have met gabby giffords and to have served with her in this body. >> tears and tributes on the house floor today. a rare show of unity as congress comes together for an emotional sendoff for brielle giffor. i'm craig melvin in for tamron hall today. the "news nation" is following new developments in that daring middle of the night rescue of an american aid worker in somalia. u.s. officials are now saying that the elite navy s.e.a.l. unit that led that strike is part of the same group that killed osama bin laden. 32-year-old american jessica buchanan and her danish colleague were kidnapped back on october 25th. the s.e.a.l. team reportedly parachuted into the area early tuesday, killed nine kidnappers and hustled those hostages to special ops army choppers waiting nearby. vice president biden gave few details on the "today" show this

morning. >> it were had been in the works for a while, matt, and the president authorized because the special operations forces said this was the time. jessica's health was beginning to decline. we wanted to act. >> nbc's jim miklaszewski joining me live from the pentagon. at this point, any point on when jessica is going to be reunited with her family. >> reporter: no, she's currently being examined by u.s. military doctors as a u.s. facility in neighboring djibouti. and there was some urgency to this operation as vice president biden indicated just a moment ago. apparently, according to officials we're talking to, the fbi, which had been in contact with the kidnappers, had determined that jessica buchanan was suffering from some severe infection that apparently could have threatened her life. so they, the fbi in this case, had actually asked the military

if it was time to intervene, and then on monday, president obama gave the order to undertake the operation. the decision was paid on tuesday to go in on wednesday night or early wednesday morning actually. somalia time. and the rescue was pulled off flawlessly. the s.e.a.l.s killed the nine kidnappers. loaded the two on a helicopter, took them to djibouti. and it's not clear how long it will be before they're cleared to return to the united states or in the case of the dane of course, to denmark, craig. >> jim miklaszewski from the pentagon for thus afternoon. mick, thank you. >> you bet. president obama is in battleground state of iowa right now. his first stop on a three-day, five-state tour highlighting the themes of his state of the union address last night. the he spoke at a conveyor belt manufacturing is plant in cedar rapids. >> hello, iowa. when we come together as a country, there's no reason why

we can't restore that basic american promise that if you work hard, you can do well. >> nbc news white house correspondent mike viqueira joining me live from the white house. it looks like he's picking up right where he left off last night. >> the yeah, echoing a lot of the themes we heard last night. you're absolutely right, craig. he talked a lot about that tax. he's trying to end the tax deduction that encourages companies to actually outsource, open up plants and manufacture in other corruuntries. he wants to eliminatenality deduction and bring those jobs back home. he talked a lot about the millionaire's tax. the president reprising the line about common sense about having billionaires pay as much in taxes as their secretaries do. a lot of this, craig, really is larger than the individual issues because let's be honest, any objective analysis of where any of this stuff is going in an

election with congress so badly divided, that prognosis is fairly grim. so the president is laying down some campaign themes. he's expected to do that. he's lunching with the staff now at that plant conveyor engineering and manufacturing where he gave that address. je just heard that sound bite from. he's outside phoenix, arizona, chandler arizona later today. a very large and state-of-the-art intel microchip processing plant, and he ends his day in las vegas, nevada, the theme for today reinvigorating american manufacturing and trying to make some gains off the very modest gains that have been made over the past 22 months in that sector of the economy, craig. >> vick, we look at the map there of the zats that the president is planning to visit. >> yeah. >> it appears as if they were deliberately selected. >> i think that that's probably a pretty fair assessment. i mean, what he's -- what he's saying today isn't quite as important or at least equally important as where he's saying

it. all of these are blue or swing states. you might look at the map and say arizona, that's as red as red can get. that the state is starting to trend towards blue with the burgeoning hispanic population there. but nevada it, iowaen an certainly michigan are going to be vital to the president's re-election efforts. >> the mike viqueira from the white house for thus afternoon. thanks. the republican presidential candidates have been bashing president obama's address while they're on the road in florida today. larry kudlow interviewed mitt romney for his show tonight. romney told him that many obama's millionaire's tax is aimed directly at him. while newt gingrich told the "today" show he liked obama's rhetoric, but that was it. >> well, it's designed to commit me if i'm the nominee, if i happen to be not the nominee, he's trying to divide america and try and say that republicans are all about the rich people. look, republicans are about middle class americans. i'm fighting to help middle class americans get better jobs. >> i find the gap between

