house speaker john boehner is pushing a short-term deal as the way to get it done by august 2nd. >> it's not physically possible to get it done in one step. the plan he'll unveil today cuts $1 trillion and negotiating future cuts before the 2012 election. the next part is a deal breaker for democrats. >> not some short-term gimmick we're where in this fix in six or eight months. >> meanwhile a democratic plan takes a whack at cutting $8.2 trillion from the deficit and won't hike taxes. >> we have moved and moved and moved. >> everyone is worried about how the markets will react. in hong kong secretary of state hillary clinton tried to calm jittery investors. the political rangeling in washington is intense now. but these kinds of debates have been a constant in our political life throughout the history of our republic.

>> asian stocks fell but it wasn't nearly as bad as predicted. simon hbo says there's a danger in trying to cry wolf. >> they tried to get a deal over the weekend. they failed to do that. >> on the hill, more finger pointing. >> i know the president's worried about the next lerks.ç my god, shouldn't we be worried about the country. >> instead of speaker boehner leading the tea party he seems to be leading them. >> dow jones down 54 points we're off a little bit in the s&p and nasdaq. kristin welker is on the white house. luke russert is on capitol hill. kristen, this has got to be a frustrating monday for the white house. the president went into the weekend completely frustrated that he said i can't even get a phone call back. how do you move the ball at this point? >> frustration sa good word. most of the action right now is on capitol hill.

and one democratic aide who has knowledge of the situation tells me that the white house really believes that the ball is on the other side of pennsylvania avenue right now. they say that this is the congress's job to come one a plan and move the situation forward. having said that the president is still very much involved in these developments. staffers here at the white house in constant contact with the folks of capitol hill. as you said there were meetings over the weekend so they're keeping those lines offense communication open. but you know the president continues to insist he's not going to accept a short-term deal. he remains steadfast in that statement. as you know speaker boehner's proposal potentially a two-part plan that the president's just going to -- we can also report the president has cancelled several upcoming fundraising events so that he can deal with this debt ceiling issue. again, some back and forth behind the scenes. speaker boehner accusing the president of playing politics with this situation.

>> the interest thing, too, is when you're talking about who says they're not going to accept a short-term deal, you have republicans saying that as recently as june of this year. you have eric cantor pushing back hard onç short-term increases. congressman kevin mccarthy from california shied away from the short-term solution. congressman dave camp of michigan shot down a short-term increase. senator mitch mcconnell declined a call for a short-term increase. there were all these guys who said no way we don't want this to be a short-term deal. let's look for the big fix. the president says, luke, let's go for the big fix and now the republicans are going, wait a minute. what gives? luke. >> politics is the art of the possible. a lot of folks on capitol hill feel right now that a short-term solution is the only thing possible because of the eight-day time window that you mentioned. that being said, there are two very different plans which you talked about in the introduction

which are going through capitol hill right now. speaker boehner plan is going to have an extension, which gets us through the wipter. i'm told that speaker boehner's going to brief his house republican conference at 2:00 p.m. about the details of that plan. won't get extremely specific. then for all intensive purposes it looks from discussions i've had with certain aides that you can see as early as wednesday a house of representatives votes on speaker boehner's plan. harry reid is going to go his own way with a $2.7 trillion reduction plan across the board. both of these contessa are different than any of the grand bargains. reid's extends further than boehner. if boehner sees a short-term option through the house of representatives, he's told his colleagues to stay united. they believe they can take on the white house and win on this. >> real quick, any chance we get a deal today? >> if we get a deal today i will take you out to the most

expensive dinner in new york city. >> they'd better get a move on down there. you're witness, we're holding him to it. >> i'm witness. that's right. >> here it is the far right taking heat for holding the debt deal hostage.ç they're not the only one refusing to budge. progressive groups are accusing the president of secretly planning to gut medicare and social security. they said democrats should not budge an inch unless their demands are met. justin good to see you today. >> thank you. >> move on went so far as to join with a number of other progressive groups over the weekend, trying to organize this whole protest movement where progressive voters will call their lawmakers and insist that they hold steady and that there would be no cuts to programs like medicare unless on the other side, millionaires were willing to pay something. are you willing to see us hit default if -- hit default if the cuts to medicare aren't made?

