>> they're plucking sound bites out of that interview to manipulate them in a cynical manner, to use them for their own purposes. and that slogan is really what had me and basically my entire staff really fit to be tied. >> president obama also defended his campaign's attack on bain and made it clear that he has no intentions of letting up. >> mr. romney is responsible for the proposals he's putting forward for how he says he's going to fix the economy. and if the main basis for him suggesting he can do a better job is his track record as the head of a private equity firm, then both the upsides and the downsides are worth examining. >> let's bring in this tuesday's power panel. michael steele, richard

goodstein and jackie kucinich. great to see all three of you this morning. i want to play another clip from cory booker and the exclusive interview that rachel had last night. >> today to the gop i said, i welcome you to stand with me for moving america forward, don't stand with me for the kind of things that mitt romney's advocating that are going to further bankrupt our city, close off opportunity, discriminate against gays and women and do the kinds of things that i can are sending america in the wrong direction. >> booker coming out forcefully against the romney campaign. richard, is this believable and after putting the message on youtube on sunday, after tweeting all the endorsements of "i stand with president obama" with booker get the genie back in the bottle, so to speak? >> i think every day we spend talking about cory booker, we're spending talking about bain. and that's a very good day for the obama campaign because of what bain stands for, buying

these companies, piling on debt, looting them and having very rich investors walk away with tons of money while the workers are out jobless, no health care, no penchant. that's what romney he's said he likes about the ryan budget. that's the same consequence. can booker walk it back? honestly, i think going after booker reminds me of -- i should say the embrace of booker reminds me of romney's embrace of clinton. you don't really want to do that with people who are as articulate as cory booker and bill clinton are. they could say to voters, you want to listen to what i have to say? here are ten reasons why you should be supporting barack obama and not mitt romney. i think it's a dangerous tactic. and i think cory booker can protect himself. >> nevertheless, president obama seems to be doubling down on this. and the obama campaign has intended the time its anti-bain ad is going to be running in ohio. certainly a sign that they don't want to let up on this. but this is how the new ad from

the mitt romney campaign is firing back. they call it "big bain backfire." >> have you had enough of president obama's attacks on free enterprise? his own key supporters have. democrat mayor of newark, cory booker. former congressman harold ford, jr., democrat from tennessee. >> private equity is not a bad thing, it's a good thing in many instances. >> even obama's own supporters have had enough. >> it's nauseating to the american public. enough is enough. >> the ad doesn't address the direct criticism of romney's tenure at bain. the a.p. -- the lack of cohesive message comes from romney's belief that any debate putting the economy front and center is a win for republicans. does the romney camp need to prove he's not just good at

making money for the uberrich? >> you need to fight the narrative the democrats have been pushing and what richard laid out about, bain came in and stripped these companies and all these people were put on the streets and poverty ensued. that's just not true. seven out of ten companies that bain went in to turn around were turned around, including the company in the ad that started this whole discussion went on very successfully for another eight years after bain was brought in to intervene, if you will. so the reality of it is, they've got this narrative that they can help define this discussion in a way to help people appreciate how the free market system works, how companies like bain -- and bain is not the only company in the country that does this, that goes in and rehabilitations and works with companies. yes, it's a success and failure rate that's evolved just like in anything in business. but that's part of the system. i think cory booker, quite

honestly, spoke his heart. he spoke truth to power. he made a clear and salient point. cut out the noise, stick on the issues. enough is enough with all the distortion and lies about what each other's done. that's a very honest, genuine moment. >> a lot of people on the other side would say newt gingrich was one who spoke truth to power about bain. he went after romney's record during the primary. we all remember that. however, he spoke on this issue last night. take a listen. >> i think there are things you can legitimately look at in bain capital. i think there are things you can legitimately look at in anybody's record, including mitt romney's record. but what i'm reporting to you is the question you asked -- i don't think it's politically effective. >> so, jackie, newt said going after romney over bain is not effective. but analysts say those things helped him win south carolina. how can republicans say bain is off-limits for democrats when they used it so effectively in the primaries? >> it's funny, yeah, it worked in south carolina for gingrich but it didn't work so much in florida or anywhere else. so he saw the political effect

