good monday, i'm craig melvin in for tamron hall. the news nation is following developing news, the extreme weather that has paralyzed large swaths of this country. and as far west as indiana. hurricane-force winds left 17 people dead this weekend, most of them from fallen trees. in addition to the power outages, record temperatures forecast for today and the rest of the week are making for very dangerous conditions. we go now to the weather channel's mike seidel. he is in the nation's capital where tens of thousands are

still without power. >> hey, craig, another blazing july afternoon here in washington. temperatures heading back into the mid 90s and these homes in northwest d.c. are heating up like ovens. the winds are up, but there's no air-conditioning. because the power's been out since friday night. that derecho swept in from the midwest hitting here friday evening, knocking out power because it knocked down hundreds of trees like this one down this street. the street is blocked, the jeep is damaged, it can't be driven and the power lines are down. no sign of pepco yet in this neighborhood, they're bringing in reinforcements from other states and from canada. they started rolling in sunday, their coming in today to get this power back on certainly as quickly as possible. there are many frustrated folks across this area that are tired of living without the creature comfort we've lived with so long, air-conditioning. now get this, still about 225,000 customers in the district without power.

about 750,000 in the d.c. baltimore metro area. you can understand the frustration. and pepco says power will only be on for 90% of the people not until friday. some may with be without power until next week. it may not get 100, but sure it's going to be hot with highs between 95 and 98 every afternoon until friday. so no relief in sight for the heat outside and for the hot weather inside. meanwhile, i talked to some folks today, they headed to work early, craig, just to find some air-conditioning. back to you. >> it is that hot in d.c. folks going to work early. as mike pointed out there, frustration running high in the d.c. metro area which has been the hardest hit by those power outages yesterday. maryland governor martin o'malley putting pressure on the two main utility companies that serve the region saying, "nobody will have their boot further up pepco's and bge's backside than i will." pepco is now estimating they'll have power fully restored to 90%

of their customers by friday. many complaining that it's just not fast enough. joining me now, pepco president and ceo joe rigby. good afternoon to you. first of all, let's get the latest on the outages. who's without power and where are they? >> well, thanks, craig, for having me on. as was mentioned in the pepco region which is the district of columbia as well as two counties in maryland, we have about 225,000 customers out. and that is actually down from the peak of about 460,000 we had on saturday morning. we've been able to get at least 50% back on. i heard the comment that we won't have 90% back on until friday. it's certainly our intention to be able to pull that in earlier in the week and we now have today about 1,700 personnel in the field. we have 2,700 personnel working on the restoration effort. so i feel fairly optimistic that we're going to be able to beat

the friday estimate that we provided at noon yesterday. >> that's good news. joe, let's get to governor o'malley's frustration. it's the same frustration being felt by tens of thousands of your customers. i lived in d.c., i've sat in the sweltering dark in the nation's capital, i know what that's like. in the simplest of terms, what's taking so long to get the lights back on there? >> well, you know, part of the issue is that this was as governor o'malley himself said, this was the hurricane impact without a hurricane warning. and we were tracking the storms as we normally do 24/7. we actually had the storm initially identified as a fairly low risk, but then it ramped up dramatically on friday night. and you know, a derecho is just one level below impact of hurricane or a tornado. we were out in the field early on saturday morning to assess the damage, frankly we had to rebuild a good deal of the backbone. one of the reasons people didn't see such a force in the field

was we were building the backbone up, which is what we got primarily done yesterday. we were able to get about 100,000 customers restored in just over, you know, the afternoon into the evening. >> right. >> so the pace of restoration is picking up. but i think to the governor's point. people are frustrated, it's hot, it's a very, very difficult circumstance. we certainly get that. and i think the governor's commentary was really just reflective of what people are feeling. but i would say this. we don't -- we're going to work as hard as we can notwithstanding any pressure from the governor. i understand his comments, but this is getting the full measure of our efforts to get the restoration done as quickly and safely as we can. >> all right, joe, rigby, we'll let you get back to work. 225,000 still without power in that area. and you indicating there you think it will probably be a little sooner than friday before folks -- the vast majority of them have their lights back on. thank you, sir. keep us updated, please. >> will do. thanks a lot. a battle over the health

