Skip to main content

tv   MSNBC News Live  MSNBC  August 20, 2011 4:00am-5:00am PDT

4:00 am
assailants. police always recommend that you don't take matters into our own hands. that you offer complete cooperation. still these stories are warnings to would be criminals everywhere, your crime could be caught on tape. i'm john seigenthaler. pittsburgh pounded by deadly storms. residents swim to safety after flash flooz submerge cars. hear from survivors coming up. job worries grow while stocks close lower for the fourth week in a roechl why there are new fears of a double dip recession this morning. three men convicted of killing three boy scouts were released from prison. why they were given their freedom after 18-year-old behind
4:01 am
bars. it's not just your luggage that's closely inspected at the airport. why your behavior could be under scrutiny just based on the way you abc a simple question. good morning, everybody. welcome to msnbc saturday. we begin this morning with violent weather hits parts of the nation. a mother and two children killed in pittsburgh when their car was submerged in flash flooding. another person is missing and presumed dead. rescuers were able to pull 11 people from the water. >> i was standing on my roof of the car and the water was up over to my ankles. it was covered. it was completely submerged in the water. >> and one man in wisconsin died in a violent storm. officials there say they believe a tornado touched down. are there more storms on the way saturday? bill karins has a look at what you can expect. bill? a good saturday morning.
4:02 am
active weather yesterday caused all sorts of problems, unfortunately some fatalities. we look at the severe storm reports. we had one tornado yesterday. that did take a life in northern wisconsin. we have a lot of thunderstorm activity rolling through the new england area, mid-atlantic and ohio valley. flash flooding in pistol president. we had three fatalities people tracked in the water in their cars. even though we didn't have big tornados, those thunderstorms have cleared owl of new england. we're dry on saturday. we will see another round of big storms on sunday. if you think it's being wet in philadelphia it has. we've had a foot of rain in august. almost 13 inches. with the next bout expected on sunday, this will become our all time wettest month. new york's not far behind with 11 implgs of rain so far this august. as far as severe weather goes
4:03 am
this weekend, a slight risk of strong storms on saturday, today. nooer st. louis. sunday on areas of new england all the way down to phil fl and including new york city. saturday looks beautiful and warm, but it's on sunday that all that stormy weather will return. the rest of the country. thunderstorms from kansas city to chicago. the hot weather continues in texas. today should be 107 in dallas. >> 107. bill karins thank you. new word from president obama this morning on the economy after the stock marketed posted its fourth straight week of losses after plunging 173 points on friday, the dough has now dropped 15% in the pst four weeks. in his weekly address the president said there are things that can be done right now to turn the economy around. >> the people who you elected to serve. we need tem to put aside their dripss to get thins done.
4:04 am
we can pass a road construction bill so construction crews who are now sitle idle can head book to the wash site. >> the frustration was evident among unemployed americans who packed into job fairs in florida yesterday. >> i was laid off a couple years ago. so therefore i've been trying to get back in the workforce. bl it's been very tough. >> it's hard out there. we do the best we can. >> it's been three years. >> joining me now is white house correspondent mike vicara. good morning. >> reporter: it's all quiet in washington. congress is gone. the president is off to martha's vineyard. as you can see at job fairs across the country, a lot of
4:05 am
anger, a lot of trust ration. the jun employment rate up above 9%. the president from the road do you remember that bus trip through the midwest. he recorded that message in alpha, illinois, on wednesday. that was the last stop on the bus trip. he give us a little bit of a preview of what he's going to say after labor day and what is a major address on the jobs and economy. he talked about extending the payroll tax cut. he talked about more infrastructure spending on roads, bridges and airports. he's also talking about extending the payroll tax cut for employers. although going to be packaged together and perhaps more signature cantly he's going to be talking about specifics and details what he wants to see on a deficit redestruction package. that is due from the super committee. by thanksgiving the president says he wants to go over and above the $1 ppt 5 trillion mandate that they have been given. meanwhile republicans responded
4:06 am
