glad you're dead. >> i don't know why anyone would do that as if they have no heart. >> his death renewing calls for jamie's law. this morning we will talk about that. . it's great to have you with me today. i'm thomas roberts. we get straight to it. president obama is in full campaign mode as he wraps up his western swing today. he's keeping his jobs message front and center with americans desperate for the economy to make big strides. this afternoon the president is heading to denver after stops in washington and throughout california. and he's reminding supporters that he can deliver on candidate obama's promises. >> i never promised easy. if you want easy, you wnt have campaigned for barack hussein obama. what i promised was there was a vision of america that we believed in. what i promised was if we worked hard we could achieve that vision. what i promised was is i would

wake up every single day fighting for you. >> denver is of course where the president accepted his part's nomination for president three years ago. what a difference those three years can make. denver mayor michael hancock joins me now to talk about that. sir, it's nice to see you this morning. the president easily cleared 50% of the colorado vote in 2008. 2012 may be a completely different story. here's what two of your governors are saying. former governor bill ritter says a repeat of 2008 very unlikely. i say he's looking at a high wire act there. the current governor says the president can probably win colorado he's got a lot of work to do. is there enthusiasm in your state for the president and the plans that he wants to lay out for the country in the second term? >> i absolutely agree, thomas. first of all, good morning from denver, colorado. it is absolutely going to be a challenge for the president to win colorado. do i believe he can win it? absolutely. there's work that's going to have to be done. i spoke with some of his team

members yesterday. we've got a lot of work to do in colorado. it's possible. we've got to get to work. >> the work was done before for senators fighting off the tea party wave winning state elections in 2010. in a presidential election, mayor, the democrats can they carry the president across the fin irline in colorado or will his campaign need the independent surge that we saw the last time around? >> oh, absolutely. colorado's going to have to be a very concentrated effort. in addition to the democrats, of course, so i think with both sides we have work to do. and i know the president and his people know that. it will be the affiliates that will carry the day in colorado. >> i want to play a moment from yesterday's twitter town hall between the president and an independent wealthy participant. take a listen. >> my question is, would you please raise my taxes? i would like very much to have the country to continue to

invest in things like pell grants and infrastructure and job training programs. >> i want to reiterate this. so often the tax debate gets framed as class warfare. this young lady's mom who's been working in food services she doesn't have a lot of room to spare. those of us who have been fortunate, we do. >> mayor not a lot of people think face time with the president to raise my taxes. what is your take on the accusation that the president is conducting class warfare by asking millionaires and billionaires to pay more? >> i don't think the president is promoting class warfare. i think what the president is saying is that in order to get this country moving again it's going to take each and every one of us to do our part to help it get going again. certainly those who have the ability and the access to have advisors to identify loopholes

have great opportunity to avoid paying a better part or their share within the effort in america. and i think the president has spoken plainly about this. that is that the more welg thi and more fortunate folks in our country ought to play a greater role and avoid and not to consider to step over the loopholes and give them a bigger break. you've got food service workers and hourly wage earners paying a greater share of their income on taxes than the wealthy. we've got a challenge in america. that's really where we're having problems. >> denver mayor michael hancock. sir, good to see you this morning. thanks for your time. >> thomas, thank you for the opportunity. we'll see you later. >> absolutely. capitol hill crisis averted at least for now. the senate passed a budget bill late last night to keep the government funded until mid november. the sticking point which threatened a cause is shut down. disappeared when fema announced it will not need more money before the next fiscal year.

meanwhile a new gallup poll shows a new rejection of politics. a record 81% of americans are dissatisfied with the government. kelly o'donnell joins me now. should the public with happy with how lawmakers avoided this shut down or did congress just get lucky on this one? >> reporter: i think it's a little of both. fema bailed out congress by look at its books, finding ways to slow down making payments for various projects in states that have been hit by disasters throughout this year. by doing that, they were able to pool enough money $114 million to last through friday. come saturday they get a new infusion of money that's already budgeted. so they helped out because the predictions had been pretty dire that fema would be out of money by mound or tuesday, today. so congress did find a way to come together. how much credit should they get? they will be up to voters to decide. in the end what they decided is

