michigan, mitt romney manages to stave f those within his own party, ready to bounce him. once again, it's clear though, most conservatives in the party still aren't in love with romney. but is it time for the party to move past eight fant sit conservative candidate? a woman denied communion at her own mother's funeral because she's gay. the archdiocese says the priest's action were against policy. now that woman wants the priest removed ♪ hey, hey, we're the monkees >> a member of an american pop group dies. hey there, i'm tamron hall. we're following breaking news this hour. a terrifying rash of tornadoes across the midwest taking the lives of at least seven people. more than 100 others are injured. you're looking at some of the latest images out of missouri, illinois, kentucky, as well as kansas.

now, the devastation has been particularly brutal in illinois and missouri. in harrisburg, illinois, six deaths were reported after a storm leveled much of the small town of about 9,000 residents. more than 300 homes and businesses now lay in ruin. in branson, missouri, much of the town is without power right now. roofs were ripped off hotels and the city's famous music theaters seriously damaged from tuesday night into wednesday morning. tornadoes were reported across eight separate states. nbc's ron blome joins me now from branson, missouri. what's the latest on the ground there? >> well, this is where a lot of this tornado outbreak began last night about 1:30 in the morning. sirens were going off and officials credit that with the low injury toll. only 2 injuries. the joplin effect, people still scared what happened in joplin last may were paying attention. as you can see behind me, a lot of clean-up. this is the entertainment strip

in branson. there's 40 theaters up and down this highway. on a busy day, they can play host to 60,000 visitors at the shopping outlet malls and the theaters. today it's just shut down. there was so much utility lines and trees broken down. i went down the highway about an hour ago. a lot of businesses were just flattened by this storm. it the tourist season is not really very high in february, but in march, it starts to crank up because of spring break and some of the people down there with small shops who had lost everything are just bemoaning the fact with the busy season about to begin, they're going to be out of luck. the mayor says only about six of the 409 theaters sustained any kind of significant damage and they'll be open as usual within a week or two and ready to handle the crowds. again, they feel they doned the big bullet of injuries and

fatalities here. of course, it is a very sad story in other parts of missouri and especially illinois and kansas. >> there are a few other states right now still under watches or warnings regarding more tornadic activity possibly. what kind of warning did folks get there? >> reporter: well, what we're having now is very high winds. you often find this in winter tornadoes. that's caused havoc to the utility crews trying to work very high up in the buckets and restore power. it's also caused the fire department to go into a lot of damaged structures and tell the owners you've got to get out till we get engineers to inspect the daniel. we don't want any roofs coming down on people. the business owners are desperate to the move inventory and get records out. even though the injuries appeared to be minor, this is still a very serious blow for this southern missouri community. >> we'll keep our audience up to date as i mentioned, there are still some areas right now under watches. now to decision 2012 and whether

romney's limp to a victory in michigan is enough to coast him top of perhaps eventually securing the gop nomination. both romney and santorum back on the trail today. santorum in tennessee where polls showing he is leading mitt romney. meanwhile romney was in the state of ohio, crucial to republicans if they want to win the white house, and they do. romney today giving little attention to his gop rivals and staying more focused on the president and the economy. >> do you know how many federal job training programs there are? 47. 47 programs. reporting to eight different agencies. bureaucracy on bureaucracy. i want to get rid of all those programs, take those dollars, send them back to ohio and every state and say you have your own program for your own job training efforts. this is time to get washington out of our hair and let states take responsibility for their own citizens. >> let's bring in today's political panel. with us real clear politics

reporter erin mcpike and the editor of inside michigan politics bill ballinger. i want a little reflection here. we did the exit polling last night. mitt romney put it together mostly because people thought he was the most electable. 4% believing he can beat president obama. 61% romney, only 24% santorum. does that say it all there? >> it says a lot. i think also the economy and jobs were a huge issue, number one in michigan, and among those voters, romney had a 20-point lead over santorum. so i think those two factors combined were the reason mitt romney pulled out the squeaker. >> erin, i love your article when you talk about the republican race resetting in ohio next tuesday. you said some strange conventional wisdom has been floating around in recent days if romney were to win in michigan which he did, he's almost naturally to do the same in ohio a week later on super