>> basically what we're saying is we're in this terrible situation where republicans are literally holding the whole economy hostage and trying to force a deal where we're going to balance the budget entirely on the backs of the eldlerly and poor and middle class folks. given that we have this deficit that came from two wars we never paid for, tax cuts for the rich that we never paid for and then we're going to cut social security and medicare? people are having a hard time living off those, but that's our solution to the budget, it mike makes no sense. our message to democrats is hold the line. >> make or break issue for you. let me bring in a chief strategist for the tea party. for conservatives the make or break issue seems to be the tax hikes or the expiration of tax cuts. would you rather see the national default than see millionaires pay more taxes? >> no, absolutely not. i don't think anybody is supporting the default on our debts.

i think what we're saying is spending has gotten out of control the last few years. the national debt is skyrocketing. we've got to get ahold of our spending and getç it under control. the cut, cap and balance plan that the republicans have advanced in a long-term plan to get it done. we don't want to make any cuts to social security or medicare. that's really not an issue. it's discretionary spending that has gone up dramatically and we have to curtail it. we can't keep being all things to all people. >> the two of you guys are standing here, you and justin you're coming from opposite sides of the political spectrum. if we were sitting here talking do you think there's a way that you both could work out a political deal. >> i would hope so. first of all, i don't think there's a liberal or conservative thing to say that spending's out of control. we're spending far more than we're taking in. our debt is skyrocketing. we're seeing what's happening it's not just an american

problem, it's a problem around the world. we're seeing what's happening in greece and portugal. tea party groups are forming worldwide because the spending is unsustainable. the debt is unbearable. >> justin, do you agree with that? >> let's all put this off on our children and grandchildren and by giving them that much debt to carry, there's no way they can enjoy the american dream like we've had. >> i think it's absolutely right that we need to deal with the deficit if we want to protect the american dream. that is why it's so disturbing to see the whole republican party has basically been pandering to their tea party base and literally willing to hold our entire economy hostage. the demands they're making in terms of spending cuts would be to eliminate the department of defense or all of medicare. >> do you think the democratic party is pandering then in that case to the tea party votes? >> as you pointed çout, we thi that -- you know, we think the

president made an offer that was, you know, frankly -- for our members willing to cut already meager social security and medicare benefits. >> will there be political consequences for democrats who go along with major cuts to medicare and social security without coordinating hike in taxes or at least letting the bush tax cuts expire? >> look, the polling is really clear on this. the vast majority of the american people support a balanced deal where corporations and the rich are asked to pay their fair share. there's no question that anyone out there saying we should balance the budgets on the backs of the middle class and floor are going to take some heat from the electorate. voters are clear on this. the tea party is way out in the very extremes of where the american people is. >> the tea party feels the same way. i've got to leave it there. gentlemen, thank you very much

for your time. i appreciate it. >> thanks for having us. >> thank you. >> we've talked a lot about the tea party's influence with re-s. today my big question, could progressive passion threaten the deal on the democratic side? you can reach me on facebook, twitter and email. a confessed killer was in court today behind closed doors in oslo, norway. the man admitted to planting bombs and gunning down crowds at a youth camp killing at least 76. a judge ordered the man held for at least eight weeks. during the closed hearing the suspect claimed he belonged to a terror network. with two other cells and tried to read from a manifesto but the judge cut him off. thisç morning new amateur vide surfaced of the moments just after the bombing in oslo. we heard from one of the survivors of the shooting spree at the summer camp. a teenager who'd been shot in the leg. she described what happened when they first heard the gun go off.

