santorum in a virtual dead heat in micgan. could tonight's debate in arizona be a game-changer? gm firing back at newt gingrich for taking aim at the chevrolet volt. and so is a guy with a real volt. and rihanna and chris brown plan to make beautiful music together despite the fact he once beat her. is this sending the wrong message to the young pop singer's female fans? hi, everybody, i'm thomas roberts. a lot to get to today. but first, i want show you what's taking place live in washington, d.c. an historic day taking place on the national mall where there will be a ground-breaking ceremony later today. the president making remarks about the first smithsonian national museum of african-american history and culture. a big program lined up for this morning. the first lady, former first lady laura bush will be speaking momentarily as well as followed by the president later on this morning. the ground breaking, we'll bring that to you live as soon as it happens. but the clash of the

candidates. mitt romney and rick santorum are prepping for a battle royale. and just how close things really are in this alleged front runner's home state. rick santorum nipping at mitt romney's heels, nipping really close. the social conservative crusade is truly on. and showing mitt romney with a comfortable lead. a closer contest in the grand canyon state. santorum is also playing a little defense on the trail. responding to a wave of media attention surrounding his 2008 comments that satan had his sights set on the united states. >> i get a kick out of the media saying, oh, you -- and they complain so much about all of these structured candidates, all of these commoditized candidates and how they're all sort of robotic and say, oh, wow, he's really out there. you've got to worry about everything he says. no, you don't.

because i'll defend everything i'll say because it comes from here. >> all right. so let's bring in our panel this morning. former white house deputy communication director jen sake and trey hardin. if you look at it one way, six years of running have paid off for mitt romney. if we look at the lead he has in michigan and arizona with the early voters. but santorum is in striking distance. romney is flailing in some pundits' opinions out there, the inability to connect to the voters. is romney's campaign flushed to the floor if he doesn't win in michigan? >> well, michigan is make or break for romney. and i think everybody agrees on that. he has two major problems. one is he's dug in his heels against the successful auto bailout which supported 1.2 million jobs, up and down the food chain around the auto industry in michigan. and the second is that he just can't seem to ignite energy for his candidacy not only in

michigan but around the country. so i think people are watching closely, the expectations are high, and he needs to have a convincing victory on tuesday. >> trey, i want to show everybody this brand new ad from the pro-santorum super pac. >> how can mitt romney beat barack obama when on the vital decisions they're not much different? like obama, romney drastically increased spending, increased state taxes and fees. even worse, romney care is the blueprint for obama care. who can win? rick santorum. >> all right. so there it is. is that a good primer for the attacks on romney tonight? >> it's interesting because rick santorum has zero chance of beating barack obama in a general election. there's simply way too many independent voters, independent voters registration is at an all-time high. you have over 20% of barack obama's voters in 2008 who have reregistered as independents. and an enormous segment of that group is women.

and he just does not appeal to them. in fact, turns them off. so the irony that he is going after mitt romney for not being electable is quite interesting. >> jen, i want to talk about the match-up when we look at who could come up against the president. and in these specific states, it looks like a case closed in michigan. but he is behind both leaders in arizona. now we keep hearing that the reelection team, jen, is looking at a path to win in arizona. is that really something that's realistic? somewhere they should be investing their momentum, time, energy, and money? or is it something they think is vital to getting four more years in the white house? >> well, let's remember that president obama did not win arizona on the path to victory in 2008. so this would be expanding the playing fields which absolutely the president and his team can do there. they have the best field operation, the best organizing abilities. and right now, we're in the, you know, spring training stage of

the baseball season here. we don't even know who the opponent will be. and we'll be ready for whomever the republicans nominate. >> all right. so let's -- i like the baseball reference, though. let's focus on senator santorum and those satan comments from 2008. here is rush limbaugh's response. take a look. >> it's part of the predictable attempt to immune santorum as an absolute religious nut and wacko. but he did say these things and he's going to have to have an answer when queried. >> are they going to hurt him at the polls? will they hurt in tonight's debate? >> absolutely. listen, religion has no place in politics. both parties are to blame for it. the democrats need to stop intruding on it and the republicans need to stop imposing it. at some point because rick santorum is a viable candidate,

