i'm craig melvin in for tamron hall on this tuesday. the news nation is following dangerous heat across this country as we head into the fourth of july. temperatures nearing triple digits are forecast from the plains to atlantic coast with more of the same tomorrow.

this is more than 1 million people are still without power from indiana to virginia. more than 300,000 are blacked out in ohio alone. can you imagine sitting, sweltering in this heat without a.c. folks are frustrated. >> they told me seven days, who can wait seven days. >> for more on what to expect, we turn to the weather channel's heather tesch. >> well, it's going to be hot and my husband was one of those people suffering in the heat as he was on a business trip with a hotel and no air-conditioning. it's been difficult for people. and we've got more hot weather to come. you think of fourth of july and hot weather, but this is a little over the top. first of all, i want to show you where we do have some heat, watches and warnings out here, advisories. it's not just the temperatures, but when you look at the heat index for a lot of these areas, you know, we are going to be

looking at them upwards to about 115. so it is going to be extremely hot in some of these areas. and that's just something you need to be aware of. it is going to be uncomfortable for many of you. as far as some of the temperatures that we will be following, we've got a lot of places that those numbers are going to continue to be in the triple digits as we work our way into, of course, what that would be the holiday here for fourth of july when a lot of people are going to be out barbecuing and they're also going to be out there, you know, trying to have fun outside. unless you're submerged in the wat water, it's going to be awfully uncomfortable. we'll talk more about the triple digits in the days to come because we've got more of it into the weekend. >> heather tesch, thank you. >> sorry. developing news right now, pakistan announcing it is reopening the nato supply routes to afghanistan. the taliban saying it is shocked

at the move. and warns that it would attack any vehicles carrying supplies for foreign forces in afghanistan. nbc's chief pentagon correspondent joining me now. mick, are officials a the this point saying whether the routes were reopened after an apology over the border attack? or are they admitting that just yet? >> well, i haven't heard any u.s. officials say what secretary of state hillary clinton said was an apology. in fact, one senior u.s. official said only you in the media are calling this an apology. but secretary of state clinton did say that the u.s. is sorry for the fact that a u.s. air strike mistakenly killed 24 pakistan soldiers in a cross-border incident about seven months ago. the important thing here is that the pakistanis consider it an apology and have reopened the vital supply routes to provide those supplies to u.s. forces in afghanistan. and for the past seven months, they've had to use alternate routes, which has cost the u.s. an additional $100 million per month.

so finally, these tensions have been put aside and the u.s. can get back to doing business with pakistan on a more congenial basis, i guess. and at a better, more fruitful relationship for the u.s. military certainly there in afghanistan, craig. >> let's go to iran now, mick. test-fired several missiles, commanders claim that some of the missiles are capable of hitting u.s. warships in the gulf. "new york times" reporting that the united states is building up its military presence in the gulf to stop iran from closing the state of hormuz. has the pentagon indicated whether this military build-up is part of a long-planned effort? or is it a direct response to something? >> no, craig, this has been going on for some time. it is in response to the rising tensions over iran's nuclear ambitio ambitions. and the possible threat of an israeli strike to take out iran's nuclear weapons program that they perceive as underway.

what is happening here is that the u.s. has doubled the amount of mine sweepers -- they've put some stealth fighters, a small number of stealth fighters and other fighter aircraft in a couple of gulf states, and they have sent a helicopter carrier into that region that could serve as a platform for special operations forces. but there is no hint whatsoever and no desire on the part of the white house, the administration, or the u.s. military to engage the iranians militarily. this is all for defensive purposes. and quite frankly, trying to send a signal to both israel, iran, and the gulf states that the u.s. there would like to keep a lid on things, but is prepared to respond if possible. and in return of threats, they could probably do that, but only temporarily. the u.s. military would respond aggressively. and if the iranians were to attempt to attack u.s. ships or

military facilities in the area, u.s. military officials warn that the response from the american military would destroy iran's navy at the very least. >> from the pentagon on this tuesday, jim, thank you. >> okay, craig. folks, we're following some breaking news right now. reaction continuing to pour in over the death of beloved actor andy griffith. the 86-year-old died in his home in north carolina this morning. his wife cindy released a statement just a short time ago saying in part, "he is the love of my life, my constant companion, my partner, and my best friend. i cannot imagine life without andy, but i take comfort and strength in god's christmgrace knowledge that andy is at peace and with god." and we were talking about this thing a few moments ago. there are very few actors who can say they entertained successfully entertained generations. >> right. i think we were reminded today

