who are you talking to? find your closest wal-mart at footmap.net. liberation day as libya's new leaders get ready to start the transition to democracy. new information ee nerjs about moammar gadhafi's death. more clues after getting 600 tips, investigators try another tactic in the search for a missing missouri baby. are they losing hope of finding baby lisa alive? >> pivot point for the republican field. who won the hearts at the iowa faith and freedom. >> welcome to "weekends with alex witt." history is being made on liberation sunday in libya. the new leaders are declaring freedom after the death of moammar gadhafi. people have been lining up in misrata to view the body of the long time dictator, many to convince themselves that he's gone. some tried to express words what

freedom feels like. >> this what -- maybe i'm wrong to see gadhafi is dead. that's my dream. >> victory for libyan people. so we're so happy here. >> now that gadhafi is gone, the national transitional council will draft a new constitution and getting ready for elections. we have developing disaster news to share with you out of eastern turkey. rescuers are scrambling to pull people out of several deadly building collapses caused by a powerful earthquake. the details from nbc's anna bell roberts following this from london. anna belle, where did this happen and how much damage is there? >> reporter: alex, it happened in the far eastern province in turkey up by the iranian border. the magnitude of the quake, the preliminary estimate is 7.2. now, that is pretty high. but, of course, as you know, what really matters is how densely populated the area is and how robust the construction is.

how quickly the buildings collapse or if they can resist. as you can see from the pictures, it seems like this quake has caused quite a lot of damage. as you said, preliminary reports suggested about 45 buildings have collapsed in this city alone. local people have been trying to reach those trapped in some areas, they've been digging with their bare hands to try and reach any people underneath of the rubble. so, clearly, there's not much equipment on the scene yet to help with the search. the mayor of one town is quoted as saying, this is moving, there are so many dead, there is so much destruction. phone lines are jammed and lines of communications are damaged so it is hard to get accurate information at this early stage. but it seems pretty clear that the district is not a wealthy one. one officials says they're waiting for emergency help and it really is very urgent. it seems that there are obviously hospitals but limited number of ambulances. officials are calling for tents and rescue teams. maybe there will be an international response being mounted soon.

of course, it's too soon to give any estimate of the number of people killed. but certainly, quite a significant number have lost their lives in a disaster like this. turkey is extremely vulnerable to earthquakes but there are major fault lines crisscrossing the country. it was in 1999 that two big earthquakes struck the country, not far from istanbul killing almost 20,000 people. since then, the country has beefed up emergency response so that it can cope in situations like this. but given the position, the graphic alo indication of the ep si center, it will be hard to mobilize the resources needed to mount a very effective rescue mission any time soon. >> yeah. anna belle, this is heartbreaking to look at the pictures. it happened about 3.5 hours ago. local time there it was 1:41 p.m. as we looked at that map and you say it's not far from the iranian border.

but is this a mountainous region? do you know anything about the topography and the geography that will make it so difficult to get help? >> reporter: yes, it is a mountainous area and there are reports that in the settlements, 100 kilometers or so from the epicenter, there wasn't much sense of too much damage caused by the earthquake. so it seems to have perhaps been fairly concentrated. but also, what also matters, of course, is how deep in the ground they are. it seems it was shallowed, which would again suggest that the facts could be bad. there is also, as we know, the risk of after-quakes as you call them that strike in the aftermath of a major earthquakes of the aftershocks. the locals and the rescue resources are looking out for any sign of those. that's, of course, why people desperately run to the streets because they're concerned that the building will have been weakened by the initial tremor.

they don't want it to come down on their heads in a second tremor. >> when you have earthquakes in the magnitude of 7.0 and above, you know there's significant aftershocks coming. thanks for keeping an eye from london. we now go to the contrast of libya's jubilation. there is now chilling news out of kenya where u.s. officials warn a terrorist attack may be imminent. u.s. officials in nairobi say it's credible information but not specifying what's behind it. potential targets are sites occupied by foreigners, including malls and nightclubs. this warning comes a week after kenyan troops hit militants in somalia. america's complete withdrawal from iraq comes as good news to families of those deployed. questions are being raised what it means for the long-term security for the country. the greatest fears are that tribal instability will spark a civil war. today on meet the press, secretary of state hillary clinton placed the burden of the blame for the worries on the

bush administration. >> is there not a legitimate prospect of civil war which many people fear? >> well, honestly, i think that they should have raised those issues when president bush agreed to the agreement to withdraw troops by the end of this year. now, are the iraqis all going to get along with each other for the foreseeable future? let's find out. we know there will be continuing stresses and threats as we see in many of the countries that we work. >> we can see more of that interview when it airs again at 2 p.m. eastern on ms. nbc. let's go to 2012 politics. big news out of nevada. a new primary and caucus schedule is taking place with nevada bowing to pressure from the rnc and moving its caucus to february 4th. which means new hampshire will not need to bump their primary to december and will likely go on january 10th. meantime, republican candidates making pitch to iowa conservatives. all of the leading contenders,

except romney and hupts man spoke at the faith and freedom banquet. more on that later this hour. a busy day on the trail. aside from the usual jabs, one candidate had kind words for competitors. >> i believe every single person on the stage in that last debate would do a better job than president obama. if rec perry were the nominee, i would vote for him. i feel he's qualified as i do the other people on the stage. >> rick perry was dressed to go pheasant hunting in iowa but also fired a shot at mitt romney over reports he employed illegal immigrant. >> i just think that for governor romney to be making strong statements about immigration when it's been his actions that have caused part of this problem. >> and another political news, louisiana governor bobby jindal easily won reelection to his second term last night. he took 66% of the vote. the closest contender trailing finished with 18%. back to rick perry.

he's scheduled to release details on his flat tax plan next tuesday. how flat will it be? we'll hear from successful businessman steve forbes who also ran for president on a flat tax plan and why he is now backing and advising perry. it's at lefb:30 eastern time. reps for country singing legend loretta lynn expect her back at the mike and singing soon. according to a statement, lynn is doing well and is disappointed but feels confident she'll be ready for upcoming november dates. she was forced to cancel a concert in ashland, kentucky. long hailed as the equivalent of johnny cash, the native of butcher hollow, kentucky, is the author of a string of country hits including coal miner's diners and don't come home drinking with loving on your mind. as she said. moving on to the weather. clear skies yesterday in boston as the famous head of the charlesry gat a gets under way. what can you expect today?

