runner live up to the hype? there will be eight candidates on the stage in simi valley tonight. but everybody the going to be watching texas governor rick perry who's going from touring wildfire dang in his home state to the debate. riding the wave of tea party perry swaggers as the newest front runner in the gop race. >> the number one question for everyone can rick perry take a punch. >> but can he give it? perry and mitt romney have been going after each other off stage. >> while he was the governor of massachusetts he didn't create very many jobs. >> career politicians don't know what it takes to get this economy going again. >> it will be a night of firsts. not just for perry, but romney, too. his first debate not in first place. >> it will be very interesting to see how mitt romney deals with not being the front runner. >> and what about those six other candidates? >> michele bachmann needs to be

still in it. >> huntsman, paul, gingrich and cain could say anything just to get noticed. >> so for now perry's the flavor of the day. a lot of gop voters are still making up their minds. that means the real fight tonight could be all about the benjamins. >> there's a lot of money still sitting on the sidelines. >> maggy is a senior political reporter at politico. she joins me from the site of the debate at the reagan library. let's talk about expectations. which candidate has the most to gain, chand date has the most to lose tonight? >> rick perry is the man of the hour. he is who everyone is going to be watching. we're waiting to see if he can take it as good as he gives it. he is known for swagger and aggressiveness on the trail. but whether he can do that on stage with fellow republicans in the house of ronald re gab who did not believe in attacking other republicans is a big question. it's going to be his first outing. his first performance in this kind of a national stage.

so we'll see how he does. we're going to be watching to see how does mitt romney do. he's not quite the front runner anymore. he's a co-front runner and how he akin justs to that the a real big question. >> what can we learn from rick perry's past debates? texas? what can we just about what we might see tonight? >> it's a good question. he has not debated that much. there's only been a handful of debates. he didn't debate his democratic opent opponent in the 2010 race at all. he's barely debated in his prior races. he doesn't come to this with a huge we'll of debating experience and his record there is mixed. he had some debates where he did well. some debates where he didn't so so well. it depends on which rick perry takes the stage. if you talk to veteran texas political observers, i'm not quite sure which rick perry will take the stage tonight. we know he's been urged to seem more presidential. cure some of the barbs he's had

on the trail talking about ben bernanke in somewhat violent materials. he's been urged not to make those kind of comments. whether he can repress himself remains to be seen. >> let's talk about michele bachmann for a quick second here. there are those who say perry's surge many the polls has come purely at the expense of michele bachmann. is this the night that she gets back into the fight, if so, how does she do it? >> i think it's a really, really tough test for her to try to climb back in. this could be a real make or break moment for her. she needs to do something to define herself and show this is not a two-man race. she needs to do it without seeming desperate and not attacking mitt romney or rick perry. her people have suggested she's not going to go on the attack. she's suggested she's going to hold people to their records. i think you're going to see a more aggressive and feistier michele bachmann than you've seen. she is fighting for survival here. i don't think thatinteresting.

for romney he's been the front runner this entire time. people are talking about whether he could be more aggressive or whatever. i think the main thing is romney's going to have to show that he's willing to criticize other people about specific policies and really get down into it and not rest on his laurels and hope no one else could reach him. perry provides this opportunity. perry needs to show that he's comfortable with himself. he's not going to be the kind of guy that's going to plip flop on a bunch of issues or dodge some questions this is a great opportunity for perry to show why he's now pretty much the front runner.

