ttv

♪ on your radio, and on current tv this is the "bill press show." >>bill: american's women dominate the olympics and bring home the gold for the usa. what do you say everybody? good morning everybody on a

friday. ♪ hallelujah ♪ >>bill: happy friday, happy friday. and thanks for being part of the program as we come to you live coast-to-coast starting out here in our studio in washington, d.c., our nation's capitol, this beautiful city, the most powerful and one of the most beautiful on the planet indeed. we'll let you know what is happening here in our nations capitol, not much, president has been out of town. and congress has been out of town all week and they will be out of town for four more weeks. we pay them a lot but don't get much work out of them, that's for sure. and we'll tell you what is happening around the globe, and the latest from mars. we have all it all covered.

and you get a chance to join the conversation. you can give us a call any time at 866-55-press and we'll talk about the issues of the day. we are almost a full team here not quite, peter is still on vacation down in south carolina land, we believe. dan henning has moved up to the director's chair. good morning. >> good morning. happy friday. >> even steve deserted us this morning. >> yeah, we are -- we are down. >> and we have the help of phil who has been here before. and our videographer on the job early this morning. it was remarkable last night, the achievement of american women, athletes in these olympic games. we have seen them in women's beach volleyball, in the diving and the swimming.

we have seen them in the gymnastics bars in water polo in basketball and yesterday it was the great match for the gold between -- sort of -- it was a revenge match, a grudge match, because japan beat the united states just last year for the world cup. >> uh-huh. >> so last night was the opportunity. it started out with this -- early in the game, this goal by -- amy wombox set up the goal but carly made the play. [ cheers and applause ] >> [ inaudible ]. beautifully crafted by the united states! and abby involved again.

>>bill: yep setting it up for carly lloyd to knock it in. and the americans winning the gold out of 39 gold medals the united states has won so far. 26 won by women. >> that's awesome. >> yeah, really, really super. and all americans are proud, american women particularly proud. coming up today we'll talk olympics more with dave from the nation magazine. he'll be in studio with us. so will karl frisch our good friend from bullfight strategies, and reid wilson from the hot line will be bringing us up to date on mitt romney's potential veep picks, vice presidential running mate picks, and mitt romney's lies look like they might be backfiring. we'll tell you all about it. but first. >> the 2012 summer olympic games

coming to an end this weekend. it has been a fun two weeks of watching. president obama is sending a u.s. delegation to the ceremony including reggie love who will represent the u.s., also michelle quan un ambassador and members of the president's council on fitness. >>bill: that's a good delegation. >> yes. absolutely. and we may have heard the last of president obama singing in public the crowd in colorado pushed the president to push out a tune but he said he has made a solemn vow to his wife michelle to not sing to anyone but her anymore. >>bill: he is saving his crooning for the first lady.

>> and motorists on a road in pennsylvania had a good laugh a few days ago, road-painting crew wasn't overly careful when laying down a double yellow line they painted right over a dead raccoon. they were short a man who clears debris before they paint, and there was too heavy of traffic to turn around. >>bill: so forever and ever there will be a dead raccoon in the road. >> well, they can remove it but then there will be an empty spot. ♪ >>bill: reminds me of our do-nothing congress somehow. i don't know. yes, indeed folks, the latest from the campaign front looking at 2012.

it looks like mitt romney's lies are starting to catch up on him and maybe even backfire, and we have seen a couple of them this week in romney ads. they don't give a damn. they don't care what they say. they will make any claim in an ad, romney will back it up and when the obama campaign tells the truth in an ad, they get all kinds of flustered and go oh, no, president obama is running all of these terrible ads. the first ad we saw this week was this ad of mitt romney claiming, claiming that president obama wants to end the requirement going back to bill clinton's day that people who are on welfare have to look for a job, and eventually have to move from welfare to work. that is the goal. there are federal regulations to do that. according to the romney ad president obama wants to go back

to giving you a paycheck for life. >> in 1996 president clinton and a bipartisan congress required work for welfare. but on the 12th president obama announced a plan to drop the requirements. they just second you your welfare check, and welfare to work goes back to being plain-old welfare. mitt romney will retire the welfare to work initiative. >> romney: i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. >>bill: big fat law. the department of health and human services said okay to the republican governors, we will let you do that only -- but only, only, only if you can

prove to us that you can get 20% more people going from welfare to work than under the existing regulations. if you can do that you have got a waiver. and bill clinton himself said that mitt romney is lying, the "new york times" says mitt romney is lying, and the republican governors say mitt romney is lying. and now on top of that -- so that's big fat lie number 1, if you will. on top of that the romney campaign is out yesterday with a new ad accusing president obama no less -- and this is again another hhs or health and human services regulation -- remember when the president said we want do -- to make sure that obamacare covers all contraceptive services for women without a copay for all women across the board and then the president modified it to say if

you are a catholic institution and you have a problem with women getting access to contraception because of the vatican's narrow interpretation today of catholic faith prohibited any means of contraception, but if you are in that narrow-minded camp you don't have to pay for it the insurance company will pay for it, but women will still be covered. here is mitt romney's ad about that yesterday. >> president obama used his healthcare plan to declare war on religion. mitt romney believes that's wrong. >> romney: 1979 the son of poland, pope john paul the second, spoke words that would bring down an empire be not

afraid. >> when religious freedom is threatened who do you want to stand with? >> romney: i'm mitt romney and i support this message. >>bill: if you believe thered a, president obama has declared a war on religion. no, no this is the catholic church declaring a war on women. the catholic church, again, this vatican, this pope and the last one as well, these bishops, note all catholics, and there's nothing in the bible, this is just -- that would say the contraception is all wrong jesus never said that this is all an invention of the cell bait priests, and they think the

only people people should have sex is when they are married and want to have a baby problem, only, only, only in the missionary position and anything that would interfere with that is sinful it is wrong, and if you don't agree with them, then you are declaring war on religion. you didn't hear baptist talking about this the methodists or lutherans or sikhs or for anybody, it's only the catholic church that thinks contraception are wrong. and the bishops are wrong to try to force this on everybody else and mitt romney is wrong and lying to say this is a war on

religion, it is a war on women by the catholic church. but guess what the lies ain't working for mittens. it's not working. three new polls out this week. we get discouraged sometimes when we hear these polls and go it's neck and neck and romney might be ahead in certain states or something like this. this is early, i admit that, we can't put too much credence in these polls, but when you have three polls in one week all saying the same thing, i think that tells you something, there is something going on which is the more people hear of mitt romney's lies the more they dislike him. cnn with a new poll out yesterday, president obama leading mitt romney 52 to 45. that reflects a poll that came out just a couple of days ago, from reuters, president obama

leading mitt romney 49 to 42, 7-point advantage in both polls. but get this, fox news is out with fox, fox fox is out with a poll, this must have really hurt them shows president obama leading mitt romney by 49 to 40, 9-point lead on fox news and among independents president obama over mitt romney by 11 points. what do you think that shows you? what does that show you? tell me 866-55-press. i think it means that mitt romney who has spent probably a third more money than president obama has been able to spend raised more money, spending more money, telling a pack of lies

not showing his tax return it ain't work. the more people see president obama and know what he has accomplished, and the more lies that mitt romney tells the more people that are swinging behind president obama. let's talk about it. i think the president's message is working. 866-55-press, good friday morning, everybody. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." ♪ >>oh really? >>"if you ever raise taxes on >>the rich, you're going to destroy our economy." not true!