to put aside the big fight over giving fema more money and also requiring spending cuts to offset that. that was the republican point of view. democrats were deds against that saying that these kinds of emergencies should not be immediately offset by cuts somewhere else for orprograms. they came to their sort of kuumba ya moment last night. there's one more thing to be dealt with last night. that's the house agreeing to this on thursday by voice vote. we don't expect any glitches there. it's not 100% done. it does give us a sign in the end they can work together. they sounded collegial at the end of the day. boy, it was a lot of heartburn for almost no real fight many the end. >> kelly, if all signs are pointing to yes, this will get done, what's the next big fight? >> reporter: the next big fight there's probably a series of them. if you look at this whole budget issue in the longer term, they'll not be doing incremental slices of budget to get us through six weeks or a few

months. they're looking at funding for the whole year, that's where the big money is, the big fights, the big arguments that's when all of the different departments are going to be vying for their funding here in congress they'll look at how to appropriate that money and so because of the scale of that expect that to be a very big prolonged fight. and then if you just want to hear about a few more, the supercommittee has its battle going up until thanksgiving looking for ways to cut money and some trade deals the president's been talking about. we should be hearing more about that next week. >> nothing like a good thanksgiving fight. also in washington, engineers are preparing to repel down all four faces of the washington monument. they're checking for further external damage that might have been caused by last month's 5.8 rt quake. we all remember that. the parks department also released this dramatic new surveillance video. take a look at this. it's a view from inside the top of the monument when that cake hit. damaging and temporarily closing the monument. after dozens of pieces of stone

fell from that structure, nicky williams was the park ranger on duty that day and talked about what that moment felt like. >> that was the first thought i had. it was some sort of attack. i didn't know what. i figured whatever it was happening the best place for us to be was not at the top was at the bottom of the monument. that was my next move was to get out of there whatever was going on. >> some great presence of mind there. the parks service says there is no timetable for re-opening the landmark to visitors. that's a live look of the monument now. the chris christie presidential buzz keeps getting louder as he prepares to take center stage at a speech at the reagan library. before any decision is made about running for president, christie wants to make sure his state's image is protected from all things "the jersey shore." his latest battle with the show his latest battle with the show that's just ahead. so i took my heartburn pil and some antacids. we're having mexican tonight, so another pill then? unless we eat later, then pill later? if i get a snack now, pill now? skip the snack, pill later...

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i want to thank -- >> the creator of the universe. jesus christ is god. jesus christ is god. >> first of all, i believe jesus crist is the lord. i believe in that. >> president obama gets the better of a heck already at a $250 per person fundraiser. it was $10,000 to get a picture with the president. the president hopes to net about $4 million in his fundraising swing through the west that ends later today in denver. this afternoon the president will fly out of california. chris christie the governor of new jersey flies in. the new jersey governor keeps saying he's not ready to run for president. a major speech at the reagan library following a fundraising speech in missouri won't help

him keep a low profile. the lack of excitement for romney and lack of ability from perry is pleading gop voters to fill the void. let's join patrick gavin. here's a quote from former governor of new jersey tom keen saying it's real. he's giving it a lot of thought. i think the odds are better now than a couple of weeks ago. he's not going to tease anybody. if circumstances do change, he's not going to hide it. patrick, explain the political significance of tonight's speech. the one that he's giving at the reagan presidential library. if he gets into this race and he doesn't and becomes a king maker in 2012, he's buzzing now and yearning for him to do something to get it. >> dlst a couple of things to look forward. number one being out there is the holy grail for a lot of republican folks at the reagan library. number two, he's going to be around a lot of powerful king makers within the party who will have his ear and hopefully be cutting some checks. he's got to be doing some fundraising out on the west

coast as well. number three, what will he say? it's a prime opportunity to squash all the speculation. i doubt he will use that venue to do it. if he really wanted to squash the speculation, he could endorse somebody else, which he has yet to do. i think probably the text of the speech will very much focus on his continued vision for america, et cetera, et cetera. i don't think you'll see him affirm or deny. the fact of the matter is being around so many top republicans out there in such a seminal place for republicans is going to lead people to infer that perhaps he is kidsing the ring of the republican part big wigs out there. >> in the previous hour my colleague chris jansing had the opportunity to speak with the newark, new jersey, mayor chris booker weighing in on the christie speculation. take a listen. >> obviously i'm a barack obama supporter. i will tell this bluntly. i work very closely with chris christie. i could write a dissertation. i see why he's a strong leader. in my opinion he would be the