tuesday you. said don't tell that to a buckeye. they're not so into the wolverines. you're not buying the notion he's going to float on and perhaps coast through super tuesday? >> i'm not. ohio is a very different state than michigan. they're both in the great lakes region, both heavy manufacturing states but ohio is different in that it votes differently. it was very cherry red till 2006 whereases an michigan has always been a pretty blue state. ohio is a bigger more populace state. there's a more prom nint corporate culture here. mitt romney should do well in the big cities but there's a very heavy manufacturing sector in the eastern half of the state. they're more familiar with santorum because he's from pennsylvania which borders ohio to the east. and i think the manufacturing and populist message that santorum brings with him might do better in that area. you'll see mitt romney try to

cut into that. he's bringing in a manufacturing coalition and trying to push that message himself too. >> erin, what about the conventional wisdom. we went into michigan. this was a do or die state. rick santorum was leading in the polls. it was about manufacturing. it was about the inability for mitt romney to connect on whatity think it was chris matthews or somebody described on some kind of human level here. nevertheless, fast forward to today. it's the same talking points about whether he can win ohio. is the reality here rick santorum talked himself into a hole that will made him very unattractive to voters in michigan and the reality is, mitt romney's never going to be a better candidate than he is now, but he's the best they've got? >> you know, that all may be true, but remember, tamron, that mitt romney is originally from michigan. >> yeah. >> his father was governor there. he had that homefield advantage that he doesn't have in ohio. you know, so that's a big part of it, tamron. also, mitt romney competed in michigan in 2008 against john mccain and won by nine or ten

points. he was not competing in ohio. he had dropped out by that time. so he doesn't have the same connection to ohio. >> you're absolutely right. you point that out in your piece. bill, i go back again to what we saw with rick santorum with the coal in his hand. he's great ad libbing and giving a speech that can connect, but as long as he appears on shows like "meet the press" and other programs and he takes on of all people jfk and he comes off as this for some people, even republicans as this frightening character, the reality is, does he look like a general election candidate? >> no, i don't think he does. i think he's hurt himself badly as a general election. >> it was his to lose last night and he lost it, even though it was just by three points. we called mitt romney the 3 percenter here. it was only three points but going in, santorum had a lead in the polls and he dug himself -- it wasn't romney who defeated him. he defeated himself. >> well, i'm not sure i bite

that analysis. i got to tell you. i actually think that a lot of the seemingly damaging quotes that he made over the weekend actually helped him with his republican base who voted yesterday. yes, it made him look bad for the general election. i don't think a lot of people think rick santorum looks like a very good general election nominee for the republicans in any event. and he looked even worse after last week and the weekend. but to win yesterday, he had to double down on the republican voting base yesterday. and a lot of those quotes that you cite believe me, they resonated with people who voted yesterday. >> but bill, look at the numbers. michigan romney voters describe themselves 49% strongly favor the candidate, 41% like with reservations. if we look at all of the prior contests, that similar sentiment, they are not convinced meaning the ultraconservative or the more conservative of the party but nevertheless, they, you know, they kind of nope he's the

person. i mean, i'm just looking at the numbers here. >> well, i don't think the numbers are telling you exactly the truth. they're making see what evidently you want to see. i just -- i agree with erin that buckeyes do not like wolverines. so the idea that somehow ohio is going to meekly fall in lock step behind michigan voting results, yog buy that at all. in fact, they're likely to go in the opposite direction. now that they've seen what happens in michigan. i don't know how the voting people in ohio are going to vote next week compared to the way the michigan hard right fundamentalist voted here yesterday. >> and absolutely. i don't think that the people of ohio lived in the midwest for ten years, i don't think they're going to meekly go behind. we're just looking at what's on the table being served up for dinner. real quick, erin, looking the delegate count, romney has 163, santorum 83. march 6th the total delegates at

