well, chris had the two hours prior to me. we'll get our graphics up shortly. good morning, i'm alex witt. a surprise move from the obama administration. one key component to the health care law is being dropped but some democrats say they will fight to save it. what's the political impact? the silent majority. is there an america out there that has a different take on politics? a new article suggests that is exactly the case. we'll examine that for you. the battle with iran. new twists today in the plan to kill a dip lomat in the u.s. mission to the bottom. world. the story of ailing american scientist in an arcsh antarctic race to save her. meanwhile, welcome to "weekends with alex witt." 9 a.m. on the east, 6 a.m. out west. we begin with a major program

from president obama's landmark health care plan which would have provided long-term health care insurance. it's been scrapped. the community assistance living program would have been voluntary and provided long-term care paid for by premiums and not needed tax dollars. this program was a long-standing priority of the late senator ted kennedy. eliminating c.e ining it is thee they've given occupy a portion of the health care law. mark hall principperin. >> let's remember why there is a health care law. this country has a lot of unmet health care need. long-term care is one of them. the program going away doesn't mean people don't have this need. something has to be done by governors or federal government. politically it's a huge vulnerability for the administration. this is a stand-alone plan. had its own financing. but the political symbolism of

them saying, something we thought would work, something we thought would be sound, is not sound. it has to be withdrawn. the left will be unhappy but republicans will pounce on this and say, this is the first thread being pulled out of the law. >> that's the question. is this the beginning of a domino effect with the health care law now being repealed? will this start it? >> there already was a big effort in the courts and in congress and in the presidential campaign trail to say, this law is not sustainable. ironically, the law was going to add -- contribute to deficit reduction in the first few years because it was going to collect premiums without paying out benefits but for republicans now, they can say, this is true of the whole law. the administration's right. this is a stand-alone program. but the critics now already embolden emboldened, working hard in the courts and on the campaign trail and in congress are going to say, the whole program suffers from the same defect. >> so, democrats and progressives, how much are they going to push back on this? >> well, people on the left are going to be unhappy. again, forget politics for a

minute. this country has a crisis in long-term care. >> sandwich generation. >> that's it. there has to be a way to pay for it but it's going to be difficult. the administration has made their decision. the law had a provision in it that said that secretary of health and human services had to certify that this thing was sustainable fiscally sound for 75 years. kathleen sebelius said she could not do that. they tried hard. they'll let this subprogram go but they are going to continue to defend the overall law as good for the country. again, it emboldens republicans more than rallies democrats, i think. >> do you think there's any thought in the white house, a thought of regret they push so hard for health care first before securing jobs for americans? >> i don't think on the part of the president there is because he knows if you look historically, a president, even a to-term president, can't do anything as large as this law, this health care law, except in their first year plus in office. if he hadn't done it then, he never would have done it? >> really? you don't think had he been able to do jobs and secure that, that

would give him a political platform in which to launch anything. >> not based on history. that doesn't mean it wasn't a mistake. the president might have had to make the choice -- look, jobs is such a big crisis i have to risk not getting this big promise, this big share of stream of the democratic party to are universal health care. some advisers made that case to him but he thought it was important to do health care. remember, the job situation didn't -- we didn't -- he didn't know at the time the job situation would be as bleak for his term as it's turned out to be. he thought in addition that health care would help with jobs, that if you had health care reform, businesses would feel confident that they could go forward without being bankrupt by the growing cost of health care. >> although the recession officially began back in 2007. anyway, sit right there. we'll have you back in a few minutes. you can watch the rest of news and we're coming with that. mark is going to talk about silent majority, "time's" cover story. rick perry announced his jobs and energy plan on friday but he is hearing some cries of plagiarism from other candidates

right now. the texas governor wants to cut back on environmental regulations and push for increased oil and gas exploration. >> we must get america working again. and a big part of the solution is right under our feet and right off our coasts. the president has all the authority he needs to roll back those intrusive regulations to create energy jobs and to make our nation more secure. >> well, his speech did not sit so well with michele bachmann but she didn't have any problem with the proposals themselves. she said her plan is full of the same ideas she's been talking about since june. >> i talked about my real jobs right now, economic recovery plan. it's a tax plan. it's a regulatory plan. it an energy plan. and i also want to thank governor perry for endorsing my energy plan that he's coming out with today as well. >> newt gingrich's camp told