>> everybody ran out windows, doors, inside orrooms. but ten people were strapped in the room in the corner. and when we come in from a door he start shooting the people on the floor. >> and here now is the memorial going on in oslo, norway. you can see the crowds there who have brought flowers to the site where the bombing has happened. again, this was tragedy that unfolded in two separate places. you had the killer confessing he had planted the bombs there at the government building and then going to that youth camp and opening fire. it took the swat teams a long time to get there because it was on an isolated camping area on an island. so he literally had quoted from the unabomber. he had fantasies of being this

knights templar crew seder. based on his 1500-page manifesto we're learning more. let's bring in evan coleman a terrorism expert. it's so ironic he was furious that his government wasn't doing more to crackdown on muslim fundamental mallism. and in this case, evan, he's coming forward and she's drawing attention away from islamist fundamentalists. >> this is a very deeply disturbed individual. you have to wonder what isç hi connection between islamophobia and gunning down kids at a youth camp. this is so strange. this is beyond politics this is someone who's deeply disturbed. on the same level you have to ask what he used to get to this point. what ideologies influenced him. i think it is an opportunity for self-reflection not just in europe, but here in the u.s. about what radical right wing politics does to people like

this, the deeply disturbed individuals. >> reportedly he was inspired by like minded american bloggers. we also know that he had come to the attention of authorities. they had investigated him in march, but nothing became of it. so what kind of intelligence will investigators be looking for now in terms of trying to prevent something like this from happening again? >> well, look, this guy appears to have been a lone wolf. i think there are very few places like this ahead of time are looking on radical chat forums, places are lone wolves gather on the internet. where this individual began posting chilling comments. looking back at his own personal diary you see him making comments about laying out the plan to massacre a lot of people and talking about how he wanted to kill as many people as possible. unfortunately, we're grabbing these things after the fact. and i think we're going to have to start look at these individuals that are associated with again extremist chat

forums, twitter feeds. understanding what is the connection? are they understanding their freedom of speech or a disturbed individual that's trying to carry out an act of violence? i think it's an opportunity for self-reflection not just in europe, but here. we have had people here in this country that have shown up to political rallies carrying assault rifles and saying i'm a patriot, i'm not al qaeda. the reality is that there are terrorists out there that are not al qaeda and they're not muslims, they'reç patriotic americans. >> terry mcveigh and mcnichol had their own idea of being a patriot and resulted in the loss of life in oklahoma city. it's time to reflect on the different forms and faces that terrorism can take. >> definitely. it's a multiheaded thread. we have extremists of different types and different shaps and sizes. we have to be very careful not

to simply assume that anytime someone sets up a bomb just because it's a big bomb it's al qaeda. there are violent extremists out there on different extremes of the political spectrum. we have to treat those the same way. we have to understand that there are people that look like us and sound like us and call themselves patriots and will go out and massacre 68 innocent kids. >> thank you so much. i'm sure you're going to stay on top of this as we get more information from oslo, norway. investigators are working to find out what caused singer amy winehouse's tragic death. fans are flock outside her home to pay tribute. a grieving mom faces more time in prison than the drunk driver who struck and killed her son. she joins us to talk about what happened and why she's facing happened and why she's facing punishment for his death. a network of possibilities. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more americans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice.

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a georgia mom could face up to four years in prison after someone else killed her 4-year-old son in a hit and run accident. she was crossing the street with her three children when her son a.j. was struck and killed by a driver who admitted being under the influence. prosecutors charged the mom with vehicular homicide, reckless conduct and improperly crossing a roadway because she jaywalked with the kids. she was convicted. and now could face more time than the driver who killed her son. raquel nelson joins me now along with her aunt. good to see you both today. tell me raquel, what happened that day. you're getting off the bus with your three kids. tell me what happened. >> we had gotten off the bus. we had crossed i'm sure a four lane, two lanes one way and two the next. we had crossed to the median.

and my son went ahead and my she was 2 at the time. in my other hand i had some grocery bags on my wrist. we got to the center median we stood still. i wasç nervous about crossing the end of the day. i had never been out there with my kids before. and there was a couple of other people who had gotten off the bus with me and they started to cross. and next thing you know i let go of my hand and he darted out. and the other child ran out. all three of us were hit. he died as a result of his injuries. >> i understand that there are no crosswalks there where the bus let you off, is that correct? >> right. >> and neighbors had complained about that for years that there was no safe place for anybody to cross that street. is that correct? >> yes. >> what did -- were you just stunned when period of times came to you and said because you

