off by the worst flooding this tiny state has seen in decades. this is a new tropical storm that's forming in the atlantic. and sound off. dick cheney says his reputation has not been damaged around the world as his memoir sits shelves today. and texas throwdown. a new poll shows rick perry sur surging ahead. hi, everybody. nice to have you with us today. i'm thomas roberts. we get right to it talking about irene and the devastation from that flooding. the death toll now stands at 40. federal officials are sending teams to take stock of the damage this morning. in vermont, the fema chief is flying over the worst flooding that state has seen in some 83 years. entire towns remain swamped, hindering rescue efforts to reach people trapped in their homes. this is the scene in a number of towns in new jersey and

throughout the northeast. rescue teams wading through washed out streets, getting to residents any way they can to help. millions along the eastern seaboard still remain without power. for the atlantic coast and its residents, it's all about repairing and rebuilding today as we learn that the staggering cost of this storm could top $12 billion. this morning, our correspondents are in place all along the east coast from vermont to north carolina. we want to start this morning in vermont with nbc's ron allen, who's in brattleboro. ron, with over 250 roads that are washed out, explain how rescuers are doing what they can to reach these flood victims. >> reporter: well, the short answer is they're using every helicopter available, thomas. there are so many places where the roads are washed out. bridges have been knocked out. that's what vermont is. it's a collection of communities spread out across the state connectsed by roads and bridges. it it's hard to get to places

because there's been so much damage. i want to show you the damage we're looking at here. it's some of the worst we've seen. this building used to be home for a number of artists. it's a three-story building, you can see. the first floor has been, the corner of the building has been completely washed away by the flood. keep in mind this river here used to be a creek. it used to be up there in that direction. it came down the hill with such force that it tore out this part of the land here, ripping out all that, which supported that building. now that's what you have. it looks like it's going to slide even further and perhaps slide into this new river that's here. just an amazing sight. we were talking to some of the artists who were here earlier. they watched it gradually fall apart as the waters kept raging in this direction. now they're trying to figure out what to do. elsewhere in vermont, the death toll is now up to four. there were two workers at a water treatment plant who were killed trying to essentially bring that plant back online,

trying to help these communities. there was a woman who was washed away watching the flood waters rise the other day. again, the disaster still just unfolding here. the governor has called it the worst flooding here ever. he thinks there will be more fatalities. again, it's just a very difficult place in some part of these beautiful, rugged mountains to get to people. there are hundreds of people who are literally cut off and just hoping somebody gets there to help them soon as well as many people without power and water service as well, thomas. >> all the efforts continue. ron allen in vermont for us this morning. thank you so much. as federal, state, and local officials get that first-hand look at damage, vermont's governor talked about the challenges that he is facing with msnbc's chuck todd this morning. take a listen. >> what we're trying to do right now is to get to the communities that have been isolated by roads that have been washed out at both sides of villages to get them the supplies and attention

they need. >> phil scott is vermont's lieutenant governor. he joins us now by telephone. sir, it's nice to have you on with us this morning. i want to talk with you about what you've seen on the ground, as we see roads and towns literally swamped. how can you even begin to reach all the people that are in need of your help? >> well, that is a challenge for all of us. thank you for having me on. we have 12 vermont towns that are inaccessible at this time. as you mentioned before with 250 roads closed, 35 bridges have been lost and are now impassable. so our challenges, as the governor as said, is to try to get to those that can't get out and get supplies needed to them. there's some dialysis patients who are being evacuated to get

them to the hospital to get their treatment. those are the types of things that are surfacing at this point. >> sir, with hindsight being 20/20 and what it is, and i know on the scope of the national news level, north carolina, hampton roads, new york city played largely into how this storm was covered. vermont, we didn't talk about very much. what type of evacuation orders were given to your residents? >> well, it was certainly -- i've lived here all my life. i've never seen anything like this. what we're seeing is you can go to one community, one town where there was absolutely no damage, just high water and so forth. then go four miles down the road and have complete devastation. complete community wiped out. it was very, very difficult to forecast what was going to happen. we were well-informed. we informed everyone what was going to happen. when you get eight inches of rain in less than 12 hours, it's very isolated.