care law, one of mitt romney's own people is now breaking with the republican argument that the mandate amounts to nothing but a new tax on americans. earlier today right on the "daily rundown" said that romney agrees with president obama, it's not a tax, it's a penalty. >> the governor believes that what we put in place in massachusetts was a penalty and he disagrees with the court's ruling that the mandate was a tax. but, again -- >> he agrees with the president -- but he agrees with the president that it is not -- and he believes you shouldn't call -- the tax penalty a tax, you should call it a penalty or a fee or a fine? >> that's correct. but the president also needs to be held accountable for his hypocritical and contradictory statements. >> joining me now is patrick, executive director of the democratic national committee, also president obama's former political director. good afternoon to you, first of all. has the president's message at

some point regarding whether this is a tax or penalty, has the message itself be contradictory? has it been hypocritical at times? >> the president has been consistent from the earliest days of the struggle to pass the health care act in washington, d.c. and, of course, mitt romney has engaged in all manner of verbal gymnastics from the moment he left the governor's mansion in massachusetts and through his attempts to become the standard bearer of the republican party. first he rejected his signature accomplishment, his really only real accomplishment in massachusetts, and he has spent the better part of the last nine months or so railing against a mandate that he himself lifted up as a national model and now we've got the senior adviser of his campaign running afoul of all the republican party talking points because, of course, they know that mitt romney himself made the most cogent argument ever for why we've got to have the mandate so folks that can be free writers can afford health

insurance, choose not to get it who ended up having their health care costs covered by you and i are held accountable. they are all over the place and they're being reckless in their rhetoric from the last year to score political points instead of putting a plan -- putting forth a plan to help the american people. >> i want to play a snippet of what speaker boehner said on cbs and talk to you on the other side. take a listen. >> the american people do not want to get on this path. they do not want the government telling them what kind of insurance policy they have to buy. and how much they're going to pay for it. and if you don't like it, we're going to tax you. it has to be ripped out and we need to start over -- >> so you say -- >> patrick, that's the republican -- that's going to be the only way we can repeal it. when democratic candidates were forced to talk about health care

it didn't go well. >> well, i would caution you the conclusions you're drawing from 2010. and let's remember this was a period when the unemployment rate in the this country was at about 9.5% and that was a dominant issue for americans going to the ballot box. i also hope that speaker boehner and governor romney has the ability to have an honest conversation with the 3.1 million young people who already can stay on their parents' health insurance as a consequence of this bill. the 105 million americans who no longer have a cap on their health care premiums and, of course, the millions of seniors in this country, the 5 million seniors who already have been able to get prescription drug benefits as a consequence being closed in that bill. so i hope as they run around and try to say we've got to replace the president or replace obama care that they have a real thoughtful plan for millions of americans who need access to health care, who have it as a

result of the health care act being passed by congress, being signed by this president and now being affirmed by the highest law in the land. >> patrick, really quickly, last question, and this is for folks who don't follow this as closely as we all do here. tax penalty. why is that language so important? >> well, let's be very, very clear here about what the supreme court said last week, craig. the supreme court affirmed that this law is constitutional and that the penalty can be assessed to the tax provisions in the u.s. constitution. and this penalty applies to 1% of all americans who can afford health care but refuse to get it. and as a result, you and i are paying for the health care costs. so it's really important that we understand exactly what the supreme court affirmed. it's clear what was in the president's plan. and it's also clear that this is a plan that was modeled on the tax penalty that was leveed in

massachusetts by governor mitt romney himself. >> sounds better than tax. >> i think it's just important that we speak to the facts and the truth of exactly what's in these provisions, craig. >> thank you so much for your time, i appreciate you. >> thank you. coming up, show me the money, a daily beast report describing president obama as "worried and anxious" in a recent phone call he made to air force one. the "daily beast" says the president is "begging them for more money." we're going to have more on the president's pitch. then, did chief justice john roberts switch his vote on the health care law? plus, why this seems to matter so much to conservatives especially. and also, some breaking news. tonight's runoff race between two sprinters vying for the olympics has been called off. why one of those runners backed out. are so amazingly good,

