over 150,000 jobs were added nationally. will it be enough to calm some of the global jitters one day after the dow's worst drop since 2008. here's how the markets are reacting right now. let's look at the boards. we're seeing moderate downturns, red arrows across all of the boards. the dow down roughly 19 points. ron ansanaa is here. when it comes to the jobs report? >> thomas, so far, it's been enough to provide short term relief. the dow was up 171 points at its best of the day. you just showed down about 20 right now. clearly these numbers not quite enough to eliminate the fears dogging this market, including fears of further deterioration in europe, not only from an economic perspective, but the debt crisis seems to be widening. there are talks ongoing to possibly address it. europe has yet to put together a

comprehensive plan that would include lower interest rates and a version of t.a.r.p. to get the financial system and fiscal houses in order. that problem is still out there. this jobs report was better than expected as you said. we would have to go a number of months with numbers better than this one to help us reduce our own deficit and put people back to work. >> ron, thank you. >> thank you, thomas. >> as we wait for the president's speech, we want to get to more on today's numbers and market reaction. we have jared bernstein, chief economist and rona faruhar. the latest issue is taking a closer look at the fallout from the debt crisis and america's position in the global economy. let's look at the jobs report numbers. 9.1% unemployment, 117,000 jobs

added. the biggest number, 154,000 private sector jobs and 37,000 government jobs lost. jared, let me start with you. will these numbers helplessen fears about what people are talking about with double dip recession? >> perhaps a little bit. they won't lessen fears about whether the job market is giving enough work to give american families, the jobs and earnings tubltszs they need. the unemployment rate ticked down one point. it wasn't because there were a lot more people working. it was because there were fewer people looking for work. there was a big drop in the labor force. imbedded in this report is a similar kind of weakness than we've seen in recent months. certainly the better than expected, the three words you keep hearing today. that's true. that should help to dampen tom volatility. >> rona, jim cramer talked about the causes of the unemployment

drop. listen to this. >> i think this is very much based on europe and the actual governments in europe, not banks in the united states. arguably, that's why it's so difficult for people to understand. >> jim cramer talking about the euro zone. after greece, which country would be the biggest concern. >> i think certainly italy and spain. i agree with cramer, if last year is the year we lost trust in business, this year is the year we lost you trust in government. i think that these numbers reflect that. yes, you've seen unemployment tick down a small amount, but that's probably in part because not only are there fewer people looking for work, gas prices are a bit down and the japanese tsunami issues are working their way through the system. we're not seeing a secular change here. we're seeing high unemployment much longer recovery than we should have. >> rana what do you recommend, because stimulus is going to be

mission impossible. what can congress do to turn this around? >> i think what obama has to do and what the government has to do is switch from a cutting conversation to a jobs growth conversation. that's what people care about. we're seeing that in poll numbers. people are concerned about the debt and deficit but they're more concerned about jobs. it's got to be about growth. >> jared, as rana is talking about poll numbers, let's look at new poll numbers concerning how america feems about its congress, the disapproval rating is at 82%. as i said at the top of the hour, we are about to hear from president obama who is going to be addressing this new jobs report right at the top of the speech he's giving today. how can washington leaders restore america's confidence, the ability that americans should have in the people they're electing to solve the crisis? >> by getting off the sidelines and getting in the job creation game, much like you just heard. basically, congress like firefighters looking at a burning building but just leaning back against their fire

truck saying boy, look at that, gee, wish we could do something. they got to put the hose on this thing. with today's jobs report, some of the flames aren't jumping quite as big as they were, but they're still there. there are a number of things that congress could do. by the way, they all involve some sort of stimulus. that may be a dirty word around here, there's no other way to get there from here. you could extend the payroll tax cut, extend unemployment insurance benefits, good infrastructure ideas. the president may be talking about a tax credit idea targeted at veterans today to boost hiring. that could be done far more broadly and address new hires across the workforce. >> rana, the president's republican rivals are slamming him. it's open season since we're ramping up to 2012. this is what mitt romney said, when you see the what president has done to the economy in three years, you know why america doesn't want to find out what he can do in eight.