stake 424. this is still a numbers game. i talk about living in the midwest. i lived in the south. i know the flavor of candidate folks down there tend to like. i'm not trying to escape the interests that still may exist here on super tuesday. >> well, look, you know, romney is going to go into super tuesday with an advantage and win some states like massachusetts and virginia and probably vermont. what rick santorum and newt gingrich have to do is keep him at the end of the day from getting the higher delegate count that will avoid going to the nomination, and so, in states on super tuesday like georgia, oklahoma, and tennessee, rick santorum and newt gingrich might really outflank mitt romney. he could come in third in some of the states and have a harder time locking down the nomination by the end of the process. it might still have to go to the guaheengs all right thank you very much, erin, bill. hope we see you more. thank you kindly. shocking decision by a

catholic priest is sparking an uproar. he refused to give a woman who is a lesbian communion at her own mother's funeral, a move against the church's policy. now that woman is demanding the priest be removed. i'll talk with her next about what happened that day. plus -- >> perhaps i can give voice to the frustrations that you know exist with the political system here in washington. >> we'll get reaction to the surprise announcement from senator olympia snow that she will not run for re-election. snowe says she's frustrated by the partisanship in congress. what the shake-up means for the senate. and join our conversation. that's my twitter page. it is@tamron hall. [ jane ] how did i get here? with determination.

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cholesterol. a woman denied communion at her own mother's funeral is demanding the priest who turned her away be removed. barbara johnson says the washington, d.c. priest told her "i can't give you communion because you live with a woman." family members say the priest left the altar while she delivered the eulogy for her mother and skipped the burial, leaving the family without a priest. barbara johnson joins me by phone and contributor michael smerconish will speak with us about this. thank you so much for your time. >> thank you for having me. >> take me back to when you first realized that the priest had an issue with you being a lesbian. >> the first moment that i realized that the priest had an issue was with me being a lesbian was when i was standing in front of him with my hand out to receive communion. when he said those words that you just spoke and i was shocked. and it took me several seconds before i walked away into

disbelief. >> and i would imagine there were others around who maybe perhaps did not hear the priest's words to you but i'm sure saw your reaction to whatever he was saying at the time. >> yes, several people in the front couple of pews did hear what he said, and the entire church save for perhaps a few people in the back rows saw what happened. and i was greeted after leaving the church by several people who embraced me and apologized and were very saddened and then swrup s upset by the event. >> the arnldy sis of washington has a statement that says when questions arise whether or not an individual should present themselves for communion, it is not the policy of the archdiocese of washingtoning to publicly reprimand the person. any issue regarding the suitability of an individual to

receive communion should be addressed by the priest with that the person in a private pastoral setting. did it ever cross your mind when you walked up that he would not provide you with this moment at your mother's funeral? >> it never, that, never crossed my mind. there was no reason for me to believe that anything like this would happen. >> as i've understood it and from what i've read, you are heartbroken and demanding even with the apology from the archdiocese, you want this priest gone. why does that mean so much to you at this point? >> my family would like two things. one is an apology from father marcel directly in accordance with scripture, something like this is between the individuals, in addition to that, we would like him removed from parish life. not removed from the priesthood per se, but removed from parish life so that no other family has to experience the tragedy that

we did on the saddest day of our lives. >> barbara, our thoughts are with you as you continue this. i know you are traveling and we appreciate your time in pulling over talk with us. let me bring in michael smerconish. i first saw this story yesterday. you tweet this had out. this hit home for you why? >> well, i just had a conversation for an hour about this on radio, and i think the common denominator, the consensus is everybody thinks it was poorly handle, even those supportive of church doctrine say had to have been a more street wise way of handling this so that a woman grieving the loss of her own mother wasn't subject to the emotional harm she just described for you. the other thing that everybody can agree on is that he should have presided over the burial because tamron as you pointed out at the outset, he denied her communion, wouldn't allow her to receive the sacrament and

disappeared and didn't participate in the burial service. the defense you'll hear of the priest however is one of, well, he didn't write the rule. to the extent that is the rule or that is the doctrine, he shouldn't be held accountable for it, the church should. >> the archdiocese says they are sorry what should have been a celebration of her mother's life was overshadowed by this lack of sensitivity. if you can't have a priest or pastor or reverend be sensitive, who is in this world? i say that broadly because this is a very reason so many young people are turned off or cautious about religion when you see moments like this. this was her mother's funeral. you can't go back and do that. >> right. i think there's a disconnect here, a generational disconnect. another point it raises is that barbara's not the only -- i'm going to use their word, it's not mine. she's not the only sinner i'm sure who was in the church that day. what about someone in the church utilizing contraception is,