the weather channel's jeff morrow has the details. good morning, jeff >> good morning, alex. nice to see you again. as we look up and down the eastern seaboard. you're right it looks like a tranquil day. maybe a few showers in miami way. big storms last night if you happened to be watching the oklahoma and texas tech game. they had to hold that game for a while because of lightning. those storms have now moved to the southeast. watch out for those in louisiana. maybe even houston getting much-needed rain. the rest of the plains looking pretty good. the southwest, if you love warm temperatures, you still may be hoping for summer weather. head to phoenix. 97 degrees. few showers in the north. october can be a fairly quiet month. right now it is. i don't want to throw any water on this, but i think by the end of the week, alex, we may be changing our tune. might have a big storm by then. we'll talk about that coming up. >> really? oh, jeff. >> sorry. >> thank you so much, though. in libya today, the national

transitional council declares freedom from the re gem of moammar gadhafi and there is celebrating throughout the country. good morning to you in misrata. what's the latest as we approach the official declaration of liberation? >> reporter: well, that's right. the official declaration is about to take place any time soon in the next hour we expect in benghazi which is where the up rising first started. there are many celebrations, lots of people streaming into the city on the eastern coast. but here in misrata, it seems fairly quiet for the time being. of course, gadhafi's body is still here. the next step, when he will be buried still remains up in the air. the national transitional council still seems divide bd what to do with the body. we've been hearing conflicting reports today about whether it will be handed over to the tribe, his tribe from sirte for burial. we did speak to a senior member

of the transitional council this morning who says, yes, yes, it will be buried in a private ceremony in an undisclosed location. in the meantime, we spoke to some of the fighters from the unit that found gadhafi. they're having a quiet celebration here in misrata. they're basically already looking to the future. construction workers hope to find jobs to get back to their normal lives. back to you, alex. >> aid reason among on the scene. we have brand new information on missing baby lisa irwin up ahead. how the search has become more visible. get ready to pay more at a fast food giant. why one is considering raising prices. get ready to do angry bird watching next week. okay. we'll explain right here on "weekends with alex witt." [ female announcer ] removing facial hair can be irritating.

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in missouri, the search for baby lisa irwin has taken a more visible turn. the little girl was last seen in her kansas city home nearly three weeks ago. ron mott is there for us. what is the new strategy to locate the baby in. >> reporter: alex, police revealed this big development on friday about the cadaver dog strike. the police have been pretty quite the past four or five days. this is new efforts to find baby lisa are growing bigger just the same. new billboards are up in kansas city asking passing motorists if they've seen baby lisa irwin who vanished three weeks ago from the family's home. while police revealed in court papers they had received 600 tips and leads, there's no sign of the missing toddler. or is there? authorities say a trained fbi cadaver dog picked up a scent consistent with a dead human body this week on the floor of

the parents' bedroom. both deny having any involvement in her disappearance. reporting her missing on october 4th having last seen her the night before. >> human decomposition usually starts within four minutes after biological death. as far as a scent dog orca dafr dog, what they're hitting on is a scent cone. when decomposition forms, there's going to be a cone of the smell of decomposition that's formed. that's impacted on the air, weather conditions, how hot it is, if the body has been moved. but, again, it's going to be within minutes that a dog should be able to find that scent if it actually existed. >> reporter: police returned to the home on wednesday with a search warrant conducting a 17-hour probe inside and outside the house taking a number of items with them. officials say the parents have not been fully cooperative at times, something attorneys for the couple deny.

since executing the search warrant, police have been noticeably less public. on the scene at the family's home and in front of the cameras. leaving some to conclude it appears the investigation may have switched focus from a search and rescue mission to search and recovery. >> i think law enforcement was dedicating a lot of time early on for the potential of a live victim for a kidnapping, an unknown person who carried that child away. i think the longer that this has gone on, they have to consider the strong possibility that a victim is deceased. >> reporter: now, there were no developments in this case yesterday. police have made no announcement about a search for today. a spokesperson says they continue to work in all dreks. >> ron mott, many thanks for that report. a big get for mitt romney. former new hampshire governor john su knew knew is planning to a endorse him. he's the former white house chief of staff for the first president bush. meanwhile, major developments

for early state primaries in a stunning about face. nevada republicans voted to bump back the caucus date from january 14th in a move that drew cheers and thanks from party leaders, nevada will go on february 4th. new hampshire, january 10th. they threat yented to move to december if nevada moved its date. anne kornblut is joining me. we welcome you back. good to see you, ann. good morning. >> good to see you. thanks for having me. >> we had the candidates threatening to boycott nevada. does that change the state of play at all? >> well, everyone can now campaign there. i think as you know, of course, mitt romney had not agreed to join the boycott yet. i think waiting to see what would happen. obviously that point is moot. it's going to mean a lot more cross-country travel for them. but they can focus on new hampshire and iowa in terms of

the early stages. not focusing on nevada. if it had gone in january, they would have travel out there more now in addition for the debate. this is going to mean that they can continue to really focus on the first two states and it's good news for mitt romney really either way. he's popular both in new hampshire and in nevada. >> to that end, jon huntsman is taking aim and calling out romney for not -- ultimately, granite staters wouldn't have had to struggle to keep their primary tradition in tact if the romney campaign did not attempt to gain our -- to move up their primary contests. you know, might romney have been benefited from nevada going earlier in the primary season? >> almost certainly, sure. he's popular there. he would have benefited. and hunts man placed all of his bets on new hampshire, is continuing to do so and was trying to gain this fight to his

advantage. if he had been able -- if nevada had in fact gone earlier, he would have been able to argue to new hampshire, voters particular about it, romney he may come from next door, you may think he's one of you,but he was pushing for nevada. this is moot. this is not going to happen. they can all campaign there. romney, at this point anyway is poised to do fairly well there. >> let's talk about the word moot there and silence. michele bachmann's campaign was taken left with egg on their faces when staffers quit and denied the report, her spokeswoman said yesterday, we just didn't know yesterday because they never talked to us. they just went to the press. it would have been nice of them to talk to us. what is -- from your perspective that she lost her new hampshire team or the p.r. part of it, it's embarrassing that they went to the press first before going to their own campaign head. >> it's brutal. probably the substance much their departure matters as much as the story itself. in a way, their admission is

refreshing that they didn't know rather than trying to cover it up with a story. in hindsight. at the end of the day, these are all inside baseball stories every time somebody quits and previous to this her campaign manager stepped aside. her pollster reduced his work for them. each of these stories is a minor inside baseball story. but they all add up to a campaign that is struggling. >> i didn't get to play the sound bite that i wanted to with perry and romney about the arguments with iraq. bottom line, should they be focusing on jobs as opposed to arguing about iraq right now? >> it's been interesting to see republican criticism of obama who auto announced this past week he'll be leaving iraq by the end of the year. because it was george bush's administration who negotiated this timetable. we'll see more foreign policy. november 15th is the next republican debate. we'll hear about iraq and gadhafi and about pakistan from them. it will be interesting, but what's interesting is they're

focusing it on obama so far shall not on each other. >> we'll see you little later. don't go too far. thank you. >> thank you. a happy day for the daughter of john edwards an the late elizabeth edwards. kate edwards married her college sweetheart in chapel hill, south carolina on saturday. the former vice presidential candidate walking her down the aisle. kate's new husband is dr. trufr -- surgical oncology fellow at the national cancer institute. they gotten gauged two weeks before her mother died of the disease. the couple plans to make their home in washington, d.c. after their honeymoon. for fastidious n emily skinner, each day was fueled by thorough preparation for events to come. well somewhere along the way, emily went right on living. but you see, with the help of her raymond james financial advisor, she had planned for every eventuality. ...which meant she continued to have the means to live on...