most competitive candidate against barack obama that's out there. >> so that is a pretty genuine left-handed compliment given to governor christie to the mayor. comments like that do bolster the case that republicans need christie to jump in. >> it does. he's right. that's why a lot of republicans are so eager. when they ding romney or perry or express less than enthusiasm for them, it's partially not so much about them in particular, but about the fact when when you stack them up against barack obama a form midable campaigner and popular guy personally, they need somebody who can go toe to toe with him. 2012 is the year where you need an a lister to beat barack obama regardless of his slip in approval ratings. chris christie seems to be the best person to do that. there's a little bit of question about how he's going to appeal in southern swing states. he shoots from the hip. those are things that i think

the republican establishment things you need to beat barack obama. >> when it comes to a national audience really getting to know him and seeing him up against the competition, is there enough time left even to get a presidential campaign off the ground for him? >> there is enough time just barely in terms of logistics of it. i think the question chris christie is wrestling with is it enough time for him? does he have enough time to get up to speed on the issues? does he have enough time to make sure his stump speech are effective? everybody assumes that they are, but rick perry is a classic example of how sometimes preparation and not jumping in at the last minute can hurt you. i think chris christie is worrying about himself. is it too late for me to get up to speed. the donors will be there and the calendar it's just barely not too late. >> thanks so much. appreciate it. >> thanks, thomas. >> governor christie is still make decisions back in new jersey. his lathest one is a financial hit to the producers that bring

you all of us snooki and the situation every thursday night. christie has decided to block a $420,000 tax credit to the jury see shore which was approved by the state economic development authority. christie far from a fan of the show. he says it hurts the state's image. he blocked the money for production cost. the producers say it won't hurt the production whatsoever. for two years michael jackson's untimely deaths and who was responsible has remained a mystery. today the king of pop's legendary family including his parents and his siblings will be in a packed l.a. courtroom to hear answers from dr. conrad murray who was treating the sinner at the time he died. what will the opening statements say ultimately reveal to the world about this famously reclusive pop star's final days and hours and a strange private life. nbc's kristen dahlgren is live outside the courthouse. this is the moment a lot of

people have been waiting for. certainly the jacksons themselves waiting to find out the answers that they seek. >> reporter: good morning, thomas. you can probably see the crowds that have gathered here outside the courthouse. we saw some of the assistant defense attorneys walking in earlier. still have not seen the family, but they are expected here any moment. they say they are going to be here every day through this trial. in a way michael jackson himself will always be inside that courtroom. the defense expected to blame the sipger for his own death saying that he actually administered that fatal dose of propafol. the defense contends that the doctor was trying to wean the singer from the drug and so that it was jackson himself whoa took it without murray's knowledge that jackson was so stressed up over his upcoming this is it

tour and the upcoming 50 dates that he was desperate for sleep. the prosecution of course, expected to say that dr. murray should never have been giving jackson the anecessary thetic at home without the proper safety equipment and he left the singer unmonitored for too long. the first witness for the defense is kenny ortega. the choreographer said he was so concerned about the singer's health he sent him home early from the rehearsals and he had a meeting with dr. murray in the final days. and he told him not to try to act like jackson's doctor. ortega will walk the jury through some of the footage of this tour to the jurors are the only ones that have said they've seen any of that movie. this trial expected to take five weeks. dr. murray faces four years and would lose his license if convicted, thomas. >> nbc's kristen dahlgren. thanks for that update from l.a.

and we'll keep you posted and we get more information later in the show. the jackson family will be arriving there for the court proceedings that start this morning. an inside look at teachers struggling to do the best job that they can. struggling to survive on their salaries. and a new documentary argues that our nation's three million plus educators are undervalued and underpaid. a look at the film which premiered at the education nation summit. a look at where the most influential political figures have been weighing in about the state of our schools. you can follow the conversation on twitter or on the web at on twitter or on the web at educationnation.com. ♪ ♪ ♪ when your chain of supply ♪ goes from here to shanghai, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ chips from here, boards from there ♪ ♪ track it all through the air, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ clearing customs like that