en we have a big, big hour and the i.q. will go way up. how are you ever going to solve the problem if you don't look at

all of the pieces? >>tv and radio talk show host stephanie miller rounds out current's morning news block. >>you're welcome current tv audience for the visual candy. >>sharp tongue, quick whit and above all, politically direct. >>you just think there is no low they won't go to. oh, no. if al gore's watching today... ♪ >> announcer: this is the "bill

press show." >> bill: 25 minutes after the hour. mitt romney's lies seem to be backfiring. 866-55-press, and we'll get to your calls. president obama out with a new ad yet -- the obama campaign which simply raises an important question and demands some answers. just the facts, man. >> obama: i'm barack obama and i approve this message. >> was there any year you paid lower than the 13%? >> romney: i'll have to go back and look. >> we do know that romney personally approved over $70 million in fix shunnal losses to the irs as part of the notorious tax avoidance schemes in history. isn't it time for mitt romney to come clean. >> bill: yeah that was two weeks

ago. i'll check and get back to you. and haven't heard anything sense. obama campaign putting out the facts. arnold, what do you say? >> caller: just moving across the country, bill. >> bill: what is the lay of the land? >> caller: i was ready for some flat land. [ laughter ] >> caller: the republicans are so ready campaigning and promoting their base that people are starting to wake up and pay at attention to the election. and republicans -- only thing they know how to do is campaign to their base. and this war on the church. come on? >> bill: oh, yeah. >> caller: the catholic church is only second behind jerry

sandusky in child pedophilia. they need to stop all of this junk that they are doing. >> bill: all right. arnold you got it man. let's jump over to larry in connecticut. >> caller: good morning, guys. really it's more than the obama ads, it's the trifecta. we have romney care and then bain capital which you can ask governor perry about. >> bill: right, and then the latest lie on the welfare thing. i think what you are saying, larry is it is all coming home to roost here for mitt romney and all of these lies are adding up. i think arnold is right too. this guy has nothing to offer.

nothing positive to say, all he does is attack obama, and that's not good enough. we don't like it. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." ♪ her unique mix of comedy and politics to current tv. >> it's like a reality show, they're just turning cameras on and we just do our thing. >>politically direct to me means no b.s., the real thing, cutting through the clutter. i'm energized to start my show everyday because it's fun, because i care about what's going on in this country, rather than some sort of tired banter it is actual water cooler talk it's the way people really talk about these issues. we've always considered ourselves a comedy show. let me just say i am not ready for my close up. i think it's important to laugh. i think it will be exciting, because you can't script three hours of radio. what is going on? i can't tell you how many times right wingers call the show and say, "i don't agree with anything you say, but your show

is funny as hell." the only thing that can save america now, current tv. can i say that?

♪ >> announcer: heard around the country and seen on current tv this is the "bill press show." >> bill: 33 minutes after the hour here on a friday friday august 10th. so good to have you with us today, and we are coming to you live from our nation's capitol, bright to you today in part by the international association of ironworkers. ironworkers period, the sky is the limit for them.

check out their great work at the website www.ironworkers.org. well, we have -- we're like -- what? two weeks away from the start of the republican convention and everybody is wondering when are we going to fine out whom mitt romney's running mate is going to be. nobody but mitt knows but reed wilson is the editor and chief of the national journal's hot line. the hot line i have been reading since long long long before i came to washington to keep up on what is going on here in our nation's capitol. so when are we going to find out? >> i think we may find out as early as today. >> bill: really? >> yeah, if you have been out on

the streets of washington today, you know how incredibly empty it is. so we'll see if this is the actual vice presidential rollout. of course the only person who really knows when everything is going to go down are mitt romney and beth myers. it is likely he has narrowed it down to a very short list. bob portman, tim pawlenty and paul ryan. there has sort of been a last-minute push to promote paul ryan over everybody else, but we'll see whether or not that actually works and the indications we're getting at the moment is inside the romney campaign pawlenty and portman

are the clear forerunners. >> bill: whatever happened to chris christie? >> i don't think he was ever a serious choice. he is loud and outspoken and it is hard to see him as a number 2. and if you don't want somebody who is going to overshadow a candidate, chris christie is a great way to over shadow anyone. >> bill: oh, yeah. you point out several sources yesterday saying romney has to do something really bold and the boldest conservative out there with they say the best budget plan is paul ryan. where is this coming -- i guess there's so many questions about it. where is this coming from? do you think the romney campaign is behind this boomlet.

>> i don't think they are behind it. i don't think they want the pressure, because with pressure becomes disappointment. >> bill: but they are setting romney up to really piss off conservatives if he doesn't pick ryan. >> i think at the moment mitt romney is playing sort of a prevent defense. that makes a lot of republicans nervous because they want something big and bold, and picking somebody like ryan would be a much more bold statement than picking than boring white guy like portman or pawlenty. safer picks but not something that would excite the base. this would be an indication that they are trying to reach beyond that boring white guy model. >> bill: but i think the paul ryan pick would definitely excite the base the democratic

base. this guy's budget was endorsed mitt romney, who's plan would end medicare as we know it and basically end medicare and the original version eliminated social security and made that a private system. so is this really what they want to run on. >> that's a very good question. and polling shows it has a seriously negative impact on voters especially the voters over 50. the problem if he doesn't pick ryan it's not like democrats will say, oh well we'll stop attacking the president. the ryan budget is here to stay as an electoral --

>> bill: but i would think if ryan is on the ticket then the issue becomes social security medicare medicaid rather than the economy. >> and i think that's what romney's team is most concerned with. they don't want this to be a major issue come november. it doesn't work well for them. they haven't exactly found a way to argue against it. it is hard to make a nuanced case to voters except in advertisement. that being said i still think there would be a benefit to picking ryan largely because of that excitement he brings on the republican side. the republican side, by the way, which is still not enthusiastic about mitt romney. >> bill: it would sort of be bringing the tea party on board, making it easier for them to like romney. reid wilson is our guest, he is

editor and chief of the national journal hot line. you can follow reid on twitter at hot line reid r-e-i-d. how do you think this is going to roll out, some veep rollouts have worked well and some haven't. some have fallen on their face. >> there you go. and the reason we go through all of the veep vetting process, is of course, you know, back when -- when -- what is his name -- [ overlapping speakers ] >> was the pick and just a few days later they found out he has undergone electric shock therapy, and four years later jimmy carter paid a lot more at attention to which candidate he would select. so now the veep process is a

long drawn-out affair and ends in people handing over a whole bunch of tax returns which is an irony. so i expect it to be a barn storming tour, with them declaring themselves the comeback kids or the comeback team, something like that focused on what they can do for the american economy. >> bill: finally, there are three new polls out this week, all three of which show president obama with a lead were the election held today over mitt romney by 7 to 9 points. just a few weeks ago it was tied you know -- neck and neck 47-47, i believe. what does this indicate to you? >> i think at the moment -- of course the national polls aren't -- aren't the main -- the only story we'll put it that

way. and in the states what we're seeing is sort of the same thing. president obama is doing better in the battleground states than he really should be. i think this is -- earlier this week, i called this the john lovett's campaign. remember when lovett's was on "saturday night live," as due caucus, and he says i can't believe i'm losing to this guy. on one hand you have an incumbent president with a terrible economy trending, you know, barely in the right direction and not anywhere near fast not only as he promised but as most americans expect on the other hand you have a republican candidate who is hugely unpopular, and people just don't like. you take a look at the focus groups and they say romney is not for them. he is everything that they don't

want to see in a candidate. so here we are in this incredibly populous time and we have got two unpopulous candidates, by the way unpopular candidates too. so it will be a surprise no matter who wins. i think the other side really believes that they should win this year, at the moment, though, as you mentioned from those polls, president obama is ahead not only nationally but all in the swing states. >> bill: i wrote a whole book about the koch brothers calling "the obama hate machine," and i learned from you that david koch is actually going to be a delegate to the convention. >> yes he is one of 46 delegates from the state of new york. these are prominent leaders who get elected.

weirdly enough former massachusetts governor william weld is also a new york delegate. >> bill: yeah i think he is a big wall street guy now. >> there you go. so if mitt romney wants to give a little plug to all of his supporters in his outside groups, he only has to look down at the floor. >> bill: i have been a delegate it ain't as thrilling an experience as people think it is. it's a lot of hard work. hey, reid thanks for getting up early for us this morning, and thank for your hard work. >> absolutely. ♪ >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." ♪

>> this court has proven to be the knowing, delighted accomplice in the billionaires' purchase of our nation. >> and you think it doesn't affect you? think again.

collide. gavin newsom shifts into high gear for answers on the gavin newsom show. ♪