of a national treasure that is andy griffith and his wife there, cindy, of nearly 30 years. so i think when you talk about the greatest generation andy griffith would definitely fall into that category. and he, you know, people most know him for "andy griffith show" and "matlock," but andy griffith has been running up until a few years ago. >> and running successfully. >> i told a story i was working on a show competing with that show in north carolina and was losing at the time. but i have to say, that speaks a lot to him. he was born in north carolina, lived a great portion of his life and passed in north carolina and he is a hometown hero there. and, you know, i think he's really going to be sorely missed and he stands for kind of fairness and what is right. and that's what a lot of the reaction is saying today too. >> that folksy down home charm just endeared him to millions. we heard from opie. >> right. >> better known these days, of course, as ron howard. we heard from him a short time ago on our air. let's play a clip of him. >> i hope he's remembered not

only for the "andy griffith show" and also for "matlock," and his music and going way back to some of those first monologues which are -- he did on the radio which are -- you know, and the recording studio which are really still hilarious. and then take a look at the overview and whether it was comedy or drama, you know, he -- he -- there's a reason that he's so impactful on on so many different mediums and styles. and that's because, you know, he cared about what he was doing. >> it's interesting he talked about his music. he was a grammy award winning artist, gospel singer, as well, and a southern singer. and he also was very funny. and people that knew him well said that, you know, he was really -- he was funny on the show, but they said it didn't even compare to just how funny he was in real life. and then he was really acting as

wholesome as he was on the show because he was a great wise-cracking guy. another tweet saying, you know, andy was a little bit political in part of his career and henry winkler saying rest in peace, forever in our memory, andy griffith. the two of them worked together on a video in 2008 for obama. >> that's right. >> so andy griffith often leaned democrat and supported governors, two governors and spoke at the inauguration of two governors in north carolina. >> he will most certainly be missed. and that theme song from the "andy griffith show," we've heard it throughout the morning. >> we're going to be whistling it. >> we are. thank you so much. i appreciate it. coming up -- inside mitt romney's fortune. details on a new report that dived into romney's complicated offshore accounts. does romney need to be more transparent? president obama's about to start his first bus tour of the campaign season later this week. mitt romney also planning a campaign trip to israel.

and why some liberals are now worried about a roberts rebound this fall after the chief justice's surprise vote on health care. and as always, folks, you can join our conversation on twitter. there we are. ♪ technology that connects us to everything the world has to offer and vice versa. ♪ technology that makes lightweight stronger, safer, and faster than ever before. ♪ technology that makes electric electrifying and efficiency exhilarating. ♪ technology that doesn't just drive us, but drives progress. ♪ and driving progress is what we do every day. ♪

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back now with politics. a new "vanity fair" article that's reigniting questions about mitt romney's financial history. the article delves into his unwillingness to release more of his tax returns and the offshore accounts that were revealed in documents he was reluctant to release during the primary season. "vanity fair" writing, "romney, like the super hero who whirls and back flips unscathed while everyone else gets zapped, seems comfortable striding into some fuzzy gray zones."

let's go ahead and bring in our political panel. democratic strategist and political reporter for the "washington post," good afternoon to both of you. >> good to be here. >> chris -- chris, let me start with you because the article talks about accounts in bermuda, talks about accounts in switzerland. i want to play you romney's reaction during a january primary debate when he was called out by newt gingrich. take a listen. >> i did say i thought it was unusual and i don't know of any other american president who has had a swiss bank account, i'd be glad for you to explain that sort of thing. >> okay. i will. i will. i'll say again, i have a trustee that manages my investments in a blind trust. that was so that i would avoid any conflicts of interest. that trustee indicated last week when he was asked about this, he wanted to diversify the investments i had. and for a while he had money in a swiss account reported.

