gunning for rombo. rick santorum tries to shoot down mud-slinging mitt romney as the former pennsylvania senator surges in the polls. can he knock romney out of the front-runner semi home state of michigan? mr. 50%. president obama heading to wisconsin to top the comeback as the economy boosts his approval rating. what killed whitney? investigators could soon issue subpoenas on doctors and pharmacies where the superstar obtained her prescription drugs. and the making of linsanity. there's a new sports superstar in america and apparently his marketability knows no bounds. we'll talk about that today. great to have you with me. i'm thomas roberts. just a short time from now, president obama will touch down in milwaukee, wisconsin, where he's going to tout a growth spurt in american manufacturing.

the white house says that sector is adding jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. the president's upcoming remarks come on the heels of a recently "new york times"/cbs news poll that shows his approval rating now sitting at 50%. in the key battleground state of ohio, the commander in chief also beats the entire field of gop contenders in head-to-head match-ups. a new quinnipiac role shows him beating mitt romney 46% to 44%. mike viqueira joins me to talk about this. what can we expect to hear from the president talking about manufacturing? >> reporter: wisconsin is another one of those swing states, you mentioned ohio specifically. both of those states key to the president's reelection prospects. interesting interplay here. when he touches down in wisconsin, he'll be greeted by the governor there, the republican scott walker. he's had a number of controversial issues, not the least of which are those labor problems he had with state and

local employees. h effaces a recall election this summer. he'll be there at the bottom of the steps when air force one touched down in milwaukee, wisconsin. later the president has an event planned at master lock. the president trying to encourage companies to move the jobs that have been shipped offshore back to the united states. and master lock, we understand, has done so with about 100 employees. and it's off for fund-raising in california and seattle. >> mike viqueira at the white house, thank you. and we'll bring you the president's remarks live from wisconsin. that's at 1:40 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. in the gop presidential race, it's rombo versus rick santorum. the former pennsylvania senator is painting himself as the political underdog against a mud-slingi mud-slinging, wielding a gun romney. >> mitt romney's negative attack machine is back on full throttle.

this time romney's firing his mud at rick santorum. mitt romney's ugly attacks are going to backfire. >> meanwhile, there seems to be no stopping santorum's surge. he is up in three new national polls, virtually tied in a fourth poll. and in fresh signs of trouble for mitt romney, rick santorum is up seven points in the super tuesday state of ohio, this is according to a new quinnipiac poll for at least this morning. but michigan is the real must-win for mitt romney. if he can't knock santorum out there, this race is wide open. let's talk about the candidates with politico executive editor jim vandehime and richard wolfe. romney beat john mccain back in '08. he grew up outside of detroit, one of the sons of michigan's legendary governors. how devastating is it going to be if he can't play up those

local roots and take michigan? >> i think it would be crippling to his campaign in the short term because it would validate the rick santorum surge we're seeing in national polls, another big triumph for santorum after winning the last three big contests and another place where you have a significant population of working class whites and evangelical christians rejecting mitt romney. that would be problematic. it's probably doubtful because romney has so much money. they've booked more than $1 million in ad time over the next two weeks. they have a very loaded super pac that's about to go up with even more ads. most of them are negative and those negative ads have been very effective against his opponents. >> this is how mitt romney is responding to the rombo santorum ad. take a look. >> my campaign hasn't run any negative ads against rick santorum. his campaign ran attack ads against me. he's been going after me. that's a pretty good attack ad on me.

>> richard, santorum's support is still mainly fueled by conservatives, tea party supporters alike. his favorables are up while romney's are down. but can this surge be sustained? we have a lot of time before michigan. >> it's been hard for any of those front-runners to last more than a week or two. it's a natural cycle that doesn't work in santorum's favor. the money does make a difference. if you look at the underlying poll, santorum is not very well known by many voters. he's going to be maybe 20 to 1 outspent by romney and his allies. romney may hide behind the fiction of, well, it's not my campaign, but nobody believe that is distinction makes any kind of difference as all. he's been out there fund-raising for his pac. they're closely coordinated. i don't even think voters really see the difference because they all see it as part of the noise of the election.

