hello, everyone. it is high noon here in the east, 9:00 a.m. out west and welcome to weekends with alex witt. here are the first five stories trending this hour. kansas and the gop. oil price predictions, ipad fights stirring, changing colors? and changing times. those are some of the stories

we're going bring to you over the next two hours, but first -- there you go, president obama unveiling a brand new message after another strong month of jobs creation. the presidenta, dressed supporters during a fund-raiser in houston last night. >> over the past two years businesses have added almost 4 million new jobs. our manufacturers are creating jobs for the first time since the 1990s. our economy steadily has been getting stronger. the recovery is accelerating. america is coming back and the last thing we can afford to do is go back to the same policies that got us into this mess in the first place. >> the president then targeted his gop rivals accusing the republican presidential candidates of wanting to reinstate policies that caused a recession. >> and this is not just another political debate.

this is the defining issue of our time. this is a make or break moment for middle class families that everybody was trying to get into the middle class. i mean, we can't go back to an economy that's built on outsourcing and bad debt, phony financial profits or we can fight for an economy that's built to last. >> joining me now for front-page politics, report are for real clear politics amy mcclark, and sarah. >> good to see you both. >> thanks for having me. erin, i'll begin with you here. we heard the president touting the economy. it shows 220,000 jobs were added last month with the unemployment rate holding steady at 8.3%. at what point will republicans have a hard time trying to maneuver on the economy? >> well, you know, you heard newt gingrich and mitt romney both deflecting on that note in the last day or so. romney is fixating on the 8.3%

unemployment number and saying that in president obama's first term that unemployment rate hasn't gone above 8%. he's not talking about the job growth numbers. he's talking about the unemployment rate. newt gingrich instead said how can they be talking about the job growth numbers when instead gas prices are still so high and i'll get that down to $2.50 a gallon. so they're deflecting. >> yeah, but don't you think it's mostly about trends? if people can see incremental movement and a direction that doesn't seem to be veered from? >> absolutely. and i think that that's the advantage that the president will have and that's why they're deflecting because the trends are inspiring some confidence in the american people right now? >> how about this? do you get any sense from inside the gop campaigns about concern about having to alter the campaign messages because of the trending economy? >> i think there's certainly some trepidation on their part right now. no one roots for the economy to get worse, all right? but i think this economic news

in the past two months is generally with positive economic news is positive for presidential candidates because it undercuts their singular message which is the president is not a good steward of the economy and that's difficult, but we still have a long way to go in november and a lot can happen in the economy in a month and in the next six, seven months before the election. we'll wait untila october and we'll see who is ahead. >> on the heels of that, shira, do you think it's risky to have the slogans coming back at this point? >> i think it's a little bullish. i think the economy's improved, but it isn't a huge comeback yet. we're not there. we're nowhere near out of this hole yet. i think the president will regret the bullish and confident remarks he's made in october if the economy continues basically at this crept level of improvement which isn't great, but it's good. >> okay. sit tight, you two, we'll get to more gop politics in a second.

first front page politics. republicans are in the state right now. 40 delegates are up for grabs. the u.s. virgin islands are also holding gop caucuses. mitt romney won in the northern mariana islands and guam, each has nine delegates. today rick santorum is campaigning in texas and missouri. he spent time in kansas friday criticizing mitt romney for the health care program romney implemented as governor of massachusetts. >> you know, ladies and gentlemen, we already have one president who doesn't tell the truth to the american people. we don't need another nominated by our party to do the same. >> mitt romney does not have any campaign stops scheduled today, but he's looking ahead to tuesday's contest in mississippi and alabama. he spent friday in birmingham, alabama, taking a look at the president's handling of the economy. >> how about this? how about $16.5 trillion being passed on to our kids.

that's something wrong with president obama. if i'm president we're going to cut federal spending, we're going to cap federal spending and we'll finally have a balanced budget. >> newt gingrich spoke just a short time ago in mobile, poking fun at mitt romney. >> one of my competitors, i have had grits before. >> well, join me again, erin mcpike and shira. santorum is expected to win kansas. does winning kansas equal any momentum? >> i think it helps santorum. it certainly doesn't hurt him. i think he can use the delegates assuming he wins kansas which we expect. this is about expectations and we expect rick santorum to win kansas, so he will. i know my colleagues and i are looking forward to the contest later this week in alabama that will give us a better idea of who is in the presidential game and if we are getting down to

two final candidates really, in these next couple of weeks. >> let's move on to the gop holding his own.itt romney in alabama he's in second place trailing newt gingrich by just one point, look at that. 21% to 20%. and then the latest poll in mississippi, and romney is trailing by four points at 35% to 31%. we keep hearing, erin, about the south not being romney territory. do you think this is the romney camp lowering expectations or do you think his competitors are being overly optimistic? >> i think it's both, and you pointed to two polls, but there have been a number of polls out in alabama in the last week and they have been all over the place and mitt romney has actually been leading in some of them. the romney campaign is trying to mobilize their volunteers in the south to go to alabama because alabama is actually a little bit better of a state for him than mississippi. we think of them as the same. they're down south and they have

the same demographics, but the way they are geographically. alabama has more city centers and that would be easier for mitt romney to win. i think it's very possible that he could win in alabama and that might go a long way toward shutting down the nomination process. >> just yesterday, rick santorum suggested this is going to be a two-man race after the gop primaries in the south. the question is will santorum be one of those two because gingrich is leading him in both polls. >> i'm sure santorum meant it would be just him and mitt romney, but that's a good question. i don't rule anything out after this bizarre cycle we've had with candidates rotating in and out as mitt romney's top competitor. i think they have one of the better being one of the two and that's because of momentum which leads to money. right now santorum has more access to the conservative donor base than newt gingrich does. newt gingrich is running on financial fumes in many ways and is being propped up by a las vegas casino mogul.

that's how he'll keep the campaign going. once he decides, newt gingrich, we've had enough, then his campaign is over. >> i guess the question is who's going drop out and when? shira, you can have first crack at that. >> i think i would expect a greater call for newt gingrich to drop out probably over the next couple of weeks. we've heard conservative leaders calling for him to drop out. i think you will hear those continuing and a snowball effect coming over the next couple of weeks. >> he's smith the conservative vote with rick santorum. >> erin, your thoughts? >> i absolutely agree with shira on that. politico has a very interesting story out this morning about how newt gingrich was up until 2:00 a.m. dancing with his wife in a hotel lobby. it seems like the campaign was coming to an end already, so i think shira was exactly right and the calls will be for gingrich to drop out. >> good to see you both. thanks so much. >> thanks. >> thanks. >> we have 40 delegates at stake in kansas.

the caucus got under way an hour ago and it lasts until 2:00 p.m. eastern. in dallas an american airlines flight attendant was under a close watch after a startling incident after a soon-to-depart flight. here's what one passenger recorded. >> it's okay. it's okay. >> so what you're seeing there is employees, they're trying to subdue their coworker as she struggled with them. it happened just before the flight was going to take off from dallas to chicago. passengers say the attendant ran to the back of the plane crashing about 9/11 and about not taking her medication. one passenger described the chaos. >> i saw the people go up the aisle to help restrain her, and hold her down and they said, you know, she was biting and scratching at them, and then once we got to the -- back to the terminal and the police came on, that's when she started really screaming loudly and, you

know, almost demonically as she was getting taken taken off the. police do not expect to charge that flight attendant. a review of the hbo film "game change" debuts tonight and some describe it as devastate for example sarah palin, but not everyone agrees. that's coming up here on "weekends with alex witt." [ female announcer ] there's a science to the perfect swisssh. it's about zero weight, 100% more nourishment, which means hair that's not weighed down. introducing new aqua light from pantene. our lightweight conditioning formula nourishes then rinses clean in seconds, leaving hair perfectly conditioned to swisssh. new aqua light collection from pantene. nourishment with zero weight. pantene. hair so healthy it shines.

bayer aspirin... ohh, no no no. i'm not having a heart attack, it's my head. this is made for pain. [ male announcer ] bayer advanced aspirin enters the bloodstream fast, and rushes extra strength relief to the sight of your pain. feel better? yeah...thanks for the tip! the sleep number bed. the magic of this bed is that you're sleeping on something that conforms to your individual shape. wow! that feels really good. it's hugging my body. it works in a minute. i can get more support. if you change your mind once you get home you can adjust it. so whatever you feel like, the sleep number bed's going to provide it for you. at our semi-annual sleep sale, save $400 to $700 on our most popular bed sets. sale ends soon. only at the sleep number stores. where queen mattresses start at just $699. what is this shorty? uh, tissues sir, i'm sick. you don't cough, you don't show defeat. give me your war face! raaah! [ male announcer ] halls. a pep talk in every drop.