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in march and another 1% in may. let's go to a rundown of firsts and sometimes worses. it's the list of number ones. we begin with the best places for doing business. the world bank scoring on a number of factors including ease of credit, taxes and regulations. where does the u.s. rank? not number one. singapore grabs the top spot. the u.s. comes in fourth with hong kong and new zealand taking the second and third spot and denmark rounding out the top five. your credit score may be more important than ever. hats off to the best city with the best. wa saw, wisconsin. experience says that the average score is 789. the worst city, el paso, texas with a 710 mark. if you think lady luck is in las vegas, forget it? the number of lotto and sweepstakes winners and hole in ones and lightning strikes. so the winner is san diego. getting an a-plus followed by malt more and phoenix.

the most unlucky city, charleston, west virginia. birds can be. now, inspired by the game. >> angry birds coming to the doorstep. the most searched for team and the halloween costumes in the u.s. others are black swan, based on the movie, playboy bunny, singer nick knick i ma naj. adele's someone like you holds on for a fourth straight week. that's your number ones. we'll play it in case you haven't heard it. i'm sure you have. ♪ nothing helped me beat arthritis pain. until i tried this. it's salonpas. pain relief that works at the site of pain...

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gadhafi today, international human rights official rs demanding an investigation into his death and how it was handled by rebel forces. after months on the run during which time he dared rebels to catch him, gunmen shot and killed the long time dictator on thursday as he tried to flee in his hometown of sirte. secretary of state clinton said they must accept responsibilities for his death and for the transition of power. >> i would strongly support both a u.n. investigation that has been called for and the investigation that the transitional national council has said they will conduct. you know, i think it's important that this new government, this effort to have a democratic libya start with the rule of law, start with accountability, stand for unity and reconciliation. make it absolutely clear that everyone who stood with the old regime, as long as they don't have blood on their hands should be safe and included in a new libya. so i view the investigation on

its own merits as important, but also as part of a process. >> again, you can see all of secretary clinton's interview when meet the press reairs at 2:00 p.m. eastern today. it is a day of celebration across libya as people mark their liberation officially. in misrata, people were partying in the streets while they get ready for a ceremony in eastern libya to declare the end of the regime of moammar gadhafi. joining me from washington is mark ginsburg, former u.n. ambassador. good morning to you, mr. ambassador. >> good morning rg alex. >> on this liberation sunday, what is ahead for libyans before they can truly form a new nation? >> the most important thing is to try to deal with the destruction ha occurred all over the country. all of the cities, alex, between tripoli to the west and benghazi to the east were destroyed during this war along mediterranean. tens of thousands of veterans have been wounded, civilians

wounded. there's a reconstruction requirement and secondly shall the transitional national council has to decide how best to avoid the type of rekrim nation and vengeance that may occur against remnants of the gadhafi regime. >> how do they do that? what kind of safeguards can they put in place? >> the most important thing is for the council to add a scr judicial process, as secretary clinton said, rather than law taken into their own hands. the other thing is that people who supported this transitional national council have to continue to support it. ee electrics will not be held for eight months. this is in a country that has never had a pta to a union or any civil institution to guide it through elections. >> okay. what kind of constitution will they have? what will it be modeled after? >> i think they're going to basically replicate what is next door in egypt.

they're going to have a national assembly and there will be an election that will form a national assembly to write a constitution that will subsequently be subjected to a referendum and then, i believe, that they intend to elect a president from that parliament or separately. they haven't decided that yet. but that's the process that they're going to begin on that will get them at least to a constitutional referendum hopefully within eight months to ten monthsment. >> how concerned are you about gadhafi loyalists who are spread across africa? first of all, do we know their numbers and how much do we worry about them trying to coalesce into some sort of unified group and make trouble snoo. >> we don't know how many escaped during the convoy trip out of southern libya. some of the remnants of the family did flee there, including his grandchildren and some of his children and their wives. so we also don't know how many

more of those dead enders may be hiding somewhere in the desert. i don't think there are that many. i think the vast majority of libyans are delighted to see the regime toppled. as you know, the top was blown off and so the question is really what is going to happen, if people believe there's not going to be an adequate system of justice, we may see the type of attacks and terrorism that may occur if people feel their lives are in danger because there's not an adequate accountability process by which to step forward and effect and admit their guilt to receive more or less a fair trial. >> marc ginsburg, good to talk to you. >> thank you, alex. it's the first election to follow that revolution. tu indonesians are voting -- then they'll right the country's constitution. is set off similar rebel yons across the middle east.

after four weeks of testimony, the prosecution is wrapping up its case in the manslaughter case of dr. conrad murray. an expert in anesthesia will be on the stand in the morning but is expected to be the last prosecution witness before the defense has its say. joining me now, karen desoto. thanks for being here. >> good morning. >> it's getting wild. we had all sorts of things flying back and forth. allegations that a key witness mumbled scum bag as his colleague was testifying. come on. >> lots of drama. >> also,s defense trying to -- let's take a listen to that. we're going to play this one. here it is. >> you thrs that everything you said in the last two days was your opinion. you do understand that, right? >> much of what i have testified is basically standards of the practice of medicine. >> opinion versus practicing

medicine, what's that all about? >> because they're going to try to say, there's some ridiculous amount of standards from -- all right. let's put it this way. culpable negligence in a manslaughter case is whether he knew or should have known that death could occur. this is a doctor. what they're doing, it's like a malpractice case where they're saying what he did was so outside the norm and the standard of care and now they're trying to discredit this doctor by saying he's not talking about regular standards of practice. this is his opinion. if it's his opinion, then it doesn't apply and the jurors are free to make their own decisions. you got to try something, alex. >> i don't think that's a good argument. >> not effective. dr. conrad murray, it's so difficult because it was so outside of the normal standard of care. you know, was it because it was michael jackson getting paid $150,000? that outside of it, all of the deviations, not monitoring, doing this in his house is something that a normal doctor,

i don't think a nurse would do that without risking somebody's life and this is what happens. they die and now you're liable. >> yeah. let's talk about lindsay lohan because we love doing that. we got to move on to her because we have a judge ordering her to work 16 hours at a morgue for violating her probation. she got cuffed to do that. she posted bail. but she shows up to the morgue late on that first day. apparently, early the next to sort of make up for that. but there are a lot of people asking, after all of this drama since 2007, come on, how many times we talking about her. why is she not in jail? >> because california has a really serious overcrowding situation there. and let's be honest, alex, the time and money having her show up somewhere is expensive. it's costly. you have to have officers overtime. you got to barricade. >> is that -- what kind of message is that sending? were she not in l.a., would she be behind bars? >> well, now i can tell you as an attorney for many years,

sometimes i've had clients who violated their probation by not going to an a.a. meeting and others who had six dirty urines not go to jail. it depends on the judge, the probation officer. every case is different. if the probation officer doesn't like you, violate once, you go to jail. others get away with it quite a bit. our system is overburdened and it depends on who has the case file. >> i'm glad we had you today. thank you very much. the grandson of oral roberts opens up about what he's doing to bridge the gap between conservative christians and the gay community. what makes scottrade your smartphone's most powerful trading app ? total access - to everything. from idea to research to trade. including financials, indicators