there's nothing wrong with that. >> there's nothing wrong with that, chris, when the average american voters, when they hear that explanation and read articles like this, what do they think? >> they think that this is a candidate that is out of touch and doesn't understand them. listen, when you step back and look at this, campaigns, especially presidential elections, are battles between narratives. each campaign is trying to define themselves, trying to define their opponent. and when you look at, you know, governor romney and all of the issues that have come out about the fact he pays a lower tax rate than most americans that he has these offshore accounts that he has outsourced jobs. he creates a really damaging narrative. and the romney campaign through their silence and i would say missteps have not filled that void. and i think that's why you've noticed and especially some of these battlegrounds the obama campaign has made -- really gained some ground compared to governor romney. >> it is a fascinating article i would encourage folks watching

and listening to read the article, as well. no one has accused romney of anything illegal, we should, of course, point that out. but when you start talking about offshore accounts and start talking about trustees and apparently in one of these accounts according to the article, at least, it appears as if mitt romney has been betting against the u.s. dollar for some time. how does the campaign get out in front of a narrative like this? >> well, so far they have been pretty steadfast in their position that they don't really think this is an issue. you saw him, obviously, in south carolina, refuse initially to release some of those tax forms. he then did a release of some of them. but they have this sense that americans don't really care about this, that americans know that mitt romney is wealthy, most of the last people who have run for president have also been very wealthy. they want to focus on the economy. i think the problem is that you're going to see from democrats a narrative about

offshore bank accounts with the narrative out of bain and this whole idea that mitt romney thinks that he doesn't have to play by the rules. now mitt romney, of course, has said as you just said that he hasn't broken any rules, that he pays not a penny more in taxes than he should, and that's been his insistence all along. we'll have to see whether or not this becomes an issue down the line as we get closer to november. >> let's talk about the trail. both candidates have plans to hit the road. romney heading to israel later this summer. president obama kicking off his first bus tour of the campaign. he's going to take his economic message through ohio, through pennsylvania, to, of course, battleground states there. he won both of those in 2008. he will likely need both if not one of them in the win column to win reelection in november. here's the latest quinnipiac poll, the president nine points ahead of romney in ohio, six points ahead of romney in

pennsylvania. no republican has ever won the white house without winning ohio. what's it going to take for mitt romney to make any in roads in that state? >> well, i think he's got to come up with a middle class economic message. if you look at this economy where people have been hurting and look at the fact the mess the president's inherited and trying to fix, there's real anxiety amongst the middle class. and i think governor romney's major problem is that people don't think he has a solution. in fact, when they look at his policies and you scratch at them and you really kind of analyze them, what you come to the conclusion is all the problems that he says he's going to fix he's actually going to make worse. he's actually going to make the deficit worse, his job creation proposals aren't going to create jobs. and i think unless he addresses that and gives some confidence to the middle class and especially those hard-working folks in ohio, i'm not sure he makes those kind of inroads. and that's going to be a big problem because he cannot win unless he wins ohio. it's one of the key states for him.

>> voters in ohio, pennsylvania already getting a preview of the president's message. there's a tv ad that launched between states. they want to play a snippet of it and talk about it on the other side. take a look. >> what a president believes matters. mitt romney's companies were pioneers in outsourcing u.s. jobs to low-wage countries. he supports tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. outsourcing versus in-sourcing, it matters. >> say what you may about the obama campaign, it appears they're staying on message. they're beating independent voters over the head with this theme. >> that's right. and you remember that they got some blow-back for playing the bain card. but they have steadfastly focused on bain and we can see it's working in these swing states. you guys had a poll out i believe it was last week that showed the president ahead by i think ten points in these key swing states. and there's concern about this among republicans, romney hasn't

mounted a good defense as of yet in terms of what he did at bain. he has said it wasn't outsourcing it was offshoring. and that's, you know, good luck with that argument to folks who have experienced this kind of job loss, especially in these rust belt states. also, i think you're going to hear the president talk about that auto bailout. so many of the communities there connected to the auto industry in those states, i'm sure he's going to lead with that. >> always a pleasure. thanks to both of you. happy fourth. >> thank you. >> happy fourth. six air force tankers will return to fighting fires after the entire fleet was grounded in the midst of one of the most destructive wildfire seasons to hit the west coast. if he calls, you have to answer the call and listen at least. >> is chris christie opening the door to a vice presidential run? mark murray will weigh in on today's edition of the

veepstakes. a group of scientists are on their way to a remote island near hawaii on a mission to solve one of history's greatest mysteries. what happened to amelia earhart? researchers left honolulu earlier today with a $2.2 million expedition to find her wreckage. they believe earhart landed on a reef nearby in 1937 and survived for a short time, actually. their team will search the deep waters with high-tech equipment and they say they hope to find the wreckage within a month. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies,