>> i think romney has to mix it up a little bit. karen, is this the night we start to see some of these candidates, jon huntsman and a few others in the field stop the passive aggressiveness and start using their opponents' names and really engage in some direct attacks there on stage? >> sure. for jon huntsman that's going to be his challenge. this is his last opportunity, or one of his last opportunities to show that he can really engage. he doesn't want a repeat of pawlenty with tough rhetoric on television but wasn't able to bring that on the stage next to mitt romney. the most interesting thing is is the setting. the ronald reagan library is a stunning, beautiful library. these candidates most of the policies they'll be talking about are more consistent with the far right wing of their party and the tea party base which very much contradicts who ronald reagan was and what his legacy would have been. it will be interesting to see them. on the one hand they're going to

be falling all over themselves to say great things about ronald reagan. at the same time the policies are to the right of ronald reagan. >> let's bring up the policies. karen brings up a good point in. a lot of ways, a lot of issues these candidates are homogenous. are we going to see some clear delineations when it comes to policy? >> i think we are. i'm blown away that these people are not reaganesque enough. if reagan were president today i'm sure karen would be talking about how reagan is doing everything long for the economy. these candidates are trying to make the government less relevant to people's lives. >> j.p. -- >> let me just finish. if you look at romney, for instance, romney has had a very different record than perry. i think this is a great opportunity for hem to flesh it out. what is it about perry's jobs record that sets them apart from the rest of the field. how is it that romney's health care plan might have been a bad idea.

these are things that are very important. i say that romney may be in some cases to the left of reagan. these guys are -- they're going to continue the legacy. there's a lot of shades of gray on that. >> karen, what were you about to say? >> i'll give you a clear example here. i'm not saying that i agreed with the policies of ronald reagan. these guys are trying to take on that mantle, romney care precursor to obama care fine, but he's trying to run away from that. most clear example, ronald reagan raised taxes. >> several times. >> several times. each one of these candidates with the exception of rick perry because he didn't happen to be on the stage at the last debate said how many of them raised their hands when they did the 10-1 comparison in terms of tax increases versus savings. these guys were all -- >> government spending now, karen. >> you can't say that they're reaganesque. my point is what we'll see on the stage tonight is a

republican party that is more to the right of ronald reagan. i don't think that's what the country wants ultimately. but at the same time we'll have to see if we're going to be willing to engage each other and how they balance trying to indicate tore the right in the tea party dogma versus trying to be reaganesque. >> ten seconds for each of you. let's talk about tomorrow morning when we're looking back on the debate here. which candidate has surprised us most this time tomorrow. j.p.? >> i think we're going to be most surprised with perry. i think we're going to see a side of him. we're going to see the clear distinction that we've been looking for especially against romney. romney's going to take a lot of hits. >> karen? >> i think it's actually romney. i think he's going to have to engage in a way that we haven't seen. i think expectations are so low for perry. what j.p. said i think is exactly what we'll see, but i think that's what we expect to see. >> thank you so much. we'll talk to you soon here.

of course, you can catch the republican debate right here only on msnbc. brian williams and politico's john harris will moderate it. it will start at 8:00 eastern time. right now the sheriff of carson city, nevada, is giving an update on tuesday's deadly shooting. investigators are still trying to figure out precisely why a man armed with an ak-47 opened fire at an ihop killing four people, wounding eight before turning the gun on himself. the sheriff said this is an isolated incident. again, a news conference going on right now. let's listen in. >> a student of military history and was known for his dry sense of humor. he lived in row know. sergeant first class miranda mcillny was a fast riser in our listed corp. military occupations and specialties in medical, dental

and human resources. she served the soldiers in several units for more than 13 years always with a smile on her face. she'll also be -- she also owned a small baking company and was famous in our headquarters for providing cupcakes for every promotion and celebration that we had. she also lived in reno. sergeant first class christian reggy was a carson city resident who earned his combat spurs with the first of the 221st cavalry in afghanistan from 2009 to 2010. the 30-year-old -- 38-year-old father of three an avid fitness buff, heal served in the u.s. navy for two years before coming to the guard. the tappestry of these people's rich lives are difficult to sum up in a few words. but their actions and our memories of them remain in our

hearts. thank you for letting me share a few bits of information with you on them. i'd like to thank sheriff ken fur long and his staff for all the great work that you've done and all the great agencies that have had a hand in this. i truly appreciate the sensitivity which everybody is dealing with this tragedy and the outpouring of the emails that i've received from them nationwide. we've had chaplain, grief counselors and other resources assisting the families of the deceased and also of the wounded. and so with that, i'd just like to thank you all. >> in nevada talking about the victims in yesterday's shooting at an ihop there. meanwhile the gunman a 32-year-old had a history of mental problems according to family members. he actually according to officials brought another ak-47 type rifle and a handgun along as well. officials say that it's possible that the begin used in the shooting was not purchased legally. but again official there is in