president obama's words and his deeds to be sort of astounding. you know, he ran on bringing us together. he ran on yes, we can. yet, last night he seemed to be setting up an entire year of divisiveness. >> meanwhile, some new poll numbers out today showed newt gingrich taking the lead in the sunshine state. the quinnipiac poll talked to voters before and after the south carolina primary, before the primary, romney was polling at about 37%, gingrich in second at 26%. but after the south carolina primary, take a look at this now. gingrich soars to 40%. but the race cos still be anyone's. 3% say they still might change their minds. want to bring in the "news nation" political panel. michael smerconish is a radio talk show host, also an msnbc contributor as well, a.b. stoddard, columnist for the hill. good afternoon to both of you. >> hi, craig. >> michael, let's start with you. newt gingrich wiping out a

12-point lead by mitt romney in florida. he did the same thing in south carolina. his momentum now giving him more momentum. how likely at this point that romney loses florida, and what will that mean for the race going forward? >> i think this would be the contest that would wipe the slate clean because up till now, folks have been saying romney is still the proverbial front-runner but if he should lose florida, a far more diverse state than was south carolina in terms of those who come out and comprise the primary electorate, this would be a very significant setback. you know, craig, here's the state of the union address last night. i'm convinced mitt romney made the decision to release his tax returns yesterday, thinking he would get buried in all the coverage of the state of the union. and instead, it seems to have played directly into the hand of the president who was prepared already to talk about income disparity and here now is the romney tax return, which just furthered the narrative the white house is trying to create of him. >> a.b., it did sound at times

last night that the president was speaking as if mitt romney was going to be 9 nominee. a lot of the themes highlighted last night were the themes that would lend themselves to mitt romney. >> they are. and michael's right that the release of the tax returns showing that a man with no job is earning almost $60,000 a day in income off his investments from years gone by is really quite a stark example with most americans. but i think that president obama is going to run on the same themes no matter who is the nominee. he's decided he's not going to run on the situation with the economy which he says is better but he's not going to run on 8% unemployment. he's not going to run on health care reform law. he's going to run on the fact that things could be worse and the fact that there are these differences between republican economic positions which he says destroy the middle class and his proposal to defend the middle class, which he says you know, is having this make or break

moment. it doesn't matter. even if newt gingrich becomes the republican nominee, you'll hear the same thing from president obama this summer and fall. >> i want to come back to the state of the union in a moment. i want to make sure we get to what happened in florida today. newt gingrich spending part of the morning on a univision candidate forum in miami trying to court hispanic voters. a huge continuigency in the sunshine state. take a listen to what he said this morning. i want to talk about it on the other side. >> you said that spanish is the language of the living -- of living in a ghetto. >> it wasn't about spanish. i said about all languages. i am for english as a communionfying language. the fact is you will have a higher income, have greater job opportunities, and have a likelihood of your family having a better future if you're conversant in english. >> michael, is there a republican candidate that has an advantage over the other with those crucial little important hispanic voters in florida? >> well, really interesting,

craig, because you know, newt gingrich in commenting about the path towards citizenship as he saw it for the 11 million here already illegally, alienated some elements of thatting and glow base within the gop. the message he offered a few weeks agoing that drew criticism should be one that would earn him fans among hispanics in florida in particular. whether that turns out to be the case, we're about to find out. >> one of the things that struck me going back to the state of the union last night, a.b., one of the things that struck me was it appeared as if the president was racing for the middle. it looked like and sounded like triangulation all over again. he spent time last night talking about cyberwarfare, talked about fighting mercury poisoning and spent a fair amount of time talking about personal responsibility, as well, themes that you generally don't hear a lot of left leaning politicians talk about a great deal. a.b., is the president going to be able to make that pivot successfully to go from fiery

liberal populist to the centrist in the. >> i think it's going to be tough. last night except for his discussion of economic disparity and tax fairness, i think he was largely a speech to please the base and consolidate the base. in the months to come when there is a general election that has begun in ernest and this is a republican nominee, he's going to bepy videotaping back perhaps on energy and other issues. right now he's talking about expiring the bush tax cuts for the wealthy and fighting for the middle class. republicans are not in agreement with those policies right now. >> a.b., michael, always a pleasure. thank you both. >> thanks. >> coming up next here or on "news nation." >> no matter what we argue about here on this florida or in this country, there is nothing more important than family. and friendship. >> congresswoman debbie wasserman-schultz there delivering an emotional tribute to her friend gabby giffords who