action toward renewing talks with iran about its nuclear program. at a meeting in denmark european union foreign approximately see chief katherine ashton said that talks with iran should now

advance, quote, swiftly and seriously, and the u.s., britain, france and germany are being joined by russia and china in urging talks with iran. joining me from washington is former secretary of state p.j. crowley. good to see you. >> hello, alex. >> any indication that diplomacy and sanctions will actually work? do you think iran is serious this time? >> that's what we're going to find out next month. there will be a first round of talks with iran in more than a year. i don't know that this first round of talks will necessarily be successful. i think there's still quite a gap between iran and the west. what i think the united states will be being looking for as well as the other participants with the p-1 plus-5 process is the sustained dialogue. before we've had one or two meetings and things have stalled for one reason or another. this conversation was very complex and it's very difficult, and it needs to take place over a long period of time so whether

or not iran is committed to this path we'll find out soon. >> can you tell me what those talks look like? i'm curious, what does the u.s. say? how much do they participate? how do they develop? >> you know, for the united states, for example, the ambassador wendy sherman, the policy chief for the state department. for iran it will be jalili who is their representative of this process. it's going to be very difficult. for example, hypothetically i could see where katherine ashton sits down and says, look, we need to understand. we need to see a commitment from you to the seriousness of this negotiation so why don't you suspend your uranium enrichment as a gesture to get the talks going. iran might say, okay. i might be willing to do that, but you've got sanctions coming up in june that are literally going to disconnect my economy from the rest of the world, forego those sanctions so that we have an environment that

allows these talks to go forward with some mutual confidence and that's going to be very, very difficult negotiating position, for example, for the united states to support in the middle of the election year. >> how is it that you obtained from iran then, negotiations in good faith. let's say those sanctions were taken off the table to try to accommodate their request, thinking they're going come to the table and be seriously bargaining about this. how do you know? >> well, i think a commitment to a lengthy dialogue will give you some indication, but this is very, very difficult. ultimately this -- you know, there are two camps here. there's what i might call the apocalypse camp and those that feel that iran is going to get a nuclear wep sxapon and when it it, it will use it. that camp wants to bomb i rab yesterday. there's the irrational camp, and not withstanding how problematic

this regime is they are able to make pragmatic calculations depending on their self-interest. you still have this division of iran saying look, i have a right to enrich uranium and we're not going give this up. and you're out of compliance with your national obligations. you have to show us that your nuclear program is for civilian purposes and not for military purposes. that divide still exists and the ability of both these sides to get over that divide will be very, very difficult. >> iran's supreme leader ayatollah khamenei praised president obama for diplomacy. p.j., how unusual is that? >> it is unusual. this is where 30 years of frozen, diplomatic relations really becomes an obstacle to progress, and it was very difficult because you have hardliners on both this side and that side that make the politics of this very difficult.

we eventually understood after years and decades of negotiations with the soviet union and not withstanding our problems, we could find ways to cooperate. we even find ways to cooperate with north korea, but because of the lack of diplomacy and real interaction over 30 years both sides find this conversation difficult to start, much less difficult to sustain. >> i also have my conversations with you, though, p.j. crowley. thank you so much. >> always a pleasure. now number five on the first five web story, changing times. springing forward, everyone. yep, daylight savings time begins tomorrow at 2:00 a.m., change your clocks and change the battery for your smoke alarm while you're at it. good reminder there. before the break, i want to share what i was doing before the show, tina brown is holding the women in the world summit featuring more accomplished

women, and i had the privilege of interviewing lauren bush about her feed projects. she is devoted to ending world hunger one school kid at a time. check out her feed projects.com for more info. get involved, everyone. make a difference if you can. we'll be back after the break.e ? huh! no! who's gonna help cover the holes in their plans? aflac! quack! like medical bills they don't pay for? aflac! or help pay the mortgage? quack! or child care? quack! aflaaac! and everyday expenses? huh?! blurlbrlblrlbr!!! [ thlurp! ] aflac! [ male announcer ] help your family stay afloat at aflac.com. plegh! after just one use? think again. [ female announcer ] with olay regenerist wrinkle revolution, it's possible to reduce the look of wrinkles in just 10 minutes. now you've seen it. experience it for yourself. [ female announcer ] olay regenerist.

and what do you see? clean lines connecting city to city. the map shows you where we go... but not how we get there. because in this business... there are no straight lines. only the twists and turns of an unpredictable industry. the passengers change... the gates change. government regulations change... oil peaks and plummets. and let's not even get started on the weather. the fact is: no two flights are ever the same. no matter how many times we've accomplished them in the past. the eighty-thousand employees at delta... must predict the unpredictable. anticipate the unexpected. and never let the rules... overrule common sense. this is how we tame the unwieldiness of air travel. pull it taut... and wrap it around the globe... until it's not just lines you see... it's the world.

my dad and grandfather spent their whole careers here. [ charlie ] we're the heartbeat of this place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i came to ge after the plant i was working at closed after 33 years. ge's giving me the chance to start back over. [ cindy ] there's construction workers everywhere. so what does that mean? it means work. it means work for more people. [ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country. ♪ hey, heard any updates on the game? i think it's final seconds, ohh, down by two, shoots a three, game over. so two seconds ago... hey mr. and mrs. harris, where's kevin? say hi kevin. hi. mom, put me down. put...the phone...down.

hey guys. did you hear... the choys had their baby? so 29 seconds ago. well we should get them a gift. [ choys ] thanks for the gift! [ amy and rob ] you're welcome! you're welcome! [ male announcer ] get it fast with at&t. the nation's largest 4g network. at&t. ♪ tech watch now here on "weekends with alex witt." apple's ipad 3 comes out next week with its faster 4g technology. while we're trying to get up to speed with the zippier network, the industry is thinking about creating 5g. huh? cnnmoney.com anticipates the capacity will make the faster network will be a necessity by the end of the decade. >> it doesn't premiere until tonight, but hbo's "game change" has drawn ire from its subjects with sarah palin and john mccain vowing not to watch it.

michael pern and john hidelman it takes a look at the 2008 mccain-palin campaign and the decisions that led to the most controversial running mate choices in american politics. >> i am very pleased to introduce to you the next vice president of the united states, governor sarah palin of the great state of alaska. >> sarah! >> we love her. she's a bigger star than obama. we could really win this thing. >> joining me is michelle goldberg, senior contributing writer for "the daily beast." >> thanks for having me. >> you heard sarah palin say i am not watching this event and she issued a rebuttal, a rebuttal video of sorts. >> how do you rebutt something you haven't seen? >> there's a point to be taken there, but are her fears validated? >> it depends. this is by no means a positive portrait of sarah palin.

it's immensely damning although there's nothing new here. the scope of her ignorance is shocking when you see it on the screen, but it's been reported before. the irony is although conservatives are up in arms about this murphy, i think people that are not kindly disposed by sarah palin might feel sympathetic to her after they watch it. >> it's not that "game change" is too hard on palin, it's just that it's too easy on everyone else. >> it's mccain's aides prepping her into being the hero of this movie and the drama of it as their dawning horror as they realize what they're about to hoist on the american public. at one point you see nicole wallace saying she couldn't vote for this ticket. there's a moral quandary and she couldn't vote for the ticket then perhaps she should have done something about it. these people aren't such heroes. they almost did elevate this woman to the vice presidency when even they realized that she

was wildly unprepared. >> do you think it's a partisan film? >> i think it will certainly be seen that way. i mean, the film itself is almost free of politics, ironically. so you don't see them debating their positions on the issues and you actually don't see any partisan fervor from anybody except for sarah pail ilipalin. everyone seems aghast at the right-wing populist passions that she's -- that she's stoking. they all -- they want nothing, but a kind of responsible, honorable campaign. she wasn't the only person in this campaign that wanted to go for the jugular. >> yeah. put this in the spectrum, if you can, if you have on one end, the idealism that was offered up by the west wing. on the opposite end, the cynicism that was offered up by the president's men. you see the films of american politics, where would you put this? >> on the one hand it demonstrates the spectacular cynicism of choosing sarah