nevada wrapping up a news conference there. we'll continue to follow the latest out there and bring you the newest information as soon as it becomes available. the most destructive wildfire in texas in a decade is 30% contained now. but firefighters still have not gotten it under control. the bastrop county fires just one of more than 180 which have erupted across the state in the past week. 1,000 homes have been evacuated. four people have died. so far this fire season 3.5 million acres have been scorched. nbc's charles hadlock is live in bastrop, texas, this afternoon. charles? >> reporter: hi, craig. i just left a meeting here with county officials in bastrop county. they confirmed that the fire is 30% contained. they've put out a list of about 243 homes confirmed destroyed. they know there are more. they just can't get to them yet because of the fire hazard that continues in bastrop county. they did say that perhaps later tonight given the fact that we have lower temperatures, lower

winds and more personnel on the ground battling this fire that perhaps by the end of the day they can say that they believe the fire will not grow beyond its current boundary. that's the good news here. the bad news is that people have to return to what's left of their homes. 575 homes destroyed so far. 4,000 people evacuated awaiting their return to what's left of their homes, craig? >> charles hadlock in bastrop, texas, for us today. winds are helping firefighters contain a blaze in southern california. that fire still threatens hundreds of homes as well. the fire started sunday when a small plane crashed into a remote area of blackburn canyon. two people onboard for killed. the fire burned more than 13,000 acres, 30 homes and outbuildings as well. two firefighters have also been injured. 200 homes are still under evacuation orders. we have some breaks news that we are following this afternoon. a plane crashed just after

takeoff about 150 miles northeast of moscow. we're in russia right now. 43 people are dead. only 45 are on board that plane. many of the folks aboard had national -- had ties to the national hockey league. they had tie to the nhl in this country. at this point it's not clear what happened. but the weather we're told was sunny there. breaking news in russia as a plane crashed there. 43 have been killed so far. meanwhile in washington, d.c. back here a 500-foot crane collapsed a tractor-trailer national cathedral. that crane damaged cars and buildings in the immediate area. that happened about an hour ago. not clear at this point if anyone was injured when that crane collapsed. the crane was part oof an effort to repair the church after it sustained damage from the earthquake two weeks ago there in washington, d.c. mitt romney refers to himself as the business guy in the race for president. how his jobs plan stacks up against the others. first, a look at what's

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with more than 14 million americans out of work, expect tonight's msnbc politico republican presidential debate to focus most oi listen jobs. you can bet that mitt romney will highlight the 15-point plan that he unveiled in las vegas yesterday. the former massachusetts governor says it is far more advanced than anything president obama has ever pitched. >> president obama's strategy is a pay phone strategy and we're in a smart phone world.

so we're going to have to change what he's doing is taking quarters and stuffing them in the pay phone and thinking can't figure out why it's not working. it's not connected anymore, mr. president. your pay phone strategy does not work in a smart phone world. >> ezra, tax cuts, free trade, on its face it seems like a boilerplate economic plan for any republican candidate. any big surprises here? >> no big surprises except for the pay phone analogy, i'm not really sure what that's supposed to mean. the plan is deeply, deeply comprehensive and sweeping. i think it's a political doctrine that's very effective. it's a 59-point plan. the fact that romney has people saying how big it is, how specific it is, that's a real win for the guy. but beyond that it is a broad wish list of conservative items from tax cuts that are fairly reaggressive to something called