today. the newly minted governor of ohio is john krasic. here's what he had to say. >> if we've learned anything from the federal stimulus is that government can't tax, spend and regulate its way to prosperity. when i hear people say we need higher taxes, it's a cause for concern. >> the president talking about extending some free trade agreements harr pending before congress. none of this is going to happen until the congress and president are back in session and back here in washington when day get back to business sometime after labor day. >> thank you. joining me now to talk about the stock mark and economy is ron insana. good more thanning to you. >> thank you. >> another week of market
4:07 am
volatility. >> there are worries about a solvency crisis in the europe banking system because of this debt problem that they're having. particularly, portugal, italy, ireland, greece and spain. they're known as the piggs of europe. a lot of european banks, particularly french banks own a lot of bad debt. there were growing concerns that we could have a lehman like moment in europe. you had to that some disappointing statistics we've seen recently and you have the makings for the fourth week of selling. worst month since march of 2009 for wall street. >> j.p. morgan chase lowered its forecast. after morgan stanley warned about the recession, what was the reaction there? >> i think everybody knows that we are again flirting with the possible of a double dip recession. we're getting a lot of market signals that suggest that. as mike seemed to indicate, we have very little adult
4:08 am
leadership in washington and srply they're delaying in many ways doing anything that's proactive to spur economic growth. similarly in europe they have yet to get their arms around the debt crisis and the banking crisis that they're going through. >> investors have been nervous, but they're still snapping up gold. >> it's a flight to quality. investors are putting their money in safe haven assets. a couple weeks after s&p downgraded the aaa credit rating of the united states, the other safe haven was u.s. treasury securities. the yields on a ten-year note fell below 2% for the first time ever. so money is flooding into treasuries and gold. >> also oil prices down?
4:09 am
>> gas prices will follow. it's a double edged sword. on the one hand it's a defacto tax cut for consumers because prices at the pump will come down. on the other hand, it's a reflection that the oil market will worry that global demand for crude oil, gasoline and other products will come down if the global economy weakens. it's a good news, bad news scenario when it comes to oil. >> the memphis three are free men. they were released yesterday. all tle reached a plea deal of prosecutors that released them for time served. they've been held since 1993 for the killings of three cub scouts. the men have maintained their innocence. they spoke at a news conference on friday. >> even when you're in prison it goes on every day. you have to worry about your own safety. it doesn't mart which crime it is. you have to worry about your safety, regardless. >> in the beginning we told them
4:10 am
nothing but the truth that we were innocent. they sent us to prison for the rest of our lives. the state said we'll let you go only if you admit guilt. and that's not justice no matter how you look at it. >> because of the agreement the west memphis three will not be allowed to sue the state for monetary compensation. later this hour ark look at the plea deal and how it was arranged. we'll hear from our analyst about how unusual this year. while gadhafi's control other war torn libya appears to be shrinking as rebel forces are celebrating another gain. after a week of fierce fighting. a spokesperson says they're in control of the oil port. this makes days after the remembers made gains. egypt says it plans to recall its ambassador from israel to protests the death of three egyptian troops killed in a shootout.
4:11 am
egypt's interim government put in place accused israel of vieting the peace treaty of 1979 and commanded an apology. the israeli defense forces insist there had been no intention to harm security personnel. pick perry wrapping up the first week on the campaign trail. the texas governor is refining his strategy. how is he doing so far with voters? not just good for business -- it's good for the entire community. at bank of america, we know the impact that local businesses have on communities, so we're helping them with advice from local business experts and extending $18 billion in credit last year. that's how we're helping set opportunity in motion.
4:12 am
i'm not looking forward to my flight. try this. bayer aspirin? i'm not having a heart attack. it's my back. no, this is new bayer advanced aspirin... clinically proven to relieve tough pain twice as fast as before. what, did you invent this or something? well, my team did. i'm dr. eric first, from bayer. wow. look. it has microparticles. it enters the bloodstream faster and rushes relief right to the site of pain. better? great! thanks. [ male announcer ] new bayer advanced aspirin. extra strength pain relief. twice as fast. test our fast relief. love it, or get your money back. and challenge janet who's 6 chapters ahead. [ male announcer ] with interactive learning solutions from dell, mrs. davis can make every student feel like her only student. dell. the power to do more.