politico, imitation is the finest form of flattery. herman cain has been trying to stay on message with three simple words, 9-9-9. past controversies are still dog him. he says african-americans have been brain-washed in voting for democrats. >> the good news is a lot of black americans are thinking for themselves. but there are some that are brain washed because they don't want to listen to an alternative idea from me or anybody else. that was the mistake i made. i never said all black americans are brain washed. i said some of them are and they are. >> we're going to have a lot more on the gop horse race in a few minutes for you. now to the occupy wall street movement. today marks a critical moment as efforts to highlight differences between have and have nots reach around the globe. it's turned into an international day of action. one of global protests reaching 951 cities, 82 countries, with rome, sydney and tokyo among the loektsdz. and then in london, here's some

live pictures right now. the crowds are growing at a demonstration outside the london stock exchange. about 4,000 were expected to show but reports suggest there are even more than that. we also have reports just a short while ago of arrests there already. a protesters lying down in front of a police van as we give you a look at rome right there and the coliseum. at the half hour we'll take you back to the streets of london right in the middle of those crowds. back here in new york on the streets where the movement began, no let-up at all in the crowds. >> on the sidewalk! go! >> 14 demonstrators have been arrested as they celebrated the cleaning of zuccotti park has been canceled. they have vowing to stay through all threats. >> we are a force to be reckoned with and we need to be treated seriously and engaged with negotiation not just threatened. elsewhere, police are clearing out protest out of public and outdoor spaces. it's not going smoothly. in san diego police and demonstrators clashed after authorities tore down six tents

at civic center plaza. denver, they arrested 23 as they started clearing up a tent city near the capital. caught on tape. a disturbing scene inside a new york city mcdonald's restaurant early thursday morning. two women brutally beat within a metal rod in a confrontation between a customer and a cashier. i want to warn you, this shows graphic violence. it is not easy to watch. here it is. it shows the mcdonald's cashier hitting two angry female customers several times after they jumped the counter and then threatened him. both were hospitalized. the father of one says her injuries are very serious. >> she's had some severe injuries. her right arm was broke. the left side of her head was caved in pretty good. >> mcdonald's cashier faces charges including assault and criminal possession of a weapon. looks like a crowbar. the top prosecutor in orange county, california, is vowing to

seek the death penalty for the lone suspect in this week's shooting rampage at a shooting salon. they say scott dekraii was looking for revenge. his ex-wife was one of eight people killed. hundreds of people gathered in seal beach last night for a prayer service to remember the victims. meanwhile, police released a 911 call made right after the shootings took place. >> shootings over here in seal beach. >> okay. where? >> the salon, meritage on pch and fifth street. we need an plans. >> who's shot? >> some people in the salon here. >> well, the gunman's charged with eight counts of first-degree murder and one felony count of attempted murder. is he scheduled to be arraigned on november 29th. a bus driver in portland, oregon, is not behind the wheel today. she's suspended after forcing a young mother and her crying baby to get off the bus. it shows the driver confronting the baby. the driver forces her to leave. the other passengers exit the

bus in protest. that bus company has since apologized and offered the woman a one-day bus pass for her trouble but she says she wants an apology from the driver. >> right now a life or death rescue mission is under way for an american scientist stuck in the south pole. in a few hours a cargo plane will pick up renee nicole dusur who suffered a stroke in august. she's been stranded there because of bad weather conditions. >> we haven't seen any other human beings here for the last eight months. i'm hanging in there. i still have my vision impartment and speed impediment for the last seven week, which has been seven weeks. >> after sufficienting that stroke she suffered lost half her vision and jumbles words but she can now read if she concentrates on a few word at a time. back to politics. new word from president obama this morning eke speak being job creation from a general motors plant in detroit.