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all the major republican candidates besides mitt romney and jon huntsman appealed to a key voting block last night. conservative evangelicals in iowa. hot topics included blasting abortion rights and passionately defending traditional marriage. will the topic of same sex marriage and lgtb rights

polarizing campaign issue with far right christian candidates suggesting that you can pray the gay away. a new voice shares that pedigree. he is the grandson of tell evangelist oral roberts. despite growing up in the shadow of his grandfather, randy roberts isn't talking fire and brimstone. this is interesting. >> it is very interesting alex. you have to remember that oral roberts was the first and one of the biggest of the televangelists. he brought the pentecostal faith to mainstream america, started a university and lived a rich life through his relentless pleas for money. his grandson grew up with him in tulsa, oklahoma, steeped in that sheltered far right christian world. he's following a calling like his grandfather, but with an unexpected message. >> in the name of jesus, come up. >> oral roberts is one of the

first and most iconic of the televangelists. randy roberts potts grew up on the compound with his grandfather in tulsa, oklahoma. >> he was a complex person who made a lot of decisions i don't agree with. but i think who had a heart for people. >> a legacy his grandson is carrying on today. but with an unexpected twist. >> woke up one day and i felt suicidal. i had been for years wishing that i would die. i didn't want to come out and be gay. >> so randy potts spent years living the life he was expected. he was married with three children. >> i really loved my wife. we met at 18 and we were best friends and inseparable. at the time, i knew i didn't have sexual attractions for women i thought i was just a really good christian. that i didn't sexualize women. i thought, well lucky me. i don't really look at women the

way the boys do. >> he was haunted until he had a revelation while married. >> we led very similar lives. in my late 20s, i discovered that he was gay as i was discovering that i was not bi. i really was just gay. you know, so of course, then i related to him. >> his uncle's secret life and tragic death inspired randy to get divorced and live openly as a gay man not knowing what his life would be like. >> the only thing i knew about homosexuals is that they went to parks and did dirty things or something. i knew i didn't want to spend my life every might in a club getting drunk and going to parks. i thought that's not me. >> randy's decision to come out was -- >> i was not invited to sit with the family. she got up to speak about my grandfather and then saw me in the audience and she just lost it and started talking about how

there were -- homosexuals are going to hell. for about ten seconds i sat there and quaking in my boots. then this calmness passed over me. i just let it go. i thought, that's where she is. she's hurting and she's angry. i'm not. i think you can't hate someone for feeling that way at all. i love my mother and i know that she wants the best for me and doesn't want me to go to hell. >> randy's mission is to reach out to the very people who shunned him. the advantage evangelical communities. >> i don't think they hate homosexuals. they look at jesus' message as being accepting but he came down as sin. they saw it as sin. for people who are openly gay are -- i know in their heart they don't want to do that. it's a tug of war. >> miracles happen through

forgiveness. >> a battle randy has taken on. preaching acceptance. >> i am setting up meetings with ministers. they're private, they're not public. but meetings to kind of figure out, okay, you're here, i'm there. how do we find common ground. the rhetoric they're using is tearing apart families. it leads to drug and alcohol abuse and suicide. a lot of ministers are -- i may not be able to change their mind about homosexuality. maybe i can change how they address it in their church so that families aren't torn apart so often. >> he's also setting up storefronts in religiously conservative towns where he and his boyfriend will go about their daily routine on display to show how normal they are. >> in the '90s, there was a shift where gay men and women were saying they want to serve in the military, we want to get married some of us. americans really want to be tolerant and accepting. they want to embrace gay men and women but they want to embrace

people with their values that want to get married that might want to serve in the military. >> what do you think oral roberts would say about you today? >> you know, i think that had he come from a later generation, i think he would have been there for me. he was very much a pioneer on the race issue in the '70s. he made sure his choir was integrated. he may have decided to ab pioneer for gay rights if it was later. randy visited his grandfather right before his death. at that point his grandfather knew he was gay but they had an amazingly loving visit that he'll treasure. >> i'm glad for that. you're a mom too and adore your kids. i feel sorry for his mother that she's alienated him from her life. >> he's so sympathetic. he says she's steeped in the beliefs. >> my heart goes out to her what she's losing. paige, great story.

more details from the authorized biography of steve jobs. this one is about his ties to former president bill clinton. the book states that in a phone call with the former president, clinton reportedly asked jobs how to deal with the "lewinski" issue. he said i don't know if you did it, but you've got to tell the country. the biography based on more than 40 interviews with steve jobs goes on sale tomorrow. applications up. check my email and text messages. hands in position. airbags. ten of 'em. perfect. add blind spot monitor. 43 mpg, nice. dependability. yeah. activate dog. a bigger dog. [ male announcer ] introducing the reinvented 2012 toyota camry. it's ready. are you? ♪ ♪

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it was a critical night for republicans to win over conservatives in iowa. all the major candidates except romney and huntsman made a play for the veechb evangelical vote. the toughest job was herman cain trying to recover from an abortion flipflop this past week. joining me is baby cannon who helped run ronald reagan campaign and adviser -- she has yet to endorse anyone in this

way. the former chair of the dnc. welcome to both of you. >> thank you. >> good morning. i'm going to ask you something quickly first. you have yet to endorse anyone on the heels of endorsing mitt romney four years ago. why would you -- >> because i've been writing a book for the last nine months. i'm just about finished it up. there's no question, i got to be honest, mitt romney is my man. i love herman cain. i'd love to see him on the ticket with mitt. i will be with mitt romney. >> i guess you made news here. amen. thank you very much. ed, i'll get to you with this. we're going to play two clips from cain. the first from the banquet last night. listen. >> about current laws that prevent abortion, i believe that abortion should be clearly stated as illegal across the country. i would assure we didn't allow any bureaucrats to get in the way to protect the life of the unborn. >> that was last night. this is what he said the past week.

here it is. >> it's not the government's role or anybody else's role to make that decision. it ultimately gets down to a choice that family or that mother has to make. not me as president. not some politician. not a bureaucrat. >> we're looking at drastically different ends of the spectrum. ed. can he live this down? >> i don't think so. his last -- the last sound bite you played, alex is exactly what i believe in. i think i would have zero chance of becoming the republican nominee. no. i think it's a sensible -- i think it's a sensible position. i always wonder about republicans who say keep the government out of this. keep the government out of that. but in the most fundamental decision that a woman and a family have to make, they want the government to intervene. herman cain was right in the last clip, he was wrong in the first clip. >> i'm curious, why do you think he's doing this? is he not properly prepared by staffers or is he guy speaking his mind and coming from at his

core being a successful businessman not necessarily a politician? >> you know, that's why he's going to get a pass here, alex. he's been pro life. i followed herman cain for a number of years. he's been a solid pro lifer. he was basically saying with the law as it is, it's a decision that will be made by the families. he got himself in a bad position. i agree. but i think he's going to be given a pass on this simply because he's a nonpolitician. >> let's listen to rick perry hitting cain on abortion last night which i'm thinking is not a pass. here it goes. >> it is a liberal canard to say impersonatedly pro life but government should stay out of that decision. if that is your view, you are not pro life. you are pro having your cake and eating it too. >> so this all important primary season, bay, you're appealing to conservatives. >> listen, alex, perry is about

