and disturbing new details in the murder/suicide of josh powell and his two young sons. authorities say powell attacked his children with a hatchet before the home explosion that ultimately killed them. our interview with the boys' grandparents straight ahead. hi, everybody, great to have you with me today. i'm thomas roberts. a lot going on including here in new york city with where a ticker tape parade for the new york giants is getting under way. that's where new york, though, has honored its stars for almost as 1 million people expected to be along the parade route. we'll bring you a live report of that ticker tape parade here for the giants, the super bowl champs. we begin, though, with president obama's re-election campaign trying to counteract wealthy conservative billionaires determined to help defeat him in the fall and the level of the super pac playing field urging support he is to give to a pro-obama super pac. take a look at this.

romney's super pac restore our future raised more than $30 million. compare that to the $4.4 million supporting the president. priorities usa action. this move comes nine months before election day and represents a sea change for the president who just last year opposed the supreme court decision allowing outside groups to raise unemploymented cash. >> with all due deference to separation of powers, last week the supreme court reversed a century of law that i believe will open the floodgates to special interests. shouldn't be bank rolled by america's special interests or, worse, by foreign enemies. they should be decided by the american people. >> brad woodhouse is the communications director for the dnc. brad, it's good to have you here as we talk about this. it's going to be a hot subject, certainly the right will be

talking about this today as well. speak speaker boehner just saying in response on president obama's reversal of using super pacs as just another broken promise. how do you think the president is going to be able to explain away his now stance on supporting super pacs, encouraging donors to support his? >> let's be clear, thomas, the president hasn't changed his position on what he thinks about super pacs. he supports laws. he supports efforts, he disported the disclose act to try to ameliorate the decision so we wouldn't have this influx of special interest money. look, you have the koch brothers, karl rove, oil interest, insurance company interest, financial sector supporting mitt romney that have pledged to raise half a billion dollars to defeat president obama. we don't like the rules. we're not going to be able to change the rules if we don't

re-elect the president. this was a reluctant decision but it was one where we just had to decide we were not going to unilaterally disarm and just allow an influx in the special interest money to swamp the message that we're trying to get out. >> does this open the president up to being a hypocrite as saying do as i say not as i do? >> well, look, as i said, the president supports efforts to roll back this type of thing, even possibly up to a constitutional amendment if necessary. he doesn't believe that the citizens united decision was decided correctly. he'd love to see super pacs go away. this has placed a great emphasis and will continue to do so on small dollar donors and let's remember this, thomas, we're still not going so far as the other side. mitt romney has raised money for his super pac, are appeared at events. the president won't be doing that. we're talking about campaign officials and white house aides. the president and vice president, the first and second lady won't be doing what mitt

romney is doing and we won't be soliciting fund for the super pac. it will only be at appearing at events. >> let's remind everyone about the super pac. it's unlimited money. it's secret donation that is can come in and this type of money is what a lot of people in the past say corrupts and bankrupts the political process in the united states. i do want to mention the president and the dnc, the democratic national committee, fund-raising to date. so let's show everybody these numbers. the president nearly hit the $250 million mark in fund-raising last year. the rnc, though, is accusing the president of flip-flopping and doing everything he can to win this election. so how do you take the money out of the possibility of buying an election when all this is about is raising the most money to be the most financially best out there? >> look, you have to raise money to run an election. campaigns are expensive. the focus of the obama campaign has been since it began in 2007 to raise as much of that money

from small dollar donors, people not just giving money but to be part of something big in changing the political process. so that's going to continue on the campaign side. republicans would love that if we would just lay down and let them skewer this president with millions or half a billion dollars in special interest negative advertising. 99% of the money spent by republ republican super pacs so far has been negative. we just can't afford -- we can't afford to do that. too much is at stake. it's no secret why the koch brothers or they're in the oil industry, why the financial industry, the insurance industry is spending all this money on these super pacs. they want to roll back the progress that the president has made on behalf of the american people and go back to doing the things we were doing before the president came into office that got us in a mess in our financial system and a mess in our health care system. >> another thing the administration is dealing with now is the controversy that is

surrounding the administration's decision to make employers provide a contraception option. catholic leaders are vowing to make this an election year issue. was this decision a political misstep by the white house, basically they're being blind sided by the backlash? >> well, look, i don't believe so. i wouldn't characterize it as that. the health and human services department tried to find a middle ground here. remember, there are about ten or eight states that have no exemptions here and require this type of coverage. there are over two dozen states that have laws that are vastly similar to what the administration has put out and then, remember, mitt romney in massachusetts supported virtually an identical provision in that state. so, you know, they have tried to strike a balance here and, of course, this is a sensitive issue but we resolved long ago the right of women to be able to access the pill.