palin, but on the other hand, what i think is a little bit exaggerated is the idealistic horror among mccain's aides when they realize what they'd done. >> so were the lessons learned by the republicans from the 2008 race? >> well, i would hope so. i would hope that the lesson would be to put someone on the national ticket after vetting them for five days and that actually after some basic level of policy engagement matters. however much you will want to check all of the boxes of identity politics which is what they did in this case. it actually matters if you know, whether or not saddam hussein was behind the september 11th attacks. >> bottom line, just on the entertainment level and we have something here called "must-see, must-avoid." i think it's gripping. julianne moore gets sarah palin and she adds a level of pathos because you do realize what it must have been like as you go from being a -- from being

idolized to a national laughing stock and back again, yeah, i think it's a really gripping film. >> thank you so much. michelle goldberg, thank you so much. >> here's what we've been asking you all day. you have to stick around for this. do you plan on watching "game change" tonight. here are some of the tweet responses. >> jamie pub tweets, it's been a long time since i've been this excited about something on tv. marlo writes no, i won't be watching "game change," i've had enough of the gop's waste of my time. planning a watch party with the fwamly and sent another donation to the family to prepare myself. that's kind of funny. yes, i'm a huge fan of sarah palin accidental though i hope it portrays her in a favorable light. she does deserve respect in many ways. my handle is @alexwitt, and i'll get to more tweets a little bit later. ok! who gets occasional constipation,

diarrhea, gas or bloating? get ahead of it! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defend against digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. hit me! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. [ female announcer ] live the regular life. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu relieves your cough 50% longer than tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime. [ snoring continues ] [ male announcer ] because snoring sounds better than coughing. if you can't take a sick day, here's a cold hard fact. alka-seltzer plus cold & cough may cause marked drowsiness. try dayquil cold and flu for non-drowsy relief of these symptoms. ugh! [ male announcer ] so you can save the day, not worry about falling asleep. ♪ i don't want a plunger anywhere near my coffee. not in my house. with maxwell house french roast, you let gravity do the work. [ male announcer ] maxwell house french roast. always good to the last drop.

[ male announcer ] strip away the styling. strip away the rearview monitors, tv screens, bluetooth, and even the cup holders. you know what's left? the only s.u.v.s with american-built f-alpha truck frames. the ruggedly capable pathfinder, xterra, armada. nissan. innovation for all. ♪

>> welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." now the race for the gop presidential nomination. caucuses in kansas began an hour and a half ago. senator ron paul visited a caucus site this morning and senator santorum visited the site this week. justin cramer from our nbc affiliate. we have you from ksmw in wichita. i know you're at a caucus site right now. what's happening there? >> well, alex, as you can see right here to the side of me we've got around 2,000 republicans all single file heading to some cardboard boxes in the back of the room where they'll throw in a paper ballot and those will all be counted up later. with our back to the camera in that green top is actually karen santorum. she delivered the stump speech for her husband, a series of speeches were made to this crowd earlier from representatives of all four candidates stumping for

their vote. those just wrapped up a few minutes ago. a lot is on the line in kansas. 40 delegates, 40 committed delegates and those committed delegates could prove important down the road at the convention in tampa if none of the candidates are able to secure enough delegates to win this nomination outright. by then we just mentioned that karen santorum is here in wichita, stumping for her husband at today's caucus. rick santorum expected to do very well in kansas and it's fair to say that he would be considered the front-runner and expected to be the majority of the 40 delegates. ron paul is expected to do pretty well here as well. you've seen a large, vocal contingent of supporters here today as well as a tea party rally that he spoke at yesterday in wichita. newt gingrich also has his share of supporters in the state, but many kansas republicans feel jilted after he canceled a series of campaign events here in kansas scheduled this week to

focus instead on southern states. alaba b alabama and mississippi, and mitt romney not expected to be much of a factor although he did notably pick up the endorsement of kansas statesman bob dole. >> hey, do you think, as you talk about santorum being the perceived front-runner, is that because romney and gingrich, they both have skipped the states or do you think it's because he reflects kansas residents' ideals? >> well, knowing kansas voters this is as about red of a state as you can get, very conservative leaning. i don't believe that mitt romney really had much of a chance here at any point. newt gingrich did look strong. he's been running campaign commercials for a super pac has been running campaign commercials on his behalf and he did plan on coming here to the state, but instead planned to go to the south where he's trying to send a message to southern

voters down there that his candidacy remains viable. justin cramer from ksnw. thanks so much. we're getting to strategy talk with hot-button social issues. president obama and the gop candidates are trying to get back on message and focus on the economy. in this morning's weekly address, the president took a victory lap after the strong february jobs report. >> our businesses just added 233,000 jobs last month for a total of 4 million new jobs over the last two years. more companies are choosing to bring jobs back and invest in america. manufacturing is adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s and we're building more things to sell to the rest of the world, stafrmed with three proud words, made in america. >> joining me now is wesley donehue, a consultant for mitt romney's 2008 campaign and senior adviser and ed rendell.

good morning. >> good afternoon. >> believe me, i feel like it's morning, too. governor, let's get to this question, how does president obama capitalize on yesterday's jobs report without overplaying his hand? >> i think he talks about the sustained growth. it's now 24 month straight of private sector growth. we're now growing at a rate that's fairly substantial and all he does is juxtapose it to the month that he took over. when president obama left office we were losing 750,000 jobs a month and we're gaining a quarter of a million jobs last month and that's steady proprogress and good progress because of the number of things the president did and the number of bailouts and all those things added up and it made a difference for the country. >> wesley, what are the gop's angles of attack when we have strong data like we saw yesterday. >> there's no doubt this is going to hurt a bit in november.

when we talked when the president came into office and where we're at now, most americans aren't paying attention with these numbers and they're the five or six gas signs they passed on the way to work. it cost me $20 extra to fill my rover. that's real money out of real americans' pockets and if i was these candidates that's what i would be concentrating on right now because this president has done absolutely nothing to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. >> you know, governor, wesley brings up a point. while there can't be actual statements when the former president left the office, here's what we're dealing with. we're talking four years later. people are having a lot of pinch on their pockets. anything else when prices are going up and what's coming in. how much can you look back and think how they can get any traction on the fact that it used to be so much worse than you're feeling right now. >> let's take the flip side of the coin and inflation and interest rates are at an

all-time low. number two, if you have stock, the stock market is doing terrific. that's great news and a lot of americans have stock. americans aren't stupid. i think we had a tendency, we analysts and politicians to think that the american people are dumber than they are. the american people will listen and they hear that under president obama domestic oil production is higher than it's ever been. we've got four times any domestic oil rigs in operation than we've ever had. we're pumping more gas out of the american wells than ever before. they're going to understand those facts and they're going realize that gas prices are something that are in many ways, macro economic, beyond the control of the president, but what the president can do, pump up american production, he's done. >> wesley, i want to move on to tuesday's primaries now. you're from the south. you know the voters there. you also know mitt romney. do you think he can win in alabama and mississippi? >> i think he can. >> i was with him last time

around. i'm in texas as you can see, but i'm have sell sell. it was like selling a rib eye to a vegetarian. it was a very difficult thing to do. >> southern statements. >> i'll tell you this, i think republicans across the country are ready for this thing to be over and they know we have to concentrate on president obama and that's why mitt romney is pulling well in the states right now. >> okay. what about "the new york times" which has an interesting piece out taking on mitt romney's relationship with the massachusetts legislator while he was governor. he's accused of being distant and disdainful, not remembering names and treating legislators and governing with a topdown, ceo style. how do you think that will translate in the white house? i'll give you first crack at it, wesley. >> listen, i can't speak for the validity of that article or whether or not it's true, but i will tell you this. in south carolina we had governor mark sanford and he had this and we didn't have jack

done in four years. it was about building relationships and building coalitions. so if that article was true which i don't know if it is then that would be a problem. >> okay, governor? >> i think the article must be embellished and exaggerated because mitt romney got a lot done with the democratic legislature. at one point it was 85%. he got a ceiling-shattering bill which he's running away from, which i think is great. for something like that, he had to have the ability to cooperate with the legislature, so i think that's got to be unfair and exaggerated. >> governor, i wanted to say you overheard as we were miking up and talking about your opinions about "game change." that's our big question of the day, what people think and if they'll be watching it tonight? what's your thought on that? i want to share what we heard. >> for the record, i'll be watching the big east final. >> there are others, too. >> what do you think? >> look, i love mark and i love

john and they're terrific guys, but i'm always suspect of any book on source material where the sources refuse to identify themselves and your guest said, alex, that she thought it was -- >> michelle. >> michelle said it was a little too good for the mccain aides? who do you think gave them most of the material? what light did they paint themselves? the best possible light. you have to be suspect about the book that hillary clinton was very tough on her aides and her staff. as you know, the pennsylvania primary lasted for almost seven weeks, the big primary, i was and with hillary for a good part of that time, and i saw her aides make mistakes and i saw her pull them over to her and she talked to them in a slow and reasonable voice and gave them a pat on the back. when you have disgruntled people and they're not willing to identify themselves i'd be wary about it.