technically jaywalked with your children, we're going to charge you? >> i heard that it could happen. about maybe a couple weeks before someone said this happened to someone else and they charged her. even then i think they were going to charge me based on how it happened. simply because he run out and everything. but yes, it was scarey. >> i do want to mention that the drunk driver never stopped to help after hitting your little boy. he was never charged with d.u.i. but he did confess that he was on pain medications, that he's partially blind in one eye and he did leave the scene and has served him time for that. i know you're furious over this. what do you expect from that judge when she goes in for sentencing? >> i honestly understand that the judge has to delegate the cases that come before her. and that i just hope that she has a lot of compassionç as a

mother herself. and do the heroic thing and let my niece continue to stay with her other two children. they need their mother. >> and how do you move forward from this? you're facing sentencing and you're dealing with the loss of our son already? just mentally how do you even move forward? >> it's -- it's a lot of talking yourself out of things. my dad told me probably the best advice, just stay positive no matter what's going on. just stay positive. no matter what. it's apparently harder said than done. that's the best way. i'll just try to stay busy and my kids, my children they help out so much. >> i'm so sorry for your loss. i'm so sorry that you lost little a.j. i'm keeping my fikers crossed in

sentencing that things will go your way. thank you so much. >> thank you. teens on a survival camping trip in the alaskan wilderness would never have imagined this as one of the survival skills they'd need, fighting off a grizzly. could dna win convicted murder amanda knox her freedom in an italian courtroom. at bayer, we've been relieving pain for over 100 years. and today, we're re-inventing aspirin for pain relief.

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>> hearing his voice i was so grateful with cell phones and other things right from the e.r. they could hand me a phone. >> his parents are flying to alaska today. new questions emerging about the tragic death of singer amy winehouse and the demons she battled. stephanie is live in london with the latest. another sex scandal involving a congressman and now nancy pelosi's demanding an investigation following explosive allegations. . hot on the web today and apparently this is science monday. first astronomers have discovered the biggest water reservoir in the universe yet. it's a water vapor cloud that surrounds a kwau sar and a black hole. how much water? imagine all the water in earth's cf1 o and now multiple that by 140 trillion. got a concrete grasp on that? psoriasis was the number one search on google this morning. i'm not sure that the science geeks are driving that.

in the latest episode of her latest tv show she heads to the dermatologist for a rash. he diagnosises her with the normally harmless skin condition. it's fascinating. scientists creating more than 150, human animal embryos in great britain. they're mixing human sperm, nuclei and cells with human eggs and embryos. all perfectly legal. they're searching ways to find cells. a group of scientists is demanding new rules to prevent planet of the apes experiments. for now the research has stopped because the money has run out. what's up, smart?

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who accused dominique strauss-kahn of assault. the tearful woman swears she's telling the truth and says she wants the ex-imf chief to go to prison. new york prosecutors may drop the case against strauss-kahn following questions about the woman's credibility. two americans are among 38 people confirmed dead in a crash of two high speed trains in eastern china. that accident happened when lightning hit one train causing it to lose power and stall on the tracks. moments later it was hit from behind by a second train going the second direction. the nfl's long lockout nightmare is over. teams are expected to start signing up rookies and free agents tomorrow. training camps will open wednesday. 659 couples in new york city picked up marriage licenses yesterday. the first day of legalizing same sex marriage. almost 500 actually tied the knot. new york is the sixth state to make gay marriage legal. amanda knox is back in an

italian court today to challenge her murder conviction and her 26-year prison sentence. two independent forensic experts are telling judges why they believe some of the key evidence in the case may be worthless. knox and her boyfriend wereç convicted many the 2007 murder of knox's roommate. nbc's keith miller has the latest from italy. keith, explain what the argument is from the forensic experts? >> it was a remarkable day in court, contessa. we had two independent forensic experts taking the stand explaining of actually how the police, had sloppy police work. they showed slides and video of how they collected pieces of evidence. some that didn't have gloves. other gloves were dirty. one crucial bit of evidence it was a bloody bra clasp that was originally attributed to knox's former boyfriend. you could see in the video it being picked up, dropped on the floor, kicked across the room. it was not retrieved until weeks