>> gentlemen, take a look at this. this is how romney's new ad is playing in michigan, hitting back at rick santorum. unfortunately, we don't have it. but i want to ask you, if he is trying to hit back, the effective ad we're seeing from the santorum side of romney wielding a gun slinging mud s he going to need to do a lot more to be able to maintain any of this momentum that he has going? like i said, it's still a lot of time before michigan. >> right. absolutely. there's a huge incentive for santorum to go all in in michigan. what the establishment is looking for, what conservatives are looking for is somebody that can beat mitt romney in a real competitive state n a place where both candidates have played. if you could go into michigan and win -- he's had a lot of fund-raising success over the last three weeks. if he can take that money, direct it into michigan and at least not get blown out by 20 or

20 to 1, he could do well. we should assume the cycle will play out like the other five before it. a front-runner comes up against romney, rises above him and drifts right back down. nobody's been able to sustain the surge to date. >> jim and richard, nice to see you this morning. thank you. the house republican leadership decision to back down from their demands has paved the way for a tentative deal on extending the payroll tax cut, unemployment benefits and the doc fix through this year. speaker boehner put his own spin on the deal this morning. take a look. >> we are not going to allow the democrats to continue to play political games and raise taxes on working americans. we made a decision to bring them to the table so that the games would stop and we would get this work done. >> maryland senator ben cardin is involved in the payroll tax cut negotiations. thank you for joining me. i want to talk about this for

what it means for people at home. 160 million americans are going to keep that tax cut for the rest of the year, keeps benefits going to people struggling to reenter the workforce, along with the payment rates for doctors. were you surprised by the concessions from house republicans and what do you make of speaker boehner's remark this is morning? >> well, at the beginning of this conference, the republicans conceded we need to extend the payroll tax holiday, that we needed to fix the medicare payments for physicians that affect seniors' access to health care and continue the unemployment insurance through the remainder of this year. so they really conceded up front the three important goals that president obama set for the conference in which the democrats made our priorities. the issue then became how we were going to pay for it. and the republicans have taken inconsistent positions on this. it's somewhat puzzling to us that some days they say, we have to pay for everything. other days, they say we don't have to pay for anything.

we're trying to do this the right way, the fair way. we have a game plan, the deal with the deficit as we deal with the short-term problems of keeping our economy going. >> senator, democrats don't love everything in this deal, the length of jobless benefits will shrink in some states, federal workers are expected to contribute more to their pensions. should democratic voters expect more concessions along the way to find compromise that can move the country forward collectively? >> i have concerns with the tentative agreement that's been reached as to whether it's fair to working families. we are going to help those who are unemployed but we're going to ask other middle class income families to pay at least part of that cost. i'm hoping we can improve it. moving forward, we need to create jobs. we need to be focused on ways that we can improve our economy and to get job creation here in america. more people pay taxes, the less reliance on government, the more

revenues, our deficits become smaller and our economy grows. >> politicians keep saying that. now we're in this election year. is there a ray of open for bipartisanship on capitol hill this year or do we have to wait until after the november elections? >> it's clearly a good sign the way this conference has worked on these three major issues where we have democrats and republicans coming together. that's certainly a good sign. i hope we can continue that spirit and work to deal with the transportation bill for our highways and our transit systems that is now on the floor of the u.s. senate. that would help to create jobs, to continue to deal with the threatened across-the-board cut ifs we don't reach a compromise. plenty of time to get work done between now and the november elections. >> thank you so much for your time. the next leader of china is meeting with senate leaders after a full day of discussions with the president and the vice president on tuesday. vice president xi will also be

making a stop in iowa before his trip ends in the u.s. jon huntsman will talk with andrea mitchell about the future of this relationship tomorrow, only on msnbc's "andrea mitchell reports". it's like deja vu all over again. the investigation into whitney houston's death is now focusing on prescription drugs and the doctors. who prescribed them to her? plus, linsanity is sweeping the nation. the new york knicks' basketball phenom sinks a last-second game-winning shots. the fans go crazy. and guess what? so are ticket prices. [ male announcer ] you love the taste of 2% milk.