a reagan economic bone, i'm not making that name up to a 20% spending cap. you're seeing the entire republican agenda packaged in a very professional way here. >> "the wall street journal" describes the 160-page plan as quote, surprisingly timid and tactical considering our economic predictment. what type of gop plan we have to be brought fort for republicans to throw a parade and celebrate it? >> i think "the wall street journal" gave a warmer reception to jon huntsman's plan. huntsman wiped out all the deductions. no deduction for health care your employer gives you, no earned income tax credit and no child tax credit for the poor and wiped out the tax on capital gains and lowered the corporate tax rates. i think "the wall street journal" would like a larger tax cut which i think to mitt romney's credit didn't provide without having a way to pay for it. this plan -- what was really

striking about the plan and whether or not "the wall street journal" admits it this looks like the plan of a general election candidate. and huntsman's plan looked like the plan of a primary kapd date trying to get noticed. i think that comparison rebounds well to romney's benefit. >> president obama big speech tomorrow night. learning today what the president is expected to propose a $300 billion plan in tax cuts and spending. democrats have been pushing him to go big, to go really, really big. is this what democrats meant? >> i can't speak for what they meant. i don't think this is all that big. when we hear $300 billion this is not new spending. about $200 billion of the plan is going to be the extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance rules that we currently have in place. that is important and it is not baked into law. it is new spending, but doing that is not new stimulus, new support for the economy.

it is simply not taking away the support we're offering. beyond that expect $100 plus billion in infrastructure, state and local aid and sort of couple other odds and ends. it's not a bad plan. in particular we obviously shouldn't be taking away the support we're giving the economy now and obviously be investing in our infrastructure at the moment. it is not going to light the world on fire. >> "the washington post's" ezra kline. thank you, sir. always appreciate your insight. >> thank you. it's been almost ten years now since the 9/11 terror attacks. after a decade the national memorial is opening up. what it mean for the the city and the nation. i'm going to ask a woman who mows all about it all too well. plus john edwards wants a judge to toss out all the criminal charges against him. his argument for why he's innocent. [ male announcer ] heard this one?

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the pakistani taliban says it the responsible for suicide attacks this morning. at least 23 people were killed. jaums murdoch will likely be called back to testify before the british parliament about the phone hacking scandal. former employees say that he lied about seeing a crucial email. yahoo fired its ceo after two years on the job. carol bartz sent an email to employees to let them mow she was fired over the phone. according to a brand new international poll the world still thinks that americans are the coolest nationality. the least cool, belgians. lawyers for john edwards think that he should walk. they're asking a judge to dismiss the charges against him. in court documents lawyers claim that the case is politically driven. prosecutors claim that edwards

misused a million in campaign funds to cover up an affair with a woman who worked on his campaign. edwards later admitted to fathering a child with her. a maryland man is hoping an appellate hearing will set him free. he's the key suspect in the disappearance of robin gardener. last week the judge ruled he could be held in court for an additional 60 days. prosecutors say they have enough evidence to keep holding him. a three-judge panel could release him as early as today. he reported the woman missing august 2nd. he told authorities she was swept out to sea when they were snorkling. to italy where a judge's decision has dealt another blow to prosecutors in amanda knox's appeal. the court rejected a prosecutor's request for new testing of crucial dna evidence. knox is hoping to overturn her conviction for murdering her roommate. a review harshly criticized how evidence was used. prosecutors hoped for a new

test. president obama will address congress and the nation tomorrow night to play out his plan for creating jobs. how that plan differs from republican plans. also, how many is too many? dozens of babies fathered by the same man in some cases more than 100. why some are trying to prevent these triple digit dads. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement available only with liberty mutual auto insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money for a car one model year newer. to learn more, visit us today.