>> announcer: on your radio, and on current tv this is the "bill press show." >> bill: hey, it's 12 minutes now before the top of the hour and it's the "full court press" on friday august 10th. back to your calls about the latest three polls thought week. one of them just yesterday showing president obama with a 7 to 9-point lead over mitt romney in this presidential campaign. first a little reminder those of you looking for a way to get some extra income at the end of each month here is something you ought to check out, income at home.com. the america's leading work from home business.

they know what they are doing, and they are offering you an opportunity that you can easily take advantage of no matter your age education, or experience. you can literally earn money on your laptop 24/7. it is up to you. you ought to at least do yourself a favor and check them out. you want to earn extra money from home full-time or part-time. they are even giving away a thousand dollars just to check them out and that could be you. visit them today at visitathome.com. doug is checking in from florida. hey, doug, what do you say? >> caller: hey, bill mitt romney has parroted all of their

policy positions. so it's not just mitt romney that people don't like, it's literally the policy positions that republicans keep espousing. >> bill: that's a good point, and especially repealing obamacare and supporting this paul ryan budget. >> caller: absolutely. and now that people are understanding the information that they keep touting, so no matter how much they don't like obama, it's not going to do them any good. >> bill: i think you are right. the president in colorado talked about health care, the dream act, jobs, he keeps talking about what we have accomplished and what we're trying to do. roy is down in ashville north carolina. hey, roy, i think it's

september 7th, we'll have a book event down there. >> caller: i will be there. i believe romney's unfavorable rating is sinking like a stone, because there are still a number of americans who believe in equal treatment, transparency, all of that stuff. do you ever remember a governor taking his office records when he left. >> bill: destroying his office records. and then he did the same thing when he was the head of the salt lake city olympics. >> caller: bain is off limits, and his tax returns are off limits, and obama and biden are the most transparent of anyone in history. joe biden goes back 40 years. he was the pourest man in the

senate. but i don't believe romney's candidacy is going to make it out of the convention. >> bill: oh. >> caller: they are going to go with ron paul. [ laughter ] >> bill: i would love to see that convention blow up though. good to hear from you. we'll see you in nashville on september 7th. i just have to get one fact out here which fascinated me yesterday, the american pet products association, came out with the statest statistics on pet ownership in the united states. they came out with this just yesterday, okay. and here is what it shows. 39% of american households own at least one dog, 39% own one dog. 33% of american households own at least one cat. [ growling ] >> bill: so dogs win out over

cats. >> of course. >> bill: some people may have more cats than more dogs. average families have 1.69% dogs. average households have 2.2 cats. so 1.69 dogs -- just about two each. but i'm surprised that dogs go -- you know win over cats by that percentage. >> really? >> bill: >> bill: and cat owners spend about $219 a year on vets. dog owners spend average $248 a year. >> so more. >> bill: yeah, 248 is a lot less than my friends spend on their dogs. >> oh, absolutely. >> bill: we know there are only two kinds of people on the planet, there are dog people and there are cat people and now we know there are more dog

people than cat people. and i don't know -- what happened to the bird people and the fish people? i'm both a dog and a cat person by the way so i have got it covered. i go both ways. ♪ [ laughter ] [ laughter ] >> announcer: today you meets television. the "bill press show" now on current tv. ♪ it has zero calories for me, and a taste my family loves.

um, miss ? you have hard water stains and that cleaner's not gonna cut it. you need lime-a-way. it's 4 times more effective at removing limescale than the leading bathroom cleaner. lime-a-way is specially formulated to conquer hard water stains. for lime, calcium and rust... lime-a-way is a must.

you've heard bill's views, now let's hear yours. politically direct means no b.s. just telling you what's going on in politics today. >>at the only on-line forum with a direct line to bill press. >>it's something i've been waiting for a long time. >>join the debate now. ♪

>> announcer: taking your emails on any topic at anytime, this is the "bill press show." >> bill: say karl frisch coming up. donald francis says i'm a union worker who is tired of hearing how unions have destroyed this country. hey, brother, so am i. joe wants to know can romney get the nomination with these tax and bain questions still looming? i don't know about that. i think he can get the nomination, but he can't win that way. and john la port adds mitt gets better and better all the time, he is a dear in the headlights.

indeed. keep your emails coming. two more hours coming up.

[♪ theme music ♪] >> bill: good morning, everybody. what do you say? it is friday august 10th so good to see you today. thank you for joining us here on the "full court press," coming to you live all the way across this great country of ours from washington, d.c., our nation's capitol. it has been two weeks now since

mitt romney said he would go back and check on whether he ever paid more than 13% in taxes. and not a peep since then. did he forget? or does he not want us to know the truth? or was harry reid right? who knows. hi lisa good morning. >> good morning. the democrats are not about to let up on mitt romney. we have known that romney paid a very low tax rate but for the most part we have really given him the benefit of the doubt that he was able to do that legally. now obama for america is out with a new ad. we'll play it for you now. the ad accuses romney of

approving a an inlegal scheme to avoid taxes. >> we know mitt romney approved a tax avoidance scheme. >> it allows companies to reduce or completely get rid of their capitol gains by creating artificial losses. let's say the company needs to buy something costing $50,000, and they create losses which show a million dollars in losses. we are also hearing new details from harry reid's claim that romney didn't pay taxes for ten years. reid says his source is a republican and has direct

knowledge of romney's tax situation. and the "new york times" is out with a report that shows that romney help pay their $50,000 mortgage but there is a chance he was just using that as a tax shelter. back with more, stay with us. outrage that they're doing this, this corruption based on corruption based on corruption. >>i think that's an understatement, eliot. u>> i'm not prone tot. understatement, so explain to me why that is. i think the mob learned from wall st., not vice versa.

hershey's drops. a lot of hershey's happiness in little drops of milk chocolate. and cookies n creme. pure hershey's.

♪ >> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your radio, and on current tv this is the "bill press show." >> bill: hey, a little good news for friday morning, there are three new national polls out this week, showing president obama with a healthy lead over mitt romney. hello, everybody, great to see you today. it is friday. good to see you every day, but

especially on a friday. friday august 10th, great to have you part of the "full court press" coming to you live on your local progressive talk radio station, god love them and on current tv, and giving you a chance to join the conversation, love to hear from you at anytime at 866-55-press. we have got a lot to talk about. we always need a little help along the way. couldn't have any better help than from our good friend karl frisch. good morning. >> good morning. >> you look bright and frisky this morning. >> that's right. >> you have your makeup on. >> i do. eye liner. >> bill: and our team here peter is off on a little vacation. he'll be back tuesday, i guess. but fear not dan henning is in control -- >> here i am.

>> bill: maybe we should fear. >> he is very capable -- >> yes. >> bill: phil beckert -- >> he is here. >> bill: off on a coffee run, i guess and our videographer as always. so we don't have to worry about what we look like. we may have to worry about what we sound like. >> yeah i think that's probably a bad trick to play on the radio. >> bill: exactly. there's a new movie out. >> yeah, i have seen a lot of trailers for it. it looks pretty funny. >> bill: yeah, there's one little scene where the two of them -- >> zach galfanakis.