of that and some of the backlash he got from republicans for going after private equity. i think the bottom line is both democrats and republicans get a lot of money from private equity. that is a line that i think the democrats are trying to walk. they're trying to not go after the sector but still go after romney's role in it. i think that's a -- it's a tough thing to pull off. >> you make a great point because david axelrod raised this interesting point when pressed by andrea mitchell exactly about that, the left and the right and their relationships with private equity and now the president's relationship with. take a listen. >> people admire success. they understand that their businesses succeed and businesses fail. but they don't like when people at the top walk away with an enormous riches and people down the line are left holding the back. >> richard, isn't that a tough argument for the directors to

make, given the president raised far more money from hedge funds, private equity donors in '08, came to about 3.5 million bucks, nearly twice as much as john mccain? >> add axelrod said later in that interview, there are two people on the ballot, barack obama and mitt romney. here's where i think republicans miss out because they're so kind of in a bubble on this private equity issue. there are not any other walks of life where you profit to the tune of tens of millions of dollars because of laying people off. i know you invest and some companies win and some lose. but there aren't many walks of life where the workers all lose and you win. so that's the thing that i think the obama campaign is just starting to communicate. you think about that swing voter, the steelworker in youngstown, ohio, he basically says, hold on a second, you're saying mitt romney invested in companies, canned them, peeled

all the money out of them before the people got laid off, cost their health care, cost their pensions, that's legal? that doesn't even seem fair. and if you look at adam smith, the father of capitalism, i guarantee you, nothing about capitalism squares with that kind of conduct. >> i have to get this in. basically we have -- to switch gears about an endorsement of former secretary of state colin powell on the "today" show this morning. he was asked whether he was ready to throw his support behind barack obama. he did so four years ago. take a listen to his response. >> i don't want to throw my weight behind somebody. the beautiful part of being a private citizen is you can decide when you want to throw your weight, if you want to throw your weight. i'm listening to what the republicans say they're going to do to fix the fiscal problems we have to get the economy moving. >> what's the deeper read into his statement? >> well, i don't think there's that much deep to it. i think colin powell wants to take a closer look. i think as we've just talked about, there's been sort of a move away from the obama of

2008, the obama of 2012 is very different. a lot of people don't necessarily like what they see or have seen over the last three years. so they're re-evaluating where their support is going to go this time. that's a problem for this president. yeah, the polls are up and down all over the place reflecting that sense of, i'm not quite there yet. i think colin powell is an individual who supported obama in '08 who's looking critically at mitt romney in 2008. >> my power panel this morning, thank you. a programming note for everybody, colin powell will be andrea mitchell's guest on "andrea mitchell reports" tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. another thing to pass along, we're following this breaking news out of northern california where a live news conference just getting under way regarding an arrest in the case of a missing california teen.

2 -- this 21-year-old was booked last night, all in connection to 15-year-old sierra lamar. she vanished on her way to school two months ago. the lead sheriff in this case as well as the girl's parents will attend that news conference this morning. >> public safety is our primary concern. we've treated this case as a crime in progress, not a homicide. we were hoping to find sierra alive. i'm a mother. i think every mother, every father out there hopes that you can find a child that's been taken. >> msnbc's kristen dahlgren has more now for us from san jose. >> reporter: good morning, thomas. sierra lamar was last seen getting ready for school on march 16th. she never made to it the bus stop. this morning, police say they believe they have the man in custody who knows what happened to her. 21-year-old antolin garcia

torres is being held here. they picked him up near a safeway in morgan hill, california. they've had him under surveillance for quite some time now and they believe they have probable cause to charge him with murder and kidnapping. they also say that they have physical evidence linking him to her disappearance. lamar's cell phone and a bag with her clothes found neatly folded inside was found on the side of the road a few days after her disappearance. police also took garcia-torres's car into evidence, a volkswagen jetta was spotted near her home on the day of her disappearance, also spotted by witnesses in the area. searches do continue for sierra. her family holding out hope. they are expected to speak to the media later on this morning, thomas. >> that was kristen dahlgren reporting for us. we're going to follow this news

