hi i'm tamron hall. the "news nation" is following developing news out of afghanistan. two u.s. soldiers were shot and killed by a man wearing an afghan army uniform. the attack in eastern afghanistan happened outside the american base bringing angry protests of the burning, unintentional burning, of the coran. we're told it could grow larger tomorrow. today, also, president obama sent a letter to afghan president for the burning of the koran. we are joined live from the afghan city capitol. first of all, let's start off with what we know regarding those soldiers. >> reporter: we know the demonstration gout of o hand. hundreds were storming a base being egged on by religious

leaders on mega phones telling them to take over that force. u.s. forces trying to protect the base alongside afghan soldiers. according to to a police official at the scene, he says that u.s. forces fired on the crowd of afghans that were trying to overrun the base. the afghan soldier got angry blaming them for the protest to begin with. turned his weapon onto that and killed two americans and wounded four others. this was one of dozens of protests that we heard of throughout afghanistan. some of them were peaceful. others, obviously, deadly. tamron. >> regarding the letter president obama sent, what more do we know regarding the president's words to the leader of that country? >> reporter: president obama understands the sensitivity of the issue when it comes to the afghan people. this is a highly conservative and religious country. president obama reaching out trying to make sure that the

afghan government knows that the americans and nato, for that matter, is very apologetic for that. they have continued to call it unintentional. they continue to apologize for it. president obama reaching out to his counter part here to make sure that the president will not continue to fuel the angry. the taliban taking advantage of the situation. nay v they sent out a statement saying all afghans should capture, beat and kill any western troops that they see for now on. >> there are now 89,000 troops in afghanistan. the president said all combat troops will be out by tend of 2014. how could today's developments affect their mission and those withdrawal plans? let me bring in jim. i want to start off with you, mick. i saw your report. you talked about the pentagon

sees it as one of the worst case scenarios. the events that played out that cost the two soldiers their lives. >> from the very beginning, immediately after it was discovered that the korans had been tossed into a burn pit there north of kabul, immediately there was concern, obviously, about these kinds of protests, but a deeper, longer lasting concern for some of the u.s. military officials is just what happened today. their fear was this could serve not only as rallying cry for taliban but it could encourage some of those afghan trainees who are armed working side by side with americans out in the field that this would sort of incite them to turn their weapons against the americans, which is exactly what appears to have happened today.

just a very quick note, if i could, while some afghan officials there say that u.s. forces open fire on that crowd, the official u.s. military version is somewhat different as you would well imagine. they said that half began security forces both police and military open fire on the crowd and that it was this one lone person who is in an afghan military uniform who turned and killed the two americans, wounding four others. he is said to then have disappeared into the crowd. it's unclear exactly who this person was, what his affiliation was and what specifically was his motive, although it appears to this burning. >> he's demanding fair and public trial for those that burned koran. what is the pentagon saying about in of this regarding any kind of trial there?

>> the general there, the to u.s. commander there in afghanistan, general john allen, within hours went public, went on video tape, which was broadcast throughout afghanistan saying we apologize. this was inadvertent and we will find anybody responsible and they will be held accountable. i can tell you, there's still -- the versions are still squishy about what happened and who knew what about the korans when they were sent off to that burn pit. they insist there was no malicious intent. it was general allen who said we must launch a joint investigation. to be as transparent as possible. about president obama's message today, he apologized.

it's very rare and unusual for a president to offer a public apology. they also find some way not to apologize. he was very clear. he apologized because everybody in the pentagon and white house realizes just how serious this is. >> let me bring in jim here. 89,000 troops still in that country. we know the president is saying the end of combat, 2014. you heard mick say this rare apology from the president p. >> i think it's a clear indication of how serious the administration is taking this. to tall it a stupid mistake is the understatement of the century. there's still a culture misunderstanding between some u.s. troops or forces of what is

particularly important that a koran would be inadvertently burned, i think that obama is sending a personal letter demonstrates just how crucial this problem is. >> you also heard some religious leaders urging protester to act in this way. this come s at a time when tlp could be progress and negotiating with the taliban in that country, but tomorrow all eyes will be on the events playing out there, and should be. >> you've got two big problem. the problem is whether that was an afghan trainee or an actual soldier or was the taliban imposter and there's rogue uniforms out through the. the second thing is to watch the taliban, the degree to which they will capitalize on this for