but think about your heart. 2% has over half the saturated fat of whole milk. want to cut back on fat and not compromise on taste? try smart balance fat free milk. it's what you'd expect from the folks at smart balance. until the end of the quarter to think about your money... ♪ that right now, you want to know where you are, and where you'd like to be. we know you'd like to see the same information your advisor does so you can get a deeper understanding of what's going on with your portfolio. we know all this because we asked you, and what we heard helped us create pnc wealth insight, a smarter way to work with your pnc advisor,

so you can make better decisions and live achievement. a smarter way to work with your pnc advisor, 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.

her funeral is closed only to friends and family. but whitney houston may be publicly honored across the state of new jersey. governor chris christie says he's waiting for permission from the singer's family to fly flags

at half staff throughout the state as a tribute. >> her accomplishments in her life were a source of great pride for many people in this state and for the state as a whole. on that basis, i think she's entitled to have that recognition made for her and we're going to do that. but we're not going to do it until the day of her funeral. >> on the west coast, police in los angeles are focusing on prescription drugs found in whitney houston's hotel room, along with the krs adoctors and pharmacies who gave them to her. kristen dahlgren is live in los angeles with the latest on that for us. kristen, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, thomas. it's important to know that police have said this isn't a criminal investigation. the coroner said told nbc news there weren't many pill bottles found in that room and not an unusual number of pills. so it's pretty common practice for them, though, to try to look at what is found there, those prescription pills, and try to figure out when somebody dies at such a young age what they might

have taken. as part of the investigation, they're going to be counting those pills, trying to see when they were prescribed and if it appears like she was taking them in the manner in which it was prescribed. "the l.a. times" supporting they are also likely to subpoena the doctors and the pharmacy that those pills came from, the doctors that prescribed them, to try to piece this all together. that, as they wait for the toxicology reports. they've told us they will take between six and eight weeks to have those results. kristen dahlgren in los angeles for us this morning, kristen, thank you. i want to get some perspective on this from the reverend joe watkins. joe is a consultant and a longtime friend of the houston family. joe, nice to see you this morning. >> thanks for having me, thomas. >> we normally talk about politics. but since you have this connection with the houstons, you've known whitney and her family for years, what does it mean to you and to them to have

this private, intimate service that's going to take place in her hometown? a lot of people were speculating about what happened in 2009 and the public service for michael jackson. >> this is a great family. my heart goes out to all the members of the family who are my friends. and i feel like they're my extended apple. cissy houston is a great woman. i loved working with her. and i know she's devastated, as i am, because she's lost her little girl. i've lost a friend and a woman for whom i worked. it's very personal, very painful for me as it is for the family and for really the closest people to the family. it's very painful right now. but we remember all the great things about whitney, all the happy days. i remember the first time i met her when i was a staffer at the white house working for president george h.w. bush. met her at a dinner at the united negro college fund.

she came up to the table and said, hi, i'm whitney houston. i thought that was so sweet that she would take time to introduce herself. we all knew who she was. she was a superstar. but she individually introduced herself to each person and said, hi, i'm whitney houston. i knew immediately this was somebody special. >> she was one of a kind. one thing being reported is that her ex-husband, bobby brown, may be getting the cold shoulder from the family. he's denying that. do you know if there's any truth to these rumors about what their relationship is in the times that we're seeing right now? >> well, i don't know about all of that. i've certainly met him. i was there at the wedding back in 1992. and i was on tour with them. but i think right now the family is trying to deal with all the challenges that are facing them. this is a difficult time. and i know i'm grieving. i know her family, much more importantly than me, is grieving