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i feel like i give everything i have. but it's not enough. >> as the man you're supposed to be the provider. when you can't provide for your family, you feel like a loser. >> we would like them to be

getting to know their students and parents. making sure that they're going to provide the great instruction that we've been talking about. instead they're off to 7-11. almost every teeper i know has a second job. >> that is a clip from a new documentary that premiered during the launch of our second education nation summit. it's called "american teacher." it focuses on four public school sbruktors and the personal and financial sacrifices that they're forced to make to not only help their students but to make ends meet. i'm joined by two women directly involved in that project. there is the director and producer and the teacher. i want to thank you both for coming in today. let's start with vanessa. i want to know what inspired you to take on this project? >> i was approached by authors who woet yt teachers have it easy, the sacrifices of america's teachers." there was so much debate about the education system but nothing about the lives of teachers. i wanted to show the real daily

lives of teachers. we all think we know education because we went to school, we don't. >> jamie is one of the four teachers profiled in the film. it goes into the personal lives, also the financial lives and the sacrifices that so many teachers have to make. when we look at that because jamie, you've been teaching now for over a decade. >> yes. >> as we look at some of the financials of this, we find out that you've been forking over funds to pay for school supplies $3,000 out of your own pocket. when you heard about that, what was your reaction to know how much is sacrificed by the teachers. as you said, you heard about these things, when you see the actual toll it takes on the person. >> i just think it's astounding that the role that teachers are in childrens' lives and to add the added stress and burden of paying supplies for themselves, having to take second, third jobs, just the toll that takes jamie talks about that. she knows how it feels.

it's astounding. >> as this does illustrate for a lot of people, it is a wake up call. i think for most people around the country to find out exactly what takes place in your personal life when it comes to the financials of things that you're sacrificing to bring to the classroom, you love to make sure that these kids have what they need for getting through the day. when we break down the average teacher is not paid well. the salary remains the most divisive issue in the reform discussion. the biggest split on whether to raise base salaries to compensate some by bonus for good grades. where does it fall in your mind set how that should be adjudicated as the national education system is discuss and moves forward? >> i think that we need to -- i think we need to be looking at education in real reforming ways. to me things like looking at it from the inside out. how we actually do curriculum. how we view the way that we

respect and value teachers. how we respect and value education in our country. to me those are the core issues. and things -- things like this conversation about merit pay and all of these things are to me band-aids on a particular issue that is more about how we value education in our country. i think it's indicative of the fact that we don't value education in our country. >> one thing the film also proves is the fact that will is such a high burn out rate with teachers. there's always hope for things to get better especially when it comes to things you're talking about looking at it from the inside out for curriculum changes and financial changes. 46% alone leaving in the first five years of being on the job. as you've been in this profession for over ten years, so you've doubled that time. have you had had the urge to say i'm out of here? >> absolutely. absolutely. >> what keeps you many the classroom then? >> i love my students and i love

what i do every day. the things that makes me want to leave at times is the current political climate that is simultaneously telling me that i'm not doing a good enough job. that i'm not as effective as i should be. to where teachers' voices aren't heard and respected for a policy level and curriculum level. decisions are very top down. i still walk into that classroom every day and i still feel like i am doing the best job i can. and i feel like i'm a really great teacher. i don't feel like that's necessarily valued the way it should. monetarily or curriculum wise. >> we thank you for everything that you do for this nation's kids. it's a great movie. i want to say thanks to jamie fiddler the teacher that's focused on in this. vanessa roth, again, a reminder to everybody out there to our viewers about the second annual education nation summit. take a peek. it's underway in new york city

all this week on msnbc where you're going to be hearing from policymakers and educators like jamie. parents and experts having a conversation about the state of the american education system. you can join that chat on twitter and on facebook. go to educationnation.com. as we told you about earlier in this half-hour, the conrad murray trial getting ready to take place in los angeles. we've got new video just moments ago. the family of pop star michael jackson they were arriving at the courthouse for the start of the involuntary manslaughter trial of dr. conrad murray. he's accused of giving jackson a fatal dose of propfol, the defense argues jackson gave that to himself. with the family arriving, it means the courtroom will get underway in a moment. there's catherine jackson and joe jackson in the background. i've been in court with some of the proceedings for conrad murray. most of the family shows up. they show up in a succession of

