training squadron based in virginia beach. and that the crash occurred shortly after takeoff. there is no word on the cause of this crash. we want to get more information. let's bring in our, the first person we want to talk to is our nbc news pentagon producer, courtney. as we talk about what we're seeing here, these images. they were devastating as we've been watching throughout the afternoon. what has the navy come out to officially say? >> the pictures are pretty terrifying, in fact. this apartment complex was within about five miles of oceana naval air station's runway. so the residents were presumably used to seeing jets flying low, hearing the jets. the public itself has called the mayfair muse. what we know so far is the f/a-18 d, a two-seater called the hornet, it crashed just after taking off from oceana. it was just after noon when it went down. both pilots ejected safely and

have been taken to the hospital nearby for observation. but that's standard procedure. we've been told by u.s. navy officials that they were ambulatory. it is standard procedure to take them and check them out. its pretty similar to a bullet being shot out of a gun, the force that it takes on the human body. we don't yet know if there are any injuries or casualties within the complex that haven't yet been found. keep in mind it was the middle of the day. about 12:05 when the aircraft went down, went into the complex. so it is possible that some of the residents were at work but we just don't know. yet the extent of the damage on the ground beyond what we're seeing from our affiliate pictures. >> i think everybody watching this with us can tell the scope of the damage that happened at this apartment complex. in a highly populated area of virginia beach. stand by. mark atkinson joins me now. an eyewitness to the crash. what did you witness? >> well, i came to the crash about three minutes afterwards.

my son called me who was out and about and saw it go down. he called me. we got here about two or three minutes afterwards because we live close by. and giant, you know, the giant smoke screen. it looked like they hit about two to four buildings. and when i arrived, it was out of control. soon after that, everybody arrived on the scene and they began taping everything off. i did see them wheel out an injured person. i heard there are no fatalities but i'm not sure how they congress that exactly at this point. >> it would be an absolute miracle as we look at these pictures to believe that there was not a fatality involved. as you said, you think two to four buildings were hit by this. we've counted just from the aerials that we're seeing, four different roof tops that have been ripped off.

when you got to the scene as you said two or three minutes after it happened during see people fleeing out of the buildings? or were more people coming up like yourself who were curious about what happened? >> some of both. i saw some people leaving. i think that probably a lot of people rushed away. midday, probably a lot of people were and away. but there was a large crowd that began to gather, police and all the emergency vehicles were roping it off. i waited for a while to see if there wery injured people being pulled out and i only saw one person come out on a stretcher and that was immediately. almost within minutes after i i had gotten there. >> as someone who lives in virginia beach and so close to this area, this was an f/a 18 that was coming oustt of there. this is a highly populated area.

a very big tourist area. this is a holiday weekend. do you have concerns in the past of living near the major traffic? the air traffic that happens there from oceana? i know it's been a concern for neighbors for years. >> it's always been a concern. after you've lived here, you sort of get used to it. the reality is these planes fly so fast that generally the thought is that you can be out over the ocean within a second or two of taking off. so something must have gone really terribly wrong for them not to be able to get to the ocean. if you look at it on the map, we're within blocks of the ocean front. path always changes for takeoff and return. this is in the path of takeoff for today as i was at the weather reports. maybe 101st up to 20 miles an hour. these are the worst fears for residents of virginia beach. >> absolutely.

the crash is one thing but to crash in such a populated area. a densely populated apartment complex. i did speak with the postal carrier who is on the scene and he said, he has delivered mail in that complex 20 minutes before the thing crashed. it was about three blocks away, he turned around and he said he saw the parachutes of the ejecting pilots. and he said it was very, very loud. it shook the buildings all around him. i'm sure it was a thunderous crash. >> again for people just joining us, there is the dramatic images coming to us out of virginia beach where this afternoon around 12:05, an f/a 18 crashed. if you're familiar with this area at all, it is very close to the shoreline. and the main thorough fare in

