carolina, where we expect jon huntsman to speak at any time, officially dropping out of the gop race. he will throw his support behind mitt romney. huntsman campaign is saying quote, he did in the want the stand in the way of the candidate best prepared to beat president obama and turn the economy around. we're going to have live coverage this morning. peter alexander is going to be live in myrtle beach for us. where do we stand on how we know when jon huntsman came to this decision? >> it's a good question, thomas, we posed that to senior advisers in the huntsman campaign. they told us he had been having this discussion with his advisers and family members over the last several days, the days following his disappointing finish in new hampshire, but didn't come to a final decision. it wasn't conclusive until late yesterday evening. we were in charleston with his family dining, between 9:30 and

10:00 p.m. he put a call out to governor romney, acknowledging he would be endorsing romney at today's event. this would be a little suspect given the statements the two have made. it was just a week ago where he called out romney for putting party before country as has been a theme throughout the campaign and then in november, governor huntsman said of romney that he was unelectable, saying he lacked a certain core and had so many shifting positions that made him not a sufficient candidate. huntsman is more moderate, as is romney, so many expected this to happen. here was the reaction from rick santorum. >> moderates are backing moderates. that's sort of the bottom line. no surprise there. governor huntsman ran as a moderate trying to compete with

romney for the establishment moderate vote and romney had a leg up on him. >> even as that plays, we are hearing from our colleagues inside the convention center here that governor huntsman is expected to arrive in about ten minutes from now. newt gingrich also reacted to huntsman's withdrawal from this race. we'll put on your screen his quote. with governor huntsman dropping out, we are one step closer to a bold reagan conservative winning the gop nomination. so, as we have noted, now, there are just five candidates. that means in tonight's debate, each of the candidates, by the way, the 16th debate of this cycle, there will be five candidates, which means they will get more time to expand on their thoughts tonight. but really in many ways, this is a fight between romney and the social conservative alternative. over this weekend, rick santorum get i getting the endorsement of about 150 evangelical leaders from texas trying to sway the evangelical vote behind a single conservative alternative in

hopes they might be able to delay mitt romney winning the nomination or to find the social conservative who can win the race. >> peter alexander in myrtle beach, south carolina. thank you and we want dwrou stick with us as we wait for the announcement. just minutes away from jon huntsman arriving, but we want to bring in our panel to discuss more about this decision. john harris is politico's editor in chief. he joins me and richard wolffe is an nbc political analyst as well as contributor. so, gentlemen, it's good to have you with me. john, i want to start with you. this isn't our first time watching one of these things go down in terms of the primary, so i think certain people are going to have whiplash seeing the fact huntsman is coming out so strongly already for mitt romney, but explain how you think he came to this. it's one thing to drop out and another to throw your support behind somebody right way wa. >> i think he dropped out because he recognized there was no constituency for him.

probably difficult because ipg if he squints and looks forward, he feels in his heart there would be a general election constituency for him. these people are human and it's hard work. in addition to being very expensive. it's really hard work physically and psychically o to campaign with no prospect of succeeding. as far as romney, there is for somebody who is projecting themselves as above politics and lonely ideal iist, last week, h was saying mitt romney was unelectable, then to pivot on a dime and say mitt romney's the greatest, i found that to be kind of a bit much. certainly on artifice front, but he wants to be enveloped by the republican establishment.

his future depends on that. >> politico is reporting that huntsman could come in behind steve colbert. what is the colbert effect in this? >> i think the colbert effect is to make fun of the entire process in a way that's probably humbling and useful for people on both sides, both politicians and press. he's lampooning the process and i think the raw material the process is giving him. >> obviously, the huntsman campaign will try to sanitize some of the things it said against romney. take a hisen to what huntsman had to say about romney on "meet the press" in november. >> mitt romney in your view, cannot beat president obama. >> i think when you're on too many sides of the issues of the day, when you don't have that core, when there's that element of trust out there, i think that becomes a problem. and i think it makes you unelectable against barack obama. >> so, if we take a look at the