stepped down from congress today. we are going to bring you more of that moving moment in a few moments here. last night, president obama calling income inequality "the defining issue of our time." dylan rhadigan weighing in live from his 30 million jobs tour on the other side of this break. and it is one of the largest prisoner civil rights settlements in u.s. history. details on the $22 million payout awarded to one former inmate. wanna know the difference between a trader and an elite trader? it's this... the etrade pro platform. finds top performing stocks -- in three clicks. quickly scans the market for new trading ideas. got it? get it. good. introducing new etrade pro elite. and it's surprising what it goes through in the course of a day. but what's even more surprising is that brushing alone isn't enough to keep it clean. fortunately, you've got listerine. unlike brushing which misses 75% of your mouth,

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we do not settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number of americans barely get by. where we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the

same set of rules. >> president obama there last night talking about insuring a fair economic shot for all americans, which he called "the defining issue of our time." want to bring in the host of dylan rhadigan show, dylan rats gan in miami right now, part of his 30 million jobs tour highlighting solutions to get americans back to work. the author of that book, you've heard of it by now "greedy bastard." quite the sub title there, good sir. dylan, first of all, let me get your take on the speech last night. what do you make of what the president had to say to america? >> the president seizing onto the core issue which it is the lack of investment in this country, the lack of investment in job creation, the atlantic investment in our from structure, the lack of investment in solving our country's problems. the only thing that gives me

paws, craig is the following. in order to resolve the inequalities the president portr portrayed, the world is naturally unequal, we just, americans i think are much more respond to i an sense of two sets of rules. we know that there's going to be variance in one person to another. but we respond horribly to the sense that there are these two sets of rules. unfortunately, under this president, the same trade bank and tax policies that were established long before he arrived under preserve and president clinton have been perpetuated. and so what i would say to the president is, match your words, please, mrs. president, by engaging in legitimate bank reform. we've seen a trillion dollar decline in lending from our banks after giving them $30 trillion. they're still too big to fail. we need tax reform. we're learning so much about the incredible taxation placed on the working class in this country and the incredible tax benefits that are given to the wealthy in this country.

and the trade policy that this is president as every president before with china that allows china to rig their currency at 50% on the dollar. those are sort of the core issues. >> i'm glad you brought up china. listen to what the president said last night about china and get your thoughts on this on the other side. take a listen. >> sure. >> millions of americans who work hard and played by the rules every day, music and software be pirated, it's not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they're heavily subsidized. tonight, i'm announcing the creation of a trade enforcement unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trading practices in countries like china. >> is that going to be enough, dylan? >> it won't be enough. i don't know that it's even fair for me to suggest that i'm qualified to assess whether it would or would not be. it is a wonderful step in the right direction, specifically i would point everybody to the

chinese subsidies in solar where they are effectively taking over the global solar market by subsidizing it making it impossible for us or any other country in the world to compete on that front. the other thing i would like to see from the president in addition to anti-dumping lawsuit against china on solar specifically would be the willingness of our treasury department to define china specifically as a currency manipulator, which would then clear the way for trade rules to be enforced to reconcile that. so an additional step the president could take with his treasury department would be to define china as a currency manipulator. he's pushing in the right direction. it's for us to help him continue down the road in order to restore the investment fairness and trade taxes and banking that's a necessary precursor to the equality and fairness, the elimination of two sets of rules we all are seeking right now in this country. >> this is week two of the jobs tour that you kicked off. what are you hearing on the ground?

what are you hearing from folks all over this country? >> well, we came to florida specifically because we thought it was such a brilliant metaphor for this entire country. look at this. i mean, this is natural paradise in the lower 48 in our country if you're a citizen in this country, this is a territory that is as welcome to you as any part of our nation, and at the same time, it's a paradise in peril. there is this ground zero for the housing crisis which may be our greatest barrier outside of things like trade to job creation. and so we wanted to highlight the contrast between the incredible potential and beauty of this nation that we all share simultaneous to that paradise being in peril because we aren't resolving the elephant in the room that is housing that has florida jammed effectively in terms of its economy. it also gives us an opportunity to look how we can make significant improvements in our health care systems because obviously, the nature of the dem graphic in florida tends to be older, and as i an result, has