propaganda value to bring harm to u.s. service members and the mission in afghanistan. those are the two big things we should look for tomorrow. it couldn't be understated. >> it comes back for many people asking what are we doing there? our mission there. these broad questions that can't be answered in a few seconds, but they are a natural reaction as you walk up to two soldiers were killed. >> the obama administration is saying we shouldn't make unforced errors. just the burning of the koran is unforced. it wasn't supposed to happen. it does go to show there's still some miscommunication and culture misunderstanding among our mission and troops in that country. four days of protests, four days of trying to remain calm saying

he understands, a personal letter from obama. he seems to be ineffective in being able to calm this problem. another tragedy involving u.s. troops. marines were killed when their helicopter collided. no survivors. the cause of the crash right now under investigation. up next on "news nation,". >> as you can see. >> you heard it there. why did the audience boo the question regarding contraception when the guy who is the front-runner, at least he was last night going in, say i'm ready to defend my comments on the issue. why didn't they let him defend himself? virginia's republican governor appears to be backing down on a controversial bill that would require women to get

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now to decision 2012, mitt romney is on his way to michigan right now after taking shots at rick santorum over his debate performance. romney spoke in front of an audience of home builders earlier. he said the debate was fun and th h didn't expect what happened. >> senator santorum explained most of the night why he did or voted for things he disagreed with. he talked about this as being taking one for the team. i wonder which team he was taking it for.

my team is the american people not the insiders in washington. >> after the debate santorum said he felt like it was clear that some of the candidates were focused on double teaming him. let's bring in our political pan panel. michael, i'll start off with you because of an interview you just did making headlines around here because he is contradicting something rick santorum said in that debate. >> last night you remember that governor santorum said to romney said but for you there'd be no obama care and the way he gets there is the say that santorum had been supportive. santorum said spector promised he he would go along with the bush nominations.

he said that conversation never took place. >> he's calling out rick santorum there. you heard rick santorum, michael, say he felt he was being double teamed on and everyone was after him. why wouldn't he be prepared for that? >> it goes with the territory if you're the front-runner. i was nonplussed by all of their performances. it's hard to say who won that debate. it was slow and steady. newt gingrich didn't seem like himself to me. he surprised me by his quiet demeaner. >> you mentioned him, i want to bring in this moment that we were talking about. the issue of contraception being put on the table. let me play when the moderator read a question. the question action from the audience and newt gingrich jumping in. >> since birth control is the latest hot topic, which candidate believes in birth control and if not, why?

[ boo ] . >> you did not once in the 2008 campaign, not once did anybody in the elite media ask why barack obama voted in favor of legalizing. >> let's be clear. he changed the subject matter. rick santorum dade before this debate he was ready to defend his word, his stance, his ideology. the audience has been so intriguing. why do you think they didn't want to hear this matter if it's so important to their leading candidate on stage? >> i think they thought it was a gotcha question set up by the media. i think they thought it was more of a set up question than real question. i think that's why newt got in there. the audience was very audible last night.

for some people they thought the audience was a little more interesting than the debate. >> it was. i don't know if it's the number 20 or if people are tired of it p michael, do you buy that. it's a gotcha question to ask. it is a social issue. it's out there and rick santorum said i'm ready to defend. let him defend. put him in, let him defend. >> i say absolutely not that it's a gotcha question. in other words, in the same way that it was entirely appropriate to ask newt gingrich the speaker at that south carolina debate about the charges made by the ex-wife. senator santorum has offered those thoughts. he's not running from them. i think they are fair game. we've never had a presidential candidate before say i'm going to make this an issue when i'm

president. >> let me play what chris christie said on "morning joe". let's play it. >> he was the only one of the group that i thought gave us a good chance of being the president. nothing that happened last night or if you were to lose michigan would change. >> this wasn't a game changer. nothing really big happened here. no one really screwed up. >> no. i think there was no big game changing moment. i think everybody did okay. i think probably the best question is when john king said this would be the last question of the republican debate. i think everybody got excited about that question. i think chris christie kind of says i'm for mitt romney because i think he's the best to beat barack obama in november. i don't think anything in the debate changed that. now we move to michigan and arizona. >> there are people who see this is a failure for santorum

because this would have been his big moment. here is his chance. he's got center stage. everyone really is watching to see if he has the ability to take on mitt romney and he seemed to get caught up in his own words. i want to play one of the moments regarding no child left behind. >> i have to admit, i voted for that. it was against the principals i believed in. when you're part of the team, sometimes you take one for the team and i made a mistake. politics is a team sports folk. >> apparently not. not according to that audience. mitt romney hitting him on that very point. >> rick santorum, i spent a lot of time with him, he's a characteristic that we're not used to seeing. if you ask him a question, he gives you a literal answer. last night he did that on a variety of circumstances and in