the president praised congress for passing new trade agreements this week but says there needs to be action on jobs. >> it was so disappointing to see senate republicans obstruct the american jobs act. even though majority of senators voted yes to advance this jobs bill. the majority of the american people support the proposals in this jobs bill. and they want action from their elected leaders to create jobs and restore some security for the middle class right now. >> joining me now, nbc white house correspondent mike v. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. >> let's talk about it. it's all about jobs. >> oh, yeah. presidential race, in case anybody needed to be reminded, is full steam ahead. there's a new front-runner, of course, according to our nbc news/wall street journal poll. his name is herman cain. he's undergoing new scrutiny about his keystone economic plan. meanwhile, the old front-runner, one of the old front-runners,

rick perry is trying to get back on offense. pummeled in the polls and fading face, rick perry unveiled part of his new jobs plan at a pennsylvania steel plant. >> creating jobs in america is as simple as changing presidents. >> reporter: he claims the plan would create 1.2 million jobs by promoting more domestic drilling for oil and gas. >> make what americans buy. buy what americans make. and sell it to the world. >> reporter: the roll-out for the speech was carefully planned. starting with the upbeat appearances on morning news. it was a marked contrast with the day before when anita perry, the candidate's wife, revealed a glimpse of the campaign's emotional toll. >> we've been brutalized by our opponents and our own party. >> reporter: by yesterday, mrs. perry was back on message. >> i'm just sympathizing. my son had to resign his job because of the federal regulations. washington has put on us.

>> reporter: now the man who has passed perry and everyone else, herman cain is facing scrutiny as the new front-runner. >> 9-9-9. >> reporter: critics charge one of those nines, a national sales tax, would hit lower income people the hardest. cain is sticking by the plan. >> it is transparent. it is efficient. it is fair. >> reporter: now in full campaign mode, president obama made his ninth trip to the politically crucial state of michigan. touring a gm plant, touting the auto bailout he pushed for and won. even with cain's rise, many still see mitt romney as the biggest threat to a second obama term. it's an yd romney has in a new ad. what the gop field still unsettled, experts say romney has yet to win over conservatives. >> on one hand he's the steady eddy in the race, one candidate goes up, another goes down and romney stays the same place.

>> reporter: alex, today is a big day. october 15th, a day all the candidates are required to report their third quarter intake in expenses. we already know that rick perry lead the republican field in the third quarter. june to october. 17 million he's reporting he's taken in. mitt romney, somewhat behind a little bit, 14 million. herman cain way behind at 3 million. president obama with the democratic field all to himself is blowing them all away, $70 million raised in those past three months. that's for both the dnc. his own campaign took in $43 million. michele bachmann, she's tweeting this morning she'll make an announcement that's, quote, sure to fire up this race. maybe about fund-raising. alex? >> we'll stay tuned for that. thank you very much, mike. the new silent majority and who they are inclined to support in 2012? we'll talk about that as well as herman cain and his comments on race. he's yet again clarifying his brain washed comment. does going there one more time do more harm than good? plus, office politics.

i'll ask ed schultz about the president's idea to tax the rich. [ female announcer ] when kate collects her pink yoplait lids she's supporting breast cancer programs for her neighbour's tennis instructor's daughter's 1st grade teacher who's also her mom. help fund breast cancer programs in your community. redeem your lids today

[ female announcer ] starbucks via® is planted the same... ♪ ...harvested the same... ♪ ...and roasted the same as our other premium coffees. ♪ it only makes sense it would taste the same. so, try it for yourself. buy a pack of 100% natural starbucks via® ready brew. we promise you'll love it or we'll send you a bag of starbucks coffee. it's the starbucks via® taste promise. look for it at starbucks stores and where you buy groceries. it's the starbucks via® taste promise. it's the starbucks via® taste promise. ♪ we're centurylink... a new kind of broadband company committed to improving lives with honest, personal service, 5-year price lock guarantees and consistently fast speeds. ♪

a new article in "time" magazine talks about a cry for civility in american politics. a call that comes from across this nation but from the least vocal members. in 1969 president richard nixon appealed to a voiceless group of citizens at that time. >> so tonight to you, the great silent majority of my fellow americans, i have ask for your support. the more support i can have from the american people, the sooner that pledge can be redeemed.

