drowning issue. i don't know if the detectives discussed that with the family, but no, we have not released any information like that. >> tmz.com is also reporting small amounts of multiple medication, clint xanax, and the antibiotic amoxicillin were at the scene. the website claims that sources tell them that houston may have been taking the antibiotic to treat a sore throat. more is being pieced together to better understand where she was in her life, including what she said in her last tv interview to promote "sparkle" set to be released this summer. >> i'm solder. i'm matured. >> you still look good. >> but that has nothing to do with me feeling old. i'm older. matured. maturated now and looking forward to the years to come. >> joining us from california,

kristen dahlgren. i know we have more details on whitney's body and maybe a timeline when it may arrive in newark, new jersey. >> yeah, good afternoon, tamron. here's what we do know. the autopsy on whitney houston's body is now complete. the coroner's office says that means it can be released to the family, and tmz is reporting that a van has picked up whitney houston's body from the l.a. county coroner's office. that van will go to a funeral home here in los angeles, and then to the airport where it's expected to be flown as early as this afternoon by to newark, new jersey. a funeral is planned later on this weeks. there's a hold on the autopsy results, a security hold. so it's difficult to get more information. that's common in high-profile cases. here's what we are able to confirm. the police department will have a news conference at any moment, but they did release a statement to us, saying that whitney

houston was discovered in her bathtub by a member of her personal staff at about 3:30 this afternoon. she was under water and apparently unconscious. they say she was pulled from the tub by members of her staff and hotel security was notified. firefighters and paramedics in the hotel tried to revive her. they found her unconscious and unresponsive. they initiated cpr, but were unable to save her. at approximately 3:55 she was pronounced dead at the scene. they say at this point that's all the specifics they can get into. as far as the autopsy goes the coroner spoke this morning, saying they were waiting for toxicology reports, those expected to take another six to eight weeks. he was asked about the cause of death and said, quote, you might have a suspicion, but the person may have suffered a heart attack or embolism no matter what medications they're taking. until we run a tox, we're not

going to speculation. >> thank you. joining us you are two people, marvette britto, and your relationship worked with after you left the white house, you worked for the first george push, what did you do for her and how did you meet her? >> i met her as a uncf dinner while stiff on the staff and we invited her to meet the president. on the day when she came, she, her mom and her brothers came to the white house, and i spent a few hours meeting with them, and it was just great. i got to know them in a way i wouldn't have if they just breezed in and out. >> and how did you go to working with whitney houston? >> we continued to stay in due to the fact. they invited me to a birthday party for her father, and i provided some advice for an hbo special they were doing called

"welcome home heroes." then i left the white house shortly thereafter to work with whitney houston and her family. it was an honor. >> i'll bet it was. we're showing this video of whitney when she started in the church choir. according to the reports she's coming back home. there was speculation she would be laid to rest in atlanta. some people even thought los angeles, but she's coming home, and that makes sense to you? >> absolutely. her mom was so active in the church, and i was a baptist minister, still am. so we hit it off there. so fitting she should be coming back home to her mom's church, her church. >> and margaret, your sister another famous singer, spent time, a very close friend of whitney houston. she was on even "being bobbi brown" side by side on that reality show. you're devastated, she's

devastated, and we're hearing that over and over. does it make sense she's being brought home? >> absolutely. whitney had strong ties to newark, even though she lived in atlanta, traveled abroad. >> that's where you spent are spent your time, atlanta. >> absolutely. that's where my sister is now, working with the family, helping the family through this. for all of us it's a shock, but very befitting she would come home to new jersey where her family is, where she has such expansive routes. >> she's a "jersey shore" girl. >> and church girl more importantly. >> berm talking about bobbi kristina. she tried to the night that her mother was found dead, she tried to get in, security would not let her see her mother's body. you are close, what are the concerns? she just turned 18. this child has seen a lot from

both of her parents in years. >> this was a child who was best friends with her mother and spent a significant amount of time with her mother. so i think it will be different and we have to be very sensitive with how everything is handled, it can. >> who does bobbi kristina -- >> really her grandfared, but more importantly her father. i think it's important in the legacy of whitney we preserve the relationship and really remember not only was she a coveted singer, but someone's daughter. >> this is bobbi brown performing at l.a.x. he performed the night whitney passed away, but has returned to be at his daughter's side. we all know the story of their relationship and how it ended, everything that happened in the middle there, but he really has to step up right now? >> absolutely. of course, all of us who know