greater demand for health care. it's an opportunity for us to look at how we can more effectively create health for the baby boomers in this country, which is central to our future, bearing in mind that 5% of the american population, craig, is responsible for spending 50% of our health care dollars, and a lot of that is getting spent here in florida. and all of that obviously equals jobs. if you solve health care and housing, are you now on that road to 30 million jobs. >> dylan ratigan, do appreciate your time. >> thank you for the time, craig. week two, dylan's 30 million jobs tour kicks off from miami less than two hours today. the tale of two floridas and how solving the economic crisis there is critical to addressing the crisis facing the rest of this country. dylan just hit on it. you'll get lots more 4:00 eastern right here on msnbc. one year after the egyptian revolution, tens of thousands of protesters returning to tahrir

square. has anything really changed in that country since hosni mubarak was ousted? we'll get a live report from cairo. plus, michele bachmann announcing her first step after an unsuccessful presidential run. first today's money minute. here's a quick look at markets. the dow up about 37, s&p, nasdaq also up. i've worked hard to build my family. and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges,

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>> developing now, ben bernanke is holding a news conference to explain the feds' actions today after a two-day meeting, fed policymakers left interest rates unchanged as expected. they also announced they expect to keep interest rates exceptionally low through at least late 2014. let's go ahead and check wall street's reaction to this right now. the dow as you can see up about 31, s&p and nasdaq also up slightly. joining me, sue herrera coanchor

of "power lunch." what's the significance of extending its forecast of record low rates till at least 2014? it was a surprise to the market. we knew they were going to keep them low for some time, but 2014 really wasn't on the radar. and it has wall street wondering whether or not the fed is worried about the economy and the lack of growth that we're seeing in the economy or are they trying to insulate the u.s. economy from any kind of big financial impact from the problems going on over in europe. that's the debate that's being waged on wall street right now because either way, 20141 a long time to keep interest rates between 0 and .25%. so that's why they're listening so closely to the fed chief trying to get their hands on some sort of a justification or clarification perhaps better said. >> did they alter their economic forecast at all today? >> they really didn't alter their forecast although they did keep intact the language they kept in their forecast in the

past which is there is still significant downside risk to the u.s. economy. they noted that business spending and investment has slowed down and that's not a good sign because businesses are the driver of the economy, especially small businesses. so they're a little bit, sounds like they're a little bit worried about that. >> cnbc's sue herrera. also a pleasure. thank you. coming up, big changes are coming to school cafeterias around the country. first lady michelle obama announcing the first overhaul of school lunches in about 15 years. plus, demi moore, dropping out of a new movie and checking into a hospital. we'll get the latest update on the actress's condition. when you have tough pain, do you want fast relief? try bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles so it enters the bloodstream fast and rushes relief to the site of your tough pain. it's proven to relieve pain twice as fast as before. bayer advanced aspirin. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice...

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differences to send off gabby giffords with a moving farewell. also, one year later on the first anniversary of egypt's uprising, tens of thousands of people pack tahrir square. a live report from the cairo and severe storms, major flooding in parts of texas after a massive line of storms moves in, including three tornadoes. plus, facebook outrage. like it or not the facebook timeline is here to stay, folks. details what it means for you. first though, it was an emotional day in the house chamber as gabby giffords is resigned from gong res after several touching tributes from colleagues this morning. giffords climbing the speaker's perch to personally deliver the resignation letter to john boehner. she was guided by her close friend florida in congresswoman debbie wasserman-schultz who moments before read the letter allowed. >> every day i am working hard. i will recover and will return. and we will work together again for arizona and for all

americans sincerely, gabrielle giffords, member of congress. >> nbc news capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell joining me live now. i work with a crew of folks here that aren't moved by much but there were many wet eyes in new york. >> there were many here today, as well. members, staffers, reporters, we all felt it. it's a day when i think people can allow themselves a bit of human emotion that comes through if you're reporting on someone or if you're a colleague on house floor, it was very real today. a lot of admiration for all she has accomplished in surviving that terrible attack last year. and giffords herself also paid tribute to those who were killed and injured on that same day, thanked her staff. we heard great tributes today to staffer who have kept her office going during this past year. she made a visit to the house office that she an hasn't been in for so long today.