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there was moving at 4 miles an hour, that is a very fast time for a fire. >> secretary of homeland security janet napolitano today speaking in colorado springs, the site of the most destructive fire in colorado state history. firefighters there appear to be making some progress battling the waldo canyon fire which has destroyed nearly 350 homes so far. crews say they have almost half the fire contained. most of the 30,000 people who were evacuated have been allowed to return to their homes. but 3,000 are still waiting to go home and it will likely be weeks before the blaze is completely under control. meanwhile, in south dakota, five air force tankers are resuming their firefighting efforts in the black hills. they had been grounded after one of the tankers crashed over the weekend killing at least two of the six crew members. four years after president obama's 2008 campaign sparked a massive youth movement, are first-time voters less enthusiastic about the president this time around? plus -- >> we're focused on color and

race when we should be focused on preserving the future. preserving this country. >> my interview with mia love, the small-town mayor who is hoping to become the first black republican woman in congress. and, folks, if you haven't just yet, be sure to check out our "news nation" tumblr page, you're going to find a lot of behind-the-scenes pictures. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] what's the point of an epa estimated 42 miles per gallon if the miles aren't interesting? the lexus ct hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection. [ male announcer ] we believe small things can make a big difference. like how a little oil from here

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one pet at a time. hey america, even though slisa rinna is wearing the new depend silhouette briefs for charity to prove how great the fit is even under a fantastic dress. the best protection now looks, fits and feels just like underwear. we invite you to get a free sample and try one on too. and we're back with decision 2012 and a possible opening for mitt romney when it comes to the youth vote as president obama dominated back in 2008. our latest nbc news "wall street journal" poll shows interest in the election among voters between the ages of 18 and 34 is down 17 points from 2008. the headline in the "new york times" reads "stung by recession, young voters shed image as obama brigade."

let's bring in mark murray. mark, this is certainly not what the obama campaign wants to see in the "new york times." >> that's right, craig. there are two voting blocks where president obama and democrats have their work cut out for them. one is latino voters, they're not as enthusiastic as they were in 2008. and the same holds true for young voters. and as that "new york times" article mentioned where this is really actually hurting the obama campaign or was actually the first time voters, people 18 to 24, those who didn't vote in 2008. and, craig, one thing worth noting is this presidential cycle is completely different than in 2008. four years ago, you had that historic hillary versus obama primary season that went through all 50 states, the obama campaign targeted all these college campuses to be able to beat hillary clinton. this time around, of course, president obama wasn't challenged in the primaries and so they haven't been able to get these young voters fired up yet.

>> you mentioned 18 and 19-year-olds, the unemployment rate for that particular group more than 23%, nearly 13% between 20 and 24. is for them, is it just about not having a job and blaming the sitting president? or is it more to it than that? >> i think the economy is one part of it. but i also think the fact that the youth vote really hasn't been engaged just now. now i know the obama campaign has a big ground game. they want to really reach out to young voters, that's why president obama had his kickoff rallies in virginia and in ohio at college campuses. but because there really weren't a lot of enthusiastic primary campaigns and contests, these people really haven't been mobilized yet. and i guess this is the $64,000 question, craig, is do these people come out and vote in november? there still is four months to go. but right now if i'm the obama campaign, i have to be a little bit worried about getting these folks to the polls. >> one of the other things that caught my attention in this

article is we're going to put it on the screen here. it talks about what could be a paradigm shift of sorts. "we're also seeing these young members of this generation are beginning to show some more conservative traits. it doesn't mean that they're republican, it means that republicans have an opportunity. obviously some good news here potentially for mitt romney. but the question now, i guess, mark, is how can candidate romney take advantage of this perhaps opening? >> well, candidate romney has more of an opening than john mccain did four years ago. so i think that is the good news. to be able to win a few more of these people over on issues on the economy. but really the bigger question is the obama campaign being able to mobilize this. craig, i can't make -- this is a very important point that the part of president obama's base with minorities, young voters, upscale college-educated folks, they need all those folks to be able to be able to win a presidential contest. and right now with some of them lagging in enthusiasm, that has to be a warning sign.