right now because they're missing her. and they're just thinking of the best way to celebrate her life. i know that's what they're going to do, is celebrate her life and her homegoing when they come together for that funeral. lots of people want to be a part of that. but the family is doing the best it can, i'm sure. >> reverend joe watkins, nice to see you this morning. we appreciate it. >> thanks, thomas. cash-strapped states might have a new option to add money to the budget. sell the state-run prisons to private companies. could it work? plus, a dangerous situation becomes even more dangerous. a fire breaks out in a prison in honduras. hundreds dead. but hundreds of inmates still are unaccounted for. full details after this.

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. yeah, you -- you know, everything can cost upwards of...[ whistles ] i did not want to think about that. relax, relax, relax. look at me, look at me.

three words, dad -- e-trade financial consultants. so i can just go talk to 'em? just walk right in and talk to 'em. dude, those guys are pros. they'll hook you up with a solid plan. they'll -- wa-- wa-- wait a minute. bobby? bobby! what are you doing, man? i'm speed dating! [ male announcer ] get investing advice for your family at e-trade. the day starts with arthritis pain... a load of new listings... and two pills. after a morning of walk-ups, it's back to more pain, back to more pills. the evening showings bring more pain and more pills. sealing the deal... when, hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. it can relieve pain all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lois... who chose two aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. [ female announcer ] try aleve d for strong all day sinus and headache relief. welcome back. a plan to privatize 27 prisons in south florida has been

torpedoed by a bipartisan group of senators in the sunshine state. this measure would be the single greatest expansion of prison privatization in u.s. history. it would have saved an estimated 16 $16.5 million in its first year. but education and health care programs would have been forced to be cut. i'm joined by florida state senator maria sachs. great to have you with me. you were one of the 21 people who voted on that bill. why? >> what we didn't want to do is we didn't want to be a state that would sell an important function of government which is public safety. as a people, we didn't want to send the message out that this important part of government is for sale to the highest bidder, a corporation that's a for-profit corporation that would make money from our prisons and our prisoners.

>> corrections corporation of america, that is the nation's largest operator for-profit prisons has sent a letter to 48 states offering to buy up their burdens to help ease the burden of, quote, easing challenging budgets. what do you make of that offer? >> it's an offer we considered. but then when you look at what the function of -- important function of government, which is public safety, and exactly how poorly these private corporations have done in our county jails, we decided as a group -- i mean, it was a tight vote but it was a coalition of organized labor and faith-based organizations, and the correctional officers themselves which came to the state capital to tell us exactly what an impact it would be to them and to their families, that we hung together as a group and we fought it down. >> senator sachs, thanks for your time this morning. i appreciate it. >> thank you. >> absolutely.

rick santorum is gaining ground in the race for the republican nomination, even possibly taking the lead from mitt romney. but are some of santorum's views too extreme for the right mainstream? plus, security concerns of how the u.s. is reacting to the rising tensions between israel and iran's new nuclear announcement. sure that we were . sure that we were . the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers. but we couldn't simply repeat history. we had to create it. introducing the 2013 lexus gs,

with leading-edge safety technology, like available blind spot monitor... [ tires screech ] ...night view... and heads-up display. [ engine revving ] the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back.

oh!