conference coming out of san jose today and bring you the details from that as soon as they break. still on the agenda this morning, new reaction from the white house to the latest development in the birth control battle. a lawsuit filed against the obama administration by 43 catholic institutions. i'm going to talk to congresswoman eleanor homes-norton about that. also joining the conversation, a law professor from notre dame university, one of the schools involved in that suit. and blast-off against a dark pre-dawn sky. did you see this? the launch of the spacex rocket and why it signals a new era in space exploration. ♪ fly me to the moon sarah... will you marry me? i think we should see other people. in fact, i'm already seeing your best friend, justin. ♪ i would've appreciated a proactive update on the status of our relationship.

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the obama administration is reacting this morning to the 43 catholic groups across the country suing the government over the birth control insurance mandate for employers. t the administration commented by saying, we have outlined an approach that protects religious liberty and access to preventive services. lawsuits are no lawsuits, our doors remain open. joining me now is richard garnett, law professor at the university of notre dame, the university taking part in that lawsuit. richard, the obama administration offering a compromise that they feel would require the insurance companies, not employers, to provide this coverage and they feel that that would be adequate. why is that not good enough for notre dame? >> well, remember, sir, the lawsuits that have been filed

are challenging the mandate that's actually in effect now. it's true, as you say, that the administration has started a new rule-making process that might tweak the mandate in some ways and perhaps that process would produce an accommodation that was satisfactory, that did protect religious freedom. but the mandate that's on the books now doesn't. and father jenkins explained in his statement yesterday why these organizations felt like they had to go to court now to vindicate their religious freedom rights because the law that's in effect burdens those rights. >> father jenkins going to court now because the part of the mandate that deals with religious groups doesn't go into effect for more than a year. why file the lawsuit now instead of waiting for a resolution to possibly come out of the continuing talks? >> that's not quite right. the obligation to start preparing to do this turnover to providing this coverage, that obligation is in effect now. and the university would need to start sort of changing over its

policies and preparing to comply. and that would be costly. that's true for these other institutions as well. so it's quite common in situations like this to try to resolve disagreements about the validity of a regulation before you invest thousands or perhaps even more dollars ramping up to comply with it. if these institutions think the regulation is an illegal burden on religious freedom, i think their view is they shouldn't have to spend a bunch of money getting ready to comply with it. >> when we talk about the catholics united, i want to read a statement from their executive director saying, quote, the leadership of the catholic church is more interested in playing politics than it is in providing for the common good. to suggest our religious liberty is somehow compromised because employees now have access to contraception -- how do you respond to that? >> a couple of misunderstandings in that statement. these cases are not about access. none of these plaintiffs are

trying to restrict the ability of anybody to use contra serpces contraceptions. this is purely a question about institutions trying to act consistently with their religious character and trying to avoid being forced to subsidize activity or procedures they think are immoral. i can assure that spokesperson that the bishops are completely committed to the common good. and the notion that the bishops are lined up with the right wing -- it's just an unfair charge. >> does father jenkins and the catholic institution of notre dame support men being able to get viagra or erectile dysfunction drugs? >> i'm a lawyer and a citizen. i haven't discussed those matters with father jenkins. but his statement outlined why the university thinks this lawsuit is necessary to respect its religious freedoms. >> thank you for your time. we want to move on to

congresswoman eleanor holmes norton to talk more about this. congresswoman, i know you were listening to that interview. what is your response to the argument of why the university of notre dame feel that is they need to file now for a mandate that would not go into effect for another year? >> i think that professor garnett even concedes that his lawsuit may be unnecessary. and i think it is. and it's unfortunate considering that the administration and the catholic church and catholic institutions have been allied on health care. but let me tell you why i think that lawsuit is not a good one. first of all, more than half the states, 28 states already mandate contraceptive health care. the administration began by exempting religious -- inherently religious institutions, that's the arch diocese, that's churches and alike. this comes down to hospitals,