don't blame sarah palin for being unprepared to run for vice president. blame the people who are cynical enough to not prepare her. >> i'll be busy being a nerd and not utsch watching movies. >> we have a nerd on one side and a jock on the other. good to talk with you both. >> thanks. >> as we mentioned, voters will caucus in kansas today. we will also receive more of wyomi wyoming's caucus results and next tuesday, alabama, mississippi and hawaii will all be holding their contests. missouri begins its caucuses followed by the primaries in puerto rico, illinois and louisiana. come april, we have seven states and d.c. which will hold contests throughout the month, but the primary season does not end until june. >> it's time now for today's "number ones," topping the rich list, harvard and by a lot. the nation's oldest university

hassa, massed an endowment of more than $31.5 billion. it's all ivy league rival yale has almost $19.5 million socked away. texas right behind him with $17.1 billion in its coffers. mark zuckerberg would top "forbes" magazines of the youngest millionaires. it is a close second. he is right behind a fellow harvard dropout who is a former facebook employee. "forbes" estimates that dustin moskovitz is worth $3.5 billion, and mark zuckerberg is worth a whopping $17.5 billion. look at those numbers. that doesn't quite work. dust dustin's younger and there you go. pop country superstar taylor swift topped forbes' list of the top moneymakers in music. her earnings puts her ahead of

u2 with the $32 million take and kenny chesney under $30 million. "we are young" tops the hot 100 and that's "weekends with alex witt." if you are one of the millions of men

who have used androgel 1%, there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62% is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or, signs in a woman which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are, or may become pregnant or are breast feeding should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer,

lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. talk to your doctor today about androgel 1.62% so you can use less gel. log on now to androgeloffer.com and you could pay as little as ten dollars a month for androgel 1.62%. what are you waiting for? this is big news. forty years ago, he wasn't looking for financial advice. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was.

at usaa we provide retirement planning for our military, veterans and their families. now more than ever, it's important to get financial advice from people who share your military values. call now for our free guide and tips on planning for your retirement this tax season. >> a unique take on parenting is the focal point of a new comedy in theaters right now. "friends with kids" starts snl veteran kristen wiig who try to raise a kid with other people. >> not everyone thought this arrangement would work out. >> why did you never try? >> she's one of my limbs.

>> that's bad because -- >> there's talk there might be tears. >> he's like a brother. >> he's like an annoying dog. >> of a brother. >> amy palmer, contributor for pure wow.com is here to tell us what we must see and must avoid. >> this is a must see. >> this is "when harry met sally" movie for our generation. she wrote it, and she directed it and she has the most amazing cast. kristen wiig, maya rudolph, ed burns, megan fox. it's hilarious. and i encourage everyone to see an adult film, it's a love later to new york, it was shot in new york around 24 days. go see it. >> you say adult film. this is not for the young kid. >> it's not, it's a romantic comedy and it's for the 30-year-old time when your 14s start having kids and the dynamics start to change. it is so real and i hope hollywood takes notice of this film because we're so tired of seeing female-centric films

about girls that want to get married have a great wedding dress. this is real life and real dialogue. a-plus to jennifer westfield. >> let's get "john carter." i was one of the only women in the movie theater and a lot of men walked out of the movie theater mid-film. this is a disaster for disney. $250 million was the budget. >> you're kidding. >> the problem is we've seen this before. we've seen this with "star wars" and we'vestein with "avatar" and "star trek." there is nothing new that we haven't seen. taylor kitsch from "friday night lights" is in this film, we love him. i don't think it will hurt his career, but it is definitelia i must avoid. >> march 23rd cannot come soon enough for fans of "the hunger games." it will be with twilight and harry potter. this book has been on "the new

york times best-seller list for 100 consecutive weeks. it's enormous. four square, youtube, twitter, facebook. it's an incredible example of what movie studios are doing. >> can it live up to the hype? >> it can live up to the hype because i think they've learned a lot of lessons from harry potter and twilight, and i think there's so much pressure to make this film that much better than what fans expect, and i do think they'll pull it off. great cast, jennifer lawrence and liam hensworth and we'll talk about this for years to come. >> we'll do so later this month. >> great. >> thank you alex. now to number three on our list of the first five web stories. the new ipad is expected to give verizon wireless a bigger sales boost than at&t each though both carriers will sell the tablet when it is released. that's because at&t's wireless network isn't as extensive as verizon's which lets them turn their ipad into a mobile hot

spot. as for number four on our list, changes for coke and pepsi. the soda makers are making changes to an ingredient in their products to avoid needing to label packages with a cancer warning. companies are asking suppliers to alter the way a caramel coloring in the coal as are made. it is a chemical linked to cancer in animals. customers won't be able to taste any difference at all. >> new security camera video from kentucky which is capturing the power and fury of the storm. we will show that to you on "weekends with alex witt." we are back in a moment. if there was a pill to help protect your eye health as you age... 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 annncer ] ocuve has ua as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients.

t founin youmultivamin to help protect your eye health. now, that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health. [ 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. ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ ♪ can you feel it out there? ♪ ♪ you gotta lift yourself up ♪ ♪ that's right [ male announcer ] join the masters of style... even trimming, a close shave, and accurate edging...

with the new gillette fusion proglide styler. ♪ [ male announcer ] new fusion proglide styler and clear shave gel from gillette.

in today's "then and now," the internet's impact on the world. on this day back in 2001 soledad o'brien filed this report on nbc "nightly news" and showed how computers were already changing lives. >> the computer as we knew it

nearly 40 years ago. back then, it took up a room. today there's one on almost every desk in the workplace. one in three american households has a computer, 52% are connected to the world wide web. with chips embedded in so many commonly used items, technology has the potential to revolutionize our lives. technology journalist denise caruso. >> it's done amazing things in medicine. it's done amazing things finally for productivity in the workplace, and been an amazing creative tool for a lot of people. >> and as you see at the bottom of the screen there, all these years later more than 75% of american households own computers. now let's talk about search engine use. a new study found 73% of all americans use a search engine and nearly half of american adults use a smartphone. big changes in just ten years. now a few things that caught my eye. a retired guaardener has been

planting daffodils and this is the beautiful result. 15 million to 20 million flowers. the gardener planted them on his property and he opened it up to the public and it's a birthday weekend for barbie. friday marked the 53rd birthday for the iconic doll, and you can say that girl's still got it. ♪ ♪ turn left.

the passat is one of nine volkswagen models named a 2012 iihs top safety pick. not...that... we'd ever brag about it... turn right. come on, nine. turn left. hit the brakes. huh? how did that get there? [ male announcer ] we can't hide how proud we are to have nine top safety picks like the passat and jetta. so we're celebrating with our "safety in numbers" event. that's the power of german engineering. right now lease the 2012 jetta for $159 a month.

a living, breathing intelligence teaching data how to do more for business. [ beeping ] in here, data knows what to do. because the network finds it and tailors it across all the right points, automating all the right actions... [ beeping ] ...to bring all the right results. it's the at&t network -- doing more with data to help business do more for customers.