>> time now for our hourly installment of veepstakes here on msnbc. we have perhaps new clues today. going to march with romney at a fourth of july parade, also with several rumored short listers, new jersey governor chris christie also talking about the veepstakes, as well. in fact, let's play here really quickly what christie said this morning. take a listen. >> this is an election with one voter, mitt romney. and he gets to decide who he thinks will be the best vice president of the united states. the fact is if governor romney picks up a phone and calls, then you have to answer the call and listen, at least. >> he's picking up the phone, mark murray. he's picking up the phone. >> well, and that's not too different than what he said in the past few months. chris christie certainly said if he is the guy who is selected, he can't say no to that. but you look at all the activity right now. and the romney campaign, they're

not tipping their hand romney might go. but you do see people like kelly ayotte, rob portman making a lot of campaign visits with mitt romney in ohio and other states, you look at tim pawlenty and his surrogate work. those kind of moves give a better indication of a top tier list than a chris christie who hasn't appeared with mitt romney on the campaign trail. those are your clues, but the big important thing to note is this pick is going to be coming pretty soon. either this month or next month with the republican convention in the latter part of august. >> can we scratch bob mcdonnell off the list after the announcement of his new role at the gop convention? >> i don't think we can cross him off the list, but i do think the people who are a little bit higher right now are the tim pawlentys, even bobby jindal of louisiana. certainly bob mcdonnell is in the mix. the one problem he has is he's

been touting the virginia economy and how things are moving in the right direction for the commonwealth of virginia which really isn't the message that the romney campaign wants to be making right now. >> mark murray, always a pleasure, sir, thank you. >> thanks, craig. conservatives angry over john roberts' decision to uphold a health care law may be in for a surprise next. "politico" is reporting that roberts may be in for a rebound of sorts. some liberals contend that roberts' surprise crossover on the health care law has given him a free hand to craft and sign on to a slew of conservative opinions next year without suffering much of a public drumming. with one major case, roberts may have -- josh, good afternoon t you. >> hi, craig, how are you? >> there are quite a few blockbuster cases that could

come down next year, marriage i.d. laws and the voting rights act perhaps. what's the possibility that the chief justice's actions may affect those decisions? >> well, it's really hard to know. you know, a lot of it has to do with the internal dynamics on the court and all the stories we've been hearing about the last couple of days about whether he switched his vote to the last minute or whether conservatives are angry at him. but if the chief justice is concerned about appearances and he's worried about whether conservatives really think that he's strayed from the fold, there's no question that in the coming term he'll have a lot of opportunities to make clear he's a conservative if that's what he wants to do. you mentioned many of the cases. we know for the fact that affirmative action case out of the texas state universities will be coming to court this fall and a lot of those other disputes including the very, you know, hot button same-sex marriage cases are likely to end up at the court's front door and he'll have a chance to send

conservative messages if that's what he wants to do. >> the past few days we've been speculating a lot about the justices and whether public opinion and polls or something they even, you know, look at. what do we know about that? i mean, is this all just media speculation? or do we honestly think that the chief justice remotely cares what people think about him or his decisions? >> i think we do think that he cares about what people think about him and his decisions. i mean, he made pretty clear in his confirmation hearings and in some interviews that he did around that time that he was concerned about the court's institutional reputation, that he wanted it to be held in high regard by americans. it's not -- that doesn't necessarily mean that in any specific case he would come out a certain way. but he's made pretty clear that it's important that the court be respected by as much of the public as possible. i don't think unusual or shocking if you were to keep one eye on public opinion. you might never get the justices to admit that, though, in

connection with any specific decision. they'll just say that they did it based on the facts and the law. >> roberts also in addition to the health care law last week also sided with liberals in striking down three parts of arizona's controversial immigration law. do we think, perhaps, there has been a change at all to his conservative ideology? >> it's possible. i mean, you're right, he did vote with liberals on that immigration case on several of the votes. i think justice alito joined on one of those, as well. in all terms been unanimous 7-2, 8-1, 9-0 decisions by the court. that's not that shocking. but if you go through them and look for decisions like last thursday where you have the four lining up with the chief justice to decide the outcome of the case. that's the only one you're going to find aside from an obscure tax case back in 2006.