we couldn't determine where that was going to happen. so in hindsight, i'm not sure that we could have done anything different than we did. >> as you know, fema is cash-strapped. the fema chief is touring the state today. what kind of help do you hope you're going to be getting? >> we did get a disaster declaration, verbally, from the obama administration. at this point, it's about a 75% aid from the feds. we'll have to kick in 25%. that's just to get us through the short-term. long-term, this is going to be difficult. we're resilient. you know, while we may wear different political stripes, we're in this together. so we're going to persevere. we'll make this work. it's going to be challenging at best. >> as i understand it, you went through a similar situation, maybe nothing of this magnitude, with spring flooding issues in vermont, and federal aid was needed this year.

how do you think that's going to compare and contrast to what is actually happening there today? >> well, in may and april, we had some very severe conditions. it was -- again, very isolated in different communities. this is so widespread. that's the difference. maybe the severity may not be any greater than it was in the spring, early spring, but it's so much more widespread throughout all of our state and 14 counties. so that's the part that's hard to get your hands wrapped around. we're doing the best we can. we appreciate the help we're getting. 35 fema trailers arrived with care packages. they're going to be distributed by helicopter today to those that need the help. >> we're hearing almost 25,000 people still remain without power in connecticut. you have your work cut out for you. thank you for joining us, taking time out of your busy schedule.

now we're going to talk about some new weather warnings just issued along several rivers and creeks in new jersey as utility crews there are scrambling to restore power to more than 340,000 different homes and businesses that are still without electricity in the aftermath of irene. take a look at this. incredible video out of patterson, new jersey, showing the great falls of the river where waters are still gushing and rising. the storm has killed seven people across the state. michelle franzen is live in manville, new jersey. nine rivers across the state have exceeded or passed the record levels. how difficult has it been for the rescue crews of new jersey to navigate through this water to get where they're needed? >> reporter: oh, i think we have seen from the aerials, it's been very difficult. they've had to use boats. some of them have had to swim to not only reach certain areas, but for their own safety. while that's still playing out, there's another development

here. that's cleanup in this area. this is one of the areas still left without power in manville. we're in about a 2.5 square mile section of manville. this is the most sought after tool today. they're using this around the clock along with the generators to pump out the water from their homes. mostly in the basements in this area, including this home here. it's got the unique sort of situation where we've got the rariton river on one side and the millstone on the other. both of those rivers overflowing their banks, pushing into their basement, up to their home. that's the story today of how people are trying to get that water out. they're trying to clear out the items that were damaged in that. they're waiting for crews to come here and restore power, and of course power companies are working as hard as they can. it's going to take at least through this next week, if not into next, thomas, before we see some of that power restored in most of these areas.

>> slow progress, for sure. michelle franzen in manville, new jersey. thank you so much. just as irene disappears from sight, this year's hurricane season is producing its 11th storm. it's still too soon to gauge the potential threat to the u.s., however with sustained winds of about 40 miles per hour, it may become a powerful cat 2 hurricane by this weekend. we'll keep our eye on that. as president obama responds to the aftermath of hurricane irene, the white house is also working to finalize the president's jobs plan. the big question is, does he go big or small? nbc's kristen welker is live at the white house. what's the latest on the preparations for what's considering a highly key speech? >> reporter: hi, there, thomas. it is a key speech. white house officials say the plan has not yet been finalized, but they confirm the president and the white house are considering a number of proposals, including giving tax

cuts to companies that hire new workers as well as investing in green infrastructure projects. tax cuts to clean energy projects, payroll tax cuts, as well as some help for folks who may want to refinance their homes. to the point you brought up, thomas, that there might be there discussion within the west wing about whether to go big or small, i spoke with one white house official today who said, look, the president wants a plan that is aggressive and robust, but at the same time, he has to be realistic. he's dealing with republicans in the house who have already come out this week and said they're not going to support any plan that increases spending. as you said, this is a key speech. a lot of eyes on this speech because the president has gotten a lot of criticism recently from even members within his own party who say he hasn't done enough to boost jobs. we've seen his approval rating dip recently, recovering right now to about 40%. so this is, indeed, a key speech. we don't know when exactly it's going to happen, but president obama, by his own admission,

