce to find out is it something that's not interpreted well within law enforcement or is it something has been misapplied with citizens around the state. but any law that we put into place as a legislative body stands a chance to be reviewed to make sure it is the right public policy. the governor and i, the main focus is public safety and protection of citizens' rights. >> on one hand, a lot of people say amen, the governor is moving quickly, putting you in charge of the taskforce. on the other hand, some say should you do this while the proceeding is unfolding. might your deliberations somehow effect what the jury hears or community hears during the zimmerman proceedings? do you have any concern about

that at all? >> no, we do not, because it is separate and apart, what we do has nothing to do bearing on the case for george zimmerman for the killing of trayvon martin. although our thoughts and prayers go out to the family for their loss. we need to be sure the public policy we have in place is right for public safety and for the public to feel safe in their home or their communities, as well as protecting citizens' rights. this taskforce hopefully will be able to receive information from the case so that data and information that we're getting is factual data, so we can make a best case if a change needs to be made to the law, that we bring what we feel from citizens, plus a testimony, from various civic organizations that support or not support. and plus, we have embraced with university of florida to capture data across the state, looking at all the criminal records and case and investigations with the

sheriff, police department, florida department of law enforcement, with all of the information from a couple years prior to the law, and during the law up to the last year as how it has been applied and has it been misabused, and for us to make a proper recommendation based on the facts. >> as you know, this case has drawn international attention. there are some that blame the law, who flat out blame the law, saying if you didn't have in the back of your mind i can defend myself, i can carry a weapon, just say i was being attacked that this wouldn't have happened. what would you say to those people? >> you know, unfortunately people are going off emotion. the taskforce can't go off emotions. we need to collect all of the data, and make sure we have a good, open process for individuals to give their testimony as to what particularly happened to them. we have individuals on the taskforce as a cross section of industry. we have civic organization leaders, we have minorities, we have law enforcement officers,

we have defense attorney, we have prosecutors, we have retired judges, a judge, retired supreme court judge on the taskforce, plus the members who crafted the bill, and it is important for us to understand the origin of it, the intent of it, has it been applied throughout the years for the intent when the law was implemented, and make sure we're not going off emotions but receiving factual data and information so we can present the best case to the legislature as to what changes, if necessary, need to be done. i tell you, not everyone, and this is why university of florida is involved and collecting the data, because not everyone that claims a defense of justifiable use of force have been able to get off on that. the ballistics have to come into effect, the investigation from law enforcement have to come into effect to claim that that is a viable justification for an individual utilizing force. so it is not that people can just walk out their home and start shooting. that's outright murder and we do

not stand for that in the state of florida. >> the lieutenant governor, jennifer carroll, an important task. we hope you will revisit this with us down the road. >> thanks, john. the pentagon is ready to stop in to stop bloody crackdown on its own people. supposed to be a truce starting last week. the united nations says they're violating that truce and shelling neighborhoods. activists say 25 were killed just today. leon panetta says he is not ruling anything out. >> our approach must keep all options on the table. all options on the table. while recognizing the limitations of military force. we must be prepared to take whatever action is required. >> jes, we heard tough words from secretary of state hillary clinton today, as well as is this just tougher rhetoric or

are they ready to push for tougher action? >> reporter: john, this is added pressure, but far from the action you're suggesting. what secretary clinton did today, she's pressing the u.n. to take further steps if the ceasefire pushed by peace envoy kofi annan should fail. the peace steps include an arms embargo, stepped up travel and financial sanctions against syria. the resolution she would press before the u.n. does include allowing for the possibility of use of force, but here at the white house today, jay carney made clear the white house's position hasn't changed. they still don't support arming the insurgents or rebels in syria, and still are looking at diplomatic options for pressing for assad to go there. >> this is tough, but if you talk to activists in syria, those here trying to help the activists, they say the u.n. sent in a tiny number of observers. that's why people are still being killed.

they say, listen here, they say the administration is talking but talk they say is cheap. listen. >> the assad regime is on its last legs. pressure is increasing. the economy is crumbling. >> i am convinced that assad's days are numbered. i just regret deeply that there will be more killing before he finally goes. >> it is not a question of when assad leaves or if assad leaves, it is a question of when. he has lost legitimacy of his people. >> that takes us through february and march. are they worried through end of april, there's a credibility question here? >> john, they keep pointing out, international experts also say this is very different from syria because for a lot of reasons, a different ethnic makeup. any kind of military intervention could be very messy and protracted. so it is not something the u.s.

would want to do on its own. so you need to build international support. that's the view that many hold. but it is especially not something that one would want to do in election year, and especially with so much tension in the middle east already given the state of affairs between iran and israel now. so this one step that the secretary of state has taken today does further build for the possibility of international support, should they want to take further action down the road, but that's as far as they're going right now. it continues to be in the realm of quote, more pressure. >> thanks. after a bruising primary season, why is mitt romney doing so well against president obama. coming up, the truth about the disadvantages of campaigning as president of the united states.