universities like notre dame, who are affiliated with religious institutions but have to obey every federal law. understand, these institutions, these universities, these hospitals, are heavily subsidized by the federal government. they hold themselves out to the general public and they must hire all people, regardless of race or religion. many of their employees are not catholics. the courts have been very clear. and i think the lawyers understand that the courts have been clear. the courts have held because there have been suits in the past by employers that didn't want -- it was against their religious affiliation to pay for social security or unemployment taxes. as long as the mandate does not discriminate against the employer, even if it intrudes on the employer's religion, then

the employer must obey. >> congresswoman, i want to get this in. timothy dolan, head of the archdiocese of new york, says he's worried this mandate is going to force the church to stop serving the needy. >> we don't want to come to a doomsday scenario where sooner or later, if these mandates click in, we're going to find ourselves faced with a terribly difficult decision as to whether or not we can continue to operate. we'd have to give it up because we're unable to fit the description and the definition of a church, given by, guess who, the federal government. >> does he have a logical worry there, congresswoman? >> not at all. remember, professor garnett said that somehow the church had to be prepared -- and that's why issue this lawsuit -- for millions of dollar, all kinds of money it would have to put up. the fact is that the

administration's accommodation has it so that the institutions involved do not have to handle or pay for, in any way, these contraceptives. it goes straight from the insurance companies to the person. it would be very unfortunate if because they have to obey federal law the way every other employer does to say, we don't want to serve the needy anymore because our non-catholic employees need contraceptives. if they are complying in 28 states, why can't they comply with the law of the united states of america? >> congresswoman, great to see you this morning. the 30-day sentence that some called a surprise, what prosecutors are doing to get a former rutgers student more time behind bars. and the roller-coaster ride that has been facebook's hyped ipo. and it's already turning out to kind of be a big flop. we'll take a live look later. with the spark cash card from capital one,

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like an overhyped movie that can't possibility meet expectations, facebook's ipo continuing to disappoint. it opened at 38 bucks a share. within minutes jumps to $45. but by the opening of day two, facebook trading at $36 a share. and this morning, opening the day with bids that dipped to $31 within seconds. and that's below the opening price. cnbc's brian shactman joins us to talk about this. a lot of analysts saw this coming. is this -- in putting it all into perspective, truly to fair to say a facebook flop?

>> reporter: i think people here are characterizing it somewhere between a mess and a disaster. a good ipo, thomas, in many way, everybody wins. the company who sells the shares. the bankers who set it up, they make money on the offerings and investors who snatch it up early see a nice pop in the price and hopefully stabilization at that label. here, there's a lot of anger towards the underwriters, the chief one being morgan stanley. they increased the price. so the company valued at $104 billion, the bankers and the facebook millionaires made a lot of money. but anyone who bought it on day one got pretty much crushed. and that's why there's a little populist angst here because the retail investor, the mom-and-pop you and i are very apprehensive about the stock market and even more so after an ipo like this. >> when we talk about the big weekend that happened since friday for mark zuckerberg, he got married over the weekend to his girlfriend priscilla chan,

people pointing out that zuckerberg took this big billion-dollar hit. when we see the losses that happened in just a very short period of time, this is all on paper, it's not tangible stuff, right? >> reporter: value went from $19 billion to $17 billion. he's pledged to give a ton of his wealth over to philanthropy. he wants to, quote, unquote, change the world. listen, it is paper money. he's still, believe me, doing just fine. and people need to understand, facebook is an incredible company. and zuckerberg and his cohorts, many of them are absolutely brilliant. but that doesn't mean it's going to be a great stock. that's the sort of distinction that needs to be made here. the company isn't any different than it was two weeks ago. they need to show they can make a lot of money to satisfy investors. >> it's a marathon, not a sprint. brian shactman, nice to see you. thank you. here's a look at other stories topping the news now,