>> what can the president do to send a directive to america to let them know he has control and a plan in place to turn this around? is there anything? >> i think there is. one good thing about the debt debacle being over is the president can now take back the debate from the tea party and make it not about cutting but about how we're going to grow jobs. spending is going to have to be part of that. strategic spending on things that create jobs. we should take advantage of the resurgence in high end manufacturing. you saw that in the job numbers. they were stronger across the board in the higher end jobs. we should use that as an opportunity to push forward this idea of spurring on higher end manufacturing jobs. obama should put pressure on the private sector. they are still sitting on $2.5 trillion of cash. it's time to spend it to create jobs. >> thanks for your time this morning. have a wonderful weekend, guys. >> thank you. >> just a reminder, you're seeing on the left side of your

screen, we're waiting for president obama. the first remarks expected to be from president obama concerning the better than expected jobs report out for july. other news for you developing now. the u.s. senate approved a bill ending the two kweek partial shutdown on the faa. a total of two senators, ben cardin of maryland and jim webb moved the bill through. the measure will extend the faa's operating authority through mid september. now it's on the president's desk for his signature. nbc news capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell joins us. the president was saying it was up to the hill to move it forward. what's the holdup now? >> they were able to accomplish this when so many people were angry over the fact that shutting down the faa for a period of weeks put about 70,000 people out of work for construction projects and some people who work for the faa directly. not in the safety area, but in some of the other operations.

when the country was consumed with the whole debt crisis, congress let this stumble across the line and not get done. with all of the pressure brought to bear, what they were able to accomplish was get an agreement to give themselves more time. what you saw this morning lasted mere seconds. didn't require the full senate to come back, just as we like to call it, two of the locals, senators from maryland and virginia who came in and with just a few moments, with the lights on, were able to accomplish this. it does kick the can down the road which is standard procedure around here at times. mid september, they'll deal with the issue again. the problem has been in order to extend funding for a whole variety of projects for the faa which is something that gets done every year and sometimes gets done in the short term bursts, there are republicans who want to see cuts made. now we have a pattern here whenever you want to pass something that is considered pretty temporary or pretty normal, there tends to be this issue of making cuts in order to

get that done. at least for now, we're going to have those workers able to be recalled to work on monday and some of those projects continuing. it's a short term fix, but it is a fix at least for now, thomas. >> kelly, by my estimation, this is the 21st kick of the can since 2007 that they're getting these financial bursts. is there any talk about when this will really be debated to the point that they can have a standard and fully functioning budget, one we're not going to have to go through every couple of months to send them financial bursts of money? >> it has been a huge issue, thomas, because there are people who want to say get this done for a year's time like it's supposed to be done. there have been just these underlying conflicts, different ways that the two parties see government operating, where they want to see cuts. in this case, it's had to do with subsidies to rural airports because there aren't enough passengers to pay all of the bills there. there are some views among

republicans that that needs to be trimmed back. some of those rural communities are represented by powerful members of the senate, including jay rockefeller and harry reid. it is a classic washington battle over where the priority should be. can this go forward with a longer term thing? many people are saying now that some of the other big issues have been cleared, this might be a time to do it, don't count on it. they've been working for a long time with these short term extensions. we may be in that situation again. if they keep doing it, it prevents people from losing their jobs or furloughed. a consequence that no one in washington can find a way to justify, despite their arguments about the underlying issues, everyone took notice when the complaints were so loud about what it was doing to real people, their lives and their ability to pay their own bills. >> we're watching for the president who is about to arrive. i saw someone on his staff take his remarks to the podium, while i have you, is there a reaction

so far from capitol hill on this better than expected jobs report, because we do expect the president to reference that? >> one jobs is getting the 74,000 back to work. we've seen the same sorts of arguments that this is encouraging but there's still a concern about really the whole long term structure of what the economy is doing right now. so there hasn't been a lot of applause from capitol hill on this, but everyone is encouraged to see some improved numbers, but there's a real debate on what can actually be done. everyone talks about making jobs the focus, yet that's been hard to see a lot of example of that coming from capitol hill. >> any politician i'm sure you have had an opportunity to speak with and the most we've seen on television, when they get the opportunity to talk, they say jobs, jobs, jobs, when they come back from recess, how much are they going to get the constituents to parlay that into something fundamental? >> when they say they are out of washington, and refer to it as