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congress gets back to work today. lawmakers appear to be picking up the partisan bickering where they left off last summer. as top republicans and democrats focus on jobs, agreement seems to be in short supply. >> our jobs agenda for months was held up, set aside and held up the work of congress and our ability to do something about the economy which was being held hostage. rather than working with democrats to create jobs, creating legislation republicans insist on reckless cuts that

hurt our economic recovery. >> we tried president obama's approach. it's failed. it's time for something new. the new approach is aimed at nothing more than giving back to the american people the tools they need to do the work washington has not been able to do on its own. >> john than strong is a staff writer for politico. thanks for joining me. despite all the disagreement you said there's one area where the president and house republicans seem to agree. what area sa that? >> it's a tax cut aimed at businesses. it's fair to say that least week the relationship between the congressional republicans and president obama plunged to new lows with the war we had over scheduling the joint session in congress. there is a place where their rhetoric matches up. that's a tax cut aimed at businesses. >> let's talk about obama's plan

or what we know about that plan so far. $300 billion in federal spending in tax cuts. one year extension of the payroll tax cut and there's talk of extending that to employers as well as employees. infrastructure spending, direct aid to states and local governments and raising some tax revenue. is this the type of plan that's politically feasible right now? >> there's two questions here in terms of the political fallout from the plan. we reported this morning in roll call that the liberals in congress are very keen on what this plan will say. they're expecting obama to go build and bold. i don't think that the $300 billion number that we're talking about would be what they're talking about since most of it is swallowed up by the payroll tax continuation. the other dynamic is what can get through the republican house? yesterday in a letter to president obama eric cantor and john boehner signalled that they wouldn't be up for anymore

stimlative spending. >> i read a few hours ago that there were some key republicans who were planning to boycott the president's speech. they weren't even going to show up, south carolina jim demint and a few others as well. what does that say the fact that some republicans won't even show up to hear the government? what does that say about the state of affairs in our nation's capital? >> it shows a big gap between the parties. it's gotten personal in some respects. for those members they say they're so frustrated with the plans that never get to specifics that they're not going to sit there for another speech. >> a lot of these plans that we've heard so far whether it's romney's plan or huntsman's plans, a lot of these plans seem fairly similar. is there a plan that's being offered up that's radical? >> well, huntsman's plan was pretty bold in terms of just completely shaking up the tax code. but i think --

>> it was short on specifics. >> it was, but it was simple enough plan that you didn't have to be specific. he said cut out all of the loopholes and breaks for specific industry sectors. >> thank you so much, sir. appreciate your time today. >> thanks a lot. folks don't forget you can only watch the republican debate right here on msnbc. brian williams and politico's john harris will moderate. it starts at 8:00 eastern. about 3,000 u.s. troops could be staying put in iraq after the end of the year. pentagon officials were hoping to have 10,000 or more military personnel remain. the obama administration says it wants only a skeletal force in place. moments ago arizona senator john mccain expressing his disagreement. >> it's in america's national security interest not to lose iraq after the sacrifice of some 4500 brave young americans.

>> nbc's chief pentagon correspondent joining us from d.c. now. mick, this is 3,000 is far fewer than commanders there in iraq had hoped for. >> reporter: craig, u.s. military and pentagon officials had said all along that some amount of u.s. forces would remain in iraq after the formal agreement for u.s. presidents there ends at the end of this year. but obviously the sore point here is just how many. now there were some who thought there could be as many as 10,000 even more depending on what the iraqis said they needed. now in the negotiations between the u.s. and iraq, they first have to determine the mission, craig. it is only training even some u.s. military officials believe that they could get buy with 3,000 to 4,000, if again it's only a training mission. but if there's another element such as assisting iraq with counterterrorism or u.s. air defenses, for example, because

iraq cannot defend itself against an air attack from outside the country. so all of this is part of the negotiations between iraq and the united states. so that final number will be determined by the mission. it's clear according to some officials here in the building that the white house wants the least number of american forces on the ground after this year as possible, craig. >> mick, if we're talking about dramatically reducing the number of troops in rook and it's already early september and we're talking about doing this in the next few months, what sort of timetable are we look at here? >> u.s. military officials will tell you there in iraq that they've got to get on their horse and get moving rather quickly. to move all those men and the equipment that they take out of the iraq with them is going to take some time and logistics preparations. so they would like a decision as soon as possible. it's been the iraqis who have been dragging their feet because the iraqi government is under a lot of pressure from their own

constituents to force all americans out of the country by the end of the year. that's not likely. >> thanks, mick. appreciate it. just ten days had of the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and the dedication of the new memorial, new york mayor michael bloomberg has a request. >> we will never forget the devastation of the area that came to be known as ground zero. never. but the time has come to call those 16 acres what they are. the world trade center and the national september 11th memorial and museum. >> joined now by a board member of the national september 11th memorial. she lost her husband neil levin who was head of the port authority in the attacks that day. ten years later, what do you think about most when you think about your husband, neil? >> i think he probably would be proud to see what has happened many the last ten years.