that will be packed up fairly soon and she has now left the capitol. her next chapter is unknown. what we wanted to make certain today is that she wants to focus on recovery, hopes to re-enter public life some day and many colleagues were very impressed whether he there was no pressure for her to step down, she chose to do so so that someone else can fill the seat as she put it so there would be 100% effort for the people of arizona's eighth district. it was moving in so many ways today. it was a paws from the usual bickering and some of the political fights for a very honest celebration of her grace and her courage in coming back. >> it's always good to see and hear that in washington. it was great seeing her today. good seeing her last night at the state of the union as well. >> a very special moment and while she was not mentioned in the president's address, it was quite a moment to see a lingering hug from the president, almost dancing with her as he rocked her back and forth. we also then heard from the two

the congressmen who were sitting on either side, one a republican, jeff flake, the other a democrat raul who talked about the experience of sharing that night with gabrielle giffords. >> for us to see her there and be with her and greet her was just phenomenal. to recognize how hard she's tried to come back and she's given it 100% as she always does. and whatever the future holds, we know that she'll give it her all. >> it was emotional, it was uplifting to be sitting with her to see what an unbelievable recovery she has accomplished but also tinged with a degree of sadness because that's the last time that her and i as colleagues will be sitting there. kelly o'donnell for us today from capitol hill there. kelly, thank you. president obama had some harsh words for congress during

his state of the union address last night while he promised -- he promised to power through any republican efforts to block progress on the hill. >> as long as i'm president, i will working with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. but i intend to fight obstruction with action. and i will oppose any effort to the return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place. >> president obama because he was helping -- >> republicans argue back that the president is talking the talk, but not walking the walk. joining me now is republican congresswoman nan hayworth of new york. congresswoman, good afternoon to you. >> hi, craig. >> what do you make of the president's speech last night? >> well, the president expressed some inspiring ideas and thoughts that we share. these are the broad principles to have every citizen in the united states have a fair opportunity to thrive and to

have the dignity of work and to be able to participate in our communities. we all support that. and i do want to emphasize that in the house of representatives, republicans and democrats have been working together. >> really, congresswoman? >> really, craig. we've sent 30 bills to the senate. >> you realize that's not the perception in this country. >> well, i do. and i'm doing all i can to counter it because the news does need to get out. we have with republican and democratic votes sent 30 bills to the senate. 30. 27 of them have not gone any further. >> but what about all of those bills and all of the gridlock that we have all watched play out, sometimes for weeks on end whether it's the debt ceiling debate, whether it's the payroll tax cut discussion, as well? what about all of those those big things that you guys haven't gotten done? >> you know, craig, i am on the conference committee working with colleagues again across the aisle and from the senate to

make sure that we get the kind of payroll tax cut extension that republicans and democrats all support. and the issue, as you know, becomes how do we responsibly manage these great goals. that's what this contest throughout the year, if you will, has been about. how do we get consensus on moving forward? and president obama plays a leadership role in that, as well. on the house republican side, it's very true. we have emphasized that we have to think about the next generation and the generations beyond. we're borrowing 40 cents as of this moment, 40 to 41 cents of every dollar the federal government spends. that's all going to be put on the backs of our younger generations. it's not fair to them. >> i want to specifically about the payroll tax cut. i want to follow up on that because the president called on congress last night to extend it. there was a great deal of applause from both sides i noted. especially from majority leader

kantor. is this the something that you can say right now definitively will happen in the next two months? will we see a permanent extension of the payroll tax cut. >> i'm speaking only for myself, craig, but i believe that is the will of the conference committee and the will of the house of representatives of which i'm a member to extend that payroll tax relief. we have to bear in mind when we do that, we still have to fund the social security trust fund. it's not like taking funds from the general revenues which we want to lower taxes for everybody. but we do have to fund that social security trust fund because those payroll tax contributions go directly to that. and those social security benefits will be paid out eventually. so we have to have the compensatory offsets from other parts of the federal budget. but weigh have lots of opportunity to do that, and i do think that there is a strong will to get that done. >> last tight, congresswoman, the president called on

millionaires in this country and he was slightly more specific than he has been in the past but he basically said if you make more than a million bucks, you should have a tax rate of at least 30%. is that something you could sign off on as well? >> craig, the other big element that we need so desperate lit is growth. we need jobs. and we're not going to get nearly the growth that we need. >> yes or no on the 30% rate. >> the no on a 30% rate, craig. no on a rate hike. let's put it that way. >> okay. >> we need to lower taxes for everyone. everyone. we need to lower those burdens. we need to bring the federal government to the right size to serve us and not to suffocate the economy. we can do it. president obama is a very smart and inspiring leader. we can work together on this. let's not raise taxes on anyone. let's lower those burdens. the president has expressed a desire to consolidate departments of the federal government. let's work on that. we can do that and give dollars back to the american taxpayers