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welcome back, everybody. the supreme court could be much closer to debating the constitutionality of president obama's controversial health care law. the justice department has decided to forego a full appeal on a ruling last month in althat declared the law unconstitutional. that means the obama administration can now appeal directly to the supreme court bringing the case up for review during the court term that begins next week. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams joins us live from d.c. to help us through this one. an appeal on that atlanta ruling would have delayed a supreme court decision until 2013. now the ruling may come down as early as next spring when election season obviously will be in full swing. why is the obama administration going that route? >> reporter: they may have decided that the appeals court wouldn't have gotten them the ruling that they wanted.

it's a generally conservative court. this all involves a lawsuit that was brought by florida and 25 other states who claimed it's unconstitutional to require virtually all americans to buy health insurance. it was a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court in atlanta that ruled earlier in the year, last month, in their favor. the court said the congress had no power to impose such a requirement. the question for the justice department is what is the government going to do? it asked the full appeals court to rehear the case. now we know the answer is no. that means the government plans to appeal the case directly to the supreme court. it seems quite likely the court would grant that request even though there are other challenges to the health care law that are working their way through the appeals court. there's a health care care pending at the supreme court. an appeal from -- an appeals court ruling in the midwest that found the law constitutional. if the justices take the case it would be argued sometime early

next year. the decision probably wouldn't come down much before the term ends in late june. >> pete williams, thank you, sir. here's a look at what else we are following in the news now for you. also in washington engineers prepping to repel down all four faces of the washington monument. they are checking for further external damage that might have been caused by last month's 5.8 earthquake. the engineers will start their dissent down the monument at the top of the hour. the landmark is closed to visitors. while the prosecution is calling her a she devil, amanda knox' defense is comparing the convicted kill tore a cartoon character. during closing arguments before an italian appeals court, the lawyer said the knox isn't the manipulative femme fatale, she's before like jessica robert from the film "who framed rogt rabbit." she said her client is not bad, she's just drawn that way. a decision on whether knox's

2009 murder conviction in the death of her roommate won't come until october. after three years of delays what's being billed at the mexx generation of air travel is finally ready to hit the skies. the first boeing 787 dream liner took off earlier this morning in washington headed for japan. the home of its first customer. united continental will be the first u.s. airline to fly the jet early next year. airlines have ordered more than 800 of these planes which are 20% more fuel efficient and can reduce noise and turbulence for a more comfortable flight for passengers. talk show host ellen degeneres say she's fine. ellen decided to seek help after feeling chest pains. she talks about it on her show hoping to get a few laughs out of that health scare. >> i woke up in the middle of the night and i was feeling a tightness in my chest and all the scarey things like something was heavy on my chest and it was a cat. so i moved it. and then i still felt the

tightness and heaviness it was another cat under that cat. there were two cats on my chest. i'm fine. let me just say i'm fine. >> a lot of people glad she's fine. she thanked the paramedics for caring so much. >> i promise you'll get better. i have so much support from people i don't even know online. i know that sounds creepy, but they're so nice and caring. they don't ever want me to die. >> it's such a haunting message that continues to make national headlines. an it gets better video recorded by a 14-year-old just months before he took his own life. he suffered relentless anti-gay bullying in school and online. this morning on the "today" show jamie's mom and dad say even in the wake of his tragic death, jamie is still being attacked. >> it was the first day of his wake and my daughter we let her

go to school dance. we thought it would be great for her to be with all her friends. and she was texting that she was having a great time then all of a sudden a lady gaga song came on. and they all started chanting for jamie his friends. the bullies that put him into this situation started chanting you're better off dead. we're glad you're dead. and things like that. my daughter came home all upset and it was supposed to be a time for her to grieve and have fun with her friends and it turned into bullying even after he's gone. >> it's hard to believe that. despite that ugliness, jamie's death has sparked attention with celebs like lady gaga and ricky martin speak out. we're joined by the director of