>> bill: what if it would have been duekucus and galfanakis any way they are debating and the other guy challenges will ferrell. >> i guess as a christian it would be easy for you to recite the lord's prayer. >> is that what we're resorting to here? gastapo tactics. >> i would love to hear it. >> very well. our father art, who is up in heaven alavera be thy name. >> yes and that is based on the

koch brothers. >> bill: yes. >> i don't know how will ferrell could have gone through a movie like that without resorting back to his george bush imitation. they race to kiss the baby and he takes a swing at his opponent and misses and hits the baby. >> bill: yeah. >> you need to have room in your life to have fun at your own kind of business's expense, and i think this probably does a pretty good job at that. >> bill: i have been around politics a long time, right? and if you can't laugh at politics -- >> yes, because the rest of the country laughs at it. >> bill: exactly. karl frisch is here to start off the hour. olivia knox is going to join us a little bit later. and we'll talk olympics at the

top of the next hour. but first. >> on this friday the headlines making news major trops to the u.s. men's 4 by 400 meter relay team. mantao felt and heard something pop, it turns out he was running on a broken leg. >> i know exactly what he feels like. i know not a lot of people know i was close to competing in china in the 400-meter pit. it was sad. >> he had no choice but to finish the race. they actually qualified and moved on. he slipped on some stairs a few days ago in the olympic village, but he didn't think anything of it. he is now in a cast, out four to six weeks and an alternate will

take his place. >> bill: i saw that. i don't know how he possibly made it. >> what like to be out four to six weeks when you finally get to the olympic village. >> yeah. it's all of that sex they are having in the olympic village. >> that's right. >> a big win for the u.s. women's soccer team yesterday. carly lloyd scoring both goals for team usa. but also a big star made five crucial saves to protect the lead. the game was watched by a record crowd for a women's soccer game over 80,000 people at the stadium. >> bill: we have won 39 gold medals, 26 of them won by women. >> that says lot about our title nine history. >> bill: exactly. >> and this is the third time

the u.s. women have won the gold medal in soccer in a row. >> bill: is it really? and then third time in a row for the -- for the women's beach volleyball too, right? >> right. >> bill: great. >> and do you want pricey wine there is a three-stour eat eerie that is closing and auctioning off its entire 10,000 bottle wire cellar. the priceyest bottle is a 1999 domain, dala[ inaudible ], priced at $6,600. >> bill just booked a flight on price line. [ laughter ] >> bill: 10,000 bottles. >> 10,000 bottles. >> bill: that's bigger than your cellar. >> it's the reverse of 99

bottles of beer on the wall. >> bill: right. we have seen a lot lately about the ad wars. and maybe it started this week with mitt romney launching this ad which seems to have backfired on him saying president obama wants to end welfare as it has become thanks to bill clinton where people have to move from welfare to work. here is quickly the mitt romney ad. >> in 1996 president clinton and a bipartisan congress helped end welfare as we know it. but on july 12th '9 president obama quietly announced a plan to gut welfare requirements under his plan people wouldn't have to work or train for a job. they just send you a welfare check. mitt romney will restore the work requirement. >> bill: so he says. yeah there's not a word of

truth. >> first of all i wasn't quite. it was announced to the press at the request of the republican governors, by the way, basically they are saying if the governors can get better results, then they will get more leeway from the federal government. this is a republican idea. >> bill: i was just going to say. let the states be the work shops, laboratories of democracy, and the republican governors said we think we can actually move more people from welfare to work and the hhs said if you can prove that you can move 20% more we'll let you do it your way. >> right. and newt gingrich one of the guys that helped bill clinton get welfare reform through the congress came out and said yeah, no this is not what this does. oops. >> to counter that -- just to

show -- so -- the big fat lie here and polititfact called this liar liar pants on fire. >> right. >> bill: listen to this. >> was there ever any year where you paid lower than the 13.9 -- >> romney: i haven't calculated that, i'll have to go back and look. >> we don't know what he paid, but romney personally approved over $70 million in fix shunnal losses to the irs as part of the notorious son of boss tax scandal. isn't it time for romney to come clean? >> yes. >> bill: yes! [ laughter ] >> that's a great ad. >> bill: two weeks now since david mur asked that question. he said we can settle this right

now. and romney said let me check i'll get back to you. >> i have a question for you. if you ever paid zero in taxes wouldn't you remember the moment? >> bill: i would remember it, absolutely. yeah. no. i think romney was lying saying he didn't know. in two weeks -- they have been pressing him, and asking him or his campaign, what is the answer. there is no answer. >> right. because harry reid is right. and the answer they always give and this similar set uphappened a few months ago, where he said i'll get back to you, which is his way of saying my campaign staff will lie to you when you ask them again. and his campaign staff keeps saying he has released everything that is required under the law. >> bill: yes. and i haven't heard anybody

accusing him of doing anything illegal, if he didn't pay taxes, it is because he came up with enough loopholes -- >> right. nobody is saying that he didn't pay a lot of money in taxes, we're saying he didn't pay his fair share. >> bill: right. and there is nothing illegal about these cayman island tax shelters, but the fact he is hiding money there to avoid paying taxes is an issue. and now the romney cam contain is out with another attack ad. they can't talk about what mitt romney will do because he doesn't have a program. now accusing president obama of a war on religion. >> who shares your values president obama used his health care plan to declare war on religion. forcing religious institutions to go against their fate. mitt romney believes that is wrong

>> romney: in 1979 pope john paul the second spoke words that would bring down an empire. >> what a weird 30 seconds. >> bill: yeah, president obama says all women in this country ought to have access to contraceptive services and protection, and -- without any copay, and mitt romney declaring war on religion. >> right. he is saying that the president is declaring war on religion. this from a man who won't even talk about his own personal faith. the republican party has for the last three years ridiculed obama as somebody who isn't a christian. and mitt romney when he was governor of massachusetts attended planned parenthood fundraisers, and put a member of

the board on his health care plan, romney care -- >> bill: and by the way contraceptive services covered by romney care. >> yeah, so he is trying to have it both ways. and the second thing to remember, i don't even know why they are running this commercial. the -- the idea that this is something that is going to motivate people, and if anything it fortells a disastrous vice president candidate, because it shows that mitt romney will keep moving further and further to the right to keep his base. >> bill: that's right. karl frisch is here with us from bullfight strategies. you can follow karl at karlfrisch.com. we'll put a link up on our website there. we'll be right back. ♪

>> announcer: this is the "bill press show." ♪ >>tax cuts don't create jobs. the golden years as the conservatives call them, we had the highest tax rates, and the highest amount of growth, and the highest amount of jobs. those are facts. >>"if you ever raise taxes on the rich, you're going to destroy our economy." not true!

13 collide. gavin newsom shifts into high gear for answers on the gavin newsom show.

♪ >> announcer: radio meets television, the "bill press show." now on current tv. >> bill: 25 minutes after the hour olivia knox from yahoo news coming up. karl frisch here with us at this time. karl we have a new feature called the one who gets it done. we salute an american who gets it done. and this week it has got to be

michael phelps. the greatest olympian athlete of all time. >> ever. >> bill: ever. >> 18 gold medals. >> bill: 22 total. 18 gold. >> and he did it without a mark spitz mustache too. >> bill: that's right. we solute michael phelps as the one who gets it done. call granger, click on granger.com. granger, the one that gets it done. there is an ad not by the obama campaign, it is by priorities usa, an ad that features a steel worker who says -- my factory was shut down by bain capital. i lost my health care. my wife got cancer died of

cancer. what is wrong with that ad. >> well the romney campaign say it is a low blow. first of all during the romneys said i have nothing to do with these outside groups. i can't do anything. so let's put that shy on his foot. the second is this is a pretty tame ad as far as what they could be doing, if they had a hundred million dollars to tell the story of every single person that lost their job because of mitt romney, and let's be clear. mitt romney made 10s of millions of dollars by going into successful companies a lot of the times, shutting it down and sending the jobs overseas. and when you lose a job, you have trouble paying your

mortgage, you can't afford to send your kids to college. the things that romney's folks are upset about is they are having to hear what happens to people for the first time when they lose their job. >> bill: and then his advisor said if even that person had lived in massachusetts, he would have had health care. >> and the record scratched went there. >> bill: will she have a job now? >> i think she'll be taking a week-long vacation like that guy who tolded the reporter to f off in poland. >> bill: yeah.

it's great fun watching them step on that you know what. karl frisch thanks again. >> thanks, bill. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." ♪ her unique mix of comedy and politics to current tv. >> it's like a reality show, they're just turning cameras on and we just do our thing. >>politically direct to me means no b.s., the real thing, cutting through the clutter. i'm energized to start my show everyday because it's fun, because i care about what's going on in this country, rather than some sort of tired banter it is actual water cooler talk it's the way people really talk about these issues. we've always considered ourselves a comedy show. let me just say i am not ready for my close up. i think it's important to laugh. i think it will be exciting, because you can't script three hours of radio. what is going on? i can't tell you how many times right wingers call the show and say, "i don't agree with anything you say, but your show

is funny as hell." the only thing that can save america now, current tv. can i say that?