4:13 am
4:14 am
fire crews are battling a massive blaze in colorado. the wildfire broke out friday afternoon in el paso county just north of colorado springs. crews from six agencies including the air force academy are working to douse the flames. the u.s. forest service says it has burned about 40 acres. the cause is around investigation. a bad start to the weekend
4:15 am
for one houston homeowner. police say a woman drove through a garage wall and into the backyard swimming pool. the driver got out safely and no one was hurt. investigators have not released the name of the driver it is not known if she lives at that home. cause of this accident is still unknown. over in red springs, texas, a 250 pound llama was pulled from a muddy pond. the llama had been stuck there for days. it was such a big days that firefighters called people for help. they covered the llama's eyes to keep her calm and pulled her to safety. the llama was weak, a little wobbly, but a vet said that she will be just fine. rick perry is continuing his campaign blitz through south carolina. the texas governor held four events in the state friday and has another three today. he's revving up crowds with
4:16 am
attacks on the president. >> this is the president of the united states that has killed more jobs in america than i think any president in the history, certainly in my lifetime. [ applause ] i think the only job he cares about is the one he's got. >> we have a reporter for real clear politics and joins us now. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> overall how would you rate rick perry's first week as a presidential contender? >> it was a very good week for him. i spoke yesterday with a top supporter to mitt romney who's his rival for the republican nomination and this supporter said that he thought rick perry's roll out the past week was the best he'd seen yet. just about as perfect as you can get for a roll out these days. he's getting all kinds of attention. he's even gotten the white house to respond to some of his comments. the president talked about him in an interview.
4:17 am
for a republican candidate for president that is a very good sign when you're getting attention from the white house. >> he's also getting a lot of attention for what he's been saying. let's take a listen to him speaking last night in colombia. >> he'll get a chance to be heard. >> doesn't seem like we have the sound there. he's gotten some criticism for missteps that he's been saying. should he be focusing on the economy and staying away from controversial attacks. she's said a couple things that have raised a few eyebrows. >> he's focused mostly on the economy and jobs. he's brand new to the race. we are just beginning. he's going to be getting a lot of questions about different topics. i was with him in iowa and he was mostly focused on the economy and jobs. >> which by the way, we have some of those comments. let's listen to the tape again.
4:18 am
>> the president this week he said that we had reserved the recession but you know, over the last six months we just had a reason of bad luck. our economic plan shouldn't count on luck. >> and some of your reactions? >> well, one of the things he said in iowa was that texans would treat the federal reserve chairman ben bernanke pretty ugly for -- if he would print money between now and the election. that got him a lot of friar from republicans and democrats alike. what's interesting is that former aids to president bush who don't like rick perry all that much, and president bush is part of the republican establishment started criticizing rick perry for that. but the tea party doesn't like president british or his team
4:19 am
very much. that helped rick perry with the tea party. some of these controversial comments they might not be looked upon favorably by the media, by the establishment, the tea party really likes those. and he's doing quite well with the tea party now. he's already beginning to really step on michele bachmann's movement. that's good for him. >> what does that mean for her, then? >> will he be taking votes from her. mitt romney? >> he's been a governor for almost 11 years. he's got some establishment support for that and being the governor of texas you come across a lot of people. he's had a very big economy to deal with. he does have some establishment support and he'll be competing with mitt room knee for that. if you look at the new polls he's taking support from michele bachmann and a mitt romney. and that's going to bode for vel
4:20 am
for him. in some early states he's already win manager the polls. what does it mean for michele bachmann? it may mean that she's reached ore heek. >> he's the front runner? >> i think mitt romney can be trd the real front runner. rick perry is challenging him for that stott. >> thank you. >> thank you. we invite you to watch "meet the dress wts tomorrow. we'll be speaking with robert gibbs and mitch daniels. a 10-year-old piano prodigy wowed a crowd playing music. but she acted like a pro. check her out. she belongs to a family of ar
4:21 am
gene tine musicians and started playing the piano at 3. the crowd roared their approval. [ female announcer ] think all bodywashes moisturize the same? challenge that thinking with olay. ♪ there's more than a jar of olay moisturizers in every bottle of olay bodywash to leave your skin feeling soft and smooth. with olay. a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion.