virginia beach of atlantic. >> which travels north and south. going east and west in and out of the beach is the virginia beach express way. this area is north of 264. an apartment complex called mayfair mews. we don't have any information or fatalities about inside the apartment complex for sure. we know the two pilots were able to safely eject and land on the ground. the parachutes, people watched them parachute to the ground. i believe one of the pilots was taken to the hospital for routine measures. again, the aircraft crashing directly after takeoff. now, naval air station on oceana is just below where this happened. if we can get that map back up to show everybody where naval air station oceana is. it will be just below where this happened. and it is an interior position for the air station itself. and it is a highly populated dense area of virginia beach.

but the naval air station is roughly, you can see it here on your map. where mayfair mews. then the yellow line under that is the virginia beach expressway, 264. then a little lower down on the left-hand side, you can see naval air station oceana. so again, you can see all of the development. all of the businesses, all of the roadways leading in and out of the ocean front there in virginia beach. if i still have you on the phone, you said your son was the person who called you. where was he in this general vicinity? >> he was at a driving range not too far away. he saw the planes fly over and then saw the crash [ inaudible ]. >> we're getting a close-up now of the development there. it looks like it is a mixed

communicate of town homes and apartments. mark, would i be correct in saying that? that it is a mixed neighborhood of apartments and town homes? >> yeah. >> we're seeing some front doors and the roofs are just completely sheared off. apartment complexes or the back yards of townhouses. are you still in that general area and what have police done to cordon off this neighbor. >> it's completely cordoned off. there is probably, you know, 30 to 40 emergency vehicles, ambulances, fbi, naval investigators. it is a huge thing. >> i want to ask you to stand by. the assistant city editor for the virginia pilot newspaper is joining us.

what information do you have after that f/a 18 crashed? >> i've been talking to people on the ground who live in these apartment complexes and home. i talked to two different men who had face to face contact with the occupants of the jet after they ejected from the jet. both of them live here and of course, heard the loud crashing. ran outside. they both saw parachutes and the parachutes getting caught on the roofs of the buildings in this area. the one man i just spoke to ran up to one of the navy men who was on the ground, trying to get

up, kind of laying down on his elbow. the witness told me. and he tried to get the navy man just to stay on the ground before they could, until they could find out what was wrong with him. he was snagged on the burning building. his parachute lined, the parachute was attached to him and the other side was attached to the burning building where the jet crashed. and they asked a neighbor to get a knife and they cut him free from the building. then emergency crews showed up a little later and were able to get them a safer distance from the burning building. >> one thing i know, i used to live and work in this area years ago living just north in chicks beach. and i know this was a concern for people living around oceana. obviously as mark atkinson, we were just talking to, saying neighbors do get used to the air traffic.

but the concern that something like this could happen. this is not about a flight that was coming back into oceana. this was directly on takeoff. and as mark atkinson, the person we were talking to, we know they take off so fast. the hope is that they can get out over the atlantic ocean really quickly. so from what you've been able to hear and learn and the navy itself saying so far, something terribly wrong must have happened right away. people are reporting seeing it leaking fuel or dumping fuel as it took off. >> we're used to jet noise here. the three booms, everyone said a total of three booms was unusual. we did get a press release early in the week saying there would be increased activity at oceana. so people who live here in virginia beach have been listening to more jet noise than normal this past week.

but again, the big booms that they heard definitely alerted people that something extra, something wrong had occurred. also, the proximity from where the crash occurred and where the pilots were found made it clear that, it's clear that they must have, let's just put it this way. where the pilots were and where the plane crashed, maybe 500 yards of distance. >> so all of this happened within seconds for them to make that quick decision to eject from this f-18 before it went down. david schleck. thank you. if you're just joining us, we're following the breaking news. an fa-18 that crashed.

just above north of express way 264. the main thoroughfare in and out of virginia beach in the ocean front. no reported fatalities so far. two pilots ejected safely. once again, we'll be back with much more details. we love gardening... yeah, but the feeling wasn't always mutual. i should be arrested for crimes against potted plant-kind. we're armed, and inexperienced. people call me an over-waterer. [ female announcer ] with miracle-gro, you don't have to be a great gardener to have a green thumb. every miracle-gro product helps your garden grow bigger, more beautiful flowers and bountiful vegetables. guaranteed. so even if... i have all these tools, and i have no idea how to use them. [ female announcer ] everyone grows with miracle-gro.