♪ er >> announcer: on your radio, on tv, the "bill press show," new on current tv. >> bill: 33 minutes after the hour now on a friday morning, august 10th. this is the "full court press," we're coming to you live coast-to-coast from washington, d.c. the president came back to town last night for 24 hours, before he takes off for chicago over the weekend. our show today brought to you by the sheet metal workers

international association. giving a fair day's work for a fair day's pay. you bet. find out more information at their website, smwia.org. whenever we have our briefings at the house i am there, often sitting aside oliay knox. nice to see you. >> thanks for having me. >> bill: the president is back today and there is a briefing at 12:15. i thought the president might hold -- the last briefing jay carney said the president was going to hold a prime time news conference. >> i don't know about prime time, but i looked at today's schedule, and it is very suspicious, there is a lot of

room, and i would bet we have a pretty solid shot at a press conference today. >> bill: i thought that too. a briefing has been called for 12:15, and usually when the president himself is going to take questions let's say in the east room, they do it with 24-hours notice. because there are people unlike you and me who are there every day, who come in just for that. >> yeah, it depends on how they want to do it. sometimes they narrow the window, and sometimes they do a big announcement with an hour's notice, but we'll see. >> bill: either way, i have to tell you i'm heading to the beach right after the program today, so if the president does pull a surprise news conference i will not be there, you can have my question. >> all right. thanks. >> bill: the president is back from colorado goes to chicago

for some fundraisers over the weekend, including a fund raiser at his own home, and then he headed off to iowa monday tuesday, wednesday in iowa. you are going to be there. >> yes, i am. iowa is a battleground state. it is not rich in electoral votes, but neither side is conceding any state. it is a bus tour which we always enjoy so much, at least the first couple of stops, and he is going to try to recapture a little bit of the magic. it's an important state. mitt romney was just there. and so after his two days in colorado, he is going to spend three in iowa, and we'll see what comes from that. >> bill: but it's sort of like the primary déjà vu all over again. to go to that state and spend

three whole days going around from time to time, he did that five years ago. >> right. and i think it's a sign of how neither side is giving any ground. the universe of battleground states is limited. colorado is only like nine electoral votes, but he spent two days campaigning there this week. and mitt romney was there as well. >> bill: there's an interesting article in the "new york times" this morning by jackie combs. the headline is "obama drawing big crowds but not like in '08." so in colorado college yesterday, there were 4200 people. hours earlier in pueblo colorado there were 3500 people. mitt romney's latest events, as she mentions here one of them got 300 people another attracted 400 people and

another one attracted 200 people. but the "new york times" are saying but obama's crowds are not as big as they were in 2008. >> right. the obama campaign actually hammers this message home all the time. and he talked about it in his stump speech. i'm a little older, a little grayer, it's not as excited as it was. we're going to have to work harder for this one. the guy who won the election in historic fashion isn't going to be able to bottle that again. obviously if you go to a college, people tend to be more willing to skip a class than they are willing to skip work. but sure there's -- >> bill: and also how you organize them. the obama campaign is very good at getting big crowds whether it's berlin or wherever --

>> yeah, and they are counting heavily on that turnout machine in november. it's at the heart of a lot of their fund-raising pitches, it's at the heart of a lot of their volunteering pitches. it's very important to them. >> bill: you and i know national polls in the presidential election are not the best barometers. because as you started out, you really need to look at the battleground states. anyhow having said that there are three national polls out in the last few days which surprised me. cnn has a poll out showing obama over romney by 7 points. reuters was out with a poll the day before yesterday showing obama ahead of romney by 7%. and then fox news did a poll showing the president, ahead of

mitt romney by 9 points. >> right. >> bill: so is obama's message working? or is romney's message backfiring? or does this mean nothing? >> i don't know that it means nothing. but national polls are of really limited worth, because he could do extraordinarily well in california and that would skew the polls. i'm skeptic of polls that show the president with a big advantage. republican will tell you these polls overexample democratic voters. that's true to a point, however, the turnout machine operating on both sides of the divide agree the machine is good for probably 3 to 5 percentage points. but we have all seen a lot of battleground polls he issing the president doing well.

places like, iowa, places like ohio, which is obviously -- well probably the most important. so this is good news for the -- for the obama camp. there has been some writing about, geez, everything is -- the economy is struggling why isn't romney doing better? it's early yet. it's only august. i -- i would keep watching the battleground polls more than the national polls, but certainly if you are in the obama camp you have to be pretty heartened with this. >> bill: the last survey i saw the president was ahead in most of them i think. colorado was one he was not and north carolina. so maybe tied. >> right. >> bill: >> bill: but he is ahead in florida, and ahead in virginia. and romney is starting his bus tour today in virginia. >> yeah, and as we said the

battleground polls are so much more important and you are seeing the president doing pretty well. it's hard to argue that his campaign message is not working in places like ohio. north carolina surprised me because honestly i never thought that would be a battleground state. i thought it was one of the ones to drop off of the list, but the last couple of polls have shown him within at least the margin of error and the democrats are having their convention there. >> bill: one issue -- and we don't know, if there is something not working for romney, we don't know what it is. but the tax return issue just doesn't go away. >> right. >> bill: and the obama campaign pointed out it has been two weeks ago since he was asked is there ever a year when you paid less than 13% in taxes, and romney laughed and said i don't

remember, but i'll check and get back to you. >> yeah. >> bill: and this tax return thing still continues to dog romney. i think it is having an impact don't you? >> i think so. one of the main arguments they are making is things are not great, but they are coming back slowly, and this guy -- mitt romney is a champion for the very wealthy. he has been gaming the system. he'll keep gaming the system. so it looks like that is having an effect. it is certainly not going away any time soon in part because of harry reid's claim. but he has clearly kept it in the spotlight. >> bill: i want to play for you, one of your good friends a talk

show host out in los angeles has a fella by the name of jose parra on yesterday. he is the senior spokesperson for harry reid. here is what he said. >> we're comfortable with this person. this person is an investor in bain capital. i -- he's a republican also. and somebody who -- you know who has been dealing with -- with mr. romney's company for a long, long time. and he had knowledge of this. >> bill: a republican investor bain capital, known him for a long time -- >> it's complete speculation. because there has been things bubbling up on this -- >> bill: as to who harry reid's source was. >> yeah, i have to emphasize again this is speculation, but

jon huntsman, sr. >> bill: really? >> that has been the scuttlebutt in washington. >> bill: that would be interesting, because of course he is from nevada and mormon and i'm sure he knows harry reid. >> and there is no love lost between huntsman and -- >> bill: huntsman and romney. all right. you heard it here first. we'll be right back. >> announcer: on your radio and on current tv, this is the "bill press show." ♪ >>it's the place where democracy is supposed to be the great equalizer, where your vote is worth just as much as donald trump's.

we must save the country. it starts with you.

collide. gavin newsom shifts into high gear for answers on the gavin newsom show. ♪

>> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >> bill: all right. 12 minutes before the top of the hour here on this friday morning. a terrific showing by our u.s. team, usa in london. sports editor for the nation magazine in studio for us to talk about it the next hour. especially the american women. you can follow him on line or on twitter. you just heard before the break, the speculation -- this is an unsubstantiated speculation about the unnamed source for harry reid but it could have been jon huntsman father john

huntman, sr. >> yeah, there is a lot of chatter about this thing in d.c., and the chatter is pointing in that direction. >> bill: and mitt romney is starting on a bus tour today, and this could be the day that president obama holds a news conference and mitt romney could announce his vice presidential nominee. which could be why president obama could hold a news conference. >> absolutely. >> bill: and there has been a growing voice of conservative voices, the wall street journal yesterday saying the only way to win this is by naming paul ryan. >> right. >> bill: what is the skinny. >> conservatives are looking for someone to represent them really, on the romney campaign. they are still not fully

comfortable with the main guy himself. they didn't like the president, but there has been this lasting problem with conservative enthusiasm. romney does okay on overall enthusiasm, but the conservatives are still kind of ahhh. and paul ryan would bring the conservative voice to the party. he is from congress which is a certain problem, but he has been the champion of the conservative wing's approach to government spending and entitlements. he would refocus the campaign on those things. i'm not convinced that refocusing the campaign away from the economy is a particularly shrewd move, and i think that could get in the weeds of the ryan budget plan a little too quickly.