it's kind of like childbirth. you forget about the pain of having to go through all this to get to the point where we are today. >> you returned to the site days after with 200 pictures, roughly of your husband. like so many others there you were holding out hope that he had survived and then afterwards you had dedicated the past ten years to working with families in similar situations. as we approach the ten-year anniversary, what are you hearing from them, what are they saying about the memorial, about the museum? >> i think they're just happy to finally have something that's permanent that marks that day and is going to stand the test of time and most of their opinions. i think they're very anxious to see the name of their lost loved one on the footprints. they're going to be engraved. no one's seen that. on sunday will be the first opportunity for familyings to locate the name of their loved ones and see it and touch it.

>> let's talk about sunday. i know you are keenly ware of om of the trovers that have surrounded the memorial, the ceremony as well. michael bloomberg coming underfire for not allowing religious leaders to participate. has the controversy at all, has the controversy itself surprised you a great deal? >> i think that no controversy surprises me once there's a limelight shed on the big event lick this, there's so many different opinions, so many different kinds of family members and stake holders. it's really not a surprise. >> the memorial finished. obviously ten years later do you think that the rest of those buildings should be finished by now as well? >> you know what? i really liken this to childbirth. you don't remember ten years after the kid is born how hard and how painful it might have been. but it takes -- if you understand what was in that area when this was dug out for the original world trade center in the '60s, there were 32 acres of

land, dirt that came out of there. and that became battery park. so they had to fill up a 32 acre hole. that's how deep it was. that's what came out of there. that's all infrastructure. there were 26 different agencies. 125 different vendors. so i understand what took ten years. >> before i let you get out of here, i'm to talk a little bit about the book as well. tell us about that. >> there's a book called "art for heart." there was a program for children who lost parents after 9/11 to come together in community centers and paint as a part of their therapy. paint something to their lost loved one. something to dedicate. now we've made a book including those pictures and the picture from the new york child studies center, new york kids about their feelings about nene. it's really interesting because it's all about hope. and they're absolutely stunning. so we brought it together in a book to benefit the memorial. >> how can folks get ahold of that book? >> they go on to our website for

the 9/11 memorial foundation. and you can get it. >> thank you so much. always appreciate your time. >> thank you. >> we will be thinking about you and so many others this weekend. president bush was in florida when terrorists attacked the u.s. on 9/11. the flight back to d.c. not an easy one. i'm going to talk to the pilot who got the president home safely despite numerous security threats. plus, meet a father to 70 kids. but don't call him dad. we'll explain, next. [ woman ] jogging stroller. you've been stuck in the garage

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reports." sperm banks have made it possible for any donor to be a father without any strings attached. for some sperm banks that are running low on doe norris, they're relying on the same donor over and over. now one donor can lay claim to fathering 150 children. the practice is raising some serious questions against critics. here's george lewis. >> reporter: sharon from seattle had two children via artificial insemination from the same sperm donor. >> how did mommy get the sperm? >> goog. . >> reporter: it wasn't quite that random, but in a documentary airing the 27th of this month on the style network, sharon discovers the buy logical father of her children, a guy named ben living in boston has many, many others. >> to date i know of 70 kids. >> reporter: but ben doesn't hold the record. "the new york times" reporter jacqueline discovered one donor