4:22 am
staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death.
4:23 am
patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. that i put on my children's plate. that's why we use all-white meat, breading that is whole grain with omega-3 and no preservatives. it is my goal to make the highest quality, best-tasting nugget on the market. i want consumers to go, "dang, that's a good nugget."
4:24 am
in arkansas this morning the west memphis three are out of prison for the first time in 18 years. they were released yesterday after agreeing to a plea deal with prosecutors. the case started in 1993 with the arrest in the brutal deaths of three cub scouts and their traumatic experience ended suddenly on friday. >> still very much in shock. still overwhelmed. you have to understand i spent the past decade in almost all solitary confinement. i'm not used to being around anyone. it's overwhelming. >> damien ekols was sentenced to die for the killings.
4:25 am
really interesting case here. these men walked free. they did so by entering alford pleas. what is it? >> it's a little unusual. it allows somebody to plea guilty but still maintain that they're innocent. >> how does that work? >> it's complicated. it's not used that often. it's used about 20% of the time. 5 fernt in federal cases. it allows the person to do and say i think the prosecutor has enough evidence and they could convince a jury and i am aware of that and i'm entering the plea even though i am maintaining i am innocent. it flies in the face of any prosecutor or defense attorney. you want to person to plead guilty because they're guilty not i'm guilty, but this seems like a good deal to me.
4:26 am
so that's why it's unusual. usually the fifth amendment you don't want to be a witness against yourself. the judge has to get a factual basis. this is a way a lot of attorneys will tell you that it's just for liability reasons for the prosecutors. >> how do you get here? what happened in this case that led to this moment? >> there were two hbo documentaries. johnny depp and other celebrities coming out maintaining that these boys, at the time they were teenagers, a lot of people will say, and they had a lot of support saying they were innocent. >> there was no dna evidence in the cates. >> correct. because this was in the early 1990s. this was before "law and order." we didn't have that ability at that time. they have tested it now and they say there is absolutely no dna evidence liking them to these three cub scouts and no evidence whatsoever. that they were really just kind
4:27 am
of the information just pointed towards them. but the information that they do have now there has been some allegations that one of the stepfathers of one of the cub scouts that his dna was found at the scene. so, you know, was this a case where there were three innocent boys who were railroaded. one of them had a very low i.q. and he confessed. there's a lot of information. they pent 17 to 20 years in jail. there were multiple hearings. went up to the supreme court. there were appeals. this case was going on. >> the victims families have they spoengen out? >> obviously some of the victims' family feel that they're guilt. they feel that this is wrongful. others say the information isn't there. the dna evidence isn't there. maybe there was a falls confession. we don't have all of the details. >> 18 years. so nice to see you.
4:28 am
the first family heads to martha's vineyard for a summer holiday. but the white house wants to let everyone know it is a working vacation. air travelers in boston will get a personal greeting from tsa officials. they're not just saying hello. what security firls hope to gain from this new policy. [ female announcer ] you have all this chicken. time to mix it up with new philly cooking creme. it'll make your chicken creamier, dreamier, with lots of flavor. spread the love in four fabulous flavors. spoon in a little new philly cooking creme. handle more than 165 billion letters and packages a year. that's about 34 million pounds of mail every day. ever wonder what this costs you as a taxpayer? millions? tens of millions? hundreds of millions?
4:29 am
not a single cent. the united states postal service doesn't run on your tax dollars. it's funded solely by stamps and postage. brought to you by the men and women of the american postal workers union. ♪ it's pro-cool technology releases armies of snowmen masseuse, who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a 5-dollar coupon.