[ baby crying ] ♪ what started as a whisper ♪ every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned to a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? ♪ amen, omen rick santorum is riding high in the republican race to face president obama this fall. but will his more questionable comments on the campaign trail set him outside the mainstream? >> how do you justify your belief based on the high morals you have about all men being created equal when two men who want to marry -- >> reason says if you think it's okay for two, then you have to differentiate with me as to why it's not okay for three. i have concerns about women in frontline combat. that could be a compromising

situation where people naturally may do things that may not be in the interest of the mission because of other types of emotions. >> joining me now, anna greenburg, and boris epstein. nice to have both of you here. while that was kind of a highlight reel of what we've seen out on the trail, i want to play this for you. this was just yesterday in idaho, rick santorum. take a look. >> when the family has broken down and there is no marriage, when the church has abandoned ship, that is the future of barack obama's america. don't you see how they see you? how they look down their nose at the average americans. these elite snobs. >> that was rick santorum yesterday. boris, gay marriage, women in the armed forces, there are gay republicans, there are women who are republicans in the armed

services. and you would think that these outdated messages are just not going to resonate, especially with moderates. but he continues to see this surge. why do you think that is? >> well, he has strong backing in that conservative wing of the republican party. he should not and will not be our nominee for president. the republican party cannot any longer focus on social issues. we should be an low taxes, small government and national security. the points he's bringing up are hurting the party overall. yes, he's making his base very excited. he's making them eager to go to the polls for him. but he's not making it more likely that a republican will be president in 2013. >> anna, let's talk about rick santorum and female voters. obviously women don't vote collectively as a bloc. there are lots of reasons why women go to the polls for who they go to the polls for. his stance on contraception and what it's done with conservatives, when you look at the fact that the majority of women think that their employers

should offer contraception. do you think he's going to be a major stumbling-block when it comes to these statement that is he's made that he has to be called on task for? >> he would have a huge problem with women voters if he were the nominee. i agree he's not likely to be the nominee. it's not just contraception. he's talked about women in the workplace when two-thirds of women who have kids under the age of 5 are working. he's talked about women in xwhat a combat. he's talked about gay rights. it's a whole range of views that are from the dark ages. there are plenty of independent, moderate women who think they shouldn't be attacked for going to work when they have young children. >> the next big bat sl going to be michigan. i want to show you how the pro-romney super pac is hitting santorum in romney's home state. take a look. >> in a single session, santorum

co-sponsored 51 bills to increase spending and zero to cut spending. santorum even voted to raise his own pay and joined hillary clinton to let convicted felons vote. rick santorum, big spender, washington insider. >> so florida was a huge battleground, the negative ad campaigns that went against newt gingrich in florida, it worked. is this the model that's being utilized in michigan, because it's really going to be egg on his face if he doesn't take his home state? >> rick santorum is somebody who's not run for political office since 2006 when he lost by double digits in his home state of pennsylvania. he's not been fully vetted by the national media or the electorate. it's incumbent upon mitt romney and other candidates who are still in it to go out there and say, this is what you might not know about rick santorum. this is what he wouldn't tell you. here's what you need to know about him on the economy, on spending, on the deficit. nothing wrong with doing that. >> a lot of people are going to say, there's a lot of time before michigan. that means there's a ton of time

before we get to a general. can santorum -- a lot of people think he does have a shot even though some people would say he shouldn't be the person that's going up in the general. but he's got a shot at it. >> i wouldn't say it's outside the realm of possibility. but i do think it's remote. romney won michigan last time around but not by very much. there's a very committed evangelical and catholic base that will support santorum because they support him based on social issues and religious issues, not on issues of whether or not he's a typical politician or a big spender. one thing -- one advantage romney has over santorum, he's got a lot more resources. he has much more sfis kuwaitinf, that's going to advantage romney. i think it's hard for santorum to create that as fast as he would need to. >> and with a view toward the general, romney should be careful not to alienate the right wing of the republican party, the evangelicals.