website, the jon2012.com website, that's been sanitized. how can huntsman believably throw his support behind romney and get the people that were following him to now throw their weight behind romney and his candidacy? >> for start, there aren't that many following him. doing it so quickly is not the normal procedure. it does lend back to the questions about credibility and sincerity here and normally, candidates like to string these things out. they want to say there's been a period of reflection and consideration, but it means they get back in the news cycle later on. so it is unusual to be doing it right now. maybe b he wants to forget this whole presidential thing and there's only so much scrubbing you can do. remember, the staffers will disappear. they stop getting paid. they're out of money. taking things from the website is one thing, but when huntsman

comes back on tv, now you're an advocate for mitt romney, but before when you thought you had a chance, you thought he couldn't win. there's an embarrassment factor moving forward here and if wrou don't end these things right, that sticks with you. >> peter, i understand that you actually had a chance to talk to huntsman about the colbert effect. it would completely diminish any efforts he's gained so far coming out of iowa and then going through new hampshire. >> that's absolutely right. with we had a conversation briefly on saturday before the forum hosted in charleston by mike huckabee and i said to huntsman, what do you make of steve colbert getting into this race, acknowledging that he's pulling ahead of you and he said clearly, we benefitted by going on colbert's show when we were in new hampshire finishing third place. we hope to benefit by the colbert bump, but he recognized

this wasn't an option. advisers said their hope was of a bounce, 8 or 12% from what they thought was a strong finish in new hampshire, but the polls here show that was not the case. as you've heard from jon and richard, money became a significant issue here. remember, governor huntsman's father is a billionaire. a very wealthy man who would have been able to fund a super pac or give any sort of money to this campaign if he desired, to really press it going forward, but the question being asked is will his father open up his checkbook and write a big check while some hoped huntsman would self-fund this campaign or his father would give more money. that had not taken place. >> there's even more sound of how huntsman has gone after romney. take a listen. >> because he had a moderate temperment, like another guy named ronald reagan, he was not

seen as conservative enough because he didn't call barack obama a marxist or a fascist or socialist. >> excuse me, guys, that was from "morning joe" this morning with joe scarborough talking to tina brown. but explain to all of us though when we look at this in terms of the political ramifications, how does jon huntsman turn this around on a dime now to look like the politically supportive person behind mitt romney? >> well, all you can say is that these kind of acrobatics can be done. you know, it's one reason that maybe the political press got a little cynical sometimes with what we hear. but the fact is, the triple back flips that have been more stark than anything. remember we reach back into history, george h.w. bush was denouncing reagan and then went on the ticket and supported him

eight years. >> but as richard points out with jon huntsman giving this endorsement and saying that there aren't that many followers to begin with. if he is perceived as this moderate republican, someone who really didn't come out strongly enough for people to unite behind, is this a hollow endorsement in favor of mitt romney? >> well, i think by in measure, a fairly modest endorsement in the, you know, the world was not waiting for jon huntsman's word as to who he was going to back. once he didn't become president. i think it helps a little bit because it makes even more clear something that was already clear, which is the republican establishment is falling in line. they are embracing the fact in some cases, resigning themselves to the fact that mitt romney is going to be the nominee. they believe. and so, it's one more kind of underlining of that reality that look, we don't want to draw this

out. we want to step in line behind mitt romney. >> richard, a lot of people would look at this and maybe this this was a test balloon to see how he would do in 2012 to return in 2016. do you think there's enough homework to see if that would work? if he was thinking that this was a ramp up to getting his name out now, to see what it takes to be on the trail and coming back in 2016? >> i think that maybe where he'll end up, but i don't think where these candidates start out. they do believe that they can change the world, win the nomination. maybe the presidency. you've got lots of people chanting your name and so, i think there was a sincerity there. there's just no room for huntsman in this field with romney given his strengths, the similarity in the profiles. where there was room for huntsman to really catch fire. 2016. you may think because the extra experience, but there will be in