and love them are prays for cissy, her brothers, and bobby brown, too. this is a chance for him to show what kind of man and father he is. >> we were referring to the last interview she does, promoting "sparkle" one of my favorite movies of all time. it was a labor of love, she was the executive producer. i got a statement from the creator of the hit show "the gang" and so many other successes, a coproducer and one of the writers on "sparkle." she says, quote, whitney houston was an extraordinary talent, beautiful person, and i will miss her. they were in the middle of performing what was going to be the role of a lifetime. they spoke about "sparkle" originally allia whitney plays

the mother of a beautiful talent who dies as a result of drug abuse. this is what she had to say to shawan robinson. let's play it. >> when we went to her, she was so enthusiastic about it, she wanted to do it so badly. she was our sparkle. >> wow. >> yes. unfortunately it just didn't go that way. >> i want my sparkle has gone to a better place, and we just left it alone. >> but they're not going to leave the movie alone. this will honor her. how does it feel to listen to her talking about it. >> i'm still devastated, as are the members of her family. i'm just praying for them. this is a hard, hard time. for anyone who knew her personally it's a very heart time.

>> it's hard for fans, so to know her personally it's indescribable. it is constitutional untimely. it may not necessarily be a shock, depending on the results, but she was only 48. >> and so full the life. every time we saw her emerge, we are are we were rooting for her. >> so it definitely is a surprise and is a shock and will be something i don't know that we'll recover from anytime soon. >> thank you very much for sharing your personal thoughts. the latest development is that whitney houston's body will be leaving los angeles perhaps sometime today to arrive home in newark, new jersey for a funeral. thank you both. we're following more developing news. president obama is fending off republican attacks against the 2013 budget. both sides are gearing up for a fight yet against over the bush era tax cuts.

here are some of the facts in the budget. take a look. letting the bush cuts expire for those making more than $250,000 a year. gas and coal companies, the plan also imposes a $61 billion tax over ten years on big banks to recoup costs from the bailout. >> warren buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. that's not fair. it doesn't make sense at a time when we've got to pull together to get the country moving. i'm proposing some difficult cuts that frankly i wouldn't normally make if they weren't absolutely necessary. but they are. the truth is we're going to have to make some tough choices in order to put this country back on a more sustainable path. so republicans are already calling it class warfare. minutes ago --

>> this budget reduces our deficit by $4 trillion. that is absolutely untrue. >> i believe the president has abandoned his role as leader of this nation by not being honest with the american people about the significant of the national debt. >> joining me right now luke russert. let's break down the numbers. these figures here, what is then the truth? >> that depends on if you ask. one they claimed that a lot of we refer to -- already been factored in. believing that in fact they'll never be -- quote, our families,

seniors and grandchildren deserve better, as chairman of the house budget committee, i will continue to work with both parties to advance both solutions that lift and ensure -- tamron, this budget is nothing else than setting up a parameter for president obama to argue with during the election year. there's not a lot of cuts to entitlesments in this budget. there's a tax increase. republicans will have their own budget in march. they will cut entitlements, but will not make any efforts to raise taxes on the wealthy. so basically it sets up a choice in november that people say should we go in the direction where where he cut benefits or raise taxes. it's basically just kicking the can down the road more in washington, d.c. with a nice fancy 100-page booklet. >> that's one way to look at it.

>> you'll see the republican version of it in march. competing books. >> a nice fancy booklet. so let's bring in michael smerconish. msnbc contributor. so, michael, here you have it, cutting benefits, raising taxes, we've seen this debate over and over. they say they'd like to tackle entitlements, but now is not the time. what do you make here? here we are, first of all, back at it again, let's put that out there, but what do you make of this budget and the complaints already? >> i think there's a sharp contrast that will be presented to the american people. maybe it already existed, but it's crystallized by this budget and by the response you'll hear from republicans as well as from the republican candidates. i would zero in on june wu aspect, dividend income, and whether the taxes all to continue to be 20% as they've been under the bush proposals or whether that should go up to as high as 39.6% and be treated as

ordinary income. there in a nutshell i think will be the sort of debate that there play out where republicans will say keep it at 20%. after all, that's the second time around those earnings are being taxed, and you'll hear the president say the warren buffett line these folks are ones who need to give back to the system. >> michael, i guess my question is, are there any facts at this point regarding this debate that would change a person's mind? let's say a voter at home, they've been armed now with the facts. so you have the simple numbers in front of you have. it is ideological to me in my opinion anyway at this point. what can you say that would change a single mind of those members of the republican party who were already objecting to this debate? we've had this debate. i do believe you're exactly right, it does boil down to november and what direction voters would like to see this country go in. whatever your opinion of right or wrong here, it's clear the line is there, there's no fuzzy