10 to 12%. he has to pull cain down. they have to throw everything at him to bring him down. what are the voters going do? i think they like this guy. enormously likeable. he's a natural. he's a nonpolitician. they like that. he's going to make mistakes. i think they'll appreciate the fact that he got fouled up, he might not be as polished as the politicians. but they like him. i don't think he's going to lose a lot of that support because of this issue. >> ed, with the candidates stepping over each other to push further to the right as i should do there, does this hurt their candidacy. does this help candidate obama? >> well, let me start off by saying i think bay is right. i think herman cain's appeal is that he's genuine and real. people like that, get more of a pass from the voters. although this is such a fundamental issue for core republican primary voters that if you play that last clip, i think it's got to hurt him to some extent. but i think basically he'll get a pass.

yes, it does hurt them to go far to the right. it is why i think governor romney has done an incredibly smart job during this campaign to avoid the most extreme positions that some are taking. he has an eye on the prize. the prize is not just the republican nomination. the prize is the white house. >> okay. guys, unfortunately, that's a wrap. promise me you'll both come back. we'd love to see you again. ed rendell and bay buchanan. flat tax, deja vu. we'll hear from steve forbes who will talk about the crop of republican candidates. plus perry's self-pro cloimd love affair. if you wonder what it's about, take a look at this outfit on weekends with al ex-witt. water will work for a few seconds take a look at this outfit on weekends with al ex-witt. affair. if you wonder what it's about, take a look at this outfit on weekends with al ex-witt. love a. if you wonder what it's about, take a look at this outfit on weekends with al ex-witt.

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remains of the dictator. it's a love affair. rick perry and guns. does he have a shot of making a campaign comeback. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." it's 11:00 on east coast. 8:00 a.m. out west. this is liberation sunday in libya. for millions of libyans, it's a day of celebration now that moammar gadhafi's brutal regime is history. adrienne monk is live in misrata. what's happening now, the official declaration and a party will be getting under way shortly. >> reporter: good morning, alex. yes. that's right. we just started hearing members of the national transitional council in libya speak. one of the themes that emerged was a sense of gratitude for libya's neighboring countries which have experienced an upheaval. starting eight months ago in libya. the celebrations are taking place in benghazi.

which is the origin of this. they want people to remember next door in tunisia, the first elections are being held today. they wanted to thank them for the inspiration of their movement. of course, some of the celebrations are being a little bit marred by concerns about gadhafi and how he died. now, his body is still here in misrata. we were originally told by a member of the ntc that he was going to be buried today. but apparently they're still allowing the public to view the body. this, of course is adding to the international concerns, particularly in the u.s. as well. secretary of state hillary clinton mentioned earlier today on "meet the press" that they backed the calls by the u.n. for an investigation. a thorough, open and transparent investigation as to just how gadhafi died. there is some news from the coroner who said that it looks like gadhafi was shot in the head. but he wouldn't disclose any further details. back to you, alex.

>> let me ask you quickly, the difficult jobs of building a government where no one but gadhafi exercised power for years. how tough a road ahead is it for them? >> reporter: they have many challenges lying ahead. the very sort of concrete steps of how you actually move forward and set up an organization, an organized government. the rebel fighters have shown that they can organize themselves,at least when it comes to the fighting field. as we can see, just getting simple information has been a little bit troubling there. now, one of the things that the ntc has said they want to focus on is security. making sure that they restore peace across the state. that means getting the weapons off the streets. we spoke from some of the fighters that captured gadhafi on thursday and they said they're happy to turn in their weapons. they want to move on and get back to normal lives. >> adrienne monk, thanks for the

report. the unwieldy specter of moammar gadhafi threatens to haunt the region even in death. as they celebrate his violent demise, many are recognizing the apparent execution and how the country will proceed without them. kristin welker has more on the diplomatic -- what's the latest, kristin? >> hi there, alec. that's right. the u.n. calling for an investigation into how gadhafi was killed. we saw a lot of those disturbing images last week of gadhafi's death. the cell phone images. the u.n. saying that they were disturbed by the images. that's why they're calling for this investigation. david gregory asked secretary of state hillary clinton about that today earlier on "meet the press." here's what she had to say. >> i would strongly support both a u.n. investigation that has been called for and the investigation that the transitional national council has said they will conduct.

you know, i think it's important that this new government, this effort to have a democratic libya start with the rule of law, start with accountability, stand for unity and reconciliation. make it absolutely clear that everyone who stood with the old regime as long as they don't have blood on their hands should be safe and included in a new libya. so i view the investigation on it own merits as important. but also as part of a process. >> reporter: secretary of state hillary clinton visited libya on tuesday, pledged the united states support for the tnc. and of course the united states has been saying all along for the past several months that they recognize the tnc as the legitimate government there in libya. what the government would like to see now with the united states -- what the united states would like to see now is a swift implementation of an interim government and then benchmarks that show that the country is moving toward a stable

democracy. the concern, of course, alex, is that this will give way to factionalism and instability. they want to see the steps start to happen quite quickly. they would like to see a democratic libya set up by 2013. >> we'll be watching that closely. thank you so much, kristen welker from the white house. developing now a powerful earthquake hit the country of turkey. the 7.2 magnitude quake struck in the eastern region of turkey. let's go live to london. anna belle roberts standing by with the latest. good morning to you. what are you hearing in terms of injuries and damage? >> reporter: gorge, alex. in terms of damage, it's hard to put a figure on that. the rescue process is just beginning. a large number of buildings have been damaged. what really matters in these situations is how robust the construction is and how heavily populated the area is. it seems that turkey has a strong history of earthquakes,

it's crisscrossed by fault lines and there are engineers in the country who are extremely good and know how to build to protect against damage by earthquakes. but, of course, it's never really certain whether their guidelines are followed. so it seems that around 45, 50 buildings have been destroyed so far in the city or in the very, very east of turkey. of course, there are people trapped, as you can see, in the pictures here. people trapped underneath the rubble and other concern, friends and relatives digging through the rubble with their bare hands to see if they can get at survivors trapped below. so it seems that there is a degree, quite a high level of damage. of course, we really have no idea about the outlying areas. it's a mountainous area, reasonably poor. as yet, there's no indication as to the scale of the damage in the outlying areas. one official says there's so many dead, so much destruction. very moving words. there are calls for tents and rescue teams and observations

that they really don't have many hospitals, they don't have many ambulances and really, they are in need of help. >> it's been a hellish five hours since it struck. we'll watch it close i. many thanks to you. moving to a possible terror threat in kenya where officials say an attack may be i am nant. officials in nairobi say it's based on credible info. but they're not getting any specifics. malls and nightclubs are possible targets. this comes week after they launched an attack in somalia. no word from presidential ron paul on his new economic proposal. speaking on meet the press, david gregory asked him about his plan to cut five government departments including the energy, commerce and education departments. paul said they wouldn't all disappear completely. >> we cut back on those and the department of energy i cut but some of those things are