someone supportive of the death penalty, someone prone toward pro fanity or living in sin? should they not be receiving communion and would they be/ly denied. i doubt it. >> this is obviously the issue of her not getting communion, the church is clear on where they stand on homosexuality, but the arnldy sis clearly says their policy is this should have been handled in private, not there for everyone to see what she was experiencing during her grief. that's what we're hitting home, not the church's stance how she lives her life. it is not the policy to humiliate her as she says she was that day. michael, thank you so much. coming up, i'll talk with retired staff sergeant eric alva who was actually invited -- this is fantastic is, white house dinner tonight thanking the iraq war veterans. alva was the first soldier injured in that war. also -- >> we're headed in the right direction and vital programs are being preserved.

>> wisconsin has is also avoided the mass layoffs of public workers we've seen in other states. >> is wisconsin governor scott walker trying to shed his anti-union label? details on this some of the err side in new ads he's got out. lt. would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye-care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. [ male announcer ] ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. now, that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health.

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frank! oh wow, you didn't win? i wanna show you something... it's my shocked face. [ gasps ] ♪ [ male announcer ] get a retirement plan that works at e-trade. president obama will mark the end of the iraq war by hosting a white house gala tonight for iraq war veterans. about 100 iraq vets are invited along with about 100 of their guests. among those who will attend tonight, former marine staff sergeant eric alva. he was the first american wounded in iraq. thank you so much for your time. thank you for your service to this country. we great lit appreciate it. and i'm actually honored to have you on. how does it feel tonight to be attending the dinner? >> you know, it's surreal, tamron. thank you for having me on your show. you know, i'm getting goosebumps as the clock tickets down. >> a marine getting goosebumps.

wait a minute. that's an breaking news. i've never heard that. >> i'm excited. and i'm honored. and you node to represent you know, the hundreds of thousands and millions of people who, you know, participated in operation iraq freedom. and there's about 100 of us. i think some of us even are reconciling in our heads how did they get picked. it's an honor. i'm speechless i know you were an advocate to have don't ask the don't tell real estate peeled. you were there when the president took the honor of signing that away. that's a part of the controversy. it's 100 people there, all deserving. we know that more than a million served in iraq. how does that gel or jibe with you knowing there's so many others who will feel the love but they're not a part of a big parade like we saw with the giants or some of the other sports teams. >> you know, there's -- we were having that discussion in the hotel last night. several of us that are attending the dinner that were meeting for

the first time. some of us were actually talking about that going back like what i stated earlier like how did i get selected. we were reconciling that there are people be like so and so is more deserving to be there. it's a huge bumbling experience. you know, i know you're familiar with my story. i was only until iraq for three hours. i didn't spend a whole night when i got hit and became the first american injured. so it's sometimes difficult when you're paid homage because i think we have such big hearts like you don't want that attention but people want to give it to you. and that's all right. it's an honor to represent millions who participated and did their service to our country. >> thank you so much. you're a fellow texan. i love that, as well. i know that several other states, missouri, for example, had a nice little parade that they pulled together, grassroots for vets in their community. several other cities have done the same. hopefully we can see a national event one day. >> we will. >> i know we will, too. enjoy your evening.

i can't wait to see some of the pictures from the evening. >> thank you so much. coming up, reverend franklin graham, remember that hot moment on "morning joe" when he took on the president's faith? now he's apologizing to president obama after he questioned whether the president was a christian on live tv. why the change now. plus, we continue to follow that breaking news and deadline line of tornadoes that hit the midwest. we'll get another update from missouri when the news nation returns. [ male announcer ] this is coach parker...

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breaking news on the rash of deadly tornados in the midwest. in missouri, dozens of homes have been reduced to rubble and six people confirmed dead. i'm joined now by jason windlet, the director of dallas county emergency management. thank you. i know you're very busy. we had a live report out of branson, missouri. it's about 72 miles from where you are from. tell me about the damage in your area.