candidates in play. a new generation will come in. it will be more competitive, so whatever he has learned here, may not help him if the circumstances are right. >> we talk about the way that the field is whittling out, and it's starting to narrow down, especially before another debate tonight. when we look at what's going on in south carolina, it really is mitt romney's to lose at this point even though now as peter was telling us how the ev evangelicals have gotten together behind rick santorum, so delay the chulalty of romney getting this nomination. what are we looking for out of south carolina? because it looks like it's going to go romney's way, but he still doesn't have the broad support he needs to go all the way. >> i guess i would just be alert to the possibility that sometimes, we get surprised by the turn of events. almost always happens that a nominee somewhere along the way stubs his toe, so far, his toe,

not hers. but remember all the things we thought were certain to happen in 2008. that didn't end up happening. so, romney could stub his toe tonight or if he doesn't an the field narrows and there is a clearly identifiable anybody but romney candidate, that's what he's been fortunate so far in that we've lacked that. there's been no single person that's been the alternative. if the field narrowing so that person emerges, we're going to have to see mitt romney get hazed a little bit in some of these states. >> i'm going to ask you to stick around. we're going to take a quick break. we continue to follow the breaking news. jon huntsman is going to talk about dropping out of the race and throwing his support behind mitt romney. back with much more after this. [ kyle ] my bad. [ roger ] tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. [ kyle ] nope, i've got... [ dennis ] ...the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance --

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mitt romney cannot beat president obama. >> i think when you're on too many sides of the issues of the day, when you don't have that core, when there's that element of trust out there, i think that becomes a problem and it makes you unelectable against barack obama. >> jon huntsman questioning the electability of barack obama and here is a live look in myrtle beach, south carolina, where jon huntsman is due to speak at any time, officially dropping out of the race as well as throwing his support behind the front-runner, mitt romney. we're going to bring you live coverage of that as soon as it happens right here on msnbc. >> he stood for quality. he stood for just equal. for everybody. not just for blacks. not just for whites. just for everybody and that's the way it's supposed to be. we should help each other. it shouldn't be nobody out here poor. shouldn't be nobody out here

homeless. >> people around the country are joining president obama in remembering the legacy of dr. martin luther king jr. 44 years after his untimely death. members of the family except sasha took part in a project outside of washington. back to myrtle beach, south carolina and jon huntsman delivering his speech about dropping out. >> those i love and appreciate most, i'm up here with the greatest human being i've ever known, my wife, mary kaye, what has sustained us throughout the journey. i'm also up here with an interesting group of campaign activists called the jon 2012 girls. i'm also delighted to be joined by our drawer, gracie, who also dubbed as our campaign's senior foreign policy adviser, and i want to compliment her on the excellent job that she did. i'm here with my father and i

want to express my love and appreciation to him, son and law, along with a terrific team. some supporters like the beloved iris campbell, former first lady of this great state is with us, as is the attorney general, alan wilson and close personal friend of mine, mike campbell, who is here among others and we're honored and delighted to be in your presence. i'd like to make a few comments about the current state of the race and then we'll let you go. now, as candidates, our common goal is to restore bold and principle leadership to the white house. leadership that will reignite our economy and renew the american spirit, yet rather than seeking to advance that common goal by speaking directly to voters about our ideas to rebuild america, this race has degenerated into an onslaugt of

negative and personal attacks, not worthy of the american people. and not worthy of this critical time in our nation's history. this is the most important election of our lifetime. this country desperately needs to begin a journey that will allow us to create and courageously tackle our two most urgent deficits. one is an economic deficit. the other is a trust deficit. only bold ideas will get us to where we need to be. and this campaign needs to be driven by those ideas. at its core, the republican party is a party of ideas. but the current toxic form of our political discourse does not help our cause. and it's just one of the many

reasons why the american people have lost trust in their elected leaders. today, i call on each campaign to cease attacking each other and instead, talk directly to the american people about how our conservative ideas will create jobs, reduce our nation's debt, stabilize energy prices and provide a brighter future for our children. and our grandchildren. let's invest our time and resources in building trust with the american people. and uniting them around a common purpose. three years ago, the president promised to unite the american people, yet his desire to engage in class warfare for political gain has left us more divided than ever. this deviciveness is corrosive