>> brad woodhouse with the dnc, thank you, sir. >> great, thank you. as we mentioned president obama is feeling this major political heat from the catholic church in an unexpected fight that could send shock waves through his 2012 campaign the white house decision to make sure that all employers provide the option of health insurance covering contraception to women has been met with severe backlash from the religious leaders across america accusing the president of lining up against the catholic church in an unprecedented way. the president's campaign team was out this morning to give their side of the story. take a listen. >> i'm less concerned about the messaging of this then to find a resolution that makes sense and we certainly don't want to bridge anyone's religious freedoms so we'll find a way to move forward that both guarantees women that base ek preventive care that they need and respects the prerogatives of religious institutions. republican presidential candidate mitt romney wasted no time going after the president

on this one. >> they have to provide for their employees free of charge contraceptiv contraceptives, morning after pills, abortive pills and the like, no cost, think what that does to people in faiths who do not share those views. this is a violation of conscience. we must have a president who is willing to protect america's first right, our right to worship god according to the dictates of our own conscience. >> let's talk more about this. msnbc political analyst richard wolffe joins us and our contributor and political reporter. gentlemen, it's a big talker for a lot of people around the country. let's talk about the shock value related to this story. it certainly spread quickly to become this big talker. how do you think the white house is now feeling hindsight being 20/20 how this conversation has turned? >> frankly i think they were late to come to this. they have been outmaneuvered in terms of religious leaders and conservatives framing this as

some kind of an attack on religion whereas in fact not only does this have majority support among catholics never mind among the broader population but this is something widespread through the country. you heard about romney's record in massachusetts. the debate on the right has shifted so dramatically from abortion to contraception and birth control that i think the white house was blind sided w dh by the shift. >> there is this big political piece to the story where catholic voters truly matter in this country and where they will show up. "the wall street journal" showed this. 54% support barack obama. 54% voted republican in 2010. so they're a quarter of the electorate. has this given republican candidates the window to rally catholics around their campaigns and bring them out? >> well, richard is right that ka catholics, according to some polling, are not as opposed to this idea as their leadership

is. but it's been notable the leadership including people who are generally pretty liberal like mahoney have criticized this in really apocalyptic terms and this comes back. you talk to catholics who went to mass over the weekend, they heard about this. they've been hearing about it for weeks. i think politically what it does for republicans, it emphasizes two arguments they've been making, they haven't taken seriously in the media. one is that congress passed the health care plan without reading it, this mandate was in there. it was debated a little bit in 2010. and only now do they make this decision. the other argument is i guess people have been chuckling a bit when newt gingrich said there's a war on religion but people go back -- people go to mass and they hear about the government doing something, forcing something upon bishops they don't want to do. that adds evidence to that. >> we've talked about how mitt romney is trying to capitalize on this, make this about

religious liberty even though his policies as massachusetts governor were very similar. here is rachel maddow's take this morning. take a listen. >> i see this as part of a larger issue on contraception. and right now all of the republican candidates have taken pretty far right perspectives on contraception. i think sitting as an extension of anti-abortion politics. >> richard, i want to start with you. could this backlash be seen as part of the war on women and cause more women to vote for the president in 2012? >> this is not a popular general election position for mitt romney. it does speak to some of the challenges he still faces both in terms of facing rick santorum in the races to come but, also, approving to evangelical voters that he is one of them, that he has that religious fervor behind him and they should show up in the general election. the danger is the competitive battleground for the general election, among independent swing voters are women, suburban

women, who care about birth control and contraception. he's balancing out two very different groups he has to appeal for in the general election. >> is this a political hot potato one that could be a double-edged sword for the right? >> it could be. you set it up correctly by saying it wasn't just them, it was the church. and this is the problem here. voters may not have a problem with -- excuse me, they may actually embrace access to birth control. it is true the current position is to the right of the current american position. the current voters position but when you mix up the leadership of church, the conscience that they have actually built up for years and really a bargain between liberal catholics and conservative catholics that has remained pretty resilient through a lot of social changes in the 1960s, i don't think you can dwayne this out very easily.