vacation, most members hold meetings in their home districts and states and are working at home back in their home communities. we should expect to see some pushback. we'll have to keep an eye on some of these town hall meetings which have been a hot bed of public frustration. sometimes over health care, sometimes over government spending. this time around, after so much anticipation that there would be a real focus on jobs and a frustration that that really hasn't played out, that's something to really watch, what kind of direct information and anger, perhaps, are they getting from their constituents back home. we'll be tracking that over the next few weeks. they talk about the differing roles of can government create jobs or is it something that can be done by changing regulations and so forth. one of the things to watch is the extension of the payroll tax. the president would like to see that done and republicans can get on board with that as well. the question is how do you pay for it. that's a way to put money back in people's pockets that they can spend. you might see action on that as

well. that wasn't a part of these most recent debates but could be something front burner when they get back in september. >> kelly o'donnell in washington. thanks so much. >> happy friday. >> you as well. >> as we've been telling you this morning, coming up any moment, president obama will be talking to the country this morning, unveiling his push to help the nation's vets find private sector jobs. he's going to be speaking live at the washington navy yard. they introduced admiral mike mullen to come. the president will be expected to speak about the better than expected jobs report. right off the top of his remarks. we're going to cover that for you. let's take a look at the markets though, because i'm getting new information that the markets now are dropping some roughly by about 80 points now, 89 points. yesterday was such a volatile day. people reacting. we've seen trends coming back roughly this morning where we had some green arrows. today we're seeing a little bit of capitulation after yesterday's big reaction.

there has to be response, we talked to ron ansanaa before. we'll be waiting for the president to speak. in other news, reports are out this morning that libya's moammar gadhafi has lost another son to nato air strikes. the rebels trying to topple his regime have reports that thomas gadhafi was one of 32 people killed in a strike. another gadhafi son was killed back in may. however, the libyan government is denying his death. former beatle, paul mccartney says he plans to contact police claiming he may be a victim of the british phone hacking scandal. earlier this week, his ex-wife said she had been confronted by journalists. mccartney called the scandal a horrendous violation of privacy. to weather news, tropical storm emily is fizzling out but

not before dropping heavy rains on parts of haiti and the dominican republic. all hurricane watches and warnings were cancelled. we'll be back with much more on msnbc as we await for the president to take the podium.soo d we learn some new tricks of the trade... then break out our doing clothes and get rolling. let's use some paint that helps us get the job done in record time and makes a statement when we're finished. we're lowering the cost of a new favorite color. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. take your painting skills to the next level at one of our free paint workshops.

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president obama now on site there on the washington navy yard. he's there to unveil a push to help the nation's vets to find private sector jobs. he's going to be speaking there this morning, expected to talk about today's job reports. the proposals though that he is unveiling to help vets, returning heroes and wounded

warriors, a tax break. let's listen in. >> please, everybody. just waiting here.

well, thank you very much, everybody. good morning. i'm glad somebody told me that was the last one, because i've lost count. it is great to be here at the navy yard. first of all, i want to thank admiral mullen for being here and for his four decades of extraordinary service to this country. and i want to thank him for saying that for an old guy, i

look okay. i appreciate that. this may be one of the oldest shipyards in the united states. but today, it's used to develop some of the most advanced technology in the military. although i hear your engineers are still working on a solution to the traffic when the nationals are playing. that's not ready yet. let me start by saying a few words about our economy. there is no doubt this has been a tumultuous year. we've weathered the arab springs' effect on oil and gas prices, the tsunami's affect on supply chains, the extraordinary economic uncertainty in europe and recently, markets around the globe have taken a bumpy ride. my concern right now, my

singular focus is the american people getting the unemployed back on the job, lifting their wages, rebuilding that sense of security, the middle class has felt slipping away for years, and helping them recover fully as families and as communities from the worst recession that any of us have ever seen. today, we know that our economy created 154,000 new private sector jobs in july. that's the strongest pace since april. the unemployment rate went down. not up. but while this marks the 17th month in a row of job growth in the private sector, nearly 2.5 million new private sector jobs in all, we have to create more jobs than that each month to make up for the more than 8 million jobs that the recession

claimed. we need to create a self-sustaining cycle where people are spending and companies are hiring and our economy is growing. we've known that will take some time. what i want the american people and our partners around the world to know is this. we are going to get through this. things will get better. we're going to get there together. the bipartisan compromise on deficit reduction was important in terms of putting us on sounder fiscal footing going forward, but let's be honest, the process was divisive, it was delayed. if we want our businesses to have the confidence they have to get cash off the sidelines and invest and hire, we have to do better than that. we've got to be able to work together to grow the economy right now, and strengthen our long term finances. that's what the american people expect of us. leaders that can put aside our differences to meet our