and does not advance america's interests. this nation was built on unity and trust. trust in each other. trust in a revolution that gave birth to the freest and most prosperous nation the wofrld has ever known. trust in our system of government. that sense of unity and trust has sustained us through world wars and nationally tragedies. now, we need it to sustain us during this hour of need. ultimately, this election is about more than the future of one campaign. or one party. it is about the future of our nation and for our nation to move forward together with new leadership and unity, the republican party must first

unite. we entered this race just six months ago with the longest of long shots. my candidacy was staked on the simple principle of country first and driven by a refusal to pass down to the next generation, a country that is less powerful, less prosperous and less competitive than the one we inherited. today, i am suspended my campaign for the presidency. i believe it is now time for our party to unite around the candidate best equipped to defeat barack obama. despite our differences and the space between us on some of the issues, i believe that candidate is governor mitt romney. as for the huntsman family, we step down with an even greater appreciation for american

democracy, which is fundamental to american values. after all the town halls and handshakes and meet and greets, we leave it in the hands of the people and we respect the results. to our many staff, supporters and volunteers, i offer my heartfelt thanks. today, our campaign for the presidency ends, but our campaign to build a better and more trustworthy america continues. we will continue to fight for a flatter, simple per tax code that helps unleash opportunity rather than stifle it. for an energy policy that ends the scourge of our addiction to foreign oil. for a congressional term limits. for education reform that prepares our kids for the realities of the 21st century. for financial reform that breaks

up too big to fail banks and protects taxpayers from potential bailouts and we will continue fighting to bring home ur brave men and women from afghanistan and stop nation building overseas and start rebuilding our own nation. for mary kaye and our family, these last six months have been an incredible and awe inspiring journey. i have seen the very best of america. i've seen it in the spirit of our entrepreneurs, whose innovations continue to inspire and better the world. i've seen it in the courage of our veterans who i've met at vfw halls in communities all across this nation. i saw it in china. 10,000 miles away. meeting with dissidents who had been tortured and beaten, but who drew strength from our

nation's values, our openness, our freedoms. our commitment to human right. halfway around the world, they could still see america's light. that is the power america still projects and i will never stop fighting for her and fighting to ensure that america's light shines bright for generations and generations to come. because in the end, we must all come together as americans. and must be reminded that the fight to preserve and enhance life, liberty and happiness is what really sets us apart in this world and is worth our tireless efforts as citizens of this most extraordinary nation. thank you, and may god bless america. thank you.

>> jon huntsman making it official that he is suspending his campaign. the former utah governor, the former chinese ambassador in the obama administration saying that he will now focus on the trust deficit within this country. i think his website, if we have that, has been sanitized to the point where it promotes now the trust campaign they're going to be working on on jon2012.com. meaning they've cleaned up all the ads there against mitt romney, because not only has he suspended his campaign, the same breath, same sentence, he has come out in support of mitt romney. i'm joined by jeff johnson, richard wolffe is an msnbc political analyst and contributor from washington, d.c. richard, i want to start with you. your reaction to hearing that speech. do you think a lot of people are going to have whiplash after seeing that? >> he said despite the differences, the gap between

them on the issues, he still thought he was the best person. there's a mirror image for huntsman, which is he wrote about what a great leader president obama was when working for him and now, according to the speech he just gave, he thinks president obama is engaged in class warfare and has somehow weakened america around the world and before just not so long ago, he thought mitt romney was a disaster and couldn't be elected and now, he's the greatest person ever. there is whiplash twice over with huntsman. he's general speech. the general tenor of it, the words, very patriotic, very nicely delivered. if only he could have executed even his announcement speech in that way, he might have been in a better position, but the whip hash effect is real and it's about his service for president obama and also his attitude towards governor romney. >> jeff, in taking all things into consideration as he marches into south carolina coming in third out of new hampshire, saying it was a ticket to ride though, but going into saakashvisouth