he's going to have to explain or answer the question, how are you going to beat barack obama? how are you going to get to those independent women voters? because certainly they're going to be turned off by some of these comments. but at the end of the day, rick santorum cannot help himself. you have to respect him for his principles and beliefs and spirituality, but he can't help himself in terms of putting that into his public policy position. >> it's part of the conversation. nice to see both of you today. thank you. >> thank you, thomas. arizona as we've been talking about up for grabs on tuesday and also for the presidential election. i'm going to talk with someone who knows that state very well, meghan mccain. but we're showing you right now, rihanna and chris brown back together. that's the big question the two have released a song, a collaboration of musical tracks together. this just three years after their domestic abuse incident. does rihanna risk alienating her female fans. we want to talk about that and a whole lot more right after this. . after a morning of walk-ups, it's back to more pain,

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welcome back, everybody. the rise of the super pacs has also given way to the rise of the super donors. five wealthy men are responsible for 25%. $1 out of $4 is super pac money. dallas business owner harold simmons leads the pac having given over $14 million to various republican candidates and to american cross roads, a pac associated with carl rove. in second place, sheldon adelson, they've donated $11 million to newt gingrich's super paqui pac winning our future. the four hopefuls take the stage again tonight to wage another war on the words. for each tonight, it's pretty crucial with no other debates planned before super tuesday. the stakes couldn't be higher

for mitt romney. it's the first debate since santorum's three-peat. and shows santorum right on romney's heels. joining me now is meghan mccain, her dad, senator john mccain of arizona is a key romney supporter. it's good to have you here as we look at arizona more closely, more specifically as the contests go on and especially the numbers with rick santorum and mitt romney. as we've been talking about the fact that there is trouble for romney in michigan. but he has a secure lead in arizona. he's been running for six years. you would think he could have a secure lead, but there is room for santorum to infiltrate. why do you think that is? >> i think romney needs to start being more aggressive. the one thing that arizonans love more than anything is someone with a strong backbone, maverick gene like my father and he needs to come out swinging in the debate tonight. >> you're saying come out really strong. he did perform, you know, really well in florida. is that what he needs to reengage with? get back into that mitt romney performance tonight? >> exactly.

except instead of hitting gingrich, he needs to completely hit santorum in the jugular. santorum is on every level an unelectable candidate and he needs to show the american people that. >> let's talk about the fact that romney's first debate since the coach that was credited with -- >> fred o'donnell. >> he had this to say on jansing and company this morning. >> santorum's weaknesses have to come from the right. you can't go after him from the left. i think that would be a disaster for mitt romney. my advice to the governor would be don't throw the first punch. >> if i'm hearing him right, santorum's weaknesses are on the right. how do you get much further right than rick santorum right now? >> well, i don't think it's possible to get much more right than rick santorum except maybe if you're governor mcdonnell. but i think his advice is great. romney needs to look like the statesman and be aggressive at the same time. >> as we look at these poll numbers. voters were asked, who is the most electable?

and as we look at this, romney is the clear front runner. when asked who is the true conservative? santorum takes the lead. is this going to come down to which one of those if we look at those -- the ciphers of categories is going to be most important to the voters. >> well, depends if you're asking an evangelical voter or a more moderate republican, for anyone, the end goal should be beating president obama and if you want to put santorum up against obama, i say it's going to be a blood bath. on every single level he's an unelectable candidate who lost by 18 points during his last election. >> tonight your betting money, though, is on mitt romney, knowing that the pressure's own. and coming out and really going after rick santorum hard. so is this rick santorum's debate to lose tonight? >> no, it's romney's to lose tonight. romney's the front runner, but this will be an ugly debate. santorum knows this is his last time to get the national attention from everyone and he's probably going to act like a big child. >> all right, meghan mccain,

nice to see you. i want to take everybody really quickly back to washington, d.c. as i told you off the top of the hour. we are waiting for the groundbreaking ceremony, this historic moment in american history for the national museum of african-american history and culture. speaking right now is former first lady laura bush. we're back with much more after this. >> his dream of a nation where we're all measured by the content of our character. and where -- follow the wings. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪