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back to politics now. new signs president obama's feeling the pressure when it comes to campaign fund raising. "the daily beast" has obtained an 18-minute conference call in which the president makes a candid plea for his top donors to give and give now. the article describes the president as sounding weary and "maybe a tad bit worried." that call for cash came just as the romney campaign announced it raised more than $4.5 million in a 24-hour period after the supreme court's health care ruling. let's bring in the associate editor and columnist for the hill, jimmy williams and msnbc contributor, as well. good afternoon to both of you. abia, i want to read more about what the president said in his call. this is just an excerpt of that

18-minute call. saying in part, "in 2011, everything was new and exciting. now i'm the incumbent president. i've got gray hair and turns out change is hard. especially when you've got an obstructionist republican congress." should democrats be more concerned about the content of the call or the tone of that call? >> well, i mean, the tone is very humbled by his political position and he really feels that he's going to -- he directly says that on the call. he's going to be the first president to be outspent in his reelection if things don't change. and so i think that is a concern of democrats. democrats should worry about the -- forces intend to oust president obama and will stop at no amount of money to spend on commercials to do so. i think that the labor unions

and democratic interest groups and big democratic donors have to be very concerned that mitt romney could end up outspending the president and winning. >> jimmy, our latest nbc news "wall street journal" poll shows that enthusiasm is down among the president's key voting blocks from 2008. down 17 points among those between 17 and 34, 11 points among independents. jimmy, is the fund raising lag a function of that lack of enthusiasm? or are some donors simply deciding to wait until later to give in this race? >> well, i think you have a couple of things happening. first and foremost, i don't doubt for a second that there are people who are tuning out. it's summertime. this is traditional that we see this. but at the same time, if i were at the obama campaign headquarters in chicago, i would be genuinely worried. at the end of the day, do i think barack obama was going to be outspent? yes, probably. because -- >> really? >> yeah, i do. i do.

and i don't know that barack obama raises $1 billion, if he does, great, that's about $200 million more than he raised last time. but don't -- here's the thing, corporations have more money than people even though they're not people according to mitt romney. so they're going to raise $1 billion, the koch brothers said they'll spend $400 million of their own money. believe me, they will do that. the question becomes, is what happens in the battleground states and we've seen the latest nbc "wall street journal" polls where obama is increasing his lead because of direct advertising and spending in those states. it's a smart move. you don't have to spend in quantity, you have to spend in quality. and that's what the obama campaign is doing. >> the super pacs raised more than three times the amount of the super pac supporting the president. here's what the president said on the conference call regarding the outside cash specifically. "the special interest that are financing my opponent's campaign are just going to consolidate themselves."

they're going to run congress, they're going to run the white house, as well. a.b., do you think this is an argument that's going to motivate obama's top donors to give more? >> i don't know the answer to that because he was enjoying some energy among his donors after the 2010 elections when republicans won an historic majority in the midterm elections and health care was such an unpopular issue. the economy was doing badly. republicans won women for the first time. and there was enthusiasm among his base now. i think a lot of these people -- i think donors are not tuned out in the summer. i think if they intend to give this fall and they're not giving, that's just -- that's bizarre. if the obama team is sounding the alarm, they're going to give now. >> yeah. >> and they -- but they know -- they know that super pacs are going to dominate this race the whole entire landscape has changed, that a very few number of billionaires are able to

totally change the picture. money wise for mitt romney. so if they really are -- if they're capable of being spooked by this, they're going to listen and give, but i think they've really decided that things aren't going well. the economy is in bad shape and they're sick of writing checks. and i think that's the problem for the obama team is that the picture's not going to change much. and so unless they see romney really take a lead in the polls, it's going to be hard for the obama team to convince their donors to loosen up the checkbooks. >> yes or no, a.b., do you think the president gets outraised this cycle? >> i do agree with jimmy on that. >> see how quick that was? >> this is why i love a.b. stoddard. >> thank you, jimmy. >> any time. >> chris christie known for his tough talk, this time he's got some choice words for a reporter who asked him an off-topic question.

>> did i say on topic? are you stupid? on topic. on topic. next question. >> are you stupid? that's one of the things we thought you should know. also, the son of great michael jordan is arrested. details when we go around the news nation. first, though, a new sports-related record for twitter thanks to soccer fans in spain. users sent more than 15,000 tweets per second when spain scored its fourth goal during sunday's final match in the european championship defeating italy, 4-0. speaking of twitter, join our conversation, you can find us @newsnation. this is rudy. his morning starts with arthritis pain. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills. triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol.