while the negative ads are working, you should be careful not to turn off some voters who will come out for the republican in november. >> great to see you both this morning. thanks for your time. developing now, iran claims it has made a new advance in its nuclear program. it comes with tensions over iran's nuclear ambitions already being high and after the u.s. and other western countries recently imposed new sanctions on iran. it also comes with israeli officials today ramping up accusations that iran was behind monday's bomb attack against israeli diplomats in thailand and an attempted attack in the former soviet republic of georgia. nbc news tehran bureau chief joins us with the latest on this. ali, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, thomas. iran announced today that it was using a new generation of very advanced centrifuges at its main enrichment facilities. state tv reported and showed extensive picture this is morning of new enrichment facilities all being used at

that enrichment facility. it also showed iran using nuclear fuel rods at its tehran research reactor. these have got 20% enriched uranium which is a very, very sensitive point with western powers. but i think the point of today's ceremonies, thomas, was to show the world that iran can master the nuclear fuel cycle on its own, despite sanctions, despite scientists being assassinated and that it was going to go forward regardless of the pressure being put on it. and now just to go to your point quickly about the assassinations in thailand and in other place, iran is vehemently denying any involvement in this but it was only ten days ago that iran's supreme leader said that any country that challenges israel will be supported by him. back to you, thomas. >> ali, thank you. as a result of the increased tensions between israel and iran, extra precautions are now being taken in new york city. nbc's pete williams reports that

new york city officials -- security officials are conducting additional sweeps of israeli government residents and cars. authorities say there's been no specific threat. breaking news we need to pass along from honduras where hundreds of inmates are dead after a fire inside a prison. reports show this predawn blaze had inmates running for their lives. at this hour, at least 300 prisoners are confirmed dead. more than 20 injured. officials say that hundreds more have either escaped, are missing or presumed dead. we're told outraged families tried to storm the prison gates to recover their loved ones' remains but were driven back by police by tear gas. other stories topping the news now, syria's government blaming terrorists for this attack on a key oil pipeline in the central city of homs this worng morning. this is just the latest attack on the rebel stronghold bombarded by regime forces over the past 12 days. the hit comes as president assad

orders a referendum on a new constitution later this month opening the way for political parties other than his ruling baath party. back here at home, the price tracking website gasbuddy.com predicts an average gas per gallon price of $5 by may. $4.60 in atlanta. in chicago, it could hit $4.95, the highest in the continental u.s. 4-year-old pekingese has taken the top spot at the westminster dog show. malachy is the sixth pekingese the win the prestigious title. he beat out a dalmation, a german shepaherd to win. congrats to malachy.

and linsanity strikes again. today everybody talking about the knicks sensation jeremy lin's tiebreaking three-pointer that led new york past toronto last night. if you missed it, check it out. >> puts it up, bottom! jeremy lin from downtown! >> good stuff. he made that shot with less than a half second left on the clock. that extends the knicks' winning streak to six straight games. the game is on to see how many ways you can use his name. the craze is driving up knicks ticket prices. reports show prices at the garden are up 27% since the lin takeover. tv ratings for the knicks games are up 70%. traffic to knicks websites have increased more than 550%. and get this, the team also added 125,000 likes to its facebook page in just seven days.

a powerful sign of the dramatic turnaround by the u.s. auto industry and it comes in a city that's been suffering through hard times for decades. talk about flint, michigan. monies of laid-off workers are now back on the job after the general motors plant in flint added a third shift. mike taibbi just visited with workers. and he joins me now. you got to go to do the graveyard shift to check it out. >> two nights of it. >> lucky you. what did we learn? >> this is a pretty good news story. it's not proof -- you said it's a sign. it is a sign of a turnaround. it's not proof of it. but gm has put on the graveyard shift at five of its plants. this one matters in flint because this is the truck assembly plant where they make high-end trucks that top out at about $70,000. when they put the third shift on here, 750 jobs at the plant plus three times that many jobs in support industries, that's a real sign that gm is betting that they've really turned the

corner and they're on the way back. >> gm would not have made a commitment to a third shift unless the money guys figured this is going to stick. >> i think the flint assembly plant and the heavy-duty trucks here are a real economic indicator of where we're going. people are going back to work. companies are starting to buy pick-up trucks for their businesses. this is all great news. >> reporter: it's a snapshot of a wounded corporate giant on the rebound with human consequences beyond. >> while what's good for general motors is good for the u.s. may not be the slogan of the day, when we create a job, we still help the economy and we create more jobs outside. >> are we stronger, faster than some may have suspected? good for us. good for america. >> reporter: and it's good for flint, where after years of struggle and decline, the nights are again filled with the sights and sounds of an industry lurching back to health. for hundreds more men and women