challenges. so when congress gets back in september, i want to move quickly on things that will help the economy create jobs right now. extending the payroll tax credit to put $1,000 in the pocket of the average worker, extending unemployment insurance to help people get back on their feet. putting construction workers back to work rebuilding america. those are all steps that we can take right now that will make a difference. there's no contradiction between us taking some steps to put people to work right now and getting our long term fiscal house in order. in fact, the more we grow, the easier it will be to reduce our deficits. both parties share power. both parties share responsibility for our progress. moving our economy and our country forward is not a democratic or republican responsibility. it is a -- it's not a public or private responsibility.

it is the responsibility of all americans. it's in our nature to do the tough things when necessary. to do the right things when called. that's the spirit that washington needs right now. it's also the kind of spirit found in the men and women who proudly serve in our country's uniform. it's the spirit that endures long after they take those uniforms off. today's veterans are americans who have done their duty. they've fought our wars with valor, from the jungles of vietnam, to the deserts of iraq to the mountains of afghanistan. may include the members of today's military, the 9/11 generation, some of whom are here today, who volunteered to serve at a time of war, knowing they would be sent into harm's way. to these men and women, i want to say that all of you have served our country with honor.

over the last decade, you've performed heroically and have done everything we've asked of you in some of the most dangerous places on the planet. your generation has earned a special place in american history. today nearly 3 million extraordinary service members like you have completed their service and made the transition back to civilian life. they've taken their leadership experience, their mastery of cutting edge technologies, their ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and they've become leaders here at home. just think about how many veterans have led their comrades on life and death missions by the time they were 25 years old. that's the kind of responsibility and experience that any business in america should want to take advantage of. these veterans are already making an impact, making companies and communities stronger.

but for every success story, there are also stories of veterans who come home and struggle to find a job worthy of their experience and worthy of their talent. veterans like nick holgan. when nick was in afghanistan, he served as a combat medic with the 82nd airborne. he helped fro people escape from a flooding river. he earned a bronze star for his actions. when nick got back home to wyoming, he couldn't get a job as a first responder. so he ended up having to take classes through the post-9/11 gi bill, classes he could have easily taught just so he could qualify for the same duties at home that he was doing every single day in afghanistan. they're veterans like maria canalas. she was a financial specialist

in the army, helping to provide financial support for her unit in iraq. when she got home, she finished earning her degree in business management. but even with her experience in the army, maria still couldn't find a steady working job in accounting or finance. that isn't right. it doesn't make any sense. not for our veterans, not for the strength of our country. if you can save a life in afghanistan, you can save a life in an ambulance in wyoming. if you can oversee millions of dollars in assets in iraq, you can help a business balance its books here at home. our incredible service men and women need to know that america values them not simply for what they can do in uniform but for what they can do when they come home. we need them to keep making america stronger.

our companies need skilled workers like our veterans to grow. there's no reason why we can't connect the two. keeping our commitments to our veterans has been one of my top priorities as commander in chief. that includes helping them make the transition back to civilian life. that's why we're fully funding the post-9/11 gi bill which is helping gi family members pursue an education. we supported extending the bill to include non-college degrees and on-the-jop aplen practiceship training. that's why i directed the federal government to hire more veterans, including more than 100,000 in the past year and a half alone. today, we're taking it a step further. first, we need to do more to make the transition from military to civilian life easier

for our veterans. that's why i'm directing the departments of defense and veterans affairs to design what we're calling a reverse boot camp. the problem is that right now, we spend months preparing our men and women for life in the military, but we spend much less time preparing them for life after they get out. we'll devote more time on the back end to help our veterans learn about everything from benefits to how they can translate their military training into an industry-accepted credential. in addition, we'll make it easier for veterans to go to their local one stop career center and get help pursuing a career that fits them best. these steps will help bridge part of the gap between veterans looking for work and companies looking to hire. but that's only part of the equation. the other half is about encouraging companies to do their part.