♪ to help business do more for customers. ♪ pop goes the world ♪ it goes something like this ♪ everybody here is a friend of mine ♪ ♪ everybody, tell me, have you heard? ♪ ♪ pop goes the world ♪ pop goes the world [ female announcer ] pop in a whole new kind of clean with new tide pods... a powerful three-in-one detergent that cleans, brightens, and fights stains. pop in. stand out. our economy steadily has been getting stronger. the recovery is accelerating. america is coming back. >> a fired up president obama is touting the progress of the nation's economic recovery and the creation of almost 4 million new jobs over the past two years. welcome back to "weekends with

alex witt," everyone. it's just about 1:00 on the east coast, 10:00 a.m. in the west. 220,000 new jobs wera added last month. president bush said america is on its way to the kind of recovery when he took office, but there are still hurdles. >> i want you to remember what we used to say during the last campaign. we didn't promise easy. you never heard me say change was easy. real change, big change is hard. it takes time. it takes more than a single year, a single term, it will take more than a single president. >> nbc's mike viqueira is joining me now from the white house. good saturday morning to you. >> good morning to you, alex. >> it dipped below the psyche logic barrier of 8% before election day. i want to ask you how does last night's houston fund-raiser play to the whole white house re-election strategy and did the

president specifically promise he would bring this thing under eight because i've been besieged with tweets from people who said the president never said that. >> up until now they've been extremely cautious from the white house from the president on down about make anything kind of predictions and part of that is because you remember the outside of this administration in 2009 there were talks of green chutes in the economy, we had talk of recovery summer in the economy and none of that came to fruition, the recession or a em. >>ic growth has dragged on and now that the economy really does seem to be turning the corner they're letting the numbers speak for themselves and that's what's so interesting about the president and the verbs he chose at the houston fund-raiser and this came after a couple of days when the president highlighted things and virginia. he flew straight down to houston, but to say that america is coming back, really a rah-rah speech, but experts are saying

the economic -- the unemployment rate at any rate by election day could be 8% and that's still considerably higher than it's ever been. ronald reagan was the previous president, i think it was 8.4 when he was reelected in 1984. he spoke a little bit more in houston about what's at stake in this election as far as he's concerned. >> and this is not just another political debate. this is the defining issue of our times. this is a make or break moment for middle class families and everybody who is trying to get into the middle class. i mean, we can't go back to an economy built on outsourcing and bad debt and phony financial profits or we can fight for an economy that's built to last. >> reporter: and the news just keeps getting better on the economy as the white house has

pointed out. a half a million jobs in manufacturing, one of the bright spots have been created over the last two years, this is the 24th straight month of private sector growth, three months with job growth above 200,000, significant, alex, but not robust enough to brick the unemployment rate down to 8.0% barrier that you're talking about. >> okay. i want to thank you very much, and i'm going to tweet back to a couple of folks and let them know you clarified. thank you. >> all right. the gop caucuses are going in kansas with just about an hour left to go. there are 40 delegates up for grabs and two other caucuses going on and one of them is in the u.s. virgin islands and mitt romney won in the northern mariana islands and guam. rick santorum is taking his message to texas and missouri today, but before that he made a stop in kansas friday blasting rival mitt romney. >> four years ago when he was running for president fred thompson asked the question do you believe in government mandates. he said yes, i believe in government mandates.

mandates are great, they work. you don't hear him saying that anymore, do you? gee, i wonder when the political climate changed, i guess governor romney's climate changes. >> nooewt gingrich is keeping h focus the south. gingrich says he's taking his campaign all of the way to the gop convention even if he loses the primaries in alabama and mississippi on tuesday. mitt romney is also spending time in alabama. romney rallied republicans in mobile on friday. >> this president's comfortable with trillion-dollar deficits. and one more thing about nothing wrong with president obama, how about this? how about $15.5 trillion being passed on to our kids? that's something wrong with president obama. we have to stop that. >> joining us now msnbc nbc contributor andic which chick ko chicago columnist of "the new

york times." they sound confident. what do you think they're doing right now to secure victory in november? >> think they're being totally realistic and pragmatic hoping for the best, expecting the worst knowing full well in 2008, alex, almost everything went their way. they had a big win behind their backs and folks unhappy after eight years of president bush as we'll be reminded that a few times and nevertheless, with all of that going for them john mccain won 46% of the vote. they also take solace in the fact that mitt romney has exhibited weaknesses, but they know that he is probably the strongest candidate they can face in the general election and still could be formidable in part because the electoral college really doesn't go their way which explains why those trips last week, alex, to places like north carolina and virginia, places the president won last time, but are far from sure bets this time and why, and they have a slew of offices in other swing states including

pennsylvania and florida. >> what about gas prices? the new jobs numbers are latching on to the rising gas prices and it's quite the issue. how tough a variable do you think that might be with the president. >> if you look back to 2008 it figured there was a whole contest in 2008 over the summer about whether or not to repeal the gas tax and you had barack obama and john mccain and hillary clinton on different sides of that issue. you do see republicans now latching on to that and newt gingrich was at a gas station in alabama over the last couple of days and promising to reduce gas prices to $2.50. i do think americans are savvy enough to know that it isn't just the president who controls gas prices, but you do have the president really emphasizing green energy and you also have on the other side a republican saying that the president needs to look into domestic energy production and they talk about

the keystone pipeline and they talk about opening up reserves and drilling in alaska. so it will certainly be an issue and i think it will be even more of an issue come summer when gas prices will particular up because folks will be on the road traveling. >> what about newt gingrich getting the trakction that he's talking about the 2.50 gas. could that, wo in the election? >> he might as well be promising us free beer and free graduate degrees from harvard and the cubs in the world series every single year and all market speculation around the globe? and free flow and i don't know, to cap it off, maybe invade russia in 48 hours and ensure that there will be an unimpeded flow from petroleum for the next decade. i think this is a long shot which is not to say, not to say that $5 gas doesn't have some potential ramifications, but i would suspect that those folks who will vote against him

because of high gas prices were probably inclined or are probable inclined to vote against him anyway. >> let's take a look at tuesday, the gop has two big primaries in alabama and mississippi. it shows gingrich ahead in both states and only slightly ahead of romney. if romney can pull off a win in either of the states does that seal the deal for him becoming a nominee? >> in some ways mathematically he's likely to be the nominee anyway, if he does pull out wins down south, it will give him something that he hasn't had and that is strong winds in the deep south, and i think put to rest some of the questions about his candidacy about whether or not he can get really conservative southern voters because he will meet those folks. just in terms of energy and enthusiasm and frankly, money. this is a campaign and a candidate who has always been able to boast that he's got the most money and the most infrastructure, but i think over the last couple of weeks we've seen a campaign that is needing

more money and has certainly gone through millions over these last contests. so i think that would be a boost for the candidacy if he's able to pull off the wins down south. >> what about what santorum suggests this will be a two-man race. is it santorum who will be one of those two? if you look at the numbers now and gingrich is leading him in those polls? >> you cannot underestimate the size of their respective egos in mr. santorum and mr. gingrich. it will be interesting to see what happens tuesday particularly if romney wins and he doesn't win any. either will be insisting that the other conservatives get out of the race, but this is still going to be a long slog. remember by the committee's own accounting, romney at this point has somewhere in the vicinity of 330 delegate it is even though they're blaming 330 and even in

a state like my illinois is now probably going to be very relevant in a couple of weeks. >> who do you think drops out first and when? >> no predictions for me. i have gotten out of the predictions game. >> nice try though, alex. >> a journalist with honor. >> look at my flowers i got from jim. >> oh, i know. that's so nice. >> those are beautiful flowers. >> next:i'm there i'll bring you flowers. >> i would share these of you, but i'll take them home and think of you. thank you so much. >> here's a look at the latest delegate count and mitt romney is in the lead with 342. he wasn't too off when it was 330. we're counting it in guam. also we have newt gingrich. he's behind there with rick santorum and ron paul later and later i asked mark murray about romney's scompleed whether santorum or gingrich can stage a comeback.