so it will be interesting. >> bill: i think you are right in that putting ryan on the ticket means that the focus would be social security medicare, medicaid. and tax -- tax breaks for the wealthiest of americans, all of which were in the ryan budget where they took social security out. and romney wants the focus to be economy, jobs not doing great on obama, but i can bring it back. >> right. >> bill: so that's a tough choice for the romney campaign. >> it's a really tough choice, and -- and -- i don't cover mitt romney so i don't have a real clear sens of which way they are leaning, but obviously there has been a lot of buzz about paul ryan in the last couple of days but romney has basically offered a lot of detail-spare, detail-cheap programs on the economy. his tax plan is spare on the

details. >> bill: right. >> and that makes perfect political sense, because he want toes keep this a referendum on the president. ryan has nothing but details. >> bill: exactly. >> and it would be an interesting -- if the vice president has offered a more comprehensive economic approach than the presidential candidate. i wonder if it would draw a lot of fire. >> bill: a quick yes or no because we're out of time but could the romney campaign be planting the paul ryan boomlets. >> of course they could. they can't ignore the ground swell of support for paul ryan. >> bill: then it looks like romney is doing exactly what they weren't. the plot thickens. have a good time in iowa. >> thank you very much.

and we'll be back and i'll tell you what the president is up to today so far as we know before the next announcement. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." ♪ sector is doing okay but we need to do a lot more. that the what's my secret for sunday lunch? my little helpers... and 100% natural french's yellow mustard. it has zero calories for me, and a taste my family loves.

um, miss ? you have hard water stains and that cleaner's not gonna cut it. you need lime-a-way. it's 4 times more effective at removing limescale than the leading bathroom cleaner. lime-a-way is specially formulated to conquer hard water stains. for lime, calcium and rust... lime-a-way is a must. cc current tv, it's been all building up to this. >>bill shares his views, now it's your turn. >>i know you're going to want to weigh in on these issues. >>connect with "full court press with bill press" at facebook.com/billpressshow

and on twitter at bpshow. >>i believe people are hungry for it. ♪ >> announcer: around the country and seen on current tv this is the "bill press show." >> bill: all right. here we go. president obama came back from colorado late last night, arriving about 9:30 on the south lawn of the white house. and today a pretty light schedule, so far what has been announced is he gets his daily

briefing at 11:00 this morning and this evening he is hosting the fourth dinner that president obama has hosted. it began annually under president clinton tradition continued by george w. bush leading of the muslim american community invited to the white house to celebrate iftar at 8:30 tonight. as olivia knox just pointed out, there is a big hole between 11:00 am this morning and 8:30 tonight. and jay carney having promised us on tuesday that the president would be taking our questions soon. the rampant speculation is that there will be a presidential news conference in the brady briefing room sometime today. it has not been announced and

maybe the president is just going to kick back and relax, and he has a right to do that once in a while.

[♪ theme music ♪] >> bill: >> bill: hey, hello, everybody good morning. it's a friday. friday august 10th, good to see you today. and welcome to the "full court press" here on current tv where we bring you all of the news of the day from around the country, around the globe, hear from our nation's capitol and give you a chance to weigh in by giving us a call. good to see you today. before we go into the weekend, a

lot we have got to talk about, including this good news for a change. there are three new national polls this week all three of them show president obama leading mitt romney by a substantial margin even though romney has spent a lot more money than president obama has on advertising. what is going on? well, it looks like all of those lies that mitt romney has been telling are starting to backfire on him. we'll take a close look at that. we'll talk olympics and a whole lot more. but first we'll say hello to lisa ferguson. hi, lisa good morning. >> hi, bill, good morning. good morning, everyone. some new details coming out in the democratic national convention. "politico" has an exclusive report out today announcing presidential advisors are siting several republicans with prime time spots. that is obviously a kick in the

gut to romney. it is also meant to appeal to independents who will be the determining factor in this year's election. each night of the convention will feature a different social contrast between the two candidates. it is bound to be a hard-hitting convention, but that does not mean everything is going well for democrats. this year's answer is tough luck from the unions. union leaders came out saying they would not be the dnc's piggy banks. that is a very different tune from what we heard in 2008 when the unions gave the dnc $9 million for the convention in denver. we are also hearing a huge number of protesters are planning to envied charlotte this september. we will see demonstrations on all of this year's major issues

like gay rights college costs immigration reform and labor practices, and the city is spending a whopping $50 million in federal money on security. back with more. see you then. ♪ do you share the sense of outrage that they're doing this, this corruption based on corruption based on corruption. >>i think that's an understatement, eliot. u>> i'm not prone tot. understatement, so explain to me why that is. i think the mob learned from wall st., not vice versa.

[ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your radio, and on current tv this is the "bill press show." >> bill: three new national polls out this week all three show president obama up by either 7 or 9 points over mitt romney. good morning, everybody, it's friday august 10th. this is the "full court press" on current tv, and on your local progressive talk radio station. good to see you today whether

you are joining us by radio or tv. good to have you with us. we have a lot to talk about before we let you take off into the weekend and help us start out by taking a look back at the olympics and the phenomenal performance by team usa. good friend dave ziron joins us here. good to see you. >> it is a john carlos shirt. this was the actual logo from the 1968 olympics. it is to commemorate the medal stand of johnny smith and john carlos. >> bill: is that when they raised the fist? >> yes. in mexico city. they wanted things like south

african rhodesia disinvited from the games, they wanted avery to step down as the head of the olympic committee. he was an open white supremacist. they wanted muhammad ali's title restored and more african american coaches. they were ahead of their time and they caught a lot of guff for it but i have been able to interview these guys and they have no regrets. >> bill: good for them and good for you. i never realized what it was all about. >> oh, yeah. >> bill: it comes across like black power. >> yes, they saw their fist in the air as being an all power to the people sign not black power.

they were representing a group, including a olympic crew team that was made up of all white guys from harvard. i like keeping those kinds of stories alive. >> bill: thank you for bringing it back this morning, and thank you for be here. peter is still on the lose. and dan is filling in. phil has come in to take care of the phones for us. and our videographer on the job as always. he was on the job -- president obama on the job yesterday out in colorado. it is one of those battle grown states. swing states. and he says hey, you may not like everything i have done for the last four years, but i have been on your side.

>> obama: i said i'm not a perfect man and i won't be a perfect president, but i said i will always tell you what i thought and where i stood, and i would spend every waking moment fighting hard for you. [ cheers and applause ] >> obama: i have kept that promise, colorado. >> bill: sort of addressing the liberals that say i voted for him for months but god he disappointed for me on this or that. did you ever find anybody you agreed with on everything. >> my wife. >> bill: i'll bet not. [ laughter ] >> but there's a terrific website that in 2008 predicted every single state except for indiana on the electoral map says that the state that has the highest probability of deciding

this election by a huge margin actually is colorado. >> bill: wow. so very important for the president to be there. we have dave zirin here with us. and we're going to talk to one of the top people at nasa about what we have learned so far from the rover on the red planet. but first -- >> breaking news on this friday ryan locke has a full plate now thanks to his success at the games. "huffington post" said he has signed several endorsements and he may be courted as the next bachelor on abc. >> bill: woe. his parents are -- >> they are having their house foreclosed on. so that is a big deal.

>> bill: hopefully they can help them out. >> we may have heard the last of president obama singing in public, the crowd in colorado tried to push him to belt out a tune, and he wouldn't do it he said he made a solemn promise to his wife making him promise not to sing to anyone but her. >> bill: and he has a great voice. >> yes, i love it. >> bill: michelle won't allow it. >> and a little white lie never hurts anyone. that line is not true. researchers at the university of notre dame have concluded that a person easemental and physical health improves when they stop lying or lie less than they do. it finds on average americans tell 11 lies a week if they cut that down, their well-being improves over time. >> bill: only 11 a yeek?