this isn't like requiring secular health care plans to provide contraception. >> gentlemen, thanks so much. i appreciate your time this morning. i need to move on to this breaking news we're following this morning right here on msnbc. a high-ranking official with the susan g. komen foundation has re-signed following last week's dispute with planned parenthood. she is karen handall who made a failed with bid for the governor of georgia. making that bid on a strong anti-abortion platform, anti-planned parenthood as well. she openly acknowledges her role in the matter and believes the decision was the best one. komen's ceo received she had received handel's resignation saying they made mistakes and takes full responsibility. komen said it was due to an abandoned policy that barred fund-raising organizations under investigation. a super celebration is happening right now as we speak in new york city for the super

bowl champs. that's right. the giants. thousands lining up even on a work day, we'll show you the pictures from the ticker tape parade. for the troops who arrive home from war zoeps, it's a completely different story for those heroes. no bands, no confetti, no big celebration. we're going to find out why not. the employee of the month is... spark card from capital one. spark cash gives me the most rewards of any small business credit card. it's hard for my crew to keep up with 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. 2% cash back.

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so here in new york city it is a beautiful day for big blue and one that's going to bring up the best kind of nostalgia for all their fans. a ticker tape parade rolling right up the canyon of heroes for the new york giants. the team basking in the glow as the newly crowned super bowl champs. it's a good looking crowd out there, too. darren rovell is on the scene covering this cavalcade. darren, what's the mood on the

streets? out for a work day to celebrate the giants. >> yeah, we spoke to people hopefully they didn't on monday yeah, the feeling down here is day. from the world cup that we got int to. super bowl championship, is worth $40 to $50, you know, in terms of economic impact. are they from new jersey or new york? that probably lessens things a bit. interesting note, though, the mayor's office will not tell us how much this cost. in 2008 the last time the giants $331,000 1986 didn't have a parade in 1991 because of the gulf war 1986 mayor ed koch would not have a parade for the giants because he said that the giants

foreigners because they had their stadium in new jersey. american express offered to pay the cost at that time and he still said no. so no ticker tape. of course we don't use that anymore. there might be up to 50 tons of recycled paper being thrown out the win doughs today. >> darren, when we talk about the weather, it couldn't be any nicer for people that are roughly 50 degrees, blue skies. >> reporter: yeah, really nice. blue and white skies. i think that's the way the man upstairs wanted to have it. one quick thing which is funny. i did buy this towel. it says it's the official towel. i doubt the nfl sanctioned this. they're selling for $10. "the new york post" is selling they have a better chance. it's nice weather. people are going crazy and at

least the fans are acting like they're drinking already. >> and it's only 011:19 on the east coast. the darren was pointing out they use recycled paper nowadays. in 1951 world war ii military hero and icon general douglas mcarthur and march 1st, 1962, the mercury program,s john glenn, celebrating his moon orbit. these are images that you can't get out of your mind and then in 1990 future south african president nelson is mandela newly freed after 27 years in captivity. indelible images. some are asking for similar parades to honor veterans of the iraq war, heroes, but with soldiers still serving overseas in afghanistan, the pentagon says it doesn't feel that's appropriate right now and on sunday's "meet the press" mayor mike bloomberg said he agrees

with that. >> i think the military is sensitive. they're the ones that are out there. they're the ones that have been in combat themselves. i'll defer to the leader shship. >> a former u.s. army major and iraq war vet and the chairman of bothvets.org. obviously there's a lot to talk about when we talk about what's taking place with our returning heroes. one here in new york city. >> i think the smaller communities want to have parades, i don't personally have a problem with that. actually i find it flattering. it's difficult when you get back. they don't know how to say thank you so i'm surprised by the pentagon and that statement, of course, whether or not they want to support some type of national parade with troops in afghanistan. i think that's a fair argument that there are still troops engaged but to let communities