4:30 am
4:31 am
yea, right over here. look at 'em all. what about a black frontier with utilitrack? absolutely. oh, great, that's awesome. what about a platinum graphite rogue with touch-screen nav, bluetooth, and...a moonroof? with or without leather? we got 'em both. [ sighs ] i gotta get back. [ male announcer ] the most innovative cars are also the most available cars. nissan. innovation for all. very good morning to you. it is msnbc saturday. at the half past the hour, here are your fast five headlines. all right, starting in libya, rebels say they've captured the key oil port town after a brake light that lasted for more than a week. the rebels are closing in on tripoli. a live report in a few moments. survivors of last month's massacre in norway have returned
4:32 am
to the island where 69 children were gunned down. 1,000 survivors and families went there today along with rescue workers for a ceremony of remembrance. kim jong il has arrived in russia. it's kim's first trip to russia since 2000. in spain, world youth day celebrations with tens of thousands of young people cheering pope benedict outside madrid's cathedral. the pope said mass today and will hold a prayer vigil tonight. back in the states the first lawsuits from last saturday's stage collapse in indiana have been filed. one has been filed on behalf of the six people who died. the other a survivor. president obama is on his second full day of vacation on the massachusetts island of martha's vineyard. but the administration is making it clear the change of scenery doesn't mean that he is not working. kristen welker is traveling with the president.
4:33 am
another lovely day? >> reporter: it is a gorgeous day here. this is no ordinary vacation. the first picture from the president's vacation is a serious one. couldn't terrorism chief briefing mr. obama. and hiss first public outing took place across the street from where the media was camped out. a bookstore where he and his daughters bought eight books. then mr. obama held an impromptu meet and greet. later no cameras were allowed when the president played golf. but nbc news did capture him for a few brief moments from afar, taking some shots and doing a quick golf cart drive by. >> that's why you're going to see him take great pains to show that it's a working vacation. that he's not sort of goofing off. >> this after a week that saw a
4:34 am
jittery stock market. the president's approval rating for handling the economy dipped to new lows and job fairs across the country that drew thousands of the nations unemployed. >> i look for a job every day. every day for the past four months. no luck. >> in the days leading up to the trip, republican presidential candidates criticized the president for taking what they characterized as a lavish vacation. >> if i were president today i wouldn't be looking to go spend ten days on martha's vineyard. >> reporter: white house officials continue to stay mr. obama is working hard on a job stimulus plan. even members of his own party are calling for more action particularly many the african-american community. where the unemployment rate is hovering around 16%. >> it's all right to take your family on vacation. but now you're the father of the country. you've got to look like you care about the citizens of the
4:35 am
country also. >> reporter: despite the political undertones of this trip, many on martha's vineyard were excited to share their vacation with the president. >> it's so poirful for my kids to have met them and know what it means as kid of color that this is a great possibility for them. >> i was really excited. when i met him i was sort of paying attention. >> i'm 71 years old. the last time i met a president was eisenhower. >> still needless to say meeting this president was a real honor. >> reporter: president obama has reportedly taken fewer vacation days that some of his predecessors. mr. obama has taken 61 days. president george w. bush had taken 180 at this point. >> i believe ronald regan took something like 112. >> reporter: that's right. it is gorgeous where you are. hope you enjoy the rest of your working vacation there.