with at least 150 offspring. the mothers are shocked. >> they're very unhappy. they asked the sperm bank to stop selling the sperm from this one donor and when they realized the numbers were so big. and they claim that the bank refused. >> reporter: sperm banks are not required to limit how many children can be fathered by one donor. >> when you hear a situation of a single donor being used so that they fathered 150 children there is no doubt, none that that is unethical practice. >> reporter: ryan kramer whose buy logical father was a sperm donor started a website with his mother, donor religion stir sibling to connect the children of sperm donors with each orand their fathers. it's voluntary. >> today we have over 32,000 people in a similar case that are interested in meeting their half siblings and buy logical fathers. >> reporter: it was through the site that ben was put in touch with sharon and the children. although he makes it clear he

doesn't want to be thought of as dad. >> they're not my kids. i don't see them as my kids. that's it. i'm not part of their lives. >> reporter: what about the rest of ben's 0 some offspring? his fiance lauren, worries. >> what if they all come knocking? will they all want to meet you? >> reporter: this as critics call for new regulations so guys like ben don't wind up as triple digit dads. george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. political side bar now. today poll position. union boss jimmy hoffa sticking by his tough labor day talk in which he called on voters to quote, take out the tea party by heading to the polls. that speech got a lot of attention from bloggers on the right who called on the white house to condemn it. they did not. hoffa says he's going to keep fighting. >> we're not backing down. what we said yesterday is right on. the answer is we've got the votes. we've got to mobilize our people. there is a were on workers.

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ten years ago when the country was under attack, one of the many things that no one was

completely sure of was where the president should go? george w. bush flew to florida to louisiana then to nebraska on the day when airplaning were the most frighten weapon imagine. the colonel was at the helm of air force one on that september afternoon. thank you for your time. i appreciate it. >> thank you. >> you were in florida with the president when the first plane slammed into the north tower. i understand that you thought it was an accident like many others. when that second plane hit the south tower, what did you do? >> at the point that the second plane was hit, we knew we were under attack. we started taking precautions to make sure the plane would be sit. it was a sitting duck on the ramp in sar sew ta and started working with the president's staff to see where the president needed to go. >> we've all seen that image now over and over of president bush in that classroom reading that story to those kids and white house chief of staff at the time

telling the president that we're under attack. when the president boards air force one and you take off from zayra sew ta is the cockpit chaotic or had you guys still managed to maintain control? >> we maintained control. it was a normal takeoff with the exception of they passed a few threats to us that we needed to climb out rather steeply to avoid a perceived threat at the end of the runway. all the training came into play at that point. we had different plans to execute to keep the president safe. at that point it was a basic takeoff and then just start the turn to head to washington, d.c. and get there as quick as we could to make sure that the president could leave the country from washington. >> what was air traffic control saying to you through all this? >> the air traffic controllers were in the process of putting all the other airliners on the ground. it was a very hectic with the radio transmissions. shortly after takeoff we were

advised one of the airliners was in a desent as they proceed descending into us with its transponder off and radio off. later proven to be a false as a threat. however, we had to take precautions against it. we moved out of the way of the aircraft. started working our way towards the north panhandle of florida to keep the president out of the washington, d.c. area until everything could be situated there. >> for one point you called for a fighter jet es skort. what prompted that call? >> the combination of the airliner descending into us. at one point the vice president advised us that angel was next. angel was the classified call sign of air force one. didn't know how they were going to do it. being advised that they were next we had to figure out how they could attack us either from the air, bombs on board. we had to be ready for it. i asked for fighter support. we subsequently got it.

>> colonel, here we are almost ten years to the day in a few days, ten years from those attacks, how often do you reflect on that day? >> all the time. every year, every september 11th. terrorists plan attacks for subsequent anniversaries. we're always ready to go. september 11th we had the planes ready. had everything set in the event there was another attack. ten years later i've seen tremendous improvements throughout the country with security not only president bush, but president obama have done great advances to keep the american public safe. very thankful for that. >> corn mark tillman flying air force one on 9/11. thank you for your time this afternoon. >> thank you, it's great being with you. i'm craig melvin. thanks for watching. we will see you back here tomorrow noon eastern, 9:00 up nt andrea mitchell. presidential candidate john huntsman will be joining andrea.

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