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two western journalists killed in syria this morning after heavy shelling attacks by government forces. these attacks are part of an escalated push to reclaim territory under control by rebels. the military assault focused on the city of homs, a rebel stronghold where hundreds have been killed during this ongoing weeks of fighting. u.n. nuclear officials are

acknowledging failure again today after a two-day visit to iran to discuss the nuclear program. the trip was meant to uncover details about whether iran was secretly working to build nuclear weapons. those officials were blocked from key records and sites after iran's top leader says his country has no intention of producing a nuclear weapon. russia, meantime is warning israel that any strike on iran would be catastrophic for the region. well, at least six people dead this morning in afghanistan after police opened fire on a crowd of protesters angry about koran burnings at a nato military base. today is the second day of protesting. and the american embassy there has been locked down and staff has been barred from travel in response to thousands of rock-throwing protesters. nbc's atiaabawi joins us with more on this. it has done little to quiet the violent crowds as we have seen. how do officials plan to try to

diffuse this situation? what more can be done? >> reporter: well, honestly, thomas, very little can be done to diffuse the situation here in afghanistan. the commander of nato forces here, general allen did send out an apology on nato, it's been airing on afghan television stations, the audio has been played out on the radio stations and sent out to the afghans hoping they would listen to his message where he says that the burning was unintentional, that the soldiers at bagram air base were throwing out material from the library, the detention facility. material that they felt was being used by the insurgency that they did not realize it was religious material until the afghan personnel pointed it out. but again, afghans are not listening to the apology. all they know is that their religion has been tarnished by the u.s. soldiers and the nato forces here in afghanistan. and it isn't the first time they've heard it. they've heard of nato officials

using it as target practice, they've heard of a pastor in florida burning a koran. they want the afghan government, the international community, everyone to know how angry they are. unfortunately, what this means is protests that lead to violence, violence leads to death. we know of about six afghans killed during the protest today. and we expect the protests to go on for many days to come, especially on friday. after friday prayers, we expect the largest protest throughout the country. thomas? >> and the embassy there remains on lockdown, correct? >> it does remain on lockdown. various foreign institutions here remain on lockdown. whether they be foreign embassies or guest houses. if we remember last april, when a koran was burned in florida, the message came out here to afghanistan after one of the sermons at a mosque in northern afghanistan, a mob of angry afghans went to a united nations housing compound.

the united nations had nothing to do with that koran being killed and they killed at least seven foreigners. obviously every foreigner throughout the country is on guard right now. >> nbc's atia abawi, thank you. some other stories topping the news right now. deliberations underway in the trial of a former university of virginia lacrosse player. prosecutors claim that george hugueley killed 22-year-old yardly love during an argument at her apartment in 2010. defense lawyers claim that hugueley was drunk the night of the fight. if guilty, he faces life in prison. police say a shooting in which five people died at a health spa in suburban atlanta was not a random act of violence. police believe the murder/suicide is due to a domestic dispute. the shooting happened moments after a man walked into the health san thuna and opened fir. police in uganda are

investigating the alleged poi n poisoning case. family members say jeff rice and one of his feel colleagues were poisoned after refusing to give up their belongings to gang members. his brother-in-law told msnbc his brother died friday night, his assistant is now hospitalized in a coma. want to take you back now to washington, d.c. where we've been waiting for the president to speak this morning about the national museum of african-american history and culture. let's listen in. >> i remember having a conversation with him about this job. when he was planning to embark on the extraordinary journey. and we could not be prouder of the work that he has done to help make this day possible. i promise to do my part by being brief. as others have mentioned, this day has been a long time coming. the idea for a museum dedicated to african-americans was first put forward by black veterans of

the civil war. and years later, the call was picked up by members of the civil rights generation. by men and women who knew how to fight for what was right and strive for what is just. this is their day. this is your day. it's an honor to be here to see the fruit of your labor. it's also fitting that this museum has found a home on the national mall. as has been mentioned, it was on this ground long ago, the lives were once traded where hundreds of thousands once marched for jobs and for freedom. it was here that the pillars of our democracy were built often by black hands, and it is on this spot alongside the monuments to those who gave