saying it will be sometime next week. thomas. >> speaking of criticism, some people are wondering why the president would go to minnesota when he has so much to deal with in terms of overseeing the problems in new jersey, all the way up to vermont. is there a reason why he decided to go ahead with minnesota? >> reporter: well, white house officials say first of all they're not ruling out that the president might visit some of the areas that have been hit hard by hurricane irene. they make the point that when the president goes somewhere, it could potentially run the risk of hampering efforts to recover from this situation. so what they've done is dispatched fema administrator as well as janet napolitano, who will be in north carolina as well as virginia. they're not ruling out a visit by the president to one of these areas that's been hit hard. they say now is just not the right time. thomas. >> kristen welker at the white house for us this morning. thank you. >> reporter: thanks. romney's new plan. former front runner romney has a new strategy to try and top rick

perry in the polls. he's going to texas to try out this new battle plan. and some new pictures we're getting from the catskill area in new york where irene did some of her worst damage. the damage is extensive. we're going to talk to a law make who are says the president needs to come to his state to see this damage first hand. [ male announcer ] germs in your mouth build up and form a layer called biofilm so strong it survives brushing. thankfully, there's listerine® antiseptic. its triple-action formula penetrates biofilm, kills germs and protects your mouth for hours. fight biofilm with listerine®. it's high time to make our floor look better and feel softer. ♪ how 'bout we start with the guaranteed low price on the carpet... the pad, and installation. let's get peace of mind for a lifetime. it all adds up to the lowest total price on our carpet project. guaranteed. and a room that looks better than we ever imagined. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get 12 months special financing on carpet purchases

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gives you more ways to earn points. what's your story? citi can help you write it. as if the people of vermont haven't felt the affects of irene enough, more rain is in the forecast for some parts of the state today. in the all the rivers in vermont have reached their peak. so many roads are already destroyed. they don't know how many people might be missing and can't call for assistance because the lines are down. in pennsylvania, a bit of good news. the delaware river has crested, and water levels are expected to

continue to drop. certainly helping cleanup efforts there. irene has contributed to at least five deaths in the state. 11 pennsylvania counties are on the list for potential federal disaster aid. mitt romney is is taking his message to rick perry country this morning. the former massachusetts governor will speak in san antonio in a few minutes hoping to win new supporters and stop the recent trends in the gop 2012 polls. the latest numbers show the gap between governor perry and mitt romney growing with perry at 27%, a 13-point advantage on the former front runner. wayne slater is the senior political writer for the dallas morning news and the author of "bush's brain." good to have you on. if we look at these numbers, that is taking sarah palin and rudy giuliani out of the euation, perry jumped over the 30% mark. you know his political career. how good will perry be at keeping this forward momentum going with the gop voters nationally? >> well, with the gop voters, i

think pretty well. he basically is pushing the buttons that mean something to them. christian conservatives, fiscal conservatives, tea party activists. yesterday in san antonio where mitt romney is now, he talked about a muscular military future. the kinds of things that republicans want to hear. and he did it in a way and does it in a way that the republican base wants him to do it as a fighter. they want somebody to get into the ring against barack obama, and he wants to project himself as that guy. >> so mitt romney's texas tour stop this morning, staying on message. but whether it's here or the next stop, is he really going to try and challenge perry within the state of texas on things? >> the indication from inside the perry camp and their expectations, he may not directly do that. the romney people believe that the media, the democrats, and system of perry's other rivals

like michele bachmann and rick santorum are all attacking perry, raising questions about him. romney believes he can step back, emphasize his business credentials, and his potential ele electability. i doubt you'll see much more that's indirect about i'm a businessman. the indication is perry is not. >> do you think it comes from the strategy of he who cares the least has the most power? >> i think that's absolutely -- it could be right. this is a weird year. it is a year, especially in the republican primary, where people are angry. they want an active candidate to go after washington, to go after barack obama. these people care a lot. i think they're going to want a candidate who looks like he or she cares an awful lot. >> wayne slater, thank you, wayne. good to see you this morning. you're going to see both front runners at the nbc politico

bedate. you can watch it right here on msnbc. take a look at the scene just a short time ago in patterson, new jersey. rescue teams continuing to find people stranded across that state with the death toll from irene now at seven people in new jersey. this has prompted one democratic congressman to personally ask for the president to pay a visit there. we're going to talk about him and about -- or talk to him about whether he's heard from the white house on a that request. [ male announcer ] this is the network. a network of possibilities. excuse me? my grandfather was born in this village. [ automated voice speaks foreign language ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪ in here, forklifts drive themselves. no, he doesn't have it. yeah, we'll look on that. [ male announcer ] in here, friends leave you messages written in the air. that's it right there. [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say.