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more on the breaking news coming to us from virginia beach. these are live aerials from wavy tv in the area, showing how clean-up crews are getting control of what happened after an f-18 fighter jet crashed in an apartment complex called the mayfair mews shortly after takeoff from naval air station oceana. this happened roughly about

12:05. you can see the roofs sheared off. it is a highly populated area just north of oceana. and the plane, the jet, excuse me, went down after takeoff. witnesses reported hearing three booms and then seeing the smoke and the then fire of what happened in this apartment complex. joining me now on the phone is commander phil rossi. it is good to have you with us. can you explain what you know about what happened this afternoon at 12:05 after this jet took off? >> hello. good afternoon. it's been a busy afternoon but thanks for taking the call. i can tell you again that you've been reporting on this for a little while now. a little after noon today, we had an f-18 d, a two-seat strike fighter that went down shortly after takeoff.

from naval air station oegceanan virginia beach. >> when we look at these images, obviously, the devastation is unspeakable. hopefully there won't be fatalities. it would be a miracle considering this is good friday and some people may have off. students may have had off from school. this happened in the path of takeoff, as i understand it. weather conditions were good today in and around virginia beach. from what you know about how these jets operate, what could have gone wrong? >> again, thomas, at this point it is too early to say, you know, what the causal factors might have been. naturally the navy will do a full and thorough investigation to look at that. but it would be inappropriate really to speculate at this point on what might have led to this. >> one thing to talk about is the fact that the pilots do train for what to do in emergency situations like this, dealing with oceana being in a populated area. can you tell us about the

training that they go through? >> certainly our air crew are well trained in emergency procedures for a wide range of issues. but in this case again, it is hard to say what the causal factors were so we won't really want to speculate on that. >> again, the two pilots within this jet were able to eject, as i understand it. one was taken to the hospital for precaution. to get checked out. commander phil rosi, thanks for joining me. just to update you if you are joining us, an f-18 jet went down in virginia beach just after takeoff from naval air station oceana. this happening about two hours ago. officials saying it slammed into this apartment complex, the mayfair mews. you can see there are fire crews on the scene making sure there are no remaining embers going. we have no official information about any rescues from inside

those buildings. there are no reports of anyone killed on the ground. and our reports though of several injuries but nothing that we can officially confirm to the extent right now. the pilots again ejected safely. the jet was part of the training squadron that is base there'd in virginia beach. we'll continue watching this story for you and bringing you more details as soon as we get them right here. moving on this afternoon, the "news nation" also following today's disappointing jobs report that came out for march. it shows that employers added 120,000 jobs last month. and that's far fewer than the 200,000 new jobs that most economists had predicted and expected. and only half the job growth in february. meantime, the unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a percent. the rate dropped because more people stopped looking for work. and here is president obama's reaction today. >> we welcome today's news that our businesses created another