the school the win co academy. thank you both for coming on. adan you're 14 years old, the same age as jamie. when you hear about what happened to him and other kids around this country and this type of bullying is still going on, as a person that's lived through it and come through it on the other side to ban activist, what's your reaction to when you hear about what these kids in this country are still suffering from? >> it's shocking. it's not fair for anybody that's being bullied. it's not right at all. i'm trying to still figure out why do they do these things to these nice kids? it's not fair whatsoever. and it's really shocking to me. now even when he's dead they're still saying these things are wrong. >> i think a lot of people would agree with you. the attack that you experienced was pretty horrific all of it captured on a cell phone video by one of the kids who was part

of the group that attacked you. your story made national headlines. last week you spoke out at the national anti-bullying campaign in washington. that is incredibly brave. i just want to say courageous of you. i wonder how that experience is going to be influencing you in the future to take this fight up, to battle back against bullies. >> i always say to myself that if somebody bullies you try to ignore it. but now that it's getting to the point where kids are killing themselves and kids are being hurt, now i'm trying to do more and speak out more about how we can stop it or at least help it. i know it's not going to stop at all. and i'm going to keep on -- keep on speaking out about it until the word gets through that it's not right what they're doing. >> you're an educator and obviously have firsthand knowledge of students and how they behave in the climate of today's classrooms. explain where you think that the

responsibility falls especially for parents to be involved in their children's lives to know exactly what they're doing. to know what type of kid they are and how they treat others. shouldn't be there a bigger responsibility of parents in this country? >> parents are definitely important. it's all of us. we have to create an environment where bullying is not tolerated. at our school we try to keep the lines of communication open with our students. i think that's where it begins at home. if parents talk to their kids and know what's going on in their lives, they can make a huge difference. kids need to feel secure and safe. that's what we try to provide at our school. when a kid feels secure, they're not going to start bullying other kids and we can try to break that cycle. >> what has this done for you? obviously you've gotten national attention from the attack that you suffered, do you feel safe and confident in school now? >> yes. now i do. in the wonderful school of winco

academy. >> how is the reaction of your classmates? the other students that you get to interact with day in and day out? what do you think of the actions you've taken in light of what you've suffered? >> again, i love the academy. they treat me like any other kid there. they're glad that i'm actually taking a stand because not all kids do it. and they treat me like family there all the time from the teachers to the students. and just a wonderful environment for any kid that's ever been bullied. >> we encourage you to continue on with this good fight, pay it forward. thank you both for coming on today. i appreciate your time. >> thank you. the king of pop's family arrives in a los angeles courthouse downtown for the trial of dr. conrad murray. so just who is expected to testify? we're going to talk about all of this, his opening statements are about to get underway. that and much more coming up next.

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welcome back, everybody. you're looking at new video just in from the family of pop star michael jackson arriving and entering court for today's opening statements in downtown los angeles. they will be getting underway just moments from now. there are many unanswered questions about their beloved son and brother's final dark days. the question is, did the doctor accused of manslaughter deliver that fatal dose of propofol or did the king of pop do it to himself under pressure from a dire financial situation and anxiety over a musical come back? joining me now is former prosecutor and civil attorney john kelly. john, it's good to see you this morning. >> it's good to be here. >> as we talk about the charges, it's serious stuff, the charges of involuntary manslaughter which means that he was negligent or reckless, we're talking about dr. murray here. can the prosecution prove that? >> they can prove it. technically they have a strong

case. dr. murray rigged this spontaneous i.v. drip to administer propofol which is an anesthetic that's supposed to be used for surgical procedures. after he started administering it, it didn't proper monitor it. the testimony is going to be he spent a lot of time on the cell phone when michael was receiving this drug. >> the defense strategy as we get fourth into this is they're going to say michael jackson was an addict, he was plagued by financial debt, other demons that plagued him throughout his career. the come back tour he was under a lot of pressure for that. saying that he was pretty weak at the time. and in control of dr. conrad murray and how he was making medical decisions. do you think the medical demands of a dead man can be the star to get an acquittal for murray? >> the defense wants to use a broad brush to sort of paint michael jackson's life as