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enrique penenato showing a clear lead in exit polls in mexico. his party has not been in power for 12 years after seven decades in charge. nbc news correspondent mark potter is live in mexico city for us with the latest. mark? >> well, hi there, craig. in his victory speech last night he called for national unity and said he would offer no deals, no breaks to anyone involved in organized crime in this country. his victory has been long predicted in the polls here as more and more people, especially women here begin to see him as a rock star president. >> basking in victory as the new president-elect of mexico, enrique pena nieto is married to a famous mexican soap opera star. >> he has a connection with people, particularly with women in mexico who are -- who throw themselves at him as if he were a rock star.

>> wherever the couple went, they drew huge crowds, especially women who despite the fact that pena nieto was married couldn't get enough of him calling him sweet thing or hottie. the fact that he cheated on his first wife and fathering two children out of wedlock before she died of epilepsy didn't seem to faze the crowd. >> and as soon as he entered the room, the room stopped. everybody was captivated by him. he is an amazing figure. >> reporter: he even overcame concerns that he is with the political party voted out 12 years ago after ruling mexico for 71 straight years amid allegations of widespread corruption. now, of course, as president, he will face mexico's toughest problems including a sluggish economy and a drug war that has cost some 55,000 lives here. they will certainly test his current popularity when he takes office in november. >> i understand nieto's party

itself has had trouble with corruption, at least the perception of corruption. what has he done to change that image? or has he? >> well, it's not a perception of corruption. that's the party was widely accused of that, a widespread institutional corruption. he has said he will attack corruption. he has said he is a new man, his party is different, that mexico is different. it's a democracy, much more democracy now, much more open, many more safeguards. so he's talking about that a lot. fully aware that a lot of people are saying now they're back and worried about that fact. and he's trying to assure the public that he's the man to bring change to mexico because everything is different. it's an old name but a new party. that is, at least, his argument being made right now. craig? >> mark potter for us in mexico. thank you. still ahead here, some republicans say that she is mitt romney's secret weapon, ann romney. opens up in a new interview talking about her struggle with m.s. and life on the trail. plus, in today's "news

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kept it that way despite a push from an unlikely colleague. nbc's senior political editor mark murray joining me live from d.c. we can't get enough of this, mark. it's very fascinating if for no other reason the supreme court was about the last place in washington that did not leak until apparently now. >> well, right. and that's actually been one of the focus of this entire story. who end up leaking this, particularly so few days a of this supreme court decision on thursday. did it come from supreme court justice clerks? did it come from the justices themselves? but when you actually look at the politics of this, craig, it is the fact that, you know, they're conservatives who thought, my gosh, we had an opportunity to overturn the entire health care law. this story just adds to that, that chief justice john roberts was on their side for quite a while and then switched sides. it is important to note that nbc news hasn't confirmed this type of reporting, craig, but it certainly has created a lot of speculation as we have in the

july 4th holiday. >> also created just as much buzz, mark, is the guy who apparently was trying to twist the arm of the chief justice for several weeks. >> well, right. and that actually had to do with justice anthony kennedy. and all along after the oral arguments, everyone thought that health care -- the health care law's fate would be decided however justice kennedy ended up voting. and turns out it was chief justice john roberts who was the swing vote here. and according to cbs, justice kennedy was on the side of the senators and trying to pull back justice roberts to their conservative side of things. so really interesting development here and it does kind of show you that just a few days after this decision on thursday, craig, that the court that there seems to be some hard feelings, particularly if you end up reading this report. >> let's get into the politics of this thing really quickly. >> why is this such a key point for conservatives especially? >> well, as i was mentioning

this earlier, it shows you, craig, how close -- if you're a conservative, you came very, very close to toppling a big democratic priority, a big priority by the obama administration. but in the big scheme of things, i'm not sure this really matters all that much. at the end of the day, john roberts was part of that 5-4 majority. almost like a sports fan blaming a referee call or a bad call for a decision that led for the game to eventually be decided. at the end of the day, the obama administration and his allies ended up winning on this. but conservatives can always say, look, justice roberts, chief justice roberts was almost on their side and, you know, one of the implications also in this article is that justice roberts was swayed by the fear that he wanted to actually placate a liberal media that all of a sudden he was worried about the court's reputation, how would it be perceived and decided to vote with the liberals on the court. >> mark murray, thank you so much. always appreciate you. >> thanks.