>> we've had a mobile home park hit directly. there's probably between 13 to 15 mobile homes destroyed. a lot of other structural buildings around the area have been damaged somewhat. some houses have been destroyed. we did have one confirmed fatality so far. we've had i believe 13 patients transported to the hospital overnight. during the overnight hours due to this tornado. and also other walking wounded. we had the national weather service out here today doing their damage assessment. they did confirm it was a tornado, possibly an ef-2 in strength on the low side of the scale. we did our initial search and rescue last night. we've got it completed very early this morning. we've already went through and done our secondary assessment and survey right now looking for more injured and more houses sustaining damage. >> i want to find out more about

the warning that folks got there especially when you bring up the search and rescue overnight. and we're looking at some of the pictures coming in. what kind of warning did people get? >> we actually got probably about a 15-minute heads-up from the national weather service in springfield, missouri that we were going to be under a tornado warning. while we were monitoring the radar, we got a phone call from the national weather service stating they were showing a debris ball on their radar and there was a tornado on the ground doing damage about three miles southwest of buffalo, which is the main city in dallas county. about two to three minutes after that is when we first got our reports of damage. >> let me ask you, how widespread is the damage? you focused on that mobile home park. we know how vulnerable they are to tornadoes and even high winds. how widespread is the damage in your area? >> we don't have a whole lot of widespread daniel. we do have some spotty areas. the main focus of the damage though was right here at state

white f and south ash street right here about this mobile home park. >> jason, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your community and the eight other separate states affected by this line of tornadoes. we'll keep our audience up to date. i know you've got a lot to do. we are keeping you in our thoughts. thank you. stunning blow to republicans hoping to gain control of the senate in november. republican senator olympia snow of maine announced she is not seeking re-election. she cited her reason as the increased atmosphere of polarization in washington. earlier today, steve schmidt questioned whether there is room inside the capital for moderate republicans anymore. >> we've heard so much talk over the last couple of years of purging the party of its rhinos, purging the party of its moderate members. you know, there's two types of churches, one that tries to go out and bringnond e at ticks. >> democrats are struggling to

keep control of the 51-47 majority, that includes two independents who caucus with them. joining me now kelly o'donnell. interesting thoughts from steve schmidt. we've heard that sentiment before but now i think it was chuck todd who says that the democrats a 50% chance of holding onto the senate. >> one of the things i'm noticing today is that democrats are particularly effusive in their praise for oh limpal snow. part of that is the personal honest praise about her service here, and part of it is the political dynamic where they see an opportunity now that was probably unlikely, snowe is popular in her home state, was intending to run. people thought she would have a fairly easy time of re-election even with a fierce tea party challenge. and so now democrats are seeing a light they didn't quite have. so there are a lot of dimensions to this today. lots of praise for snowe who has been on capitol hill for more than 30 years and a respected well-liked person. she's had the struggle of being

a vote sought after by both parties, sometimes feeling a bit on an island from her own party, sometimes the target by democrats hoping to woo her over. one of the things she talked about that jolted people here is how bluntly she is focused on what she calls dysfunction here in washington. that was a big part of why she didn't want to stay on. here's what she stayed earlier today. >> it's dysfunctional. and the political paralysis has overtaken the environment to the detriment of the good. >> and so there will be a lot of talk about who will seek her seat in both parties. that's bubbling up now. and there will be a real hot battle. now, republicans are saying they can defends this. democrats are almost gleeful that they see it as a real possibility because they have a much big earl registration in maine. the president's done well there before. so it will have big implications even beyond the vet well regarded career of olympia snow.