for the more divided we are at home, the less likely the enemy is to negotiate. let us be united for peace. >> this week's cover of "time" magazine is the return of the silent majority. joining me now, mark halperin, editor-at-large for "time" and msnbc contributor. nixon silent majority, were a people not on the streets loudly protesting vietnam. who does "time" identify as the silent majority now? >> people all over this country in a very volatile time, people who believe things aren't working right. some of them are visible in the tea party movement and in occupy wall street. a lot of them only engage in politics sporadically but believe things are off track. >> do you get a sense of whom they're likely to support next year? >> they're on both sides perform look at occupy wall street. if you can distill down the biggest complaint, the rich, the

financial country are too powerful and rigged the system. people are the far right share that view. look at the tea party movement. their view is -- their central issue is government's too big, out of control. there are people on the left who are worried about the deficits and what will do to future generations. >> this week's nbc news/wall street journal poll shows 48% of americans think jobs is the biggest problem right now. senate rejected the bill. where do we go from here? >> people on the left and the president feel very strongly, jobs is a issue and they have a plan about what to do. people on the right and congress, also feel jobs are a big issue but they have a different plan. they both feel the issue is important, you feel has led to gridlock rather than an urgency to compromise. that's why people on the left and right pro are protesting say washington is not working. >> since people on both sides are saying it's not working and necessarily compromise, is this a political calculation now by

the president to let this be and paint the gop as obstructionists? >> unfortunately, a lot of people, a lot of the political players, have decide the problems of the country, the challenges we face right now, especially jobs, the solution's going to have to wait until 20 13 after the election. i think that's too far to wait. but every day closer to the election, unfortunately, compromise becomes harder and the contrast and the efforts to say, here's what's wrong with the other side become much more important. it's going to be up to the president and the congressional leaders in the next few months, i think, to say, you know what, we'll have to take a risk in terms of our political future to try to solve the problem. i'd like to be optimistic about it but i'm not. >> but the president himself said, look, when he was speaking last month, he said, we have 14 months to goal until this next election but those that are jobless and out of work don't have 14 months to get this done. does the president have these next 14 months to -- to let the jobs program and development languish? will he be out of a job then? >> he might. that's the biggest threat to his

presidency. he wants to get something done now, no doubt about it. people who say he would prefer to play for the election are clearly wrong. the problem is, getting something done in washington is tough. i'd urge people to look at the states. governors in places like ohio and florida and new york and california, they're not succeeding in every way. they're still not as popular as they'd like to be but they're closer to the ground. every american lives in a state with a governor. that's where the possibility exists to do something in the short term. in washington, in the short term, unfortunately, it looks like it's going to be more posturing and gridlock. >> thanks for getting up early. >> thanks. our one-minute playback is next with a funny take on the music from last republican debate and later part of my conversation with msnbc's own ed shults on why it's hard to raise taxes on the wealthy. [ engine revving ]

[ spectator ] gun it, bro! what's this guy doing? dude. [ laughs ] whoa! whoo! no way! go, go, go, go! are you kidding? [ cheering ] oh, my god. did you guys see that? maniac. [ male announcer ] the midsize nissan frontier with full size horsepower and torque. innovation for doers. innovation for all. ♪ whose non-stop day starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪ way to go, coach. ♪ ♪ ♪ when the things that you need ♪ ♪ come at just the right speed, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ medicine that can't wait legal briefs there by eight, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪

♪ freight for you, box for me box that keeps you healthy, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ saving time, cutting stress, when you use ups ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ at red lobster. there's so many choices. the guests love it. [ male announcer ] it's endless shrimp today at red lobster. as much as you like any way you like, like new sweet and spicy shrimp, all for $15.99. my name is angela trapp, and i sea food differently.

in our one-minute playback, a little fun with the last republican debate. compliments the tonight show with jay leno. check it out. >> have you noticed during these debates, the more boring the candidates are, the more dramatic and exciting the music is? here's the music. this is the actual music from last night's debate. listen to it. ♪ now, see for that kind of music, this is what the candidates should look like. ♪ ♪ >>. >> oh, thank you, jay.

and we couldn't stop with that clip, even though this one's going to put us over the one-minute mark, but you have to see this next one. >> it's time for what we call, we are so screwed, featuring this year's noble prize winners in economics. here they are. >> they just won the noble prize for economics and they are with us this morning. what is something that could be done to give this economy a boost? >> so, that's -- that's a very difficult question to answer. follow the wings. ♪

we're centurylink ... we're committed to improving lives and linking americans to what matters most with honest, personal service... 5-year price-lock guarantees... consistently fast speeds ... and more ways to customize your technology. ♪ who emailed it to emily, who sent it to cindy, who wondered why her soup wasn't quite the same. the recipe's not the recipe... ohhh. [ female announcer ] ...without swanson. the broth cooks trust most when making soup. mmmm! [ female announcer ] the secret is swanson.

welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." at the half hour, dramatic scenes around the globe. right now large crowds are gathered and they're growing as they march on the london stock exchange. it's part of the occupy wall street movement. today alone an unbelievable 951

cities around 82 countries will be participating in the occupy rallies against corporate greed. take a look again. we have fresh pictures coming out of rome. that is where smoke has been seen near the massive occupy protests going on there. we'll be following that. the occupy movement began with just a handful of people here in new york. nearly a month ago. kierra simons is live for us in london. good morning, set the seen for us. is it anything like have been reported the past few days, violent run-ins with police? >> reporter: good morning. it is beginning to appear that way. in the last few minutes, julian assange from wikileaks has just arrived here to huge cheers from the crowds and has walked up to the center of where the crowd is sitting down and is now speaking to them. mostly it's peaceful in front of the cathedral here but there have been skirmishes with

police, in particular early on when the crowd attempted to push their way into a square in front of the london stock exchange. that is a private square. it was blocked off by the police. they weren't able to get into that area. but there has -- i did see one arrest of a young man who appeared to be trying to lie down in front of a police van. now the police have got this area core doned off. if you like, core doning these protesters into this area. to be honest, they appear to be happy to stay here. >> keir, can you say this is definitively as a direct result of what began here in new york city about a month ago, the occupy wall street protests? >> reporter: oh, no question. clearly we've seen many protests here in london, the uk, particularly student protests earlier in the year where there were violent scenes with police. there's no doubt this has been organized as a result of the occupy wall street protests and the protests around the united

states. a sense of trying to bring together protests all around the world. for example, there are protesters in rome, outside the coliseum. there have been reports of windows smashed there and cars attacked. as many as 100,000 protesters have gathered there. here i think the numbers are smaller. possibly several thousand. but no question it is a result of the protests that have begun in the united states. of course, through social media, these protesters are going to stay in contact with with those around the world, including the united states, giving it that global feel. >> okay, kechltthank you very m new twists today in the alleged plot by iran for a bomb attack inside the united states. the suspect is accused of plotting to kill the saudi arabian ambassador to the u.s. in a restaurant in washington, d.c., which he reportedly had -- pardon me, which had links to iran's revolutionary guard. joining me from washington is

the author of "triple agent," the national security reporter for "the washington post." joby, good morning to you. >> happy saturday, alex. >> well, there aren't any doubts about iran's involvement, are there? >> somebody in the iranian government knew about that, no serious doubt because you have not just one but two members of this elite military unit, quds force, known to be involved in this plot. the belief is that they couldn't have pulled off something like this, brought in the kinds of money without higher-up approval. whether it went up to the supreme leader, ait's not clear >> is there a way to gauge how many more iranian-based, iran n iranian-driven plots there may be? >> it's not completely reassuring. we were told there were other plans for these people. they planned to attack embassies not just here in the united

states but buenos airies. this is what the quks force specializes in. they were certainly thinking about more attacks here in this country. >> so, sleeper agents, iranian sleeper agents. how many may be here in the u.s.? >> well, the good news is, you know, they bungled this up badly. that's somewhat comforting because they clearly don't have a good net wok here yet. they had to reach out to a used car salesman. they reached out to, you know, mexican drug cartel members. so, they clearly don't have much of a base of operations otherwise they wouldn't have stooped to that level but who knows what they have down the pipe. >> what about the sanctions, the new questions out there about how hard the white house is pushing for more action. what's the issue there? >> white house is under real pressure. congress is calling this an act of war. the white house has already announced new sanctions against some individuals involved in this plot. they want to do more. they see this as a gavelizing moment because it shows to allies, perhaps russian and chinese and others skeptical they have bad intent. we need to get together and do

something but how much more they can do in sanctions is not particularly clear. >> you and i spent time in the past talking about iran's capacity to build a nuclear bomb. where does that stand today? >> well, there's an interesting connection here because the same quds force we see pulling off things like this are heavily involved in the nuclear program. they're procuring material, recruiting scientists and getting know-how. i think it's a moment to stop -- you know, step back and think that the same minds that are involved in, you know, plotting assassinations are also pushing this nuclear program along, telling the world it's for peaceful purposes but doing very sneaky things to keep this going and giving it success. it's definitely something to think about and somewhat scary thought. >> well, if they acquire the ability to have a nuclear bomb, what does that do to their ability to launch terror attacks around the world? >> yeah. at the very least it gives them the ability to blackmail other countries. they may not be as poolish as to use a nuclear bomb because there's retaliation that would take place. a nuclear armed iran has all