math. it is what it is at this point. >> well, i think to answer your question, which is a great one, this is complicated stuff. so i think that many americans who are evaluating these two distinctly different narratives will be looking at what's going on with regard to the economy. if the economy continues to come out of the recession and if unemployment gets down to below 8%, which seems doable, i think the credibility of the president will be enhanced. that critical swath in the middle will say, this guy seems like he's on the right path. if it doesn't go that way, more credibility will be given to the republican narrative. >> and speaking of credibility or lack thereof, it was just friday we noted congress had a 10% approval down from 13 in this argue, i would imagine you factor that in, especially when you listened to the president earlier today. he has for days and weeks now been clearly setting up the congress as the add remember vary.

>> i think it's going to be him saying this is what i've tried to do rely to the infrastructure and a whole host of other issues. i've been stopped at every turn by an intransigent gop house, so he'll be arguing it needs to change's well. coming up, the implication that mitt romney rigged the straw poll, as he also plans to upset romney in michigan, where romney was born and his father was the governor. look at these surreal images out of greece, where the country's new deep spending accounts have set off mower outrage. let's look at how what's happening in greece could be affecting the markets here. and developing news regarding jerry sandusky. a judge has agreed to allow him

to see his grandchildren despite the charges he's facing. join the conversation. my twitter pace, ie 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. ♪ feel the power my young friend. mmm! [ male announcer ] for excellent fruit and veggie nutrition... v8 v-fusion, also refreshing plus tea. could've had a v8.

v8 v-fusion, also refreshing plus tea. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, if your car is totaled, we give you the money for a car one model year newer. liberty mutual auto insurance. ♪ and just let me be

[ male announcer ] this is your moment. ♪ your ticket home ♪ [ male announcer ] this is zales, the diamond store.

welcome back. a massive cleanup under way in central athens. protesters set fires and destroyed dozens of historic buildings. this morning the government voted to approve a harsh set of new cuts keeping greece out of bankruptcy. stephen any gosk is live in athens with the latest. the people have known this is coming, why did we see this latest flare-up here of violence and rioting? >> well, tamron, i think the

greeks understand that austerity measures are necessary, but they view -- at least the tens of thousands in the streets last night, viewed this latest round as a step too fascial, but that's not what government officials are saying. the prime minister of this country literally coming out and saying that greece is a breath away from ground zero, meaning bankruptcy next month. if they don't get this $170 billion loan from the eu and imf. the only way to get that loan, or at least open the way to get that loan was by passing these austerity measures. that's what they did last night. multiple buildings on fire, including some historic buildings. this morning the city of athens was calm. they were starting to clean up some of the damaged buildings. a lot of them will never be repaired. they're completely destroyed.

there's a feeling on the streets that the country is not out of the woods. we spoke to a member of parliament, and she says there will be more rounds of austerity measures to come. >> stephanie gosk live in thain, a follow-up, thank you very much. we are following developing news out of the washington state. take a look. any minute, the governor is set to sign the same-sex marriage bill. the bill passed last week into law. plus -- >> it's too high, but it's not a surprise. >> it may not be a surprise, gas prices are breaking a record for the first time of the year. and guess what? another 60-cent spike is said to be on the way. but first today's money minute, how the markets are faring today. wanna know the difference between a trader and an elite trader?

it's this... the etrade pro platform. fast. beautiful. totally customizable. finds top performing stocks -- in three clicks. quickly scans the market for new trading ideas. it can even match options strategies to your goals and lets you see the potential risk and reward. and, it also comes with a dedicated elite service team. got it? get it. good. introducing new etrade pro elite. ♪

crisp, clear, untouched. that's why there's brita, to make the water we drink, taste a little more, perfect. reduce lead and other impurities with the advanced filtration system of brita. two covergirls. that's right. get two miracles in one product. covergirl makeup... and olay advanced hydrating serum. it's new tone rehab 2-in-1 foundation. one pump... covers spots, lines... and wrinkles. and one bottle helps improve skin tone over time. that's what i was supposed to say now. well, no one can understand you. ♪ new tone rehab 2-in-1 foundation from [ babbling ] ...covergirl. that's what i'm talking about. see? what did you just say? i'm looking for some "beeza-beeza-vuza-vuza." that's what i'm talking about. see? what did you just say? i have copd.