>> uh-huh. >> bill: all right. dan. thank you. dave, closing ceremonies on sunday, overall looking back i think it has been a pretty good show. >> it has been stunning. it was i think predictable, but there have been so many stories that you don't expect that have emerged out there these olympic games, history that was made that you could have not guessed would be made before the start of these games. and that's one of the most exciting things about them. and these olympics in particular have really been something, because this is the first olympics that have happened in this technological time. it's almost like as i have been following the media coverage it is almost like it happens in two waves. you have the events that take place live it blasts out over

twitter, facebook, and then there is a second round of it in the evening. and that's added, i think a lacquer of hype on to everything that has made it sometimes maddening, because it feels like it is too much. but it's also made it really interesting. last night i actually had a crowd at my house at 11:00 pm to watch bolt win the 200 meters, because people had heard about it during the day. and they were like let's go to dave's house and actually watch this. that has been an interesting biproduct that nbc has received on the coverage. that has been fascinating. >> bill: here is what it sounded like. what your friends saw and heard last night.

[ cheers and applause ] >> he is breathtaking imcomparable best. bolt wins. 19:32 just outside the olympic record. he runs the same time that michael johnson ran in london. he is simply outstanding. >> bill: he is incredible. >> and he pulled up at the end too. and he really risked something, because his countryman who really runs with him was only about .12 behind him because bolt pulled up at the end. but jamaica, one, two, three, gold silver bronze. >> bill: and he is tall right? >> that's what makes him

different. nbc once again -- i have been very critical of nbc's coverage but these have been really good at these sports that are call lated in 10th of a second. they have been very good at breaking down let's say a dive. they have done a very good job of slowing things down and showing the difference in different athletes. and in bolt they did this remarkable graphic to show because he is 6'5" he takes about 6 steps less than a typical runner. and what makes him so different, it's like -- imagine like a monster truck. what makes a monster truck slower than a regular sports car, is that it takes longer for the wheels to turn around, so that's what makes bolt so

special. he is the first tall-striding splinter who has also been able to turn his legs as fast as a 5'9" sprinter. >> bill: and the big story people were talking about the american women. 39 gold 26 won by america's women. >> thanks to title 9. >> bill: yeah, things to title 9. >> exactly. this is the first generation of women -- >> bill: sorry. >> -- it's okay. it's a first generation of women athletes who really are not happy to just be there. the children of title 9 -- and there's good and bad in this as a lot of people have pointed out. there have also been stories of a lot of infighting on the women's track team.

resentment about lolo jones and her teammates saying she gets too much attention. they are very competitive, and want to bring the medal home. and it's not enough to be about sister hood and title 9, they want to be the best. and there is good and bad in that. the bad is of course there is this pressure on women athletes to be in things like the espn body issues "sports illustrated," and you have to give in to a lot of the sexism but the flip side of that that is good is they really see for themselves the sky is the limit and they think they can go out there and be the story of these olympic games, and succeed in

such a way that makes them the people on the cover of thing are scenes when they get back. >> bill: and you have got to give a nod to michael phelps, right? >> oh, yeah. >> bill: i have never been a big michael phelps fan, but boy, he really came out and -- >> absolutely. >> bill: the greatest impic athlete of all time -- >> definitely the most metal winning. you have so many more events in swimming that provides opportunity i for medals. if you look at what bolt just did, and when you consider how intrinsic the sprint as been to the history of the olympics. he is the only person other than karl lewis to win consecutive 100s and 200s.

and then you look at people like jesse owens, didn't have the opportunity to go back in 1940 because of world war ii and 44 again. he had to race against horses when he came back to the united states to make a living and back then that actually disqualified you from being back in the olympics. it's a tough call of who is the greatest of all time. but a another person that people forget is greg louganis. someone like wayne gretzky where you say without question this is the greatest person in the history of this discipline and nobody else is even in discussion. >> bill: all right. we're looking back at some of

the great athletes that we have discovered. >> [ inaudible ] mitchell. >> bill: there is another one. want to join us 866-55-press is the toll free number. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." ♪ >>"if you ever raise taxes on >>the rich, you're going to destroy our economy." not true!

>> we talk a lot about the influence of money in politics. it is the defining issue of this era. the candidate with the most money does win.

this is a national crisis. ♪ >> announcer: on your radio, on tv, the "bill press show," new on current tv. >> bill: 25 minutes after the hour, we go from sports to mars in the next segment of the "full court press," talking to one of the top scientists at nasa about what we have learned so far from

the rover curiosity. dave zirin wearing his red 1968 olympic shirt here the sports editor for the nation magazine. one more good reason to read the nation and subscribe to the nation which i have done for more years than i even know. dave good to see you. >> great to be here. >> bill: last night history made in the nfl shannon easton becoming the first woman to ref an nfl professional game. >> yeah. >> bill: she has been in the -- whatever -- it's not called the minor leagues. >> yeah. it's an historic moment. it is soured somewhat by the fact that the nfl referees have been locked out by the nfl owners, and obviously she

crossed a picket line to perform this historic feet. it's something a lot of people are keeping an eye on. will there be replacement referees on the field? it has huge stakes because it speaks to the question about whether or not the nfl owners and the commissioner are serious about play safety. because there is this messive class action lawsuit made up of over 2,000 nfl players -- >> bill: overhead injuries? >> over head injuries. and the question going to be does the nfl take seriously injuries. so it's not going to look good in a court of law or on the field either. i can't speak directly for ms.

easton, but the reports i was hearing this morning about the quality of oh officiating last night was horrific. >> bill: are they at the bargaining table now? >> they have been for about a year, and they are locked out. and the thing about it that is particularly irksome about it is ref reese are not like major league baseball refs we're not talking about a lot of money here at all. particularly for a $9 billion a year business which is the nfl is. >> bill: the down side for shannon easton is this is the opportunity to be a scab. >> yes. >> bill: thanks so much for coming in. >> thank you bill. >> bill: when we come back we'll

talk about what we have learned from curiosity. i'm curious. aren't you? >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." they're just turning cameras on and we just do our thing. >>politically direct to me means no b.s., the real thing, cutting through the clutter. i'm energized to start my show everyday because it's fun, because i care about what's going on in this country, rather than some sort of tired banter it is actual water cooler talk it's the way people really talk about these issues. we've always considered ourselves a comedy show. let me just say i am not ready for my close up. i think it's important to laugh. i think it will be exciting, because you can't script three hours of radio. what is going on? i can't tell you how many times right wingers call the show and say, "i don't agree with anything you say, but your show is funny as hell." the only thing that can save

america now, current tv. can i say that?

♪ >> announcer: radio meets television, the "bill press show," now on current tv. >> bill: 33 minutes now after the hour it is the "full court press" here on friday. friday august 10th. we're coming to you live from our nation's capitol, and brought to you today by the international brotherhood of teamsters we all live better because of their good work. you can find outmor about their

good work at their website, teamster.org. there is so much exciting news this week, proud of our olympic athletes on the ground in london and proud of our scientists out from nasa. and the curiosity landing safely on the planet mars. to let us know what we might have learned so far from curiosity early on a friday morning, luther beagle joining us. mr. beagle good morning. >> good to be here. >> bill: congratulations to all of you at nasa. how long has this mission been

in the planning stages? >> i think since late 2003. but before then there were two years of extensive studies on how to do something this big and this complicated. >> bill: where was the rover built? >> it was built here at jpl. we had lots of partners all over the world too, where the science missions have been donated by foreign countries. >> bill: did you do -- the launch -- or the landing, was so perfect. did you do any practice runs like -- i'm just curious, like in the desert or anything? >> there has been an extensive testing of everything on here instruments, landing. you name it we have tested it. i don't know if they did a full end-to-end testing. i would have to ask one of the landing engineers. >> bill: but certainly all of the instruments and cameras, was

all tested. >> yes, we have continuing to test even today. we're doing extensive testing on the drilling and arm, and we'll continue to test all through the mission. >> bill: let me ask you what have we learned so far? >> we have learned that we have landed in a very exciting place. this mission is not -- unlike anything else we have ever flown. it's very, very complex. it has more instruments more things to do than anything we have put down on the surface of the planet. we're taking it slow. i do know all of the instruments are working perfectly. we're getting images back now, and all of the engineering data from the edl, as from what we have learned, we have learned

we're in a really fascinating place. we know exactly how we're going to get over to the mound we want to explore. >> bill: curiosity cannot send any samples back right? it's not like they can pick up a few rocks and send them back to jpl, so how do you know what you are dealing with there in terms of surface? >> well, we have multiple cameras, including a wonderful color panorama camera. >> bill: yeah, i have seen some of those photos. >> yeah, they are great. we have a remote sensing system and we have a lot of instruments on the arm, and we have an instrument that will be taking portions of mars and running it through the instrument, and

we'll be able to tell what we're looking at in terms of mineralgy. >> bill: so just by the camera itself it can break down the competition of the rock or the soil? >> yeah. >> bill: wow. >> yeah. >> bill: and send that back. so is the goal here to find out if there was life on mars or still is life on mars? >> what we want to do is find out what mars was like in the past. we want to understand could mars have been habitable? and we picked a really cool landing site that allows us to do that. at the back of the crater there is a mountain and there are layers from time on mars. and we'll be able to test each individual layer as we rove up the mountain.