i would say we don't have enough data to indicate that the chief justice is really changing his stripes and far more likely we'll see him return to his usual conservative stance in the coming term. >> one of the things almost as interesting as the decision itself is the soap opera that appears to have developed behind the decision. according to cbs, justice anthony kennedy, the most involved in trying to get roberts to strike down the mandate. also tried to get him to change his mind for several weeks after, apparently. might kennedy hold a grudge next term? >> look, it's conceivable that he would. but i would find it a little bit strange, right? because justice kennedy is, in fact, the one most commonly the swing justice in these kinds of decisions on a number of different issues. he has strayed from conservative orthodoxy, so it would be kind of strange for him to have some lingering upset with the chief justice over his views on a specific decision. if that were going to be the way the court operates, then it would seem that justice kennedy himself would bear the brunt of those sorts of grudges.

>> josh, thank you, sir. have a good and happy fourth. >> have a good holiday. there's a new republican star rising in utah. mia love is the young fiscally conservative mayor looking to become the nation's first black republican woman in congress. and while you might not be familiar with her just yet, she's generating some sorely needed buzz and excitement in the gop. long criticized for its lack of diversity and inclusiveness. >> this is quite the hill. >> oh, it gets worse. >> reporter: mia love is the running, gunning, glad handing mayor of saratoga springs just outside salt lake city, utah. >> you love this place, don't you? >> i love it. it's just great out here. >> reporter: the 36-year-old became the republican nominee for congress in utah's fourth district.

now love is running the race of her life, a win in november means she'd make history, the first black republican woman ever elected to congress. but that's not what she wants to talk about. >> we're focused on color and race when we should be focused on preserving the future, preserving this country. >> you don't talk about race a lot, do you? >> i don't, because it doesn't define who i am. >> and in a town that's more than 90% white, her constituents don't mind either. >> i think that's wonderful that she brings some culture and some diversity to the plate. >> her race is not an issue to me. >> the mother of three would rather be known for her brand of conservatism. rooted, she claims, in her mormon faith. >> i support marriage between a man and a woman. >> and her haitian parents immigrant upbringing. >> i watched two people achieve the american dream, work hard, i'm a product of that. >> love says she devotes a program aimed at reducing poverty, cut spending, simplify

the tax code, and overhaul popular programs like medicare and social security. >> i think my opponent represents views that are way out there. >> for 12 years, congressman jim mathison has represented the most republican district held by a democrat. >> you know my past, it wasn't the politics i was raised on. >> he's the son of a former governor and admits her story is compelling, but not her politics. >> i don't think utah families who are counting on social security to be there -- i don't think utah families who value college education want someone who says we should stop doing federal student loans. >> but utah political experts aren't sure how much things like this will matter with utah to want to send a message. >> there's a sense by some of these mormon republican voters that electing a black republican woman will demonstrate that whatever people say about mormons and their history of the race, maybe it's not so true. >> reporter: love says she's used to slogging uphill and

knows this will be a long, hard race. >> i believe we're going to win and we're going to win decisively. >> the gop already has some big plans for mia love who has outside money roaring into her campaign. she'll also be headlining the republican national convention in florida. and despite her rookie status, love could become the new darling of the republican party. experts are giving her about a 50/50 shot in november. researchers say they have found the strongest evidence yet that the so-called god particle exists. i'll talk to the chief astronomer at the franklin institute about why this is a huge deal. there's a lot going on today and here's just a few of the things we thought you should know about. there will be not be a vineyard vacation for the obama family this year. the "boston globe" reporting that the state police on martha's vineyard have been told the president won't be coming and the estate where the obamas stay has been sold. last year obama was criticized by both parties who said he

should not be taking a lavish vacation while so many americans are struggling. former president george w. bush and his wife are in africa helping fight cervical cancer in that country. the bushes have been in africa since june 30th helping repair health clinic. they'll also announce the expansion of their partnership to combat cervical cancer in that country. and those are just a few of the things we thought you should know. the calcium they take because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption. with scottrader streaming quotes, any way you want. fully customize it for your trading process -- from thought to trade, on every screen. and all in real time. which makes it just like having your own trading floor, right at your fingertips. [ rodger ] at scottrade,