if you have it, you know how hard it can be to breathe and what that feels like. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms... by keeping my airways open a full 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both. and it's steroid-free. spiriva does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva. discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. stop taking spiriva and seek immediate medical help if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, vision changes or eye pain, or problems passing urine. other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps me breathe better. does breathing with copd weigh you down? ask your doctor if spiriva can help.

washington, if you're keeping count, is now the seventh state in the nation to make same-sex marriage legal. the bill won final approval last week. the new law goes into effect in june, but opponents say they plan to repeal it in november. just moments ago, new jersey state senate voted in favor of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in that state. its assembly votes on the issue on thursday. the senate defeated a similar measure you might recall only two years ago. governor chris christie says he'll veto any bill that legalized same-sex marriage. if he vetoes it, the legislature has until next january to override it. developing news, we are waiting, comments now from democrats on the president's

budget unveiled only a few hours ago. john boehner called the budget, quote, a gloomy reflection of the president's failed policies. that's what he had to say. plus -- ♪ and i will ♪ will always love you remember whitney houston, jennifer hudson delivered a moving tribute to the star at the grammys. and days after whitney's death, sony has hiked the price of some of her greatest hits. sweet, nutty crunchy nut. [ sighs ] i can't wait till morning. wait! it's morning in china! ♪ [ male announcer ] it's sweet, it's nutty... it's absolutely delicious. kellogg's crunchy nut. it's morning somewhere. without the stuff that we make here, you wouldn't be able to walk in your house and flip on your lights.

[ brad ] at ge we build turbines that power the world. they go into power plants which take some form of energy, harness it, and turn it into more efficient electricity. [ ron ] when i was a kid i wanted to work with my hands, that was my thing. i really enjoy building turbines. it's nice to know that what you're building is gonna do something for the world. when people think of ge, they typically don't think about beer. a lot of people may not realize that the power needed to keep their budweiser cold and even to make their beer comes from turbines made right here. wait, so you guys make the beer? no, we make the power that makes the beer. so without you there'd be no bud? that's right. well, we like you. [ laughter ] ♪

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. here's what the "newsnation" is following now. >> congress needs to pass it without drama and without delay and without linking it to some other ideological side issues. >> what round is it now?

the president prepares for another battle with congress over the budget, zeroing in on bush-era tax cuts. we're awaiting new reaction. and rick santorum accuses mitt romney of rigging the straw poll, and ron paul says the one county where he did betts in the past has canceled its caucus. arctic blast from the south to the midwest to the north. snow, sleet and freezing rain moving right across this country. we've had a death in our family. and l.l. cool j calls for a moment of prayer to mondayor whitney houston. she won six grammys in her lifetime. did the award show do her justice in the way it honored her legacy? we have the fact check. back to decision 2012, rick santorum continues to be a horn in mitt romney's side, in all places michigan. one poll shows santorum ahead of

romney in that state. a defeat would not jest be embarrassing, but politico says ted by a mortgage at blow. it's also broadband questioned by ron paul, which weather forced one county to postpone its voting. and the straw poll victory may have been rigged. >> for years ron paul has won those, because he just trucks in a lot of people, pays for their ticket, they make their vote, and they leave. >> we don't do that. i don't try to rig straw polls -- >> do you think governor romney -- >> i think there was some unhappiness at the announcement. mark murray joins us. do you think he rigged it? he says, you have to ask the campaign. is this sour grapes or based anywhere in fact, mark? >> tamron, every straw 308 that

i have ever covered, there are -- that ames straw poll that all of us followed heavily back in august, everyone was offered free food, free transportation to go. there's always some type of rigging involved. the people usually complaining are the ones who did not win. what's surprising, however, is mitt romney decided to play the game this time. he of course decided not to play in ames. he's decided not to do well in other straw polls, but his team obviously decided they wanted to do something. >> we'll talk about maine in a minute and the complaint from ron paul or implication coming from him, but i want to talk about michigan. if he does defeat mitt romney, what does that mean for romney's campaign given many he was born in michigan and we know his father was governor. i also want to ask you about the auto bailout. will that be a factor in the