do what communities want to do is fine. i'd certainly prefer the pentagon to take a hard line against some of the issues that will affect the veterans down the road like no privatization and these sensitive issues, and i certainly hope the public engagement of people who show up to these parades take a hard look at how they will be treated the next 15 to 20 years. >> hosting a state dinner for vets. when you weigh that acknowledgement against the statistics of how many served in both wars, the number of lives of family and friends that we've lost in both wars and then the cost, the financial cost of these wars, when we think about the idea of the physicality of a parade, is that really enough? you make up -- youy up that great point about the pensions. >> look, the parade is great. people want to know how to say thank you. this is the smallest percentage of people who serve issed in a war in the history of our country. people don't really know what to do. when you take a uniform off, i went to the bank friday in civilian clothes and, i mean, literally i came back from iraq

six weeks ago. i just wanted a check. a check written to the irs in 2010, a copy of it, and they hustled me for $3. are you serious? i just got back from iraq and my dad passed away and he has all my tax information and the manager of my pnc bank, it's not our fault you got sent to iraq. i walked out. i ripped up the paper and i walked out. people just don't know how to talk to you. and so i think say things to you like thank you. what will happen to military pensions? what happens to the fact with ptsd and brain injury? they are trying to help get medical schools studying. there are issues we face with how we deal with you on an individual basis, that are much more important than a parade because it's just a moment. and it's not a long term commitment to helping people who served in the government backing that up. >> it's about a constant attitude, these daily reminders

of knowing what everyone has done. we appreciate you coming on this morning, iraq war vet. again, jon, thank you for joining me today. i appreciate it. we need to turn to some breaking news now. a tanker explodes in anderson county, south carolina. just look at that. no word yet on exactly how this happened. but you can see that fire engines and service members are on the scene. anyone that we know on the scene there we don't know about them being hurt but we will bring you developments after this. [ male announcer ] drinking a smoothie with no vegetable nutrition?

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both of them had chop wounds on their head and neck and a hatchet was found at the scene of the home. investigators believe powell long this the a suspect in the disappearance of his wife, susan, was trying to hide eviden evidence. >> he had planned this event out. >> joining me now are the boys' grandparents, charles and judy cox. mr. and mrs. cox, thank you so much for joining us this morning. we express our deepest condolences for your loss. i know that so much has been said and discussed about your daughter's case and now so many details have emerged in the last 24 hours because of the circumstances involving the death of your grandchildren. did you ever imagine, chuck, that josh powell could be capable of doing something like this? >> we were concerned about it. yes, we did know he was capable. we didn't think it would be such a violent thing.

it if i suspected they were in his care and he felt he was being cornered that he may have been giving them some poison or something to put them to sleep. but this -- to bring them into the house and light the thing on fire, that is such a violent act. i didn't know he was capable of that. >> judy, as we have been following this case and most of america has been riveted by the headlines of what has been going on with the investigation for your daughter, susan, a lot of people were aware that you were trying to secure custody of the boys because you didn't believe in the parenting skills of josh. you didn't believe in his story about what happened the night that susan disappeared. do you think that the justice system was doing enough to protect the boys through this process? >> i think all those that were working on the case were doing

by law what they were able to do or supposed to do for their jobs and i don't think they realized what kind of a person he really was. he trade to tell them that if he felt cornered or anything that he would do something terrible usually and they -- i just don't think they quite believed us, and so i think it led up to this. i wish there were more laws or more strict when they do visitations. >> chuck, a lot has been reported about josh and how he acted as a father, seeing the boys as property, showing them no real affection but there was also a report being done that the boys were starting to remember things from the night that their mother disappeared. is that true? were they starting to verbalize things to you and judy about the night that susan disappeared?