despite some big voices on the left telling the president to lay off the attacks on romney's record at bain capital, it looks like they're working. our latest nbc news "wall street journal" poll shows that 33% of those surveyed in swing states, a third of folks in swing states have negative opinions about mitt romney's business background compared to just 18% who have positive opinions. and it's not only this poll, the "new york times" writes, "obama commercial painting romney as a ruthless executive who pursued profits at the expense of jobs" are starting to make impact on undecided voters. according to strategists from both sides. joining me now the political correspondent for the "new york times," jim, good afternoon to you. >> good afternoon. >> "the times" says the attacks on boehner making inroads for the president and so far no sign of the campaign letting up. here's vice president joe biden expanding the bain narrative last week. take a listen. >> here's the bottom line, folks. bain and their companies, they made a great deal of money

facilitating this outsourcing and offshoring american jobs. so of you got to give mitt romney credit. he's a job creator. in singapore, china, india. he's been very good at creating jobs overseas. >> is there any reason for the president to let up on these attacks now? >> it's funny because that very sound bite kind of contains some of the risk here for the president. because basically a lot of independent fact checkers have said the obama campaign and the super pac priorities, usa action helping him in this have kind of gone too far and been unfair in the way they're categorizing some of this. but on the other hand, it seems to be working in some of these polls. >> which types of voters specifically do these ads seem to be working with in the swing states? >> well, i'll tell you, there's only one sort of voter that both campaigns care about. and that's the voter who voted for president obama last time and isn't sure this time. >> romney campaign now pushing

back against the president. using old footage of hillary clinton during the brutal 2008 primary, as well. take a look at this. >> barack obama's attacks against mitt romney, they're just not true. "the washington post" says on just about every level, this ad is misleading, unfair, and untrue. but that's barack obama, he also attacked hillary clinton with vicious lies. >> he continued to spend millions of dollars perpetuating falsehoods. so shame on you, barack obama. >> seems like just yesterday, doesn't it, jim? the romney campaign they're trying to show the president just another politician not the perhaps transformational figure that so many voters saw four years ago. do you think this is going to be an effective strategy for team romney? >> it depends on how much president obama walked into it. every attack works if it reinforces something people already think about certain politicians. so if the obama team starts getting called out a lot for falsehoods or pushing things too

far, they could be vulnerable. that said, that ad was a defensive ad. and one of the few times we've seen the romney campaign feeling it's been forced off its message to address an attack. that tells you that they are aware that something's going on here, as well. >> it's also interesting because we saw the ad there with hillary clinton. bill clinton in the past has said some things that could probably be used in a campaign ad against the president. you've got to wonder at what point or do we see ads from team romney including the former president? >> we have been told that is certainly under consideration if not even -- who knows, i wouldn't be surprised if some of them are sitting in a file somewhere. >> jim, thank you. >> thank you. is mitt romney's wife ann his secret weapon? mrs. romney gave a rare interview to "usa today" about her life, specifically about her 14-year battle with multiple sclerosis. some republicans call ann the secret weapon because she makes an easy connection with voters.

perhaps one reason, one reason why is mrs. romney's honesty about her health. in the article she says of her m.s. diagnosis. "it's really chiselled me. really shaped me almost like a wine press would or an olive press." joining me now is jackie kucinich who also contributed to that article. good afternoon to you. >> good afternoon. >> i want to share another excerpt here with our viewers, as well. this is from that "usa today" interview in california. quote from ann romney. my challenges aren't financial and i'll give that to anybody. i do not have financial challenges, but i do have challenges. and all of us have challenges in life. for me having this kind of serious health challenge has made me more compassionate, more understanding of those who were struggling. that is probably the kind of answer that mitt romney's campaign workers would love to hear him give. here's a woman who says, you know what? i'm rich, i'm wealthy, but i have problems too. and here's how -- that was the thing that struck me most about