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is to get everybody on the gop side of the super committee into one room. they've spoke on the phone a lot over this recess, according to gop aids. and really figure out what the organizational structure is going to be of these meetings from their perspective moving forward. in terms of the real policy things in the cuttings, it will be pretty much along the republican lines of what we've seen before. no tax increases, getting rid of programs viewed as redundant or wasteful, and try to protect the interest that the republican party has served over the long decades. so folks here are quite, shall we say, it's a loose meeting, if you will. one aid said they want to see each other in person, not on the phone. also in the meeting are policy directors. boehner and cantor's folks in that meeting. >> luke, as we are expecting to

hear from the president late they are hour on his speech in minnesota about jobs, house republicans are trying to pitch their jobs plan. what are the details that we think we know about that side? >> well, that's right. yesterday eric cantor released what would be the house gop jobs idea. it was interesting. it was really two-fold. number one, it looked at ten regulations the government perpetuates, which the house gop views as overly excessive in hurting small businesses. a few of those regulations are a lot of new businesses have to redo their boilers to meet epa mandates. they want to take that law away. there's also a national labor relations board ruling that had to do with boeing about moving a company from a different state that was viewed as detrimental to job growth. thicks like that they want to remove. also, they want to have a 20% tax reduction on a lot of small businesses. things we've seen from the gop in the past. eliminate excessive government regulation and have much more

targeted tax breaks for small businesses. >> luke russert on capitol hill. thank you. nice to see you. >> you too. be well. we want to show you pictures now. moments ago, president obama arriving in minnesota. he's there, as i was just telling luke, to address the concerns of vets and their families in the assistance they get after their service is over. president obama and mitt romney both addressing vets today in separate parts of the country. we're going to bring you some of the president's comments when he speaks live. that's near the top of the hour. again, the president is there arriving in minnesota for that speech. vice president dick cheney's memoir, "in my time," hits store shelves today and is already causing a stir. today, matt lauer asked cheney will come call him the most controversial vice president in history. dompblts you -- do you think there's something about your personality, your demeanor that inspires animosity in your criticics? >> i can't speak for them, matt.

you're right. you left out darth vader. >> i figured that had been said a lot. >> we're going to have much more of cheney's sit-down and also ask melissa harris perry why dick cheney feels the need to take so many shots at different people.

new pictures now of the devastation in vermont where fema chief craig fugate will be today. damage estimates could top $12 billion. fema has only about $800 million left for federal disasters. since irene, fema has frozen future projects in places like joplin, missouri. the death toll from irene now stands at 40 with several people electrocuted by downed power lines. utility officials say it could take more than a week to properly restore electricity to all five million customers who lost power in the storm. the fight to restore power across north carolina is making

some significant progress to talk about today. the region's largest utility company says just 48,000 of its customers are without power. that's down from the peak of 288,000 just a few days ago. hundreds more had their homes completely destroyed by irene. the road to recovery is far more difficult and paved with painful memories of what used to be. >> it's a beautiful place. i love it. there's no place like it on this earth. when a hurricane comes, it's just horrible to see everybody you've worked for tear up. i'm getting older, and it's getting harder for me to do the physical labor. >> lilia luciano is live for us in duck, north carolina. there's fare of the lost tourism, especially leading up to the big labor day weekend. >> reporter: that's right, thomas. especially down south where the towns of hatteras are completely cut off from the mainland. the only road that leads in there is in four different

sections. now there's two ferries that are carrying supplies and people with special needs out of that region. one of the main concerns is that last time this happened, it took two months and $5 million to repair damages. that's down south in hatteras. now, up here where we are in duck, there's also great concern for tourism. now with us is mayor dave wessle. can you tell us about what's your greatest concern here? how optimistic are you that business will be up and running by this weekend, labor day weekend? >> well, our greatest concern is getting our businesses back in operation, the restaurants, the retailers, and all the service people that are required to get the rental homes going again. a lot of them are back in action. probably about 60% of our businesses will be ready as of today. a number more in time for labor day. then able to grow after that. unfortunately, some may have lost their entire season or maybe weeks.