with families can again support those families. with this salary, with this job, you can have a middle class life without overspending. >> yes. >> i didn't go to college. but i'm making a good salary. this is the last stand of the middle class family. >> we're blessed to have a job in the auto industry. there's no complaints, no. >> there's 1 million people across this nation that would swap spots with us in a heartbeat. i don't take it for granted at all. >> the story's not quite over yet. don't forget, when the bailout came three years ago, it was really unpopular by popular polls, national polls. the majority opposed it. a lot of politicians like mitt romney opposed it. and gm still owes about half of the $42 million in the loans that they were given. it's being held by the treasury in stock. stock prices are low. it's not paid back fully but this is a good story in flint. >> it is. mike, thanks so much. just a programming note, you can see the full report, mike

taibbi's report from flint, michigan, on "rock center." we're back right after this. ashley christensen gained fame on iron chef when a piggly wiggly building became available in raleigh, north carolina, she decided to buy it. but instead of opening just one restaurant, she opened three. beasley's chicken and honey, chuck's burgers and fox liquor bar. [ kate ] many women may not be properly absorbing the calcium they take because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption. nyquil tylenol: we are?ylenol.s you know we're kinda like twins. 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. we want to protect the house. right. but... home security systems can be really expensive. so to save money, we actually just adopted a rescue panther. i think i'm goin-... shhh! we find that we don't need to sleep that much. there's an easier way to save. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. i'm a wife, i'm a mom... and chantix worked for me. it's a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away.

tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. my inspiration for quitting were my sons. they were my little cheering squad. [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. two. three. one. two. and, three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, earn more cash back for the things you buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% cash back on groceries. 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. it's as easy as one. -two. -three.

[ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. valentine's day advice from the cupid in chief. it's now time for the sidebar. >> do not forget -- i speak from experience here. >> president obama definitely did not forget valentine's day. the president took the first lady out for a romantic dinner at a restaurant in alexandria, virginia. but that's not all. he also sent her a valentine's day tweet. hey, happy valentine's day. b.o. mitt romney not getting much love from dog lovers. a small group of protesters gathered outside the westminster dog show in new york city yesterday. some pups held signs that read "miss is mean, dogs aren't luggage." the animal lovers are not happy with mitt romney's story about a

1983 road trip with his irish setter. the dog was strapped to the roof or a 12-hour ride. newt gingrich got all cuddly with this black and white bear at the san diego zoo yesterday and even got to feed one of them. and from the moon to space mountain, take a listen to how newt gingrich described the republican primary race. >> the ncaa final four with no elimination. this has been like riding space mountain at disney. we've had this up-and-down roller-coaster effect. >> super tuesday comes up on march the 6th. mark your calendars. developing news now in the death of whitney houston. a statement from her ex-husband, singer bobby brown, on the health of their daughter. bobby brown says, my daughter is doing much better. we continue to provide love and support to bobby kristina. she's dealing with the tragedy of her mother's death and would

prefer to do it outside the public eye. i ask again that our privacy be respected. all this as police plan to speak to her medical team to see if underlying health conditions contributed to whitney houston's untimely death, one that's left family, friends and fans very shaken. gil joins me now. it's nice to have you with me this morning. i want to emphasize for people that are watching, we still wait for the official toxicology report on whitney houston. it's not complete. we expect that to be roughly a month out, police not calling this death an overdose. however, you want to refer to this as a teachable moment. what do you mean by that and how it applies here? >> i think the important part besides this awful lost to the artistic community of this incredible talent at such a young age is the fact that she had been public about some of her demons, some of the substance abuse issues. and that takes a lot of courage.