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tonight's truth is a bit of a sour pill for the obama re-election campaign. mitt romney is winning. polls show a dead heat. some show a narrow lead for the president, but a tossup at this point is a win for romney. president obama, after all, didn't have a primary opponent and has all the advantages of in couple ben see, from the rose garden, to taxpayer official events in battle ground states, that happen to highlight central campaign themes. >> in this country, prosperity doesn't trickle down, prosperity grows from the bottom up, and it

grows from a strong middle class out. [ applause ] >> that's how we grow this economy. >> governor romney on the other hand is battle scarred. dispatching his rivals took months longer and millions more in spending than he hoped. he had attack on immigration and contraception. he is in a dead heat with the president in national polls. why? let's be clear. not because romney is solving all his problems. many conservatives don't trust him. the gender gap remains an advantage for obama. romney is crushed with latino voters. how then is he winning or breaking even? truth is, in couple ben see has disadvantages. president obama can say he inherited a mess, but has been in office three years now. fairly or not, voters direct economic anxiety at the guy who sits in the oval office. new quinnipiac poll shows voters give romney the edge on three

issues. handling the economy, jobs, and dealing with gas prices. they think team obama is failing the test that david axelrod explained here many times before. >> ultimately, people are going to make a choice. this is not going to be a referendum, it is going to be a choice. >> poll numbers suggest at the moment it is very much a referendum. it is clear from listening to governor romney today, he hopes to keep it that way. >> if you want to know where his vision leads, open your eyes. because we have been living it the last three years. it leads to lost jobs, lost homes, lost dreams. it is time to end that vision and have a vision of growth and jobs and economic vitality. >> now, the president has plenty of time. plenty of time, mind you, and a big head start on important election mechanics like voter identification and organizing. but it is no accident the president and vice president are getting tougher with romney, by name of late.

>> every time people poll, it is a referendum on the president. for the last six months, it is a choice between two candidates and two perspectives. i am very, very confident about that fight. >> heard him say, last six months. that six month benchmark, two weeks away. here to talk truth, time magazine bureau chief, michael kroul. democratic polster, and republican strategist. mr. belcher, to you first. you run the president's numbers. it is true that the horse race numbers are almost meaningless, especially national polls. also true if you look at what's the number one issue in the country, the economy. the numbers have gone down. >> let me push back. >> push back? >> i know, it is crazy. two days ago you had a cnn poll that had us up nine or ten points. big swing. >> said there's an nbc "the wall street journal" poll has him up 6. if you average them together,

you get a dead heat, slight advantage to the president. >> quite frankly, from a mathematical standpoint, someone is screwing that up. but we're not going to debate that. >> he'll try. >> these are awfully poor indicators of what's going to happen in november, if you look back, sort of a month ago, dole was ahead of clinton. they're off indicators. what you want to look at are who is fighting at the middle class. who is most in contact with the issues. your polling, he had 12 points. who is more likeable. you want to throw likability out the window, but it counts. americans liked george bush. they don't make this argument in a vacuum. they say this is a guy on my side and i like him. >> i think you're right in the sense the personal stuff gets me. understand my life matters a lot. president obama cleaning romney's clock on those issues.

on performance issues, nancy, doing better. is it a referendum or choice? david axelrod is right in the framing of it. >> i would argue when you have incumbent battling for re-election, it is a referendum. i always said incumbents aren't defeated by opponents, they defeat themselves. that's why numbers in crucial areas really do matter. a poll just came out this week, 74% of americans say the deficit is going to have a major impact on has they choose. the crown jewel of obama's legislative career has been obama care, and you still have a majority of merps that don't like it. the gender gap that still exists was cut in half in march. i think we're going to see the numbers -- this is going to be a tight race. >> coaster. the nbc/wall street journal poll was released. 49-43, the president win buying six points.

that six-point lead means you're probably going to win the election. they also asked who would handle the economy better, romney wins 40 to 34%. i would argue that number right now is more important, right? >> i think it probably is, although you have to go back a long way to find a candidate who i think by consensus was less likeable, who won the election. you can go back to the 1970s before you start getting to that debate. likability i think counts. in this case the numbers that i'm looking at most closely are not the poll numbers, they're the jobs numbers, data about incomes in particular. i think that is still not hardened yet. the jury is still out on what people will think the trajectory of the economy is when we get to the fall. we had a step back with the last jobs numbers and it's not clear whether that was a slight blip or we still have good momentum. >> let me bring these numbers in quick first. michael is right about how voters perceive the economy. let's look. at this point george w. bush was beating john kerry 47 to 44.