>> reporter: right. and what's the biggest concern in terms of getting people in here of drawing tourists back into this weekend? people are hearing about a storm potentially another storm on the way. how are you bringing about those tourists? >> i would certainly watch the other storm, if i were them. i think they should call their property management companies and find out if their particular unit is ready to be lived in. many of them are. certainly by next weekend, most of them will be. if the unit they were going to be in is not ready, the property manager will find them another place to stay. >> reporter: absolutely. we know you're headed to a meeting with janet napolitano and fema. we will continue to cover how tourists are coming back into this area and how the region is preparing for a big weekend. back to you. >> lilia luciano, thanks so much. as president obama lands in minnesota today for a speech about veteran's issues, some

members of congress from flood ravaged states are pleading with the commander in chief to personally see the damage from irene. one new jersey congressman says, quote, even though the storm has passed, many areas in new jersey are still dealing with dangerous flooding. i urge you to visit new jersey to see first-hand the damage this storm has caused. i'm joined now by democratic congressman from new jersey frank pallone. thank you for joining us. we know there's a lot going on within your state that needs attention. let's talk about this. house republican leaders want to match spending for disaster we -- relief with cuts elsewhere. it seems that communities trying to rebuild this year in the midwest and south are going to have to wait for funds diverted from hurricane irene. so do you see the crucial need for additional disaster aid and right now? >> absolutely, thomas.

traditionally, at the federal level, we have appropriated these funds through appropriation bills. i think that makes sense. i see no reason why we should say that in the case of a i d disast disaster, an emergency declaration, we have to make cuts in other federal areas whether it be defense or domestic programs when the need is immediate. it is going to be significant. you know, we're estimates in the billions of dollars in new jersey alone. i think this notion that somehow you're going to wait and see where you can cut elsewhere, it's not going to get the relief to the states immediately that they need. >> when you look at the money, the monetary figure, $800 million left in a special disaster fund right now for the year. that doesn't even begin to put a dent into what the proposed cost of hurricane irene is. that's just not the only thing on the slate. >> absolutely not. i have no idea, but i would estimate we're talking $500 billion, possibly more.

you're talking less than $1 billion that's available. that's simply not enough. i don't understand whey the republican leaders are saying this. this has always been the case that we do emergency assistant, we do emergency appropriations. we've done it for wars. we do it for all natural disasters. >> what are you hearing from people within your district, and also what's happening on the white house front? have you heard anything in response from president obama? >> well, i think it's important that the president come and visit not only new jersey but h other states. if he sees it first hand, he'll understand the magnitude of the problem. there's still a lot of problems with power. a lot of people still don't have power. there are areas that continue to flood. i did an aerial flight with a helicopter yesterday. there are many areas where the flooding is still apparent. along the rivers, they continue to crest. until that flows out, we're going to continue to have ongoing flooding problems. >> we'll continue to watch this. you know, you have the country

behind you. hearts and prayers with you, sir. congressman frank pallone of new jersey. thank you. >> thank you, thomas. well, dick cheney unplugged and defined as ever about his controversial new memoir. the vice president appeared for an exclusive interview this morning on the today show. here's what he said when matt lauer asked him whether his push to go to war with iraq hurt america's image around the globe. >> i don't think that it damaged our reputation around the world. i just don't believe that. i think, you know, the critics here at home would argue that, but in fact, i think it was sown policy that dealt with a very serious problem. that eliminated saddam hussein from the kind of problem he presented before. what would have happened this week if moammar gadhafi had still been in power with a nuclear weapon in libya? would he have fled? i doubt it. >> joining me now live from new

orleans is melissa harris perry. she's a professor of political science. i think she has me beat as fill-in host for every show in primetime on msnbc. nice to see you. we have you up. >> yeah, absolutely. >> what do you make of this claim by the former vice president? >> it's pretty stunning. you know, this entire sort of press junket he's on, everybody wants to sell books when they've written one. obviously, he's trying to hype up what the hype in his own book is, but to take credit for, you know, deposing the libyan regime as a result of, you know, what is clearly was a misguided decision to go into iraq to make that decision based on weapons of mass destruction, which it has been clear were not founded. and to suggest that did not impact the kind of american reputation abroad is simply, you know, not a fact.