121,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate ticked down. our economy has now created more than 4 million private sector jobs over the past two years. and more than 600,000 in the past two years alone. it is clear to every american that there will still be ups and downs along the way and that we got a lot more work to do. >> nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker joins us from the white house. the white house is trying to put a positive spin on today's number. and since it is a mixed bag, there are highlights to focus on. but obviously, people want to talk about the fact that it didn't meet the expectations economists predicted. >> reporter: absolutely. we were all expecting this jobs number to be much higher. at least 200,000. so undoubtedly, that 120,000 figure, rather, was far below expectations. the white house never makes too much of any of these jobs reports, as you know. and today's report came out just

as the white house was hosting this forum on women and the economy. the white house has gotten some heat for this, a lot of people saying this was basically just politics. they've pushed back against those allegations but it is undeniable this white house has really been trying to harness support and its popularity among women voters. especially in light of some recent polls which showed that this president has a pretty wide margin among women voters. particularly in some of those key battleground states over some of his potential rivals in the fall. so the white house has been touting the president's policies toward women. you saw that play out today when the president talked about how his policies have helped women, including, for example, 16,000 loans that went to small business owners who were women. 24 million medicare recipients who are women. the republicans rolled out their own line of attack saying the recovery hasn't done enough to

help women. and i've spoken to some economic analyst who's say if you look at the figures, they are complicated but they do bear that out. why? because the recovery has really targeted male dominated industries such as construction, manufacturing. we haven't seen the same growth in other industries like teachers, health care workers, government work here's are more women in some of those industries. so that is certainly the white house. something the white house will have to focus on moving forward if they want to bat back some of this criticism. in addition to all of that, one of the figures that really has remain stagnant over the past several years is this pay gap between men and women. if you look at a report the white house put out today, women earning 77 cents to the dollar as compared to men. spoke to some senior administration officials who say that pay gap is really slow to narrow but it is something they're concerned about and

still working on. >> i wanted to get in there, you talk about how house speaker boehner was quick to react saying unemployment is far too high. paychecks are shrinking. gas prices are rising faster than ever. unfortunately, the president refusing to get serious about addressing our fiscal and economic challenges. so given some thing to kick around in washington, d.c. thank you. joining me now, the reporter for salon.com. and it is great to have you here. you've been waiting patiently to talk with me. as we heard president obama talking today and has been talking about not just at the women's forum today but in general, his economic message. talking about fairness and people in this country deserving their fair shot. sure that everyone gets the same opportunities. insisting basically, that that the right isn't allowing him to do that. is he going to be able to continue that, especially if the economy is limping as we're

seeing it do right now? and the unemployment rate hovering at 8.2%? >> it is a valid concern to worry about the recovery and how that will affect women. we talked about how there used to be a man session and now there is a he covery. i was glad to hear the president mention that women's wages are more important than ever. he was raised by a single mother. and as a result, he realizes that the pay gap is incredibly important as well as figuring out job growth for sectors that women participate in. >> a he-covery? you're coin that one. >> it's mine. >> the obama administration is firing back at reince priebus and his attempt to shoot down the allegation that the gop is waging a war on women. just a reminder, here's what he had to say, comparing women to caterpillars. >> if the democrats said we had a war on caterpillars, then

every main stream media outlet talked about that, then we would have problems with caterpillars. the fact of the matter is it is a fiction. >> as we talk about what's taken place since a lot of wide sweeping reform happened in 2010. the republican party coming into power. not only in congress but in state legislatures around the country itself. there are laws that have shot up on the books in 2011 with a woman's reproductive rights and so many abortion bills. as early as next week in mississippi, that would shut down the only abortion clinic there. the only one there. how is the rnc, how is eyewitness news priebus able to say there is not a target being placed on the rights of women in this country right now. >> the decision the voters made in the fall of 2010, i really doubt whatever they were thinking, they were thinking about how we need to regulate women's reproductive rights even more. that's been the case since republicans started controlling the house and the state houses. what you have is unprecedented

number of bills. every type of bill. ultrasound bill, hospital regulation bills, which is the one that's at stake in mississippi. for them to say it is manufactured, this has been their priority since day one. they almost shut down the sbirmt government over defunding planned parenthood. they are the ones who really put this on the table in that they are encroaching on reproductive rights. >> it's hard when that's the record to say there is not a logical connection to be made. i know some people cringe at the term war on women. we are at war in afghanistan. so it might be apples and oranges but it has to be told, that there is a target being placed on women's rights within this country. >> we'll get the very latest on that navy jet crash in virginia beach that set an apartment complex on fire. the two pilots did safely eject that jet. so far there have been no reports of fatalities on the ground. several people though have been treated for smoke inhalation.