kinds of influence and power it doesn't have today and it can push itself around in the middle east and get what it wants. >> joby warrick, a pleasure, thank you. to politics now. a gop contender in the red, jon huntsman campaign is $in dent despite the fact he contributed $2.2 million of his own money to support his white house bid. they have $327,000 on hand. texas is home to the highest percentage of adults without health insurance in the nation. the new numbers come the same week mitt romney slammed rick perry over his state's health insurance record in the latest gop debate. 26.3 texans under the age of 65 lack health insurance according to the survey. this sounds like a hollywood plot line. vice president clinic eastwood roaming the hauls of the white house? turns out the actor was seriously considered to be george h.w. bush's running mate back in 1988.

the revelations comes from record lgz of james baker. eastwood was surprised to hear he was in the running. >> i didn't know anything about it. though they missed a great opportunity. when i was mayor of carmel, several people, bob dole and people like that, a lot of other politicians from both parties, came by and thought i was going to get involved. but i just said, this is all i'm interested, my own community here. >> he served one term as mayor of carmel, california, from 1986 to 1988. this week in "office politics" i spoke with ed schultz, host of msnbc's "the ed show." while majority of americans support raising attacks on the wealthy i asked ed why it's been tough for the president to rally support for that in congress. >> this is the legislative body of the united states of america not listening to the wishes of the american people. you could put any president in

there. president obama is the political target to defeat, but it's the legislative body that is saying absolutely no to the american people. >> if what you're saying is true, do you expect there to be a tremendous house cleaning next year? >> there could be. there could be. there could be a tremendous house cleaning on both sides. we didn't -- i think the american people, and i've been on the road. i've been to portland, i've been to minneapolis, madison, chicago, toledo, columbus, the frustration is, is that these folks have got it pretty good. these lawmakers. they're upwards in the neighborhood of 200 grand a year, health care, unbelievable pension. they're not taking any cuts. it's the have and the have nots. it's the have, have mores and have nots. >> i keep getting back to the jobs bill. that's what it's all about in this country. the president has an approval rating of just 44%. it seems to be it's all because

of the jobs numbers. what should the president have done and at what time should he have done it? >> that's a great question because i know there were some in the senate, when president obama was dealing with the stimulus package, that went into him and said, don't do health care. do jobs. and you got the stimulus package. now work it. >> what happened? why didn't he follow that? >> well, i think there was a real laundry list of things that president obama in his administration wanted to accomplish. and they did accomplish some things. they did some gutsy things. they wrote a check to the automobile industry because they thought it was going to save jobs, and it did. >> it did. . that worked. >> not one republican was in favor of it. it was not a bailout. it was a loan. the loan's being paid back. the ripple effect of saving jobs was terrific.

there's a lot of good things there, but when you don't have money coming in the front door and not a whole lot of food on the table, you don't pay attention to anything else. >> the president has some work to do in some key bellwether states, ohio, pennsylvania, florida, iowa, wisconsin. if you are a presidential adviser and it may be different pertaining to each state what you would advise, what do you tell the president? >> you get down in that fight and you go for it. you go to madison, you go to columbus, the first thing the president should do right now is make sure that senate bill 5 in ohio is repealed. because this is about saving jobs just as much as it is the jobs bill. to go in there and fight for workers' rights. there's no -- there's no downside to fighting for the people. there's no downside. >> i imagine some of the way you get around to these rather remote places that you like to get out into nature and get away from it all, you fly, yeah? >> i do.

my dad was an aeronautical engineer so we always grew up with maybe a cessna 172 in the family. it was always something i was around. so, i got my pilot's license in 1988 and have been flying off and on ever since. i think having a diversified approach to life and having some hobbies and having things outside of work or having things that you're passionate about give you an opportunity to work harder and longer on what's really important. you know, everybody's got a success story on how they made it. you know, this formula's worked for me. i was the same -- had the same philosophy when i was working in fargo as i do right now. you know, i know where the fun meter is. i can hit that. >> yeah. >> there we go. coming up at 11:30 i'll speak with ed about what he believes is a conversation of the c righ

he on msnbc. there's a cat in australia being called a hero. bruno the cat imagined to waking his sleeping owner when a fire broke out in his apartment. that fast thinking feline meowed and crawled over his owner's hurt. they both got out unhurt. you're watching "weekends with alex witt." [ female announcer ] starbucks via® is planted the same... ♪ ...harvested the same... ♪ ...and roasted the same as our other premium coffees. ♪ it only makes sense it would taste the same. so, try it for yourself. buy a pack of 100% natural starbucks via® ready brew. we promise you'll love it or we'll send you a bag of starbucks coffee. it's the starbucks via® taste promise. look for it at starbucks stores and where you buy groceries.