debate? this early would it come up too for him? >> if he ends up losing. it would certainly knock him down. it wouldn't be the end of his candidacy, but boy, it will be really tough for mitt romney to come back from that. the good news for mitt romney, he still has plenty of time, a lot of money, organization and ties to that state. because of those reasons, any kind of loss there would be catastrophic for his campaign. as far as the auto bailout goes, i'm not sure it's as big a primary issue as a general election issue, but the obama campaign definitely wants it to be a general campaign issue. and what happened in maine, and what's this strategy? >> his strategy, he's been wanting to win caucus contests, and they do think they'll be able to accrue a lot of delegates from these contests even if they're not coming

ahead, but their complaint was one county, washington county, decided to postpone its caucus on start due to snow. of course, snow is a very usual occurrence in the state of maine. they did not count in what was released on saturday for the main caucuses. that's led the ron paul people to believe they could have won or at least had a legitimate possibility to win that contest. it's -- still it brings into question the integrity of the whole process inch which again rick santorum brought in the integrity of the straw poll with both those narratives at the beginning of the week. might it have a combined effect of winning ugly? mitt romney, anything it takes to win? >> winning ugly, you still win. and it was important for romney to be able to win in maine, to

win that cpac straw poll after his speech wasn't all that well received. sometimes it doesn't matter how ugly it is, as long as you win, that's what matters. that could be the theme of the romney campaign, all that matters is winning the republican nomination. >> mark, thank you very much. by the way, we continue to follow the develops news on president obama's newly released budget. it is, of course, reigniting that old fight over the bush era tax cuts. here in fact is a live picture of washington, d.c. where senate democrats are talking to reporters about the budget. the president says everyone must do their fair share and play by the same rules, but republicans say it will smother growths to the economy. john harwood joins us. what do the democrats say? >> what they're saying is they're going to take to the voters the argument that they advanced in the budget talks with republicans last year that didn't produce that grand

bargain that both the president and house speaker boehner wanted. that's the purpose of this, for the administration to lay out their argument for the voters. republicans are coming back, saying you haven't gone out and possibly mitt romney, we'll see, will lay their two are two arts in front of the american people. perhaps after the election you can have some progress. >> john boehner was in that room with the president, and the republicans did not want the rank-and-file republicans to go for the new revenue that was the

price for making a deal. that's the key difference between the democratic budget and republican budget that gets placed before the american people both in congress and through the administration. barack obama is calling for 1.5 trillion in new revenues, mostly from tax increases on the wealthy. he says that's necessary to both reduce the deficits and protect the priorities he values, republicans are saying we need to instead getting our big savings out entitlement programs and both sides are comfortable table their arguments there. the rising economic tide is lifting his fortune and amply filling his megaphone. >> john harwood, thank you very much. a judge has ruled that jerry sandusky can see his grandchildren under house arrest. the motion was granted with conditions, all visits must be supervised by the children's parents. also sandusky will not be able to see the three grandchildren who are currently the subject of a custody fight.

the judge also denied a prosecution request for an out of county jury. the coach is charged with 52 counts of child sex assault. the typical winter decline does not seem to be holding up this season. according to a weekly gas survey, prices have risen 12 cents over the last three weeks. there are reports that we could see a spike of 60 cents or more by may. the average for a gallon of regular is 3.51. the officials blaming a high on tensions over relations with vaughn. and severe winter weather that hovered over texas now moving north. the snow, sleet and freezing rain -- that's more than slippery. the winter weather is expected to shift from the plains to minneapolis minneapolis and ohio valley before coming east. weather channel's maria de la

rosa joins us. >> for places like texass into 9 south, it's a bit of a shock to the system. it's losing a bit of its punch. it's a snow producer still in parts of arkansas, as it makes its way toward memphis, but the 32 degree line, kind of outlining it here, temperatures have been so important, but notice, this whole area is above freezing, so going forward it's not going to be as intense, but you see that pink mixture, look at the time clock, by tomorrow morning's drive in and around cincinnati and louisville, you'll be dealing with the snow. as it gets toward tomorrow evening, not much happening with this it's barely going to register, in places like new york city boston, to looking at the totals through wednesday morning, springfield still on the order of 1 to 3 inches, in cincinnati about an inch or three, but by the time it guts to pittsburgh and the northeast, less than an inch in most areas. even the cold airily moderating