i think what we don't recognize in this country is the number of people that are actually suffering from the disease of addiction. and importantly, the prescription drug problem. and actually what we can do about it to lessen and reduce the problem. >> a lot of people would say that the community, those that are -- that do suffer from substance abuse in their lives or family members who suffer with addiction, it's a conversation that's very taboo, something that's not often discussed. is this a way to open dialogue for people in all of our lives that we're concerned about that we see that could be in harm's way? >> i think it helps to open up the dialogue because she was a -- such a well-known and beloved entertainer. for her to talk about it publicly and there are many people that don't. one of the reasons i think they don't is first of all we have way too much of a stigma about the drug issues and people suffering. and we need to remove that stigma. the other is that people don't

have the facts and the information and so, therefore, they cloak it, as you said, in keeping it as a taboo subject. >> sir, what about the taboo of talking about -- >> recognize the fact that prescription drugs can be incredibly dangerous and incredibly addictive because people say, you know, after all, it's a prescription or i got it from a doctor. >> right. >> it came out of a pill bottle, i didn't buy it from behind a gas station. and yet we very much know that the prescription drug overdoses are now driving a cause of death greater than car crashes, greater than gunshot wounds in this country. and when the cdc calls it a public health epidemic, it's very clear that we have to deal with this. >> director, thanks for your time this morning. >> thank you. straight ahead, meet the woman giving voice to an often voiceless community of transgender americans.

an inspiring story next. you know. it's different. first...it's been re-engineered with micro-particles. second, it enters the bloodstream fast, and rushes relief to the site of your tough pain. the best part? it's proven to relieve pain twice as fast as before. bayer advanced aspirin. test how fast it works for you. love it, or get your money back.

welcome back, this black history month, 100 inspirational figures are being honored, this is a woman that is giving voice to the lgbt community, unlike any other. the transgendered. >> hi, my name is janet and i was welcomed into this world as charles. i was probably about four years old when i knew that i was a girl. no one else knew it but me. but it became my first conviction. my gender was my very first, this i know for sure moment as oprah likes to call it. >> that conviction has brought her to me and to talk about this, i can say hi to blogger

and editor, janet, she is a pan of this hour which i like to see. let's talk about what type of honor it is for you to be involved and the platform that it gives you talk about your back story? >> ha for have -- thank you for having me, i'm overwhelmed by being included as one of the nation's 100 most influential black community leader. it's an amazing first step forward in terms of recognizing that we are part of the community despite our different paths and where we come from. it's an honor to see our successes and struggles celebrated. >> it's a privilege to provide voice to an often voiceless community. within the lgbt community, transgendered are often

marginalized. it does not imply any form of sexual orientation. this is about your body. how do you think you are helping to change and influence people's ideas of who you really are, of what transgendered americans are? >> i have shared my story because there's not enough stories told. i wanted to be a beautiful successful, have a loving family and -- i think she showed what is possible. and i think i shared my story because i wanted to show kids growing up like me who are kind of unsure about their gender identity, that anything is possible. >> do you think that now, that this is opening up doors for you for what is next? >> i'm excited. i i'm working on telling my stories and talking to i kids and that is where my heart lies right now. to continue to story tell. >> thank you so of much, and you

can read more about her accomplishments on the grio.com. don't go anywhere, "now" with alex wagner is coming up next. hi, alex. >> hey, thomas, happy hump day, happy wednesday who says you cannot go home again. rick santorum is putting up a fight in michigan, unleashing his secret weapon. rombo, we will take a look at the romney santorum aattack machines and news on eiran a's nuclear development. plus, the union booster versus the union buster? president obama comes face to face in our hour with wisconsin governor scott walker, all that when "now" starts in a mere 180 seconds. 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.

♪ 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. oh! [ baby crying ] ♪ what started as a whisper ♪ every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned to a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? ♪ amen, omen