that will change your life... for the first time ever... a toothpaste. crest 3d white. if beauty editors notice, who else will? crest 3d white toothpaste. life opens up when you do.

[ reporter ] ...passengers, emergency crews are prepared. they're in place. all we can do now is watch. wait. wait a minute. there's a truck. tough to tell from here, but whoever is driving that truck is right below the plane now. this is -- this is just unbelievable! the broken landing gear landed into the bed... [ male announcer ] the midsized nissan frontier with full-size payload and towing. innovation for doers. innovation for all. ♪ if something is simply the color of gold, innovation for doers. innovation for all. is it really worth more? we don't think so. chase sapphire preferred is a card of a different color. that's because you always get two times the points on travel, from taxis to trains, airfare to hotels, and all kinds of dining... from fast food to fine dining. and that's not all you get.

there are expert advisors who answer immediately, whenever you call. and absolutely no foreign transaction fees. does your card do all that? apply today and earn 50,000 ultimate rewards bonus points when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. that's $625 toward your next trip when you redeem through ultimate rewards. so, why settle for gold when you can have so much more? chase sapphire preferred. a card of a different color. apply now at chasesapphire.com/preferred. a surprise spike in retail sales and soaring google profits are leading the stock market. retail sales jumped 1.1% last month, in fact, the biggest gain in seven months and double what economists projected. google's quarterly income rose 26% pulling the dow up at 126 points. economists say those numbers make another recession look

doubtful. cross your fingers, that's good news. long before housewives became desperate, linda evans won over america's heart on the show "dynasty." the rivalry drove the 1980's prime time soap. but she left the show and stepped out of the spotlight. we're happy she's back now with a new book "recipes for life: my memories" and we have the pleasure of having her in studio. good morning. >> good morning. >> i want to know what led to you write this book. i've leafed through and it's wonderful. >> thank you. i was 65 and trying to figure out what i was going to do with myself the rest of my life. i thought, we're not through yet. >> hardly. >> they asked me to write my memoirs and i wanted to write a cookbook during "dynasty" and i didn't have time and i gave the money back and said, that's a dream, i'll put it on the back burner. a friend said, what if you mix

them together? i thought, can i? can i do that? i wanted to do it with all the photos that i had, so i woef my life, my love of food, my passion for cooking and all the things of my life, the highs, lows, ups, downs, and put it in there. >> that's what makes it such a novel concept. i think what will be a best seller. it's so great. i love the recipes. i'm going to ask you one in particular, crab dip from legend john wayne. >> my first recipe was from john wayne, who was so exciting. so exciting. i only learned to cook when i was in my early 20s. it was not something that i grew up with. so, when i first found out that you could feed somebody and the look on their face and the -- >> rapture. >> -- the response they had, i thought, i want more of that. i would look for the best recipes and give them to people and see if i could get that response. >> clearly, you're doing well with this book. you are weaving these memories, but to what point does food jog your memory, good memories about your life? >> i think if we look back, and

it's so interesting, some of our finest moments are with other people and food. i don't know what it is. maybe because that's where we gather and we intimately talk or we share or we laugh. we can't hardly think of moments that are brilliant and fun without including others and food in it. >> are there any recipes this this book you associate with love? because when we think about you, we also have to think about your very glamorous romances that you had with high-profile, successful men, john derek yawney, to name a couple. are there some recipes you think, ah, this emits love? >> every one of them emits love because to me food is love. when i put that together, then i was on my way with cooking. cooking, there's nothing -- when i'm, like, stressed, i read cookbooks, because i know i'm going to find something that i'm going to give to somebody and it's going to make me feel good. >> and you talk about having distanced yourself from hollywood after "dynasty," you did other work, certainly, but you find yourself in a very

happy place now that's also spiritual. i was surprised to read you're a very spiritual person. did being in hollywood ever make you waiver off that path? >> no. because it's something that's inside of you. no, because it's that is inside of you and you take it wherever you go and i had a chance after "dynasty," that i didn't have to worry about working and i loved it all my life. >> is there one particular recipe as we thank you for being here that you love the most? >> my artichoke dip. everyone always asks me for it. without a doubt, everyone loves the artichoke dip. >> okay. "linda evans recipe's for life." thank you. herman cain is on the heat for controversial comments.