some it wasn't what the audience wanted to hear. >> chip, that brings me back to this notion of congress. here you have a fire brand, a guy who supposed to be a straight shooter saying it is a team sport and he's booed by that largely republican audience on that notion. >> i think rick santorum is a double edged sword for him. he's a straight shooter. i think he's exactly right. he dozees answer the question a i'll ask whatever i want to. >> which is mitt romney said last night during one point. >> that's exactly right. i think rick santorum, his biggest strength can be his weakness, which is he's very transparent. you know what he believes. you know what he thinks because he'll tell you if you ask him a question. i think he got a bit too much in the weeds. he started talking like a

senator as poopposed to the president. >> president obama, chip and mark, is expect ee eed to speak few minutes. 70% of gas prices are deeply important to people out there. 58% disapprove of the way the president is handling the gas prices. we know how important florida is. the president talking gas in florida. it's a two fer. >> i'm hear at the event. they're not allowing me outside anymore, so there's a lot of background noise here. the president's speech will be focused on gas. thaes because he's being hit over it. they were going talk about the tax plan and went for this talk about fuel prices. a gallon of gas cost about four bucks. could be five by summer. i think a lot of people are

nervous. >> the national average -- >> politician are trying to take advantage of the gas prices and he's bragging about all the thing he's trying to do. he won't mention the keystone pipeline, which republicans will and he probably won't mention that a lot of his energy agenda didn't happen. >> the national average, $3.61. you're saying what the president won't mention, you also have newt gingrich saying gas will drop to $2.50 if he's elected. i don't know if that's fantasy island, but needs to back that up. this didn't just happen overnight and you don't have gas prices drop because newt gingrich becomes president. >> no. oil and gas is a commodity. >> it is. >> this president is not doing anything to help the domestic market. he's not opening up to drilling. he's not doing the keystone

pipeline. it's almost impossible to get a permit to drill in the gulf. if he could do those things, prices would go down because supply would go up. it's pretty basic stuff. the president said he's got an all of the above program, but it's none of the above. >> chip, tell me the program you heard from one of your candidates in the republican party that actually you believe will work regarding gas prices today. >> i think there's a lot. there's the pipeline that we've talked about. >> go ahead. >> there's drilling in alaska which this administration has block and there's opening up the gulf to more brilling that this administration has blocked. you can't get a permit. the permits they pay are huge to do. this president has blocked every single agenda item that will the house of representatives and the congress and republican has tried to open up. that will be a real problem in

november. >> mark, i need to talk about the latino vote in florida. i don't want us to get bogged down in too many things here. nevertheless, we know the latino vote is crucial. president obama got 57% of the vote in florida. what is the administration doing? the re-election campaign to tighten up their support with latino votes in florida? >> you're going to see more of it. i can't find any evidence that the republican debate about immigration has helped the republican candidate. the president is going to try to exploit that. circle back to gas real fast. the guest mentioned drilling off the coast in the gulf. we just had a big oil spill that polluted some florida beaches so it's not a popular thing to talk about in florida. it can ride the line. if republicans lose florida, they probably will not unseat obama. a republican can't win the white

house without winning florida. you have to be talking about drilling offshore. you have to be careful when talking about latinos. i know that's an awful transition. >> thanks. house democrats hold their own hearing on contraception a few hours ago in a response to last week's controversial hearing. the woman who congressman darrell issa refused to allow to testify finally gets her chance for her voice to be heard. >> they tell me that they have suffered financially, emotionally and medically because of this lack of coverage. i'm hear to share. >> we'll have more on that. let me swing your attention to miami where the president is just arriving. he's talking about these rising gas prices, anxiety over the gas prices. as the president is aware that republicans are attempting to

capitalize on what we're seeing. the national average gas price is $3.61. there are predictions we could see gas prices as high as 4 or $5. the president focusing his attention on energy. let's listen in. >> hello, miami. [ applause ] >> it's good to see all of you here today. i want to thank erica for that outstanding introduction. she said her parents were tweeting. i also want to thank donna.