>> the man looks very, very tough for them and we've crunched some of the math and for mitt romney he needs to win less than half of all remaining delegates, and so when you realize it many of these contests award these delegates proportionately and mitt romney is in very, very good shape. >> mark says that santorum and gingrich would need to win 60% of all remaining delegates and adds that we still have a long way to go. >> rick santorum will be appearing on tomorrow's "meet the press." it airs tomorrow on nbc so check your local listings for the time. >> developing now, attempts at diplomacy in syria. kofi annan met with syrian president bashar al assad to try to end the year-long conflict there. president assad told annan that syria was ready to, quote, end any unrest. there was more violence in the city of homs as seen today in

this amateur video. >> in texas, a flight attendant is under close watch following a startling onboard outburst. and she struggled with them and you see it here. confused passengers watched the chaos before jumping into action. nbc's michelle franzen is here with more of what happened. how frightening! good day to you. >> good day, alex. it was a frightening day for passengers and it was supposed to be a routine flight from dallas to chicago. the flight attendant's rambling speech over the intercom made very little sense. it everyting lascalated with th that the plane was going crash. the trouble began on american airlines flight 2332 before takeoff in dallas, just as the plane was leaving the gate and bound for chicago. >> i thought it might have been a reality show or something was going because it didn't seem real. passengers say that's when a flight attendant went on a rant over the p.a. system demanding

the pilot open the cockpit and turn around as the plane was going to crash. >> a lot of incoherent statements in the cockpit and it was almost as if she thought she was on the phone with them only. passenger video captured the moments that followed when crew members struggled to subdue the woman, described as a veteran attendant. >> get out of my way! several passengers including kevin rich were enlisted to help. >> a couple of us were on top of her and one of us was behind her as she began talking, rabbit, dying, crashes, racist slurs and trying to keep her calm. >> during the episodes passengers say she blamed the airline for bankruptcy reorganization and talked about a friend who died on nerve and said the plane wouldn't take off. she forgot to take her medicine for a mental disorder. when the pilot returned to the gate, police were waiting after

taking her into custody, she was then taken to a local hospital. american airlines says the a tenant is receiving proper care. >> it shows how crew members and passengers react together in a post-9/11 world. >> what we're seeing is since 9/11 passengers are far more willing not just to take matters into their own hands, but to be active and responding to events inside the airplane. once the plane with the new crew onboard landed in chicago, passengers say they realized this incident could have been worse. >> it was a blessing that we hadn't left the ground. >> another attendant was slightly hurt during the scuffle. two flight attendants were taken to a local hospital for treatment, but declined to offer further details. alex? >> that was scary. >> thank you very much, michelle franzen. in just a moment, stung images of a terrifying tornado. talk about scary. security camera video capturing the verocity of mother nature's

fury. also ahead, don't go there. the government warning of staying away from a spring break getaway. in office politics, the gop presidential battle, off the campaign trail and at the deb e debates. >> nasty, shallow. >> nbc's andrea mitchell on the race in the white house and the role money is playing in the fight for votes. you're watching "weekends with alex witt."

but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ deep breath ] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! without the stuff that we make here, you wouldn't be able to walk in your house and flip on your lights. [ brad ] at ge we build turbines that power the world. they go into power plants which take some form of energy, harness it, and turn it into more efficient electricity. [ ron ] when i was a kid i wanted to work with my hands, that was my thing. i really enjoy building turbines. it's nice to know that what you're building is gonna do something for the world. when people think of ge, they typically don't think about beer. a lot of people may not realize that the power needed to keep their budweiser cold and even to make their beer comes from turbines made right here. wait, so you guys make the beer? no, we make the power that makes the beer. so without you there'd be no bud? that's right. well, we like you. [ laughter ] ♪

surveillance video from kentucky is giving us a new look at last week's tornado outbreak. you can see those strong winds ring off roofs and sheering off the siding from buildings. survivors say reliving the

tornado is frightening. >> it's scary to watch this video than it was to be in the basement. we feel really lucky, we're luckier than a lot of people. >> officials say four tornadoes hit kentucky, but nobody died there. president obama cleared federal funds from many parts of the state. >> here's a warning for americans who are about to travel to mexico. they're ready for u.s. college student, but there are not as many there this year. the state department and texas law enforcement officials have warned travelers about the dangers of violence in mexico. joining me from stanford, keck c connecticut, mike baker. good afternoon. >> good afternoon. >> you got back from mexico, what is the actual danger for americans heading there for spring break. the vast majority of people who travel for business do not have problems at all. you have to be smart.

just like you would be when you walk out of your own home. you have to be aware of your environment and whether you're going for spring break or any other reason. mexico, the vast majority of the violence over the past few years particularly during calderon's war on drugs is over the ridge along the border area and across to monterey, puerto vallarta, cancun hasn't experienced problems other than street crime and the street crime can be serious if you're caught in it. acapulco has had more difficulties. there have been more cartel-related issues there, but the bottom line is for anybody who is going on spring break, if you're going to travel outside the country for this holiday, you should be responsible enough to do some studying beforehand. take the time to understand what the current conditions are and what the problems have been and then be smart. use common sense. >> yeah. are there places, mike, when you would say do not go there.

you're offering up options for people. i say this with all due respect with the economy, and i've spoken with officials who say tourism is a huge bread and butter supplier for us. they count on tourism and they don't want the entire country to be painted with this one broad swathe there. >> ultimately, the places where kids are going to be looking to go for spring break are not the places where they've had the significant violence and the violence has been fairly bad, but the street crime also has escalated in the major urban area. we're talking in mexico city and we're talking up in monterey and that is everything from express kidnappings to kidnap and ransom to obviously carjackings and a variety of problems that are significantly serious, but can also, you know, take place anywhere in the u.s. or anywhere around the world. so the -- again, these key areas, the cancun, puerto vallarta and acapulco, if you

use common sense, if you travel with your friends, and if you don't take unsolicited transportation, and don't just walk out of the airport and someone walks up and you need a tax toy the hotel, don't do that. use hotel cabs or cars. don't drink irresponsibly. if you can't follow these steps you shouldn't leave the country and much less your parent's basement for spring break. >> all well said. thank you very much for weighing in. appreciate that. >> thank you. how hard times are forcing americans to change spending habits like never before. my mother froze everything.

i was 18 years old before i had my first fresh bun. the invention that i came up with is the hot dog ez bun steamer. steam is the key to a great hot dog. i knew it was going to be a success. the invention was so simple that i knew i needed to protect it. my name is chris schutte and i got my patent, trademark and llc on legalzoom. [ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com, we put the law on your side. go this was the gulf's bestake youtourism season in years.ty. all because so many people wanted to visit us... in louisiana. they came to see us in florida... nice try, they came to hang out with us in alabama... once folks heard mississippi had the welcome sign out, they couldn't wait to get here. this year was great but next year's gonna be even better. and anyone who knows the gulf knows that winter is primetime fun time. the sun's out and the water's beautiful. you can go deep sea fishing

for amberjack, grouper and mackerel. our golf courses are open. our bed and breakfast have special rates. and migrating waterfowl from all over make this a bird watcher's paradise. so if you missed it earlier this year, come on down. if you've already been here come on back... to mississippi... florida... louisiana... alabama. the gulf's america's get-a-way spot no matter where you go. so come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for tourism on the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. chocolate lemonade ? susie's lemonade... the movie. or... we make it pink ! with these 4g lte tablets, you can do business at lightning-fast speeds. we'll take all the strawberries, dave. you got it, kid. we have a winner. we're definitely gonna need another one. small businesses that want to grow use 4g lte technology from verizon. i wonder how she does it. that's why she's the boss. because the small business with the best technology rules.

contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006. oh! [ baby crying ] ♪ what started as a whisper ♪ every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned to a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? ♪ amen, omen >> the february jobs report offered new rays of hope for the economy, but on a personal level a lot of people are still feeling strapped. according to a new study a majority of americans say they are struggling to afford the basic necessities and surprisingly 30% of people making over $100,000 said they can barely afford the basics. joining me now is financial

expert vera gibbons. >> it's happening across all income brackets. people are still struggling. we're seeing improvement in the job market and improvement in the overall economy. monitoring our shopping habits defining our wants versus our needs and people are coming up with a virtual shopping list with the musts have. that's what it's come down to and across all income brackets and not just in middle income and those making in excess of $100,000. >> we're talking about specific, calculated steps, right? to save money. among the more common things, the vast majority of us, 70% of us are coupon tripping and that is here to stay for the foreseeable future. we're comparing prices with apps and websites and the vast majority of women are saying price is a primary driving force behind the decisions and it shows that we're avoiding going into stores where we can't afford things and we can actually make purchases. >> frivolous purchases, that's

something in the past? it seems to be that way at the moment. i think if you can afford a vacation or a big ticket item, you're thinking twice about it and you're not plunking down the credit card. is this the best use of my time? is this the best use of my money and better put elsewhere in this is where the downturn did to us, where we're thinking about the financial future and we're thinking about the retirement. vacations and those other purchases which you might call frivolous have taken a backburner. >> so retailers are strong switch things up. >> yes. they're up against a very difficult time because as we come back into the game, we're coming into the shopping experience in dribs and drabs. ooh very volatile, with a lot of flukt whats and retailers know they have a tough job ahead and they have to come up with items that are musts have at a price that we're willing to pay. >> vera gibbons, thanks for the update.

president obama proclaims that america's back, but is he raising expectations that could hurt him in november? you're watching "weekends with alex witt." i habe a cohd. i toog nyguil bud i'm stild stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't un-stuff your nose. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your stuffy nose. [ deep breath ] thank you! that's the cold truth! consider the journey of today's athletes: ♪ their training depends on technology. [ beeping, ticks ] and when their devices are powered by a battery, there are athletes everywhere who trust duracell so whether they're headed for london or the journey has just begun... they rely on copper to go for the gold. duracell. trusted everywhere.

but we couldn't simply repeat history. we had to create it. introducing the 2013 lexus gs, with leading-edge safety technology, like available blind spot monitor... [ tires screech ] ...night view... and heads-up display.