that's why i'm proposing a new returning heroes tax credit for companies that hire unemployed veterans. i'm proposing an increase in the existing tax credit for companies who hire unemployed veterans with a disability who still have so much to offer our country. finally, we're challenging the private sector to hire or train 100,000 unemployed post 9/11 veterans or their spouses by the end of 2013. this builds on commitments that many companies have already made as part of the joining forces campaign, championed by my wife, michelle, and dr. jill biden. seemans met their goal. microsoft is helping more than 10,000 veterans get its certified over the next two years. today, groups from the u.s.

chamber of commerce to accenture to lockheed martin have all agreed to do their part to help get veterans back into the workforce. the bottom line is this, we still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do to give them the economic security they deserve. that begins with connecting americans looking for work, including our veterans with employers looking to hire. over the last few years, another generation of young veterans has learned that the challenges don't end in kandahar or baghdad. they continue right here at home. today, we're saying to our veterans, you fought for us, and now we're fighting for you, for the jobs and opportunities that you need to keep your families strong and keep america competitive in the 21st century. at a time when there's so much work to be done in this country, we need everyone's help to do

it. so thank you. god bless you. god bless all our services and god bless the united states of america. [ applause ] >> president obama wrapping up his remarks this morning at the washington navy yard. bottom line here, the biggest thing to come out of the address that the president just gave was basically talking about a reverse boot camp for our military vets who return to civilian life, saying we prep them so much to send them into the military that we need to do more on the back end to return them to the civilian life they once knew, but also touting the fact that he wants to promote the returning heroes tax credit and wounded warrior tax credit, basically aligning vets who are coming home looking for work and putting them with companies seeking to hire. he said this will put so many of our vets that are trained into these jobs that are around the country. microsoft is training 10,000 vets over the next two years for

it and tech support. the president also saying this will do a lot to instill confidence in the fact that our vets can come back and know there will be training to let them get back into the workforce. the president couldn't go through these remarks without referring to the july jobs report. the unemployment report now down to 9.1% down from 9.2%. 177,000 jobs were added. the biggest number coming from the private sector, 150,000 jobs. despite the fact that it was positive, republican presidential hopefuls are taking aim at president obama over today's jobs report. front runner mitt romney said today's unemployment report represents the 30th straight month that the jobless rate has been above 8%. when you see what this president has done to the economy in three years, you know why america doesn't want to find out what he can do in eight.

let's bring in mark murray. harsh words from the other candidates. we are in that time of the election, time where these harsh words are expected. michele bachmann saying this is still evidence that the president's policies are digging us deeper into the hole. pawlenty calling today's report dismal. do they have to stay on the offensive here while they talk about this. >> absolutely. that's going to be the republican play book, pointing out the unemployment rate is way too high. there isn't enough economic growth. that's what we're going to see from republicans this entire primary season. what we'll see from the eventual republican nominee. i was struck by the president's comments today where he said we will get through this. things will get better. it's almost like the president was challenging his inner franklin roosevelt, knowing this is going to be very much like the 1936, 1940 election where things aren't getting better, almost projecting a sense of stability and security message as he tries to head into

re-election. >> mark, he said he has a singular focus right now in reference to the u.s. people, work, wages and security. obviously, that singular focus is something that will help him to get re-elected. a lot of these candidates are on the attack. when will it be necessary to come up with an actual concrete plan of their own to promote and put out there. >> well, we have seen some plans from the republicans, you know, tim pawlenty has had his. as far as the white house and their plans, they're going to continue to talk about things that they talked about today, tax credits to help veterans, payroll tax cuts. the problem the white house is facing right now is you have a rekals trif congress. as difficult as it was to get the debt ceiling done, it will be hard to get payroll tax cuts. the president could create this persona that he's the one who has the ideas, that he's trying to do things, even though there's a do-nothing congress standing in the way.

we might see that message as the president takes his economic message on to the midwestern states as he takes the bus tour next week. >> thank you. today's july jobs report was positive except for one sector. that was government jobs. 37,000 positions were lost in july. 23,000 were in state government. most of those were due to the shoe shutdown of minnesota's state government. in california led the nation in the number of layoffs. we are joined by former california governor gray davis. it's nice to see you. as we go over the latest state unemployment numbers we have for june, these numbers show that california's unemployment rate is 11.8%, for the nation, the unemployment stands at 9.1%. how much of a strain is unemployment, the situation right now putting on states like