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it's all about absorption. we've been following the news out of virginia beach after an f-18 jet crashed after takeoff. this u.s. navy jet crashed into an apartment complex in virginia beach. it is the mayfair mews com apartment complex. if you're famt familiar with the area, the express way of 264 which is the east-west thoroughfare which takes you in and out of the ocean front area. this is just north of that. it took off from oceana naval air station which you can see there which is just southwest of where the accident took place. this was directly within today's take-off flight path. and witnesses on the scene say that they saw the jet losing fuel and then they heard three loud booms. these are close-up shots of what

happen happened. the pilots were able to eject safely. one was taken to the hospital for precautionary measures. we don't have any confirmation about fatalities on the scene and we're waiting to get information on that. joining me now by phone is virginia governor bob mcdonald. it is good to have you with us today. this is obviously a tragedy. it is an area of pride. virginia beach holds the naval institution, in hampton roads. what's your reaction? >> you're right. hampton roads in particularly, the norfolk naval base, the air station in virginia beach, are really the east coast hub of our great united states navy air operations. i lived there for 21 years in virginia beach just a few miles from where this took place, also in the flight path. and it is a great source of

pride for that region to have the navy there. i think you've given an up to date report on where things. are i talk to the mayor three times and the congressman from the area once. state police are on the ground. hazmat, all the state resources we can deploy are there. i think i just spoke to the mayor and i think they're close to the point now where the smoke and fire are going to be under control where they can begin the next phase of the rescue operations, entering these apartments to see if there might have been any fatalities. so far the news has been good with some injuries but no fatalities reported. we're into that key phase now. >> as i pointed out, this area of hampton roads, norfolk, virginia beach, is a huge area for military pride. certainly for our navy. for people not familiar with where oceana is based in virginia beach, and correct me if i'm wrong, it was in the 1940s when the navy acquired the land where oceana is positioned.

obviously, since then, this is a highly coveted area of virginia beach. it is a gorgeous area of our country that we've seen a population and growth explosion there over the years. since oceana was constructed. as you said, living there for 21 years. i lived there briefly ten years ago when i worked for wavy tv. i lived in chicks beach and i know we covered a lot of stories about population growth and people concerned about residential building in the area close to oceana. do you think this will raise a new controversy about the fact that these terrible accidents like this can happen and the population, the explosion of real estate growth is something to consider with the takeoff path and the reentry. >> it is a very valuable real estate area about a mile, a mile and a half from the ocean front.

virginia beach is the largest with nearly half a million people. we've been embarking for the last six or seven years on a concerted plan at the state level. and at the city level, to put more money into reducing encroachment around oceana so the actual properties at the right time would be repurchased to reduce the encroachment around the naval air base. it is really the east coast hub. the master jet base for f-18s. so we very much have made concerted efforts to do. that i'll let the dust settle on that later on. what we're concerned about is doing everything we can to be sure that the, if there are people still in the building, that they've gotten out safely. and that we're doing everything we can to respond to the tragedy. but that's part of having a master jet base is the fact that flight operations are inherently dangerous activities.

the navy does a great job ensuring the community it's a safe as possible. >> and you as you pointed out, lived there for years. so as a neighbor and a person of virginia beach, you know all too well the concerns of that. then you also know how easily you can get accustomed to it and it just becomes wall paper. >> it does. we used to call it the sound of freedom. the jets going overhead are part of the fact that to have the incredibly talented, ready and able military, you have to have navy pilots that are able to land in dangerous circumstances, day, night, all weather. so not only are they based in oceana and do a number of things out over the ocean, but they also do their qualifications which means they do touch and