[ engine revving ] the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. welcome back to "weekends with alex witt" at half past the half hour. the gof nomination, and caucusing in kansas is under way. congressman ron paul visited a caucus this morning and rick santorum visited the state twice this week. joining me live right now is justin cramer from wichita. we had you an hour or so ago there, justin. you had 2,000 people behind you, but that particular event, has that sloan down? >> alex, as you can certainly see behind me, wichita's caucus is wrapping up for the day. earlier we had 2500 republicans fill out these simple paper ballots where they put a check mark next to their favorite candidates' name and dropped

them into cardboard boxes. all of these ballots will be collected and counted before kansas hands out their 40 delegates later today. they are committed delegates which means that they cannot be released at the convention to vote for anyone else without their candidates' permission and that could prove important down the road if we hit the tampa convention without one of the candidates collecting enough delegates on their own to win this nomination outright. rick santorum is expected to win the majority of kansas' 40 delegates. as you mentioned earlier he was in wichita last night campaigning and he's made a couple of other stops in the state of kansas. his wife karen actually delivered his stump speech here at the caucus in wichita before voting began. don't be surprised, though, if ron paul picks up a handful of delegates in kansas. he has a very strong, vocal base of support. newt gingrich will be interesting to see how he fared. he decided to cancel his campaign stops here in the state

to focus on alabama and mississippi which vote on tuesday. mitt romney is not expected to be much of a factor in this race in spite of picking up the e endorsement of bob dole. >> what were people saying to her? did you get over there and eavesdrop? >> she was a very popular woman here at this convention. i think it would be fair to say that the majority of people in this crowd today are pro-santorum voters, and a long line of people wanted to meet her, shake her hand and wish her well throughout the remainder of the campaign. just a lot -- as far as what she was saying, the candidates were thanking them for showing up and thanking them for their support. >> and we thank you for showing up and supporting this broadcast, thank you so much. >> joining us is bob beatty, professor of political science at washburn university. hello to you, bob. >> nice to be with you, alex. >> i am glad you're here.

let's talk about rick santorum and newt gingrich who have been campaigning in the state the past couple of days. what's been their reception? >> well, rick santorum has been in kansas for a couple of days and actually newt gingrich canceled his appearances, although oddly enough his super pac is still running commercials for them in the topeka area. one interesting thing, alex, is the governor of kansas sam brownback had originally endorsed rick perry and rick perry dropped out and brownback said he wouldn't be endorsing anybody and he showed up at a rick santorum rally and went to a ron paul rally and he flashed a sweater vest and gave a thumbs up to rick santorum. that was as close of an endorsement. >> kansas is middle america and literally speaking if you look at the map. tell me what you think is the most important issue for voters there? >> the first thing we have to understand is that it's a

caucus. so actually very few republicans will actually vote in this caucus. four years ago only 2% of all registered republicans in kansas showed up for the caucus. they're hoping for 5% to 6% and so that's very interesting because kansas does have moderate republicans, but many of them will probably not show up for this caucus. so, that divide is going on in the rest of the country and it's happening in kansas as well. kansas elected a more socially conservative governor two years ago, but there still are some moderate republicans here, but still i would say for this caucus, definitely the social conservatives will be coming out strong. >> so the social issues have become a major debate in the election year. the average kansan voter stands where? middle of the road conservative? toward the center? i mean -- >> that's an excellent question. the average kansas voter, just, for example, in the last 50

years, there are more democratic governors in terms of number of years served than republican governors and governors, even republican governors tend to be moderate, middle of the road and it's just in the last two years that the very socially conservative republicans had taken over many of the state offices including the governorship. the key question you're asking which is very interesting is is there going to be pushback against that by moderate dependants and moderate republicans. it is a very republican state. it may be more middle of the roaden that many people think, but right now many of the offices and many of the voters are socially conservative. >> thank you very much, i appreciate you being here from washburn university. the voters will be in kansas today and we'll see more of wyoming's caucus results and next tuesday, alabama, mississippi and hawaii will be holding their contests and

missouri begins its caucuses and followed by primaries in puerto rico, illinois and louisiana. checking out the month of april, seven states and d.c. will hold that month, but the primary season does not end until june. >> in this week's office politics we'll continue our conversation with msnbc host andrea mitchell. we'll discuss the man she credits with political reporting and we'll begin with her descriptions of the republican primary season. >> nasty, shallow. i mean, we've had 20 debates and yet we haven't had real debates, discussions of issues. i've been frustrated as i'm sure other people. we have not had real access to interview these candidates as much as one would think. they haven't done, beyond the sunday talk show, and they haven't all done all of the sunday talk shows, they haven't done a whole lot of introduervi

either. they've been in a very self-contained world, and you know, the money. just the super pac money. yeah, campaigns have a natural death normally, but they're not expiring under artificial resuscitation because of these daddy war bucks. >> a handful of people. >> super paccing the world. >> do you think part of the reason they're not granting the interviews to the andrea mitchells because they're afraid of the in-depth questions? >> basically, they've avoided most interviews. how often has mitt romney gone on a sunday talk show and really faced tough interviewing? >> newt has done it. >> gingrich has done it because he has very few options. he needs to keep his name alive other than south carolina, what does newt gingrich want? as we head into south carolina and georgia, he's got a better geographic territory, but he's so far behind in terms of

delegates that newt gingrich needs those sunday talk shows, so he has exposed himself to it. >> you have anything that you can compare this to as you covered politics? does this campaign season remind you of another for any particular reason? >> i haven't seen this kind of campaign, i think because of the campaign finance component. we've never before seen how one, you know, guy with a big wallet can keep a candidate alive who urn any other circumstance would have crop dropped out by now. tim paulenty could have survived. money was the only reason he dropped out and he would be far more viable as a republican leader and the republican candidate than some of the people still in the race. >> so does your gut tell you that this is a good thing or a bad thing? >> my gut tells me this is say very bad thing and there's no transparency. for a variety of reasons these super pacs don't have to

disclose who is contributing to them in real time and it is just so much money. it's an artificial, you know, way of keeping a campaign at everything around and as you can tell the story behind every picture, but the one i love is the one behind you, andrea. you and our beloved tim russert. >> i keep till, of course, in my heart. tim was my mentor. tim was my mentor, and that was a very special occasion because i was being honored with an award here and he was presenting it to me. he and -- you know, other great journalists with whom i've worked over the years have been privileged to work at nbc, of course, you know, tim taught me how to cover politics. he was the first person i saw every day here. i'd come in to do the "today" show, and we would do "morning

joe" and i'd say tim, what do you know? >> there you are. you're helping to monitor the presidential debate. >> that was the last debate between president obama and michael dukakis in 1988. >> didn't they say something like,a understandria, i hope you don't mind if you don't answer that question and you said actually, i do mind. >> it was very funny. >> you were tough as nails! >> mike dukakis said i guess it was something like, well, you know, can i reframe the premise or something, and i said no, you can't. i don't know where i got the nerve to say that. >> we're going hear a lot more from andrea tomorrow about the reality of a military confrontation with iran and yet u.s. is not fighting syria. up next on big three, it's the one issue that could kill any republican's hopes of wing the white house. you're watching "weekends with alex witt." [ male announcer ] this is the network --

a living, breathing intelligence teaching data how to do more for business. [ beeping ] in here, data knows what to do. because the network finds it and tailors it across all the right points, automating all the right actions... [ beeping ] ...to bring all the right results. it's the at&t network -- doing more with data to help business do more for customers. ♪ lightweight nourishment is the best of both worlds. [ female announcer ] it's new aqua light with zero weight, 100% more nourishment. [ james ] it's light and healthy and just makes me so happy. [ female announcer ] new aqua light from pantene.