that article. >> well, it was interesting. when i was talking to voters about this in virginia last week, they shade the same thing. they said, you know, it didn't -- she did. she had -- she had some -- they have problems, excuse me. it did humanize the family a little bit. and some of them said they wished mitt romney would talk about the struggle a little bit in his -- his role in helping her to really hammer it home that, you know, this is a family and they're not just, you know, kind of -- he's not just this executive. he actually is someone who had a wife who is ill. >> -- when it comes to the choices he makes on the campaign trail? >> he's asked about that. he says he always consults with his family. so you have to think that she does. when she's on the campaign trail, she's -- she really -- she's good on the stump, she's someone that voters really voters have really embraced her, the people who know her. she's not known across the

country yet, but they're getting there. >> we also found out she apparently enjoys comedy central. she watches the "colbert report" at least. she calls it hilarious, the bit where he talks about her riding horses to treat her m.s. -- she says in the article, "you have to understand, we all laugh at the sport too." we know how ridiculous it looks sometimes. why haven't we seen ann romney do more interviews with the likes of stephen colbert or out there more? >> i don't know that you won't. this is the beginning of the campaign and they're introducing her to voters. i mean i -- i don't know they're going to put her on colbert, but i think you'll see her doing -- you'll see her stepping out more because she is someone who -- voters said this, she is someone who humanizes mitt romney and really shows that there is another layer there. because he is so private, she kind of is becoming more of the public face of the family.

>> jackie kucinich, "usa today," thank you. >> thank you. up next in breaking news, one of the runners set to compete in the runoff for the last 100-meter olympic spot is conceding the race. we've got new developments after this. first, though, there's a lot going on today and here are just a few of the things we thought you should know. call rupert murdoch unimpressed with the campaign team thus far. the media mogul took to the twitterverse with his criticisms tweeting mitt romney last week -- which we assume tough obama professionals will be hard to beat unless he drops old friends and hires real pros. doubtful. new jersey governor chris christie not holding back during a question and answer session with reporters after a discussion over collapsed water mains goes a little off topic. >> did i say on topic? are you stupid? on topic. on topic. next question.

good. thank you. thank you all very much and i'm sorry for the idiot over there. take care. >> oh, it's a big job for the george w. bush presidential center dallasnews.com reporting that workers have the tedious task of sorting and archiving 200 million e-mails. the e-mails are in a secure location. one with the space to hold the 600 million printed pages of material. loretta sanchez and her staffers mix a little fun with their workday throwing together a spoof of the harvard baseball team's "call me maybe" parody with one of their own. take a look. ♪ it's hard to look right at you baby ♪ ♪ but here's my number so call me maybe ♪ ♪ hey, i just met you and this is crazy ♪ ♪ here's my number so call me maybe ♪ ♪ and all the other boys try to

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breaking news now from the u.s. track and field olympic trials. a tie breaker to determine who represents the u.s. at the games has been called off. the runoff which was to settle this dramatic third-place finish in the women's 100 meters was scheduled for today in eugene, oregon. we learned one of the two runners in that photo finish has pulled out of the race, given the olympic spot to her competitor allison felix. >> mary pilan is in oregon. mary, first of all, what can you tell us about why she decided to concede the spot right now? >> reporter: sure, sure. so our reporting this morning was that she had decided to pull out because she looked at the photo finish and some of her coaches that we talked to said that when originally it was deemed a third place finish rather than a dead heat and that

was later reversed that tarmo took issue with that and thought when i finished that race i really finished third. and running in a runoff thad be acknowledging it was a tie when she felt that it was indeed a third-place finish. >> so she feels like she was robbed? >> reporter: just to paraphrase the conversations i've had, yes. and that opens up interesting questions for what happens now. and she's definitely going to be on the relay team is my understanding as is felix. felix had a stellar race in the later trials. and they share a coach. so i think there was a lot of concern about fatigue if they did a runoff today. but sounds like more going back to that original, you know, now infamous photo that sparked tamough's change. >> can she pursue action against the olympic committee? >> you know, that's an interesting question. and i'm not sure anybody really knows that right now. i think it's an interesting thing for sports players to muse