goes from time to time in a circular pattern around the base in oceana. i don't know which operation they were engaged in at the time of the crash but everybody that lives around the jet base knows there's noise, frequent air traffic, and for most, you're right. it becomes part of the culture of your life and the sound of freedom that you just understand is part of the price of having an incredibly well trained, patriotic military. >> we're still going to wait on details coming to us from the ground about what took place there at the mayfair mews. governor box mcdonnell, thank you. we appreciate it. >> thank you. and our thoughts and prayers are certainly with those people that are there now and i think all the resources are being brought to bear to bring this to as safe a conclusion as possible. i appreciate being on with you. coming up, a military board rules a marine sergeant should be discharged for posting

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george zimmerman's attorneys appeared on tv this morning and repeatedly claimed he acted in self-defense when he shot trayvon martin. they even went so far as to compare zimmerman's injuries to shaken baby syndrome. >> we're familiar with the shaken baby syndrome. you shake the baby. the brain shakes around inside the skull. you can die. when someone is pounding your head on the ground, and you've already had your nose broken, you can be in reasonable fear for great bodily harm which is what the florida statute calls for. >> meantime, major demonstrations are planned this weekend with protesters promising to occupy sanford on easter. joining me now live from sanford is joy-ann reid, managing editor of the grio.com. any reaction from the attorneys about what we heard this morning

from the zimmerman attorney? >> reporter: well, not as yet. i think that the family of trayvon martin, they're still processing the information that came in yesterday. there are letters coming from the family defending george zimmerman and that was the latest response that i got from them. so nothing on this particular thing yet. >> reverend al sharpton said he will be camping out with the protesters at city hall this weekend. we're about occupying sanford over this. so what can you tell us more about what's planned? >> reporter: we have a group of students coming from beth oon cookman college. they were in this area frequently and there was a high school that used to be associated with bethune cookman college so there is an afin there. the students are supposed to walk over the next three days, up people along the way. their plan is to stay in churches overnight and continue the march throughout the weekend and wind up here in sanford on sunday. >> tell us though about the 10th. april 10th is the date the grand jury is supposed to convene. the special prosecutor. there were thoughts that she may

come out with an arrest warrant prior to that. does it look like it will boil down to the grand jury having to convene for any action to be taken? >> well, here's the thing. the april enth the date was the grand jury date that was set by the previous state attorney, norman wolfinger. when he recused himself from the case, technically that was his grand jury plan. so that is no longer operative and angela corey is not bound to it. we're understanding she could either if she wanted to keep that date, she could do it. it is also likely she could make a decision on her own without a grand jury. that's what we're waiting to find out. >> isn't it something the people of sanford, certainly something the media has been reporting, the city of sanford needed to wait until april 10th to have any type of conclusion come of this. so basically if nothing happens by april 10th, is that a good sign or a bad sign that nothing will happen in terms of an arrest for george zimmerman? >> reporter: i don't think that's really conclusive, thomas, because that april 10th date was so tied to the previous grand jury.

angela kory said she was starting from scratch. she was starting over with her own investigation so i don't think that she's necessarily bound to that date of the 10th. but people here have hinged on that date as a date when things were expected to go forward because the previous grand jury. so i think emotionally down here for the people who are supportes of trayvon martin's family, they're hoping there's a conclusion by then. but i'm not sure that's binlding on angela corey. >> great to see you today. we are continuing to follow the news on the navy jet that crashed in virginia beach. we're expected to get an update from virginia beach hospital. e . pop in the drum of any machine... ♪ ...to wash any size load. ♪ it dissolves in any temperature, even cold. tide pods. a powerful three-in-one detergent that cleans, brightens, and fights stains. so all your looks pop.