senator bill nelson is here. my outstanding friend congresswoman debbie wasserman-schultz. it's good to be back in sunny florida. i must say i don't know how you go do class. i'm assuming you do go to class. it's just too nice outside. in another life, i would be staying for the next weekdays a night. then go up to orlando for nba all-star weekend. these dies i've got a fays i've

things on my plate. just a few. i just got a fascinating demonstration of the work that some of you are doing at the college of engineering. let me say, we need more engineers. i could not be prouder of those of you who are studying engineering. it was fascinating stuff. i understood about 10% of what they told me, but it was very impressive. the work couldn't be more important. they were figuring the out how our buildings, manufacturers can waste less energy. that's one of the fastest, easiest ways to reduce our dependence on oil and make our economy stronger. some cutting edge stuff is being

done right here at b.u. that's what i'm hear to talk about today. i laid out three areas we need to focus if we want to build an economy that lasts and good for the next generation. we need new american manufacturing. we have to have new skills and education for america's workers, and we need new sources of american-made energy. right now we are experiencing just another painful reminder of why developing new energy is so critical to our future. just like last year gas prices are climbing across the country. this time it's happening earlier. when gas prices go up, it hurts

everybody. everybody who owns a car. everybody who owns a business. it means you have to stretch paycheck even further. it means you have to find more room in a budget that was already really tight. some folks have no choice but to drive a long way to work. high gas prices are like a tax straight out of your paycheck. i got a letter last night, i get these letter, ten letters that i read every night out of the 40,000 that are sent to me. at least two of them said i'm not sure i'm going to be able to keep my job if gas prices keep ongoing up because it's hard to manage the budget, fill up the tank. a lot of folks are going through tough times as a consequence. some politicians they see this as a political opportunity. i know you're shocked by that.

last week the lead story in one newspaper said gasoline prices are on the rise and republicans are licking their chops. that's a quote. that's the lead. licking their chops. only in politics do people root for bad news. they greet bad news so enthusiastically. you pay more, they're licking their chops. you can bet that since it's an election year, they're already dusting off their three-point plan for $2 gas. i'll save you the suspense. step one is to drill and step two is to drill and step three is to keep drilling. we are at the same line in 2007 when i was running for president. we hear the same thing every year. we've heard the same thing for 30 years. the american people aren't stupid.

they know that's not a plan especially since we're already drilling. that's a bumper sticker. it's not a strategy to solve our energy challenge. that's a strategy to get politicians through an election. you know there are no quick fixes to this problem. you know we can't just drill our way to lower gas prices. if we're going to take control of our energy future and start avoiding these annual gas price spikes that happen every year when the economy starts getting better, world demand starts increasing, turbo oil in the middle east or some other parts of the world, if we're going to avoid being at the mercy of these events, we've got to have

a sustained, all of the above strategy. yes oil and gas but also wind and solar and bio fuel and more. we need to keep developing the technology that allows us to use less oil in our cars and trucks. less energy for our buildings and our plants and factories. that's the strategy we're pur e pursuing and that's the only real solution to this challenge. now, it starts with the need for safe, responsible oil production here in america. we're not going to transition out of oil any time soon. that's why under my administration america is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years. that's why we have a record number of oil rigs operating right now. more working oil and gas prices than the rest of the world combined. over the last three years my

administration has approved dozens of pipelines, including from canada. we opened millions of acres from oil and gas exploration. we plan to make available more than 75% of our potential offshore gas and oil resources from alaska to the gulf of mexico. last week we announced the next steps toward further energy exploration. earlier this week we joined mexico that we'll make more than 1.5 million acres in the gulf available for exploration and production which contained 172 million barrels of oil and natural gas. we're focused on production. that's not the issue. we'll keep on producing more home grown energy. here is thing. it's not enough. the amount of oil that we drill at home doesn't set the price of

gas by itself. the oil market is global. oil is bought and sold until a world market. just like last year, the single biggest thing that's causes the price of oil to spike right now is instability in the middle east. this time aroundran when uncertainty increases, speculative trading on wall street increases. that drives prices up even more. those are the biggest short term factors at work here. over the long term, the biggest reason prices will probably keep going up is in places like china. the number of cars more than tripled in the last five years in china. nearly ten million cars were

added in 2010 alone. ten million cars in one year, in one country. think about how much oil that requires. as folks in china and india and brazil aspire to buy a car like americans do, those numbers will only get bigger. what does that mean for us? anybody that tells you that we can drill our way out of this problem doesn't know what they're talk about or just isn't telling you the truth. young people especially understood this. you guys are so much aware than i was of conserving our natural resources and thinking about the planet. the united states consumes more than a fifth of the world's oil,