spinning out of control mentally, physically, healthwise and this was the last step. the judge is keeping a tight leash on the evidence. he wants the facts and circumstances only the last few days of dr. murray's involvement to come in whereas before the defense wants to show m.j. had a long time addiction to prescription drugs, that he was self-medicating. that other doctors had been giving him serious prescription narcotics and dr. murray was the last man standing. the last doctor that succumb to michael's wishes. >> we're seeing catherine jackson and joe jackson arriving. all the family members were streaming in moments ago. john, the important thing and i've been in the courtroom before for earlier conrad murray trial hearings, the family always comes. it is a big scene. they pull in in about four or five es clads. i would think with the jury admitted-of them that they were michael jackson fans having

jermaine, jackson, joe jackson, catherine jackson, joe jackson all these people that so many of us grew up with with the jackson 5 and pop culture are going to be influencers to the jury. even if prince might el the eldest boy testifies, you don't think that's going to influence the jury to come to a conviction of this man, the last doctor standing. >> i don't think so. there's no question that michael jackson is loved worldwide. i loved michael jackson. everybody loves his music. everybody also knows because he was so -- such an open book that there was dysfunction in that family. he wasn't speaking to his father for years. he was distant from his mother. he had had falling out with his brothers and sisters. i think with his brothers and sisters and they'll look at them to say, that's nice they're here now. where were they when he was making his cries for help and displaying the need for help from people close to him. they weren't there then.

jurors will look at that and it's pretty cool they're here, but it will not influence their decision. >> thanks so much. >> it is a really busy political day. here's what we're watching in the live feed. at 4:15, colorado, will have president obama where he makes a sales pitch for his job tour, and the campaign hopes will net about $4 million bucks. and republican rick perry will be at the white house for what's being touted as a fund-raising kickoff. finally eyes will be on non-candidate chris christie. he'll be giving a keynote address at the reagan presidential library and that's a speech that he's calling real american exceptionalism. he christie continues to say that a 2012 run is not in his heart and not in his cards and it will be interesting to see if he puts this to bed tonight.

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my question is would you please raise my taxes? >> so often the tax debate gets framed as class warfare. we benefitted from somebody somewhere making an investment in us. >> all right. time now for "the flipside" which is our look behind the headlines. you just heard the president swat aside that his policies are class warfare. what is the bitter battle between the haves and the have notes? just take a look at who holds the cash in this country. the richest 10% of americans control more than two-thirds of america as well. the remaining 90% have just 27%.

this month's census report found there is now the greatest number of poor people living in america since records began. 15% of citizens sit below the poverty line. it is roughly $2,000 for a family of four. while the president steers away from the term class warfare, when it comes to fighting words he has ramped up this rhetoric. >> is asking a billionaire to pay the same tax rate as a plumber makes me the warrior for the middle class, i'll wear that charge. i'll wear that as a badge of honor. >> this is interesting because we're in a nation where the incoming quality is greater than yemen, egypt, russia and china and equal to that in iran. so class warfare in america, that may be nothing new. that will do it for me today. thanks for your time. i'll see you back here at 11:00 a.m. eastern time tomorrow and every morning for that matter and follow me @thomasaroberts. thomas friedman will be talking

about america's future. that is tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. eastern. craig melvin here to pick things up for the next hour. >> hello, good sir. how are you? >> i'm good. >> is he or isn't he? chris christie continues to insist he's not running. others say he's certainly thinking about it, we'll talk about that plus the jackson family arriving at the trial of conrad murray as opening statements are set to begin. all that and lots more straight ahead. [ man ] our retirement isn't a simple budget line item. [ man ] i worked hard. i paid into my medicare. [ man ] and i earned my social security. [ woman ] now, instead of cutting waste and loopholes, washington wants to cut our benefits? that wasn't the agreement. [ male announcer ] join the members of aarp and tell washington to stop cuts to our medicare and social security benefits. see? he's taking his vitamins. new one a day vitacraves plus omega-3 dha

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