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a huge breakthrough -- a huge potential breakthrough in one of the world's top laboratories. physicists believe they have practically proven the god particle exists. scientists in switzerland are expected to announce that they have found that they have nearly found the subatomic particle often referred to as the god particle using the world's largest adam smatom smasher.

it points to the particle's existence. believed to give all matter in the universe size and shape. joining us now to explain this discovery hopefully in the simplest of terms here, the chief astronomer at the franklin institute. always a pleasure. first of all, why is it so important? >> the reason why it's so important, craig, is because at this point, physicists don't really understand how it is that other particles have mass. and that's a very important component because that drives so many other things. it drives gravity, it drives the electromagnetic force, the strong force, essentially the beginning particle that makes all the other particles the particles. if we understand that, it opens the door for other understanding. >> how are the scientists looking for it? and how long have they been looking for it? >> well, it's actually a really tricky process. what they have to do is they have to take subatomic particles

already, protons, smash them together at high speeds and energies to generate the conditions present when the universe began at a point where all of those other forces were very elemental and when particles existed. then what they do is they predict the path of the particle on the collision and then look at photographs essentially of what those particles did when they collided. those two subatomic particles and see if they can find a trace -- if they can see a trace of that, then they know they're on the path. but the real trick here, craig, is that they have to look at billions of collisions in order to collect enough data to show that it actually did happen. >> what does it mean if this particle has, indeed, been found? >> well, what it means is that not only are scientists well on the way to understanding how physics works as we know it, it's the proof that the standard model of physics that physicists have been working with for the past 50 years or so is actually

correct. and being that, they can better understand how this universe is put together that are about the origin of the universe, hopefully some about the fate of the universe, and help us figure out what dark matter is, as well. >> on a personal level, where would you rank this in terms of one of the major discoveries in physics? >> this is right up there with the most important discoveries ever made. some have akin to newton's understanding of physics. akin to the most basic and important understandings there could be. opening the door to the last closet of, hey, how does this work? what's it all about? >> sir, thank you so much for your insight. you always do such a fantastic job of explaining the most complex things to very simple minds. >> thanks, craig. >> i appreciate it. have a great fourth. >> thank you. and the ceo of england's third biggest bank quit. under intense pressure to step

down after the bank admitted to rigging interest rates. will that impact how much interest people pay on mortgages and loans? the resignation coming a day before he faces questioning by british lawmakers. and the first over-the-counter hiv test approved by the fda. the test only takes 20 minutes and it will be able to detect hiv using a mouth swab. it's estimated that the 1.2 million hiv carriers in this country don't even know they're infected. a news nation gut check. up next, a new law in france requiring drivers to carry breathalyzers in their cars at all times or face a fine. do you think it's a good idea? we're going to tell you how to weigh in next. [ male announcer ] 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.

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time now for the news nation gut check. france is cracking down on drunk

driving in an unusual way, perhaps. a new law is now in effect that requires all drivers to carry a breathalyzer kit in their cars or face fines. it's a hope that they will choose not to drive if they're over the legal limit. drunk driving being the leading cause of their acts. foreign drivers in the country must also have a breathalyzer in their vehicle. critics of the law say it does not guarantee that drivers will test themselves and it's just a way for breathalyzer manufacturers to make a whole bunch of money. what does your gut tell you? is it a good idea to make all drivers carry breathalyzers? go to facebook.com/newsnation to vote. take a look at what news nation is saying about yesterday's gut check. we asked if disney' redesigned slimmed down ursula will sell better than the original? 18% said yes, 82% said no.

disney did respond to the story. in creating the disney villains designer collection, the disney villains were re-imagined to create a line of dramatic highly stylized dolls that serve as a fashion interpretation of these dolls. we also offer classic disney villain products featuring characters in their true to film look. that's from disney. that does it for this edition of "news nation," i'm craig melvin. you can catch "news nation" with tamron hall every weekday 2:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. "the cycle" is up next. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement available only with liberty mutual auto insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money for a car one model year newer. to learn more, visit us today. responsibility. what's your policy?

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3:00 in lexington, kentucky, 1:00 in jackson hole, wyoming. here's what's going on today on "the cycle." independence day, tomorrow's the fourth of july, our nation's birthday, and more americans now say they're independent, not democrats or republicans. what does that mean? we'll look at the n