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eric cantor know something his republican colleagues don't? u.s. marine sergeant who criticized president obama on facebook could be discharged from the military. the marine corps administrative board has recommended that sergeant gary stein be dismissed from his actions for putting the commander-in-chief's face on an incredible's movie poster that he changed to read the horribles. it now goes to a general who will accept it or deny it. i want to bring in colonel jack jacobs on this one. it is good to have you here and i want to get it on record. that the lawyer for colonel stein has said this. after the recommendation that we're truly surprised and disappointed, it was an honor to fight for a hero like sergeant stein and every other marine's right to speak freely. we know that free speech is limited when it comes to service members. so we talk about the limit on the service members, jack, where does this put us?

is this a sticky situation that walks the line of limiting someone's free speech? >> free speech is one of those things we fight for in the first place. so don't restrict my speech. september when you're in the service. and speech and other activities have been limited to make sure that there is discipline. we can keep you from saying things that disparage the chain of command. because that ruins order and discipline. we can come and inspect your quarters. we can take a look at your underwear and socks and so on. there are lots of thing we can do to make sure that order and discipline is maintained and restricting speech to make sure that the chain of command is not disparnlgd is one of those things. >> one thing they are saying that the sergeant's actions were ant athletic cal to good order within the military arm or the branch that they were serving within. for subordinates. that this could be an upending influence. >> under most circumstances, no. it is very difficult to

influence other people when they already have fairly strongly held opinions. but in this case, evidently, he made very disparaging comments about the president of the united states and he is not allowed to do that or make disparaging comments about anybody in the chain of command. particularly at the national command authority level. and in a difficult situation in which we're fighting two relatively unpopular wars, and we have an all volunteer force, it is not surprising that we would make sure that people don't do things that make things difficult for the chain of command. >> stein's service was supposed to end four months ago. now he could be given an other than honorable discharge. if you get, that it means you will lose benefits. you wouldn't be allowed on any military bases for the rest of your life. do you think that's taking it a bit too far? >> well, his commander might decide that it is taking it a bit too far. and what you said at the very beginning of the segment, that these are recommendations made to the command in general and he can accept them or not accept them. but this kid is lucky he didn't

get court martialed under the provisions of article 134, the military code of justice. he may still get off with his benefits. but you have to watch how you act and what you're doing when you're in the service. >> yeah. you have to think about that. who knew facebook and twitter would come along to add all these caveats for our service members. >> better to stay quiet, i think. >> i think so, too. that keeps you clean. jack, great to see you. so what does your gut tell but this one? does the recommendation to dismiss a marine sergeant for criticizing president obama on facebook go too far? you can go to facebook.com/"news nation." cast your vote there. up next, another jump date on that news we've been following for the last three hours. the navy jet crashing into an apartment complex in virginia. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550

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i want to bring you up to date. the news we've been following

this hour of the f-18 jet crash that happened shortly after takeoff, crashing into the mayfair mews apartment building just northeast of expressway 264. that's the main thoroughfare that takes you in and out of the virginia beach ocean front. the battalion chief tim riley just recently gave an interview and told us about what is on scene there. and what they're working with. here it goes. they have five heavily damaged buildings. three of which are completely destroyed. the f-18 pilots were able to eject safely. they're worried now about structural collapse of some of the other injured buildings. again, three are completely destroyed. but as it comes down to whether or not people were able to get out of those buildings, the fire battalion chief has said they are unaware of anyone injured on the inside. it doesn't mean that they aren't still seeking people that could have been injured within all of this. however, there are no reports from family member to say that

loved ones are missing. they are working with the management staff at the apartment complex to get phone numbers and to make sure that everyone is accounted for. that will do it for me today on this edition of "news nation." stay tuned to msnbc. there will be a press briefing shortly before 5:00 p.m. about that news out of virginia beach. and martin bashir comes your way next. ♪ [ acoustic guitar: slow ] [ sighs ] [ announcer ] all work and no play... will make brady miss his favorite part of the day. ♪ [ upbeat ] [ barking ] [ whines ] that's why there's beneful playful life, made with energy-packed wholesome grains... and real beef and egg. to help you put more play in your day.

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