>> yes, they were. they, both of them, have is on separate occasions told us that the last time they saw mommy was on a camping trip and when i talked to them about what camping trip it was, it turned out it was a winter camping trim and they said that -- when i told them daddy said mommy stayed home, then they would go back to a rehearsed answer of, i don't remember. so i knew they were remembering things and they were deciding to tell us what they knew or not. >> judy, when we talk about the case of susan still being missing, so many unanswered questions, what are investigate issors saying about where the case stands today? >> the case is still open. >> yeah. they said they will not give up. they will see it through and they will not let it become a

cold case. they're determined not only professionally but i think personally in finding susan. >> we express again our deepest condolences for your loss and appreciate you coming on to share your stories this morning. we keep you in our hearts and our prayers, to you and your extended family. charles and judy cox, thank you again. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> you're tremendously strong to talk to us in the wake of that tragedy, questions have surfaced about why josh powell was allowed to see his children given the grandparents' fears and reports that 5-year-old braden recently talked about his mommy being in the trunk of their car shortly before she disappeared. but given that braden was only 2 at the time of the camping trip when susan disappeared, authorities may have taken the boy's age into account. it's unclear what authorities did, though, with that information. it is important to note that from the time he was granted supervised visits up until his death josh powell was never charged with the crime. well, right now the romney

campaign is holding an event in colorado, the gop front-runner will watch voting results from minnesota, missouri, and the centennial state come in from denver this evening. the shift to these states has also brought with it about a change in a strategy for mitt romney directing his attacks at other republican rivals. peter alexander is following the romney campaign from johnstown, colorado, and peter joining me to talk about this. it was all about knocking down newt gingrich before now. rick santorum is getting the treatment from mitt romney, correct? >> reporter: this was the one candidate who had avoided the romney attack machine. the romney machine had gone after rick perry, after newt gingrich consistently and now going after rick santorum as he appears to have some momentum heading into the three contests tonight. there was a barrage of e-mails sent to reporters like myself yesterday attacking santorum, one of them in a statement from the former minnesota governor tim pawlenty distributed in his own state saying santorum is a

nice guy but he isn't ready to be president. as for the person who wants to be president who will be in this room, mitt romney, he's running late and for a campaign that is normally right on time that in itself is newsworthy. for the first time in the time we've been traveling with him, he spoke to the room by skype hoping to rally the troops here but it was all broken up, a bad sign signal. he is hoping they will go out to caucus. he will be here in the denver area for tonight's post caucus party. >> peter, let's talk about the romney team and how they may be down playing certain expectations tonight when it comes to the state of minnesota. what are they saying there? >> reporter: a senior adviser told me late yesterday that he would not be surprised if santorum pulled out a victory in minnesota. they really are trying to knock down the expectations, trying to make a buffer, if you will, ahead of what may be headlines tomorrow saying a breakout night for rick santorum. however, they have acknowledged

in an e-mail they sent to us, hey, we always said we're not going to win every contest. this is a race that we're in for the long haul and even as they say that, just a short time ago we got an e-mail from the pro-romney super pac saying they are focused on a new ad buy in ohio, $160,000. they have just purchased television ads going on there tomorrow. ohio doesn't vote until super tuesday. >> peter alexander, great to see you. thank you. developing now on msnbc the president is due to announce additional steps to help recruit and prepare math and science teachers. his backdrop is the second annual white house science fair. there's a live shot of it. the president will detail what the white house says are his key steps in the administration and what they hope to help more students excel in math and science. also, more than $20 million in private investments to help fund these programs. we're going to take you there live after a quick break. wanna know the difference between a trader and an elite trader?

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this country can't be knocked out with one punch and the world will hear the roar of our engines. yeah. it's halftime, america. and our second hatch is about to begin. >> clint eastwood is denying his super bowl spot halftime was designed to make president obama's day. he says it was instead about the american spirit. president obama's advisers said this morning -- or had this to say on "morning joe" today. take a listen. >> i knew nothing about the ad until i saw it. honestly i don't understand why every american doesn't feel good about the fact that the american auto industry is coming back. >> that was david axelrod. joining me now the new democrat network alicia menendez and robert traenor. we are expecting the president in the east room live any moment now so don't consider me rude if i have to jump out to go to him announcing his new plan to prepare math and science teachers in this country.