who are so hard working and so hard pressed. >> we can work together on this. i wrote it down, congresswoman hayworth. thank you for your time this afternoon. >> thank you. the funeral of legendry penn state football coach joe paterno tops our look at stories around the nation today. the hall of famer is being laid to rest in a private service. this morning, hundreds of mourners waited in long lines to pay their final respects during a public viewing. he died sunday two months after being diagnosed with lung cancer. penn state will hold a service tomorrow. a massive line of severe storms is slamming texas today. at least three suspected tornadoes have touched down near houston, damaging several businesses there. rain storms have caused street flooding and thousands of power outages is, as well. rescue teams have pulled several drivers from stalled cars. so far though, no injuries have been reported. kennedy cousin michael skakel wants a reduction of his prison sentence.

he was found guilty in the 1970 murder of 15-year-old. his attorneys argue he was just 15 when the murder was committed and should have been tried in juvenile court. the victims' families say they want skakel locked up for life. a new mexico man held in solitary confinement for two years has won of the largest civil rights settlements involving an inmate. a federal jury awarded him $22 million for violation of his constitutional rights. he was arrested in 2005 for a dwi. his attorneys say he was tossed in solitary without being prosecuted or seeing a judge. all charges against him have been dismissed. right now, hundreds of thousands of egyptians are rallying in cairo's tahrir square to mark one year since the uprising there. islamists and their liberal rivals are gathering on opposite sides of that square. the two groups are divided over just how much authority the military should have since long-time ruler hosni mubarak

was removed from power. the. the ousted president still on trial charged with corruption and contributing to the deaths of hundreds of protesters. nbc's a man joining me live from cairo as the -- let's talk about what's going on behind you first of all. is that a protest or a block party? >> it's a little bit of both. you know, it's got a lot of music to it, a lot of celebration. a great festive atmosphere. but make no mistake about it, it's all about politics. in some sense, it is a bit of eight celebration. to others an opportunity to renew calls for protests against the ruling milt council. for everyone here, it is to remember those that died during the revolution. that's why it's so important for many of them here today. they don't want the momentum of the past 12 months to be lost on anyone. some argue there have been gains, others feel that it hasn't lived up to its potential and they want today to be a milestone for that particular

event. >> you spent a great deal of time in that country over the past year. talk to me a little bit about what's changed in egypt. i mean, from the outside, it looks like last year's unity has been a bit compromised by the widening political differences there. >> it's that's absolutely right. on one hand, you definitely have a lot of new political parties that have emerged that represent the entire political spectrum, but what has changed, new political freedoms, new freedom of expression, the fact that people can still protest are things very new to see gypions over the past year. there are things that people cite as evidence things haven't changed. 12,000 civilians have been tried in military courts. the constitution still has not been written. the military still very much in control in the country. so depending on who you ask in egypt, the past year has shown some promise. for others it has completely failed to live up to the promise of the revolution. no doubt people here today are trying to keep the revolution on

course snoors ayman, be safe buddy. >> thank you an. >> up next, why a jury ordered a hospital to pay garth brooks $1 million. first, there's a lot going on here today. here are a few of the things we thought you should know. this morning it, first lady michelle obama unveiled new standards to make school lunches more healthy and less fattening. more school meals will have more whole grains and more fruits and veggies, as well. this is the first major school lunch overhaul in about 15 years designed to fight childhood obesity, one of the first lady's signature causes. three weeks after dropping a presidential bid, representative michele bachmann says she will seek a fourth term in congress. she made that announcement in an interview after the president's state of the union address last night and also criticized mr. obama for "doubling down on failures that is didn't work." and when it comes to cash,

wisconsin governor scott walker is way ahead of his opponents trying to boot him out of office. campaign finance reports so that walker raised $12 million since last year for his likely recall election. he brought in $4.5 million since december alone. that's way more than the less than half a million dollars that wisconsin democrats and labor advocates raised during that same time, the groups driving the recall election in wisconsin. ♪