4:36 am
>> kristen welker. to the civil war in libya now where gadhafi's hold appears to be shrinking by the way. in the past 48 hours rebels have made key advances. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is live in libya with the latest. >> reporter: rebels are reporting taking this town. this country is really divided into two fronts. one in the east and one in the west. it is this one in the west that has been advancing very rapidly over the last five or six days. we are on a main road leading into the center of the city. it's just 30 miles from downtown tripoli. the rebels feel they have arrived on gadhafi's doorstep. on this road all day long we've been seeing rebel vehicles moving, some of them at high
4:37 am
speed. that's because the remaining gadhafi forces in this kuhn the rebels control about 75% of the town. the gadhafi forces still in control of certain pockets of the city has been firing rockets ap mortar all day long. we're hearing something different this morning for the first time since we've been here, we are hearing nato aircraft in the sky. a sign that nato is trying to give the rebels a boost as they make a final push on tripoli. >> live for us in libya. thank you. this morning the u.s. has shortages of dozes for diseases. close to 100 diseases are short of drugs this year. these drugs with used in treating cancer. federal officials are considered a stockpile of national cancer medications. while tsa is going beyond
4:38 am
bag screener and see how travelers behave. screeners at logan airport will be starting casual confers through that tsa's official hope to get a better idea of who's posing a risk. we have a live now at the program. explain how this is going to work? >> good morning. i think this is a very good program and should have been instituted a long time ago. they have screeners that are going to meet you at the airport and engage in a very casual conversation with travelers. they're specially trained to look at didn't behavior yal actives of the person to see if they warrant further scrutiny or pulled off the line for a more close analysis. they'll just talk to you with casual conversation. they're going to be looking at your face, your movements without giving away their tips and secrets. they're going to be able to detect if someone looks nervous
4:39 am
ark terrorist, criminal or whar. that could be very valuable. not only for terrorism, but for common criminals moving through the airports. >> is that what you're looking for, if a passenger looks nervous? >> that's part of it. most after all law enforcement are very aware of this. an experienced cop can look at a guy up close and really tell whether they're in trouble just by i think stingt. what they're doing is looking for people that are trying to deceive the police officers. i think is this a very good program. and hopefully can expand to other members of tsa as you work your way through the line. it's some simple training to pick up on types of activity. >> this be is only happen in boston, boston's logan airport right now. >> right now. they have a program from before, the spot program where they had
4:40 am
people roving around that weren't in direct contact but look ar anomalies in behavior to identify people. this is a case where they're going to meet and greet you is a major step forward. >> just to clarify, these are tsa officials wearing tsa garb. it's not a plain clothed police officer. >> that's correct. they are moving around in -- i would say that program alone has identified some 1800 people according to tsa involving criminal activity. so i think this is a major step forward. one that shouldn't be of great
4:41 am
inconvenience to travelerers and they're engaged with these people. sort of like the walmart greeter at the store. that type of quick interaction, but with well trained people it can be very successful. >> it's just casual conversation. >> exactly. >> thank you so much for your time today. >> thank you. in just a moment, fortunate telling in congress. the cash kings on capitol hill. a who's who of the richest congress members, it's all coming up next. can free access to chase atm's wherever you are. that's a step forward. chase customers can avoid atm fees with over 16,000 nationwide. take a step forward and chase what matters.
4:42 am
energy is being produced to power our lives. while energy developement comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing decades of cleaner burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self contained well systems and using state of the art monitoring technologies, rigorous practices help ensure our operations are safe and clean for our communities and the environment we are america's natural gas. perdue perfect portions is great on busy nights. five chicken breasts individually wrapped, so you can use what you want and put the rest in the refrigerator. and the best part is it only takes 10 minutes. it's my go-to meal. [ vet ] your turn max.
4:43 am
[ cat ] inside and out. and i'm not the only one who thinks so...right doc? [ female announcer ] vets agree, a healthy check up starts inside. our breakthrough iams premium protection formula is developed with vets... ...with cutting edge ingredients for the lifelong health of your pet. [ cat ] what a surprise... straight as again! [ female announcer ] iams premium protection. our most advanced iams nutrition. ever. [ cat ] oh, i'm not in your way, am i doc? i...[yawns] am an iams cat. [ woman ] we didn't know where to go next with eric's adhd. his stimulant medicine was helping, but some symptoms were still in his way. so the doctor kept eric on his current medicine and added nonstimulant intuniv to his treatment plan. [ male announcer ] for some children like eric, adding once-daily nonstimulant intuniv to their stimulant has been shown to provide additional adhd symptom improvement. don't take if allergic to intuniv, its ingredients, or taking other medicines with guanfacine, like tenex. intuniv may cause serious side effects,