a bit as many areas will see a warm-up. >> maria, thank you very much. i guess it was bound to happen. the catholic league blasting nicki mina general, at the grammys. did you like that? we'll get the details. and there's a lot going on. the obama reelection team has launched a new website to set the record straight. the truth team is where it features rebuttals to attacks. and history on various issues. and want a copy of the president's budget? there's an app for that "the washington post" reports that the white house created the app. and clint eastwood's super bowl

commercial, well will it receive the snl treatment over the weekend. take a look. pretty funny. >> guess what? halftime is over. we're in the third quarter, now america, and we're way behind. i don't care if obama runs the ball or romney throws a touchdown or ron paul kick as field goal with his tiny little chicken legs. i'll tell you, i'm putting an sorm in the game. he can stand to the sideline, doing cheers in his sweater vests. 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. twice as fast as before. weight loss programs can be expensive. so to save some money, i just got the popular girls from the local middle school to follow me around. ew. seriously? so gross. ew. seriously? that is so gross.

ew. seriously? dude that is so totally gross. so gross...i know. there's an easier way to save. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. ♪ and just let me be [ male announcer ] this is your moment. ♪ your ticket home ♪ [ male announcer ] this is zales, the diamond store.

♪ home was an airport lounge and an ipad ♪ ♪ made sure his credit score did not go bad ♪ ♪ with a free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ app that he had ♪ downloaded it in the himalayas ♪ ♪ while meditating like a true playa ♪ ♪ now when he's surfing down in chile'a ♪ ♪ he can see when his score is in danger ♪ ♪ if you're a mobile type on the go ♪ ♪ i suggest you take a tip from my bro ♪ ♪ and download the app that lets you know ♪ ♪ at free-credit-score-dot-com now let's go. ♪ vo: offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com™. for fastidious librarian emily skinner,

each day was fueled by thorough preparation for events to come. well somewhere along the way, emily went right on living. but you see, with the help of her raymond james financial advisor, she had planned for every eventuality. ...which meant she continued to have the means to live on... ...even at the ripe old age of 187. life well planned. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. coming up at the top of the hour, will you be my valentine? mitt is still looking for a love connection, plus the president's budget and a com on the passing of whitney houston. now back to tamron. of course it was an emotional night with presenters and performers trying to strike the right balance between celebration and mourning the

death of whitney. two women dominated the night. adele, and the great whitney houston. let's get the coupe from kim ser afin. i want to play back to back l.l. cool j., and the moment i have to be honest i was waiting on annilapparently 39 other people were waiting on, jennifer hudson. let's play it. >> i'm older. amatured. >> okay, obviously that's not it. let's rerack it, try it again. >> now i'm -- ♪ bittersweet memories ♪ that is all we apologize for the technical issue. obviously the emotions with

this. kim, jennifer hudson did a beautiful job. i've known her for a hundred years, it seems like. what did you think of how they presented the attribute butte to whitney houston? >> it was pitch perfect. she had 24 hours to hold back her emotion. it looked like she was trying to hold back tears, about you she did such a perfect job. i think it was exactly what people needed. ll cool j. opening the show, addressing the audience, talking about it, leading everyone in prayer for whitney. i think it was important to put it out there initially, play that clip of whitney actually singing at the grammys, and then a lot of the performers referencing wlit any i think it was a perfect convey of doing it. not do too much, not overdo it.

everybody had just happened. they just had the press conference from the coroner's office. i think it was a perfect mixture of paying respect to whitney. >> and from the beginning with alisha keys, bonnie raitt, one after another appropriately in many ways honoring a great singer of our time and generation. from the greatness of what you can bring to the music industry to a shaky moment for nicki minaj. i have to say i'm a big fan. what was going on with this exorcism? >> you didn't have lady gaga performing. >> i think it was perfect. you know she showed up with a bishop, i think. so it was the lady gaga that we didn't get to see, because lady gaga didn't perform, and she's

great. >> at least one catholic organization not too happy. you could see that coming. let's transition to paul mccartney cinches i loved that jacket and the jam session at the end. it was pretty awesome. >> it was a perfect performance for him. i think everyone was waiting to see him. there were certainly performances people were waiting to see. he was definitely one. again, you've got to see younger and newer performers like nicki minaj. this i think was perfect. >> and of course bruce springsteen, but adele, it was her night, her ability to overcome that surgery that could have ended her career. she was fantastic. >> yeah, in addition to jennifer hudson, of course, the most anticipated performance. we haven't heard her perform,

and she swept the night. all the big stop grammys. she was incredible. he speeches were great. her performance was great. . óuwbt ?v7sç that's up from the past. constitution this is the highest. if people don't remember, it was the michael jackson thriller year. >> yeah, this was definitely incredible. to have the ratings, 39 million people tuning in, of course so much it driven because people did want to see the whitney houston tribute, so certainly part of the factor.