transferred to the dod department, nuclear controls and things like that. so they aren't eliminated. but they are significant. >> meanwhile, campaign trail, rick perry is getting personal. he gave full disclosure about a love affair that began for him as a child. >> as long as i've got memory, i had something to go hunting with. so it was a long love affair with a boy and his gun that turned into a man and his gun. then it turned into a man and his son and his daughter and their guns. >> christine o'donnell, a darling of the tea party is telling that movement to back off mitt romney. the former delaware senate candidate told abc she's leaning toward endorsing romney said this to tea party supporters. i find the tone of nastiness circulating around the internet about romney offensive. there's no lack of love from gop

leaders. romney will pick up another big endorsement on monday. this one from former new hampshire governor john sununu. in other political news, bobby jindal easily won reelection to his second term last night. jindal taking two out of three of the votes. his closest contender finishing about 18%. kansas city missouri are launching a new strategy. a local company donated several billboards with her picture in hopes that someone will recognize her driving by. >> let's go to ron mott in kansas city. good morning. what is the latest on this investigation into this little baby's disappearance? >> reporter: hey there, alex. good sunday morning to you. police revealed on friday, the big development about a cadaver dog hitting on the scent of human decomposition on monday. police went to the court, got a search warrant, came back on

wednesday. spent 17 hours collecting evidence inside and outside the home. they have fielded some 600 tips at this point. unfortunately, they've not gotten the tip that led them to this missing young child. we spoke to one of the attorneys representing the family. the parents at this point. who say there are some sightings of a man walking about 4:00 in the morning reportedly holding the child, a toddler about the same age as baby lisa. there's a surveillance camera from a store that they've released publicly that show a shadowy figure that the lawyers are claiming may be baby lisa with this unidentified man. so there's still a lot of questions out there. but the hot white spotlight of public scrutiny is squarely on the mom in this case. debra bradley, who was home at the time with her child. her husband, jeremy irwin was on his job as an electrician overnight. he's the one who came home at about 4:00 in the morning to find his daughter missing. that's how this all started. alec. still a lot of questions. police have not been on the

scene for four or five days and a lot of people wondering why that's the case. >> okay. hopefully we'll get answers soon. ron mott, many thanks. an all out effort to catch a killer shark off the west coast of australia. officials set baited hooks near rot nest island hoping to catch the great white that killed a diver. police identified the man as a 32-year-old george wayne wright of texas. it's the third fatal shark attack off the west coast in the past two months. still ahead, a coming wave of higher prices at the grocery store and words of warning. what did steve jobs tell president obama about his future in the white house? rick perry is going flat. but will his new tax plan revive his presidential hopes? it's the rise of women power on capitol hill. but we women could be in for a fall. we're going to explain all that on "weekends with alex witt." ♪

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many americans are struggling to avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes. meanwhile, foreigners buying u.s. real estate is skyrocketing. they spent $82 billion on homes in the last year. that represents 8% of all home sales in the country. a co-sponsored bill in the senate would grant a u.s. visa to international investors agreeing to spend $500,000 on homes in the u.s. the goal of the bill is to give the struggling u.s. markets a boost. a stark warning from steve jobs to president obama. watch your back or you'll be a one-term president. that's according to the upcoming biography on the late great apple guru. jobs met the president in the fall of 2010 and told him he

risked losing reelection if he didn't adopt business friendly policies. isaac son's biography is set for release on october 24th. 2012 could be a banner year for women in the u.s. senate or maybe not. more female incumbent are up for reelection next fall than ever before. depending how the votes go, it could be the first loss of women seats. hear them roar no more. ruth -- we have a renowned scholar of women and politics here. ruth, thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> we have democrats with at least women running. including six incumbent. republicans will have two. if we see a repeat of republican victories like in 2010, we could have a loss regarding the number of women in the senate. picture that scenario and how likely you think that is. >> i think it's too early to tell anything.

you're right about what the likely numbers look like at this point. no primary has been held. we don't have a final list of candidates. we have 28 women expressing an interest in running. ten positioned for open seats if they become candidates. and then the other 11 challengers. we don't know. but you know what, if there's a loss, which i think is unlikely, but if there is a loss, we're talking about the numbers going down one, if there's a win they might go up one. that's part of the pattern that we've been watching for years now. it is slow, it is incremental. sometimes it feels stalled. >> to what extent do you think the presence of women in increasing number can turn around the mess on capitol hill, the gridlock? >> well, you know, we're miracle makers, right? >> and we multitask and learn how to -- >> do what we have to do. >> i think, the practical, pragmatic, academic that i am

would say that's unlikely that this works with a leadership structure, the leadership structure, despite what we're watching now, still functions and has pretty tight control over its members. so turn it around. but we have seen examples of women in politics working together across the aisle collaborating, wishing it were better for them to work together, meeting together. the women in the senate for some years now have dinner together once in a while. that's all the women in the senate. could we hope for more collaboration and maybe a better tone with more women, yeah but i'd like to see the numbers larger than they're going to be after the next election before we expect anything like that. >> with regard to the white house and positions of high prominence, it feels like women are getting further and further away from that. you look at michele bachmann where she's gone in the polls. she was up for a while with iowa and then considerably down lower now. sarah palin not running. nancy pelosi no longer serving as the chairman of the house. hillary clinton may be leaving the state department at some

point next year with no specific plans for high office runnings and reelections and the like. talk about the state of that and do you see anyone on the horizon? >> isn't it amazing after all these years, you can go through three names and that's it, we're finished. >> geraldine ferraro too. >> and shirley chis om. she ran all the way to the convention. but she knew. she always knew she couldn't make it. the first woman to be taken seriously as a major party candidate for the presidency was hillary clinton. as we all know, that happened just a couple of years ago. one of the things that i felt at the time and continue to feel with some sense of shock having watched all of this now for 40 years is that there's no line behind her really. does that mean that palin and bachmann and women don't make a difference. they do in the sense that we all go around saying you can't be what you don't see.

for children watching this and seeing that there are women up there and they're presenting themselves as candidates, the total effect that of in the long run is to open the door wider and wider for all kinds much people. even to make some women angry because they don't like the women running and maybe come forward. there is not a long line. if you look at the pool from which presidential candidates are typically drawn, that is governors and senators, there are 17 women in the senate, six governors, very small pool. >> sobering. we have to do something approximate that. ruth man dell, many thanks. >> thank you. to a couple of stories that caught my eye. the gowns are going to the girls along with the cats. ladies make up two thirds of college graduates according to graduate schools. 60% of masters degree and more than half of doctorates. how is this for wow factor. twin sisters in indiana giving birth on the same day. the patterson sisters delivered hours apart and no, it was not planned that way.