carolina, did he have a chance going up against mitt romney, who's r already struggling in that state, just taking into account he wasn't going to come out probably above colbert? >> i think all the numbers show this was not only going to be a waste of time, but of opportunity. him removing hims put him in a position to at least maintain a little spotlight that he would have lost going into south carolina and not performing well. and so, i don't think anybody did. i think the real question here is how does romney respond to this endorsement. i don't see how this endorsement really helps romney. from the fact that huntsman himself was really never able to brand himself as the conservative he was. and so, these two perceived moderates doesn't necessarily help romney gain some of that conservative base that he needs to gain. not just going into south carolina, but coming out of south carolina. >> when you think about it, when you're constantly discounting

the experience of someone else, then you're going to accept their endorsement? >> the other piece, too, is that huntsman talked about ending negative ads when it was his super pac and many of his aides that were engaged in that kind of negative ads as much anybody else in the campaign slate. >> that was yesterday. that's not today at all. richard, jeff, thank you. it's looking more and more like barack obama and mitt romney are going to have the match-up for the presidential election. why this race might be anything but a popularity contest. plus, more than a dozen cruise ship passengers still missing after this weekend's deadly crash. why the search for survivors was put on hold. to the cleaning games. let's get a recap, merv. [ merv ] thanks, other merv. mr. clean magic eraser extra power was three times faster on permanent marker. elsewhere against dirt, it was a sweep, with scuffed sports equipment... had it coming. grungy phones... oh! super dirty! and grimy car rims... wow! that really works! ...all taking losses.

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i'm going to own my own restaurant. i want to be a volunteer firefighter. when i grow up, i want to write a novel. i want to go on a road trip. when i grow up, i'm going to go there. i want to fix up old houses. [ female announcer ] at aarp we believe you're never done growing. i want to fall in love again. [ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday. the very latest on the cruise ship wreck. rescue crews have resumed the search for possible survivors after calling it off earlier today. the costa concordia is almost on

its side. rough waters forced rescuers to suspend their search this morning. the ship was moving around, making it too dangerous for dives. blame is being placed on the ship's captain. michelle kosinski joins us live from porto san stefano with more on this. bring us up to speed on where the search stands right now. >> reporter: we saw the last person rescued off that ship just yesterday afternoon. amazing because that was 36 hours after this happened and you see the state of that ship right now. but that's given a lot of people hope. there are estimated to be 15 or 16 people still unaccounted for. even though people have been rescued, as well as bodies recovered. so there's a question mark associated with the number of people that might still be in this ship and the number of

people that might be alive. that's why these efforts right now, even days after this disaster happened, are so vital. so divers were able to work for these three days. they had to stop briefly this afternoon because of rough water that's been moving the ship, creating dangerous conditions, but now we know they've been able to go back to it and they have actually been risk their lives in doing this work. early on, the coast xward was talking about their efforts to try to get under the water, break windows and try to get inside the ship and see what might be in there. it's difficult work and it's dangerous, but everybody's waiting to see if possibly there could be survivors. >> it still is just an unbelievable story. even looking at the video, knowing the facts, it's hard to believe this could happen. michelle kosinski live in italy. thanks so much. back here at home with jon huntsman now out, mitt romney is one step closer to that gop nomination. tonight, the remaining

candidates participate in their sixth debate with five days to go before south carolina primary. but even if he does revail, is romney just the most popular out of an unpopular field. 43% favorablety. president obama fares slightly better with a rating of 49%. but a look inside his numbers show he has an uphill struggle. joining us now is former ohio governor, ted strickland and gop strategist, trey harden. gentlemen, it's good to have you. comparing this year to '08 when president obama and senator mccain had higher ratings, isn't there just something about these two men or is this a referendum on politicians and politics in general? >> well, thomas, i think that people's expectations of politics, politicians, elected officials, washington, beltway politics, has certainly gone down on a daily basis. i'm not sure this is really a