bill clinton was beating bob dole. now we look at those who lost. george h.w. bush was leading right now and jimmy carter was leading right now back in 1980. but when you got closer to election day, people felt the economy was going -- at least not going forward. >> this is the narrative -- this is what's going to be played out from both sides. quite frankly, the president has a fairly good story to tell. we've got 25 straight months of solid job growth. we've created more jobs over the last two years than we created in the previous eight. we're also creating manufacturing jobs. you've got to go back to the 1990s to see the level of manufacturing jobs being created in this country right now. when the president starts to tell his story, i think it's a pretty good economic story to tell. and americans when they double back down on the same policies that got us in this mess. >> governor romney is benefiting from the fact people think of the ben -- people are less happy

about the economy. obama is losing because of those things more than romney is winning. have you seen any evidence that he gets it to take it to the next level? >> i think he does. i've seen an uptick in his game. i think he's gotten much sharper on how he's rebutting things quickly. i think his instincts for a while were shaky. they look a little more solid now. he's in the game. and he always steps up, i think, when he's in that arena. that's certainly what we saw back in 2008. >> john, just a hypothesis but i think people are so scarred by the economic disaster we just came out of that when you have small blips, like the job numbers shrink one month, people get spooked. they're jittery. i think that may raise the bar for president obama to have good performance, for people to have confidence and say, okay, we're back now so that could be a challenge for him. >> i agree. this has been the slowest, you know, recovery that we've seen coming out of a recession and that's affected everybody. >> it has. it would help if republicans would get on board and help passing legislation for the economy.

>> 200 days. >> i said the senate passing a budget would be useful too. >> erin burnett outfront is coming up at the top of the hour. i know you're digging teen on the secret service scandal. >> we're learning new information about the names of two of the three secret service agents who were removed, in one case resigned. we have the latest on that. plus one of the first ten women to join the secret service rose to the level of deputy director. what sort of culture is there? is it a wheels up, rings off, as we've heard? we'll talk to her about that coming up at the top of the hour. back to you. still ahead here, thousands welcomed the space shuttle "discovery" to its new permanent home. happy birthday, heaven on earth, fenway park. boston fans are celebrating 100 years as the country's greatest stadium. i went to a small high school.

the teacher that comes to mind for me is my high school math teacher, dr. gilmore. i mean he could teach. he was there for us, even if we needed him in college. you could call him, you had his phone number. he was just focused on making sure we were gonna be successful. he would never give up on any of us. ♪[music plays] ♪[music plays] purina one beyond. food for your cat or dog.

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you'll find that our rates and fees are extremely competitive. because the last thing you want is to spend too much on your mortgage. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪ welcome back. here's mary snow with the latest news you need to know right now. hello again. >> hello again, john. let's start with the jobs front. the number of people filing for their first week of unemployment benefits dropped slightly to 386,000 people. but that number is still much higher than economists expected. it's adding to fears that hiring is slowing down. for the first time ever, the marine corps is planning to let women enroll in courses that train infantry combat officers. it's part of a plan to see if women could one day take roles on the front lines. a 1994 policy restricts women from being directly limited in combat, limiting them to support roles in those units.

and "discovery" officially moved into its new home, the smithsonian national air and space museum. thousands were on hand for that ceremony this morning. it will be on public display near dulles airport in virginia. it replaces enterprise, which is heading to the california science center in los angeles. quite a sight. >> pretty cool. got to go out and see that soon. next time you're in washington we'll go out together. >> sounds good. >> stay with me now. you're in new york so i'm afraid where this conversation might be heading but tonight's moment you won't want to miss. a birthday party for baseball lovers and history buff as like. boston's fenway park is 100 years old tomorrow. ♪ it's 1, 2, 3 strikes you're out at the old ball game ♪ >> a little taste outside there from today's open house to build up to the centennial celebration when we'll see a good

old-fashioned grudge match between the red sox and the yankees. the same as 1912 back when the yankees were the new york highlanders. both teams will suit up in 1912 throw-back uniforms. they're beautiful, aren't they? old wool, i bet. it's a little hot in those. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that history repeats itself. the red sox beat the highlanders 7-6 in 11 innings back then. >> i hope that doesn't happen again. >> cut her mic, cut her mic. >> you know what i'm going to say. new yorkers have a very fond memory of fenway. 1986, game six. >> wow. trashed on my own show. that's something else. no respect! no respect. >> i represent new york, sorry. >> both teams are struggling right now. we'll see how it goes tomorrow. thanks, mary. erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. we have breaking news tonight. we now know the names of two of the agents who lost their jobs over