california? >> it's good to be with you, thomas. there's no question that putting americans back to work is job one. it's not just getting a paycheck rather than receiving unemployment insurance, but it's the way you think of yourself, your self-image, the way the family looks at you. we have to make creating jobs a priority number one. one thing the federal government can do is stop digging a ditch when things are getting worse. the whole faa thing is a disaster. the dispute was over $16 million. they failed to collect 300 million in the process. threw tens of thousands of people out of work. the first thing congress should do is stop putting the economy in reverse. i'm delighted senator reid brokered a temporary solution. >> we're keeping a close eye on the markets after yesterday. the markets are down 100 points right now. california is the tenth largest economy in the world. that doesn't mean it doesn't

need help from washington as we take a look at some of these numbers that were compiled by the "l.a. times." california state budget is usually reported as being shy of $86 billion, but add in 34 billion in special funds, 9 billion in bond money and 79.2 billion in federal funds. that represents 38% of the state of california spending. this brings the grand total to over 200 billion. the spending fight isn't over in washington. if a state like yours doesn't get what it needs, what's the end result for a place like california? >> i think all the states, thomas, are in for a tough time. the congress is rightfully trying to reign in spending, we can't continue borrowing 41 cents on every dollar. in the short run, things would help every government, state and federal is to look to see if there are any jobs programs funded over the next two or three years and front load those

programs now. long term, we need to have education and training programs aligned with our needs. when i grew up, sputnik was circling over us, scared the wits over us. dwight eisenhower said, if you want to be an engineer, the government will pay for your education. that spurred a generation. thousands of engineers came online. that helped us beat the russians getting to the moon 12 years later. something like that has to be the answer in the long term. in the short term, payroll tax may be proving those free trade agreements will help. looking in every nook and koranny to see if there are job programs that can be front loaded today because we need the jobs now. >> we need to build our way out of this recession. former california governor gray davis, thanks for your time. >> thank you. casey anthony's legal troubles are far from over. her lawyers were back in a

florida courtroom. casey was not there. at issue whether anthony needs to return to florida to serve out her probation stemming from a check fraud conviction. the judge saying he meant for casey to serve her probation after her jail time. the florida department of corrections interpreted that ruling to mean she could serve her probation while behind bars. listen to how judge belvin perry wrapped up today's hearing. >> there are no clear-cut answers in this case. it's a mess. >> the judge saying if he orders casey to return to florida, one thing he will have to consider is security given the threats that she received before and after her acquittal on murder charges last month. presidential candidate mitt romney, the latest republican to sign a pledge defining marriage of a union of a man and women. i'm going to talk to the group behind this pledge and the group that marriage should be recognized for everyone. a debate you'll want to see.

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three of the republican candidates for president are signing on to a new marriage plans that says if elected they'll send a federal con constitutional amendment defining marriage between a man and woman. defend the defense of marriage in fact court and appoint a commission to investigate any defense. michele bachmann, mitt romney and rick santorum have signed on to this. joining me is john and rick. gentlemen, good morning, your organization is about to kick off a bus tour in iowa to promote family values. in the pledge that you have these three gop hopefuls sign, it didn't say anything about divorce which is a big factor in something that is an enemy of marriage. the general figure for the divorce rate is between 40 and 50%. why didn't you have anything in this pledge to prevent divorce?

>> well, divorce is a big problem in this country, maggie gelman has done a lot of work focusing on the need to strengthsen our families. same-sex marriage is a big issue. there is a concerted effort to use the courts to overturn the will of the people. whenever the people of this country in any state have voted on this issue, they voted to protect marriage. it's an important issue on the federal level. we're very excited that not only three, now a fourth candidate has signed on, tim pawlenty is signing on. we're excited that they're willing to stand up and listen to the people in this country to protect marriage. >> in an article suggesting the correlation between legalizing same-sex marriage and lower divorce rates for states that recognize or perform gay marriages, the rate is 41.2%. for states that don't, it's 50.3%. massachusetts where same-sex marriage was legalize the, the

divorce rate went down almost 21%. what does that tell you? >> it tells us that this movement for marriage equality is truly about our common humanity, and the common instinct to love another human being. to want to have kids and family and to have your family recognized fully with a legal marriage. i can say from a personal perspective as an example, my husband, stewart and i, have been together for 24 years. for many of those years, we didn't have any rights and recognition for our relationship. but in 2008, we were able to legally marry in california, surrounded by friends, family, all of our living parents who are then in their 80s. it was a tremendous time for us. i think as americans are seeing their friends and neighbors and ordinary folks just like stewart and me getting married and having a happy relationship, it's showing that it's good for marriage. it's good for our society