popularity contest. barack obama is a dynamic campaigner. showed that in 2008. but i think voters are beyond that right now. i think they're focus is about the economy. and who's going to get this country back on track. >> governor, as president obama gears up for this tough contest, he has a lower job approval rating than past presidents. higher though than only president clinton. is there enough time left for the president to turn this one around? >> absolutely. and the fact is that the president is working to create jobs. he's putting forth policies and programs and the republicans are saying no. and that's the real issue in this campaign. which of these two candidates can be believed. and i think even the republican base understands they can't belief mitt romney because changes his positions with the wind. and president obama i think has been focused and straightforward and honest with the people and he's working to create jobs and

that's what's important. >> trey, romney's been fighting this image that he's just an out of touch kind of guy. this weekend, he gave 60 bucks to a south carolina woman who couldn't pay her electric bill. >> he was kind to me. he held on to me and made governor hailey come see them. >> can he reverse this sentiment that he can't relate? a lot of people saying he doesn't have what it takes to come down from behind the microphone like a barack obama or bill clinton. these people with the gravtous to connect. >> it's going to be a challenge of his. people like both candidates as people. i don't think that really is going to be on trail. you know, but at the end of the day, there is a voting segment mere that really is where the fight will be. 21% of democrats who voted for barack obama in '08 have reregistered as independents or

republicans, plus, you have a lot of '08 independents who voted for obama that are kind of feeling that buyer's remorse. that is where the fight is. that is why i think the institutional thinking of most republicans, regardless of where they fall, believe that mitt romney can reach them best. it's not going to be a popularity contest to that segment. i think it's going to be on the issues. >> gentlemen, thanks so much. i appreciate your time this morning. thanks again. as president obama re-es ct for the country's future. the cover of this week's "newsweek" calls the president the man with the plan. joining us this morning is mark miller. good to have you here. as we talk more on specifics about this, andrew sullivan writes this this piece describing attacks on president obama as wrong. the repeal of don't ask don't tell as two of the biggest

successes in the president's first term. the president has a reputation for being quiet. he's a calm guy. not into tooting his own horn, but in a situation like this where he's facing this tough re-election battle, is that going to work against him? >> well, andrew who writes "the dish" and writes for "newsweek," makes the case that obama is in this for the long run. the long-term. that he's really thinking an eight-year term in the way he's handled many of the problems facings the country and given the stylistic issues you just talked about that could imperial his ability to have eight years in it, but what he's doing in his piece is really articulating why both the left and the right are wrong about obama and his record. >> you talk about the long game. so, the article discussing the president's bid saying that the practices of show don't tell

long game form of domestic politics, what hmatter to him i what he can get done. the president ran on change four years ago. he's not going to be able to run on that so much now. you know, from what he didn't get accomplished in the first four years, a lot of people have to expect he's going to take on those issues. if he does go back. >> right. hope does work, but again, probably can't capture the kind of magic that he had in 2008. now that he's been in office. he does have a record to run on. and i think andrew makes the case fairly well that the way he's been caricatured by the right and the way the left is disappointed with him doesn't serve him well, but i think you point out an important problem which is that the man doesn't, isn't out there sort of grand standing, talking about his

accomplishments in a way that may be necessary to break through the noise. of course, he's just getting started with his campaign. >> which is going to be racing at a fever pitch among like we've never seen before. had a lot of practice at it the first time around. thanks, mark. great to see you. the latest edition featuring the president on the cover is on newsstands right now. breaking his silence. former penn state coach joe pa certain explains why he backed away after telling higher ups about the sexual abuse allegations against jerry sandusky. plus, how jay z's life and lyrics are changing iafter the birth of his daughter. my mother froze everything.