later. perhaps more important for the knox side sa that the alleged knife which is prosecution introduced in evidence at the beginning of the trial they were claiming that there was dna material from the victim on the blade and dna material from amanda knox on the handle. what these experts said today is there is a profile of knox on the handle. although this knife was discovered in her former boyfriend's apartment. no disearnable dna whatsoever on the knife. pretty much saying that the alleged murder weapon you can throw it out the window. they also said rather damaging to the prosecution that international protocols some of which were established by the u.s. department of justice were basically ignored by the forensic scientist who first investigated this crime. this was really dna, it was one of the crucial points of the conviction of knox and her former boyfriend. the defense had always challenged it saying it was sloppy police work and contaminated that was confirmed in court today. >> we'll be watching to see what

decision comes out of this and what it means for amanda knox and her family. we just lost keith's çsatellit. thank you, sir. amy winehouse's parents joined fans and reporters today outside their daughter's london home. >> i can't tell you what this means to us. it really is making this a lot easier for us. >> and we're just getting news from the associated press that police say the autopsy on amy winehouse for today did not establish a cause of death. they're waiting for test results. usually toxicology reports that they do during an autopsy take what more time to come back. the singer was found dead saturday lying in her bed. a coroner's official did say there were no suspicious circumstances in amy's death. we're live in london now. set the scene if me about what this means to londoners who have seen amy winehouse decline so

rapidly over the years. we're having a satellite issue with stephanie as well. at any rate reportedly the last concert tour that amy winehouse was conducting and in fact her last concert that was just this past week she was up on the stage. she seemed confused and fans started booing her. and some of them even left the concert. it was -- it just seemed like she could not pull herself out of this sigel of drug abuse and addiction that took a very talented musician. as you can see really just devastated so many of her fans to see her go through this. we're waiting on the autopsy results perhaps the toxicology results that could shed some light on how and why she died. the record breaking heat wave continues today across the southern plains. 845 records were broken or tied over last week.

the hottest spot hays, kansas, on thursday hit 110 degrees. weather channel meteorologist carl parker joins me now. the south is still suffering in sweltering heat there, carl. when's relief coming? >> for the southern plains it might be a very long time before things change there. a lot of thymes the highs will set up and not move. that's going to be the case this week. that upper level high is going to be firmly in place across the country. you see the relief in the northeast. the heat's going to creep in tomorrow up to 92 in philly. 94 in richmond. very hot in the southern plains. 106 in wichita and 104 in dallas. we are getting some cooling rain. scattered storms in parts of the east and southeast. there is now severe thunderstorm watch area until 7:00 for new york, pennsylvania, parts of ohio a pretty good cluster of storms now across the 80 there into north jersey. t looks like a real good chance of heavy rain many the afternoon. in the tristate area big storms

along harrisburg and south along 83. philly's going to be in for some rough stuff most likely towards rush hour. storms popping up in the d.c. area. northeast side of town there in pg county around college park. northwest side around potomac and maryland. more of that severe weather through this afternoon in the northeast and in the northern plains. con tesz ya, back to you. >> carl, thanks. in a few minutes president obama will tackle some tough issues with the largest annual gathering of latinos in this country. it's the annual council of la razza and provides an opportunity for politicians to reach out to the all important hispanic voting block. we have jose. >> good to see you. >> first, let's talk about president obama. the burning issue on his plate right now is the debt ceiling, the risk of default, what's going to be cut from the budget. is this an issue that is really

moving the folks at the la razza conference? >> that's an interesting ç question, contessa, because granted that right now the focus of the president and pretty much everybody on capitol hill is the deadline looming on the second of august. that certainly is on the mind of the 25,000 plus expected at today's la razza meeting. there's an overriding issue which leads hispanics to worry about president obama and how he's been dealing with the hispanic community. for example, we're at 11% plus unemployment in the hispanic community. that number has not shifted in many, many quarters. what people want to hear the president say specifically is to the hispanic community, i'm speaking about what they expect today is listen, i know immigration reform is important. i know i promised you that if i won the presidency in 2008 he promised the hispanic community that he would make immigration

reform a top priority. i haven't been able to come through on that, but i haven't stopped fighting. the issue is whether just words which he's been using over and over again are the immigration reform issue are going to be enough to convince many hispanics who were pretty skeptical about the president's words, vis-a-vis immigration reform. >> no doubt the folks attending would like to hear the answers to those questions from the republicans as well. i'm rather surprised by the fact that all of the nine candidate who is have thrown their hat in the ring to be the republican nominee were invited to speak at la razza and none of them said yes. >> it's baffling. i always want to remind our viewers that for example, president obama three years straight told the folks of another large hispanic organization that he was going to be speaking at their gay lab and hasn't yet come through on that. but specifically on the issue of the republican presidential contenders how they would be