4:44 am
such as low blood pressure, low heart rate, fainting, and sleepiness. intuniv may affect the ability to drive or use machinery. other side effects include nausea, tiredness, trouble sleeping, stomach pain, and dizziness. tell the doctor about your child's medicines and medical conditions, including heart, liver, or kidney problems. [ woman ] adding intuniv helped eric. [ male announcer ] ask the doctor about once-daily nonstimulant intuniv. welcome back to msnbc saturday. new york city's plan to prevent people from using food stamps to buy sugary drinks has gone down the drain for now. the u.s. department of agriculture will not allow the program to go forward over krns it would be too large and complex. the bloomberg administration expressed disappointment with the decision and says the ban would have helped protect people from such diseases as diabetes at little or no cost to tax
4:45 am
payers. members of congress may not have the most secure jobs in the wormd, but a lot of them aren't hurting when it comes to cash. a new survey shows 50 members of congress are worth more than $6 million a piece. and three of them have bank accounts in the hundreds of millions of dollars. paul singer is an investigative editor and joins us now. paul, thanks for joining us. >> my pleasure. >> so the investigation found michael mccall, he's worth $294 million? >> that is a round number and a minimum, but yes. he's worth at least that. >> his financial disclosures i wanted to say from 2004 shows that he was worth $12 million back then. how did he make so much money so quickly? >> he's been inheriting money from his father-in-law in chunks. this is basically his wife's money and his children. they're inheriting large chunks of money from mrs. mccall's
4:46 am
family. they owned clear channel communications. so over time his wealth is increasing by $20, $30 million each year. >> not inheritance for kale congressman darrell issa. he's worth $the 20 million. how did he make his fortune? >> issa made his fortune first many the car alarm business. the viper car alarm, step away from the vehicle. but then he sold the car alarm company and now he has a holding company that is primarily involved in real estate. again, you see a growth in his assets largely because some of his money moves around between assets between didn't real estate investments. the value changes from year to year. >> unbelievable. somebody else who's made your list several times. senator john kerry he's fallen from number one, this year he's
4:47 am
number three. $193 million. i believe a lot of that has to do with his wife's inheritance. >> don't take that number seriously. the way congress reports assets many things that are held in the name of your spouse can be accounted for as just over a million dollars. so we count those as $1 million. when we suspect they're worth hundreds of millions more. this money is the hiends ketchup fortune that is in fact his wife's money and we suspect could be closer to $1 billion. but all we can count is this $194 or so. >> my goodness. let's move down the list to senator jay rockefeller he comes in at number four with more than $100 million less than john kerry. he's doing all right. $82 million. >> this is all family money. rockefeller family name. folks know that name and this is largely family trusts. and it's been the same money for years and years and years. >> in all, you found 50 members of congress worth more than $6
4:48 am
million. how does this line up with years past? >> it's a little higher this year. in previous years you had to have about $5.5 million. this year you have to have $6 million to join entry into the club. we do see the wealth of members of congress go up and down along with the stock market along with everybody else's. but will also say that we've discovered that somewhere between a half the members of the senate are probably millionaires. >> half the members of the senate are millionaires? >> yes. that's about right. worth $1 million. keep in mind, this doesn't count a bunch of assets that they don't have to report. that doesn't include their homes, their vacation homes. the by casso they have in the living room. these are assets they have to report. half the senators are millionaires. we think there's about 25% or 30% of members of the house are
4:49 am
millionaires. they are richer than your average grab of 500 americans. >> some interesting stuff there. paul singer, we appreciate it. >> we enjoyed it. thanks for having us. he's unleashed a violent crackdown on dissent in syria. what will sanctions to help out a -- oust assad from power. . it was a crucial piece of evidence in the casey anthony trial and now it is just a hunk of junk. you're watching msnbc saturday. [ female announcer ] instantly smooth wrinkles with a shot? wait a second... with olay challenge that. new regenerist wrinkle revolution...
4:50 am
relaxes the look of wrinkles instantly, and the look of deep wrinkles in 14 days. ready, set, smooth... regenerist. from olay. ben and his family live on this block. ben's a re/max agent, and he's a big part of this community. re/max agents know their markets, and they care enough to get to know you, too. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today. yeah, let's check out the horses under the hood! show me the carfax. show me the carfax. horsepower, foxpower, same thing. just show me the carfax. before you buy a used car, get a carfax vehicle history report. see accidents and service reported to carfax and a price based on the car's history. ask your dealer or go to carfax.com. just say, show me the carfax.