it's simply untrue. in fact, there was an enormous hit to the american opinion abroad as a result of our choice for unilateral decision making in that case. >> does it seem like he's trying to take credit for the entire arab spring? >> a bit. certainly there's an unwillingness to take responsibility for the problems that occurred between 2000 and 2008. whether they're domestic economic problems, whether service september 11. those things somehow get written off the bush-cheney legacy. now things that have occurred three years into president obama's administration he's now taking credit for. so i do find it appalling and revisionist in terms of the history itself. >> also, when taking shots at colon powell or condoleezza rice? >> the fact that condoleezza was in his office weeping and saying

he was right or that he called for the resignation of powell, that he was not doing the appropriate thing. he's truly sort of a patriot who stood up for his country at every point and has a strong and honed sense of duty. again, this kind of discourse, i think, reminds us what the bush-cheney years really were like. for all the criticism president obama takes, i think when we see the vice president out behaving in this way towards members of his own administration, we remember just how ugly and mean-spirited american politics can in fact be when we see cheney behaving this way. >> the vice president did admit there are some contradictions between his book and the president's. the vice president saying it's just from his point of view, his personal memory. i'm sure it's going to be a good seller. >> sure. i have no doubt. i'll see it under the arms of many people on flights. >> absolutely. melissa, always great to see you.

thanks so much. >> here's a look at other headlines topping the news. algerian officials have confirmed that gadhafi's three children and his second wife have arrived there. now libyan rebels are accusing the neighboring country for an act of aggression and demanding their return. the whereabouts of gadhafi, that remains a mystery. meanwhile, rebel fighters are converging on gadhafi's hometown. there is suspicion that gadhafi may be hiding out there. authorities at yellowstone national park are investigating another fatal bear attack. park officials found a 59-year-old michigan man mauled to death along the merry mountain trail last friday. investigators believe the man was hiking alone when it happened, but they don't know what triggered it. this is the second deadly attack to happen in the park this year. convicted polygamist sect leader warren jeffs is listed in critical but stable condition after a prison fast took a bad turn. he's now hospitalized in a

medically induced coma after he decided to stop eating. that raised questions about whether or not he's deliberately starving himself. the 55-year-old is serving a life sentence for sexually assaulting underage girls. today, a federal appeals court will decide how much authority prison officials have to forcibly medicate jared loughner, the arizona man accused of killing six people and wounding 13 others, including congresswoman gabrielle giffords. prosecutors argue the drugs were given because loughner was a threat to himself as well as a threat to others. in alaska, the so-called hot sauce mom has bypassed jail time. jessica beagley was convicted of misdemeanor child abuse last week for punishing her adopted son with hot sauce and a cold shower. yesterday, the court handed her three years' probation and a 180-day suspended jail sentence

as well as a $2500 fine. prior to the sentencing, beagley spoke out for the first time. >> please know that everything that has been said and done has been in the best interest of my children because i love them. i also felt it was my responsibility to do everything in my power to help him to become the good person that i know he can be. >> in reaching his decision, the judge said he read two dozen letters from supportive friends and family. he included counselling as a mandatory part of beagley's probation. this time, it's a case of more than just snakes on a plane. it's seven snakes, all exotic, as well as three tortoises. the tsa, thanks to those body scanners, spotted all the reptiles stuffed in the passenger's pants. the unidentified man was trying to get through a check point in miami on his way to brazil. here, the snakes were wrapped in women's stockings. this other incident took place in los angeles at the international airport there. that's right.

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well. we want to go ahead and say thanks to a change in immigration policy by the obama administration. there are thousands of same-sex married couples now that have the hopes of staying together within the united states. for one couple in san francisco, their case is now deliberately in limbo. the reason why is ultimately tied up in the ongoing national fight for marriage equality. anthony and brad join me now to talk about more about the situation that they are facing. gentlemen, it's good to have you on today. i think a lot of people who watch this hour will probably know that we had another couple on this show who have gone through a very similar experience in terms of fighting the defense of marriage act. we are proud to have them back on after a judge dismissed the fact that that case was going to be investigated any further after june the 13th, meaning that henry could stay in this country. but you're taking a bit of a different approach here. tell us about that. anthony, let's start with you. >> okay. we have actually applied for a