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pipeline. a member of congress explains why. now back to my colleague craig. >> looking forward to it, sir. thank you for that, demi moore seeking help for exhaustion. a court victory for country music star. time's up if you haven't embraced the new timeline on facebook. courtney hazlett continues her maternity leave. brian balthazar back from his maternity leave. >> look at me. >> the editor of pop goes the week. come. >> how are you? >> very good. a sad event for demi moore. >> what's the word? >> a late night call to 911 ended up having her hospitalized. her representative says due to exhaustion all some tabloid web sites are saying it's due to substance abuse and an-rexia. she's had a pretty rough year. in november she announced she was splitting from ashton kutcher. and amid a scandal that he may epresentativeua.cheated on her. . we have that statement. it reads because of the stresses in her life right now, demi has

chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health. she looks forward to getting well and is grateful for the support of her family and friends." >> she dropped out of the movie as well, right. >> she was going to play gloria steinham in the upcoming film about linda love lace and she is no longer going to take part in that. we wish her the best and we'll see where that goes. >> garth brooks has another cool million in the bank. >> he's getting a million dollars from an oklahoma hospital. his mother passed away from cancer in 1999. he subsequently donated $500,000 to the oklahoma hospital. and it's there where the story -- where the hospital and garth have different opinions about what happened. it turns out he was expecting that they would build a medical center in her name. and they believed that they had unrestricted access to that $500,000. so he was awarded actually that will $500,000 back and an additional $500,000 in punitive damages. we have a sound bite from the garth reacting. >> let's take a lis. >> and this is how i feel.

one day mom's name is going to go on the women's center right there where the hospital is. but that hospital won't be owned by int teg grass when it happens. that's my dream. >> integ grass being the hospital. they wanted to get their word in. we have a statement from them that reads, help me out here "obviously we are disappointed particularly with the jury's decision to award damages above and beyond the $500,000. we're just glad to see the case come to a resolution." up the obviously some differences of opinion. give him credit for trying to remember his mom. >> this is one that's got a lot of folks around these parts upset. >> if you are a member of facebook and don't like the new timeline format, get on board. that train is it leaving without you. over the next few weeks, they're going to transition everyone. you'll have about seven days to customize it the way you want. basically change is coming. embrace it. it's going to look different. >> it's busy. >> you know what? >> there's a lot going on. >> a year from now, we'll be

complaining about some other change and missing the timeline. so get on board. >> sounds like you've embraced it. >> i'm all over it. >> brian, always a pleasure. thank you for your time. . today's news nation gut check, we want your thoughts on a story we brought you earlier. in the state of the union, president obama called income inequality the defining issue of our time. do you agree with the president? you can join the "news nation" on facebook. new and old facebook@facebook.com/news nation. when you have diabetes... your doctor will say get smart about your weight. that's why there's new glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] new glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes.

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time now for today's news nation gut check. in last night's state of the union address, president obama said income inequality is the defining issue of our time. what does your gut tell you? do you agree with the president? go to facebook.com/news nation to vote. right now, take a look what the news nation is saying about

yesterday's gut check. we asked, is the president's annual state of the union address to congress even still useful? 84% of you said yes, it is. 16% said no. that does it for this wednesday edition of "news nation." i'm craig melvin. you can catch "news nation" with tamron hall every weekday 2:00 p.m. eastern. up next my friend and colleague martin bashir. [ female announcer ] crest 3d white was recognized by marie claire as one of the 25 beauty products that will change your life because it whitens by removing up to 80% of surface stains. see how it can change your life. crest 3d white. life opens up when you do.

you wouldn't want your doctor doing your job. so why are you doing hers? only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actually something more serious... like acid reflux disease. over time, stomach acid can damage the lining of your esophagus. for many, prescription nexium not only provides 24-hour heartburn relief, but can also help heal acid related erosions in the lining of your esophagus. talk to your doctor about the risk for osteoporosis-related bone fractures and low magnesium levels with long-term use of nexium. possible side effects include headache, diarrhea and abdominal pain. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. let your doctor do her job, and you do yours. ask if nexium is right for you. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. today my journey continues across the golden state, where everyone has been unbelievably nice.

mornin'. i guess i'm helping them save hundreds on car insurance. it probably also doesn't hurt that i'm a world-famous advertising icon. cheers! i mean, who wouldn't want a piece of that? geico. ah... fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent oh dear... or more on car insurance. good afternoon. it's january 25th, a wednesday. and here's what's happening. made in the usa. the president on the road fighting for american jobs. >> now it's our turn to leave an america that's built to last i'm confident we can do it. >> as his opponents attack him and his record. >> he is completely detached from the reality of what's happening in america. >> an attempt to defend their own. >> i have never lied under oath. i have never committed pe