this is "weekends with alex witt." you name it. i've tried it. but nothing's helped me beat my back pain. then i tried this. it's salonpas. this is the relief i've been looking for. salonpas has 2 powerful pain fighting ingredients that work for up to 12 hours. and my pharmacist told me it's the only otc pain patch approved for sale using the same rigorous clinical testing that's required for prescription pain medications. proven. powerful. safe. salonpas. [ woman announcing ]bsite there's an easier way. create your own small-business site... with intuit websites. choose a style, customize, publish and get found... from just $7.99 a month. get a 30-day free trial... at intuit.com. insurance companies you're just a policy. at aviva, we're bringing humanity back to insurance

and putting people before policies. aviva life insurance and annuities. we are building insurance around you.

to politics now, a controversial statement this week about african-american voters. he's not backing off bp comments that some voters are brainwashed. >> a lot of black americans are thinking for themselves but there are some that really brainwashed because they won't listen to any statements from me or anyone else. that's what i said. i didn't say all african-americans are brainwashed. i said some are. and they are. >> joy-ann is joining me and michael steele, former chairman of the republican national

committee. we go first with you, joy-ann. >> he lives in this alternate universe because the crowd that herman cain appeals to, they want to see america through that rose-colored lens. he says, don't worry, there's no racism. it's sort of unfortunate. for a man of his age that lived through segregation, it's kind of embarrassing. i don't know if he really believes that or that's the role that he has to play. >> michael, what do you think about what joy has to say there? >> i agree with joy. you've got to keep it real, too. and the reality is that an african-american that goes to apply for a job, the first thing they notice about him is that he's black. whatever feelings he harbors towards african-americans, comes

out at that moment. they have that feeling. that's part of the reality that we live with in the post civil rights era of the 21st century. and i also think what herman cain is trying to do is to elevate it on a place at the political playing field to try to make that race not part of the story as much as some would like it to be, set up the straw dog between a black obama and a black herman cain and try to play out that scenario. but i think you have to be careful in how you do that. because it's just not reality. >> i want to ask you, joy-ann, what he said when appearing on a conservative talk show talking about the president and his experience. you know where we're going. let's play it. >> he's never been part of the black experience in america. i can talk about that. i can talk about what it was

like to be poor before i was poor. he can't. >> why go there? >> for herman cain to try to dick ate who is black and who is not and then to say that african-americans reject him because he's conservative, it's really offensive, frankly, to say that his black experience is more authentic than barack obama. this is a guy who glosses over having to use the only black water fountain and who breezes over having to go to the back of the bus. but then for him to say that barack obama is less black than he is is offensive. >> you tell me why any black american should vote for him. >> the underlying thesis is

true. for many years african-americans, conservatives have had to live in the world that we were not black enough because we were conservative. that we weren't connected to blacks yet my mother made minimum wage and put me through college. >> but why would he do the same thing to barack obama? >> i would agree with that. but you cannot say that there is no correlate tif experience in terms of what he's had to deal with from the left who looks through the conservative lens and come to a different judgment. >> what does he need to do, then, if he needs to get out, he's not getting out in a way that people need to hear it. what should he do? >> that i agree with.

i said this earlier this week. i'll reiterate it. get off the bus of the book tour. get into a situation in which you're actually campaigning for this office. and make people appreciate and understand where you are on the issues. you don't need to go down this road and play this card the way it's being played right flnow because the message is muddled. after he used the world "brainwash," was actually the point in fact. that one word distorted the ultimate meaning of what he was trying to say. >> i'd love to have brad put up the shop because did you coordinate? >> no coordination. >> we're working it. we're working it. >> michael steele and joy-ann reed, thank you. herman cain's 9-9-9 plan, does it really add up? and are consumers saving americans from