green card or immigration status for myself, which was denied due to the defensive marriage act. we're now currently -- i was due to leave. i was given a 30-day notice to leave by the 25th of august. on the 24th of august, we did lodge an appeal to put my application aside until the defense of marriage act has been settled. that's where we're at at this stage. >> brad, i understand you wrote a letter personally to president obama. what were you trying to get his attention with in that letter? >> i wrote a letter to my president to ask him to please set aside my application and -- my appeal, and not process it. the government has done this before for people. i'm asking that what the president do is not act on our appeal until after the defense

of marriage act is settled. it's already been declared unconstitutional. it's unfair. every time it's gone to court already, it's been called unconstitutional. i am asking the president for the benefit of the constitutional doubt in this case. i would like him to just wait and not give us an automatic rejection. i'm trying to keep my family from going into a deportation order. >> and you make a great point there. on february 23rd, attorney general attorney general eric holder announced that he and president barack obama had determined that the federal definition of the defense of marriage act was unconstitutional. anthony, this is really a serious issue for both of you especially in terms of personal health. can you tell us all why? >> because brad has advanced hiv and aids. then so he's medical support is here in this country and he needs to be here with his doctors. and so it just makes it logical

to we stay here. and he needs to be here. >> as his spouse, you're his primary care giver. >> that's correct. >> brad, what kind of example are you hoping that your story is going to set in terms of moving this issue forward for other binational same-sex couples in this country? >> the defense of marriage act does not benefit one person in this country. there's not one person who receives any benefit from it whatsoever. yet, it harms all the people it touches. even touched by this act is harmed. their families are hurt as well. my family's devastated that anthony could potentially be removed from the country. >> there are thousands of gay and lesbian couples in this country that are here legally. they do the right thing it's just fair that they be allowed to immigrate. someone needs to stand up. i'm still in a position where i can stand up and speak for

myself, us as well as the others. and just to put the applications aside until the defense of marriage act is set either way. i'm sure that it will be repealed and the defense of marriage act will just go away at some point. >> we're going to continue to follow your story. we appreciate it. again, thanks so much. and to our viewers we're going to be back with much more on msnbc. don't go anywhere. just one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating.

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as promised we want to get you to minnesota where president obama is going to be speaking at the american legion's annual conference in minneapolis. let's take a listen. >> illinois's in the house. we worked together to make sure

veterans across the state were getting the benefits they had earned. when i was the u.s. senate we worked together to spotlight the tragedy of homelessness among veterans and the need to end it. as president i welcomed jimmy and your leadership to the oval office to hear directly from you. and i have been -- [ applause ] i've been honored to have you by my side when i signed advance appropriations to protect veterans' health care from the budget battles in washington. [ applause ] when i -- when i signed legislation to give new support to veterans and their caregivers and most recently when i proposed new initiatives to make sure the private sector is hiring our talented veterans. so, american legion i thank you for your partnership.

and i appreciate the opportunity to talk with you today about what we need to do to make sure america is taking care of our veterans as well as you've taken care of us. i'm grateful to be with you for another reason. a lot of our fellow citizens are still reeling from hurricane irene and its aftermath. folks are surveying the damage, some are dealing with tremendous flooding. as a government we're going to make sure that states and communities have the support they need to -- so their folks can recover. [ applause ] and across the nation we're still digging out from the worst

economic crisis since the great depression. it's taken longer and it's been more difficult than any of us had imagined. even though we've taken some steps in the right direction, to get this country moving. [ applause ] that's why next week i'll be speaking to the nation about a plan to create jobs and reduce our deficit. a plan that i want to see passed by congress. we've got to get this done. and here's what else i know. we americans have been through tough times before. much tougher than these. and we didn't just get through them, we emerged stronger than before. not by luck, not by chance, but because in hard times americans

don't quit. we don't give up. [ applause ] we summon that spirit that says when we come together, when we choose to move forward together as one people, there's nothing we can't achieve. legion theirs you know this story because it's the story of your lives. in times like these all americans can draw strength from your example. when hitler controlled a continent and fascism appeared unstoppable. when our harbor was bombed and our pacific fleet crippled, there were those that declared that the united states had been reduced to a third class power, but you are veterans of world war ii. across the oceans and stormed the beaches and freed the millions, liberated the camps, and showed the united states of