birth to this nation and those who worked so hard to perfect it. the generations will remember the sometimes difficult, often inspirational, but always central role that african-americans have played in the life of our country. this museum will celebrate that history. because just as the memories of our earliest days have been confined with dusty letters and faded pictures, the time will come when few people remember drinking from a colored water fountain, or boarding a segregated bus or hearing in person dr. king's voice boom down from the lincoln memorial. that's why what we build here won't just be an achievement for our time, it will be a monument for all time. it will do more than simply keep those memories alive. just like the air and space

museum challenges to set our sights higher for the national history museum encourages us to look closer or the holocaust museum causes us to fight persecution wherever we find it. this museum should inspire us, as well. to stand as proof that the most important things in life rarely come quickly or easily. it should remind us that although we have yet to reach the mountain top, we cannot stop climbing. and that's why in moments like this, i think about malia and sasha. i think about my daughters and i think about your children. millions of visitors who will stand where we stand long after we're gone. and i think about what i want them to experience. i think about what i want them to take away. when our children look at

harriet tubman shawl, or the plane flown by tuskegee airmen, i want them to see how ordinary americans could do extraordinary things. how men and women just like them had the courage and determination to right a wrong. to make it right. i want my daughters to see the shackles that bound slaves on their voyage across the ocean. and the shards of glass that flew from the 16th street baptist church. and understand that injustice and evil exists in the world, but i also want them to hear louis armstrong and learn about the negro league and read the poems of phyllis whitley. and i want them to appreciate this museum not just as a record of tragedy, but as a celebration of life.

and when future generations hear these songs of pain and progress and struggle and sacrifice, i hope they will not think of them as somehow separate from the larger american story. i want them to see it as central and important part of our shared story. a call to remember that each of us is made in god's image. and that's the history we will preserve within these walls. the history of a people who in the words of dr. king, "injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization." may we remember their stories, may we live up to their example. thank you, god bless, you and god bless the united states of america. [ applause ]

>> the president wrapping up his brief remarks there this morning on what is an historic day in washington, d.c. as the president along with others there are going to be groundbreaking for the historic site of the first smithsonian national museum of african-american history and culture. obviously the president tapping into his own personal reasons of why this is so important. but explaining to all of us that through sasha and malia he's going to be able to see through their eyes they know where they come from and the history, the great history that ordinary americans have achieved by doing extraordinary things in this country. just so you know as we look at the placement of where this is, it's right there on the mall and it's going to be just south of constitution avenue between the

washington monument and the national mall. we're going to be seeing the president along with other dignitaries there. with the official ground breaking ceremony earlier this morning, we saw former first lady laura bush who is there right on the left of your screen. let's go ahead and listen back in. >> i would like to invite everyone to join me in the countdown. five, four, three, two, one -- break ground. >> all right. so this is proposed nearly 100 years ago by black civil war vets and they needed a museum and now it is in motion. there the groundbreaking ceremony happening this morning. and everyone applauding and hugging about the fact this will probably come into fruition, this $500 million museum, 323,000 square feet of history, and it will debut to all of us

coming up in 2015. well, with the spotlight on mitt romney and rick santorum, newt gingrich is moving off of center stage in his strongest 2012 arena republican debate. now the former speaker's performance tonight could be his last big chance to make a major impression with voters in the coming primaries and super tuesday. david winston is a senior campaign adviser to newt gingrich and joins me now. nice to see you again this morning. >> good morning. >> here we are. once again on the morning of a debate to talk about what's coming up. and your candidate has decided to focus resources on super tuesday. not the big race in michigan next week. we're going to be seeing him go backwards, though, as we look at this latest nbc polling. how worried is the gingrich campaign team? how crucial is a strong debate performance tonight by newt gingrich to his campaign moving forward? >> well, i don't think there's any question. this is a big night for the speaker. he has to do well, but it's also his venue. when he has had the opportunity to focus on talking about large policies, large ideas as he did

in the fall of this year and then certainly in south carolina, he's managed to put himself back into the midst of things. he needs a good performance. but like i said, it's a venue he's been able to provide those performances. >> when we look at recent polling from georgia, georgia, it's showing that the race is starting to tighten up. mitt romney and rick santorum closing in on the former speaker. what are your expectations for super tuesday with newt gingrich losing national momentum potentially? >> well, and that's where i think you hone in on tonight. certainly the polls are reflective that senator santorum had a good day, a good couple of caucuses about a week ago. but obviously what happens tonight can dramatically change the direction of this election. as it did certainly in south carolina, as it did in the fall where newt bounced back. and obviously the performances in florida were not what we would've liked. what we're hoping for is that it'll certainly go back and be