willing to ignore a large latino organization that is inviting them to speak about their positions not only as far as immigration reform but on the economy, jobs, unemployment, et cetera, et cetera, is baffling. >> all right. jose, i know you're going to be following what happens at the conference. >> can i just tell you something, con tesz ya? >> you may. >> no one anchors that news show like you. no one. >> that's high praise considering you stepped in for me while i was out and i really appreciate it. thank you. >> pleasure. >> home state rivals tim pawlenty and michelle balkman duke it out as the selection for the straw poll came out. side bar is next.

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. hi i'm andrea mitchell. coming up on "andrea mitchell reports," the debt deadline looming in washington as congressional leaders turn to duelling backup plans. we'll have the latest with nbc's

luke russert. from the senate budget committee senator rob heartman. from the republican party fallout, michael steele and bob slum shrum. we'll see you in 15 minutes. federal investigators are looking into accusations that minnesota's largest school district discriminates against gay students following seven suicides in fewer than two years. four students were gay, believed to be gay or questioning their sexuality. at least two of them reportedly had been bullied because of their orientation. the justice department and the civil rights office of the board of education are scrutinizing the school district. here's why. school policy mandates that staffers remain neutral on matters regarding sexual orientation and such matters are best addressed within individual family homes, churches or community organizations. justin killed himself last july. he was just 15 years old. his mother joins me now. tammy, good to see you.

>> hi. >> first of all, you have my sympathy about the death of justin. and i know you're concerned about the way the school officials do or do not happenedle complaints. in what way do you think the policy discriminates against gay students? >> i think it makes a bad client in the schools. the neutrality part is teachers don't speak one way or the other. oftentimes bullying gets overlooked. staffç know about it. and don't intervene or when things are reported there's no follow through on it. i found out after justin died that according to one of his friends that according to a counselor in the eighth grade school he was at the top of her worry list. and i never got a phone call on that. >> the school district officially is denying any connection between bullying and the suicides that have happened there. and the district says it has a

separate comprehensive policy that deals with bullying. did you feel like the bullying policy in any way shape or form protected your son? >> no, i don't. i think what this neutrality policy in place it pretty much, you know, takes away the protections on that policy for the lgbt students in the district. >> in what way would you have that policy changed? >> ill have it taken out completely. and then i would ask for comprehensive teacher training and also that they should put a procedure in to deal with bullying and to let the parents know and keep reports more accurately so they have those on file. >> by the way, the school now reportedly has asked two different groups for assistance in developing training for teachers. it was a response to the threat of a lawsuit by the sovereign poverty law center and the

national center for lesbian rights. before i let you go here, tammy, tell me a little bit about justin. >> justin was very smiley, happy boy who loved to play his cello. sorry. and had a lot of friends. and he was kind of the one that helped a lot of his friends deal with what they were going through. >> i'm so sorry for your loss and the pictures of him show a smiling boy, happy. it's just something no parent should ever have to go through and i'm sorry that you did. >> thanks. nchs sideç bar today things ar getting competitive in the battle for the republican presidential nomination. in ames, iowa, republicans selected nine candidates for the straw poll in mid august. neither rick perry nor sarah palin made the cut. there's something to be said for announcing you're running. former governors have said they are running and they too were left off the list. so take what you will from that. perhaps texas governor rick

perry cares more about the new hampshire opinion makers than an iowa straw poll. again, it's not clear if he's running. it is clear he's not apologizing. in his first interview new hampshire he called himself quote, an unpoll jettic fiscal conservative. an unpoll jettic social conservative. he promises to run an intimate retail campaign, aka lots of glad handing in new hampshire if and again big if if he runs. tim pawlenty and michele bachmann through their hats in the ring early. tim pawlenty suggested michele bachmann does not have enough experience to be president. the congresswoman fired back blaming him for the multibillion dollar budget mess in minnesota. pawlenty's people said her record in the house is a series of speeches and failed amendments. bachmann's counterattack exfive experience is not an asset if it