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party to unite around the candidate best equipped to defeat barack obama. despite our differences and the space between us on some of the issues, i believe that candidate is governor mitt romney. >> the breaking news from this hour, jon huntsman dropping out of the race for president, th w throwing his support in the same sentence behind mitt romney. he made this announcement just minutes ago at an event in myrtle beach, south carolina. hubts huntsman called on the campaigns to stop attacking each other and talk directly to the american people. play action -- >> call it the play book of eli. a postseason rematch against the cheese heads ending in a victory for big blue. new york beat the defending champs in green bay. the giants now go head to head with the 49ers. the super bowl is february 5th on nbc.

after months of silence, former penn state football coach joe paterno is speaking out about the child sex abuse scandal involving jerry sandusky. paterno recently sat down with "the washington post" to talk about what he knew about the case and why he handled it the way he did. >> i called my superiors and said, we got a problem, would you guys look into it. i had never had to deal with something like that. >> john joins me now to talk about this. when you hear that joe paterno says he doesn't feel adequate in his response to how he handled this, what's the reaction? >> first of all, it's jarring to see this man was running this program a few months ago, he has cancer, in a wheelchair.

but i think his response still doesn't quite get it. here was a guy whose reputation was built on morality, doing the right thing. this omission, i did what i thought i had to do, still rings a little. where was the follow up? hey, i heard some really horrifying accusations. whatever happened to that kid? >> paterno continues to insist he knew nothing about the previous allegations and makes it sounds as if he didn't get the full story from mike mcqueary. we think we're hearing the full facts? as you say, it seems like we're not getting the right tone here. just a little more r excuse. >> eventually, all this going to come out, but i think you know, something that hasn't been discussed much, joe paterno, devout catholic. his own die cease had a sex abuse scandal. you would think he would have more sense about how explosive this was. clearly, there have been discrepancies, but the notion

that joe paterno didn't have all the information, it just rings hollow still. >> when you look at the timeline, 2002, this was also blowing up in state college, pennsylvania. >> the other thing, too, this '98 allegation he denies knowing about, there was a 100-page police report. this ended up on the desk of a local prosecutor. just strange he didn't know about it. >> as you say, it's all going to come out in the wash about this. great to see you. thank you, sir. one of the men who asked bernie fine of sexually molesting him now says it was a lie. he says he made up the story to get back at fine for refusing to hire a lawyer to defend him. bernie fine hasn't been charged. in america, we believe in a future

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well rapper jay-z seems to be a changed man after with becoming a first-time dad. more than a week after their daughter was born, he is promising to drop the "b" word. according to the british music publication, in a poem dedicated to his daughter he writes before i got in the game, made a change and got rich, i didn't think hard about using the word now with my daughter i curse those that give it. joining me now goldy. as a casual observer who is watching this, people know this word has been used in his lemus

before, are we to believe it's just because he is a dad now? >> i think that any time we have an important event in our life, it impacts our art. having children effected everything that i do, i appreciate the idea that comes along of having a child and removing a word. but at the end of the day, he is my age. it's not as if he did not have a mom, or sister or cousin or a young woman he needed to honor before in his life he inspired others to use it and other words, and if we are going to begin to talk about using b-word or not, let's take all the hyper sexualization out of rap of women. >> does this mean he is going

clean up the rest of his music? >> i think it's a symbol at best. i think it's a miracle welcoming in a new life into their's but the idea that he or anyone else will stop using the b-word after they profited on it for decades, shrug. >> shrug. >> thank you for being with us. >> thank you for inviting me. >> don't go anywhere, "now" comes your way next, alex you'll be talking about jon huntsman and do you think that people are going to have whiplash after hearing all the negative ads? >> it's always a great lead in when you are rapping jay-z songs. >> i tried to be serious. >> it's not often that thomas roberts raps the latest jay-z

song. jon huntsman, he is out, is this an important week for the campaign and romney gives money to a woman on the campaign trail so she can pay her electric bill. and a discussion on what martin luther king's dream means today, that is coming up next on "now." , with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only listerine® that gets teeth two shades whiter and makes tooth enamel two times stronger. get dual-action listerine® whitening rinse. building whiter, stronger teeth.

jon huntsman says the gop race is done with it. this is now. joining me today, ari, we want the sweater back, huffington post business reporter, and jimmy, son of the south williams. hunts man is singing a