this is huge. and they actually didn't show it -- they showed it in a time delay. they didn't show it live in l.a., but clearly it didn't hurt them. i don't think that will be changing any time soon. and the price of whitney houston's music, some of her music gone up in the days since he passed away? >> yeah. on itunes there was -- one of her albums, the price was jacked up. people were wondering why that happened? it went up around 4:00 p.m. california time exactly as everything was happening. so people were just sort of questioning the timing of that, whether that was done purposely or how that happened. >> is it not obvious? why are they questioning it? now there's a surge of interest in this music? >> clearly there's a surge of interest in in her music, yeah, the second biggest album on itunes this morning, so clearly an enormous amount of interest

in her albums. that's what people should be remembering about whitney. >> you're absolutely right. i'm happy you ended it on that note. we'll be right back with a gut check. we'll tell you how to chime in. . that's why there's brita, to make the water we drink, taste a little more, perfect. reduce lead and other impurities with the advanced filtration system of brita. the best in nutrition... just got better. now with even more of the vitamins your body needs. like vitamin d. plus omega 3's. there's one important ingredient that hasn't changed: better taste. [ female announcer ] eggland's best. better taste. better nutrition. the better egg.

[ female announcer ] eggland's best. what do you get when you combine the home depot with this weekend? the cure for cabin fever. because with get-it-done savings on everything we need... we can turn this weekend into a fresh floor... or an updated bathroom... or a brand-new look. so let's hit those orange aisles, and make today the day, we make a big difference, no matter how big our budget. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot maximize your budget with great buys, like mosaic tile, just $4.98 per square foot.

♪ i and i will always love you today whitney is being remembered as the most awarded female artist of all time. she won 22 american music awars, 6 grammys and two emmy awards. her body will return home to newark, new jersey later tonight. he funeral will also be in new jersey this week. what does your gut tell you? did the grammys do enough to pay tribute last night? go to facebook.com/newsnation, and talk to us.

friday's gut check -- did the president make the right call revamping the contraception policy? 86% said yes. 14% of you said no. that does it for this edition of "newsnation." thank you for joining me. see you tomorrow. hope you can join us. in the meantime, martin bashir is up next. nyquil (stuffy): yeah, we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. tylenol: and i relieve nasal congestion. nyquil (stuffy): overachiever. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't. than leading regular juice drinks. because less sugar is a better way to fly. ♪ just not literally.

capri sun. respect what's in the pouch. i find investments with e-trade's top 5 lists and use pre-defined screeners to work smarter. not harder. i depend on myself to take charge of my financial future. [ bell dinging ] or will soon, you're starting a whole new journey. and, like many people, you're probably wondering, where do i go from here? consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. call now for a free information kit and guide to medicare to get started. basically, medicare only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. a medicare supplement insurance plan helps cover some of those expenses. and that can save you up to thousands of dollars a year in out-of-pocket costs. plus, you can keep any doctor who accepts medicare patients.

together with medicare, an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan could be the kind of coverage you're looking for. in fact, it could make a world of difference. call now for your free medicare guide and information kit about aarp medicare supplement insurance plans, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. when i lost weight in all the right places. you know what i mean! [ laughs ] when i tried to lose weight other ways, i felt hungry all the time. on weight watchers online, i eat all day long. i loved grabbing those activity points and throwing them into my tracker. and then it adds it up for you at the end of the week so that you can earn more points for food. i never thought that way before. i lost 38 pounds with weight watchers online. i really did it. [ laughs ] [ female announcer ] join for free today.

weight watchers online. finally, losing weight clicks. [ female announcer ] nature valley granola bars, rich dark chocolate, toasted oats. perfect combinations of nature's delicious ingredients, from nature valley. ♪ nature valley granola bars, nature at its most delicious. good afternoon. it's monday, february 13th. here's what's happening. >> i was a severely conservative republican governor. >> mitt tells it how it is, or how he thinks it is. >> i know conservatism, because i've learned it. conservatism has shaped my life. >> do those include cheating? >> i don't try to rig straw polls. >> mitt romney, conservative to the core. >> i have never heard