day three of the jury drib deliberations under way in the trial of john edwards. juries ended their talks monday after requesting access to a second set of exhibits including a handwritten note from rachel "bunny" mellon, the 101-year-old heiress providing the nearly $1 million in those funds that edwards used to hide his pregnant mistress during his 2008 white house run. prosecutors will appeal the 30-day jail sentence given to a former rutgers university student for using a webcam to spy on his roommate's encounter with another man. tyler clementi committed suicide days after. dharun ravi faced up to ten years in prison after being convicted of anti-gay intimidation and other crimes. ravi's attorneys are expected to appeal the conviction. president obama delivered an emotional commencement address to the graduating seniors in joplin, missouri, last night. the president spoke on the eve of the one-year anniversary of

the tornado that killed 161 people there and destroyed or damaged more than half of the homes. joplin high school was destroyed. and the students spent their classes in a converted department store. >> as i took out at this class and across this city, what's clear is that you're the source of inspiration today, to me, to this state, to this country and to people all over the world. >> the president also told the graduating class, we can define our own lives, not by what happens to us but by how we respond. and launch of the spacex falcon 9 rocket. >> so you are looking right now at that historic moment in space exploration, the falcon 9 rocket is the first private spacecraft

to hurl a capsule toward the international space station. carrying the ashes of hundreds of people including the actor who played "scott y" in "star trek". the big apple has been kind to mitt romney. he's on a fund-raising tear, on track to pull in more than $10 million and maybe a lot more thanks to two events in new york city yesterday and another fund-raiser in manhattan later tonight. dick chai dmi cheney is throwing his weight behind romney. i'm joined now by cnbc's john n harwood. able to edge out anybody out there, but we have these evaporating new reports showing the president and congressional democrats have raised at least $547 million in this election cycle. romney and congressional

republicans have raised at least $462 million. at this rate, though, can he overtake president obama in spending? >> reporter: he could. the obama campaign says he will. you usually have a lot of play acting on both sides about complaining that the other side is going to outspend them. but i think what we're covering so far this year, thomas, is that the commanding financial advantage we once expected this incumbent president to have is not going to materialize. the super pacs are coming in very heavy for mitt romney. you have a lot of very motivated people on wall street, wealthy businesspeople who believe that president obama's anti-business, who are really ponying up the money. president obama is going to be well-funded. he's going to be able to get his message out. but mitt romney is, too. and they're both going to be battling over a small group of swing voters. coming up next, the naacp's historic endorsement of marriage equality. will it be enough to change hearts and minds in the african-american community?

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we simply cannot stand by and watch one group be targeted for du jour discrimination. we have opposed du jour discrimination from our founding and this is no different. >> that is the naacp president ben jealous on msnbc's "rachel maddow" last night. the resolution passed by its board of directors now identifies same-sex marriage as a civil right. so now what? joining us to further this conversation is leon russell and pastor delmon coates. gentlemen, great to have you both with us. mr. russell, the decision to support marriage equality just came after president obama voiced his support. did his announcement influence

the decision and the cause of the naacp to come out with this endorsement? >> not really. the discussion that took place on saturday was a culmination of several things. one of which was our discussion of our strategic plan and a great deal of discussion around efforts to suppress the vote coming up. not really so much a discussion of what the president said, but a discussion about where the naacp needs to be at this point in time and the board of directors clearly felt that we needed to make a statement that talked about our need to support civil law and the equal protection of all people within civil law. >> certainly the obama administration appreciates having your support as opposed to contradicting the president's statement on this. i do, however, have to point out

that the president of the black church initiative argues the naacp and president obama are going to lose support from black churches because of this stance on marriage equality. pastor coates, i want to ask you, what's it going to take to get more leaders like yourself to be on the president's side, to stand in support of the endorsement of the naacp? >> well, you know, i think the naacp's statement was critical because it's helping people to understand the appropriate context for framing the issue of marriage equality. the issue of equal treatment under the law is a public policy issue. it is a civil rights issue and not an issue of subjective religious doctrine and theology. and i'm encouraged because since the president's statement, there are many more clergy around the country who are coming out, understanding that the role of the state is decidedly different than the role of the church, and that president obama was elected president of the united states and not pastor of the united states. and so i'm encouraged because i'm hearing people say that the