because it brings us all together and respect each other. >> brian, when you hear a story like that, why do you feel brian and stewart are less than you? >> gays and lesbians have the right to live as they choose. when you redefine marriage, there are profound consequences. we see same sex taught in schools, we see religious organizations and individuals punished by the state. when you have catholic charities, adoption agency in massachusetts basically forced out of adopts because of course catholic charities cannot adopt children into same sex couples. you see the profound consequences. the notion of what you're doing bypassing same-sex marriage by expanding rights is wrong. >> brian, the lgbt community is primarily raised by the heterosexual community. >> that has nothing to do with the fact that marriage is a profoundly public -- that has

nothing to do with the fact that marriage is a profoundly public good. when you redefine the nature of marriage, there are consequences. we now have jonathan turly, one of the moses teamed legal professors in this country launching a lawsuit in utah to claim that polygamy should be legalized there using the exact same arguments as supporters of same-sex marriage, redefining marriage is wrong. it is not true that two men or two women are in the same position as a man and woman, husband and wife united together in marriage. these are different things. >> until you get a divorce, then the man and woman aren't united anymore in marriage. >> marriage is unique and special. >> the american psychological association voted unanimously, 157-0 in favor of same-sex marriage around this country. jon, when you hear something like that, does that help give you ammunition to move forward? >> i'm absolutely encouraged by all the developments that are

taking place now. we have seen bipartisan efforts in new york to achieve marriage equality and we're seeing many, many happy couples marrying in york and having their special day. i feel that we are winning the freedom to marry one wedding at a time. national public opinion polls now consistently show the majority of americans now support the freedom of marriage for all loving, committed couples. all families. so i see a movement going forward. and we're seeing strides on the national level both in congress and in the courts to finally end this exclusion of lesbian and gay couples from the federal rights of marriage. there are over 1,000 federal rights and responsibilities that protect families that we are unkmpblt being denied. we see thins moving forward positively. >> this is untrue, if supporters believe the public are on their side, why are they so against

people voting on this leisure directly. it's simply untrue. >> if the majority voted on the social issues of the minority, black people wouldn't vote. interracial marriage would not be legal. >> this is a totally false comparisons. those are apples and origins. >> we've got to wrap it up there. thanks for your time today. >> thank you. let's take a look at what the markets are doing right now. we're seeing some downturns right there. 154 points down. we're back with much more after we're back with much more after this. i found one that uses robots instead of real people. 'cuz robots work for free. robot 1:good morning... robot 1:...female child. sfx: modem dial-up noise woman: flaws? yeah, um, maybe. anncr: there's an easier way to save. anncr: get online. go to geico.com. get a quote. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

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welcome back, everyone. an important story out of wisconsin because of a major battle this tuesday that could put the democrats back in charge in the state senate. this stems from the controversial bill that stripped most state workers of their collective bargaining rights. this tuesday voters will head to the recall election. joining me now is one of the democrats who went mm.i.a.

during that vote. one democrat already won a recall election last month. in two weeks, two democrats face a recall election. you need three democrats to take back control of the senate. how hopeful are you that this is going to be happening? >> thomas, it's very hopeful. what's going on with the six recalls of the republicans that are coming up next tuesday, we are ahead in a couple of those races and the rest of the races are coin tosses. what you have to keep in mind, these are traditional republican seats held by republican state senators for a long time. including one seat that's been held by republican state senators for the past 100 years. we feel pretty good heading into next tuesday and then the week after that the two democrats that are up we feel very good about holding on to those. >> ed schultz is coming there to host his program on the 8th and 9th. we'll aural be watching that. thanks for joining me this morning. i appreciate it. that's going to do it for me today. have a wonderful weekend.

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. good friday, everybody. i'm contessa brewer covering the big news coast to coast. the big story we're watching right now, a tiny silver lining in a kbloomy economic cloud. president obama reacting this morning to the jobs report. the labor department announcing 117,000 jobs created in july. and the jobless rate actually dropped .1% to a little more than 9%. >> my concern right now, my singular focus is the american people getting the unemployed back on the job, lifting their wages, rebuilding that sense of skaurt, the middle class has felt slipping away for years. >> we've got a problem on our hands now, though, the market once again is taking a nosedive. down 206