able to do what he did in south carolina. >> i want to show a new line that we've been hearing from speaker gingrich. take a listen. >> you know, i don't think i got that much applause back when i was speaker of the house in washington. this is a really good experience. he said i'd have a good time these two days here and he's exactly right. of course i'm really honored to have congressman watts' support in running for president. i just thought i'd take a couple of minutes to chat with you and if it's appropriate i guess off the floor i'll be glad to get pictures and chat with you individually. but i want to talk about three examples of the change we need. >> david, unfortunately we had the wrong sound there, but we're talking about the challenges that this country faces currently. and right now, with the economy the way it is and going in a positive direction, breaking 13,000 on the dow yesterday. if the economy continues to rebound, how does that challenge

newt gingrich and his message of what president obama is doing and how we could have a different american economy under a president gingrich? >> well, again, i think there are two things. it's not that the economy is getting better, it's just that we've now gotten to a situation where it's not as horrible as it was, 8.3% unemployment is a bad number, 1.7% economic growth is not a satisfactory number. but having said that, what i think you're going to continue to focus on tonight is energy. if there's one thing that could spiral this country back into a really worse situation than it's in right now it's rising energy costs. right now the consumer is looking at a huge increase in terms of the pump and a lot of businesses having to spend more money on energy and limiting the ability to higher n hire new pe. and i think you'll see a focus on energy. and you watched as this evolved that the president's responding in terms of having his own delivery in terms of a potential new policy tomorrow as he's

worried about it. energy is going to be a very important issue as we sort of move forward in the next couple of weeks. >> with so much attention, though, as we talk about what's taking place. so much attention on the tension between rick santorum and mitt romney, does that give newt gingrich going into tonight the stealth advantage of what he's been able to capitalize in prior debates? >> well, obviously the two of them are going to be going at each other as you've seen they've done in michigan as they sort of position for that race. but i think what the speaker wants to get back to is focusing on his big ideas, policies, focus on energy, tax plan. when he has succeeded when he's had the opportunity to talk about his big ideas, when he's run into -- when he's had more difficulties, been involved in the context of the sort of negative backdrop to this whole race. you're going to see him focus on his big ideas. and this is a venue that's proven to be the best for him and you'll see him try to combine those two. >> nice to see you, david, thank

you. >> pleasure, thank you. a bill to legalize same-sex marriage making progress in maryland. on tuesday, the state senate voted 7-4 to advance the legislation to its entire chamber. now members hope to move on the bill. but the possibility of a filibuster remains. comes days after the civil marriage protection act won narrow approval in the full house by a vote of 72-67. the california court declared it unconstitutional. now supporters of prop 8 want a second say. the backers on the ban say the ninth circuit court panel wrongly concluded it stigmatized gays and lesbians. it could take up to two years for this to hit the supreme court. in the meantime, same-sex couples still can't get married in the state of california. it appears chris brown and rihanna are back together, at least musically speaking. the two who separated you'll recall in 2009 after chris brown was arrested for beating rihanna released two remixes this week that they taped together.

one is chris brown "turn up the music." ♪ turn up the music >> all right. so that's a little taste for you right there. joining me this morning is christopher barly, ed or the of the "wall street journal" speak easy blog. and it's good to have you both here because -- both here to talk about this this morning. because as we were paying attention to this yesterday, got a lot of people talking in the newsroom. erin, i want you to specifically listen to the lyrics of rihanna's song "birthday cake." some are so explicit we're not going to be able to tell everybody what they are, but here are some of the lines. been a long time, i've been missing your body. and then it goes on from there to get a little racier, a little dirtier. what kind of message is this sending to female fans out there

about this collaboration? >> well, sure, i think the issue is not that rihanna is sending a message to the women of this country. it's the fact that rihanna is clearly one of the women of this country. 1 in 3 women in this country will experience intimate partner violence at some point in their lives and about half of them will cycle between going back periodically. and so there's really cause for concern here. but certainly the real blame belongs on chris brown and all those who are aiding, abetting, and supporting him. including the grammys, including pepsi for sponsoring the grammys, including his record label rca. so she's under enormous pressure right now to accept him. >> but people are going to look at this, rihanna is a young, strong woman who came out after this and now is allowing this. some people are going to say allowing this back into her life. doesn't she have a personal responsibility? it's not just all on him. >> well, i think respectfully that chris brown has a personal responsibility not to abuse women.