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it's hammered into left. that ball is absolutely murdered. >> it surely was, joe buck. with that albert pujols became the third player to hit three home runs in a world series game. the legendary babe ruth and reggie jackson are the other two. pujols powered the cardinals to a 16-7 win over the rangers. the cards take a 2-1 lead in the fall classic. good stuff. okay. now to the trends of the day with the financial twist in our ups an downs. first, an up that's hard to swallow.

i'm talking soaring food prices. they shot up .6% in september for the third straight month. the chief economist for the national restaurant association say food prices are on for an increase. >> the holiday shopping season not so rosie. people will be spending $704 on average this season. that's about $15 less than last year. $50 less than before the recession. for those of you socking away money in a 401k. the irs is raising the contribution by $500. you can invest $17,000 if you're fortunate enough to have the extra bucks. groupon is downsizing for the biggest deal ever. the coupon hawking website -- back in june, groupon said it would probably raise like $750 million. either way, a lot of loot. more men are investing in their appearance, including getting botox treatments or in this case boy-tox.

they're not only doing it to look younger at work but also for the dating game. >> it helps. it's what you make of it. do you want to compete with the people so much younger and fresher and newer or do you want the same fresh young attack mode? >> unlike that guy. most gents getting botox probably won't admit it. > ♪ >> even simon cowell admits ratings for his x factor show haven't lived up to his expectations. the hollywood reporter says the show is averaging about 12 million viewers. that is a far cry from the 20 million simon cowell thought would watch. what's more, fox is said to be cutting ad rates because of the smaller audiences. congrats to jon bon jovi whose charity restaurant opened in central new jersey. what makes it so different is it guest pay what they can afford. by the way, he's such a hands-on owner that he even washes dishes. good for him. those are today's ups and downs

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[ female announcer ] swiffer cleans better or your money back. u.s. diplomatic officials say president obama's decision to withdraw u.s. troops from iraq is the fulfillment of a long-standing vow to the american people. the president announced friday all u.s. troops would leave iraq by the end of the year. today on meet the press, secretary of state hillary clinton said both the president's commitment to the troops and to iraq's democracy remain unwavering. >> president obama has shown great leadership in navigating to this point, fulfilling promises. no one should mg calculate america's resolve and commitment to helping support the iraqi democracy. we have paid too high a price to give the iraqis this chance. >> remember, you can watch all of that interview in entirety when meet the press airs again

today at 2:00 p.m. eastern on ms nbc. for americans with family members in iraq, the news is sinking in their loved ones will come home by the ended of this year. we have new reaction along with veterans about the plan announced by president obama. my colleague is joining me with more. good morning to you, mike. it's been a few days now. what's the reaction been like? >> good morning, alex. we sampled opinion and reaction coast to coast on this. from the carolinas and northwest and chicago in the middle. we hear a couple of things. americans have been weary about iraq for a long time. all the polls say that. we heard that again in the last couple of days. the second thing, no matter how people felt about the war, whether supported it or against it,the thinking right now is in terms of getting out and ending it completely that it's about time. >> across the country, they've been waiting for this. the date certain by which although serving in iraq will be home for good. the war's veterans welcome the news from south carolina.

>> it's our time. we've been wanting this for a while now. >> to washington state. >> we did our job. we're coming home. >> the military spouses and children are thrilled of course. >> it's going to be wonderful having everybody reunited again. >> it's going to end. it's a relief for everybody. >> and even a mother who lost her son to the war, mary con boy who is son was killed in 2006 is happy for the parents of other sons and daughters who will soon be home. >> i have a sense of relief. i'm not going to lie. i feel like we did a really good job in iraq. >> but early on, a controversial war that demanded no national commitment was what some called a friends and family war. meaning only friends and family of those serving would likely care deeply and personally about how it was going retired colonel jack jacobs,nbc analyst and medal of honor recipient. >> most people don't have connection. there's no skin in the game. you have to knock on something like 150 doors today before you'll find a household from which somebody is serving.

>> thus, much of the country soured quickly on a war that seemed endless or pointless and unquestionably costly. no surprise then that many greeted the announced ending of the war with bitterness. retired sergeant chris injured himself. >> we're losing family members that for no reason now. i lost three of my best frebds out there. >> lawyer in los angeles who will get to hug her son in a few weeks. >> we should have never been there. >> the war and now the post war is controversial as ever. >> you know, alex, our good friend jack jacobs whom you interviewed many times who was for the war in the beginning and came to see that it was a mistake or came to believe that it was a mistake and worries now about the other question. not whether it's time to leave, but what happens now in iraq? and his fear is that moqtada al sadr will become the head of the government, head of a new problem for the u.s.

that's a worry. but for right now, i think there's relief pretty much nationwide that our commitment there is over. >> i imagine, you encountered more than a few people worried what awaits the veterans as they come home. how will they make their livelihood in this economy. there's a lot to think about. >> will the economy pay for their care, those costs only go up and they'll go up astronomically. >> let's hope the answer is yes considering their sacrifice. more americans are worried about money. people are spending carefully and more guarded about personal finances. the latest gallup poll found that 22% surveyed said financial situation is poor. 37% say their situation is good. and the poll found that 48% of americans say their finances are getting worse while 29% say they are getting better. here's one measure about the optimism with the nation's economy and given all the doom and gloom, you might find this surprising. venture capital investments in the u.s., doing $8.4 billion and get this.

dow jones venture source says that is a 29% increase from a year ago. the surge is attributed to -- rick perry set to release details of the flat tax plan on tuesday which began touting on the campaign trail this past week. the plan is based on a similar blueprint pushed by billionaire steve forbes when he ran for office back in '96 and 2000. how much of forbes will we see around perry in the coming days? guess what? we're about to ask him that. joining us live is none other than steve forbes. a friend to our broadcast as well. gormg, steve. >> caller: good morning, alex. how are you? >> i'm well. i hope you are. we know you're traveling. we're glad you took the time. you have advocated this idea of flat tax. you're fond of mr. perry's -- are you full out endorsing him or helping him out a bit. >> caller: i've been helping out on the formulation of this plan and just about to lean towards

endorsing him. i'm impressed with what he did in texas and impressed with the plan he's putting the finishing touches on now. >> okay. so you've probably got a behind the scenes role going on with rick perry. can you give us a better sense of what kind of plan he's about to present to the american people on tuesday? >> caller: well, it will be a single rate. there will be generous exemptions for adults and children. no one particularly lower income and middle income people, no one will have an increase in their own taxes. you'll literally be able to do your tax return on a sheet of paper. and it will also slash the corporate tax rate to make us more competitive. we have the second highest in the developed world today. so it's a win-win exciting plan all around. i think people are going to be very excited approximate it. >> certainly, steve, it's something you proposed not only while on the campaign trail and in your speeches and writings but in a book that you wrote about this. a concern we have is look at the uneasy history regarding the

flat tax plan in u.s. politics. it sounds so simple. very streamlined and something that a lot of people that could get around because it seems farrah cross the board and yet, it has been met with so many issues. why is that? what do you think it is about the flat tax plan that people don't understand or don't accept? >> caller: i think they're very -- there are a lot of vested interests that don't like it. i can tell you when i ran in '96 in new hampshire, h&r block sent a mailing to the voters warning of the pending end of civilization if the flat tax was enacted. you have tax lawyers and the like, washington is very comfortable with it. the current tax code. because it's a huge source of contributions. have the lobby in washington revolves around the tax code. that's why you need the leadership from the top to make it happen. >> steve, herman cain backed you when you ran for president.

i'd like your thoughts on his 9-9-9 plan. what makes the flat tax better than 9-9-9-9-9? >> caller: the 9-9-9 has a 9% sales tax which is a very tough sell politically. most sales taxes are 8%, 9%. to add 9% to that, really it's a turn-off for people. they have problems of regressivity, which is why he's coming up with proposals for rebates for people with low incomes. so i think it's just simpler and easier to take the current code, junk it, replace it with a simple flat rate with a generous deduction for adults and for kids. >> you know, steve, the gop is being criticized for focusing on tax policies while so many americans, 14 million remain out of work. what about a workable jobs plan? >> caller: that's part of the workable jobs plan, getting the economy moving again by having a lower rate. that lowers the price on good things like risk taking,

productivity and work. so you get more economic stimulation. 25 countries around the world have put this in place, variations of it. it's worked wherever it's been tried. >> you've seen rick perry's numbers drop somewhat in the polls since he first came on in a strong way. how can he turn this race around? what's your advice to him? >> caller: the race is still extremely fluid as you see in the polls. so the key thing is to come out with both plans like this -- bold plans like this one on the flat tax and that people are looking very carefully. i think he's getting his footings in the debates and will do very well in the months ahead. >> all right. steve forbes, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. safe travels on the road. come see us in the studio. as the occupy wall street -- they may be getting the support of pope benedict. that's ahead on weekends with al ex-witt.