so now we have that out of the way. i want to say that while we're looking at what people are saying about clint eastwood here is what karl rove said about that ad yesterday. take a listen. >> this is a sign of what happens when you have the government getting in bed with big business like the bailout of the auto companies. they begin -- the leadership feels they need to do something to repay their political patrons. i was offended by it. i'm a huge fan. i thought it was a well done ad but it is a sign of what happens when you have chicago-style politics and the president of the united states and his political minions in essence using our tax dollars to buy corporate advertising and the best wishes of the management which it benefited by getting a bunch of our money they'll never pay back. >> is this revisionist history considering president bush finiinitiated the auto bailout? >> this is politically unsavvy. what karl rove did is give someone like me the opportunity to come on television and remind

that you president obama and his administration did, in fact, save the auto industry and 100 million jobs from the brink of collapse and in addition to that you have mitt romney as his counter point who said let ge go bankrupt. so unless this is a machiavellian scheme by karl rove to allow us to remind the american people that mitt romney was on the wrong side of the issue, i think it was unsavvy for him to go that far. >> so beyond what karl rove has said, robert, mitt romney has been outspoken, a critic of the bailout. he had this to say last month in new hampshire. >> i believe the market works better than the president stepping in to take care of his friends. >> so could this ad open him up to future criticism, or could it be seen as supporting the need for this new quarterback in the second half? >> i think it's a combination of both, thomas. look, the ad was pretty good. if you take a look from its production value and overall

messaging. this is much ado about nothing in the grand scheme of things. chrysler and detroit should have been more sensitive to the needs of everyday americans out there because, let's remind us, our tax dollars did go to bail out these two industries, general motors and chrysler. so, again, the ad is very, very good but they should have been more sensitive to this. to answer your question specifically, mitt romney does have a point there as relates to letting the market work itself out. however, the federal government does have a responsibility to provide a safety net there if, in fact, the market is not going to right itself which we saw back in 2008. >> as we talk about missing the message here, alicia, the detroit news argued the point of this ad is being missed because of politics being interjected, that it's a warning detroit this was harbinger for the entire nation. are politics obscuring what is the message from an ad like that? >> absolutely, and i don't think we would be sitting here having a political conversation if there weren't those on the far

right who tried to make something that was basically a pep talk for america become political but now that we are having this conversation, it becomes clearer than ever that you have two very different competing visions for this country, one where we invest in america and one where we say, as robert just said, hey, let the market work it out. it will all be okay and ultimately voters in november are going to have to choose between those two competing visions. >> robert, when we talk about this and obviously with the left and right of course there are going to be these divides, but how come the right can't say, okay, america is on the right track given this point, this point, and that point is this but here is how i would ensure it would be successful as we move forward instead of down playing what's been done and almost discounting the good work that's been done? >> well, i'm not sure i agree with that analogy, thomas. the right is saying, look, a lot of work has yet to be done and i'll remind you and our audience out there it was president obama who said back in 2008 -- 2009, excuse me, on "60 minutes" that

he would be judged if unmroit was not below 7%, that he would be judged if, in fact, the economy was not moving at a quick can enough pace. unemployment is going down from 9.2% down to 8.3%. but we're not going fast enough in order for people to actually see progress being made in terms of real money and real dollars in their pocketbooks. those are not my words. those are president obama's words back in 2009. >> robert traynham and alicia menendez, thank you. what's taking place in new york city as we speak, it is the super celebration for the super bowl champs. they are the new york giants. first this recycled paper ticker tape parade in lower manhattan and then a ceremony at city hall and mayor michael bloomberg will present the boys in blue with the keys to the city. the giants beat out the patriots in the championship game 21-17. s in our environment.

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it may no longer be enough to test your blood pressure in only one arm. data from a new study shows that differences differences in blood pressure is related to 0 risk of p.a.d. p.a.d. can lead to mortality, cardiovascular disease. if detected early is treatable. just over an hour from now we are expecting a major legal ruling out of california. a court decision on proposition 8 which bans same sex marriage in the golden state. now the 9th circuit court of appeals will rule on whether it violates the constitutional right of same sex couples. nbc news justice correspondent pete williams joins me now. pete, there's a lot more to it when this all comes out in over an hour from now. explain to us.