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. president obama in washington, d.c. at the national council of la razza. this is where they've expected some 25,000 participants there at the annual conference. massive voting block here of has panic americans. the president addressing them now. >> as our growing latino community. [ applause ] >> and so we're going to take this conversation on the road and keep working with you. for more than four decades nclr has fought for opportunities for latinos from city centers to farm fields. and that fight for opportunity, the opportunity to get a decent education, the opportunity to find a good job, the opportunity to make ofç our lives what we

will has never been more important than it is today. we're still climbing out of a vicious recession. and that recession hit latino families especially hard. i don't need to tell you latino you been employment is painfully high. there's no doubt that this economy has not recovered as fast as it needs to, the truth is it's going to take more time. a lot of the problems we face right now like slow job growth and stagnant wages these were problems that were there even before the recession hit. these challenges weren't caused overnight. they're not going to be solved overnight. but that only makes our work more urgent. to get this economy going and make sure that opportunity is spreading. to make sure that everyone who wants a job can find one. and to make sure that paychecks can actually cover the bills. to make sure that families don't

have to choose between buying groceries or buying medicine. that they don't have to choose between sending their kids to college or being able to retire. my number one priority every single day is to figure out how we can get businesses to hire and create jobs with decent wages. and in the short-term there's some things we can do right away. i want to extend tax relief that we already put in place for middle class families to make sure the folks have more money in their paychecks. i want to cut red tape that keeps entrepreneurs from turning new ideas into thriving businesses. i want to sign trade deals so our businesses can sell more goods, made america to the rest of the world especially to the americans. and the hundreds of thousands of constructionç workers many of them latino who lost their jobs when the housing bubble burst, i want to put them back to work rebuilding our roads, bridges,

new schools and airports all across the country. there is work to be done. these workers are ready to do it. so bipartisan proposals for all of these jobs measures would already be law if congress would just send them to my desk. and i'd appreciate if you all would help me convince them to do it. we need to get it done. we need to get it done. now obviously the other debate in washington that we're having is one that's going to have a direct impact on every american. every day nclr and your affiliates hear from families figuring out how to stretch every dollar a little bit further. what sacrifices they've got to make. how they're going to budget only

what's truly important. so they should expect the same thing from washington. decisions led to our debt, but both parties have a responsibility to come together and solve the problem and make sure that the american people aren't hurt on this issue. because -- [ applause ] >> i just want to talk about this for a second because it has a potential impact on everybody here. and all the communities you serve. if we don't address the debt that's already on our national credit card, it will leave us unable to invest in things like education, to protect vital programs. so i've already said i'm willing to cut spending that we don't need by historic amounts to reduce our long-term deficit and makeç sure that we can invest our children's future. i'm willing to take on the rising costs of health care programs like medicare and

medicaid to make sure they're strong and secure for future generations. but we couldn't reduce our deficits by cutting spending alon i'm andrea mitchell. we lost that feed from the president. we will have more later. the debt ceiling deadlock continues. a divided congress shows no sign of compromise. nbc's luke russert covers capitol hill. luke, right now we've been briefed on what the republican plan is. let's go there first and then tell me what the democrats are offering. >> sure, andrea, a lot of moving parts up here on capitol hill. first speaker boehner offering the following plan we heard from the gop aide familiar with the situation that the plan he's going to introduce to his conference today at 2:00 p.m.

will look as follows. immediately there will be a $900 billion raising of the debt limit that would be contingent of $1.2 trillion of spending cuts. this meets one of the gop m.o.s is that the spending cuts exceed the amount that the debt limit be raised. moerd to have another $1.6 trillion in cuts that would be looked at as entitlement cuts in the winter, congress would have to establish a joint committee of bicameral committee that would look at areas of savings throughout government. they would have an up or down vote in the house or the senate. also attached in this bill is the requirement that there be a votes on a balanced budget amendment after october 1st and before the end of the year. that is something that was very much part of the republican cut, cap and trade bill. they want to have a vote on that anything they believe it's a strong political point by the end of the year. this is a two-tiered approach. the speaker