and that issue is not rihanna. it's never the 1 in 3 women. it's not the women at fault for intimate partner violence, it's the men and it's the culture that aids and abets it. it's not an issue of black, white, rich, poor, rock star or ordinary person. and the fact this touches all of us. this is a learning moment for everyone. and i'm glad that these discussions are being had around the country. >> i think it's important too. christopher, let's talk about chris brown and rihanna. they seem to talk a lot on twitter to each other. and he tweeted -- she tweeted about a relationship existing in the space between two people. obviously, sure. what's our right to judge them? when we think about the responsibility of them as artists, we expect them to put out music, sure. but is it collaboration like this something fans are going to respond to or have a visceral reaction to? >> well, that's a great question.

the question that black music artists have faced for many decades. this happens during black history month, we saw the groundbreaking of the museum there. sometimes african-american artists face questions that other artists don't. people wonder, are you being a role model? representing your community in the right way? and they're facing those questions about the choices they've made to work together and what also adds to the situation, millions of followers on twitter that tweeted this news out there on the internet. people have been discussing it. taking one side or the other. many saying why are you back with this guy musically speaking. many chris brown fans saying, finally, people need to get over this. it's been a couple of years already. and that's created a lot of attention between the fan bases about whether this should've happened. >> well, it's out there for everybody now. we'll see how the fans react to it, but it has created a lot of talk among people that are watching this. but we'll see, thanks to both of you. appreciate your time. >> thank you. well, the president's campaign staff got a little bit bigger. i'm going to talk with one of

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president obama is ready to put a concrete plan on the table to change the nation's corporate tax rate for the better. the president's reform proposal would drop the rate from the current 35% down to 28%. and it is the latest idea from the white house to give businesses here at home more leverage on the global stage. he is one of 35 national co-chairs for the obama reelection campaign. sir, it's nice to see you this morning. >> thank you, my pleasure. >> so this proposed plan has a lot of buzz words we've heard from both sides of the aisle for months. a long time here.

eliminating loopholes, deductions, but nothing is easy in washington. certainly not in this political cycle. do you expect this plan for american businesses to gain bipartisan support, or is that not feasible at this time? >> it's certainly our hope. and we think the atmosphere is ripe now with washington because both republicans and democrats have been talking about tax reform for a long time. recall that the president for the last three years reducing classes for middle class families, working families, for small businesses, tax breaks to help people send their children to college. and this is the next big step, but because a number of candidates on the other side have been talking about tax breaks and improving the tax code, this is the right time to do it. i think it makes a lot of sense and hopefully we can get that done. >> as we talk specifically about you and your contributions, this is your second time as a national co-chair for barack obama. you're going to be doing a lot of work out west, including your home state of colorado. there are a lot of latino voters

in that region, what do you feel the message you're best to carry to secure that vote? >> well, the general message is the president has been adopting policies very important for the latino community. whether it's health care reform, investments in education, which by the way is very, very important for latino families all over the country. now families have more pell grants for their children because of the president. that's very important. investment in small businesses. latino small businesses are growing year after year. and so the tax issue you talked about. all of these are very important. we've got a very good message throughout the southwest and other states with large latino populations and i'm looking forward to carrying the president's message throughout the country. >> sir, as we talk about focusing specifically on a few states, jobs being priority, talking about latino voters, the message that needs to be heard in nevada and arizona where the unemployment rate is above the national average. and as we look at the numbers

here, 12.6% in nevada, 8.7% in arizona. >> absolutely, and the president's message and my message is going to be this, the unemployment rate is coming down. we've seen 23 consecutive months of positive job growth. 3.7 million new jobs have been created. and yes, in nevada and other states the unemployment rate is still higher than the national average. but we're moving in the right direction. and so my question and my message to those people will be, do you want to change direction and go back and use the old policies that failed under previous administrations or do you want to continue to support this president with his strategies which are working knowing that in a little more time, the unemployment rate will come down on those states, we'll see more job creation, this is no time to change horses in the middle of the stream as we say out here in colorado. >> sir, thank you for joining me, i appreciate it. >> thank you. gone but not forgotten, and in fact, working for the