4:51 am
4:52 am
>> and under theed over the title. yesterday workers turned the -- the search for a missing utah woman has led police to an abandoned mine shaft along the mountains of eastern nevada.
4:53 am
police won't say what evidence led them to those mine shafts. a government owned syrian newspaper is condemning calls from the u.s. and europe demanding in the syrian president step down. earlier. because of its role in the arab-israeli conflict. joining us now is the national national contributor of the washington post. good morning to you. >> good morning. good to be with you. >> how effective do you think these sanctions are going to be? >> well, probably not so much. at least in the beginning. the united states has very little business typically there.
4:54 am
there's almost no oil consumption, so it's almost more by inspiration. we're hoping the european wills go along and they approved more sanctions yesterday. they will consider an embargo on petroleum products and they're major consumers of syrian oil. if other countries get in line, yes, it could have an impact, but it's still quite slow and it will take some time. >> meantime, it sounds like the syrian government will be trying to do damage control in the press with this conspiracy talk, and how effective can an article be where as many as 20 12 protesters were gunned down by the territory. >> the real thing is what's gone on in the street, and so far it's absolute defiance, and just overnight there's been more killings, more shootings, tanks are in the streets of homes, one of the larger cities this morning. every time assad says is he going to take steps to moderate, he turns around and does the opposite. i think people would quickly disregard these promises as more of the same. >> let's talk about what's coming after. assad's father ruled the country for, what, 30 years. he has been in office since 2000. how difficult will it be to undo
4:55 am
a family dynasty that's spanned more than 30 years now? >> this is the big question because assad has been in place for a long time. he has key constituencies behind him. the army, or good chunks of it anyway, and tribes. there are a grov growing fof number of people discontented in sectors of asociety. it's not clear that he will collapse today or tomorrow or even in a couple of months. this is going to be a very long waiting out process in which he continues to get weaker. maybe as qadhafi just across, you know, in north africa, so it's not clear how soon is he going to go or who will replace him. there's no civil society. there's no organized politics or anything else immediately emilitiainged try to replace him. >> let's talk about libya for a second. you just mentioned that there had been these reports that muammar qadhafi may step down. how might these events in libya dictate what happens in syria?
4:56 am
>> you can guarantee that assad is watching the event insist libya this week very closely because it does appear that finally qadhafi is losing his grip. he is starting to flee tripoli. it took a long time. it wasn't pretty, but eventually pressure from international community was brought to bare, and he was essentially being squeezed until he has really nothing left. the same model could occur or could transfer to syria. i think it could be even more difficult and take even longer and there is, again, a possibility of civil war before it's all over. >> joeby warrick, a national security reporter for the washington post. we appreciate your time. thank you. sfoo any time. thanks. still ahead, it was a honeymoon filled with lot of and joy before it took a tragic turn. today the widow is talking about the unimaginable horror when a shark attacked her newlywed husband. also coming up, the painful revelation that congressman gabby gifford on her road to recovery. you're watching msnbc saturday. e e run more smoothly by helping remove deposits
4:57 am
and cleaning up intake valves. so when you fill up at an exxon or mobil station, you can rest assured we help your engine run more smoothly while leaving behind cleaner emissions. it's how we make gasoline work harder for you. exxon and mobil.
4:58 am
perdue perfect portions is great on busy nights. five chicken breasts individually wrapped, so you can use what you want and put the rest in the refrigerator. and the best part is it only takes 10 minutes. it's my go-to meal. sure, but let me get a little information first. for broccoli, say one. for toys, say two. toys ! the system can't process your response at this time. what ? please call back between 8 and 5 central standard time. he's in control. goodbye. even kids know it's wrong to give someone the run around. at ally bank you never have to deal with an endless automated system. you can talk to a real person 24/7. it's just the right thing to do. my son and i never missed opening day. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over.
4:59 am
so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better, and that means... game on! symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. [ whistle ] with copd, i thought i might miss out on my favorite tradition. now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing. today i'm back with my favorite team. ask your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or click to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.

120 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on