[ james ] it's light and healthy and just makes me so happy. this one's for all us lawnsmiths. grass gurus. doers. here's to more saturdays in the sun. and budgets better spent. here's to turning rookies - into experts, and shoppers into savers. here's to picking up. trading up. mixing it up. to well-earned muddy boots. and a lot more - spring per dollar. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. show the yard who's boss, with this cordless black and decker trimmer, just $84.97.

team for the big three. we are going to the movies. a new documentary on president obama and game change, plus the president says america's coming back and finally, we are going south with the gop. >> here's my panel today. reporter for real clear politics, erin mcpike and msnbc contributing strategist, susan dell%io and cristystal ball. if only we could talk about what was happening during the commercial, but we can't do that. there were good numbers released yesterday and now president obama is saying, quote, america is coming back. do you think it's a risk to start saying that now because is everyone feeling it and if they are not feeling it, does the president risk sending somewhat of a disconnect? >> well, not everyone is feeling it, but more people are starting to feel like things are moving

in the right direction and to your point, it is a bit of a risk, but frankly it's the risk he has to take. he has to walk that line by saying we are moving in the right direction and there is more work to be done and we recognize it was not sufficient. the republicans have a tougher job of saying that things are gloomy and doomy and going badly. it's a better place to be and to take the optimistic point of view and a stronger place to be in for november. >> okay, erin, what is the sense of the president's strategy here? how measured can they be on the economy and does he need to size up on each new good piece of economic news? >> well, sure, he should, but here's the real thing we're hearing from the white house it's do you want to go back? there is more optimism and certainly, economic indicators are beginning to improve. the real thing is do you want to go back to the way things were in 2008 when a republican was in charge in the white house and that's when we'll hear more from

him. >> how do the candidates combat an improving economy and are they losing their rom to man oofer on this issue right now. >> they're not if they focus what they want to do and they envision where the economy should really be. the obama administration is walking a tightrope. if unemployment ticks up to 8-5 which a lot of people think is possible, it's not as high as 9, but it changes the message. what the republicans aim to do is say this is what we believe the country is doing and this is my plan and go forward and not buy into the month by month economic improvements. >> okay. and susan, looking ahead to tuesday and the gop primaries in alabama and mississippi, if romney wins one of those states is it over for one of the gop candidateses? >> it will probably be over in the sense that nobody else has a chance of winning and there's no other reason for the candidates to get out. no one's saying get out because there will be a cabinet post and

get out because of the reputation and so they'll probable go a bit longer. >> what do you think, erin, should happen if someone were to drop out of the race. >> i think there's more pressure for newt gingrich to drop out of the race and say he wins them both and newt gingrich comes in third behind romney and santorum in both states. at that point, newt gingrich who has focused his southern strategy would probably have to get out at that point because he has no path forward then. have we gotten word since he's made an indication. if he's going to continue to fund the gingrich super pac? how long will he continue doing that? >> i think erin's point is spot on, because if he does lose both, then there's no reason to have him go forward and he will become a spoiler and i don't think allison will keep funding that. he'll look to someone who can win. >> although in a way he's not a spoiler because if you look, for

example, in alabama and mississippi, the reason that romney is foaled well there is because gingrich was still in the race. if it was romney and santorum, romney would have a much larger way to protect it, in a way, it's protecting mitt romney. >> are you looking at it as a democrat or a republican? >> as long as he's in there, he and rick santorum, the two of them were splitting the conservative vote. >> exactly. in terms of being a spoiler, i'm looking at that time from a republican perspective. in terms of being a spoiler, he's the one protecting mitt romney. santorum will stay in there anyway so the primary will continue. gingrich is keeping santorum down in those southern states. >> okay. you're hoping to have them anoint mitt romney. how do you see it playing out, crystal? >> the polls are showing a tight race in the south right now. what i would say is this is very tough terrain for mitt romney not only because of the whole

southern culture thing, but also, alabama and mississippi are two of the poorer states in the nation and mitt romney has really struggled to do well particularly with middle class and the working poor. so that will be a larger part of the picture and in in both of those states i would give the edge to santorum. if he comes in second it may be the first time he wins by coming in second. he doesn't seem to win. but a close second would be good. >> you mad a good point. we'll have you back in just a minute. next we'll go to the movies and what to make of game change. ok! who gets occasional constipation,

diarrhea, gas or bloating? get ahead of it! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defend against digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. hit me! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. fight both fast with new tums freshers! concentrated relief that goes to work in seconds and freshens breath. new tums freshers. ♪ tum...tum...tum...tum... tums! ♪ [ male announcer ] fast relief, fresh breath, all in a pocket sized pack. and the family car to do an experiment. we put a week of her family's smelly stuff all in at once to prove that new febreze car vent clips could eliminate the odor. then we brought her family to our test facility to see if it worked. [ woman ] take a deep breath. tell me what you smell. something fresh. a beach. a clean house. my new car. [ woman ] go ahead and take your blindfolds off. oh! [ laughs ]

look at all this garbage! [ male announcer ] introducing new febreze car. eliminates odors for continuous freshness so you can breathe happy.

they all fly in for the first big briefing on the economy. what was described in that meeting was an economic crisis

beyond anything anybody had imagined. >> that's a clip of the new documentary "the road we've traveled." it highlights the p's decision to push national health care reform. the 17-minute film is narrated by tom hanks. it will be released on march 15th. let's bring back our panel. crystal ball, first up with you on this. we have the sarah palin film "game change." it debuts tonight on hbo. in terms of the documentary about the president, is it too early for a film like this? >> i don't think it's too early. i'm going to watch it. but i'm the party faithful. it's no salacious enough. it doesn't have dirt in it. it's a little too self serving. i think it will be affirming for people who already support the president. i don't know that it's going to win over new people.

on game change i think a ton of people are going to watch it. i agree with crystal. it's going to come off self serving. they're going to make their case how they think. they should not respond like this? >> what's your impression for first the president and then sarah palin? >> for president obama, that will have the gauzy images that have everybody inspired behind him. for sarah palin, "game change" allows her to say the media has done a disservice to her. she can mobilize her trips and stay relevant in the media. >> i've got 15 seconds to ask you. best and worst week. just give me the names. >> president obama for the press conference he had. the worst is gene schmidt. >> i was doing the math wrong.

i have maybe 90 seconds. so take your time, girls. how about you? best and worst? >> my best is also president obama. not only for the press conference but the gop candidates continue to prove their weaknesses. it's very unflattering light. >> president obama had a great week. he had a great press conference. he had great news on the economy. and newt gingrich for being really irrelevant come the southern primaries. >> it was unanimous. that's amazing. are you going to watch tonight? i am. i know you saw it. you going to watch it again? >> i'm going to watch it, too. i want to know what we're going to be talking about tomorrow.

i appreciate it. and that's a wrap of this weekend with alex witt. i'll see you back here tomorrow. look for you at noon eastern, 9:00 pacific. have yourselves a wonderful saturday out there. uhh! [ alyson ] just keep walking... ♪ oh, come on! ♪ ugh, again! [ sniffs ] that's what i'm talkin' about. [ female announcer ] up to 100% flake-free, flirty hair.

new head & shoulders green apple. [ female announcer ] up to 100% flake-free, flirty hair. i remember the day my doctor told me i have an irregular heartbeat, and that it put me at 5-times greater risk of a stroke. i was worried. i worried about my wife, and my family. bill has the most common type of atrial fibrillation, or afib. it's not caused by a heart valve problem. he was taking warfarin, but i've put him on pradaxa instead. in a clinical trial, pradaxa 150 mgs reduced stroke risk 35% more than warfarin without the need for regular blood tests.

i sure was glad to hear that. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding, and seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have a bleeding condition like stomach ulcers, or take aspirin, nsaids, or bloodthinners, or if you have kidney problems, especially if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all medicines you take, any planned medical or dental procedures, and don't stop taking pradaxa without your doctor's approval, as stopping may increase your stroke risk. other side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. pradaxa is progress. if you have afib not caused by a heart valve problem, ask your doctor if you can reduce your risk of stroke with pradaxa. the passat is one of nine volkswagen models named a 2012 iihs top safety pick. not...that... we'd ever brag about it... turn right. come on, nine. turn left.