president once again. it's time now for the poly side bar. president obama is putting his two former chiefs of staff back to work helping him to get reelected. rahm emanuel and bill daily named as co-chairman. bill finished a stint at the white house. president obama raised more money last month compared with his january '08 numbers during his first campaign for white house. donations to the president were down 30% from nearly $42 million to $29 million. so maybe the president can sing for his supper to get those donations. the campaign cash as we look at the crooner in chief at it once again, this time singing the blues. "sweet home chicago" for a cbs special. ♪ ♪ come on

♪ baby don't ya wanna go ♪ same old place ♪ sweet home chicago >> all right. so the last time that president obama sang it was "let's stay together" by al green and joked around about going on tour with the singer/reverend after the presidential election. he says he doesn't want to lose any votes because of his votes, however he's boosted sales by 490%. ♪ we were skipping stones and letting go ♪ [ 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.

our machines help identify early stages of cancer and it's something that we're extremely proud of. you see someone who is saved because of this technology, you know that the things that you do in your life, matter. if i did have an opportunity to meet a cancer survivor, i'm sure i could take something positive away from that. [ jocelyn ] my name is jocelyn, and i'm a cancer survivor. [ mimi ] i had cancer. i have no evidence of disease now. [ erica ] i would love to meet the people that made the machines. i had such an amazing group of doctors and nurses, it would just make such a complete picture of why i'm sitting here today. ♪ [ herb ] from the moment we walked in the front door, just to see me -- not as a cancer patient, but as a person that had been helped by their work. i was just blown away. life's been good to me. i feel like one of the luckiest guys in the world. ♪

congratulations for the books. obviously be know -- it was a national crisis that we saw with the shootings back in the '90s, some has been made since then, because 46 states have legislation aimed at stopping bullying, but when we hear the

one that was happen engine massachusetts, it was talking about marriage equality, how do you react to this? >> it's typical and i think in this country, our awareness was increased but we have a long way to go in terms of tolerance, i travel all across the country sharing my story because i'm a victim turned activist, sharing my story in schools all across america and i meet hundreds and hundreds of kid who is are bully and adults who are bullied too and while i'm delighted with our new awareness as a country, we have on long way to go yet in terms of compassion and tolerance. >> numbers show that 20% of all high school students have experienced some form of bullying, and your first book chronicles what it is for you, the counciling that you went on to provide, what is the most

common concerns that you encounter from parents and teens about modern day bullying? >> billing is no worse today than it was 30 years ago, thomas, what is different is the capability to achieve it, today that same note that was passed in class the posted on youtube or posted on a facebook wall the wounds are deeper. kids can not escape. i was tormented by my classmates all day, and when i came home i had a safe haven, but now they cannot do that because of the internet. >> that will not go away, because the social media aspect is so relevant to how we community as adults. as we look at u.s. world news

and report run ago tip list on how to handle crisises at home for bullying, what tip is recognizing the warning signs of bullying and second, get your kids to focus on a hobby and working with the schools to top the bullying and all of it may sound weak, it's hard to get sometimes it put into reality, would you like to add anything though that list? >> i think it's important for parents to know, that just going to a school one time, if your child is being bullied is not enough, you have to follow-up and treat it as you would a business project and stay on top of it and document, if you are a parent and your child is being bullied, find out from your child if other children are being billed too, inform a parental coalition, a school can ignore an angry parent, but not

an organized group. great to see you, jody. >> thanks for watching, "now" with alex wagner comes your way next. alex? >> hey, thomas, how are you? >> great, what have you coming up? >> mitt romney is hoping to gain ground on santorum, releasing detail on his tax plan and that comes as the president releases a plan to slash the corporate tax rate it's the bromance that kno no one saw coming, we will talk about what is going on with romney. as the candidates descend on arizona, we will look at their immigration policies, something that is sure though come up tonight. "now" starts in 180 seconds.

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