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the occupy chicago protests. at least 100 were arrested in chicago last night. they defied police orders to clear out of grant park in downtown chicago. organizers said the demonstrators would continue with their protests. in arkansas, protesters are camping out in little rock. they've set up tents and grills in the parking lot. organizers say they hope the library will be giving their cause more exposure and say they plan to remain indefinitely. the occupy wall street is about to have a powerful who has powerful friends above himself. that being pope benedict. the pope has talked about the worsening global financial crisis and tomorrow the vatican will issue a statement of support of the same goals pushed by the occupy movement.

the church will call for reform, stronger regulations and a greater focus on people over profits. joining me from washington is father thomas reese of georgetown, university. thanks for joining us. >> good morning. >> i know that you've described this statement of support as the vatican positioning itself to the left of nancy pelosi, which to me sounds like a bit of a new place for the vatican to be. is it? >> well, that's a problem. i mean, a lot of people in the united states think the pope is a republican because he opposes abortion and gay marriage. but when you look at his economic positions, he's much more comfortable with the people occupying wall street than he would be at any tea party. he has condemned the glaring scandal of inequality in the world. and he would like to see the economy not driven by profit but by an ethic that is very people centered. i think he is much more in common with the people on wall

street with the people in the tea party. >> i want to put down, father, what he says. which is once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good, it is an ultimate end. if risks destroy wealth and creating poverty. that being the position there, you say the pope does not accept the trickle down theory. that all the votes are going to rise with the economic tide. tell us about that. >> well, i mean, it's really interesting. i mean, this pope is not apologetic in pushing for government regulation. in fact, he would even like to see international regulation of the economy. then secondly,he's very strong on the redistribution of wealth. now, these are two positions that not even liberal democrats push very strongly in the united states. in fact, it's the kind of thing that they're condemned for. this is a pope who on economic

issues gives a very prophetic message and a message that people occupying wall street would like very much. >> how much in terms of practical sense is the pope supporting the occupy wall street protesters, those that went to local ras werome last wt got extremely violent. >> the pope is against violence and i would argue that it's counterproducti counterproductive. we saw in the '60s when it turns to violence, it turns off the american people. they need to get their act together, be peaceful, loving, hand out flowers to the police. this is the kind of activity that attracts the middle class and the people who are really hurting in our country. >> pope benedict believes that business should be guided by what is good for people not just what's good for profits.

how realistic is that,do you think? >> well, i think what pope benedict and what the church does is present values that they believe the economy and the political system should work towards. let's face it. he doesn't have a magic plan for bringing us into prosperity. that's the job of economists, of political -- of politicians. to work out the practical details. make the prudential judgments. for -- getting to the values he's pushing. every catholic in the country today, when they went to church, heard the gospel, heard jesus say that the two commandments are to love god and to love our neighbor as ourselves and what the pope is saying is, you know, what it means today to love our neighbor as ourselves is to be concerned for the poor, be concerned for people who are unemployed and to have an economic system that makes jobs and gives good steady work to people. >> all right. georgetown's father thomas reese.

thanks for the discussion. we appreciate it. >> thank you. borrowing from the past. that may be a strategy president obama will use in his battle for reelection. our big three panel talks about that next here on "weekends with alex witt."

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it is time now for sunday's big three. in today's topics, the role of race in the gop primary, and is the 2012 election beginning to look like 2004? back with me is our reporter, and also here, ann finny, and the d.c. bureau chief and a former adviser for bush's 2004 campaign. welcome back and good to the other two of you. robert, we heard from herman cain last night at the faith and freedom dinner. take a listen to this.

>> i can still remember riding on segregated buses in atlanta, georgia, but because of america's ability to change, i stand here today and i own the bus. with my picture on the side. >> robert, are we seeing the beginning of a new narrative by cain on race? >> i think so yeah. look, he was at the bottom of the pack six weeks ago and now is at the front of the pack. what you see now is the spotlight on herman cain, and was he is african-american and a conservative and the frontrunner or perceived frontrunner, you are seeing a change in his tone and tenure and in the narrative of his campaign, and the question is how long will it last and how long will it stick? >> karen, more than 90% is

white, and what does the narrative do for herman cain in iowa? >> here is the problem i have with the way herman cain has been talking to himself, and he said he doesn't really talk about what was an amazingly important in america history in the book, and now all of a sudden that he is at the top, he realizes i better figure out a better narrative in a way to talk about this. what voters liked about president obama was the authenticity, and president obama is very clear about who he is in terms of his race and beliefs and values, and with herman cain we have not seen that. one of the places where cain has gotten criticism from republicans and democratic friends of mine, and it's like why aren't you be honest and talk more in the role of racism,

and don't give the gop a pass, and we're moving past that and that's okay to acknowledge. >> we will get to the birther movement now. mark yo rubio has been pushing against the claim about the questioning of his parents' immigration, and the birthers are claiming that governor bobby is not a natural citizen. why are they going after these young ones? >> well, there's a distinction between what the birthers did with regards to senator obama and rubio, and when the mainstream sources checked out what they were looking at, the birth certificate in president obama and it was burn issued and

he is a citizen, and in the case of when his parents arrived in this country, looks like he was not entirely up front about the story. his campaign and staff said it was honest confusion on his part and he was not trying to mislead people into leaving his parents fled the castro regime, and so they started the conversation, but they ended very differently. >> unfortunately, here is the last question to all three of you. is president obama going to be a war president now and a successful war president given where we are with iraq, a quick yes or no. ann, karen and ren robert? >> i would say sort of, but it will be about the economy. >> karen? >> yes, but more on national security than foreign policy. >> robert, you did it quick for

me last week. >> no, it's about the economy. >> thank you so much. is that a wrap of this sunday edition of "weekends with alex witt." and the planes can seem the same. so, it comes down to the people. because: bad weather, the price of oil those are every airline's reality. and solutions will not come from 500 tons of metal and a paintjob. they'll come from people. delta people. who made us the biggest airline in the world. and then decided that wasn't enough. if you took the top down on a crossover? if there were buttons for this? wouldn't it be cool if your car could handle the kids... ♪ ...and the nurburgring? or what if you built a car in tennessee that could change the world? yeah, that would be cool.

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