values that ought to inform this conversation are the values that unite us as americans, values of freedom and liberty, rather than the beliefs that distinguish us. if we can fight for freedom, for people in other countries, we have to fight aggressively to protect and preserve freedom for other americans here in the united states. so i'm encouraged by this statement. i think it's going to go a long way towards encouraging other leaders and other pastors to come out in support of this issue. >> "the new york times" has called the naacp's support of same-sex marriage a largely symbolic move. how do you feel about that or do you think that now the next step for the organization is to actively fight against discrimination to actually work with groups, say, like marriage equality usa or with groups like freedom to marry, to pursue those rights for states around the country that are working against that right? >> well, first, i think you have to acknowledge that the naacp,

whether it's at the state conference level or the local level has, in fact, been out there on the field arguing that this is a matter of civil law and we have always in our local unit talked about the need not to write discrimination into any public document i think we continue to do that. i think it should be pointed out that when we get to this issue of marriage equality, you know the naacp was founded in 1909, barely 40 years after the civil war, after the adoption of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments. and you've got to remember that marriage was not legal for slaves, that most of our ancestors were denied the right to marry by law. and so this is a historic situation that we have been fighting for -- since our

inception. so it's nothing new. we have to continue to educate the populace about the fact that civil law is not the place for discrimination. that's what we're about. that's what this resolution is about. and that's what our units will be fighting for going forward. >> pastor, you're on the ground in maryland. and in november, there will be a referendum on marriage equality in maryland. what are you seeing on the front lines there and do you think that that will go to a vote and people in maryland will see marriage equality evaporate? >> i'm encouraged because when people have the issue clearly explained to them, they are coming out overwhelmingly in support of equal treatment under the law for gay and lesbian couples. i think it's important for people to understand that this is an issue of human rights, an issue of public policy and as such, we cannot use our subjective and personal

theological beliefs and impose them on others as a matter of public policy. no denomination, no church would be required to perform or acknowledge same-sex marriage if they choose not to. and once people have the issue explained to them, they come out overwhelmingly on the side of protecting equal treatment for all under the law. >> gentlemen, thanks so much. i appreciate your time. we'll be right back after this. . a load of new listings... and two pills. after a morning of walk-ups, it's back to more pain, back to more pills. the evening showings bring more pain and more pills. sealing the deal... when, hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. it can relieve pain all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lois... who chose two aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] you may be an allergy muddler. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief.

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a new "washington post"/abc new poll out today gives us the latest snapshot of the presidential race. it shows president obama with a slim three-point lead over mitt romney, among registered voters. it is within the margin of error. and on the question of who would do a better job of handling the economy? it's a dead heat. a republican super pac has just unveiled a new ad attacking president obama about the economy. it's going to begin airing

tomorrow in ten different swing states. take a look. >> i supported president obama because he spoke so beautifully. he promised change. but things changed, for the worse. obama started spending like our credit cards have no limit. his health care law made health insurance even more expensive. we've had stimulus and bailouts. >> joining me now is susan cates. great to see you. you wrote an article that defines everything, by dividing americans into these five different economic groups, their views also indicating who they're going to vote for in november. so run us through those groups, especially as we want to talk about where the independents are falling and where they're going to go come november. >> thomas, everybody says the economy is the issue driving 2012. and we found that in our polling. but what we asked people, what do they mean when they say the economy, americans mean all kinds of different things. the first group is called the 99%ers.