more than 20% of the world's oil. we only have 2% of the oil reserves. we consume 20. we've got two. that means we can't just rely on fossil fuels from the last century. we can't just allow ourselves to be held hostage to the ups and downs of the world market. we've got to keep developing new sources of energy. we've got to develop new technology that helps us use less energy and use energy smarter. we've got to rely on american know how and young engineers right here at the u who are focused on energy. that is our future. that's exactly the path my administration has been trying to take these past three years. we're making progress. in 2010 or dependence on foreign oil was under 50% for the first

time in a decade. we were less reliant on foreign oil than we had been. in 2008 the united states relied less on foreign oil than any of the last 16 years. because of the investments we've made, the use of clean renewable fuel has nearly doubled, and thousands of american jobs have been created as a consequence. we're taking every possible action to develop safely a near hundred year supply of natural gas in this country. something experts believe will support more than 600,000 jobs by the next decade. we supported the first nuclear power plant. our cooperation with the private sector has positioned this company to be the world's leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries that be power the next generation of american cars that use less oil, maybe don't use any oil at all. after three decades of inaction,

we put in place the toughest fuel economy standards in history for our cars and pickup truck s and the first standards every. our cars will average nearly 55 miles per gallon by the middle of the next decade. that's nearly double what they get today. i remember what it was like as a student, you guys remember the old beaters. who knows what kind of mileage you get. i can tell you some stories about the cars i've had. i bought one for $500. by the middle of next decade, you'll be buying some new car, hopefully sooner than that. that means you'll be able to fill up your car every two weeks instead of every week. something that will save the

typical family more than 8,0$8, at the pump. the kcountry will reduce oil production by over two million barrels a day. that's not only good for your pocketbook, that's good for the environment. here is the thing. we've got to do more. we've got to act even faster. we have to keep investing in the development of every available source of american made energy. this is a question of where our priorities are. this is a choice that we face. first of all, while there are no silver bullets, short term when it comes to gas prices. anybody who says otherwise isn't telling the truth. i have directed my administration to look for every single area where we can make an

impact and help consumers in the months ahead from permitting to delivery bottlenecks to what's going on in the oil markets. we're going to look at every single aspect of gas prices because we know the burden that it's putting on consumers. we will keep taking as many steps as we can in the coming weeks. that's short term, but over the long term, on all of the above energy strategy requires us having the right priorities. we have to have the right incentives in place. right now, $4 billion of your tax dollars subsidize the oil industry every year. $4 billion. they don't need a subsidy. they're making near record profits. these are the same oil companies that have been making record profits off the money you spend at the pump for several years now. how did they deserve another $4 billion from taxpayers and

subsidies. it's outrageous. it's inexcusable. at every politician who's been fighting to keep those subsidies in place should explain to the american people why the oil industry needs more of their money especially at a time like this. i say this in the state of the union, a century of subsidies to the oil companies is long enough. it's time to end taxpayer give aways to an industry that has never been more profitable, double down on clean industry industries that have never been more promising. that's what we need to do. [ applause ] >> this congress needs to renew the clean energy tax credits that will lead to more jobs and less dependence on foreign oil.

the potential of a sustained all of the above energy strategy is all around us. here in miami, 2008, miami became the first major american city to power its city hall with solar and renewable energy, right here in miami. the modernization of your power grid so that it waste less energy is one of largest projects of its kind in the country. the wind turbine and miami-dade museum can meet 10% of the energy needs in a south florida home and the largest producer is over juno beach. right here at the university your work is helping manufacturers save millions of dollars in energy bills by making their facilities more energy efficient. a lot worveg k is already beinge right here just in this area. the role of the federal

government isn't to take over this work, direct this research, it is to support these discoveries. our job is to help outstanding work that's being done in universities and labs and help businesses get new energy ideas off the ground. it was public knowledge that over the years help develop the technologies the companies are right now using to extract this national gas. the pay off on the public investments don't come right away. some technologies don't pan out, and some companies will fail. as long as i'm president, i will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. your future is too important. i will not give up because some politicians in washington refuse to make the same commitment here

in america. with or without this congress, i will continue to do whatever i can to develop every source of american energy so our future isn't controlled by events on the other side of the world. today we're taking a step that will make it yeerz for companies to save money by investing in energy solutions that have been proven here at the united states of miami, new lighting systems, advanced heating and cooling systems that can lower bills and make them more competitive. we're launching a program that will bring together the best scientists and engineers to figure out how more cars can be powered by natural gas. we don't have to import it. we may be exporting it soon. we're making new investments in the development of gasoline and diesel and jet fuel that's made from a plant-like substance,