and that will let us know whether or not life could have been there, and that's a really important thing, and also allows us to understand the surface chemistry, so when we do a true life-detection mission we'll know how to do that. >> bill: this is just like -- i'm far from a geologist, but i have seen people working out in the west on a mountain slope where you have different layers and they can actually pick rocks from all of these different layers. and you are doing this electronically? >> yes, we are. it's like being in the grand canyon and going up those walls, exactly. >> bill: wow. and it's a two-year life of curiosity -- >> two year, minimum. that's what it was designed to do, and it can go out to like ten years because of the radioactive power source.

>> bill: there was another rover on mars correct? >> there still is. opportunity is still going strong after eight years. >> bill: and still sending become information. >> yeah, it is still moving. it's in a crater right now. it has been a spectacular mission. >> bill: any plans for the two of them to hook up out there? [ laughter ] >> they are pretty far away from each other. >> bill: with all of this information and with the photographs, what does it tell you about the possible -- let me -- a question before that. why mars out of all of the planets? >> mars is one of -- mars is the most-like planet that we see. we know at one point it had liquid water on it. you can see dry riverbeds and

you can see what looked like things from a flood. and all of this water existed on mars around the same time it existed on earth. this is the only planet in our solar system that we have evidence of that. the question is if life started here soon after it formed did it start on mars? >> bill: any fossils? >> if we find a fossil then we know there was life on mars. >> bill: right. you have curiosity there, it took over eight months to get there, so what is the possibility of landing human being on mars? and is that a mission? >> not as of yet. but we keep talking about this nebulous we could put people on mars, and we're about 20 years away at any one time when we

start turning the money on. we did it to the moon in the 60s, and we could do it if we had the will. >> bill: how about the atmosphere would it support human life? >> no, the atmosphere is about 1/100th of the atmosphere on the earth, and it is very very cold there. most of the time it is 150 degrees below zero. >> bill: wow. >> yeah, you couldn't breathe but you can keep people alive in space suits. >> bill: it's not necessarily the next designation resort. the most fascinating picture i saw was the self portrait that the curiosity took. the picture of itself. how -- how did you do that? >> one of the cameras -- the color camera is on a mast that sits about seven feet up and

they basically point it down at the desk and they do that so we can find out how much dust we kicked up when it landed. >> bill: and does it show dust and is there a problem with that? >> no, there's no problem with it. i haven't seen how much dust has been covering it. i just have been looking at my home computer. and i need something bigger. >> bill: it's just a tremendous accomplishment. it is standing in awe of the work that you have done, and you make us all proud, and fully support the mission, and we know a lot more about it thanks to you this morning. appreciate your time. >> you bet. >> bill: nine, ten, or more years in the planning and they pulled it off right on target.

congratulations to nasa and jpl. ♪ in the billionaires' purchase of our nation. >> and you think it doesn't affect you? think again.

collide. gavin newsom shifts into high gear for answers on the gavin newsom show.

♪ >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >> bill: 13 minutes before the top of the hour. here is something to put the fear of god into you. the identity deft resource center in san diego reports that through july 2nd there were 213 cases of data breaches reported

affecting personal data for 8.5 million americans. hear a story like that and you think identity left the here we go. you ought to be protected against it. i am with life lock ultimate, and you should be too. first of all life lock ultimate the best and most comprehensive id theft protection program. it monitors all of your information, but they can't protect you or your bank account, of course, if you are not a member. call now and mention press 60 for 60 free days of protection. give them a call within 60 days and cancel if you are not happy for a full refund.

1-800-356-5967. did i mention it's a friday. ♪ >> bill: oh, yeah! and every friday here on the "full court press," we take a look back at our favorite sound bites of the week to bring you our top five. five faves. and we start at the bottom and work our way up to the top. we start out with the press secretary for the romney campaign who says oh that pour guy who lost his job thanks to bain capital, and then lost his wife due to cancer if only he had been lucky enough to live in massachusetts. >> if people had been in massachusetts under governor romney's health care plan, they would have had health care. there are a lot of people losing their jobs and losing their health care in president obama's economy, and that's why governor romney is running to get people

back to work. >> bill: she might lose her job over that one. remember romney care was a model for obamacare. all right. president obama out on the campaign trail this week came up with a great word for mitt romney's plan to tax the middle class to give more money to the rich. >> announcer: number 4. >> obama: he asked the middle class to pay more in taxes so he could give another $250,000 tax cut to people making more than $3 million a year. it's like robin hood in reverse. it's romney hood. >> bill: there's a name that ought to stake. down in jacksonville florida, at the local nbc station down there, sports caster dan hicken is not happy with bob kosta and

nbc and the olympic coverage. he lets you know why. >> announcer: number 3. >> he did it again, he does it every four years, bob doesn't know that 12:00 means 12:00. it doesn't mean 12:02. it doesn't mean 12:04, it certainly doesn't mean 12:07. bob at 12:00 you say good night. you don't care because you are sleeping right now, and in the morning you'll wake up with strawberry's and cream at your five-star. >> bill: come on, bob, stop taking so much of my time. my own time on my own station down there. and at the olympic games in london, the man of the hour michael phelps some call the greatest olympian of all time.

here is what his final race sounded like. >> announcer: number 2. [ cheers and applause ] >> and sooner or later you have to say good-bye to the sport greats, like wayne gretsky. michael phelps about the make the final turn of his storied olympic career. and it is going to be a gold medal for the united states. and it is the end of an era, the most dominant in olympic history, and it's pure gold. >> bill: and finally as we just heard from nasa a great moment last sunday night at the jpl in pasadena california and the scientists went wild. >> announcer: number 1. >> landing confirmed.

[ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> bill: touchdown he says we are safe on mars. indeed. so we got -- got a lot to celebrate this week. celebrate the success of our american athletes in london and the success of our scientists that good government program nasa and jpl, and the curiosity on mars. when we come back, time for my parting shot on this friday morning. ♪ >> announcer: heard around the country, and seen on current tv this is the "bill press show." ♪ dose of politics from a fresh perspective. >>i'm a slutty bob hope. the troops love me.

>>only on current tv.

♪

>> announcer: the parting shot with bill press. this is the "bill press show." >> bill: here we go on this friday august 10th. any moment now we should learn whom mitt romney has chosen as his vice presidential running mate. and yesterday the "wall street journal" joined the core us of conservatives pleading with mitt romney to name paul ryan. i think every democrat ought to get down on his or her knees today and pray that mitt romney does just that. paul ryan represents the worst of the republican party. he is the ultimate tea partier, and he wants to shrink government down to the size of what -- so small you can drown it in the bathtub.

ryan is the architect of the house republican budget in its original form, his bucket eliminated social security he later dropped that but as adopted by house republicans the% ryan budget would eliminate medicaid and medicare as we know it. give huge new tax cuts to the wealthiest of americans. and that budget has been enthusiastically endorsed by mitt romney. so let's pray to god that paul ryan is mitt romney's choice because if the republicans want to run on ending social security. ending medicare, and ending medicaid, all i got to say is bring it on. jamaal simmons will be joining us as a friend of bill on monday. here it is into the weekend make the most of it, kick back relax, enjoy it and recharge your batteries and come back and

see us right here on the "full court press." >> announcer: this is the "bill press show."