about. if there was anything, i don't know if it was be the usoc or usa track and field the governing body of the sport. and as we reported earlier this week kind of had to rewrite the books on this because a dead heat in and of itself is an extraordinary circumstance, let alone a dead heat for a third-place finish. and the top three who make the standard go. everything about this statistically is unbelievable and has baffled people. so it follows that theme of we don't know yet. >> what is allyson felix saying about this? >> her agents put out a statement that, you know, until she was told by usatf that she was ready to run until told otherwise. the thing to remember about felix and tarmoh is they trained together and both are extremely graceful competitors. it doesn't seem like they were angry at each other ever. they both understood. they're both professional athletes. they understood this was an

extraordinary decision. and it sounds like they've been trying to do as much as they can to, you know, both be friends but also friend lid competitors. >> thank you so much mary pilon. breaking news, there will be no runoff tonight out in eugene, oregon. mary pilon, thank you. appreciate that. >> thanks. the ongoing battle against wildfires burning out west tops our look at the stories around the news nation today. more than a week after they started. the blazes now burning in colorado springs are slowly coming under control. the fire there now 55% contained, it has destroyed hundreds of homes, burned thousands of acres so far. and an investigation is underway after a military plane used to fight wildfires in southwest south dakota crashed. it is not clear what caused the c-130 hercules to go down. all three crew members are now hospitalized. michael jordan's youngest son is out on bail today. police arrested marcus jordan in omaha yesterday after a

disturbance outside a hotel. authorities describe the basketball star as animated, intoxicated, and uncooperative at the time. we do not know why he is cheesing that way in his mug shot either. airbus is building the first assembly plant here in the united states. today's announcement puts the giant in a position to compete with boeing. the plant will be based in mobile, alabama, cost about $600 million, and it will employ roughly 1,000 people. and finally today, apple has settled an ipad-related legal dispute. the computer giant is paying $60 million for the legal rights to its device's trademark in china. china is the second largest market for apple products after this country. coming up, outrage over disney's new depiction of the villain ursula in "little mermaid," the full-figured witch got quite the slimmed down makeover. our news nation gut check. and don't forget, you can always join the news nation. we are on the facebook -- that's

right. there we are, facebook.com/newsnation. we'll see you there. [ male announcer ] this is anna, her long day teaching the perfect swing begins with back pain and a choice. take advil, and maybe have to take up to four in a day. or take aleve, which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. good eye. which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. you know, those farmers, those foragers, those fishermen.... for me, it's really about building this extraordinary community. american express is passionate about the same thing. they're one of those partners that i would really rely on whether it's finding new customers, or, a new location for my next restaurant. when we all come together, my restaurants, my partners, and the community amazing things happen. to me, that's the membership effect. until i had the shingles. i have never encountered such a burning sensation... it was like a red rash.

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time now for the "news nation gut check." disney is slimming down one of the most popular villains. this is ursula the sea witch from the little mermaid. this fall, the new disney villain's designer collection debuts in stores, you'll be able to snap up six collectors dolls with of course lip gloss, nail polish, inspired by ursula and more. check out the new look for the line. she got a serious makeover. and from the looks of it and some major plastic surgery, as well. she is a much thinner sea witch. some of the blogs have quite the beef with that. big beef with the new ursula asking why disney could no

include body diversity in the new line. we reached out to disney for the reaction to the new ursula design. we have not heard back from disney. we want to ask you, do you think that disney's redesign slimmed down ursula will sell any better than the original ursula? what does your gut tell you? go to facebook.com/newsnation to vote. that will do it for this edition of "news nation." i'm craig melvin, you can catch news nation with tamron hall every day 2:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. t "the cycle" is up next. you can get that cushiony feeling while still using less. designed with extra cushions that are soft and more absorbent and you can use four times less. charmin ultra soft. you get a 50% annual bonus. and everyone likes 50% more cash -- well, except her. no! but, i'm about to change that. ♪ every little baby wants 50% more cash... ♪ phhht! fine, you try.

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3:00 in d.c., 2:00 in st. louis, and here's what's going on "the cycle" today. how could we get past washington gridlock and get things done? and what's next for health care? the four-point plan. >> supreme secrets, the high court isn't known for leaks, but somebody from the inside is talking about the decision of the century.