>> and quickly, kelly, the idea that she caught republicans off guard, ryan priebus was on earlier and tried to spin it that it really wasn't i guess her talking against the republican party or the atmosphere brought on by her own party, others see it differently, obviously. i'm curious about the fact she didn't give any warning sounds here. >> well, that is not uncommon when you have someone of her stature because the moment that they consider not running, it sets into effect a whole series of cascading events. her criticism is really for both parties. i've talked to her many times where she's been frustrated that democrats were not moving on things that as a small business republican from the northeast she wanted to see done. certainly frustration with some members of her own party who had more conservative or harder views than she has. and so she's been one of those voices people would always look to to kind of get a sense of where the wind might be going, and again, as i said popular well liked in her home state even though a republican largely

blue state. so the implications are big. she'll have all the way till january to keep talking about these issues and probably stay very public even after that. >> all right, thank you kelly. the scott walker that we've heard from lately sounds a lot different from the wisconsin governor who gained notoriety for taking on public unions with his job on the line from a recall election, it seems walker is now trying to some say that he's trying to soften his image. caved coch who helped shape his anti-union image is apparently behind a new image campaign. we're joined by contributor josh adelson who is reporting on this for salon. thank you for your time. so we have a couple ads. i want to play one of them some are pointing to as example of this softer side. can we play it? >> wisconsin put an end to abuses of collective bargaining putting taxpayers back in control. >> >> the state has cracked down on sick leave scams that led to skyrockets overtime off the

coulds. >> now we have the flexibility to pay teachers based on performance, not merely seniority. >> josh, why are people convinced he is trying to show a softer side? >> he's being a very smart politician. if you look at these $5s, it sounds more like barack obama than it does someone like david coch. in ohio when people got to the vote yes or no to collective bargaining should workers still get to have a voice in negotiations with the government, people voted yes. in this case, scott walker is trying to muddy the issue. >> scott walker has been making the rounds and he is of late has blamed outsiders for now costing the state $9 million for this recall effort. and this money could be going to help those within the state. so i don't know if that's a softer side or not. he still seems ready for the fight or ready to blame what he's deemed outsiders who have come in and ruined his state. >> he's trying to slice and dice the working class and union members. seize happy to say ta big

government unions are spending too much money but at the same time, if you look at the interview he did with the atlantic, he likes private sector unions, how they're not causing had imtrouble and this ad is talking about the benefits for workers. >> if you look at it through that prism, it is a clear walkback here. i'm less intrigued by scott walker, more intrigued by david koch. >> we got a taste of why the david doesn't give a lot of interviews. he led a reporter in to try to talk to her about all his cancer donations and she got him saying that the walker recall was all about koch and walker trying to stop union power. >> are they regretting the move they made in taking on the unions in wisconsin and the larger ramifications of this action? >> well, scott walker and david koch got something they've dreamed about for a long time. it depends on what happens in

the recall. >> that might prove they've gotten more than they will bargained for if the recall works against them. >> exactly. one side or the other will be emboldened. >> great having you on. a deadly coast guard helicopter crash in alabama tops our stories today. officials say one crew member killed and three others sill missing after the helicopter crashed into mobile bay last evening. it happened during a training mission. divers have been searching the sunken wreckage for those missing crew members. the cause still under investigation. and a disabled italian cruise ship in the indian ocean is expected to reach port tomorrow. the coast at that time allegra being towed to the say shell islan islands. the ship was set adrift monday from an engine fire. the coast at that time allegra is the sister ship of the coast at that time concordia. you know that one ran aground and it cost 25 people their lives. and ruppert murdoch, news corp. announced today his son

james accepting down as executive chairman of the company's uk newspaper arm. james murdoch, been under skrut nit amid britain's expanded phone hacking scandal at murdoch-owned publications. ♪ hey, hey, we're the monkees >> and this breaking news. we've learned davy jones, the lead singer of the legendary band the monkees passed away this morning. word came about an hour ago. we've got new information for you in the scoop, next. but first, that esa lot going on today. here's some things we thought you should know. reverend franklin graham now apologizing to the president for comments he made about the president's faith while on "morning joe." graham said he does not doubt the president is christian but he has issues with his policy positions on moral issues. he also said the president does not have his vote. call it the power of the presidency. the nfl has announced the opening game of the 2012 season will be on wednesday. september 5th instead of

thursday. the reason you ask? the president's speech at the dnc is that thursday night. instead vice president joe biden will go head to head with the giants. and lady gaga goes ivy league. she'll be at harvard today to kick off her born this way anti-bullying is foundation. among her guests, oprah, deepak chopra and health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius. those are the things we thought you should know. 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. ♪ home was an airport lounge and an ipad ♪ ♪ made sure his credit score did not go bad ♪ ♪ with a free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ app that he had ♪ downloaded it in the himalayas ♪ ♪ while meditating like a true playa ♪ ♪ now when he's surfing down in chile'a ♪ ♪ he can see when his score is in danger ♪ ♪ if you're a mobile type on the go ♪