>> reporter: i think what we're going to be watching for is obviously what the decision is. now base d on the oral argument it seems this three judge panel is prepared to say prop 8 is unconstitutional. but if the court rules that way then the big question will be how broadly or narrowly do they write the decision, a sweeping ruling like the trial judge or more limited, trying to confine the ruling to eitherc californi or states that already recognize civil unions? so, thomas, that will be what we're watching for. whoever loses here will undoubtedly appeal. they can either go 0 to the full ninth circuit court of appeals. but just because they asked the supreme court to take the case doesn't necessarily mean that the supreme court will take it up. it doesn't seem like this is an issue the supreme court is itching to take early. there are other cases. but, in any event, whatever the ruling today is, it's unlikely gay marriage, even if it's ruling it's unconstitutional would start up again. it would be put on hold while there are further appeals. >> we'll know roughly around

1:00 p.m. eastern time. we'll keep an eye out for that one. justice correspondent pete which will yams, thank you. so turning our attention now to this sweeping move the entire staff of a los angeles to a swe move, the staff of >> i'm afraid, i'm thinking of moving my child to the school. -- live

>> when we say the teachers will be changed. they will have woulde teacher s per classroom and an investigation has begun a teacher was charged with abusing a student, calling the student to his room after the school day. and he was taking pictures and that teacher was fired a year ago, arrested last week. another teacher accused of fondeling stoo ining students, is on alert, they want no more surprises. >> thank you so much, we will be right back with more here on msnbc,

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a. want to take you live to the east room where the president

has just arrived for the consecutive annual science fair. >> i have to say this is fun, it's not every day that you have robots running all over your house. i am pry -- trying figure out how you got through the metal detectors. i shot a marshmallow through an air gun, which was very excit g exciting. science is what got many of us here today. we have a real life astronaut and charles bollton in the house. [ applause ] we have the administrator of epa, lisa jackson is here. [ applause ] the director of the national science is foundation is here.

my science -- there over here, my science adviser john holdren is in the house. and we have a couple of people that have dedicated themselves to making science cool for young people. we have got neil tyson and bill nye the science guy. [ applause ] now it's fitting that this day's fair is happening two days after the super bowl, i want to congratulate the new york giants and all their fans. i just talked to coach coughlin and i'm looking forward to having the giants here at the white house so we can celebrate their achievements. but what i said, and said it many times is, if we are recognizing athletic achievement, then we should be also recognizing academic

achievement. and science achievement. if we ininvite the team that win s the super boewl to the white house, we need to invite science fair winners to the white house as well. and now, i'm going to talk about how great all of you are in a second. before i do, i want to give the parents a big round of applause because they work hard to help you succeed. and i know this is their day. they are really proud of you. as a parent, i know that seeing your kids do extraordinary th g things brings the greatest happiness that a parent can have. congratulations to all the parents. [ applause ] but parents are not the only ones that helped you get this

far, every one of you can think of a teacher or a couple of teachers that without whom you would not be here. so the next time you see those teachers you give a big thank you for yourself and from me, they matter and they deserve our support. i want to make sure that we are constantly lifting up how important teachers are to making sure that you succeed and that this country succeeds. so give teachers a round of applause. [ applause ] now, as i was walking around the science fair, i was thinking back to what i was your age and basically you guys put me to shame. what impresses me so much is not just how smart you are, but it's the fact that you recognize, you have a responsibility to use your talents in service of something bigger than

yourselves. you know, some of you that means developing new products that will change the way we live. so haley, where is haley? there she is right over here, inventing a new type of the sugar packet that dissolves in water and flavorless and could save up to 2 million pounds of trash each year and that is just at starbucks. so master card has awarded her $10,000, to make her idea a business. some of you are here because you saw a problem in your community and wanted to solve it. benjamin was worried that folks at the senior center were g getting lonely so he built a robot, so it's like a moving s

c kype, it allows the seniors to talk to their kids and grandkids even when they cannot visit. for some of you the journey you took to get here is as inspiring as the work that you did to get here. there's a rocket team, where are you? stand up guys, stand up. this is part of the fourth poorest school district in the state of texas. teachers cooked food and they raffled off a goat, that right? just so they could raise enough money for the rocket team to compete and the majority of the kids at the school are esl, english is a second language. and th