this is a score democratic group, overwhelmingly for president obama. when we ask them, how concerned are they about the distribution of the wealthy, that was something that concerned them a great deal. the second group, the hard-pressed, these are people have been hit hard by the recession, they're really pessimistic about what's ahead. they don't think either candidate can improve the economy. this is a democratic-leaning group but it's a group that's going to be hard out to vote because they're disconnected from politics. and the third group, the upbeats, this includes the largest proportion of african-americans, tends to be politically moderate. they're for president obama. they have a pretty upbeat attitude about what's going to happen next, especially if president obama wins a second term. but then we have two republican-leaning groups, a big one is called the thriving. this is our youngest group,

highest educated, highest income. these people are very confident that things are getting better and are going to get better for them. and they are by a big margin going for mitt romney for president. their big concern, the federal deficit and the debt. the last group, this is a group we called the downbeats. they're core republicans, most of them very conservative, churchgoing group, almost entirely white. they think the country's gone way off the tracks and the only way it gets fixed is if mitt romney gets elected in november, by 80% of them say they'll vote for him in november. >> as we talk about the issue of mitt romney and the president going after his time at bain capital and where it falls into the election itself as being categorized as the best reason to vote for mitt romney, the president saying it's fair game to talk about it, where does everybody feel about where this plays into whether or not it is fair game, whether it is the best indicator of what type of president mitt romney will be and how they'll vote? >> this is the fundamental

debate we're going to be having over the next few months because if you believe the argument that president obama makes, that mitt romney's experience at bain capital indicates he is a heartless capitalist who doesn't care about you, you're going to vote democratic. but if you believe thedemocrati. the republican argument, mitt romney's experience that bain capital gives him the experience and skill set to improve the economy, improve your life, you're going to vote republican. i think that's why we see so many ads on this topic now. >> "usa today" washington bureau chief, susan page. nice to see you today. thanks for your time. next, donald trump says reverend wright should be fair game, on the table. is religion fair, as we race toward the november elections of 2012. [ thunk ] sweet! [ male announcer ] the solid thunk of the door on the jetta. thanks, mister!

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but that label can lead to prejudice and discrimination, and we don't want to go there. so let's try to see people for who they really are. you can help create a more united states. the more you know. john mccain made a terrible, terrible mistake. he was too nice. he was just too nice. he didn't want to get into reverend wright. i say to the republicans, they better get tough because if they -- if they're not tough,

and if they don't use what they have, they're not going to win. >> that was donald trump on cnbc saying all bets are off when it comes to religion and the presidential campaign, and it comes as republicans end their relationship with the senior adviser proposed to a super pac campaign to revive the wright controversy. mahr said, why listen to mitt romney on foreign policy? is entire pf experience is two years try brow beat frenchmen into joining his cult. joining me, lynn sweet for the "chicago sun-times." is religion fair game? >> in right context, probably not unless there's a specific question, tom thomas, everyone knows that certain stuff is out of bounds, such as questioning raising the question that really is a slur on a religion, or is an unfair characteristic -- characterization of somebody's relationship to a church. if donald church was doing celebrity apprentice tonight

political consultants in a line of attack that had not worked before he would maybe have to say you're fired to that person. just as a matter -- >> both sides they risk losing voters when they do this. >> absolutely. and you know, you've had supporters, just did in the setup, super pacs on both sides taking shots that the campaigns don't think will work, don't want, and disavow. they would be fired if they were on "celebrity apprentice political consultant" edition. >> you think it's going away? >> maybe not. i think the pocketbook issues, as both candidates agree, will be more defining. you do also have to look at the whole person, fair game, you look at all of that. i think there's a way of doing it that is more effective and more fair, and there's a right way to do politics in this country and i think people kind of know that. >> lynn sweet, thanks so much. that's going to wrap things up

for me. "now with alex wagner" is next. >> i love it with lynn sweet talks about the "celebrity apprentice." >> puts it into context. >> thank you. living in the house of bain. but will doubling down on the corporate buyout specialists help at the polls come november? and is there such thing as a safety latch? for surrogates. we'll talk corey book somewhere his long walk back. plus, the great birth control lawsuit. is the catholic church making waves for the gop or creating headaches for the democrats? "now" starts in a mere 180 seconds.

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