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♪ what started as a whisper every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? hi, everybody. i'm thomas roberts. coming up at the top of the hour, rick santorum just moments ago claiming michigan was a tie. fuzzy math or was mitt's big homecoming victory nothing of the sort? plus, a new chapter in the gop's war on women and senator barbara boxer joins us to explain why her male colleagues on capitol hill have gone way too far. now back to tamron. >> we're following another political breaking news story, this one involving form other senator bob kerrey.

msnbc has learned ker kerrey will seek the nomfation for the nebraska seat he once held weeks after he rejected a run to replace retiring senator ben nelson, this comes a day after the big announcement from senator olympia snow of main. you can bet a lot of democrats excited about this news, as well. two big days of big news regarding the u.s. senate. and moving on, very sad news. a loss for fans of the american pop group the monkees. target pulls an offensive whitney houston greeting card, and lindsay lohan says she's turned over a new leaf. joining me to talk about it brian balthazar of pop goes the week. the news of davy jones. everyone in the room just kind of was like that's so sad. 66. >> incredibly popular group. davy jones talented man passed away this morning of a heart attack. he's 66 years old. he had just performed february 19th. this was kind of a shock to a lot of people. we got a statement from his band mate peter torque.

it reads "it is with great sadness that i reflect on the sudden passing of my long time friend and adventurer david jones. his talent will be missed. my deepest sthit to jessica, that's his wife and the rest of the family.an adios to the manchester cowboy. he leaves behind a wife jessica and four children from previous marriages. they had talked about reuniting that it was on again, off again. it's a sad loss. >> yeah, it is. the next topic is target and this very bizarre whitney houston greeting card. >> you might argue this was crazy before she died. but since whitney houston passed away, they pulled a greeting card at target that the only way to show is just to show it to you. it reads next time you think of dating the bad boy, consider whitney houston. obviously they're alluding to bobby brown and her troubles. then she died and they quickly pulled it but apparently not all of them because someone snap this had picture and put it online. target says as soon as this was brought to their attention, they pulled all of them.

this was probably wrong before she died if you want to know the truth. >> and lindsay lohan is hosting "snl" this saturday. she's making the rounds. >> you might call this is taken two of her comeback. she recorded an interview at the "today" show. they gave us a tease this morning. she talks about how she's reinventing herself and her laich. take a listen to that. >> simplest blunt question. are you clean and sober? >> yes, i'm good, clean and sober. >> how long has that been? >> it's been awhile. it's been a long time. but -- and i -- it's nice to feel that i also have a lot of great people in my life that are in the same position. so i can always turn to them. i've had great people that i can talk to at any time and than have helped me kind of figure myself out. >> can you go to the night life? can you go to parties and clubs without suffering the temptation that's going to get you into trouble? >> i don't -- i mean, i could, but i don't -- that's not my

thing anymore. i went out actually a few months ago with a friend and i was so uncomfortable, not because i felt tempted. just because it was the same thing it always was before. >> so she says she's ready to start the process of proving herself. you can watch that part of that interview on scoop.msnbc.com and the full interview on the today show. this is her fourth time hosting snl. she's gone through a lot in that time. >> yes, she has. hope she's getting it together. great job. up next, it's today's "news nation" gut check. earlier we talked with a woman whose priest refused to give her communion at her mother's funeral. now that woman is demanding the priest lose his job. what does your gut tell you? should the priest be removed? you can join the "news nation" at facebook.com/news nation. shazi: seven years ago, i had this idea.

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you can always join the news nation. let us know your thoughts during the show or after even before.

i got this tweet from the kim. she says also olympia snow's retirement due to you congressional dysfunction give anyone pause or will it be business as usual. thank you$d,=