algae. you got a bunch of algae out here. if we can figure out how to make energy out of that, we'll be doing all right. believe it or not, we could replace up to 17% of the oil we import for transportation with this fuel that we can grow right here in the united states. that means greater energy security, that means lower costs, it means more jobs. it means a stronger economy. none of the steps that i've talked about today will be a silver bullet. it's not going to bring down gas prices tomorrow. remember if anybody says they got a plan for that, what? i'm just saying. [ applause ] >> we're not going to overnight solve the problem of world oil

markets. there is no silver bullet. there never has been. part of the problem is what politicians pretend there is then we put off the choices of developing nor energy and becoming efficient. we got to stop doing that. we don't have the luxury of pretending. got to look at the fact, look at the science, figure out what we need to do. we may not have the silver bullet but we do have limitless sources of energy, a boundless supply of ingenuity, amazing young people like you. all of which we can put to work to develop this new energy source. that's the easiest thing in the world to make phony election year promises about lower gas prices. what's harder is to make a serious commitment to tackle a problem. it won't be solved in one year. it may not be solved in one

decade, but that's the kind of commitment we need right now. that's what this moment requires. i need all of you to keep at it. i need you to work hard, need you to dream big. i need those of you that are a lot smarter than me to figure out how we're going to be able to tap into new energy sources. we've got to summon the spirit of optimism and willingness to tackle tough problems that led previous generations to meet the challenges of their times, to power a nation from coast to coast, to send a man to the moon. to connect an entire world with our own science and imagination. that's what america is capable of. that's what this country is about. that history teaches us that whatever our challenges, all of them, whatever reface, we always have the power to solve it. this is going to be one of the

major challenges for your generation. solving is going to take. it's going to take effort. it's going to require our brightest scientist t our most creative companies, but it's going to require all of us as citizen, democrats, republicans, everybody in between, all of us will have to do our part. if we do, the solutions within our reach. i know we can do it. we have done it before. when we do, we'll we mind the world just once again why it is that the united states of america is the greatest country on earth. thank you, everybody. god bless you. god bless america. >> there you have it, president obama addressing the hot topic, gas prices. the president says there's no silver bullet when it comes to gas prices. he's directed his administration to look at every single area where they can make an impact to help consumers in the months ahead. the president speaking in the

important state of florida. the president talking about the long term solution saying that anyone who tells you you can drill your way out of this problem doesn't know what they're talk about. it's simply not the case. newt gingrich only yesterday said that if he were elected gas would be $2.50 a gallon. we'll keep you up to date on more reaction. the long term issues we must face as a nation regarding our we get our energy and the president hitting on the subs y subsidi subsidies, the breaks they are getting. coming up on "news nation,". >> mr. mcdonald will force things that are not medically indicated. >> hold on there. why virginia's republican governor backed down from

controversial bill that would have required women to have invasive ultrasounds before getting an abortion. it's not a complete cave. are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers.

a resized version of a bill that would have required women to undergo an invasive ultrasound has now advanced to the virginia state senate. the bill was amended and passed. governor mcdonald released a statement reading mandating an invasive procedure in order to give informed consent is not a proper role for the state. no person should be directed to undergo an invasive procedure by the state would their con sent as a precondition to another medical procedure. it would require women to undergo a less invasive, external ultrasound. mark, a lot of people see the as a cave by mcdonald, a complete reversal. rachel pointed out that's still not the case. >> it is as far as what was a reversal. he supported this legislation as it was moving through virginia. said he was willing to sign it into law and with a lot of the

national exposure, a lot of criticism that it received, he put out the statement saying we needed to go back to the drawing board. there might try to be some type of compromise but a lot of reporting that i've seen so far is that this whole legislation there's a very good chance it doesn't go anywhere. >> you're exactly right. the invasive ultrasound originally, he was on board. there were these emergency meetings that some doubt ever took place. he just saw the national attention that this issue was getting, but a woman would still be required to have this even if her doctor is not advising it to be the case, not the invasive one. >> this is just perilous politics. he's a potential vice presidential pick. his play book into becoming governor was simple.

it was all about the economy. the more they are talking at social issues, they could alienate women voters. >> all right. thank you very much. greatly appreciate you coming on and updating our audience. thank you. that does it for this edition of "news nation." i'm tamron hall. martin bashir is up next. [ female announcer ] want to spend less and retire with more?

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